Desmond

Date fished 19/6/2026

7.30am until 11.30am

Ellis owns the Tees. Well, not really. But it's in his blood, his heritage. Today he smashed it. A pb perch and a cracking chub on the float. I, well, I have a sore thumb/wrist. 

A great evening of chat, football, not too spicy chicken wings and a few drinks and we headed to bed about 11pm. I slept like a log and woke up ready to fish again.

After a hearty and healthy breakfast, we headed to the Tees at Sockburn. Two days this week of sitting watching the rod tips, we fancied some trotting. 

The usual June jungle warfare was inevitable but our chosen swim is not too far upstream. We often fish here, its fairly non descript from a features point of view, but always seems to deliver.

As we started, two other anglers started fishing downstream of us. Three of the four of us did well, (we asked when we left and they had caught a 2lb perch, 1lb 14oz perch and lost a chub) and one angler ........ has a bad thumb!! 

Ellis and I started feeding and casting, it was slow going. We usually start to catch little silvers straight away but not today. I had a few bites but missed them. We were starting to think today was not right. 

Suddenly Ellis hooked into something decent, I grabbed the net to help and saw the tell tale dorsal of a big perch. Nightmare as the hook pulled and the perch got away. Remember the dorsal. 

Ellis started catching chublets and I soon got a few too. Sadly, my thumb and wrist was hurting too much for trotting, so I was not doing it with my usual vigor. Ellis  however, stood and fed the line and soon when his float buried a much bigger fish pulled back. Not the perch we were expecting but a chub. 3lb 8oz of Tees magic, a beauty (chub not Ellis) on the float rod.

A few fish later, I had tapped out and was a spectator at best. I saw a good sized perch swimming to my right where Ellis was just about to fish. I enjoyed the best seat (stood mid river) while Ellis hooked, played and landed a different perch, this one had no dorsal. At 2lb 2oz, or two two (Tutu) it was a new pb.

Worth a second pic!!

We have both been after a 2lb plus perch for a while now, and while that still eludes me, it's great to be with, and see a mate catch one! 

Ellis fished on and caught more fish, but again my discomfort was apparent. We decided to call it a day and head home for a bath or rosè or whatever a pb catcher deserves!! 

On a separate note, I had a perch with no dorsal on June 19th 2024 from that same swim. It weighed 1lb 6oz. I wonder......

Two barbel, five bream, six perch!!

Date fished 18/6/2026

7am until 3pm

Ellis and I went to the Ouse today. We had a great, great session. 

Two rods ledgered mid river or towards the tree lined far bank proving to be the tactic! 

I will let you into a secret, the bait today that worked was worms! Many other pellets laid unmolested, but not the worms!!

I actually can't remember the sequence of what we caught when. But I know, I did catch a couple of bream then a barbel and Ellis caught his barbel whilst I had my third bream in the net!! 

3lb 12oz

4lb 12oz

We have never both caught a barbel in the same session,  plenty of chub but never barbel. We wondered if we could top the day off with a chub each from the Nidd. This proved a touch too far for our luck, so we headed back to Ellis's house for a celebratory beer!!

Earl of Northumberland

Date fished 16th of course!! 

7.10am until 2.10pm

Forgetting a few hours after work for the elusive Tees barbel on a September evening, I had not fished with Ellis since 17th June 2025!!

Putting that right this week, we started on the Swale. I have joined Leeds, a large and great club. Today we tried their Topcliffe flavour.

Coming from Northumberland, this is why I felt at home

Ellis arrived early and secured a double swim. Today was another social with rods. In hindsight, I could of left the rods at home as they didn't catch today. However  I thoroughly enjoyed the day on a great new stretch! 

I walked it just before we left, and that definitely had me thinking about another trip, soon! 

We ledgered every bait we had, varied everything but to no avail. We even swapped for a worm in the margins as something was constantly harassing something. Ellis caught the culprit, a nice perch. 

I will need to review the boundaries as some other swim parameters seemed 'muddled'.

Some barbel were caught on the stretch today, it was full of anglers. Great to see on opening day! 

Let's not leave it until nearly next one please Ellis!!

Bloody Tinca!

Date fished 14/06/2026

7am until 11am

It's so nice to walk to and/or home from fishing. That's kinda why today, I fished Wydon in Hexham. 

