Janet

What an unbelievable waste of time and resources... They are pretty realistic looking though...not! It would take a total muppet to mistake one of these stuffed toys for the real thing... Janet

Hmmm....I posted a link to a fun image yesterday, hosted on my Flickr site ...I sure as hell haven't deleted it, so who has? Janet

Pah! I do wish you lot would stop banging on about Wingham!!!! I was SSSSOOOoooooo close to being able to make it this year. I had the possibility of a lift and everything was working out fine....I had just one day of being excited before the big let-down....unfortunately something came up that I just couldn't get out of. That'll teach me to keep my diary up to date! I'd probably have spent more time wandering around with my camera than fishing, but it would have been such fun. Oh well, you lot are safe for now, but just remember....there's always next year! Good luck to all attending, and I look forward to reading all about it. Janet

You'll all be glad to know that finally I am equipped with some brand spanking new lucky fishing knickers... The only reason I'm posting this is that the original thread regarding the sad demise of my first pair just had me giggling in hysterics, so I thought it was worth a re-run! Janet

AAaaaagh! I had it all in place and was making plans but then I was brought down to earth with a bump and a reminder of a previous engagement. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Watch this space, I'm going to get there next year! Janet

I'm currently using Version 3.6.17 The last update just crashed constantly, so I went back the the version I knew worked. Is it worth trying the new one? Any significant changes? Janet

Bit belated, but happy birthday Elton! Janet x

BBC website, national and local newspapers, word of mouth and day to day experience of what's going on in my local area, as reported to me in my day to day job. Janet

Please let me have the details Steve...I'd be happy to contribute to travelling expenses if something can be arranged with someone travelling from my neck of the woods. I know I'm free for the Saturday and Sunday, but it all depends on the whim of my boss if I'm free for the Monday! I rather suspect not at the moment due to staffing cutbacks, so I'd need to be home on the Sunday night at the latest or I'll get put up against a wall and shot at dawn. I've never really considered Wingham as an option before...it's always too far away and beyond my capabilities, but it would be so good just to be there! Janet

Every year I look at this thread and wish, and wish and wish that I could be there! It's just too far away from me as I don't drive, and I doubt that I have the skills or the tackle to do it justice, but I'd just LOVE to be there! It sounds like a fabulous place and I can't wait to read the reports.... Good luck to anyone who gets the chance to fish it. Janet x

Thanks for the welcome back Rusty, but I've never really been away! I do look in every day, but seldom have anything to add. Fishing has rather taken a back seat to my photography lately, but I hope to put that right during the summer. I'm longing for some of those long, lazy summer days when I can bag up on my club lake and get bragging points! I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I'm very definitely a fair weather angler. I've done fly fishing, river fishing and breaking ice...I know which I prefer! My fishing time is limited, so I really need to make the most of it and get as much pleasure out of it as I can. Fishing in the sort of conditions we had yesterday is simply not pleasurable and I won't be doing it again! Janet

Another great fishing day? Far from it...it was by far the worst day I've had since I started fishing! I can't begin to tell you how horrible and demoralising it was! For sure, the company was great as always, but as for the rest of it? It was one of the very few times when I really, really wished I hadn't bothered to get out of bed to go fishing. Despite copious amounts of moisturiser, my face is still stinging and I look like I've been gently toasted on one side! Janet

My fishing club held its annual Fur and Feather match yesterday - normally held in December, it had been postponed due to the lake being frozen throughout much of December and January. The main trophy was donated by the local paper I write my angling column for, with the second place trophy being donated by Paul, my fishing buddy and Club Secretary. As I'm sure most of you know, the idea is that everyone brings a prize, with the winner choosing first and then second place and so on...we had a pretty good selection of prizes (gift vouchers, chocolates, champagne, wine and more wine seemed to be the order of the day!) and it was good to see that the large jar of tiger nuts made yet another reappearance! It's becoming an annual fixture at this event as tiger nuts are a banned bait on the lake! I expect to see it again at the next match. The last time I fished this match, I picked one of the worst possible pegs, sitting in a cold, biting wind all day. Guess what? Yes, I did it again! Normally I'd love to have drawn peg 9 - you get the full benefit of the sun all day and I've always had good catches from here - not this time! Although the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was blowing an absolute hoolie straight towards me, and didn't let up for the whole day. It was so disappointing, as I thought I'd drawn my favourite peg 6, where I would have been out of the wind, but then someone pointed out the little line underneath the number... Having recently sold my Korum chair as my fishing tackle and associated bits 'n' bobs were taking over the house, I was using a rather comfortable camping chair. Comfortable when it stayed upright that is! Every time I stood up to do something it blew over, at one point nearly ending up in the back pond! I even pegged it down using the screw in pegs from my brolly, but the wind whipped them out. I spent most of the match sitting cross-legged on my peg, hoping that the reeds at ground level would give some sort of shelter from the biting wind. It was a forlorn hope... Just ten feet away from me on the back pond it was blissfully peaceful with scarcely a ripple. The fishing was dire, at least at our end of the lake. I had (I think!) three bites, one of which resulted in a tiddler that managed to wriggle itself off the hook before it got to the net, one which snapped me in the reeds and one which I was just too slow to react to. Having only brought float fishing tackle with me, it didn't take me long to realise that it was a hopeless cause. I was getting positively seasick watching the waves! I tried several different floats, all specifically designed to be "windbeaters" but they were about as much use as a chocolate teapot! Twice the wind gusted so badly that my float actually lifted OUT of the water and flew towards me...It really was just about impossible and I should have given up instead of sticking it out to the bitter end. There wasn't as much banter round the lake as usual, mainly because it was so windy that you couldn't hear yourself think. It's a good job really, as if the lads had seen my attempts at loose feeding I would never have heard the end of it! I waited and waited for the gusts to die down, handful of maggots at the ready. Ooops! My timing was slightly off and I ended up with the wind blowing them straight back at me. I had maggots in my hair, my bag, my jacket and down my cleavage. I'll be picking them out for weeks! The match was won in the end by Dave, with a couple of nice carp amongst his catch. Les came a well deserved second... ...and here's the rest of the motley crew! Apart from the top few, most of the catches were measured in ounces rather than pounds. He may well look surprised...Paul snuck a brick into the weigh net! Drying keep nets proved a bit problematical as they performed like wind socks... As this was my first fishing trip since last October I was very much looking forward to it, but I ended up having the most miserable day. My face is sore and windburnt and my eyes are stinging, despite wearing sunglasses for most of the day. Needless to say I caught nowt, so I ended up going home with the Lambrini! I think that's only the second time I've ever blanked on our lake. Oh well. Such is fishing. Will it put me off? No...not a chance! I'll be back! Janet PS. Apologies for the image quality...it really was hard to avoid camera shake in that wind! For the Kingfisher Angling Club members reading this, here's the link to the slideshow Kingfisher Fur & Feather Match 1st May 2011

