Happy New Year, piscators, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and you've recovered from any over indulgences. I had a quiet, cosy Christmas and spent some time planning my fishing for 2026, which I'll write about over the coming months. I treated myself to something nostalgic and retro for Christmas, an Action Man! I had several as a youngster, along with lots of accessories, all of which were sold at a local Jumble Sale when I got "too old". After buying

I thought I'd end this year's blogging with a good news story. The world definitely needs more good news stories. Anyway, a few months ago, I listed this 6'5 "split cane rod online, and it was sold after a few messages back and forth about the type of rod it could be. After dispatching the rod, I didn't expect to hear any more. Then, out of the blue, I got a message along with the image below of the rod after being restored. Bought as part of a job lot, I didn't intend to k

November 2023 was the last time I went to the National Vintage Fishing Tackle Fair, and it was good to be back. I didn't really have any tackle in mind, so after the customary first look round, I carried out a more detailed look and bought a few books. I have been thinking about replacing my Mitchell 410, and I spotted a few nice-looking 410s and ended up buying one. After a cuppa I went for another look with money still burning a hole in my pocket! I spotted some plastic box

On a mild Saturday early in the month, I decided to fish at Findern on the canal as I hadn't been there for a while. With my A Carter split cane rod and Hardy Altex reel, I made my way along the towpath and found a nice spot and threw in some maggots before tackling up. After fishing for a while and moving my float around, I still hadn't had a bite, even though I'd seen fish topping. A couple out dog walking stopped and asked about the types of fish in the canal, if I had to

Well, I didn't get a chance to wet a line until late September, and it's starting to feel autumnal, which is my favourite time of year to go fishing. Here I’m back on the Trent & Mersey Canal at Willington, float fishing with an old wooden reel. I don’t know anything about this reel, but I thought I’d give it a try.

I managed a few days away again, camping this month. Back to Blackbrook Lodge campsite. The weather was good, as was the fishing. I took...

Just one fishing session this month at Birch House Lakes, but a good result in the end...

June started well with a test run of the roach pole I tidied up. It was rather cumbersome and a bit too windy to use, so I'll give it a...

I'm not much of a botanist, but as you can see, the trees have their leaves, and the flowers are starting to bloom. And for the first...

Spring is warming up, and for my first session this month, I thought I'd go back to Robin Wood and try Lake 3 again, this time on the...