We are very lucky living in the Broadland area as it offers so much varied fishing both in type of venue as well as it's range of species and the area it is renown the world over for it's excellent fishing for most species but especially for Pike. As with most waterways the changing seasons dictate where and how the waters are fished, this page hopefully will give you an idea of what to expect when fishing the beautiful Broadland waterways that go to make up the famous Norfolk Broads. Each season has it's individual beauty plus it's own good and bad points, there is however always something that will suit the individual angler whether looking for remote, wild and windswept scenery of Hickling Broad, the more tranquil setting of one of the smaller Norfolk rivers or even some urban fishing in the center of Norwich or Beccles. Our days normally start at 08:00 and run through to around 16:00hrs although we are totally flexible on this, your meet us at a pre-arranged meeting point where the boat will be launched and waiting for you, all you then need to do is to sort your clothing and gear out and get going. We'll take you down to the most likely places to catch Pike whether is is on one of the Broads or the rivers that connect the Broads, through the day you are free to ask anything you wish regarding the fishing and we only to pleased to discus our methods, rigs etc with you, we do not charge for tuition as some guides do. We fish through the day although pub lunches can be arranged if you would like a break then at the end of the day it's back to the meeting point. The change of seasons means that we will fish different rivers during the Summer months due to boat traffic but the Broads themselves come into play more this time of year whilst late Autumn and Winter means all the waterways open themselves up. If you would like to stay over then I can recommend excellent accommodation in the area from quiet B&B's to pubs and hotels.
SPRING
The main Norfolk Broads systems still retain the old Closed Season regulations with fishing closed between the 15th March and the 15th June inclusive. However don't despair because we still run trips in Scotland and Norway during this period, check out our Guided Trips section for further details! Plus we also offer Spring fly fishing days on the Broads during this period - great fun and something a bit different!
SUMMER
The main river season opens, usually with a flurry of frantic activity and another nine months of Broadland fishing is upon us again. Summer see's the Broads in all it's Summer glory, beautiful banksides full of green reeds and trees swaying gently in the Norfolk breeze, the sun shining in a brilliant blue sky, well OK it does sometimes rain up here but mostly it's good weather in the Summer. The boat traffic starts to increase as the season progresses reaching a peak during the first two weeks of the main school holidays, difficult fishing you might say when it's busy? no not really, you just need to fish some of the quieter areas as well as some of the actual Broads themselves. The area stays fairly busy until the end of the school holidays around the first week of September and then gradually the boat traffic starts winding itself down. Summer time produces some superb catches of Pike to most methods and we do like lure fishing during this period if possible, there is nothing better than catching great hard fighting Pike whilst wearing T-shirts and shorts in beautiful weather and boy do the Pike fight well at this time of year. Another great thing about this time of year is the superb sunrises and sunsets that the Broadland area is famous for and which makes for great photographs. If your into night fishing then this is the time to try night time Pike fishing or one of our Dusk-til-Dawn Bream fishing trips, you'll enjoy the atmosphere, the great fishing and there's something very magical about seeing the Owls and the Bats fly around as well as listening to the sounds of the Broadland night. This is a good time to try and get if possible a couple or more days up on the Broads with us as most river systems fish well and it's nice to fish different venues on a back to back basis. We also offer brilliant evening lure fishing trips through out the Summer months of June, July & August, they are great fun and offer exciting fishing.
AUTUMN
Imagine golden reed beds, trees that shine in the full Autumn glory plus some usually warmish weather, blue sky's and peace and quiet, well don't imagine it because this is the Norfolk Broads in the Autumn. Boat traffic starts to die down to almost nothing and the Broads area takes looks superb in it's Autumn colour's. The fishing is usually great to at this time with numerous multiple catches of superbly conditioned Pike coming out to most methods, this is again a good time to try out our Pike Safari's as the weather is usually kind during this period. As the end of October nears then you start being faced with colder, darker nights, the clocks go back the last weekend of October and that signals the end of our Pike Safari's for another year. The fishing however stays good with the fish starting to feed up for the coming Winter period and packing on some weight to keep them going. This is a good time to try and visit us for a couple of back to back days as all rivers usually fish well and as the nights start to draw in then the dusk period sometimes throws up a big old specimen, plus as with the Summer you can really make up some big catches of very hard fighting Pike. As we enter November then winter is just around the corner, the days shorten and the Pike go mad to try and get that bit of extra food to keep them going when the colder weather starts to set in. Autumn is a great time to be on the Broads, quite rivers, great fishing and crisp clean days make this a superb period simply to be fishing.
WINTER
A lot of Pike anglers only fish in the Winter, that 's a shame though because they have missed some great sport through the other months, however it is a great time, traditionally the time for monster Pike, the cold Winters day, frost on the ground, a ripple on the water and that massive Broadland Pike in your arms - great stuff eh! Well traditions are not always what they seem and you can do all the previous anytime of the year, but there is definitely something about being out on a crisp Winters day with no one else around you, the weak Winters sun breaking through on the blue water and the crashing as you bring that big old Pike to the surface yet again. During this period we only offer our standard 8 hour days but it's again definitely worth trying to do a couple of days up here if it's possible as the fishing can be superb, weekdays tend to find less anglers on the rivers but overall it's usually pretty quiet most days. The Broads look very pretty with snow around and usually the sky's and particularly the sunsets are awesome to say the least. March sees the final push as the season nears it's end and we all hope that the rivers stay clear and not coloured for what will have been the end of another superb season fishing the beautiful Broadland rivers for wild Pike
|