Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin

February was not a good month for fishing in more ways than one. Three storms hit the UK and here in Derby, the River Derwent burst its banks and roads were closed. I did however manage one session early in the month before the storms arrived.

I went back to Shardlow to the Trent & Mersey Canal where I'd fished towards the end of last year. Float fishing maggots with a Match 13 rod and Mitchell 300 reel. Temperatures were around 8 degrees with some cloud, sunshine a few light showers.

The wind was a south-westerly and air pressure around 1023hPa and after fishing in several different spots throughout the session I blanked! The water wasn't very deep on this stretch, less than four feet, and I think the fish had gone to deeper water. Still, I would have expected a few Perch, and even though nothing took my hook-bait, I had a pleasant session under my umbrella, watching the ducks, swans and gulls and chatting with a few passers-by. Luckily, it's not all about the fish!