Arriving at 7am, I walked to the swim I love to fish in. There was someone already in it! In truth the lake was fairly busy ( great to see). 

Realising I knew the guy in my swim, I chatted with him, George,  and then tackled up in the swim next door. 

George and I have talked about fishing together before but work and life schedules have never aligned, not sure this counts but will have to sort one day mate! 

Short rod, hybrid feeder and I was soon fishing down my left, not one rod length away from the reeds. 20 minutes of nothing and I got the 13ft float rod out. I was still fishing close in, but the length helps! (Stop the sniggering).

The float buried and I was in. An angry tench (assumed, not seen) kept deep and low and messed me up around the left reeds, then out in front and then the right hand reeds. I got the rod down and tried to bully him. It resulted in a hook pull and a lost fish. I was raging!

Am not normally an angry chappie, except when driving, but this annoyed me. Soon, I was back to normal when the offspring arrived. 

There is much more to life than a lost fish. 

1. Sunday breakfast

2. Cute pic of the young offspring 

3. My nephew sorting his fishing gear like I used to when I was young 

4. A nice rudd, both Rupe and I caught a few

5. Early morning at the lake

Feeding frenzy

May

My second work party of the month, this time it was hot and sunny, very different from the torrential rain of the last one. 

It was good to give back, meet fellow members and have a laugh. 

After today's work party, I fished for 70 mins exactly. I could of done with the counter as I had either 12 or 14 ide. I actually forgot! 

I did what I should, I shallowed up. I fed maggots continuously with the catapult and fished over the top. The ide were going crazy, swirling at every pouch full, it really was great fun. I probably missed double the number of bites.

I even allowed my swim to be shared, two young anglers fishing on the lake. I helped them catch some ide, and they had a good few from my swim. 

I left them my maggots and off I went. Two good deeds done!

RoboAngler

Date fished 4/5/2026

9am until 12.30pm

An unexplained but very painful wrist, thumb and forearm injury had me sporting specialist equipment. Would it impact my fishing?

After a leisurely morning, I headed to Tilcon. It had been red hot earlier in the week, but much cooler and wet yesterday. 

I just brought the waggler rod and a few different baits. I wanted to catch on 'summery' baits like sweetcorn in the hope it would make me forget about the bad winter fishing I had. I also wanted to try a new bait. 

I have been watching lots of YouTube recently and not just fishing either! And whilst I tell the kids to stop watching such nonsense, I am totally addicted to Geowizard and Jetlag the game. Check them out! 

Now, they do some cool things and challenges. I wasn't going to go so far, but decided that I could only use tackle from my dad's old box. I brought mine too, but left it in the car, I'm not crazy!! 

I tackled up and was soon fishing. The wrist was doing OK and bites started. I missed a few but with regular feeding, I could see the ide cruising just under the surface. They are not hard to catch and soon I had a few to corn and maggot. 

As long as my non injured forearm! 

I had another toy with me, inspired by watching Snagged bro on YouTube. I told you I am addicted!!

It actually ended on three but I missed a fair few bites, bumped off some fish and even lost a good bream at the net due to wrist failure! 

It was a good few hours on the lake, which was packed. Most anglers I have seen fishing on it, which is great to see. I didn't manage to catch on the new bait  but am sure it won't be long and I will have the bream eating out of my 'splint less' hand!! 

End of river season poem

14/3/2026

8am until 12pm

The rivers may or may not of been fishable. I didn't take the risk, I went to Tilcon. 

Worms as bait. Cold overnight. Was not in the mood. 

Say no more. 

So I asked chatGTP to write me a poem.

The wind came first, sharp and thin,
Whispering winter across the skin.
A grey sky hung where hope should be,
While waters kept sighing endlessly.

The rod stayed still. The float did too.
No silver flash, no sudden pull through.
Just drifting hours, slow and long,
And the distant cry of a lonely song.

I wasn’t sure why I came that day,
When warmth and rest felt worlds away.
My heart was heavy, my mood was low,
Like winter caught in the undertow.

The bucket empty, the daylight thin,
Only the cold kept settling in.
No fish, no triumph, nothing to claim—
Just numb fingers and a quiet shame.

So I packed my line as the dusk drew near,
Breath like smoke in the brittle air.
The lake kept secrets I couldn’t keep—
And carried my sadness back to the deep.  

Crazy how much it knows. Gets me every time!!