With all that rain (yes, no snow down South), I thought the river would be very murky and on the drop, it would be a great opportunity for a pike or two. It was a lovely winter’s morning.
I headed for one of my favourite areas, as it gives me the option of a lot of spots and is not too far to walk. I only have a limited amount of time and with no joy in the first swim I was on the move.
The second spot is in the Weir pool, which I have yet to catch a pike from. Today could be my opportunity. I certainly need to find a swim with some sunshine, it’s pretty nippy out here.
With no joy, I was on the move again. The weather has been so mild until very recently the river has been very low and with no real floods, there is still a lot of vegetation about. This is clogging up my normal spots, which is a shame. So far, not even a sign of a pike.
I moved again and may be this time, there is a bit of sunshine about.
It was nice to get back on the bank after recent events but of a shame there was no pike today. It was good to be out in the fresh air again.
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 