Worth weighting for!

Excuse the pun, but I caught over 100lbs of fish today and does my right arm know it or what?! I really worked the feeder (didn’t try the method after all, stuck with a small cage) and I have to thank Des Taylor’s superb lobworm mix as it really brought them into my swim. It really didn’t matter where I cast – near, middle or off the point – I had a bite a chuck!

We returned to El Dorado (which I secretly dream of buying!!!), at first light and set up. It was a bit of a struggle getting the fully-loaded barrow through the boggy bits to the swim, but the conditions were pretty near perfect. It was dull, overcast and quite warm, with some annoying drizzle for about an hour. I used my trusty Shakespeare feeder (all-purpose, really) rod with a small cage feeder, which I set up wrong to start with… well, it’s been yonks since I feeder-fished! I attached a small cage and some maggots and practised casting.

I was under instructions to try and hit the same spot every time, so I tried really hard to. All was well – I was casting fine. My first take was on a worm while I waited for Nick to make up the groundbait – nothing spectacular, just a small carp. Then from about 7am till 8.30am, I was getting a bite a chuck on the maggots. Happy as Larry, too, I was, ‘cos hubby wasn’t getting as many bites as me on the black meat!!

It just continued like that all morning and I was starving – had to take my rod out of the water to grab a sandwich and even then, I was still landing fish! They averaged 2 – 3lb and I had several bigger, my best being a lovely 6lb common. Nick had the most beautiful orfe – 4lbs 14oz – just shy of the 5lb mark and a gorgeous orange colour (see photo on his blog!)

Claire, Julz and Michael (Reels on Wheels buddies) arrived at about 8.30am to fish with us before they could check into their accommodation at Angler’s Paradise where they’re staying for a week’s hols and we had a good ole gossip and a cuppa together as they set up. Claire was over the moon with a new Personal Best carp – 11.5lbs. However, it did snap the top section of her carp rod… Julz and Michael were happily catching too and I think they’ll have a super time at AP.

I owe a huge thanks to my mate Jo from Ebid, as she nominated Reels on Wheels as the chosen charity for this month’s YDC charity auctions. I sold 6 or 7 items and there were quite a few ebidders showing their support too. Cheers, everyone and thank you so much.

So much fun… and it lasted all day!

Today was the Environment Agency’s Open Day at Bideford Angling Club and Nick was in attendance with the Buddy Bus – good PR on our local water!

I’d taken DD to the Stables at about 9.30am and took the dogs for a run through Cookworthy Forest on the way home. It was a beautiful day and I had a quick bite to eat before setting off for Bideford. 45 minutes later, I arrived at the lake and for once I didn’t have to open the gates!!

The first person I saw was Peter Guest from Freebird, who’d brought his 3 children down to have a go at fishing – the boys had a blast and his daughter had fun with her Dad. I finally saw my DH, had a brief chat with him and then went round saying hello to everyone who was there.

It was busy, the coaches were all fully employed and all the kids were catching fish (which is what it’s all about, at the end of the day!). Even some brave adults had come along to try out the sport and left quite content with themselves. I think quite a few people wanted to join the Club and took away the application forms. Well done lads!!

I met my soon-to-be angling partner (Di) for the match against our husbands and we had a chat about tactics… we’ll see how that pans out on the day. But I think we’re both looking forward to it.

Then I wandered back to have a chat with Paul, Nick’s friend from Town Parks Fishery and a Level 2 coach himself. I sat next to him on his box and received my first ever professional lesson! We discussed the merits of sliding knots and small shot, how the float should sit and then he explained exactly how to plumb my depth – in a bit more detail than my DH, and I got to fish with a Whip (!!) for the first time.

I had to be quite firm with it and was allowed to splash about for a change – ‘cos Paul told me to! – and I caught well over a dozen roach and rudd to nearly 1lb. They were absolutely gorgeous!! I’m so chuffed!!

Unfortunately, because there were so many kids about, I didn’t take any photos in case I got a shot of one of them by mistake. I’d hate that to happen, because I think I’d feel strange if I saw a photo of my DD on a website that I was unaware of…

I also bumped into Gary and Dave and we’re going to meet up in the next couple of weeks and have a fly-casting session at BAC, so I couldn’t be happier! I think even they’re looking forward to it.

Catching to order!!

We went fishing today at Bideford. Admittedly, the weather wasn’t great when we left home, but the eternal optimist that I am believed it wouldn’t rain till later today. Oh the power of positive thought and all that!

We got there about 9.15am and started setting up. I wanted to float fish and wasted an awful lot of time trying to get the nasty float to sit right. It wasn’t having any of it and as it’s what I call an “unproven” float, it went back in its box and I put a small bomb on, attached my hook line( yes, with these nails!!) and then managed to slip a band over a huge pellet – I meant business today. No playing with tiddlers, if your mouth ain’t big enough to swallow that size pellet, don’t bother sniffing round my hook.

By this time, Nick was deep in conversation with Sophie (the journalist writing a piece about R-O-W and the Buddy System for the Telegraph) and I sat contentedly watching my rod tip do absolutely nothing. I poured myself a cuppa and had a cig while I listened to them chatting with half an ear, as it were.

