First Trip Of The Year

 What a bloody awful winter. However, come the first of March, and I've seen Celendine on the riverbank, whilst the frogs and toads have spawned in my pond. It's time to abandon the Ark building project and start digging the nuclear bunker.

Hey ho, we move forward and hope for the best. Personally, I am looking forward to some summer tench fishing, but there's no way I could go any longer without wetting a line. This afternoon, I trundled down to the Wye and found just one other car on the fishery. At least they've not been pressured. 

I have to admit to feeling under the weather. Two and a half months of avoiding cold and rain will do that to you. My gear felt heavy despite much of it being left at home. I soon discovered that my landing net spreader block had also missed muster, and that posed the potential problem of netting anything hooked. 

I slumped into a good-looking crease swim and cast a PVA bag with a few pellets and bits of meat into the flow. I soon snagged and had to tie a new rig. Of course, the heavens opened, and I struggled with wet glasses, stiff hands and a large dose of intolerance. When, at last, I had cast again, the rain immediately stopped. As did my confidence, as I had chosen on a very snaggy spot.

I was thinking about giving up, but forced myself to move up to another place where the nearside current was behaving itself. I cobbled a rig together and wrapped some cheese around a bit of rubber tied to a hair. It was all very Micky Mouse. I really was as rusty as the railings on the Titanic. Anyway, out went my gear, I sat back and decided to write my diary. I was surprised to find several of my autumn trips hadn't been recorded. I filled the gap with brevity and felt bad about my lapse in dedication. I was interrupted by a knock on the rod and reached for the handle. As I did so, the rod jammed over as a lively fish bolted downstream. I lifted into fresh air. I suppose I didn't deserve a fish whilst fishing like a plonker.

I made my way back home and pondered on the day. It did me good to get out, and I shall be fishing again soon, weather permitting. It would be nice to land something.