With a few hours free today and the prospects of no rain (which certainly makes a change, mind you the wind is pretty harsh). I’ve selected my swim on the less windy side of the lake and its also in full sunshine, this is in the hope that the carp feel the same way and tuck themselves against these margins. 4 other anglers are out today, so the extra pressure around the lake may make them move. Something needs to as its Spring on Sunday (1st March) and it’s been a lot harder on here this February than expected.
With that in mind, I was just going to be using PVA bags with Catalyst pellets soaked in the syrup and a few crushed up CC boilies. One rod as a CC wafter and the other as a PPS pop up, for a change. I will just work on from that. It could be time to try out the Catalyst boilies.
It was about an hour before the left rod was off and with a lovely mirror in the net, that was a pretty good start.
Unfortunately, not long after that the school called, my eldest was feeling sick with a headache, it was a super quick pack up and I was off.
Very happy with my results in that very short trip.
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
