Raining into Autumn

Summer hasn't so much ended with a bang and a whimper, as a big puddle of rain and lots of extra homework. Autumn may be the season that creative types wax lyrical about, but it can be a funny time to fish. A real in between stage until the weed properly dies back and everything settles. With a stack of jobs to finish, my fishing of late has been confined to the odd short session close to home such as Exeter Canal. Not exactly dynamite so far, although the odd perch has obliged and these days I'm never without a handful of Kopyto shads to target them with.

I did also manage to steal a quick afternoon nearer Tiverton in the company of fishing writer Theo Pike, which is always a pleasure The water looks ominously low on the Grand Western canal, but the roach and rudd are still there to be had on a sunny afternoon. I don't think he could quite believe just how pretty the place was and how obliging these terrific fish are. We both filled our boots with simple spider patterns, each taking a pound plus fish on the fly rod, along with the unenviable task of plunging through the overgrown banks to net fish for each other.


At present however there are more pressing matters than fishing itself. It is the theory rather than the practise that is taking up my time as I continue to work as adapting author on "Fishing for Dummies" -part of the classic reference series. An American edition already exists, so how tricky can it be? The differences are quite substantial in places; the yanks are miles ahead on lure fishing for example, but bait fishing techniques are very different and much simpler- wagglers, swimfeeders and the like all an alien language Stateside. The difference in attitudes is revealing and at times quite funny- carp are described in less than flattering terms for example as "like giant goldfish." Nevertheless, it's a great task to be involved with and from personal experience teaching English I can only say that a clear, user friendly book of this nature is long overdue. The book should sell stacks and it will be great to introduce a lot of others to the sport I love so much.

It's all slowly coming together- and I have also now hit the magic milestone of 100 articles in print. Other than scribbling, I also have the task of preparing for the much awaited Pike Anglers Club Conference 2011. It'll be the first time I've been and it should be excellent fun, just as soon as I've finished tying the hundred or so pike flies needed to complete my trade arsenal. I hope I'll see some of you there- albeit bleary eyed and with my hands smelling of fly varnish!


South West pike anglers will also be pleased to hear that the PAC has a new list of events for 2011/2012 and a new meeting place at Mill on Exe- hit the links section on my site (www.dgfishing.co.uk) for more on this on the PAC Region 13 blog.