Hello, my name is Ian Firkins and I am a very ordinary angler. If there was a school report for fishing, mine would read "tries hard, could do better"! See below my attempts to catch big fish (well, any fish!) of various species from the rivers Trent, Derwent, Dove and Soar.
A combined birthday and anniversary celebration involving several pints of Wye Valley Brewey’s excellent "Butty Bach" put paid to any ideas of a morning session yesterday. I was a knackered after the previous two early mornings anyway, so enjoyed the lie in instead. The plan had been to go wrasse fishing up at Fishguard and I very nearly headed there this morning, but having woken up shortly…
Celebrated 33 years of marriage by sneaking off to Milford Haven for another quick morning session. To be fair, it was actually my anniversary "present" off the wife, subject to the condition that I got her a Lidl almond croissant on the way back home. In contrast to the previous morning it was bright and sunny with not a cloud in the sky. However, as a result it was a tad cooler at 10 degrees…
With no let up with work through July and the hot weather continuing I didn’t really have the time or inclination to head out onto the rivers again. However, a few days break down in Pembrokeshire me a chance to unwind and do a bit of species hunting in saltwater. Arrived late on Wednesday evening with the temperature gauge in the car still reading 26 degrees Centigrade. However, the following…
Didn't get out again in June due to some unforeseen demands at work and by the time those were out the way it had got too hot and oppressive to think about staying outdoors for too long. Did have a pleasant long weekend in the Netherlands visiting the wife's cousin in The Hague, although again a high of 38 degrees Centigrade on the Friday effectively curtailed our initial sight-seeing to the…
The closed season passed very quickly this year with nothing really blog-worthy to mention. Plans to fish the local canal and a club stillwater for zander and eels respectively never came too fruition, mainly due to apathy on my part. Had a couple of early bass sessions down in Pembrokeshire in April, but the weather was absolutely vile and I was fishing more in hope than expectation and blanked…
Popped down for a few days over Easter with the in-laws in Pembrokeshire so took enough tackle to cover a range of eventualities, but with the main target being my first bass of the year. However, whilst I knew that the tides were going to be less than ideal, I hadn't reckoned upon the added influence of Storm Dave. Saturday was grim as a result, but by Sunday morning the worst of the weather had…
Well the February water situation report for the Midlands wasn't really a surprise, all river catchments receiving well above normal rainfall during the month, with the Lower Trent and Soar catchments getting a whopping 254% and 272% of their long-term averages respectively. Drought, what drought?! Thankfully we've had some respite for the start of March giving the rivers chance to finally fine…
Despite the loss of that trout I felt quite bouyed up by my last session, so when the weekend came around I decided to do some prospecting rather than play safe. Had rejoined a local club after a hiatus of fourteen years to gain access to some more sections of the Derwent. At that time grayling were pretty rare downstream of Derby and I had concentrated on the perch, catching multiple fish over…
I've probably said before that grayling are my favourite fish and normally the majority of my time over the winter is spent in their pursuit. I would argue that there isn't a prettier freshwater fish in the UK, with their slender, tapered silver bodies turning to pewter as they get older and bigger, the unique pattern of lines of spots, the delicately striped fins with shades of purple and violet,…
Well, we have certainly had some exceptional rainfall here in the Midlands this winter. The period from November to January has been the wettest since records began, with the long-term average (LTA) rainfall exceeded in every catchment across the region. Locally, the Derwent, Dove and Lower Trent catchments received 155%, 144% and 185% of their LTA respectively. Falling on fully saturated soils it…
Seems to be the case that we are getting increasingly wet winters but this has to one of the worst so far. Every time I look at the weather forecast there is a line of rain icons stretching into the distance. Coupled with days where it has barely got light and with temperatures in single figures it has been pretty grim. The local main rivers, such as the Soar, Derwent and Trent have been…
It was apparently the most depressing day of the year yesterday, although mention "Blue Monday" to me and it immediately conjours up memories of 1983 - under-age drinking in dingy nightclubs in Birmingham, sticky dancefloors and girls with big hair. Saw New Order for the first time at the Tower Ballroom shortly after buying Blue Monday on 12" (original and best version) and remember being in awe…
