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.