Dizzys 2024 in pictures

The first couple of trips of 2024 were river forays concentrated on my local stretch of river. A stretch which appeared to have gone down hill over the last few years. But recently, something of a perch renaissance had occurred.

As you can see from the images above, the terrain and launch were, erm well, not exactly easy! No problem for the Hobie Lynx. Myself and kayak fishing buddy Charlie Fishwish were on the water in minutes. The fishing was slow, but as the winter sun started to set, the big perch came on the feed. In February, I returned for another shot at the perch, and this time I caught an even bigger perch.

March, and a visit to The Big One fishing show at Farnborough. It is always good fun, and the lure fishing section gets better each year

April is one of my favourite months for fishing – and I made the most of the month at two fabulous locations – Swanage and Wimbleball lake on the edge of Exmoor. Swanage never disappoints, and this year was no different – hard scrapping black bream and rays. First some small eyed rays, and then undulate rays – including two undulate rays on the same hook! You heard right – the two rays were mating and could not resist the sandeel bait. I have never witnessed anything like it – incredible. Then Wimbleball lake and some absolutely top draw trout action on the fly rod – two cracking rainbows, the biggest 6lbs+ – what a fight! I love the place.

May started well with the annual mayfly hatch on my local river. Then on to the annual kayak fishing competition at Bewl water in Kent organised by my good mate Bogdan. My mate David caught a wonderful pike, and it ws a pleasure to be there to witness the capture of such a lovely fish and take some pictures for him. Then the first trip to Christchurch harbour, and the capture of a lovely bass. 

Sadly, my Dad passed away at the end of May. Dad was my guiding light, and he was the one who got me into fishing at an early age. I will always have fond memories of him, which will stay with me forever. Every time I go fishing I will be thinking of him. 

I really didn’t have the mojo for fishing following my Dad’s death, but something deep in my heart was telling me that maybe fishing might cheer me up. When I look back on my life, fishing has always been a constant, something I turn to when times are good or bad. So with that in mind, I made the decision to go to Christchurch harbour, and fly fish for mullet. The conditions were not great. It was blowing a gale, and the tides were all wrong. But against all the odds, I somehow managed to catch a mullet on the fly from the kayak…. I couldn’t help thinking Dad was probably smiling down at me; you have got to love fishing sometimes.

July, and a few days away in the camper van still trying to make sense of things. Staying by the side of the river, and drifting along in the kayak, all the pressures of life seemed so far away. Those pesky chub are enough to drive you crazy sometimes, but they say a bad day on the water is still better than a good day in the office!

August was spent swithcing between chasing chub on the river, and targetting mullet and bass. Both the river chub and the bass were not around in theie usual numbers, which made things interesting. I had to explore new spots, which is always interesting, and it did lead to some notable captures – 6lb chub and a cracking 7lb bass. The bass came froma really difficult swim, surrounded by boats and mooring lines, and a racing tide. I had already lost one big fish, so stepped up the gear, and I was elated to finally land a decent fish in those conditions. I had seen fish in this location before, and had assumed they were all mullet, but there were obviously some big bass amongst them.

I’ve always enjoyed fishing Wemouth and Portland harbour in the kayak, but I’ve never caught any really big fish, despite the fact that I keep hearing reports of big fish. But this year, that was all going to chage. On the first visit we had an altication with the harbourmaster at Weymouth Harbour. We were told that kayaks can no longer use the launch slipway at Cosens Quay car park. Indeed, we were told that kayaks were not allowed inside weymouth harbour. Aparently there was too much contention between other boat users. If I had the time and money, I would raise this issue and take it further. Kayak fishermen were never consulted in these decisions, and it is plain wrong. As usual, money talks, and Weymouth harbour is turning into a haven for gin palaces, yachts and the rich set, as is happening with so many other traditional fishing harbours around the UK. No matter, I managed to find another launch spot. The fishing was great, with the highlights being the squid and cuttlefish – which we caught in large numbers on squid jigs. But the star of the show was a chunk of a wrasse which smashed my fiiish black minnow lure. I had hooked a big fish on quite heavy gear, and it made a fool of me, eventually smashing me up. I was gutted, and couldn’t belive that the fish had made a fool of me on what was pretty strong tackle. I took a few minutes, and composed myself. I tied on a new flouro leader of 30lbs, tightened up the drag on the Van Staal VR50, and went back to the spot where I had hook and lost the fish. After a couple of minutes, the lure was walloped, and this time I was ready. I didn’t give an inch, and it was a brutal tug of war. The Bone Voyage rod, is pretty stout, and the fish had it doubled up, with the tip under water and me on the other end hanging on, trying to extricate the fish from some pretty serious structure. Eventually I got the fish to the surface, but it was still full of fight, and I had to net it quickly. It was a monster, and only just fitted in the net. It wasn’t the same fish I had caught previously, and I started to wonder just how big that other fish must have been! 

October meant it was time for the annual Llangorse kayak fishing event. Myself and good friends Charlie and Hewy stay in a caravan and eat and drink way too much. It is a social event as much as a fishing event, with Ed and his SWKA colleagues doing a great job of organising. The fishing was quite tough this year, with fewer perch, and they were a bit smaller, and pike very difficult to come by. Regardless of the fishing, it is always a fun event, and a good chance to catch up with all of the other kayak fishermen.

Over the Christmas break I had the chance to go on 2 fishing trips. For the first trip. I decided to re-visit my roots and go shore fishing. I spent over 30 years as an avid shore fisherman, and I loved every minute, but the moment I got into kayak fishing, the shore fishing seemed a bit lack lustre. I decided to visit Portishead on the Bristol Channel, and I dug out my old Ziiplex rods and Shimano multipliers. I enjoyed every minute of the trip, but things are never the way you remembered them. I don’t think I had a bite all day. I did make me realise why I took up kayak fishing al those years ago. Weather permitting, you really can’t beat kayak fishing… and with that phrase ringing in my head, myself and Charlie decided to end the year with a kayak fishing trip to Weymouth. This venue had been kind to us this year. We fished into dark. It was magical, with the Christmas lights from the esplanade shinng out across the beach and onto the calm water. Unfortunately, the fish had not read the script, but it was still a beautiful way to sign off for 2024.

For me 2024 will always be remembered as the year I lost my Dad. We were so close, and he will never be forgotten. Fishing has definitely offered me some comfort, and every time I go out, it reminds me of the fun and precious times we spent over the years. Fishing is a great tonic, and although it can be frustrating and challenging, it is also very rewarding. I just hope that I can continue to go fishig in the years to come, health permitting.

Thank you to all of those that have supported me over the past year, in particular Liam at Cornwall Canoes, Hobie, Lance and the team at Navionics/Navimaps and Lowrance.

All that remians, is for me to wish everyone all the best for 2025. Enjoy your fishing.