Hello

[paulf]

Slightly in reverse order as I posted a catch report yesterday I thought I ought to introduce myself.

I'm based in southern England and very much an all round angler and more interested in the satisfaction in catching than in what I catch. So whilst I might be targeting trout I'm just as happy to catch a coarse fish such as dace or chub or perch. Which is just aswell as I only have access to what are at best mixed fisheries on the Kennet if not coarse fisheries with a few trout in them!

Plus side to this? Most of the trout I do catch are truly wild fish. The fisheries themselves are generally unkept and certainly don't have the manicured lawns beside them as the exclusive sections upstream. It also means you get some magical moments such as when my angling buddy Alan and I were after trout last week. Alan was waste deep in water and was focused on some chub of about 3 or 4 pounds in weight when he suddenly became aware of a fish turning only a few feet away. We spent the next half hour mesmerised watching barbel spawn. You could have poked them with your rod top they were that close.

So far this year I have managed to catch on fly tackle trout, grayling, dace, chub, roach, perch and most surprising of all bleak. I've only ever caught bleak out of the Thames before. It could be an accidental stocking but I do wonder if it was an unitended consequence of all the fish passes installed to help the re-introduction of salmon. (The Kennet joins the Thames at Reading.)

If things go to plan I hope to get a few days fishing up on the high mountain tarns in the Lake District. Now that will be special.

Paul

[Zanko]

Welcome Paul, glad to have you here.

[adam]

Welcome aboard my English friend. You speak the language of the stream.

Good.