Arthur Ransome had it right...Opening day

. . "Perhaps the greatest satisfaction on the first day of the season is the knowledge in the evening that the whole of the rest of the season is to come."

The above quote by Arthur Ransome sums it up very nicely .  Even as a boy I can remember the same excitement .  I mean Christmas is just a day that ends all to soon.  Whereas the first day of the season opens the window to a whole new year . with fresh hopes and ambitions , new places to visit or even better visiting those places that have become home to see what changes the winter floods have brought about . Or more simply just to enjoy the fact that summer is starting.  I still have the same sense of excitement that I had as a kid .  Despite the fact that at my age I should know better ,  but actually at my age I should be more excited as now semi retired and free to come and go .  Sons and Daughter grown up and after many years of trial the rivers I fish have matured nicely down to a select group. I have all the rods and reels I need , which is not to say I could always want something new and shiny ,  

So on opening day I have already decided where I will fish.  Its a favourite small stream . One that appears on the blog and I am particularly fond of .  There is something particularly satisfying about familiar surroundings . 

On the subject of Ransome it reminds me that Swallows and Amazons was one of my favourite reads as a child. Books that I suspect have past by modern youngsters and are probably deemed inappropriate as they freely use jolly nicknames like fatty and Skinny and girls are not expected to act like boys . The books did portray a very wholesome worldly innocence that I suspect is pretty unfashionable now ,   

As for books generally I enjoy and  tend to read Angling literature rather more than how too books.  The modern how too books are interesting and they there have been some very good ones published in the last few years.  But I feel however good they are to dip into, they are not what I would call a good read ,  They are inevitably more like text books,  something that I have always been somewhat averse too. Where as the classic authors books are much more readable.  My leavers report of the Boarding school I attended had the heads comment I would have been a admirable student if I had put as much effort into my Scholastic studies as trying to catch the trout in the river leven,  To this day I am very proud of that report.  and particularly of that comment .  

New Season anticipation . Rod Action bollocks and marketing

As is usual in the darkest bit of winter one spends more time on t inter web  , In  this last few weeks of winter  shitty wet days and dark nights I have spent many an hour mindlessly scrolling through various forums and I marvel at the nonsense spouted by the add men selling stuff  and folks on forums . There are a couple of words and phrases  that seem to be in vogue at the moment .  I always thought that I knew what they meant but it would appear I don’t .  Either that or the ad men are making stuff up to get us ordinary folk to part with our hard earned cash .  

The first word to grumble about is medium as part of the phrase medium action fly rod .  Now for  most of this century and the last 20 years of the last one . Yes I am old and remember the 60s and 70s it seems to me that all the big guns in the carbon rods game have been making things faster and faster .  Most rods are still pretty fast but they have cottoned on to the fact that actually for rivers that really can be the wrong approach and  are now  trying to sell the idea that for rivers medium action is best ,  Well I for one know it is but what they appear to sell as medium action , well really just isn`t . Bamboo rods are slow / medium action ,  Fibreglass rods are often medium action and a few carbon rods are IMO medium action .  Things like the the Hardy Classic series , The Orvis Superfine series ,  The vision Cult . The Sage Circa.  Rod that are actually more a medium action . The rest well just aren`t .  But apparently and according to one online article I read .  "A medium action rod is what is needed for technical small stream fishing" well no shit sherlock which brings me on to my next marketing word grumble..

The second marketing bollox word that makes me giggle is technical . A quick google on line found the following examples as well as the classic technical fly fishing... I have found Technical fly line.  Technical fly fishing Socks and my favourite , "technical undercrackers" underwear to you and me,  I wish someone could explain to me how socks and underwear can be technical . I find the only technical thing about them is these days  keeping my balance whilst putting them on.

As for the new season well club AGMs are happening , Events that always remind me that the season is nearly upon us .  It is good to catch up with friends and its very good to see the days lengthening and the rivers waking up. In my own mind I know which rivers I will be concentrating on fishing first and which I will be waiting a little for them to wake up.  The current spell of settled weather could mean a nice early start to the trout season .  Or as is often the case will opening day follow two weeks of perfect weather and on the day be gale force winds and torrential rain.  That is the joy of English weather ,  I say weather because referring to it as a climate hints at predictability ,  Whereas we all know  March and April in particular are months when all four seasons can occur on the same day .  

Oh and one final gripe I was away for a few days recently and picked up a Trout and Salmon at the newspaper stand in WH Smith .  I had a quick flick through it and glanced at the price and replaced it rapidly ,  Fearing store security would come over and catch me stealing a read. Are they having a laugh  , How fecking much ????.  Same with fly fishing and fly Tying . for years I bought it when it was less than half current prices , then I bought the version for my ipad .  read it for a while I even had a few things published in it.  Then binned it Really though when will they wake up and actually do something decent online . I cant understand why they aren`t embracing the internet,  There have been some excellent fishing books published this last couple of years,  Peter Hayes Fly fishing outside the box. Dave Southall Long Rods Light lines John Roberts new book Grayling on the fly .  You look at those and think cost / content and compare to about Four months trout and salmon . I mean really ? Someone is technically taking the proverbial . 

Anyway that`s it for now ,  I feel better for getting that of my chest...