Almost Done

A few days left of 2022. Lots of good things happened. When you sit down on a cold, dark December day it's sometimes hard to remember all the great times, when the sun shone and all the fantastic trips.

Like being parked up in the middle of Sweden in July, right next to a fish filled river. I got up at first light ( 02.30 ) and fished until midday, whereupon I retired to the van for a monstrous breakfast and afternoon nap. And then fished again in the evening. Did this for two months non stop.

5 countries fished.

13 different rivers.

3 canals.

1 Fen drain.

24 different salt water marks.

60 species caught ( exactly the same as 2021, although I may try and catch a rockling next week to beat last year's figure )

Lots of sessions with good mates, Waaak Baines, Bazza, Bully, Cocksy, Shanus and The Chesil General to name a few.

Lots of good weather, really lucky on that score this year. Throughout Scandanavia we barely saw any rain and most were T shirt and shorts days. As me and Waaak say, "Shining Times".

It really is almost impossible picking the highlights, but trotting for grayling in a fast cool river in Sweden, in the middle of nowhere, takes some beating. Especially when a moose crossed the river at dusk fifty yards away from me.

Fishing on a Norweigen fjord with light gear, catching all sorts and finishing the day with fresh mackeral on the barby wasn't too bad either.

Sitting next to Wak in July on the Middle Level getting ( and often missing ) loads of bites from silver bream whilst chatting shite was fun too.

"It's all magic my son". In 2023 I intend to fill my boots every bit as much as I have this year. I've lots of ideas and plans and have no idea which ones will or won't come to fruition, but that's all part of the excitement.

Before the year is out I'll be on the Stour after chub and maybe pike and like I say, maybe I'll target a rockling for the sixty first species of the year.