Since the Covid – 19 pandemic arrived on our shores, there has been a very noticeable upsurge in the number of anglers hitting the beaches and piers. Anglers being furloughed with the extra time on their hands and wanting to get outside into the healthy outdoors. It’s been great to see the beaches all along the Cumbrian coast with anglers in good numbers at the popular summer marks trying to catch bass, thornback rays, flounders and smoothounds. Adults and children enjoying the great weather and healthy sea environments. Hopefully there has been a lot of new anglers taking up the sport amongst them as well.

When the lockdown was eased and we were able to venture out onto the beaches again it came as a joyful relief to the 2 million plus anglers around the country. Standing on a beach, river bank or lakeside in the fresh air and sunshine is a massive positive for your wellbeing, exercise, vitamin D in abundance and the social engagement with others, albeit distanced as per government guidance.

Angling, whether it is in the sea, on a river or lake is a massive plus for both your physical and mental health. I’ve experienced times when its blowing a gale, pouring down with rain and stood on a beach either digging bait or casting into an angry foaming surf and wondered ‘what am I doing here!’ However, whatever form of angling you follow if the fish are biting the weather can be just an irritation and often some of our best productive sessions can be in the worst weather.

I’ve often been challenged about sea angling being a physical sport. I have yet to be taken up by a non-angler when offered to accompany me on a bait digging session turning over wet sand for 1-2 hours trenching lugworm. There is also the walk to a fishing mark whilst loaded down with heavy tackle boxes, rods and other luggage. You can thin the gear down as much as possible, but if your a sea or coarse match angler or even worse a carp angler, its hard to leave something out, how many times have you thought “just in case I need it”! The result is tackle boxes with enough lead weights to make bullets for a small army and an assortment of shelters, rigs, reels, refreshments and baits to keep a larger tackle shop stocked for a month or two.

Being a keen sea match angler and always enjoying a trip off to a competition for a day or even a week duration like the Diawa Pairs, it can be physically draining. I have often been challenged “how can you be shattered after going fishing”? Well standing on a beach for 6 hours, particularly in harsh winter conditions can be physically hard work, but I find it a great mental stress buster no matter how physically drained you are, it certainly clears my head. Yes, and I can hear you – “its always empty anyway”!

Fishing is a great social activity and joining an angling club can be a fantastic way to both meet other like minded people and also a great way to learn from others. I never stop learning every time I go fishing and I’ve been wetting a line for over 50 years now. The banter between club members can be top class comedy and some of the things that have happened over the years always bring a smile and laugh when reminiscing with friends.

I took this photo of the blackberries on a recent walk and everytime I see blackberries in season, it reminds me of a funny incident when fishing in Ireland during the Diawa Pairs. Four of us had decided to fish a boat slipway in the Tra Bheag estuary renowned for large flounders. We were set up with four rods cast out into the narrow passage of water. We were stood on the concrete slipway when suddenly over the high headgerow to our rear came a huge low flying flock or as they are called murmuration of starlings just above our head height. I don’t know who was more shocked, us or them. They came low towards us and banked sharply away, but in doing so they all simultaneously ejected a poo as they made the sharp manoeuvre to avoid flying into us, ”bombs away”! The starlings had obviously been feasting on the autumn blackberries in the hedgerows and they released hundreds of small purple coloured bomblets in our direction!

I often think the Starlings conversation at the time tells the story like this:

“Shamus, go take a fly past recce and report back on the damage we’ve done”.

“Okay Skipper will be back in a jiffy”.

A short while later…

“Shamus, ye eejit slow down you nearly took my wing off, that didn’t take you long”.

“Sorry Skipper misjudged the wind speed”.

“Well, what was the damage”?

“Well, two of them were well splattered they were, ha ha”! Swearing their heads off trying to rub off our little parcels they were, all purple spotted like. The other two we missed, but they were incapacitated for a while rolling around laughing like demented leprechaun’s.

They sounded like those Dumbrians, I mean Cumbrians, you know they sound like a mixture of them Geordies and them Scots, you know the ones who wear skirts!

Shamus, you were right first time them eejits are Dumbrians! Yes and the Scots, have you seen Billy Buckley and David Neil in kilts before, have ya? Well the last time I saw legs like theirs they had breadcrumbs on them in KFC!

Shamus, you mentioned the Geordies, you know their football team are called the Magpies! When did you last see a black and white striped Magpie, heh, well then? You know they worship that Alan Shearer, bejesus, he talks some shit with that Lineker on Match Of The Day, he should stick to selling crisps.

Well Shamus, not a bad result, tell the lads to paint two Dumbrians up on the fuselage and let‘s go and give that farmer who took a potshot at us last week the good news!

Another humorous episode was was when one of our local anglers from West Cumbria fishing the ‘Pairs’ had his fishing box washed up the beach by a rogue wave emptying its contents into the salt water, soaking all his equipment. To protect the identity of this angler I will use the pseudonym of ‘Jeff McAllister’ to save any embarrassment. When he got back to his accommodation a so called mate and again, I will use a pseudonym of ‘John Dixon’ to protect his identity and avoid any embarrassment, suggested that he put all his wet rigs on their winders into the tumble dryer for 5 minutes and then duly disappeared out of the door. After 5 minutes Jeff could not turn off the dryer and after 20 minutes of watching a kaleidoscope of coloured rig winders going round and round, Jeff was wondering where John had got to and then could be heard muttering to himself, “I bet Dixons on the phone to that Piers Morgan again. I can hear him now, “Piers what rig do you think I should use on Inch?” He has an opinion on everything that man, for Christ’s sake last time he talked to him he thought a 2 up, 1 down was a bloody townhouse. No wonder he catches fek all. John finally re-appeared and casually turned off the dryer! The picture below shows part of the resulting carnage:

These pair are now selling 10 rig bundles on the internet to bored furloughed workers to un-tangle, for the sum of £10.99. The current record for untangling them stands at 4 days 17 hours and 37 minutes

On a serious note which ever form of angling you pursue it is a great healthy sport, encouraging physical activity, helping to clear that mental fog and an excellent social activity. I would encourage new and old anglers to join an angling club or even a on-line forum. You can learn lots more when sharing knowledge and meet some fantastic people. Tight Lines.