Tuesday 31 December 2019

Lazy Fisherman 2019


The stats are in for another year - time to see how far I walked with my lazy hobby in 2019. Very slightly less than the last two years but still over two thousand miles - 2,099 miles - or 80 marathons!

Three years is enough to see the average is over two thousand miles a year - so over 22,000 miles since starting this blog - and God knows how many miles since first picking up a fishing rod... Lazy? Nope!

Distance Walked 2019


Distance Walked 2018


Distance Walked 2017

Monday 30 December 2019

Frozen IV


Before heading back to London it was time for the fourth annual Christmas fish-off, so after a cracking fried breakfast me, Steve and Dyl ventured across the border to Wales for a bit of fly fishing...

And it was tough going - the trout really didn’t want to play today. Steve eventually managed a little rainbow, and a few hours later Dyl landed a little tiger - a beauty and the first one I’ve ever seen...

Not my day, none for me - but that really didn’t matter - a great day fishing rounded off with a couple of pints. Same again next year - I hope so - I’ll win one sooner of later - bit more practice required!

Saturday 28 December 2019

Fining Down. Slowly...


Far from ideal conditions - but I had to wet a line in the river this Christmas! A couple of hours and a wander. And a sprat lowered into a tiny slack did the trick - a 13lb 6oz River Wye pike - lovely!! (+1.7)

Tuesday 24 December 2019

Christmas Miracle?


The River Wye is back within it’s banks - just! But it has been pouring with rain all day, and a lot more is forecast. Might take a minor miracle for it to be fishable this week - but fingers crossed!

Friday 6 December 2019

Frosty Barbel


After a few proper frosts I knew the barbel fishing would be tough, and although I could find fish they didn’t want a bait. It took about three hours to find a shoal of feeding barbel and I quickly bagged two about 5lb and 3lb - then James phoned...

“Are you still on the river? I’ve popped down for an hour” I told him I was and I’d found fish, “come and meet me, try and bag one”. It didn’t take him long, a 6lb 10oz barbel first cast - followed by one about 3lb half an hour later. James left - it got cold - I left...


A shoal of feeding barbel in December? I was back for a couple of hours the next day! Unsurprisingly they had vanished - but I thought I’d have a few casts in likely spots on the way back up the river - landing one about 4½lb - then I watched a big girl nail the bait...

Cracking fight and the hook pinged out over the net, but it was too late! No need for a Mac comparison, I recognised her as the 10lb 3oz from last month - a double! Nope, at a (double-checked) 9lb 15oz she’d dropped 4oz - they’re really not on the feed in this weather!

For the records: 9lb 15oz, 5lb, 4½lb & 3lb (139)

Monday 2 December 2019

Characterful Not Fugly


A couple of hours trotting for dace with James, a chub each - but no dace. Then we spotted a beautiful mirror carp - I only had 3lb line, a size 16 hook and the water was fast - but it was too much to resist...


Cracking fight on the light rod / centerpin and as the carp surfaced in front of me James mugged it. Not quite the beauty we were expecting - missing half it’s tail and a nasty sore on her side...


In fairness the side above is the one we could see - feels very strange holding a fish this way round! Bit of a sorry state, but fought hard and went back well, a characterful 11lb 3oz river mirror.

Edit: It’s a carp James has caught before, back in February 2015 she went 13lb 2oz - with minimal damage and an almost complete tail. Gone a bit downhill in 5 years, but they are tough fish in this river!