The photographer had managed to find his way there and had joined us by this time. He was on his way back round the lake when Nick hooked into a nice carp (around 6lbs) which he landed successfully and we had fun taking pics of it. Well, the photographer wanted a pic of me taking a pic of Nick with his fish. Luckily, because it’s 8 feet deep there and I’m only 5’2″, I managed to avoid falling in and went back to my swim.

Sophie came to sit by me and have a brief chat about things from my perspective and I managed to hook into a feisty commom carp around the 4lb mark, which was quite impressive, wasn’t it?  Just as I’m about to land it, he (Nick), steals my thunder and hooks into another carp! Well, quite honestly, it couldn’t have been better, could it? Husband and wife fishing together, both playing carp at the same time for the camera… LOL!

So, I think today has been a highly successful day from a professional point of view and I can’t wait to read Sophie’s piece w

On another mission…

Yep, he is. He’s now waiting to be contacted by another carp angler about fishing as a partnership at the Wales Carp Masters Tournament at the end of July. They’ll be fishing a non-stop 48-hour heat (for carp only), the winners of which go through to the WCM Final – purse £10,000.00. That’s a lot of money. But you should  see the size of the carp! Nick hasn’t fished for carp up to 50lbs for many years… I bet he has fun!

I’ve made my Topper for the competition at Aunty’s – finished it last night. It was quite easy in the end, although I made a bit of a booboo with the stamped image – it didn’t come out right using distress ink, so I reverted to trusty old Stazon and placing the image without an acrylic block – just my fingers. Came out fine. A bit of highlighting with the white gel pen and a dab or two of glossy accents.

And there’s a link to my Altered Art blog in the side-bar now that I’ve begun to post over there. I created it to prevent anglers who come over here from getting fed up with a crafty blog, when this is my space to blog about R-O-W and us, not crafting!!

Good company…

Gosh I’m tired!

I’ve been surfing the net this evening, looking for contact addresses for celebs and suchlike to approach as prospective patrons for Reels on Wheels… and it’s quite hard work. So the next couple of days will be spent delving a little deper and probably involve phoning some of these Publicity Agents to find out if that’s where the letters should be sent  (or not!).

I also sent out loads of mail again – I could really live over the Holsworthy Post Office, I spend so much time in there! I’ve sent off my Tax Credits form too – why does one form always look so daunting to complete? Why did it take me three weeks to get round to filling it in and posting it? I really resent the fact that a mere piece of paper has the power to intimidate me and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Luckily the rest of the day was fun: We had a visit from a couple of friends who are also disabled – though they are walkers!! They’re as passionate about the Buddy Bus and Reels on Wheels as we are and I think they’ll be coming fishing with us at some point during the summer too – yay! More peeps back on the bank! I had a very wifey day today – made a rather good meatloaf with pan-fired new potatoes and bacon bits and a huge salad, followed by peach upside-down cake! There weren’t any leftovers and I think the dogs were pretty gutted!

Hey ho! Tomorrow, we want to go back to Bideford Lake and pole-fish it, though the weather forecast is uninspiring to say the least. Let’s just hope it’s not raining when we get up or it won’t happen. Fingers crossed…

A new week begins…

Well, another week has flown by and thank heavens DD’s gone back to school,and I can get back to working on everything I shamelessly avoided doing last week during half term! The house is a tip, I have a stack of filing and quite a bit of data entry to catch up on… just not all today! After all, I have to go to the Post Office and mail some cards, invoices, etc. and then I want to take the dogs to the woods for a good run, just in case the weather changes again.

I also have the accountant to track down – it’s always difficult to do that on a Monday morning for some reason!

Nick’s doing a fish-a-thon in Torbay at present, but he’ll be home again sometime tomorrow night. He’s enjoying it so far and I’ve been on the phone this morning, arranging for the Buddy Bus to go in for a service this week. We were both a bit worried about the task he’s undertaken and the amount of people who want to meet him when he’s in their particular area/county. The Bus needs a health-check and a friend who owns a garage business has kindly agred to service and maintain the BB for the rest of this year as his way of sponsoring Nick – Dave, you’re a star! Now all I have to do is create you an ‘Internet presence’, as I promised you yesterday

I have enjoyed making cards so much since I encountered Sheila Oliver, it’s almost as if I seek an excuse to produce more – but on the other hand, it’s a lovely feeling when you know exactly what you have in your stash that can produce that special card for someone. Then you have to hope that they like what you’ve done… although it’s supposed to be the thought that counts, isn’t it?

Right – time to hoover a dog or two – or maybe I should brush them and hoover the carpet? Decisions, decisions!! It can be so demanding, being a blonde – hehehe!

What now?

I ask myself…. what now? I had a call from Maxine Collins at Asda in Bodmin while we were out collecting the Van den Eynde mixed baits this morning. She didn’t sound very happy as she left the message and I’ve just phoned the store to find she’s gone home and won’t be back till tomorrow, so whatever it is will torment me until then!

Funding is rough… so is fund-raising. Hard work. At least the Reels on Wheels bank account is being sorted and we have been given some very sound advice on how to proceed, should the money start rolling in! I wish! How very helpful bank staff can be.

I need to get my head down and start making some angling cards so himself can take them out on the road and start selling them off! I must really concentrate on these – if they’re popular, I could contribute to the Road Trip that way, which would be great!

Anyway, to cheer myself up, here are a couple of pics: The glorious Buddy Bus and my beautiful clematis – first year flowering!