Congratulations everyone! We survived the quite murderous 2016.
Regretfully the Fish Challenge is over and it's time to move on to new challenges, new fish and new adventures. Over the next year I will be changing the format of the blog, to become less of a diary and more of a sharing platform for thoughts and ideas. The inevitable target for an aspiring writer is to get their work published and printed, so I won't be sharing everything I do. I want to keep the blog fun and interesting, so will use it for the ideas and fishing sessions that are more in that vein. It's impossible to close the year out though without looking back on the Challenge itself and a few lessons learned..
It's vividly clear that as the year went on, I was the person taking the Challenge the most seriously. This being mainly because my passion for fishing is bordering on addiction! But both Olly and Ellie finished with totals most anglers would be proud of. A large number of the species we all caught were brand new to us all and although they were not all large, the variety on offer in British waters is staggering. Personally it's given me a whole new viewpoint on the angling on offer in the UK, making it all the more clear how crucial it is to protect this wonderful abundance we have on our doorstep.
A year ago today, I had little experience of sea fishing or LRF. I now consider myself an adept and faithful convert to the salty cousin of my traditional rivers and lakes, There is still so much to learn and hundreds more species to catch. That is what keeps us all coming back, pitting our wits and newly discovered techniques against our scaly quarry.
Though I could type on for ages about my favourite catches of the year (there's quite a lot!), it's worth saying the memories I will treasure fondest will be the times spent fishing with friends and family. Whether that be soggy trips to Somerset canals or sun drenched Cornish cliff descents, the act of angling can be a fantastic excuse to bring people together. It's important to remember that when you find yourself taking it much too seriously!
It's worth reiterating a previous point on social media too. Too often it is used for negativity and the darker side of the human psyche, when it is supposed to be a tool for connection and friendship. I have luckily experienced the more positive side of it this year, meeting talented anglers who I now consider friends. The Plymouth LRF group on Facebook being a key component of this. It's also allowed me to share my experiences, thoughts and ramblings to a vast number of people. So it's not all doom and gloom.
I would also like to give thanks to Simon Kingdom at Osborne and Cragg tackle shop, not only for running such a friendly and helpful business, but for putting on fantastic competitions and being overall very generous with prizes, hoodies(!) and knowledge. I also have Andrew and Pamela Copley to thank for providing such a fantastic prize for the pen rod competition, put on by the ever reliable Age Lundstrom. The Majorcraft LRF rod I won in that competition is quite possibly the finest I've ever used, it's tackled everything from the tiniest gobies to seven pound pike, it's a stunner of a rod and will see plenty of action of the next year.
Finally, there was one late entry last month for the Challenge, myself and Shane set out to catch some pike at a local reservoir. To be honest it was seriously tough going but Shane was great company as always. He also managed his first ever brace of esox lucius, only small jacks but his eighteenth species of the year, his final total.
So after 365 days, the final results are:
Ben - 51 Species - Perch, Roach, Gudgeon, Rudd, Bream/Roach hybrid, Mirror Carp, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Common Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Tompot Blenny, Ballan Wrasse, Rock Goby, Common Carp, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Pollock, Goldsinny Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Golden Orfe, Blue Orfe, Golden Tench, Crucian Carp, Sand Smelt, Giant Goby, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Lesser-Spotted Dogfish, Bull Huss, European Eel, Topknot, Common Minnow, Three Spined Stickleback, Sea Bass, Mackerel, Bronze Bream, Whiting, Dragonet, Brown Trout, Koi Carp, Scad, Pouting, Couches Bream, Herring, Thick Lipped Mullet, Chub, Dace, Bleak, Garfish, Sand Goby, Flounder & Poor Cod
Olly - 34 Species - Perch, Rainbow Trout, Pike, Rudd, Roach, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Pollock, Ballan Wrasse, Goldsinny Wrasse, Common Blenny, Shore Rockling, Corkwring Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Blue Orfe, Golden Tench, Sea Bass, Giant Goby, Bull Huss, Gudgeon, Crucian Carp, European Eel, Ghost Carp, Poor Cod, Mackerel, Scad, Couches Bream, Conger Eel, Rock Goby, Tompot Blenny, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Minnow, Bleak & Garfish
Ellie - 27 Species - Golden Rudd, Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Perch, Pike, Corkwring Wrasse, Pollock, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Tompot Blenny, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Ballan Wrasse, Common Blenny, Golden Tench, Golden Orfe, Bronze Bream, Crucian Carp, Common Carp, Giant Goby, Bull Huss, Three Spined Stickleback, Mackerel, Sea Bass, Goldsinny Wrasse & Sand Goby
Shane - 18 Species - Rudd, Roach/Bream Hybrid, Crucian Carp, Pollock, Shore Rockling, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Roach, Bull Huss, Lesser-Spotted Dogfish, Corkwring Wrasse, Common Blenny, Mackerel, Giant Goby, Dace, Bleak, Minnow & Pike
Robbie - 15 Species - Perch, Mirror Carp, Roach, Rudd, Eel, Ballan Wrasse, Topknot, Crucian Carp, Common Carp, Golden Rudd, Blue Orfe, Pollock, Mackerel, Thick Lipped Mullet & Pike
Will - 14 Species - Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Pike, Tompot Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Common Goby, Ballan Wrasse, Dogfish, Golden Rudd, Golden Tench & Golden Orfe
Follow me on Facebook by searching Ben Bassett Fishing.
Head over to www.fishingtails.co.uk for quality articles and fishing reports.
