Going abroad

During the last year, I have visited the UK twice with fishing in mind (The second visit is mentioned in this blog, Waterlog Weekend). The first visit was also prestigious as I had the honor of fishing with fishing celebrities. First I (and my brother) had a day of barbel fishing with angling superstar Martin Bowler. Then some fishing of our own (catching barbel). Later we headed towards South-East England for some gravel pit carping with a carp ace Tony Smeets.

Oh the things you learn from these kind of angling aces! It's like I'm not a beginner in angling, but these kind of guys know their stuff. Like with Bowlers advice, catching barbel is... well... not too difficult anymore. And carping with a 100% carper gives you an insight and perspective on your own angling. Tony taught me some good tactics, and I have definitely been catching better this year. But what I really envied in Tony's abilities was his curry cooking! I have a fear that I will never have such a lovely meal while carp fishing! The following night Tony caught 3 carp. I also had a 12 kg (26½ lbs) carp.

Tony is cooking his famous curry. It is really, really good.

But in conclusion, you benefit a lot from fishing with anglers from different countries. I don't want to go fishing abroad on my own. Why? - Because I like meeting new people. And meeting new people who have a passion for angling is a joy!