It is the beginning of February..

Here we go again. Its the beginning of February, the Beagle.(the bigger boat with a cabin and a kettle) is cleaned, painted and serviced ready for the Windermere ‘spring’ fishing. I always look forward to the opening weeks of my years fishing as there is a better than average chance of meeting up with a few very special pike. Yes, it can be hard on those days when the wind blows cold from the northlands and sleet is in the air, but on the days when the sun is shining across a calm lake, there is nowhere else I would prefer to be.

For those newcomers to the site I had better explain that there is a seasonal pattern to the sort of fishing we offer here in the lake District. February we sit it out on Windermere drinking lots of tea, putting the world to rights and exploring several productive places in a day. Usually this involves deadbaits and floats and on some days should really be called waiting not fishing. Somedays we wait a while, then wait a lot longer , but when that float twitches, moves away and slips beneath the water there is such a sense of excitement and wonder it is a feeling that is very hard to beat. We usually meet a few twenty pound pike at this time and out there you just never know what the next run will bring. Typically on an average day we would expect to meet up to half a dozen fish, but these are wise old fish and we do have some tough sessions, but when it is good and the pike switch on….it is very good indeed.

As the season progresses I shift operation up to Derwentwater from late March till mid May. This is a more productive water and we have some great days lure and bait fishing for the numerous but slightly smaller pike. This is also one of the waters where we pick up a few very special bigger than average lake trout which are impresive creatures and real hard fighters. As with all our fish they are returned safe and sound. There’s is a return to Windermere in May for the annual lure and fly fishing weeks on there then back to Derwentwater for the summer perch fishing which can be superb. This is a great way to introduce youngsters into the sport and we have some excellent hundred plus fish days, usually involving a few bigger than average three pound specimens. I’m back down to Windermere in October and November for an autumnal visit and then wind things down over winter due to unpredicatable weather patterns.

Of course mixed in with all this are several summer and autumn salmon fishing days and a lot of trout fishing and fly casting instruction. This usually occurs from mid March to the end of september with the early fishing to the end of May offering the best sport on our local trout rivers.

So now you know. This year, I will also be passing a few days on to another good local guide so even though I might be booked up we can still get you out fishing..

There will be a few changes to this web site as well to refresh things a bit so as we approach a new seasons pike fishing I wish you all well and look forward to fishing with old and new friends out on the water somewhere in the Lake District.

Tarra,
Eric