It’s been some time since my last trip. This was due to a couple of family weekends away and a load of snow! I nearly managed to get out on the snow but the lake was solid.
We are at the start of a lovely mild spell. Which hopefully will get the carp moving about. This is only the second day of the good weather. My main reason for heading down to the lake is to have a good look about and get the Deeper out there looking for fish. And I found some. I just had to have a go for them but they were just not playing ball. The swim I finally stopped in for a couple of hours at the end of my trip also gave me a great view of the bottom end of the lake. It was on the back of the wind, still no signs. I think this coming weekend will be hard work but the fish will have had a few milder days and nights – fingers crossed.
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
