2014 - A Review

So I thought I’d do a little round up of what I caught last year.

Started off early January catching some carp whilst float fishing with Sweetcorn from Lakeside…





Went back a few days later and caught some more. It was great fun.









Mid-January and along with some lovely rudd, I caught a winter tench…







I went perch fishing after that and blanked, but the weekend after that I visited Barton Court for the first time and had a whale of a time.













Barton Court was my new favourite place, and I was soon back.











Late Feb I took my good friend Rich to the Itchen in the hope of catching his first grayling. It turned out to be his last fishing trip.



A week after I was back at Barton in what was supposed to be my penultimate trip before packing it in for the closed season.







Tithe Barn was the setting for my last trip mid-March.





I began fishing the local creeks in search of some childhood memories, and it was lovely.











My downfall began with photographing carp during my lunch breaks…













Although I kept it schtoom at first, I did buckle and only lasted 6 of the 12 weeks away from coarse angling….



















Next on my target list were roach, and Lakeside threw up some wonderful fish









I even caught a couple of crucians that session, fuelling the fire.



Pretty much as soon as the season started I was on the hunt for crucians, although it was frustrating and tricky at first so I diverting somewhat to carp and other animals.







Soon after June 16th came along I was targeting the crucians, but got side-tracked to start with.









Towards the end of June we held out Annual TFF Board Meeting at Fernhill Farm. As always, shop talk was kept to a minimum, catching fish being the major topic for the day.







Then it begun, early July saw me enjoying the best crucian fishing I’ve ever had. Dream fish became reality among my own little paradise.












…a few more nice tench were thrown into the mix too…













At the end of July I ventured off course in search of a carp, and found one at Tithe Barn…



The Crucian Association fish in at Abshot went swimmingly, with plenty of crucians and a few tench caught.

















A lovely day with my Dad was had early August…we both caught well.









Mid-August was all about the Wild Carp of Wales.




















Soon after returning from Wales we were invited to Julian’s Estate Lake, a very successful day for me and a spool of free line from Angling Times.









I returned to Lakeside in search of roach and dabbled some on the Wallington. Big roach and big gudgeon was where I was at during early September.







…and a wonderful day’s fishing with prawns with dad was also enjoyed during the early part of September.















Mid-September I retuned once more to the Koi pool, the place I hooked my first ever carp on cane. It was a memorable day.

















Mid-September also saw TFF at the Moat for the first time, a day loved by all who attended at this unique fishery.





Then it was a visit to Carron Row, for sentimental reasons more than anything else…







My friend Richard passed away in April, and early October 20 of his friends descended upon Yateley Sandhurst for a weekend memorial trip. I think he smiled on me too, bringing me one of only three fish caught, and a superb looking carp it was too, right from the top drawer.



Towards the end of October I revisited Soake pond with a handful of friends. I’d had so many great sessions there in the past; it was great to be back. And I was rewarded early on in the trip with a surface caught stunner, which turned out to be the only fish of the trip.



In November my perch campaign started, and with a bang I might add. 3 3lb perch in as many trips and a handful of back up 2s, it was the most incredible start.





















Over the Christmas break I joined the Wallyboys on an adventure to the little river Hamble, and along with some side splitting banter, a few nice fish were caught. The, the end of the year session was spent on New Year’s Eve on the lovely river Avon. I caught numerous fish, eventually, after a bitterly cold start, and was rewarded with a perfect end to 2014 in the shape of a superb 5lb chub.