With the warmer weather and long evenings now upon us the inevitable Mozzi invasion has started and will only get worse until the cooler Autumn evenings arrive.

In 2014 I was really starting to get into my Barbel fishing and after a couple of successful June trips I got a call from my old pal Mark Leonard, the owner of Mad Baits, asking me to pop down the factory for a chat. He was developing a new boilie range for Barbel and invited me to be part of the testing team. I was doing well with what I was using at the time so was a little unsure but he said “trust me” and gave me a bag of bait that at the time we christened River Spice.

In 2015 I was very lucky and became sponsored by Jack Pyke and they supplied me with my fishing clothing which has been worn relentlessly since. The clothing is aimed at the field sports fraternity but I have found it to be excellent and just what I need on the bank to keep me warm and dry.

For the last five years a good chunk of my Barbel fishing has been spent on the Tidal Trent, it can be big, wide and bleak at times and really put your tackle to the test.

Julie and I had been planning this trip for 7-8 months and were really looking forward to it. .