Recap of 2022.

 

 2022 was an odd year for me fishing wise, a few short sessions after Barbel - a few day trips for Grayling with a couple of Pike trips, trying to find ways to get the gear together and get out was challenging with such a busy work schedule and a young family and busy work schedule. Fishing wise for me this was the theme across the year. I still managed to catch some wonderful R.Itchen Roach to just under 2lbs which was awesome in what were pretty tough conditions, later in the month I headed to the magnificent R.Wylye in search of Grayling where I was successful in tempting 37 of them with seven over 2lbs with the best tipping the scales at 2lb 9ozs. A couple of average sized Barbel also put in an appearance during January but no doubles to add to my tally.

 *40 River Challenge: Trips 0 / Blanks 0/ Hours 0 / Barbel 0 / Doubles 0.

 February: There was very little to write about as I had lots of work on and when I did get out they were mainly blanks.

Decent bag on the 'small river'.

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 2 / Blanks 2 / Hours 11.5 / Barbel 0 / Doubles 0. 

 March: With the end of the season on the horizon a bumper session was in order where I looked to press home the advantage of mild weather and an upturn in catches present across social media platforms signalled that it was probably a good time to get out. First of all I targeted the Dorset Stour where the Chub were feeding but not a Barbel sight, then I joined George Burton on the Warks Avon for a jolly up and ended up walking away with a 12.6 Barbel and a solid 6lb+ Chub, a proper result that was, then headed down to the R.Wey for another social with Mike Denny and we ended struggling all day, on dark I lost a monster Barbel, only to follow it up five minutes later with a 10.4 Barbel which rounded off the 2021/22 season with a bang!

WA 6.3

WA 12.6

WEY 10.4

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 4 / Blanks 2 / Hours 75.5 / Barbel 2 / Doubles 2.

 April: I didn't fish at all owing to extensive amount of work going on.

 May: I set about targeting Eels by design and on my first attempt managed two off the canal and then time to go back just didn't present itself, a whistlestop trip to the Stow turned out to be an inspired one as I smashed my Bream PB by just over 2lbs with my previous best of 12lb 5oz coming off a river! Then a trip after Catfish that didn't go as smoothly as we (Brian, Richard and I) had envisaged.

Canal best @2.5

Stonking slab @14.6, new PB

Decent slug.

 June: A month of mainly searching for Butterflies and things creepy crawly, however I did manage some fishing, finally a successful trip to the R.Severn where I managed seven Barbel to just over 8lbs, I opened the season on the Kentish Stour after Barbel but was unsuccessful.

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 5 / Blanks 3 / Hours 44.5 / Barbel 8 / Doubles 0.

Best off the Severn - 8.1

 July: Yet another lean month with only a couple of trips made. A trip to the KS produced a decent Chub of 5.8 but again, no Barbel.

Kentish Stour - 5.8

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 3 / blanks 3 / Hours 37.0 / Barbel 0 / Doubles 0.

 August: A day out on the boat was just the tonic after very little time on the bank, a few decent Rudd were had between Brian and I as we set sail on SS Rudd, the beautiful weather made it a joy to be out. However it was an August bank holiday away "few days"and it was a blazing success with a wonderful R.Mersey double, a good solid start on the R.Tame and a fact finding mission on the R.Dearne which lay across the Peninnes.

Upper 1 Fenland bar of gold.

...And another.

R.Mersey - 10.10

R.Tame - 8.11

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 1 / Blank 0 / Hours 47.0 / Barbel 10 / Doubles 1.

 September: Now I only managed 1 fishing trip across arguably the best month of the fishing season, as mental as that sounds. It just so happened to be the best trip in recent memory, I chalked off the R.Dearne in the early afternoon of the first day having lost a good double early in the day, to only then fish the R.Don and chalk that off too with a brace of doubles, one of which setting a new record for the river! Oh how I love the north, but that wasn't all, the hattrick was firmly on and last knockings of my northern tour I landed I thought would have been that very fish I needed to complete the hattrick, alas it just missed out.

 What a month September was!!

R.Dearne - 10.9

R.Don - 10.5

R.Don Record - 15.4

R.Wharfe - 9.5

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 1 / Blanks 0 / Hours 39.0 / Barbel 5 / Doubles 3.

 

 October: Not much again in terms of time on the bank, once again with the little time I had I managed to successfully tackle the R.Taff near Cardiff, the sun had only just started to cast the first throws of light when I had a mega Welsh Barbel resting in the net! 

R.Taff - 11.10

 

*40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 3 / Blanks 2 / Hours 57.0 / Barbel 1 / Doubles 1.

 November: With falling temps I did start to target other species, I had a decent Pike on my first trip of the winter, a great haul of Grayling with one equalling my PB and another an ounce shy of my PB, only a matter of time before I get a new PB or better still a 3lb+specimen which I crave so much!

R.Wylye - 2.11

R.Lea - 17.8

 *40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 4 / Blanks 4 / Hours 25 / Barbel 0 / Doubles 0.

 December: Around the Christmas period I got out after Barbel a couple times but the rod-tips remained motionless, the Loddon kicking my backside as per. The only fish I caught were some modest Roach whilst in search of some of their bigger cousins.

 *40 Rivers Challenge: Trips 2 / Blanks 2 / Hours 14 / Barbel 0 / Doubles 0.

 Total hours spent after Barbel in 2022 was 350.5, with 26 Barbel caught in the process whilst chalking off 6 rivers in the calender year.