9.00 p.m. Good evening and welcome to Worcestershire. There’s more in the video below, as I hit the ground running as far as the new river season is concerned.
I’m on the lower Severn, between Worcester and Tewkesbury. It has a reputation for being hard at the best of times, never mind opening night.
That’s no problem though, I’m just happy to be here, as the rivers once again open their doors to anglers, at midnight.
11.20 p.m. Prior to darkness, a female mandarin duck with young passed by really close in front of me. The first anglers – hopefully – that they’ve seen in their short lives so far.
It’s now really dark and with the nearest road being sone distance away, you would think it was deathly quiet.
There is a pump going though on the stretch, as the farmer extracts water for his crops. Talking of which, it’s just started to rain.
11.45 p.m. The pump has now stopped and apart from the occasional tawny owl call and the usual creatures of the night in the undergrowth where I am settled in, it’s very quiet indeed.
I’m often asked if I get scared night fishing on my own out in the wild. The answer is, no. You’re safer here than walking around a city at night.
Plus, I’ve done thousands of nights over the years. I’ve got plenty of interesting stories but nothing scary.
12.00 midnight. Ready, steady, go. My 2020/2021 river season is now underway. The Severn is very quiet and lifeless and that’s not always a good sign.
I’ve got baits in the water though and that means I’ve got more chance of catching than if I was in bed asleep.
12.30 a.m. No action yet but it’s a beautiful night. I did see a distant flash of lightning but nothing local.
I’m in a polo shirt and it’s still very pleasant. As someone who fishes throughout the year, in all conditions, this is nice.
2.30 a.m. Still here, just nothing to report. You’re always only one second away from the fish of a lifetime though.
7.00 a.m. Nothing at all during the night, in fact I just reeled in to make sure I still had baits on and I wasn’t embedded in a snag.
That’s happened before but on this occasion I did and I wasn’t. Cast out again.
7.30 a.m. A boat just passed and the man asked me if I’d been out all night. When I replied that I had, he asked if it was worth it. I didn’t catch anything, I answered, but it’s always worth it.
8.00 a.m. At least I’ve got my first blank out of the way! On a serious note, though, that’s specimen angling. It’s the opposite end of the spectrum to fishing with a maggot on a size 18 hook on a water full of small fish.
I’ve enjoyed it though, it was a lovely night out under the stars. Big fish angling isn’t about one session, it’s all about the big picture. Out yourself? Tight lines, but above all, enjoy.