What lies ahead for the new year ... ?

Well that's 2009 done and it's been a difficult year from a fishing point of view. It started off reasonably well, with a couple of nice Barbel and my first Zander, but then once I got back onto the rivers it never really happened for me. I don't think I'm alone this year either.
Choice of river was the key to success I think and while I also fish the Severn, Teme, and Avon etc, I stuck it out on the Dove and Trent instead this year and found it tough going. As it turns out I would have possibly done better had I fished some of those other venues, but you live and learn as they say!

So onto 2010, well so far I haven't made it out and it's the 4th Jan already! It looks like it will be cold for most of Jan, so I will be heading for the river while the canals and still waters are frozen solid. As I write this it's - 6 C outside, and I am planning my next session after Grayling.

         A bit of an ice breaker ....

 Hopefully I will be able to locate some fish this time, having failed in my handful of previous attempts. I will be trotting again, this time concentrating just on the Grayling in the hope of finding the fish by roving a good mile or so of river.

The ice must be at least an inch thick

From the photo's I've included from a walk along the canal yesterday you can see why it's not been an option, certainly for any lure fishing.
There was someone having a go yesterday, with a pike float just a rods length out through a 1m2 hole made in the ice.  I wondered how he would land one if it took off under the ice and went up the canal ... just asking to be snapped off surely?