Well done John. The catch is less important than "Being There" Yes, everything now takes longer, I need glasses to thread hooks and tie knots now, and the developing tremor in my right arm doesn't help either, but I did get out after perch this last week, only small perch caught, and the one three-pounder was an eel. A very considerate eel though, no slime on clothes nor tackle (I beached it) and once on dry land it obligingly shed the hook - bundled it into a plastic shopping bag for weighing and return _ I wish all eels were as co-operative
I am having to give up the more energetic styles of angling, where scrambling is involved - rock fishing and rough stream trout in wild places have gone, as have sea trips (legs wont hold me upright in anything over Force 4) but that still leaves plenty to go at - even fly fishing is possible in ten minute bursts with a rest in between - I take a folding chair.
Keep at it mate !
Cheers Dave,
My second outing on the Thursday, went much smoother. I knew where to get tickets, then straight down to the river, and I tackled up much quicker. I chose a swim a little higher up this time, and tackled up with fixed spool and waggler, maggot still the bait. The sandbank in this swim was less pronounced, being closer in, and only about a foot shallower. It took a while to get the swim going with feeding little and often, but the dace to minnow ration was much better. I was still getting those very quick, sail away bites that I couldn't possibly miss, but I did! Often there was little noticeable damage to the maggot. I'd heard about crays being a problem higher up the river, so I put a maggot feeder out with 3 maggots on, to see what happened, nothing did, not even a nipped maggot. Back to the float and, played with the shotting. I eventually hit three of these bites on the trot, and brought in three of the smallest roach I've ever caught. That bodes well for the future. I finished the day with about 5 dozen dace up to 4/5oz, 3 tommies, and 2 proper roach again also 4/5 oz. Oh and only a couple of dozen minnows, and assorted mini roach and dace.
One thing I had noticed was the water temp, it was very cold. I thought at first that they had let water out of a reservoir upstream, but with the drought we've had, I doubt it.
It was a much better day, with things running much smoother, from how I performed, the number of fish, and the lack of 'mishaps' that drove me mad on the previous day. I'm going again either Wednesday or Thursday this week, to see if I perform any better, and maybe get something a bit bigger, not that it matters to a 'dink' angler like me, eh Phone? 
John.
Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John