Good morning from a miserably wet Foxford. A bit of a shock to the system today, we must work. Yes, we are as promised opening the shop for a couple of days. We do not expect to be very busy but we will be there for anyone looking for a gift for the angler in their lives. We have the 2025 Salmon licences now as well so there will be a few guys planning a New year visit to the river Drowse who will want one.

We had a nice day’s fishing on Wednesday, things fell into place and we managed to catch a couple of decent double figure Pike. I had the one in the picture. It took a Rapala and was only lightly hooked in the roof of the mouth. It put up a good battle which lasted for over five minutes. A quick photo and it swam away in a feisty manner. I was happy to catch it because although the day fell into place it started with a few senior moments.

The first was when we arrived at our parking spot and started setting up our rods. I went to the boot to take out my rucksack which contains just about everything I own for Pike fishing, it was not there. I searched the back seat, not there either. I was 100% sure I had put it in the car but no, it was not there. Where could it be? I racked my brain trying to think but could I hell remember. That was the worrying part, I did not know whether I had put it in or did I dream I put it in. It was of course in the house where I had left it. The more I thought the worse I got and I did not remember getting into the car. I was obviously on auto pilot for the morning.

The next senior moment was reasonably common and not so worrying. Even though I was not going wading I got my chest waders on, along with the thermal under lair they would keep me dry and warm. Next was the fleece jacket which was tucked inside the waders. Shoulder straps pulled up and belt secured, time for a waterproof coat. A good tight squeeze over the shoulders, a couple of jumps and it was on. I was ready. Yes, I was ready, ready to Pee. It’s not the first time and I know it happens to others but why after all the trouble of getting togged out do we suddenly need the toilet. I won’t go into the finer details but I can assure you that whatever chance there is on a summer day, finding little William through half pulled down waders and several layers of under clothes on a cold winters’ morning is not easy.

Anyway, enough detail. Job done I hurriedly followed P.J to our fishing spot which was about half a mile from where we parked. I had just started to fish when I suddenly realised that in the panic to get undressed, I had pulled off the tight-fitting rain jacket and neglected to put it back on. YEP, it was lying on the ground, half a mile away! Its not worth a fortune but I better walk back, and I did.

As I walked along the river bank I sighed to myself, what else can go wrong today. I questioned the “senior moments” were they actually senior moments, was I forgetting stuff and making silly mistakes because of age or was it something else. I came up with a conclusion, Stress and Hurry.

Stress

Stress is something that can affect us all and it does at some point. For many years I did not know what stress was or what the effects of it were. It’s not that I didn’t get stressed, I was just thick. I remember on many occasions Guiding for guys who were in big jobs with lots of pressure. The stress was very evident and was written all over them. They came fishing to de-stress but could not switch off. One of the first lap top computers I saw was with one of these guys on the river bank. He was a gentleman. He came from a modest background in the North of England and had worked his way into a high position with an American company. He drove a Mercedes, travelled all over the world (for work) and came to fish with me two or three times a year. We would get to the river bank and within minutes he would sit down with the laptop to catch up on work. In the evening, he would treat me to dinner but would have to leave immediately after because he had to check in with the Americans who were in a different tome zone. Over the years I knew him, it got worse and, in the end, he knew it and would talk to me about it. On his last visit he handed me all his fishing gear and said if I’m not back before the end of the season you make good use of this. He died shortly after.

To me these were the stressed guys, they had big jobs, handled lots of money and had huge responsibilities. What I didn’t realise at that point was that while worrying would they catch a fish or fall in the river I was stressed. Stress is there and can quite easily garb you. It is a killer and I have witnessed more than one example. On my walk to collect my coat the penny dropped. The reason I was on auto pilot and was forgetting stuff was stress and trying to escape from it as fast as possible.

Hurry

“Less haste more speed” My mother often said it to me when I was a kid, most often when I was rushing through homework and making a total mess of it, that’s another story. I had a stressful week, there was a few problems at home, I was under pressure to get orders out to people and I was trying to get a pre-season tackle order finalised. I knew a day fishing was needed to “clear the head”. The chances of it happening were slim but by chance it did become possible and on Tuesday night I was busy doing several jobs while at the same time preparing for Pike fishing on Wednesday. The results were as you have read, a stressed Michael went into auto pilot and didn’t know whether he was coming or going. It was only when I slowed down, had a stroll along the riverbank and thought it out that I realised what the actual problem was. In my hurry to escape the stress I had managed to double it by rushing and hurrying. No high-flying job, no staff and very little money to worry about, any of us can get stressed. From my own experience, spotting it and having a little understanding is a big part in dealing with it. Try to deal with one thing at a time and do not take on anymore, even if it is a fishing trip to escape. A few deep breaths and a quiet walk help. My plan from Saturday evening onward for the Christmas is to de-stress. I will be found far away from the mayhem, on a river bank, up a mountain or perhaps on a beach. I will be doing one job at a time, at my own speed. I hope the same for you. Have a happy and peaceful stress-free Christmas