Its my first trip of 2018 and the weather is pretty rubbish! The lakes have been fishing the same as the end of last year but all the same, it’s so nice to be out and start a new year on the bank.
In fact, I have gone on the easier lake – in the hope of bagging my first fish of the year. It’s going to be a hard one I think but we can only try.
I have been asked to join the Evolution Carp Tackle team, which is great news as their artificial baits are second to none. I will write more in the future but above are a couple of item I like the look of very much. The Corn Stacks, the pre tied cocktail bait ronnie rigs, with a small Stix Mix bag made up of Spotted Fin products this combination has got to pick me up a fair few extra fish this year.
The maggot cluster rod is just on the corner of the overhanging tree to my right, with a small amount of Betafin Pellets and some broken Catalyst boilies, it’s all set. The orange corn stack rod is going to be a roving rod, well that’s the plan…got to spot a fish first!
With no joy within the first couple of hours, I was off down the other end of the lake, looking for another likely area. The warm margin to the right was looking just perfect, with another bag on, I flicked the baits out again and crossed my fingers.
With only a couple of bleeps (I am sure it was the wind) that was that for my first outing of 2018.
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
Well done on siting it out. I toyed with the idea of going roving for a couple of hours, but it is that cold that Shrewsbury versus West Ham on the tele seemed surprisingly compelling.
UK Carp & Coarse Fishing 
Well done on siting it out. I toyed with the idea of going roving for a couple of hours, but it is that cold that Shrewsbury versus West Ham on the tele seemed surprisingly compelling.
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It was certainly a bit fresh, but it’s always nice to get out for the first trip of the year.
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