The Year's Fishing Has Begun

At last, the rain clouds have cleared, the sun is shining, and the air pressure has dropped. Which means I could take my tackle to Robin Wood and finally wet a line.

For the first session of the year I decided to use the first 'proper' rod I bought as a child - although this wasn't the actual rod, as that was stolen from the garage - a 10-foot Shakespeare Omni Match, which I paired with a Mitchell 206 S reel. The weather was unseasonably warm, 17 degrees, and I float-fished maggots over some groundbait on lake 3, peg 12.

There was only one other piscator on the lake, and I'd seen him catch a small Carp so I was confident of my first fish of 2025. I saw some bubbles over where I'd had some groundbait and free offerings, and after a few casts my float disappeared.

After a short fight, a chunky, fin-perfect Carp graced my unhooking mat. I watched the early spring wildlife, including butterflies and a buzzard, and I missed several bites, so I decided to call it a day.

Another purchase from my brother this month was this 17-foot tortoise-shell effect rod I think may have started life as a pole; the line guides and small reel seat were added later. I removed the line guides and reel seat, gave it a good clean, and applied a new coat of varnish. I'll give it a go on the canal sometime.

The brass ferrules came clean quite nicely and will get another clean. Overall, I think this rod/pole looks quite good. It's quite heavy as you might expect, and if I'm feeling strong enough, I'll give it a try soon.