Paul Arden | Friday, 17 December 2021
On Sunday I’m 51, or is it 34 again? The end of the year is always a reflective time and my feelings this year are not too different from last year! I haven’t worked at all this year — at least no days guiding/teaching fly fishing on the lake. My clients are virtually all International visitors and they haven’t been allowed in or out of Malaysia for 21 months.
This year was the year I was supposed to race in 5 Ironman races around the world to celebrate turning 50. None of the races have happened here and I couldn’t get abroad to race in any of the events that happened elsewhere. But I have been training hard, and while not in peak race condition, I am a hell of a lot fitter than this time last year. Compared to two years ago, I’ve dropped 15KG on the bike and upped my power output considerably. That’s all good for keeping healthy and actively fly fishing of course. I look at some of my friends who are my age (not fly fishermen of course) and I think WTF?! People often think money is the most important thing in life, when in fact it’s your health (and fishing!).
Anyway this is me covering for Mika the Legend today, who will cover for Viking Lars tomorrow, who will cover for me on Tuesday. Andy the Redneck pointed out to me that many people on Sexyloops have taken on new names. I’m not sure how that happened :))
This year I have taught quite a few people flycasting via Zoom (video conferencing) and this has been as fascinating as it has been effective. I was going to stop doing this at the end of the year, because I thought borders would have reopened by now. However I have just taken on a new client for 12 one-hour lessons. (The 12 lessons package is £500, if you are interested, and 6 lessons is £300). We don’t typically guide the lake until mid-March. So if you are interested — perhaps the perfect Xmas gift? — then you can blast me an email on paul@sexyloops.com There is no question that this has been the most effective teaching I’ve done and IMO this is now THE way to learn flycasting. It’s just so convenient.
I was a bit concerned in October/November that we didn’t get our annual Sexyloops Hot Torpedo sales boost. Usually this time of year is excellent for us, almost as good as the New Year. However this last few weeks, which are normally zero sales, have been excellent and so I’ve come to the conclusion that forecasting sales is as unpredictable as forecasting fishing! I think next year will be a bumper year for us, with the upcoming launch of the long-anticipated HT905. More work has gone into this particular fly rod than any other. I suppose it’s because I want each rod to be the last one I ever make (or at least for a very long time) and for that to be the case they each have to be the absolute best we can possibly make now.
Covid and then a wet summer has slowed down the production of the flyfishing TV series I’m hosting. Langkawi was a blast on the Ladyfish. I can thoroughly recommend that fishery (and Beq’s excellent company) to anyone. Fantastic fun. It’s a very short season, of only a few months, around the right moon conditions (4-5 days/month, twice/month, for a couple of months each year). I’m going to help build Beq a website and promote it for him. A super nice chap, who solved a fishing challenge through fly fishing.
The TV series should have been finished and aired by now and we should have been working on series two! Hopefully this time next year we will actually be working on series two!! :)))
So while it’s been a moderately successful year for us — despite at times just keeping our heads above water, while apparently swimming upstream through a log jam — I do think and hope that next year we can return to some semblance of normalcy. If borders remain closed next year then I’m going to have to find something that replaces guiding. Maybe bank-robbing, or becoming a pirate or a rock star… the opportunities are endless :))
Wishing you all a fun festive period!
Cheers, Paul
PS after putting up Tuesday's review of Bestard Boots, Mats sent me a video of canyoning. Apparently it's a lot like fishing gorges but instead heading downstream! Video attached above. Here isthe review page.