Happy New Year to you all and may 2011 be good to you and bring a great year for catching fish and getting just a little better at what we do. As well as all the great local pike and perch fishing here in the Lake District we also have a few trips away planned including the annual visit to Loch Awe which is taking place a little later in the year than usual to give us a chance at some of the bigger fish with lures and the fly rod. Hopefully May will be a productive time on the Loch…as always I shall let you know how we get on. Also in the pipeline are a couple of prospecting visits to a secret highland loch which has been producing four pound perch as well as good numbers of twenty pound pike. Places on these are limited so if you fancy joining us do get in touch as soon as possible as they are very popular. On a personal basis I am hoping to get back down to Chew this spring for a shot at some of the legendary beasts in this legendary water and also get across the water for a chance at catching a tarpon or two. After such a hard early winter where all the local lakes have been frozen solid for weeks the pike will have had a break from anglers attentions and will hopefully be ready to play when the weather eases up a bit. I’m taking the Beagle back to Windermere from the last week in January with the expectation of welcoming some good fish to come and say hello. On the game angling front, the rivers are presently locked in their winter coats although some superb grayling have been showing up with fish to just under three pounds on the trotted maggot during a two hour skive off during a Christmas shopping trip to Carlisle with my long suffering wife. Out with Ian Gregg this afternoon we had around twenty fish off the Eden to Bugging tactics including a couple over two pounds. Mind you we wore so many layers of fleece, real casting was almost impossible and me toes are still freezing!

Roll on spring.

Derwentwater – Ice fishing anyone?

Happy days in the ‘Beagle’

Fish on Ice in Hawse End bay