The good list

Date fished 25/12/2022

8am until 12pm

What seemed like 57 days of Carol concerts finally culminated in Christmas day. Dinner would comprise of a stuffed crust pepperoni pizza, garlic bread and peking style ribs. But there was a small matter of catching a fish on this holyiest of days! Oh I was gonna have some beer with dinner too! 

The river levels were high, but I decided to chance my luck on the Swale at Morton. I drove through the dark whilst listening to Noddy shouting to inform me it was the day I already knew it was!! 

I was armed with maggots, cheesepaste, Float rod and a ledger rod. Short of pike gear and sea fishing kit, I had every base covered. I could of gone to the Tees and tried for grayling again but I had done that on Wednesday. Fishing on Christmas day is a bit like Christmas Dinner. You don't have it everyday, so it's special when you do. That goes for pizza too! 

I arrived a little after 7.30 and walked to my chosen swim. I knew it would be best due to the water level and its one of my favourites. My chub pb came from this swim. I set up the ledger rod and cast out.

As I wished family and friends a merry Christmas,  the rod remained motionless. I cast a few more times and waited. After the cold snap, we were supposedly going through a warm spell. No one told the wind that though! Although the car said nine degrees, the wind was bitter cold. I did not have my thermals on under my trousers and soon started to get cold. I planned to go for a walk about and see what else looked fishy, afterall I had spent an hour here. Just as I looked at the rod though.....

It bent round and I was soon playing a fish. It was a good size and went straight into the faster water. Eventually it was close and I could see it was a chub. There was not alot on my wish list ( aka listy) this year but a Christmas fish was on it! 

I played the fish into the net, it was a bruiser! It looked like it could break my pb. It had been a while since I weighed a chub, so I was eager to put a number on it. At 5lb 5oz it was an awesome Christmas present and just three ounces off my pb. 

I treated you to all five pics as its Christmas! 

I fished on during several rain showers but at 10am, I was super chilly and decided to go for a walk to warm up. I headed upstream and fished a few swims I have fished before. The river was high and fast here, a ledge I usually sit on was completely underwater. In the next swim a tree that had been tucked in close to the left bank was now in the middle of the river! The swims are constantly changing due to nature and I think that's what makes us keep coming back! 

Finally I found a slack by a bush, this was sure to hold fish. I cast in and stood by watching. A Kingfisher flew to land on my rod, but detoured just at the last minute. A curlew flew low overhead screeching a festive greeting at me. Then the rod hooped over. My hands were warming in my pockets as I was busy bird watching and by the time ( I was like a coiled spring) I grabbed the rod, the fish had gone.

I fished on and alternated between this swim and the swim I had caught in earlier. Three rotations  between swims and I was cold but happy! The float rod never made it out the bag. 

I decided to call it a day, a christmas catching day. I chatted with a family walking their dogs as I walked back to the car. 

They were local and offered me great praise for making the effort from Hexham today. A much shorter route than the big man performed last night, am still surprised I made it onto his good list though!