The glorious 16th, well no!

For the river anglers amongst us the 16th June still resonates in the angling calendar. The buzz of excitement, anticipation and new found optimism are all present together with the dreams of monsters from the deep. Being honest, I had very few of these emotions as Sunday's opening day approached. Life has been pretty hectic recently and before I knew it I was trying to prepare for the curtain raiser with very little time to do so. In fact, I don't think I had started a season with so little preparation but I still managed to find myself on the lower Severn at about 3pm on Sunday. 

Upon arrival, a chat with some of chaps hardly filled with me with excitement. Aside from a few bream most people were biteless. Nevertheless, I found a peg and determined to catch I had

Typical lower Severn but no glorious 16th

decided to fish maggot feeder and meat on the downstream rod. I at least had a plan! What happened next however seemed to encapsulate how life has been recently. I was just about to shut the boot of my car when my rods slipped. Unable to stop, I watched in horror as it slammed shut on them. The result, two broken rings and not part of the plan. Unperturbed, I set up avoiding those rings for fear of a line break. 

To cut a long story, about 6+ hours to be precise, I have nothing to report. When I mean nothing, I mean absolutely nothing. Not a tap, knock or even a damaged bait. Obviously disappointing as it was I was at least reassured to learn that the Severn as a whole appears to have been a wash out. Therefore, I'm going to assume it was one of those days rather then me performing like twit. A trip to the Warwickshire Avon tomorrow may confirm this, either way!

Feel free to comment or tell me of your opening day experiences, good or bad.