Season's Greetings Piscators

Although I didn’t get the opportunity to go fishing in December, due to being busy and then not being well over Christmas, it gave me a chance to look back through my blogs for 2021, and look forward to 2022. A book I read over Christmas was Blood Knots by Luke Jennings. A great read about childhood fishing and those long summer holidays.

Last Christmas I spent some time setting up an Instagram account and I’ve really enjoyed sharing images with other anglers who appreciate vintage tackle, and I’m amazed just how many traditional anglers there are. The tackle I used this year ranged from a 1950s Le Omnia reel and split cane rod to a pair of Abu Cardinal 157 reels and fiberglass Carp rods.

The first cast of 2021 caught a foul-hooked Carp as I plumbed my float and unbaited hook. Not a bad start to the year and nice surprise! I continued fishing The Earl of Harrington waters and Trent and Mersey canal, as well as the Ellesmere canal during a visit to Shropshire, and the Staithe at Horning, where Arthur Ransome fished and set his books, Coot Club and The Big Six while we were on holiday to Norfolk.

Two weekends camping and fishing resulted in some good catches during those long summer days and a chance to meet other anglers, some of whom were very interested in the vintage tackle I used. There’s something very reminiscent of childhood and a ‘Huckleberry Finn’, carefree feeling about fishing and camping. Sleeping in a tent, cooking on a stove and just roughing-it for a few days. I love it!

Another surprise during 2021, was catching my personal best Carp of 19lb 3oz. I’m not one for turning fish into a number, however, I do like to fish the lead occasionally for something bigger, Carp, Tench or Bream, and, on this occasion, I fished a specimen Carp water where it’s renowned for being difficult to catch. Talking of personal bests, my nephew caught a Carp of 4.5lb, while ledger fishing for the first time.

I don’t like to plan my fishing too much, I prefer my sessions to be fairly spontaneous. However, it’s good to have ideas about how and where to fish, in the future and then just see what happens. There are a few local venues including Buzzard Fishery, Shipley Lake and Mapperley Reservoir, where I hope to fish in 2022. I also had an idea from the Mr Crabtree books to target a different fish each month. We’ll see what happens.

Well piscators, I hope you all had a good Christmas and I wish you health, happiness and tight lines for 2022.