A tricky season this one - cancer had a big impact; fishing around surgery, chemo & radiotherapy - but I did get the
all clear in November - fantastic news! Not much piking but far more fishing than I was expecting - so here's my fourteenth
season review since I started blogging - written monthly as I went along...
Closed Season: Things were very up in the air after the diagnosis - after the bad news we had to create a plan to try and deal with it! Fishing was far from my mind to begin with but an away day before surgery seem a great idea - and a catfishing trip was perfect - eight cats to a 33lb 6oz new PB - that'll tide me over...
June: Opening day was just 10 days after surgery - but I dragged myself to the riverbank - it really gave me something to work towards. Season opener was a small carp and soon the barbel flowed - 34 of them over three trips to the
Small River, not big fish but just what the doctor ordered! Plus a 5lb 3oz summer chub.
July: A couple more trips to the
Small River but the main event was five days on the mighty
River Wye. Targeting barbel in the low water, a few hours a day on
Swan Shit Island inbetween family time. And the fishing didn't disapoint - 30 barbel to 8lb 4oz, 70+ chub and seven eels! Hopefully be back for a few more barbel before pike time.
August: Started with a mission to find a seven pound plus barbel on the
Small River - do they still exist? Yep, got one - but I think they're few and far between now! Then a fantastic day chasing Fenland rudd in the boat with James - no monsters but a pretty perfect day! And the initial round of treatments came to a close - I am knackered!!
September: Really knackered - in fact I ended up in hospital - just pushed it too far! I had to cancel my trip to The Wye and take it easy closer to home. I've said it before but I'm so lucky to have the
Small River - it was a summer of chasing barbel - and great just to be out on the riverbank when I thought I would be stuck at home!
October: Still going to hospital regularly, I escaped to the
River when I had the chance - sometimes going straight from my appointment - barbel and a bit of trotting. A couple of weeks relaxing and recouping in Tenerife - just what I needed. And back to the
Small River! Really hoping the treatment is coming to an end - fingers crossed!
November: The news I was waiting for - all clear! Brilliant!! To celebrate I tracked down an ultra-rare bream from the
Small River, and added a few more barbel. A trip to The Wye was derailed by floods - typical! And closer to home I opened my pike account with a beautiful small stream 14lb 10oz fish - more to follow I hope...
December: Started with a 5lb 9oz chub, cracker but there are bigger in the shoal. Then the temperature plummeted, snow & ice - and I stayed inside! It warmed up for my traditional Xmas trip back to The Wye, the river was unsettled but fishable - no pike! A few chub & a Wye barbel found the net but where have the pike gone?
January: Another cold month, but I took the opportunity to fish when we had a few warmer days in a row. I started the month with some big chub to over 5lb. A trip to the Kennet where I was the net-man for a new river double for James. And finally managed my first double barbel of the season, backed up with 26 more to eight pound.
February: The frosty morning and cold days returned, which hampered my search for a big end-of-season chub. When it warmed up I was back into the barbel, taking my
Small River barbel count to over 200 for the season! I am starting to find a bigger stamp of fish, perhaps I can find another double before the season ends?
March: The final push, two weeks left of the season. I started the month with a brilliant day on the River Wylye which saw 21 grayling banked, five over 2lb to a new PB of 2lb 12oz. And a few local trips took my barbel total to
259 fish (including The Wye). Turned out to be a cracking season after all - roll on the next one...
