The celebrations of the new year seem like a distant memory and now that we’ve managed to sweat the holiday hangover in terms of work malaise out the system, it’s time to start planning your 2022 leisure calendar. Finding the time is always the challenge, as we juggle work pressure with family commitments and our children’s various academic years that seems completely at odds with each other.

Fish understandably are a lot simpler, with climate and seasons dictating their movements which revolve around the basic urge to feed.

And, that’s why slotting these windows into my iCal first to try and put a semblance of a schedule together seems reasonable, not that I dare tell my wife how I prioritise these best-laid plans.

But I read somewhere ( that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), that only by making yourself happy can you spread the sentiment and as every fisherman would truly admit, if he thought people would understand, nothing makes an angler happier than being on the water. As you get a little longer in the tooth this is something that you give a lot more thought to and so should you, as we all need reasons to celebrate.

Watch anyone with a rod in hand and you’ll see a picture of satisfaction and when the reel starts to sing the animated reaction will bring a smile to your face, let alone the jubilation shared when their patience is rewarded with a catch.

These celebrations are as varied as the people who enjoy this very social sport.

A youngster’s shrieks will pierce any bank-side braai party and their catching triumph is only trumped by the proud parent who has imbedded in them a lifelong appreciation for such gatherings.

Then you have that new species you notch up, with hollering and hugging that demands a celebratory toast, that has been known to get the party started.

Which, is only matched by sharing the moment with a fishing buddy when they land their personal best resulting in as many glasses raised as the years spent chasing this trophy.

I can even remember watching a seasoned professional reduced to tears that were soon replaced by high fives, at finally netting their holy grail of fish.

A few fisherfolk take some time to understand that this is a not so serious a sport. Admittedly, if you don’t score when all your mates are hammering the fish around you, you can lose perspective, but blanking in a fishing session is the medicine that every ailing anglers needs.

It makes you realise why you go fishing in the first place.

As the hosts at the TOPS Corporate challenge never tire of reminding all who attend ‘This event has absolutely nothing to do with catching fish!! ‘It’s about spending time with comrades, imbibing and embellishing, creating memories that will last forever” Which embodies what fishing is really all about.

The evolution of an angler is exactly this, you start by celebrating your catch but after so many good times with great friends at the water’s edge it dawns on you that if you didn’t have these mates to celebrate with, it would be a downright depressing.

So get your diaries in order and plan your next fishing adventure, because time doesn’t stand still and you need to celebrate the moment!