A few photo’s from the back end of the river season, and work experience for Charlie

Much has been going on in my fishing world but not actually fishing.

The season end guiding went well with some good fish caught. Dave Robinson asked me to guide him in catching his first pike. After 2 takes and him striking out of each one 3rd time lucky for him.

Dave and his first pike

He also wanted to know how to unhook them safely. So had the hang of things turning the pike upside down and going in with his fingers to the middle soft spot and lifting the jaw open. It really made me laugh a little when he got his fingers stuck on the gill raker teeth. First blood to the pike. I mentioned that he should tell his young lad that he tussled with this big pike and it bit him.

He was good though at his handling technique.

He pulled out of a few more where he was striking after the pike first struck the wobbled dead bait. Dave just couldn’t get over how exciting it is to see the pike strike into the wobbled bait in the clear river.

He did catch another pike after missing it earlier in the afternoon.

Dave returning his second pike

So it ended well for Dave and he had the scars to prove it.

I was supposed to decorating for two weeks and had already started when I had a call from Charlie Chapple my great nephew could I give him a weeks work experience in angling guiding/coaching. So with this I had a days planning of what to show him. Just to list a few things I planned.

How to complete risk assessments for coaching/guiding, writing a training plan and delivery. Listing tackle and bait requirements for different species when guiding. Then there was a half day on photographing and using the different camera’s and for what situation. Then editing to give the client the best photo. There was a day guiding at Landsend Fishery Somerset http://www.landsendfisherysomerset.co.uk/  , here he completed another risk assessment and Mike the fishery owner was very kind enough to spend some time with him talking about running a fishery. Charlie had previously written down some questions to ask too.

Charlie playing a carp

The week long work experience went down well with him. Particularly the fishing side of things at Landsend, well there is a surprise.

Charlie and a 9lbs 14oz carp

Not quite 10lbs