I've Got A Lob On!

STEVE COLLETT Britain’s leading all-round angler loves taking on challenges at all kinds of venues. Read his triumphs and disasters, warts ‘n’ all, exclusively in AM.

THIS WEEK’S MISSION

Heavy rain caused the River Wye, near Hereford, to flood, but I was still determined to fish it, no matter what was thrown at it. Not only was I keen to go fishing, I was eager to pop in to Woody’s Angling Centre, to get the latest information on its home river and find out what’s happening. You can’t beat a river venue’s tackle shop, and Woody’s knowledge is always bob-on.

VENUE: Herefordshire’s wonderful River Wye has several stretches available to fish on a day ticket, and Paul ‘Woody’ Woodward, in Hereford, will always put you on fish and supply you with top bait for the day. Tel: [phone].

WEATHER: the cold weather and muddy conditions have really taken a hold now, but the recent floodwater was relatively warm, so the fish should still be feeding. It’s just a matter of finding them. Temperature: 8 degrees Celsius. Wind: 10-15 mph north-westerly. Air pressure: 993.9 mbar and falling.

INSPIRATION to go fishing comes in many forms these days. Some of you might get the urge to wet a line after watching a video on YouTube, seeing a big fish on ‘Faceache Book’ or maybe even after reading one of my musings.

Nothing, in my opinion, is as inspiring as reading old books. I love looking through the most vintage books in my collection, remembering snippets of them while I’m on the bank. I love the bookplates and the well-thumbed pages, and I always wonder if the previous owner did the same as me – go fishing after reading them.

This week I referred to one of my favourites, a 1922 edition of The Book of the All Round Angler, by John Bickerdyke.