I would love to start this post with some uplifting lines about autumn being some kind of fishing nirvana, blah blah blah, but I would be mostly lying. With dicey conditions and even worse timing on my part, it has been a right slog. Some highlights, yes, but some very testing days as well. I… Read more
“Life changing” is probably the polite way to describe the past five weeks or so of upheaval. Correct, as most regular readers will have spotted, I am now a dad. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s especially wonderful when you finally get home after an early scare and nearly a fortnight in hospital; I’ll spare you… Read more
As much as I enjoy wild places and peaceful fishing, coming back to match angling has been one of the best things I’ve done in recent seasons. It has involved some serious adaptation, however, and I’m still learning some big lessons along the way. Competition tends to have this effect; it quickly highlights any lack… Read more
When it comes to the best or worst weather to go fishing, that can depend on the method and species. Since the turn of the year we’ve had most permutations, to be fair, from torrential rain to subzero temperatures. It was a brutal -10C on a recent return journey from from Hull, having given a… Read more
Of all the fishing I’ve done this year, the genuine surprise of all has been my return to the match scene. From thinking “I should do this a bit more” in January, I have fished over a dozen matches and become hooked on regular competition. Stranger still, I’ve not done too badly. What regular readers… Read more
There are few things I love more than a session on a classic canal, with light tackle and a whole gallery of species that might turn up. These venues take me back to youth and first ever attempts at match fishing. You know, back in the 1990s, when the scene wasn’t all about smashing out… Read more