Back Home

Just got home after a nice break in Germany and Holland

Very good to catch up with old friends and also to visit family and catch up with the latest gossip!


I very much enjoy big river fishing and they don't get much bigger than the Rhine, BIG ships, Big feeders, Big fish. I didn't manage to find any of the very big barbel but did get a few and to me they all count.


Spent a very pleasant day in the company of Rinko and Wendy and along with our great friends and hosts for the trip Cees and Heike we shared a full day on the Rhine, the fishing was slow but the company was great, Rinko managed 3 barbel and I know he enjoyed the challenging conditions so much he will be back for more.

Along with Cees we crossed the border for a day in Holland where the barbel were a bit more obliging and I was well happy with the 4 I managed from the Ijssell, the sunset at the end of the session was well worth the trip alone, who says big rivers have no beauty.Also met up with Mike and Marcel for a catch up.

Finished the trip with over 40 barbel and some great memories


Special thanks to Cees and Heike for great hospitality and friendship.


Also thanks to Frank and Riny also to Tim, it was good also to meet Rinko and Wendy

Barbel on Rhine

Been on the Rhine and had a few Barbel but it's not been easy

240 gram feeders and I still can't hold bottom,, Fisky I need some bigger leads mate,, it's a good job the Korum Dutch Master rivers are up to the job.

Tonight is the night

Busy Days

Just back from the severn after a few busy days guiding, firstly it was Kevin and Lloyd who managed to get among the severn barbel, after a difficult day on a low clear river we still managed a few with a nice fish each just as the sun set.

With no time to rest the next day it was Julia, Paul and Jacko's turn with 2 days booked to take in and enjoy the beauty of the middle Severn as well as catch a few barbel.

Jacko got the ball rolling with a nice barbel first cast.

Julia took a bit longer but when it came she played this big barbel very well and the excited screams made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Paul fished very well but had to wait until the second day to get his rewards, in the end he had some nice barbel from a difficult swim which he managed well but the barbel tested him and the gear to the limits, but hey thats why I love barbel fishing.

So all in all a great few days, with 5 anglers hooking and landing their first barbel thats very rewarding for me and those concerned.

One slight worry was the restless night I had on Friday, I kept dreaming of cows and could hear mooing in my sleep it kept me awake and the caravan seemed more like a cowshed, it wasn't until the morning when I got up that the mystery was answered, young Jacko had a rave up with Bessy the caravan cow, just what he was up to we will never know.

Nice one Kev

Guiding today with the Torquay Mafia and it's been tough but we have managed one or 2 including this one.

With A Little Help From My (Dutch) Friends

Just back from a quick trip to Holland mostly for business and family reasons so no time for much fishing and with a car full of people and luggage there was no room for fishing tackle. Thanks to Tim Janssen who loaned me some tackle and supplied the bait we spent a good day on the Ijssel catching a few nice barbel

It was so good to see Tim but also Frank joined us and during the day Cees, Nico, Marcel and Mike also came along for a chat, so for me it was a catch up with some great friends and fellow barbel anglers.

Maybe next year we need to organise a full weekend where we can all get together and have a fish as well as a good chat and perhaps a BBQ as well. I will leave that for you dutch guys to think about, I am sure you can organise something.

Last cast of the day produced something a bit special in the form a good size Blauw Neus something we don't catch in England but even for Holland I am told this was a specimen size fish.

A Big Thanks to Tim for sorting the fishing and a special thanks to the rest of you for turning up and having a chat your friendship and understanding means much to me and Tjitske. The invite to Fish with us in England is always open and we would welcome your company.

Back to my early days

When I Was younger I always looked forward to the fishing trips with my father, we often went to such places as Upton Dyke, Horning Ferry or Buckenham Ferry always great days often with my brother and sisters and memories of some great days and great catches. Those days always ended up in a pub somewhere so father could have a pint or two of his favourite mild and me a bag of crisps and a shandy.   Oh such happy days.

With Folkert and Linda in England for a couple of weeks he asked if we could go fishing, how could I refuse, reports told me The River Yare at Buckenham was fishing very well so armed with a few maggots and worms and a bucket of groundbait off we went.

We had a lovely days fishing in the heart of Broadland with a bite every cast and a nice net of roach, perch and bream to end the day.

Linda and T also had a lovely day with T also catching a few fish and Linda drawing some great pictures for us.

What a great Day.

2 Very Special Girls

Linda is here for a few days and her and Florence have had some fun.

But it all got too much this afternoon and they had to take a nap