The end of another year, the fourth after my 20 year+ hiatus from the sport that has totally recaptured me like a gudgeon to a pinkie. July 2023 brought a move from Berkshire to Wales and a completely different set of options. Beach fishing has come into the equation (something I really haven’t got to grips with yet) but my nearest coarse fishing river is an almost implausible 45 mins drive away - too far – and even that seems devoid of fish. So a largely disappointing year for me, in angling terms, though that barbel on the Kennet on that March evening will long live in the memory. Wales have brought a pb common at 19lb 8, perch of 3lb and roach of 1lb 2, along with my first eels since resuming fishing, with the 3lb 1 snake also  being a pb for a live fish (I did once snag an estimated 5lb dead eel on the Thames wrapped in someone else’s line. None of them will trouble the records office, but they're all kicking my can down the road and each one was very welcome. Pike have proved to be very elusive in wales, with 6 of my banks down to them.

I'm quite anal in my record keeping, writing a journal, updating a spreadsheet, and then there's been this jolly-old blog since March 21, so I am well-equipped to shake a creel full of statistics at you which are of interest to, at best, myself. Here goes:
 

Total number of trips:  2023 - 89 - I missed many in the summer when we moved)  (2022 - 144, 2021 - 167) 
Total number of hours spent fishing: 462 (2022 - 864, 2021 - 912.25) Thus average length of trip = 5.2 hours (2022 4.6 hours)

Total number of fish caught: 718  (2022 - 1,344 not including 62 minnows, 2021 - 1,277 not including 49 minnows)
Total weight of fish: 1,521lb 4 oz with no minnows  (2022 - 2,024lbs, 2021 - 1,850lbs).
Thus average weight per trip = 2023 - 17lbs (2022 -14lbs, 2021 -11lbs)
Number of fish caught per trip = 8 & 1 fish every 38 minutes (2022 - 9.33 @ 1 fish every 38 minutes, 2021 - 7.74 @ 1 fish every 42 minutes).

Number of blank trips was 18 ie 1 every 5 trips (2022 - 14 ie 1 in 10 trips 2021 - 20, ie 1 in 8 trips)

                     number caught              number over 1lb            years biggest                                                         number caught                     number over 1lb         years biggest

Bleak                     15 (71, 102)                      NA                                NA                                    Bream                           219 (87,75)                          69, (61,27)          7lb 14 (8lb 3.6lb 2)
Brownie                 67 (28,25)                   66(17,16)                    4lb 8 (4lb 10,3lb)                   Common                       86 (129,117)                        86 (129,116)        19lb 8 (14lb 15, 18lb 9)
Chub                      19 (50,8)                      14 (7,2)                      5lb 4 (3lb 10,1lb 12)               Crucian                             9 (9,10)                               0(5,4)                      NA (2lb 14,2lb 12)
Dace                       6 (131, 39)                        0                                6oz (8oz,12oz)                 Grayling                             0 (4,7)                                  0(2,2)                     NA (1lb, 1lb 4)
Gudgeon                 3 (5,12)                          NA                                NA                                    Mirror                               37 (66,90)                          37 (66,90)           12lb (14lb 10,16lb 10)
Perch                     10 (140,270)                 1 (13/13)                   3lb (2lb 6,2lb 6)                     Pike                                    2 (9,2)                                   2(8,2)                 7lb (14lb, 3lb 2)
Rainbow                    1(1,1)                              1(1,1)                     3lb 2 (2lb 2,5lb 3)                  Roach                          186 (583,450)                            2, (1,0)                 1lb 2 (1lb, 12oz)
Rudd                      10 (9,20)                             0                            6oz (12oz/4oz)                   Tench                             43 (34,49)                             15 (45,34)             3lb 8 (6lb 2, 5lb) 

There. Not particularly great, is it. My comments 2 years ago were "my profile suggests someone who has concentrated on Willows (carp, tench), and hasn't got to grips with rivers (the chub count is appalling). Plenty of room for improvement, especially chub, and I'd like to do some piking this winter. I also aim to get the blanks down to 1 in 5, and find some larger roach." Well, it came broadly right in 2022. My joining a local river syndicate with good roach and chub numbers made a difference, but that ended with my move. Very few brownies or chub predicted for 2024.

The pic is a repeat of my favourite fish of the year, that barbel. I'm far too far from the Wye to add any more this year. Ambitions for 2024 are to find other venues (though efforts so far have only revealed more lakes) and step up the sea fishing - from 10 short sessions in 2023 I've landed 13 small bass and nothing else.

Happy New Year everyone. May your floats dither then go under.