I am out on the Hampshire Avon for the first time of the new season. Its my quest to finally catch an Avon Barbel. This has become quite a challenge now as I have been after one for some years. I have come quite close on a couple of occasions and even lost one. It doesn’t appear to be that hard for other angler’s, I must just be a little of the mark.
The area I am in, for a few hours today, is not far from where I lost one the other year. There is a nice run just off the bank that I have baited with pellet soaked on salmon Oil, both rod’s are on 4 ft mono hook link and a wide gap hook with a spotted fin Catalyst boilie. I have great confidence in these for my carp fishing and I feel it’s only a natural progress to use these for Barbel. As I am sure confidence is half the battle, for me.
It was a very pleasant few hour’s out, with the over cast weather. I was quite confident.
I would like to give a brief snap shot of my life and introduce myself;
My name is Richard Handel and was born in 1965 in Suffolk. I have worked as a UK Operation & Intermodule Manager for a shipping company. I live in Hampshire now and am married with 2 young children, both girls so I am a bit outnumbered even the cat is a girl!
I have been fishing since I was about 7 years old. I started on small local rivers in Suffolk, then moved onto gravel pits and then carp fishing. My personal best is a 39.08 mirror, over recent years I have started river fishing again, on the Hampshire Avon, this is a nice break from the carp lakes.
My life has turned a big corner this year, the company I was working for relocated their Operation centre to Estonia. I was offered a job at the head office in London. This would have meant a 5 day commute and working in Stratford. As a family, we did not fancy this, as I would hardly spend any time with the children (and the Mrs). So after 22.5 years, I was given a nice redundancy package and with my wife is working full time. I became the house husband.
This has meant a complete turn around in my fishing, as I can pick and choose when I go. I have found a splendid new syndicate to fish this year, which includes 5 lakes and some 8 miles of river with only 150 members. It's an amazing change to the way I am able to fish.
I am now trying to start my own tackle business and make a bit of a name for myself in the world of fishing, as I have retired from real work.
Richard
UK Carp & Coarse Fishing 