That’s a picture from sunset yesterday evening, it was stunning. It’s a cool morning in Foxford but overall the weather has been pleasant this week. Not a big lot to report from Foxford, the town is slipping into winter mode and its quiet.

We did manage to get out Pike fishing last weekend with a visit to some friends on the river Suck. We go over there occasionally to fish with the Ballinasloe anglers, normally joining them for one of their competitions. These are days out that we really enjoy and the competition element for us is just a bonus and a bit of fun. Last Sundays competition was the Noel Finnerty Memorial cup. I didn’t know Noel but I always think its a nice thing for clubs to honour the memory of their fellow members. Well done to them for doing this and thanks for letting us join in.

Just as well for us that we don’t take it too seriously, the competition was won before we started fishing. The Man beside us caught a 21lb 2oz pike on his first cast. His bait was in the water for thirty seconds when the fish took. Coincidently, he caught a similar sized fish in the exact spot previously. That man knew what he was doing, that’s the difference. It was nice to see such a magnificent specimen caught. After a careful unhooking and weighing she swam away strongly and may at some stage make another angler happy.

We did manage to catch a couple of smaller Pike but just to be on the river bank watching the wildlife was enough for me. The birdlife on the River Suck Callows is amazing.

Trade Show time

On Wednesday we headed east to Dublin for a trade show. A long and eventful journey during which the steering went in the van (That made for a few exciting moments on the Motorway!). All’s well that ends well though and we made it there and back safely.

Trade shows are part of the job for us. We attend several of them every winter, not just buying stock but rather keeping an eye on what’s happening in the tackle trade and checking out where things are heading. It’s rare that there’s not something new or something to make one think. On Wednesday it was Maxima Fishing line.

Maxima has been around a lot longer than me and for as far back as I can remember it has been a trusted brand name on the Moy, it is still hugely popular. I remember as a child playing with empty Maxima spools and I’ve even given a few to my grandson to keep him entertained for a while in the shop. It’s good line and it does what it should.

“The line you need.
Ask your granddad”. ​(Taken from the Maxima Catalogue)

In my own opinion, I would say that in the last few years the brand has taken a bit of a back seat and other brands have worked harder on their promotion which has led to a swing in popularity. This is especially true with younger anglers who are more influenced by what they see on social media and perhaps don’t have the same experience as older anglers.

At the trade show on Wednesday we met a young German gentleman, Max Wieser, who I have a feeling is going to change things. Max, who has a background in engineering in the automotive industry and a passion for angling has taken a new role in the future of Maxima. I have a strong Gut feeling that he is going to put Maxima back on centre stage and more importantly back on all our fishing reels. He certainly sold it to me which I can say is not an easy sell. I have been around for too long to be baffled by bullshit and have heard most of it already.

Max spoke of the history of Maxima, the strength of the brand and the quality that has made this. He spoke of the complex engineering behind his new lines and the continuing research and development which will shape the future. He spoke as a businessman who has a passion for what he is doing and the brand he has taken on. He impressed me and I learned quite a lot about fishing line in a short period (I might even catch a few more fish as a result of what he taught me). I am happy to say that I left the trade show feeling optimistic and we look forward to working with Max in the coming years. We have already a tentative plan to fish together at some point which is definitely my sort of business relationship. As we get stock of the new Braid and other lines I will do a little review.

I just noticed it’s Friday the 13th, I should probably go back to bed….