Fishing storms in general and Babet in particular
As another named storm – in this case, Babet – hits the United Kingdom, the wind started to pick up yesterday evening.
In advance of the full-on effects, that continued through the night and by this morning the gusts were powerful.
I still went fishing though, but perhaps a few words on that are called for, as safety is always the first priority in angling anyway.
If fishing in a storm – or any other adverse weather conditions for that matter – is about bravado and promoting a macho image, we need to seriously rethink.
On a personal level, I fish most days anyway, so my mindset isn’t wired to laying down the rods for a prolonged period of time.
As part of the bigger picture, I love the great outdoors, and if you allow your venturing out to be dictated to by the weather then your enjoyment will be severely limited.
As for this morning’s session, taking into account wind direction, I knew exactly where I was going to fish.
A sheltered pond and no heavy branches likely to fall on me while I fished meant that both presenting a bait and safety boxes were both ticked.
Presenting two white maggots on a size 14 hook, underneath a small waggler, I fished a rod length from the bank in 2.5 feet of water.
Loose feeding mixed maggots, I had a trickle of roach and a solitary perch on the bank.
If you’re out over the next few days, safety first and tight lines.
Nature watch: Not a rare bird but it’s always nice to see the colourful jay.