Category: Random Ramblings
Stoke AA Presentation Night
Saturday 9th April I haven’t been to a presentation evening for a very long time as fishing for trophies just sort of fizzled out with the clubs I belonged to, I can’t really recall why and I have to say I rather miss it! Anyway due to Covid, Stoke didn’t have one last year so this would be a double one. Chris …
When is a Club Angler not a Club Angler?
Before I even attempt to answer the question in the title of this post, I think it would be useful to define what a club angler is, so here goes, Club Angler – angler who is a member of a fishing club and may or may not fish club matches. and then you have open anglers, Open Angler – angler who fishes …
Where are we going?
I haven’t done a ‘Random Ramblings’ for a while but two recent events got me thinking, the first was the latest Guru Podcast with Will Raison which was an absolutely brilliant watch/listen. I think this is the seventh one they’ve done and I’ve had a look at them all, if I’m honest, in my opinion some have been better than others and …
How are you coping with Lockdown Version 3.0?
If you’re anything like me, the answer is probably, ‘Not very well!’ After two lockdowns and with several vaccines approved, I really thought there was light at the end of the tunnel and wasn’t expecting to begin a new year in yet another lockdown, with the virus seemingly getting worse rather than better! As I type this, fishing is still allowed as …
Dillington – The Evolution of a Pond – Part 2
2011 Double figure weights were still hard to come by and the majority of the matches were won by anglers fishing the whip. Top weight of the year (in the matches I fished) was Martin Heard with 13lb 10oz, I only managed a single win with 9lb 2oz in May when I fished the whip for half the match before catching some …
Dillington – The Evolution of a Pond – Part 1
2005 I first became aware of Dillington pond way back in 2005, it used to be a small irrigation pond but was dug out, made larger and stocked with a variety of species but no carp which was like a breath of fresh air! (although a few did find their way in from Long Ponds upstream). My first visit in March was …
What Do Points Make………?
I’ve written about all the different variables in match fishing many times on this blog, it’s part of what makes our sport so great but in equal measure it can be the most frustrating thing in the world. I’m not going to regurgitate all those reasons here but somebody messaged me recently about trying to level the playing field and I’m sure …
Going Through The Motions (Or The Four Deadly Sins Of Angling!)
I’ve fished a few matches lately where I’ve felt I’ve been ‘going through the motions’ and after a bad result you end up driving home, deflated and questioning your ability. Now when I say ‘going through the motions’ it can mean several things, for example fishing a certain way because that’s how you always done it or approaching a venue using a …
Elitism and Snobbery in Match Fishing
I never get involved in spats on Facebook, it’s what they want and you’ll never change anyone’s opinion so it’s a pointless exercise, but recently a very well known and respected angler posted something and after grabbing my popcorn and scrolling through the replies, it got me thinking it would make for an interesting post. Basically the crux of his post was …
Fishing and your mental health
I wasn’t really sure where to go with this post, the seed was sort of sown when we were all put on lockdown and fishing suddenly became off limits. I don’t think most people realised the Corona crisis was going to be this serious, I certainly didn’t when we held our last match at Dillington on 22nd March. For the record (and …