Good Evening.

Tomorrow I am off to wet a line. This weekend at Sierra Brava there has been a small competition, so I am expecting when all the competitors vacate the lake, and the noise from the cars, along the tracks, quietens down; the carp will get their heads down for a good old munch. Weekends have a habit of being fairly non-productive due to the many anglers that converge on the lake; fish obviously still get caught, but not having a normal 9-5 office job, gives me the distinct advantage to hit the lake at the more advantageous periods. I would have loved to have got out earlier this week, but the new website had to take precedence, and I am pleased to say it is almost done. It seems like I have been saying those words for months – I have I guess, but these things can’t be rushed, and when you consider that the content of the site is in the region of 10,000 words, complete with many pictures, which I have added myself, it has been a labour of love, with many long days, late nights, and early starts. I have probably driven my website guy round the bend, with changes here and there; but when you have an idea in your head for the finished look, you must stick to your guns.

The last few items have been arriving at my house for my range of equipment for clients. Happily I have three separate, confirmed bookings on the calendar, which is great news in these early stages, and apart from the fishing, I intend on pushing the boat out in other areas. Having fished on the bank for so long, for varying lengths of time, I learnt to adapt, and I learnt how to make certain aspects much more comfortable. I myself am happy to fish without these creature comforts from time to time, but taking clients different needs into consideration was what I set out to do. My large trailer for instance is going to be kitted out with a variety of gas-run products enabling me to provide the meals I promise to deliver, whilst allowing me to keep food fresh, drinks cold, and supply hot water for taking a shower; leaving room to store everything else, along with clients supplies, and up to four full tackle outfits. Bringing this plan into reality has been a real headache, with many nights lying awake, working out solutions to problems, and striving to achieve what I know is possible. All of this comes back to my long sessions on the bank, and anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and you research in order to find the right resources. For example: I had to buy one piece of equipment from the states, which was a nightmare in itself. Many US companies do not take international orders or indeed won’t ship abroad. I therefore had to open an account with MyUS.com who give you a genuine US address, they then take the delivery, and then ship it to your address anywhere in the world. The postage cost more than the product but it works as I hoped it would, and that was all that mattered.

Gold Label Tackle have agreed to support me in my venture and my client’s line was delivered last week. 15lb Pro-Gold has been loaded onto the spools of the Baitrunners, and this will be combined with a shockleader from the Pro-Tough range. A shock-leader is very advisable at Sierra Brava; I have always used one, as after fishing so many different lakes and rivers throughout Europe, I fully understand the importance of having some abrasion resistance between you and the fish, especially in the last few metres. Only last week one of the carp I landed was snagged for a short time. It was the line that was caught up and without a shockleader I would probably have suffered from a breakage – the fish was successfully landed and was the biggest of the session. I have much experience but I don’t mind admitting that I do like a shock-leader for casting long distances; it gives me that extra confidence, and I don’t worry about crack-offs when the line catches on the butt ring for example. We are all different as anglers and you have to do what you feel comfortable doing.

Rob at Gold Label has kitted me out with the Pro-Clear which is a less forgiving line for casting as it’s much finer in diameter. I will be using the 12lb on my long chuck reels, and 16lb for close range casts with my smaller Aero Baitrunners. My 8000 versions may look small, but they can cast okay with 18lb line, so with the change to the Pro-Clear 16lb, and matched with my Soniks, I expect them to perform even better. I am also going to start using some of GLT’s hooks; the Penetrator Two, and the Flexi-Swivel Penetrator. If these prove to be right for Brava, then my clients will have the option to buy and use, if they choose to.

Trakker are also featuring very heavily in my array of tackle for clients. Typically a pair of anglers would normally fish together, or in close proximity of each , so the four SK3 rods and reels will be protected in an NXG five rod holdall, with a marker rod for company. The SK3 spod rod and Emblem Spod reels are supplied in their own sleeve. Each person can tackle up their rods whilst sat on one of the new Compact chairs with arms, and the pairs coolbox will be stuffed with Trakker cooking equipment for brewing up, utensil kits for eating my meals, and lots of other Trakker goodies. A first aid kit is even provided should any minor accidents happen.

Using a pod or banksticks is always one of those tricky scenarios on public waters. Banksticks are great for spreading out rods, but what happens when you have a rocky margin. The Gardner Scuds I have purchased have really impressed me, with their UK build quality, and once again they seem to be the ideal piece of kit, allowing rod tips to be high, to keep lines clear of the margin; and the clever anti-twist features mean alarms and rods stay firm when a take occurs.

I apologise if this post is rather pluggy, but that is honestly not the intention. I am not mentioning these items for any personal gain – after all I have purchased everything myself. It is merely to highlight the superb equipment clients will be presented with to use, and the reasons why I chose them. It is all very well going out and buying tackle, but it must suit the water and purpose that it is intended for. How many anglers do you know that bought the Century FMJ rods when they first came out. They were probably used once at a small commercial lake in France – not exactly a wise choice, but tackle tarts know best when it comes to buying the right kit!

How is life in Spain – rather good-by all accounts. My Spanish is slowly improving but I find it difficult for a variety of reasons. I speak French to a level where I can converse, and then I lived in Italy for seven months. Now I am presented with a new language, which is more similar to Italian than French. French is my second language, but the Spanish must now come first. I have only been here for a short while so I know it will come together eventually.

There are two other quality guides that live in Extremadura known as Craig and Lee. They are experienced, hardworking, and both provide a great service to the many clients they take each year. Together we have decided to join forces, to further push and promote the area, pass on the odd booking to each other, and ensure the reputation of guiding in this fantastic region of Spain grows for the good of our businesses. If anyone is interested in fishing Orellana they are the men for the job, and their recent haul is testament to my words. They have both been a great help to me too, and I must personally thank them for making me feel welcome in the last couple of months.

The next post will be from the bank.

Enjoy your fishing.

Jake Langley-Hobbs