October a month of inspiration

October, probably my most favourite month of all, firstly my foraging along the back lanes and riverbanks  comes to an end, the blackberries are all but gone, the damsons have been scoffed or made into preserve, The hazelnuts have all been cracked and eaten but the fruit that 90% of the time when I'm finished with goes to others is ripe and ready to pick.

The sloe

Sloe Gin, anyone who makes there own always knows when its about time as the friends come out the woodwork again looking for the tipple to savour over the winter months.







The other reason I like October for its probably the most eagerly awaited month in my fishing diary, the Brown Trout season ends and the The lady of the Stream comes into her own. Once frowned upon and treated as vermin its now highly respected by anglers who a few years ago would not give it a second glance and thankfully now have different thoughts.

The darker nights are encroaching and the friends wanting floats for the short winter days of trotting for the Grayling are returning cap in hand.

Using the sloes as inspiration I mixed the colours of the two to make a set of floats for a long-time friend of mine, to go with a small bottle of last years gin as he often sends me handmade items throughout the year.

A couple at 7BB and one at 5BB, that should keep him happy enough, but I suspect the bottle of sloe gin wont last as long as the floats will.

As always I like to make a couple of for myself, god knows why, I've got more floats than I will ever use but its just something that I like to do and passes the time.