Time to celebrate! Mind you, after the day I've had today I'm inclined to give up fishing altogether! Well done Elton and all for keeping this place going. Janet x x

Don't worry Newt...you'll get time off for good behaviour....eventually! Janet

For clothing, try Primark if you have one nearby. Cheap as chips! They do some great long sleeved t-shirts which make a great base layer in colder weather. I paid under £2.00 each for mine and they keep me toasty warm all day, even in the depths of winter. Whatever you do, don't be tempted to buy any clothing from any sort of angling outlet...you'll pay over the odds just for the name! Instead, try your local outdoors shop...my local one is Yeoman's, and they always have great offers. I've bought waterproof jackets, trousers and boots for a fraction of the price I've seen on t'intenet... I did fall for all the hype when I first started fishing, and especially when I took up fly fishing...I paid nearly £100 for a Shimano fly fishing jacket....I've worn it once! Save your money for your equipment! Janet

Little Roachess, when you come back down to Lancashire, give me a shout and I'd be delighted to have you as my guest on my lovely little club lake for a day. It would be great to have some female company for a change! It's absolutely fabulous for coarse fishing, provided you're not looking for monsters. We do have some big fish, but they are very wary! We also have all the comforts of home... As for rods, I had a beautiful and much loved two piece 12' Shimano Beastmaster float rod up until a few days ago when I swapped it for a rather nice couple of legacy lenses for my camera! It was an absolute dream to use, with a short handle and adjustable weights in the butt to balance it. I'll miss it a lot, but as it's gone to my fishing buddy Paul, I always have the option of borrowing it back! However, I'm quite happy using my Shimano telescopic rod...it's an absolute delight! I only ever fish in the margins, so this is perfect for me. The other anglers give me a lot of stick if they see me casting out more than a few feet! It's a Shimano Exage AXS.TCTE, which I've coupled with a double handled Shimano Exage reel...I like Shimano...can you tell? It comes in two pieces in a sturdy travel case, which means I can leave it set up so I'm fishing within moments of arriving on the bank. It may not suit you, but it's worth considering. Let us know what you decide on and how you get on with your fishing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! Janet

What the heck is that thing? Janet

Hi Little Roachess, and welcome! There are a few of us lady anglers on here... I started off knowing absolutely nothing about fishing, but joined this site back in 2006 to ask for advice and haven't looked back since! Like you, I read and devoured every magazine and video going - now I can't remember the last time I bought one....it's so much easier to get relevant advice on Anglers Net! The guys on here were absolutely brilliant at helping me get set up...if you do a forum search for threads started by me, you'll see all the help I've had from the start, which may answer some of your initial questions. If your questions aren't covered there, then please feel free to ask! After starting from nowhere, I'm currently the only female member of my local club which has just over sixty members, and am also now on the Committee...a bit of a shock for them when I was voted on, but they've learned to live with it! As for rods? I have far more now than I can ever use, but my favourite and most used one is a Shimano telescopic spinning rod which I use all the time for coarse fishing both on my club lake and on the local river. It's handled everything from tiddlers to double figure carp without a problem. Whereabouts are you? If you're local to me then it would be great to have a day out on the bank.... Janet

Have a great time Elton.... Janet x Have a great time Elton.... Janet x

Well done! That sky is lovely... Janet

I did mine on the day it arrived....I didn't realise that it wasn't to be submitted until today. Still, they accepted it! Janet

He now has a website... clicky Janet

It's up to nearly £11,000 now...!! Janet