Over the Christmas lockdown, after turkey and wine, I thought it would be a great idea to join Instagram. You can see me on Instagram by searching for The Retro Angler. This month's blog began at BJ's Fishery. This time I was fishing with my 13' fibreglass rod and a Mitchell Match I was given during my previous visit to BJ's. I'd been chatting with a few other anglers and one of them had found the reel in his garage and said I could have it, as I was "into that old tackle." O

What a very lucky, or jammy as we say in the UK, start to 2021. My first session of the year was at BJ's Fishery. I cast out to plumb the float, and when I reeled in, I thought I'd got snagged. Then my line spooled off, and I realised I'd hooked a fish! There wasn't any bait on the hook, and I could tell by the way the fish was fighting I'd foul-hooked it, so did it really count? After a few attempts to slip the net under the fish, I managed to land a lovely scaled Mirror Car

Both sessions this month were at BJ's Fishery near Swakestone, Derbyshire, and I had the place to myself. Even though temperatures have dropped recently, I landed plenty of Roach and Ide from peg 5.

My first session this month, and the first in nine weeks, was at Woodrow's Pond on a sunny but fresh Saturday afternoon. I set up a 10' Carp rod and Mitchell 300 reel with some sweetcorn on a running lead. There were some fish topping and even a few jumping, although nowhere near my swim. I wasn't too bothered about blanking as I hadn't fished since my holiday in August, and no-one else was catching either, which always makes an angler feel better. My next session was on Lake

This month's blog comes from Horning, Norfolk, on the River Bure during a week-long holiday. The weather was perfect, and I fished most days, hooking fin-perfect Roach and Rudd. We stayed at the same accommodation two years ago, and I remember catching lots of Perch, which I didn't see this visit and some Pike going for my fish as I reeled them in. This visit, I fished for Pike with dead bait, but unfortunately they eluded my hook. I need to practice my technique. We hired a

It was a warm, cloudy morning and Swakestone Lock was like Piccadilly Circus. Several narrowboats sat on both sides of the lock, waiting to continue their journeys. I set up a float on the Billy Lane rod and Mitchell 300 reel, with sweetcorn and bread for bait. It was a short session, made shorter by people magnet fishing, which didn't help, and I only caught a few Perch and Roach before packing up. After putting my fishing tackle in the car, I thought I'd go for a 'scoot' up

This month's fishing began at Woodrows, one of the Earl of Harrington Angling Club waters. It was a sunny Monday, and I had the place to myself, except for another angler fishing the nearby River Derwent. I fished my Lee of Redditch split-can rod and Hardy Altex reel on the float with red maggots on a size 14 hook. It was a lovely, quiet day with just the sound of the birds, the wind in the reeds and the occasional splash of a fish. I caught loads of Perch and Silvers, and I

I was back at Allestree Lake at the beginning of the month. This time with a pair of 10' leger rods and a pair of Abu Cardinal reels, a 157 and a 654GT. It was a short session, late in the afternoon and early evening, as I'm now working from home, and although I didn't get a bite, it was good to do some legering again. I fished one rod to an island and saw fish in the area; however, they just weren't interested in my bait. The next few sessions were on the Trent & Mersey can

After an unwelcome hiatus, we can now all enjoy fishing again. The joy! With a few days of May left and some places closed due to Carp spawning, I went to Allestree Lake with my twelve-foot, 3-section float rod, Ambidex 2 reel, a pint of red maggots and float-fished. I didn't care if I caught anything; however, I managed a few Roach and hooked into what felt like a nice Tench, which broke my line, and I loved every minute of the afternoon and early evening. Earlier this month

I love fishing but it's only when you can't do something you love that you realise just how much you enjoy it and what you get out of it. If idle time can't be spent idly, then at least I can spend it in my shed. I've been back in my shed making things using offcuts of wood. A wine bottle and glass holder, a harbour scene, a gin rack, and a hedgehog feeder, complete with a Perspex front so we can watch our nightly visitor enjoying a feast.