In the old days when I first  started out, I used to write a Christmas Newsletter. This would be posted out to my clients who had been fishing the previous year. Mostly it was an opportunity to say a big THANK YOU for keeping me in business and enjoying some memorable days out. These days with so many of you out there the newsletter is almost a thing of the past as the cost of postage stamps would render me bankrupt! Plus there might not even be a postal service the way things are going on!!!

So I am afraid this on line updated version will have to suffice. I hope you all have a great festive season and stay safe, happy and most of all, very well.

In these times of financial uncertainty the very popular Christmas and Birthday Gift Vouchers will still be available but with just £100.00 deposit payable up front, the remainder can be settled on the day.

We are still in business but with a few changes coming up. I have been trying unsuccesfully to work less and concentrate of teaching Fly casting and fishing and also fish more for my own enjoyment. However, it rarely seems to work out that way as I love being  on the water and introducing folks to some of our Lakeland fish. Although I will attempt to do as many bookings as possible we will have another good guide available for days out hunting pike on Derwentwater in the shape of the knowledgeable and affable George Gate. With a reputation for catching some cracking pike on lures George has kindly offered his services. I am still looking for another apprentice for the perch fishing side of thing so if anyone knows of a suitable candidate please get in touch. There’s not much money involved but it is great way of life and we do meet some lovely people.

The last year has been an interesting one as always, with droughts and hot weather making the fishing difficult at times. We did ok with the pike managing sixteen pike over the magic twenty pounds for clients and lots and lots of slightly smaller ones putting big smiles of folks faces. Perch fishing was also tricky at times but although we didn’t break any records had lots of spectacular catches. Trout fishing has been great with some very big wild specimens showing up, while we have had a decent run of Salmon for a change with July and August being surprisingly productive.

As regular readers of this blog are well aware lots of my clients come back regularly and become friends rather than clients, and none more so than the man at the head of this episode: Bennet Hogg. He left us last week to debate catch and release with St Peter  after a long battle with illness. We shared many memorable pike fishing adventures over the years including  an epic battle with a very large pike on Loch Awe before it snapped the line between huge boulders thirty feet below the boat and as mentioned in  ‘Tales of a Lakeland Angler’, Bennett had some beautiful fish from his favourite Lake District fishery-Loweswater. There will no doubt be another mention of this great man in a future edition as we will scatter his ashes on there in the spring.  I shall miss Bennett, a lot.

But the years roll round and as we move towards a new year it remains to say simply have a happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy New Year.

As Bennett used to say at the end of a phone call….”I’ll catch you later.”

tarra,

 Eric