January 4th and I’m picking the Bomb adventure up after a few days working in Scotland but I’m happy to be home, to take the Bomb rods to their limits and back. (A bit OTT I know but I’m really fascinated to know what the design can do for us.)

But what do I mean by “us”? Who are these Thomas Turner Classic+ rods going to appeal to? Is there a type of coarse angler out there who wants a different way of enjoying his/her sport. I drive to the Wye ruminating on this and on an email exchange this very morning with hand crafted float maker, Ian Lewis. This sounds a bit of a literary set up but it isn’t and early this morning I wrote “ I have this conviction that there are coarse anglers out there who want nice tackle and are prepared to pay for it. I despair over the way coarse angling has gone in my lifetime and feel there are many older style anglers who feel isolated, marooned in a sea of bolt rigging nonsense.”

Ian, bless him, replied almost at once. “I hear you. I get similar worries from very many of my customers. I see there is a growing cohort of anglers who hark for a simpler time and a more pure way of fishing. Enlightened folk have a strong drive from the soul to enjoy their fishing in a simpler way-the way they did as youngsters with wide eyes and mounting excitement. I also take heart that not all the people I have described are silver tops. There appear to be more and more anglers in their thirties, even twenties, who want these simpler, more direct ways of fishing.”

Nearly at the river now and I wonder if there is some sort of organ that can unite this growing band of like minded anglers that Ian identifies? Once it would be a magazine of the Waterlog ilk. But I don’t see this movement as being pretentious in any way. This isn’t all about ties, Kelly Kettles, cane and centre pins…though all are nice. It is more about bringing the depth back into fishing, hunting all species, utilising all methods. Perhaps something online I muse…not that I know much about the options.

The sun goes down on my afternoon

And then I see it! The Wye is up, what, six feet on last night when I baited. What an infuriating, volatile river this is. Why did I not check the online river gauges before setting out I curse? Mind you, I still would probably have come! But I’m here. The 10ft TT Classic+ Bomb is set up and I cast a meat/boilie cocktail into the slack. Weirdly, the first two casts the tip pulls round two feet. Rubbish, I tell myself, barely striking. I sit there a further two hours and said tip never flickers. Evidently I had landed on a hungry chub. Or a posse of barbel, passing through. If that rod could speak, I know it would look at me and say “ B******cks Bailey. Get a grip.” Still, three weeks left to make a mess of it so there are plenty of misadventures to come.

JB’s wellies getting their moment of fame.

PS…Given the mild weather and the fact the Wye Gauges said the river was 5 feet down, I had to get the Bomb out there. Amazed. The bite was so decisive it was like a knife through butter. But this 5 pound chub was played with authority and ease. I was astounded. Honestly far longer, stronger rods than this wee thing have struggled to keep smaller chub out of the marginal weeds. I just do not get it at all. Of course, the two tests to come are how it deals with a barbel and even more than that, can it conquer Wye roach for me? Looking at the weather report for Builth Wells up the Wye valley, I know it is going to be touch and go with these endless weather systems rolling in.