Nature has just reminded us what winters should be like at this latitude and the whole country collapsed. I had to cancel several coaching sessions and change my winter fishing plans. That amount of snow is only enjoyed by children and dogs, certainly not by drivers.

Our dogs in the snow 2

Once it had melted I resumed my coaching and was able to renew old friendships and make some new ones - these young ladies from a school in Slough had their first taste of our wonderful sport and caught their first fish too.

Young lady with her best roach

Young lady with her first fish

Young lady with her first tiny fish

Longmoor Fishery near Wokingham recovered very quickly and produced carp, tench and rudd just as if it wasn’t Winter and this year’s “ice age” had never happened.

Ben\'s first tench

Ben\'s first carp

I also took some old friends to Longmoor and they had their first pole fishing experience.

Lee with pole caught carp

PJ with his first pole caught tench

Aidan with small tench

A friend of mine called Danny has also had some good sport since the thaw, starting off with this fine river Kennet barbel at 13lbs 8oz.

Danny with 13-8 kennet barbel

He has also had a good chub from the Dorset Stour and some big grayling to 2lbs 5oz from the river Itchen.

Danny with 5-12 Stour chub

5lb 12oz Chub

Danny with Itchen Grayling

All I could manage was one windy day on the Hampshire Avon with Nick Watkins that was too windy to float fish and I lent Nick my feeder rod, so apart from a couple of minnows who aren’t so fussy about bait presentation, I blanked. Nick caught some chub and a nice roach, on my rod, the only feeder rod we had with us! Get my drift?

The Mr. Nice Guy theme continues!

Yesterday I took one of my early students for a day chub fishing on the river Thames near Windsor. I first taught him about eight years ago and he has become a very capable angler.

I have searched my photo archives and found an early picture of Russell with his first Crucian Carp, taken in 2002.

Russell with hsi first crucian

As this was not a normal coaching session I fished as well, albeit in the next swim, so that we could catch up on old times. I caught the first three fish - 5lbs 2ozs, 5lb13ozs and 5lb 14ozs - but as Russell was not getting many bites I moved him into my swim for the last couple of hours.

5lb 14oz Thames chub

5lbs 14ozs Thames chub

We had both been fishing with heavy maggot feeders with short hook lengths, casting to the far bank and I was impressed with his casting accuracy - I must have done a good job all those years ago! I had stopped fishing as there was not enough room for two rods in the swim I had been fishing.

Russell hooked a very powerful fish but the rods I had provided were Shimano Technium Specialists with three ounce carbon quiver tips and with ten pound braided main line with 6lb co polymer hook lengths, to size 14 Drennan Super Spades, he was able to keep it out of the tree roots. Once in mid river the fight was a formality and the fish rolled into the net.

Russell with 6lbs 13ozs Thames chub

It weighed 6lbs 13oz.

At this stage I would like to point out that Danny travelled all the way to Throop Fisheries on the Dorset Stour and I believe stayed a couple of days, to catch a 5lb 12oz chub and we caught three chub bigger than that half an hour from his home!

Serves him right for catching a bigger barbel than I have ever caught.

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