Welcome to issue 47 of Think Fishing. It was late February at the time of filming, and the whole country had been enjoying some unusually high temperatures and settled weather for the time of year. Although the higher than usual temperatures were certain to have increased the water temperature by a degree or two, the water was still cold and it will be interesting to see what effect this had on the fish.

I was fishing a venue I'd never been to before, Bells Mill Fishery, near Stourbridge in the West Midlands, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect although I had been told this was an excellent venue with a good head of mixed fish and I could never be sure of what I was going to hook when the float went under. I'd been told there were some big roach too and it would be great if I could get in amongst those. It wasn't an easy day, and it certainly didn't pan out in the way I had been expecting! Hope you enjoy the issue.

Des Shipp