So, that’s Christmas done and dusted, and we are now recovering country wide after a four inch downfall of snow. Its literally brought Britain to an absolute standstill !!! More annoyingly it seems to be one weather warning after another …. But hey, it’s winter, get on with it !!! We never used to have countless maps with orange and yellow areas strewn over Great Britain, showing this warning, and that warning, Tis almost scaremongery. I tend to just look out of the window, if it’s snow then yeah, deal with it accordingly !!!! No dramas …. Must admit I’ve done my years of jibbering in an ice cold river, chasing the grayling …. I tend to just enjoy my shooting winter time . Of course some trotting is fun I must admit, but wading in deep pokey water, nahhhhhh, not this callsign !!!! Tis a time to liaise with clients for the future season ahead, enjoy some range time, put some meat in the freezer, and just chill out reading some of the classic books, written by those piscatorial geniuses. Yes, YouTube is a cracking tool to see how a particular technique is done etc etc, but it’s nice to read about it, by an expert who’s possible been doing it for many many years !!! Old school learning is still the most effective in my book …. It’s certainly done me well in tricky situations, when I can recall how to present a particular fly, or how to read a particular piece of technical water …….
I’ve actually read quite a few books this winter time. It certainly beats some of the garbage on the box. Stoke up the log burner, pour a very large glass of port, kick back and enjoy a few chapters of a good angling book, be it a reference book or stories of days gone by on a secretive Shropshire brook !!!! Love it . Totally immersing yourself in the zone ……
With another weather warning inbound today, it hasn’t actually materialised here in the depths of the Cambrian Moauntains. The hype of another bout of snow, much worse than last weekend doesn’t seem to be upon us ……. Yet !!!! But, we live in hope. Not of more snow I might add, but that as is frequently the case, the met office has got it wrong ……. As if !!!!!!
Again, some great days shooting up at Mid Wales Shooting Ground has been enjoyed by yours truly. Some serious precision mornings have been on the cards, testing various rifles, with different pellets !!! Doing your home work is paramount if youre going after live quarry. I demand absolute precision and consistency with my rifle combinations, and time well spent on the range is never time wasted. When your out at two in the morning, in a jibbering farmyard thinning out rats, you need total confidence in your kit and equipment ….
So, with the New Year nearly a week old, my diary of bookings is looking superb if I say so myself !!! I must admit, I’m really looking forward to guiding my clients this season . Time permitting my Go Pro will be cranked up for an Escape the Mainstream you tube channel, it won’t be serious, with dynamic music, fancy comments etc etc just me, the noise of nature, and my dulcet tones every now and again . However, first and foremost is my guiding and visits to my mum, who, is battling the awful symptoms of Dementia. So, if I don’t get round to it this season, I’m not really going to have sleepless nights over it !!! Family and health is very much top priority in my book, simple as that …..
Basically, it just leaves me to say, have a cracking 2025 guys n gals. Be safe on the water, enjoy our fabulous sport and no doubt I’ll see some of you either on one of the many Wild Streams, the Upper Wye, or one of the fabulous waters of the Elenydd !!! A good natter on how the fishings going, sharing flies and tactics on the bank is precious time ….. Have a good one folks, oh, I nearly forgot, be rude not to start the year with the old phrase hey, yep you know it’s coming ……. TIGHT LINES !!!!! 😂😂😂🎣🎣🐟🐟🏴
