My thoughts this week have been in South America and in Tasmania

I hear quite often that the cold weather is necessary to “kill off” many of the germs that are about, whether that is true I cannot say, but it certainly does one a power of good having a stroll by the lake, well wrapped up, then returning to the warmth of the house and a glass of one’s favourite tipple.My thoughts this week have been in South America and in Tasmania! My friend Nick Hart – who has gone to Tierra del Fuego to guide anglers, has contacted me to tell me how things have been going. Communication is difficult to say the least, but the fishing is awesome. Nick had a couple of weeks to acclimatise before he started guiding customers. He fished quite a bit! Imagine, being plucked from the rain-sodden shore of England’s wettest winter for centuries, to be sent to one of the world’s top sea-trout fisheries. Not my idea of bad luck! Anyway, Nick acclimatised by landing trout of 10.5lbs and 11.5lbs, and then on Christmas Day, a fifteen pound fish. That strikes me as being a pretty good Christmas present, and similar to my own one on Christmas Day 1998, when I landed a seven pound Kawahai – the fish that anglers in New South Wales call salmon, from the estuary where my family were camping in the Karamea region of the West Coast of New Zealand. News from Nick this week is that he has surpassed that 15 lb fish with one of 16.5lbs. One of his clients bagged the best of the week with an 18lb fish, whilst Nick’s anglers had the best “bags” of the week. Bear in mind that every trout has to be returned – by law. Farsighted people running the fishing out there! How long will it be before I can report on Nick’s first 20 lb fish? I will keep you informed.Over to Tasmania, where I have been speaking to my friend Malcolm Crosse who successfully captained the Australian team to world championship wins and third places in 1999 and 2000. The State Championship has recently been fished and two of the team that fished in England last year managed to gain first and fourth place. Andy Scott was the individual winner, whilst former World Champion, Ross Stewart filled fourth position. I hope to tell you more about their fishing in the next few weeks.We have a busy week in the Bristol area. A committee meeting on Tuesday is followed by Blagdon’s A.G.M. on Thursday, and then on Friday John Horsey is giving his talk and slide show at the Chew Valley Sailing Club. If you wish to come along please feel free to join us – 7.30 p.m. start, entry is £5.00 with a buffet provided by Mark Withyman.Meanwhile, leave me to my dreams of the sea trout of South America, and the wild fish of Tasmania. Maybe one day I will get out there to sample them!Tight lines,

Martin Cottis