Summerhayes – Open – 1st January 2026
Summerhayes was the destination for my first match of 2026 and after a hard frost there was quite a bit of ice on Sellicks. With only eight of us fishing Pete said we could have a rover and choose where …
River Isle – V.E.S. Precision League 4 – 19th November 2017
With a couple of frosts during the week, winter continues it’s inevitable march towards us although on waking this morning it was actually pretty mild. On a personal level, my back has been playing me up again and to top things off, I’ve got a stinking cold, which is nice! Hurf was back to take over the reigns and decided to put …
The Archives – Part 4 – More pastures new and growing up (1984)
My last trip down memory lane documented me winning a couple more matches and I started visiting some new venues and catching some nice fish, the start of the 1984 season saw me still as keen as ever and down the canal the night before ‘The Glorious 16th’ with base camp established ready for my first ever night fishing session. 1984 My diary …
River Isle – IBC Winter League 3 – 12th November 2017
With more rain and the temperature definitely dropping a few notches during the week, winter is certainly on its way. With Rob still away and Hurf unable to fish, it was down to me and Steve P to organise this one and I have to say a big thanks to Frank and Jake who went down and checked out Hambridge yesterday (still too …
The Archives – Part 3 – New venues and a big goldfish! (1983)
So at the end of Part 2, I’d won my first match and thanks to mum and dad at Xmas I was the proud owner of my first carbon fibre rod. I was still super keen and getting on the bank as often as possible, if I wasn’t fishing myself, I was watching other anglers and asking questions. I was also buying all the …
River Isle – V.E.S. Precision League 3 – 5th November 2017
With Rob and Hurf both away, it was down to me and Steve P to arrange this weeks match and I was hoping to get us all down the lower end after last week when everybody at Coxes struggled. Also we had the first few frosts in the week and the river desperately needed some rain. I woke up nice and early and it …
Billy Makin Interview
Hi Billy, thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview, after reading your book earlier in the year (read the review here – Fishing and Testicles) and enjoying it very much, I wanted to find out a little more about what makes you tick! Firstly, how did you get into fishing and what was your first fish? Dad was a …
River Isle – V.E.S. Precision League 2 – 29th October 2017
We were back on the river this week for the rescheduled V.E.S. match and I was hoping I might finally draw a peg at Isle Brewers or Redbridge but with fifteen anglers booked in for this one, Rob had to put some pegs in at Upper and Lower Coxes. After we’d all finished eating breakfast and paid our pools, it was nearly …
Summerhayes – Champion of Champions Silvers Final – 27th October 2017
I’d been looking forward to this match since I qualified way back in April and thankfully when I woke up, my back didn’t feel too bad. I stopped in the Little Chef for brekkie on the way and arrived in good time. As I went to pay my pools, it was lovely to see the legend that is Charlie Barnes had come along to …
Dillington Pond – 22nd October 2017
We were supposed to be on the river for this match but the arrival of Storm Brian and a fair bit of rain on Saturday night saw the decision made to switch it to the pond, if I’m honest, I felt it was a little premature as these days the river rises very quickly but by the same token it drops equally …
Summerhayes – Open – 20th October 2017
I’d booked the Friday off work for a little practice before the Champion of Champions Final next week and after not fishing last Sunday, I was gagging to get back on the bank. My back was still not 100% but a lot better than it was so I decided to give it a go as I was climbing the walls at home! The …