2024 Review

My year

January

Grayling was going to be my first catch of 2024, but no one told the trout! A short session on the Tees. Seven grayling, all of a good size 12oz to a pound and four trout, obviously some beasts amongst them. Great to be out, wading with my thoughts.

The following day it was a trip to a new river. The Derwent at Blaydon. First 2 fish were the target species, grayling. Over shadowed by a good size trout that gave me the run around on light float gear, still out if season though. Someone needs to tell them!! 

February 

My first blank. Back on the Derwent, one hour fished in very different conditions. Nice to try, but try was all I managed. 

Blanks are like buses..... another followed closely behind. A short session for chub on the Tees. Minus three in the morning, and glorious sunshine by the time we packed up. It was a good social session, with Tom and I fishing the same peg and chatting all session. The river looked perfect whilst the guage said 97cm, so definitely something to remember. Jack sh£t to remember apart from that! 

March

A last trip to the Tees this season with Ellis. Cheesepaste for chub was what we were hoping for. Ellis managed two threes, cracking fish. Another blank for me! 

Nearly a total blank as Ellis thought he forgot his reel, I brought and had to ledger with a waggler rod and Ellis nearly drove away leaving his chair behind. 

Not a calamitous trip though, great to catch up, chat and plan future trips. Roll on June 16th. 

For most of last year, I was going to try and fish the Tone at Taunton. I never managed it. A week in Dorset, so I decided to fish the last day of the season. Day ticket bought, I headed off. A nice river quite near to an industrial park including Ronald, so all was great. Cheese paste ledgered in likely spots. Plenty of bites, quite a few pulls and two chub landed at 2lb 8oz and 2lb 9oz. I was happy it had all worked out. It was kind of bittersweet though as deep down I wished I had found this sooner and gone there with Davey. 

That ended the river season for this year. Hopefully some still water action between now and June. 

April

A solitary ide for my first Tilcon session, but it was a nice morning. Plenty of wildlife around the lake and signs the fish were active. The lake was in flood, and I enjoyed fishing from the walkway several feet away from where I usually would sit. Very different to the time in September 2022 with Davey when I was sat a few feet in front of the platform! The lake does fluctuate during the seasons. Hopefully I will catch it dropping and with it some fish will grace my net. 

A cold morning greeted Tom and I at Tilcon. Some chatting, laughing and banter warmed us up. No fish and still a flooded lake. Come on spring, hurry up!! 

May

I started by fishing the Bank Holiday. A mixed bag was on the cards and didn't disappoint. Bream, golden orfe and ide (only 1 of each) but better than a blank and a great few hours with cornflakes as ground bait. 

By mid May, the lake was alive. A bite a chuck coming to corn and pellets. One session produced four bream, two tench and nine ide. A nice morning before the sun got too warm. The downside being the carp that smashed me up. Am reluctant to fish too heavy and risk not catching the ide. Some of them are really piling on the pounds, they must muscle other species out the way. 

The end of May and still the lake fished great. Me and the kids went for a morning session. Bream, ide and tench all being caught again. Rupe doing the business with his new whip. Delicate presentation against the bush whilst feeding accurately and Rupe was soon unhooking all three species. A first for him being a 3lb 3oz bream. 

June

An early morning trip to Wydon sounded perfect. The kids joined me for a bit. I lost a tench due to 'ducking' about and had plenty of knocks. No fish caught though. No dramas, 6 hash browns and chocolate milkshakes with the kids at 9am, enough to turn any frown upside down! 

It was not until the 19th that I was able to fish the rivers again. Ellis and I hit the Tees and it was great to be on running water again. Trotting maggots whilst feeding hemp and soon the fish were coming. Dace and roach first and then a trio of 1lb 6oz perch. All equalled my pb, just one more ounce would of been good! Ellis thought we would have pike trouble and he was right. A pike took his roach and for 10 mins, I thought we were going to land it. Alas, no and away it went. Further walking through vegetation taller than us and some enjoyable sun made for a great first river session. Oh, and I fell in the river too!

July

A few hours early morning on the Swale. My usual feeder tactics with meat. I also tried seafood sticks, but no action on them. Maybe another time!? 

The meat seemed to work. First cast and a target beaten! A "proper" Swale barbel. 6lb 7oz and to say I was happy is an understatement. Lost a fish later but still drove home grinning like an idiot. 

Before a busy few weeks, I thought I would go local and try for tench at Wydon. A 5am start and I was soon catching. Sloppy sweetcorn mix making the tench go mad. Three angry 3lb'ers and I left happy. Or did I? Two lost fish, one was a big one, I didn't stop thinking about it for the 90 second drive home! 

The end of the month and a trip to the Wye with Ellis. A great few days fishing in some very hot weather. It was too good to put into a few words, so go read the three blog entries again. I will!! 

1, 2, 3

August 

Down in Dorset for a week, so it was carp fishing with the kids. This time just Rupe and I took the youngest cousin, Eddie. He had not fished before, so hopefully we could get him some silvers.....

He got the gold. A 9lb 1oz carp (after a few roach). I am sure he won't forget this in a hurry, well until he gets hungry!!

