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- This could have been a fairly 'normal' season, and again, there were very few reminders of past COVID restrictions, with no lockdown measures in place, and it should have been pretty much business as usual.
- There was still what might be termed the 'cultural' hangover from COVID - the now-unavailable venues, residents who have become suddenly and intensely angler-phobic (are we now a known carrier of COVID, the veritable 'Chinese bats' of the leisure world?), loss of parking, the still-growing plague of paddleboarders... just like the Walking Dead, but with oars and wetsuits, and badly in need of braaaaaaains....
- Starting on an extremely positive note, all of the mullet captured have been released safely. It's worth emphasising the need for careful handling and not allowing the mullet to roll around in the net while lifting or carrying it, as these measures will definitely contribute to seeing the fish returned in much the same condition as when it was hooked.
- The season started off fairly well, with the first fish on 21st April, although I spent some time before that chasing thinlips, often on the fly, at venues where the thicklips weren't yet showing.
- May was reasonably successful, with the target 'average' being achieved, and with the added bonus that a past-frequented venue which had become a bit of a dead spot had started being productive again.
- June was a bit underwhelming, largely because I undertook far too few trips, about half of the expected number. As a consequence, and with only myself to blame, the number of mullet was low, also about half of the normal total, in what can be a bit of a patchy month anyway, during some years.
- July started off with a good amount of effort, which went largely unrewarded, a couple of trips being punctuated, and not in a good way, with the capture of large bass where there should have been mullet. On one occasion, the misery of the first bass, at 4/15, was quickly compounded by the second, at 4/13, and I just knew it was going to be one of those days... Seeking to quickly put this behind me, as far into the rear view mirror as is humanly possible, I was out again a few days later, and was truly horrified to hook yet another bass, 3/01.
- Towards the middle of the month, I started seeing some encouraging signs and landed a couple of mullet, which were more than welcome. A long day on 13th July resulted in a fairly small mullet and a dramatic 'exeunt' from the fishing position, to avoid another 'immersive experience' - things were looking up...
- That was until the next day, when inexplicably, I couldn't walk - one leg was totally Munsoned, and couldn't be stood upon. Best guess, one of the muscles in the back of the knee had done something unhelpful, or maybe a nerve was trapped, although I had no indication of it during the previous day's fishing activities, nor during that same evening. My expectation that it would clear up over a few days, or maybe a week or so, was ultimately proven to be stupidly over-optimistic...
- I had a brief try-out in late July, to see what I could 'manage', and the answer was... not very much... and the fish weren't cooperating, either.
- Then there was the more-than-needed next instalment of the annual 'Devon Trip', although this year, it actually took place in West Sussex and Hampshire, with Phil visiting for just a couple of days in mid-August. I still couldn't walk properly, but I didn't want that to be a hindrance during Phil's visit. Then, in addition to being somewhat hampered by the aforementioned injury, we were also given a well-deserved biblical smiting for past sins in the form of the most ridiculously hot weather since 1976 (which I can't even remember happening). I'm pretty sure the reason I was dry-heaving on the morning of the second day was just because we had been dry-roasted for approaching 10 hours of the first day's 13-hour marathon. The extreme heat and bright conditions, plus the gin-clear water, and it was a recipe for very challenging fishing conditions, with absolutely no signs of fish whatsoever at two venues that we visited (apart from one huge bite on the leger, a fish which totally managed to avoid Phil's hook). Despite all this, we were both determined to make the most of this rare opportunity, and as always, it was the highlight of the mullet-fishing year. Thanks to Ron's, also, for some welcome shade, excellent Big Macs and plenty of ice-cream; I'm sure we stayed in there far too long, and definitely not by accident... Our perseverance finally paid off on the Sunday afternoon, with (just) one of
3/00 finally in the net.
- After Phil's visit, I was unable to fish during September... it just wasn't worth the discomfort. I managed a few trips in early to mid-October, and although still struggling to get about, there were a few mullet to be had, and a few enjoyable sessions.
- There was a very respectable attempt in early November, a good (very) early start, 10 hours on the bank, with most of it spent legering... and yet another poxy bass, 3/08. The session ultimately delivered a real result... something either popped or clicked in the back of my knee, through having overly challenged it on the day, perhaps?... and suddenly, the discomfort and restricted movement had largely gone. We'll call that a big win, despite the bass...
- I felt there was still time for a few more, and in mid-November, I experienced some more bass-instigated misery, the usual c.3lb nuisance fish, before my only golden-grey of the year decided to 'have at it', putting up the usual very lively and determined fight. Accepting that we're probably now done for 2022, not a bad fish to end on.