Regretfully the Fish Challenge is over and it's time to move on to new challenges, new fish and new adventures. Over the next year I will be changing the format of the blog, to become less of a diary and more of a sharing platform for thoughts and ideas. The inevitable target for an aspiring writer is to get their work published and printed, so I won't be sharing everything I do. I want to keep the blog fun and interesting, so will use it for the ideas and fishing sessions that are more in that vein. It's impossible to close the year out though without looking back on the Challenge itself and a few lessons learned..
It's vividly clear that as the year went on, I was the person taking the Challenge the most seriously. This being mainly because my passion for fishing is bordering on addiction! But both Olly and Ellie finished with totals most anglers would be proud of. A large number of the species we all caught were brand new to us all and although they were not all large, the variety on offer in British waters is staggering. Personally it's given me a whole new viewpoint on the angling on offer in the UK, making it all the more clear how crucial it is to protect this wonderful abundance we have on our doorstep.
A year ago today, I had little experience of sea fishing or LRF. I now consider myself an adept and faithful convert to the salty cousin of my traditional rivers and lakes, There is still so much to learn and hundreds more species to catch. That is what keeps us all coming back, pitting our wits and newly discovered techniques against our scaly quarry.
Though I could type on for ages about my favourite catches of the year (there's quite a lot!), it's worth saying the memories I will treasure fondest will be the times spent fishing with friends and family. Whether that be soggy trips to Somerset canals or sun drenched Cornish cliff descents, the act of angling can be a fantastic excuse to bring people together. It's important to remember that when you find yourself taking it much too seriously!
It's worth reiterating a previous point on social media too. Too often it is used for negativity and the darker side of the human psyche, when it is supposed to be a tool for connection and friendship. I have luckily experienced the more positive side of it this year, meeting talented anglers who I now consider friends. The Plymouth LRF group on Facebook being a key component of this. It's also allowed me to share my experiences, thoughts and ramblings to a vast number of people. So it's not all doom and gloom.
I would also like to give thanks to Simon Kingdom at Osborne and Cragg tackle shop, not only for running such a friendly and helpful business, but for putting on fantastic competitions and being overall very generous with prizes, hoodies(!) and knowledge. I also have Andrew and Pamela Copley to thank for providing such a fantastic prize for the pen rod competition, put on by the ever reliable Age Lundstrom. The Majorcraft LRF rod I won in that competition is quite possibly the finest I've ever used, it's tackled everything from the tiniest gobies to seven pound pike, it's a stunner of a rod and will see plenty of action of the next year.
Finally, there was one late entry last month for the Challenge, myself and Shane set out to catch some pike at a local reservoir. To be honest it was seriously tough going but Shane was great company as always. He also managed his first ever brace of esox lucius, only small jacks but his eighteenth species of the year, his final total.
So after 365 days, the final results are:
Ben - 51 Species - Perch, Roach, Gudgeon, Rudd, Bream/Roach hybrid, Mirror Carp, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Common Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Tompot Blenny, Ballan Wrasse, Rock Goby, Common Carp, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Pollock, Goldsinny Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Golden Orfe, Blue Orfe, Golden Tench, Crucian Carp, Sand Smelt, Giant Goby, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Lesser-Spotted Dogfish, Bull Huss, European Eel, Topknot, Common Minnow, Three Spined Stickleback, Sea Bass, Mackerel, Bronze Bream, Whiting, Dragonet, Brown Trout, Koi Carp, Scad, Pouting, Couches Bream, Herring, Thick Lipped Mullet, Chub, Dace, Bleak, Garfish, Sand Goby, Flounder & Poor Cod
Olly - 34 Species - Perch, Rainbow Trout, Pike, Rudd, Roach, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Pollock, Ballan Wrasse, Goldsinny Wrasse, Common Blenny, Shore Rockling, Corkwring Wrasse, Golden Rudd, Blue Orfe, Golden Tench, Sea Bass, Giant Goby, Bull Huss, Gudgeon, Crucian Carp, European Eel, Ghost Carp, Poor Cod, Mackerel, Scad, Couches Bream, Conger Eel, Rock Goby, Tompot Blenny, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Minnow, Bleak & Garfish
Ellie - 27 Species - Golden Rudd, Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Perch, Pike, Corkwring Wrasse, Pollock, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Black Goby, Tompot Blenny, Long Spined Sea Scorpion, Ballan Wrasse, Common Blenny, Golden Tench, Golden Orfe, Bronze Bream, Crucian Carp, Common Carp, Giant Goby, Bull Huss, Three Spined Stickleback, Mackerel, Sea Bass, Goldsinny Wrasse & Sand Goby
Shane - 18 Species - Rudd, Roach/Bream Hybrid, Crucian Carp, Pollock, Shore Rockling, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Roach, Bull Huss, Lesser-Spotted Dogfish, Corkwring Wrasse, Common Blenny, Mackerel, Giant Goby, Dace, Bleak, Minnow & Pike
Robbie - 15 Species - Perch, Mirror Carp, Roach, Rudd, Eel, Ballan Wrasse, Topknot, Crucian Carp, Common Carp, Golden Rudd, Blue Orfe, Pollock, Mackerel, Thick Lipped Mullet & Pike
Will - 14 Species - Rudd, Roach, Gudgeon, Pike, Tompot Blenny, Corkwring Wrasse, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Common Goby, Ballan Wrasse, Dogfish, Golden Rudd, Golden Tench & Golden Orfe
Follow me on Facebook by searching Ben Bassett Fishing.
Head over to www.fishingtails.co.uk for quality articles and fishing reports.
As always, thanks for reading