Despite Storm Guretti rapidily approaching over the Atlantic and weather warnings appearing all over the place, a marginal window of opportunity presented itself for a quick session this morning. Had to go to the doctor first thing for a blood test, so decided to see how I felt afterwards. Was decidedly grim outside - only 1 degree Centigrade, grey and overcast - so I was in two minds when I got…
Answers on a postcard please because I haven't got a clue. Okay, not strictly true as work, weather, illness and the usual pre-Christmas madness have all played their part in me failing to wet a line this month. Couldn't even drag myself to the coast while we were down in Pembrokeshire for the festive period for some whiting bashing. Back in Nottingham I therefore decided to force myself out of…
Apart from the fact that the reservoirs are still filling up, the drought over the summer now seems a distant memory. Autumn came to a rather abrupt and dramatic end as well, more so in some parts of the country than others. Last week the in-laws down in south-west Wales were subjected to the "Pembrokeshire Dangler", a meteorological phenomenom (try saying that after a few) that can occur at this…
Been looking for an opportunity to get out all week on the little brook and having already been thwarted twice and with Storm Claudia on its way it was now or never. Luckily it promised to be a nice day with no rain and the strong southerly wind that we'd been experiencing all week dropping off to virually nothing before switching to a colder and less welcome north-easterly. Therefore f inished…
Just had a fantastic ten days in rural France. Autumn is definitely my favourite time over there - warm, clear days spent walking and foraging for chestnuts, walnuts and fungi. Wildlife was also amazing this time. We saw deer every day, as well as coypu and red squirrels. Also saw kestrels, buzzards, a black-winged kite, a marsh harrier, little egrets, great white egrets and on our last two days,…
Not been a great year for the bass for me, although I have had limited opportunities to be fair. Did have a nice fish in May in Wales when I was forced by the weather and the big spring tides to explore a new section of the estuary, but that has been the highlight so far. Was therefore keen to make the best of our trip down to Suanton, so had contacted Joel Squires about hooking up for a lure…
Our second lads' trip down to North Devon came around very quickly. Doesn't seem that long since we were down in May and it was the same hardcore group of ageing hedonists that made their way back down the M5 once more, cars loaded up with surfboards, paddleboards, golf clubs and fishing tackle. The weather on arrival was extremely pleasant and after unloading all the gear into the bungalow we…
After not much deliberation I decided to have one more go after the big perch I'd spotted on the River Soar a few sessions ago, although by now I was beginning to wonder if I had actually been imagining things! Finished up at work and made it to Kegworth for half past three and then slogged it upstream once more. Saw that the beds of floating pennywort were really starting to take hold in places…
A sunny, warm, dry spring has contributed to this year being a "mast year", where trees and shrubs produce and abundance of fruit, seeds and nuts. Happening roughly every five years this strategy is known as "predator satiation" as there is far too much food for birds and mammals to consume, so some seeds inevitably escape to go on to grow into new saplings. One crop particularly in abundance…
Had another few days over in Lithuania last week to see the lad and his girlfriend. For a change we rented an apartment on the Coronian Spit, which if legends are to be believed, was created by the giantess Neringa to protect the Lithuanian coast from storms sent by the evil dragon, Naglis. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and national park, the narrow strip of land has a freshwater lagoon on one side…
Had a window of opportunity open up for me and with local the rivers having benefitted from a splash of rain I decided to head down to the River Soar again. Popped into Stapleford Angling for a pint of maggots and a quick chat before heading down the short distance down the motorway to Kegworth. River was gin clear and there were clumps of the dreaded, bright green, floating pennywort starting to…
Didn't get out again in July or the early part of August for various reasons (work, weather, club fishing bans, general apathy, blah, blah, blah....). Then had two weeks very relaxing weeks in France with the family and friends in the middle of the European heatwave. Temperatures topped out at 41 degrees Centigrade, which meant we were up early every day and out and about before it got stupidly…
Whilst still windy, conditions had improved enough to encourage me to head out again with the float rod. Had seen off a pint of maggots in my previous session, so popped in to see Scott at Soar tackle just before he shut for the day only to be told that there was a national bait shortage - conditions too hot in the breeding sheds for the flies to lay eggs apparently! Luckily he had enough left for…