Back home and it was back to the Swale. Ellis took me on a Leeds stretch. After finding the correct location, we soon got action.  A good few chub each and another chap for Ellis!! (5 in just over a month!) Awesome angling!

A few hours at Tilcon with the kids. I hooked Martha in the finger, none of the other bites were connected with. I am just getting rusty or old! 

The final day of August could be called the last day of summer. I fished it and it was cold! 6 degrees on arrival but 19 when I left! The sun was out but the wind really took the edge off. Four fish on a slow Tees. Feeder fishing with maggots, worms and groundbait the tactics. Nice to be out, who knows what the colder months will bring......

Not shorts!

September

Two chub and a grayling. Not bad for a session on the Swale. Was nice to walk a bit of the stretch I had not fished in a while and see the changes. The chub both coming to ledgered meat whilst the grayling was on the float. Would of been a good day, had I not lost my favourite bolo float. Rough with the smooth, and all that.....

All my fishing pal's are out fishing me at the moment, and I love it!! So glad to see them catching, hopefully some of their skills rub off on me. A few hours on  the Tees with Tom. I caught 12 perch up to 3/4lb, he had two fish, 1lb 5oz and a new pb of 1lb 8oz. Great work on the lures! The weather has definitely turned. The leaves were changing and will be soon time for the big coat. Wading today was nice in the shallow water, soon be grayling time!! 

September ended with a trip to a new North East river. I fished the Wear with Jason. There was promises of barbel. The day was dominated by small trout. Lots caught, some grayling, chublets and salmon parr too. Always great to fish somewhere new and I really enjoyed the day. Hopefully will go back in the summer! 

October

It was definitely getting colder. The car did the '4 degrees warning thing' on the drive to the river. Cheesepaste and ledger tactics were used. Free lined baits won the day, accounting for a chub on one club water and then a bigger one on the other club water. Nice to catch a couple and sit in the sun.  

The month ended with a visit to a new river, and what a swim!! It was perfect in so many ways. No one told the fish though! Ellis and I fished a swim on the Ouse where he had caught three barbel to just under 9lb a few weeks ago. I wonder if the change of weather had an impact. 13 degrees when I set off but 8 degrees and foggy on arrival. A great session and food for thought about clubs to join next year. 

November 

A session with the kids on the Swale started the month. We tried for pike and chub although Martha secretly wanted a carp!? Yeah, really. 

It was pike that won the day. Rupe catching his first ever one when it grabbed his deadbait as he slowly retrieved it right by the bank. 8lb 7oz of Swale predator putting a smile on his face. Me remembering my first pike at 15lb quickly wiping that smile!

December 

I fished the mighty Tyne at Hexham. a £10.19 day ticket from the council and I was good to go. All the action was in the first 90 mins and I think all 8 bites were from the same greedy fish. It weighed 2lb 11oz when I finally caught it. My first Tyne fish and I was over the moon. Vicky and the kids came down to see what was happening, well they came for a winter picnic. It was lovely to be on the bank on such a warm day, oh and my first ever Tyne fish was AMAZING! 

A couple of weeks later I was back on the Tees. A solo trip for grayling and what a short burst it was. Eight grayling caught, five were easily a pound in less than an hour. A great stamp of fish on what turned into a short 4 hour session. Flat calm at 8am, by 10 the downstream wind was bitter. My fishing fix completed, I headed back up the A68 for a (warm) early bath. What a great grayling session. 

Post Christmas, Ellis and I went to the Tees to catch a chub. Cheesepaste and ledger tactics, the float rods and maggots just being a carrying burden; we still carried them though! 

A quiet day on the fishing front but a good chance to catch up with 'van man'. It was good to chat and laugh about all things. Many swims covered with not a touch. The last swim and it all happened. Bites, really savage pulls for both of us, constantly. None connected with. Maybe the freezing fog was something to do with it, it certainly hurt our fingers. Enough action to make us stay nearly into dark. Home to presents with the kids, my feet finally warm about 8pm. 

The year sadly ended with a blank, but it was a trip for me and my son. So really, it was a perfect trip. 

A cold wind meant we left early, our ledgered Cheesepaste not tempting any swale chub. Some good casting from Rupe though, he will need that for the summer hopefully. 

A great year, finally caught a proper Swale barbel, amazing for my 300th blog. Trips on different rivers and a 3 day session on the Wye.  

My targets for 2025 are as follows:

2lb perch

5lb bream

6lb chub

Zander

A new river barbel 

Look forward to keeping you updated on this and many other trips. Tight Lines. 

Catching salad

Date fished 29/12/2024

8.30am until 2pm

After his pike success a few weeks ago, Rupe was keen to add a chub to his 'caught list'. We headed to the Swale, to try. 

20 minutes waiting for our McDonald's should of told us what the day was going to be like. Not perturbed we headed south whilst admiring the sunrise and eeking out the last of heart Christmas. 

We set up the ledger rods, cheesepaste moulded round a pellet and cast in likely looking spots. We had meat too, just if the fish fancied something different. 

I reeled in to cast again. Some leaves and debris on my hook and line. Rupe said "that's good, you've caught some salad"

I have no idea where he gets these phrases from, but he makes me laugh! He commented on the "salad" caught every time!