- Encouragingly, the percentage of productive trips was equal to some of the better years, and the proportion of fish lost was the second lowest of the past 12 seasons. In addition, there were absolutely no trips where I had a miserable drive home after having lost the only mullet of the day - three statistics that were very much a positive.
- This was also one of only three years where I have caught all three species of mullet; deciding factors are that I don't often give thinlips the attention they deserve, and catch very few, and golden-greys either turn up or they don't, appearing in my catch reports probably only once or twice during a season.
- In terms of the absent larger fish, it's usually a numbers game - the more you fish, the more chance of being there when a 'lump' shows up, and it helps to concentrate one's efforts within the months from July or maybe even August through to November, those being the prime time for the larger specimens.
- The best fish, on 13/06/22, was one of
4/04 - for the second year in a row; not really on a par with the better years, but very welcome, as always.
- The first fish of 2022 was not particularly 'early', but came on 21/04/22, at
2/04, and so was not very different in timing compared to the previous year.
- The last productive session was on 19/11/22, with a fish of exactly the same weight as the first, at 2/04, albeit a
golden-grey, this time.
- As always, there were many truly memorable fishing days, including, but not exclusively so, some of the highlights described here.
- Carried forward again this year, and not exactly an important statistic, but I still haven't captured a 4lb+ mullet on the 1st nor the 28th day of any
month, in any year, from 2011.
- The overall 'spread' of fish weights, i.e. the proportion in each weight band, was broadly similar to the previous year, again largely due
to the choice of venues being fished, the smaller average and maximum sizes of the mullet expected there, and the avoidance of some past favourite locations, for the reasons mentioned above. There were also a couple of venues that have yielded larger fish in the past that just didn't deliver yet again, a factor also reported by other anglers frequenting those locations.
- The average weight for thicklips was very similar to 2021, following on from the most recent peaks in 2019 and 2020, but again, this was affected by some of the factors already mentioned.
- Due to the minimal sample data, there were very few additional worthwhile conclusions to be drawn regarding the fish size and presence.
- There were once again a few frustrating periods where there was a total halt in proceedings due to extended spells of unfavourable forecasts, whether wind, most commonly, or rain and wind in combination. There were so many days where the wind was expected to be 40, 50, 60+ mph, and as before, all enthusiasm faded once the wind speeds reached the upper teens.
- Due largely to injury, the number of trips was only 50% of the 2021 total, a major factor reflected in the overall results for the year.
- The few lost fish were just straightforward and unspectacular hook pulls, a couple upon pressuring fish away from obstacles, and there's not really a lot that could have been done differently.
- Made very little progress regarding some of the other objectives set:
- 2022 produced the worst 'top 5' weight for the second year in a row, by about 3lbs this time, and the worst 'top 10' of the last twelve years by about 6½lbs, the last 'poor' year in this respect being 2021.
- None of the fish captured featured in the 'all years top 40' - the largest at 4/04 lies at no. 103 in the list.
- The percentage of totally 'blank' sessions was the highest since 2015, approaching half of the trips; this statistic is usually closer to one third.
- The average number of mullet landed per viable trip, and also per productive trip, were both lower than most previous years.
- I was again engaged in a number of largely enjoyable struggles, most of which ended well. There was one particularly nasty moment when a mullet launched itself vertically, just as the landing net was being lifted, and we were pretty much back to square one, as it then tore line off the reel again. Thankfully, Phil was on hand to get things sorted, amidst a dense cloud of expletives.
- There were again thankfully no occasions where fish became snagged and a rescue mission and maybe an unpleasant dip was warranted.
- Of the 23 locations visited, compared to 32 in 2021 and 56 in 2019, only 9 were productive, and none of these were 'new', i.e. venues where I had not
fished or not caught mullet before. There were 68 locations previously fished that remained untried during 2022.
- Inevitably, very little time was expended investigating or trying out new venues.
- Thankfully, there were no problems with dog owners again this season, although that was largely due to the locations being fished.
- Managed not to fall over or fall in, this year, at least not in any significant way, which was a vast relief.
- Walked approximately 38 miles carrying all the gear, compared to over 127 miles in 2021, and 91 miles in 2020.
- Still haven't revisited all of the targeted venues - to be continued in 2023.
- So, a bit of a disaster on many fronts, but still some good moments to enjoy. Most worrying was an apparent drop in the numbers of fish showing at many venues, a continuation of a most unwelcome and ongoing trend. Hoping to get things back on track in 2023, with renewed energy and many more trips.
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