After a long string of promising yet fruitless fishing trips (including 3 days on the river Wye) I have finally caught a fish over 1lb!

I'll go back a couple of weeks:



Monday 8th of September, me and Chris arrived at the river Wye for 3 days of pike fishing. On arrival we were chased by cattle (both of us HATE cows) out of the venue, not a good start. Then later that very day I snapped my rod, and then after that I decided to stick a filleting knife into my finger and slice it open... Absolute nightmare really, but we pressed on. The conditions were dreadful, blistering hot and the river being crystal clear and at its lowest in years. However, Chris (against all odds) managed to snag an 18lb 9oz pike from the mighty Wye. Using a tiny deadbait roach and the "f**k this I'm having a mardy and throwing it out and leaving it.."   set up. As jealous as I was because I didn't even get a nudge, it was a fantastic fish.



Friday 19th of September me and Kate (the mrs) spent the afternoon and evening on the river D******. After my blank on the Wye (and the countless other blanks before) I decided to have a few weeks off and try to start a fresh. After walking up and down the river the day before with the dog I picked a fantastic looking peg where a tributary joined the river creating a nice slack area over gravel between two weed beds. I spent the entire afternoon and evening getting a decent bed of bait down, only to get bullied and snapped off twice by something monstrous.. After that I'd had enough of fishing, I was never going again. 

Tuesday 30th September I decided I'd try again. After a week away on a canal boat holiday (yes I did fall in) I felt more relax and was ready for another try. I returned to the same peg, with the same bait, using the same rig (I knew it worked). After a warm afternoon baiting the swim I finally hook into a fish around 2100. After a long fight, with maximum concentration (I was NOT going to lose this fish) I landed a 10lb 1oz barbel. Unfortunately I got kicked off then, dawn to dusk fishing only.. Oops. 


Finally, my specimen hunting campaign is underway!