After a while we went for an adventure. Crossing over to the island and seeing where the river has breached some winters ago. It's still drastically changing and soon will be the river's new natural route. 

We tried a few more swims and ones that are new and maybe not swims yet. Some good casts right under a bush on the far side were not rewarded and we trudged across the field in a cold biting wind. 

No, I have not taken up photography, that was all I could do to lighten the mood. I tried meat and Rupe tried my banker swim by the fallen tree. If the fish were there, they must still be watching Tiddler or whatever is the fish equivalent. 

Back at the car, another angler was packing up too. He was just about to drive away, we waved at him, he waved back. We were not just being polite, he had left his wellies outside the car door. He realised and we ticked that off as our good deed for the day! 

I love fishing with my son, its about making memories and just being together. Today's memory to quote Rupe was '  slow McDonald's, eat plenty of salad and don't fish when it's cold!!" 

Eek

Date fished 27/12/2024

8.30am until 4pm

Ellis,me. 

Tees, blank.

No point eeking it out! 

(Will need to read the 2024 review for more) 

Favourites

Date fished 14/12/2024

8am until 12pm

Favourites are difficult. Favourite child, football team or food. Rupe as a boy, Martha as a girl, Liverpool, curry, pizza, I mean burgers! See, its difficult. 

Fishing, well that must be the ultimate difficult favourite decision. I think the answer is "whatever the fishing I am doing at the time". 

The annual grayling fishing at Piercebridge trip was a solo affair today. I have to admit, it's usually one of my favourite trips.

I got my soup ready and set off just before 7am. Arriving as the sun rose, I took minimal gear down to the river. It looked in fair nick. Clear and actually lower than I thought. Perfect for the ladies. 

The rod was already set up, so within minutes I was wading in the shallows and trotting. Third trot down and I was in. Top left above. Four of the next five fish in about 40 minutes were approximately a pound. It was a great stamp of fish. 

Conditions seemed perfect so I fished on. Soon, I had caught eight grayling and two dickhead trout that splashed around like idiots! Barbless hooks meant everyone was released none the worse for wear and I lost a few fish also, which was fine. 

I heard someone behind me. A chap had come to investigate the island swim and had not seen me in it. He apologised, I said nonsense and offered him a trot. He just wanted to see it, as he had seen it on one of Ellis's ' very informative ' YouTube videos and it looked so good!! 

I didn't do the usual and move swims, which also acts as warming up the cold feet. Instead I trudged out the cold river, drank hot chicken soup and started writing the blog. Am actually sat on the bank typing this now. I can feel the soup warming my cold little toes. 

The downstream wind picked up and with the sun so low, the trotting was difficult and cold. Hat, gloves and snood were all applied, the dork hat in my bag just in case!

After a short session, I headed home happy, a successful day if only in a short burst. Off to put my dancing shoes on, strictly final tonight, don't think I am dancing in that! Cold toes to now twinkle toes!!

Just if you wanted to see,  the original fish pics that made the collage. 

Close to home

Date fished 1/12/2024

8am until 1:30pm

Man flu and Man City (visiting Anfield) today meant I was limited with my fishing options. I decided to stay close to home, closer than the lake at Ryton, I was going to fish the Tyne. 

I put some feelers out and was given a particular location, this worked well as given I walk along that river a lot, it was the swim I was going to fish anyway. I bought myself a day ticket from the council website, a random £10.19. I was going to target the chub so took meat, cheese paste and bread and the 7ft ledger rod. Scared I might need a minnow as the blank saver, I took the float rod, closed face and frozen maggots as back up. 

I left the house at 7.45am and walked the mile to the river. It was just getting light and looked so perfect when I arrived. So perfect in fact, that I didn't waste time to take a pic, but cast straight in. This was later and you can see it still looked lovely. 

First cast and nothing happened, I tried again. Second cast and the rod pulled round, I struck and played the fish. On the little rod, its sometimes difficult. I cursed this small rod as the fish got off. It's perfect in tight swims behind a bush, maybe not so on the wide river Tyne!

I cast again. Over the next hour I missed 7 bites. they ranged from savage pulls that I missed to smaller plucks that I hit and played the fish. None resulted in a capture. 

Frustrated, I changed the hook from a hair rigged cork ball to a plain hook. I moulded the cheese paste to the hook and cast it back into the zone. As sure as eggs are eggs, the rod pulled round and I was in. This time, I connected and played the rubber lips to the waiting net. Success!

2lb 11oz, so not massive but immaculate. My first ever Tyne fish, I was buzzing. I cast back in and waited, this is where the blog could end, but I will keep writing even if you don't keep reading. 

I trotted with maggots but the float remained above the water. I did move downstream to ledger in some likely looking spots behind bushes and the like, but nothing else happened. I had caught a Tyne chub, success!!, is that not enough!??!

Four legged and two legged visitors came down the steps to see what "fishing" was. They mostly left disappointed and bored without full tummies of my bait. A slice of pizza keeping me going just long enough till home time. 

I walked home happy with a stinky net, lets hope Liverpool will do the business later and make the net bulge!