What feels like an age ago and was in fact only a month or so ago life was fairly normal.

Ever the optimist I was filling my trout box and sorting out my loch gear – I had tied a lot of fun wee spiky things and also collected loads of nymphs which were sure to take enormous spring trout on a new river that I had found. I wasthinking about taking out a salmon permit for the river. I even haad a wee hdcam which I was planning on videoing some action shots. Life was looking pretty good.

I then went to a very surreal meeting with a very worried nurse (I work on Social Work) where lots of glum numbers were told to us. For a week or so life went on as normal, I spoke about what was to come to pals however it had not really hit folks thoughts yet and it all felt a bit unreal. I remember going to the shops and thinking that nobody really knew what was coming.

Well, we all bloody know now thought dont we.

Unfortunetly working at home is not an every day option for me solife has been trundling along although a bit harder and a bit more stressful.

In our down time instead of me going fishing we have taken to doing such boring chores as cleaning out gutters and tidying up the garden.

I mean I have lived in this house for nearly five years and watched them fill up with mud without caring too much however yesterday I made the effort to clean them out. Bloody gutters – took me nearly 3 hours, I could have caught a few trout in that time.

And my tomatoes are now getting somewhere..

This whole situation is getting a bit shite and I want to go fishing. I guess I probably could actually without anyone finding out. I have a couple of spots near me – my pond up at the top of a hill and a sea loch for some sea trout. However, if we all think like that then folk will start relaxing their reolve and before you know it numpties will be out playing tennis and golf.

Of course it doesn’t stop people on social media moaning constantly about it and stating that fishing is their excersise – yea yea, we get it – we all love a good loophole however do you remember when we couldn’t go fishing because of foot and mouth and we were all cool with it. It’s kinda like that only instead of lots of cows dying it’s someone’s granny.

Essentially what happened back in the season of 2001 was that pretty much every landowner stopped people walking across their land. Even the Vet School in Glasgow stopped people fishing. Anglers could not go fishing and I do not remember anyone complaining about it or trying to break the rules, although to be fair the old “social media” was not as strong back then. I guess a lot of the guys that are fishing now iether did not fish then or maybe it is simply the rise in social media which has given the less sensible amongst us a voice.

It wont be long hopefully before we can get out on the rivers and loughs – in the meantime know that the trout are all growing bigger and happier and less wary.

Of course there will be folk out fishing just now probably, personally I wouldnt trust them with looking after a dog responsibly.

I have been busying away at the vice tying up wee spiky things and have also been sorting out my gear. Thanfully river trout fishing tends to lend itself to isolation so at least we have got that going for us!

I attended two annual general meetings over the last month. One was for the Kelvin where I retained my post as Vice Chair and the other was the Cove and Killcreggan Angling Club of which I am a member.

They could not have been any more different.

At the Kelvin meeting the general rumblings are that our current secretary is a dictator who will do anything to hold on to his control over the most enviable and saught after position that he has. Likewise I now appear to have this reputation as being some kind of power hungry megalomaniac who actually enjoys being verbally abused for simply volunteering to assist with running a fishing club.

I wondered why then we were all voted in on the night – elected dictators? Is Paul like the Putin of the Kelvin I mused, or is that me?

The other AGM was the Cove and Killcreggan Angling Club where out of the 8 office bearers only two actual members showed up – me and another guy. Folk spoke about fishing and the future – it was actually very interesting and civilised as we sat around a table like normal people. Not once did someone call me a “bawbag” as we said goodbye. That’s right, as someone walked out of the hall at the Kelvin AGM they looked at me and said “see ya later bawbag” as they walked past me. I have still got no idea who the person was however you have got to worry about the future of angling in Glasgow if this is the type of person it attracts. Thankfully though I know it is the minority of people that act this way however it still makes you wonder.

Anyway, the one common theme at both is that we need more members – if you fancy a season ticket on the Kelvin for some excellent flowing water trout fishing you can buy it here.

If you fancy some peace and tranquility on a still water a short distance outside Glasgow then contact the Cove and Killcreggan Angling Club

Meanwhile I have flies to tie.

The blogging fly fishing scene is pretty much wiped out these days. All the guys that started not long after me are now long gone and I appear to have outlasted most of the the other fishing bloggers that thought they would have a go. The blogs that I used to regulary visit are now years out of date and I find it odd that they just stopped – like someone was at a party and they nipped to the loo and just never came back. At least Becks and Brown Trout stated they were having a break for a bit. It can give you a bit of closure knowing that someone may come back one day. The problem is that sometimes people forget about you and the readers that you built up just dont come back – not you buggers though as I send you an email every time I post.

Of course, it is all bloody Facebook these days. Any old numpty can create a facebook group or page and act like the big man and attract folk like shite round a stick without having any real talent or skill. I put it down to social media overload, people can only accept so much social media in their lives that it starts and ends with facebook with some youtube thrown in for good measure.

Not that I am jelous or anything, it all just seems so dishonest. I remember the days that bloggers were sent some gear to review every now and again – honest reviews that provided a bit of trust. Then the big guys got involved and the gear was sent to “professional fishers” with blogs, in other words guys that made a living promoting the stuff that was being sent to them. They have all buggered off to facebook as well now.

And now of course everyone has bought in to the advertising that the big companies put out. I did warn you a while ago about Hardy using subliminal messeges to sell rods.

Oh yea, so what is the point of all this – basically one of the best fly fishing forums which focussed on Scotland is shutting down – The Wild Fishing Forum

It will be a sad day.

Anyone know any good fishing blogs that are still on the go?