When fish-crazy Professor Henry Hughes of Western Oregon University came to England, his rods and reels stashed optimistically under Christmas presents for his wife’s family, this was the only escape he could muster, the first week of the New Year. But what can you catch in January, apart from the flu? We’d met by email when Hughes wanted to include an old story I’d written about chasing bonsai sharks in The Wash in an anthology of fishing writing he was working on. He was hoping I could take him on a similarly batty adventure. And now all I really had to offer were pike. Good in theory. The creaking-creel school of pike angling paints a romantic picture of hunting Esox in the depths of winter, galoshes crunching frostbitten grass, icicles on the nose and vast pike swirling menacingly under a duvet of mist. But in my experience, on those arse-numbingly frigid days of angling folklore, pike are impossible. They are nutritionally celibate, fishy Trappists, sunk to their midriffs in ooze and weed, contemplating only the inside of their dull, fishy brains and locked in semi-hibernation. The only way to catch one on such a day is to dangle a rotten herring infront its face for 12 hours. And I don’t fish with bait. There’s grayling, too, of course. Just like pike, they slow down in the depths of winter and, just like pike, are so much better when you can see them and stalk them. In October, for example.
TEMPERING EXPECTATIONS
I tried to temper Hughes’ expectations. We’d have to hope for a warm spell, I said. We might have to use plugs and spoons. And there are no grayling in Norfolk. None of this fazed him. Not at all. He’s from Oregon, where men are men and sturgeon are nervous. Hughes’ luggage jingled with fishy Oregonian hardware as I met him off the bus at King’s Lynn. It was New Year’s Eve. We drove the long way home, reconnoitring the local dykes and drains.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av The Field.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av The Field.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Going over old ground
Forget modern tractors and minimum tillage - there is something glorious about the sight of farmer, horse and vintage plough in perfect harmony
Return of the natives
There is nothing as satisfying as creating a magical miniature woodland or conservation hedgerow using our native trees - and now is the best time to start.
Tagging the Cornish tunny
Enormous Atlantic bluefin tuna are once again making waves in UK waters almost a century after their showstopping appearance in the North Sea
In it for the long haul
It may have fallen out of favour at the elite level but long-format three-day eventing is still proving popular with grassroots riders
Unpicking the story of hunt buttons
These treasured tokens are bestowed only upon those who go above and beyond in service of their hunt but the rules around them can be complex
A place of tradition in the heart of town
Cordings has helped shape the sartorial landscape of Britain for 185 years, with its classic country tailoring a firm staple of many sporting wardrobes
Don't play it by ear
Hearing loss can have a devastating impact on day-to-day life, making ear protection a non-negotiable piece of field kit
Back to base-ics
Britain's famously unpredictable climate can make staying comfortable in the field a challenge but the right under layers can be a game changer
Stand and deliver
A good stance provides the platform for shotgun marksmanship and is fundamental to consistent success in the field or breaking clays
Heaven is a High Four
A team of guns enjoy a day of the finest sport Devon has to offer, courtesy of the GWCT and a quartet of generous shoot owners