After the blank trip the other night – I had a good look around the lake and spotted a likely area. The following day I received a message from a friend who had also seen Carp in that area. With that in mind, I headed to that area and they were a few carpy signs and the area had not really been fished yet, so I thought it was worth a go.
I was all set up before the rain arrived with two baits positioned nicely in a couple of silty gullys. I was all set for the night. It was very peaceful until the alarm sounded on my phone, signaling pack up time. This was quite a surpise, as I had heard a few fish crashing about in my swim through the night. Oh well, but half way through sorting my kit out onto the barrow and with just a few bits left to go. The right hand rod was off and attached to a 14lb common and a blank saver! This does show you should never give up until all the rod’s are in.
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
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