Lawks, but it's chilly this morning! This is not a day for sitting by the lakeside with the fishing tackle unless you are potty, over enthusiastic or well wrapped up to the point of immobility. And even if 2 of those things were happening and you were out there, the likelihood of the fish feeding would look to be long in the extreme, and it's all a disappointment to those who had gone back to the banks with their fishing rods after the arctic snap that we had before Christmas.
The uplifting side though is that we are getting close to the end of January and there will only be a small number of weeks during which we can anticipate being kept from the rivers by freezing weather. From the mid-point of February, the days will be noticeably longer, the sun will be in the sky a little more and fishing tackle like mine that has been stashed in the cupboard for so long will come out blinking into the daylight. I have never denied being a fair-weather tackle dangler, I feel no embarrassment as I also loathed playing football during the winter as well, but at least then I'd be tearing around and stop feeling the cold after a short time. Not so sitting generally static with fishing line in my hands when the cold gets at the noses, ears and any other naked extremities.
How different and how superb it is to be in fresh air with the fishing tackle in the spring and summer! Once there is some authentic heat in the sunshine and only light clothing is wanted, to be able to sit and contemplate the world in comfort, peace and quiet is a joy. And of course, landing the odd fish on the end of the fishing rods is jolly satisfying.
Something I lost out on when I was a lad was the call to the fishing tackle shop on the way to going to the waterside. I grew up in a village where the shopping facilities didn't include one. True, a locally owned department store had a tiny sports section which had a limited supply of fishing line and other basic bits, but there wasn't anywhere that you could get livebait. For that, a trip on the bus into Guildford was needed which would remove at least 2 hours out of the angling day, so we made do with bread or sweetcorn and other more basic items. Maggots and casters seemed very exotic as a result and I still get an odd flush of the almost-forbidden when I get a couple of pints of wriggly creatures.
So, let the freezing climate do it's utmost today and over the next number of weeks. Snow if you like, bring back the chaos (since we love it really as it lets us complain like Aussies) as the time is shortening till we get to the point where we all cheer up, the leaves and the blossom come back, the migrating birds return and we can be getting the fishing tackle out of the bag and into the lake as the fish can be relied on to feed more frequently and the fishing line can strain under the weight of the catch.
20110120
The uplifting side though is that we are getting close to the end of January and there will only be a small number of weeks during which we can anticipate being kept from the rivers by freezing weather. From the mid-point of February, the days will be noticeably longer, the sun will be in the sky a little more and fishing tackle like mine that has been stashed in the cupboard for so long will come out blinking into the daylight. I have never denied being a fair-weather tackle dangler, I feel no embarrassment as I also loathed playing football during the winter as well, but at least then I'd be tearing around and stop feeling the cold after a short time. Not so sitting generally static with fishing line in my hands when the cold gets at the noses, ears and any other naked extremities.
How different and how superb it is to be in fresh air with the fishing tackle in the spring and summer! Once there is some authentic heat in the sunshine and only light clothing is wanted, to be able to sit and contemplate the world in comfort, peace and quiet is a joy. And of course, landing the odd fish on the end of the fishing rods is jolly satisfying.
Something I lost out on when I was a lad was the call to the fishing tackle shop on the way to going to the waterside. I grew up in a village where the shopping facilities didn't include one. True, a locally owned department store had a tiny sports section which had a limited supply of fishing line and other basic bits, but there wasn't anywhere that you could get livebait. For that, a trip on the bus into Guildford was needed which would remove at least 2 hours out of the angling day, so we made do with bread or sweetcorn and other more basic items. Maggots and casters seemed very exotic as a result and I still get an odd flush of the almost-forbidden when I get a couple of pints of wriggly creatures.
So, let the freezing climate do it's utmost today and over the next number of weeks. Snow if you like, bring back the chaos (since we love it really as it lets us complain like Aussies) as the time is shortening till we get to the point where we all cheer up, the leaves and the blossom come back, the migrating birds return and we can be getting the fishing tackle out of the bag and into the lake as the fish can be relied on to feed more frequently and the fishing line can strain under the weight of the catch.
20110120
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