The Met Office says it has been the coldest winter for nearly 20-years. It’s certainly felt like it, but it was the length of the cold weather running from pretty much the middle of October to the present time, mixed only with brief periods of milder wet weather in between, that took its toll on the fishing generally.

I think the cold flood and ice water pouring down the west coast estuaries, and the freezing cold air temperatures, pushed the bulk of the fish out prior to Christmas pretty much a month earlier than usual. We may now find that the spring return of fish kicks in sooner than would usually be the case, though this is dependant on the weather pattern between now and the middle of March.

If it stays cold, then the fishing may not kick in until early June properly. I’ve seen this happen a few times in the past 40-years. If we get lucky and the spring weather is fairly settled and warm, you could be enjoying some good fishing as early as late April.

My other concern is rain. If we get flood water pouring in from the estuaries this keeps the sea temperature down in inshore areas with estuaries nearby, plus minimises the spring crab peel which is so important to bring the first post spawned fish back inshore including bass, flounders, eels and even rays.

On the positive side we’re heading for the end of February now and looking in the hedgerow the buds are showing on the Hawthorn and on the Fuchsias in our back yard, plus we’ve got moles excavating half the garden up and the birds are looking to nest. These are natural signs telling us the weather is swinging to a more settled spell and foretelling the transition to spring, though we might not see this fully for a couple of weeks or more yet.

We sea anglers, charter skippers and the tackle industry deserve a good weather year after two years back to back of rotten weather. Fingers crossed!

ARTICLE 47
The recent speech by Joe Berg, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries indicating that sea anglers fishing for sport and just the odd fish for the pot would not now be included in future commercial catch quotas is good to hear. But make no mistake; the sea angler’s situation was only clarified because of the outcry sea anglers voiced by writing and e-mailing their MEP’s and MP’s.

I’ve had a couple of deluded souls, who incidentally couldn’t be arsed to write by their own admission, say to me “What was all the fuss about, it was never aimed at hobby sea anglers in the first place!” Well that may have been the case but once regulation is put in place it’s damn nigh impossible to change and I get the feeling that politicians here in the UK got a bit of shock just how vociferous we sea anglers can be when needed.

There are some massive battles to come over the future safety and structure of sea angling, and this mass attack by mail on the politicians and bureaucrats has not gone unnoticed.

Just to reiterate though, when reaction is required in future it is no good signing up to mass signature petitions put up on websites etc. The Government and EU ministers class bulk petitions as just one single response. You have to reply as an individual then it carries its full intended weight. Why? Because they realise just how many votes are a stake if they do not respond. Treat fishing politics like a business and you won’t go far wrong!

I also think, when referring responses to politicians, it is essential to make clear that you are a hobby angler. Use the phrase “hobby sea angler” or “sport fisherman” to highlight exactly what you are. This confusion between true hobby anglers and those fishing rod and line for occasional monetary profit has been brought about initially by the term “recreational fishing” which in Europe can also include people fishing with rod and line commercially on a part time basis.