Welcome to Issue 45 | Eat, Sleep, Fish

Shit happens. It is a simple saying but says so much. It can cover a multitude of situations in a variety of magnitudes but when you are told it by someone you know what they mean.

I was on the river a few weeks back, It was the day I had published Issue 44. I make sure I don't work on publication day just in case there have been any hiccups that I need to be around to fix and to do some social media stuff and I then write to all of the contributors thanking them for their piece.

I was a little ahead of schedule, the water was good and so I though it only right I spend a couple of hours after a salmon.

The first swing was a sweet one. To me the moment the fly comes round, the senses are hightened and your gut is telling to to be ready. It didn't happen but it didn't matter.

I fished the rest of the pool with the same results and decided to jump out and walk downstream a bit.

As I walked, something happened to me. It felt as though I had been hit in the back of my head with a baseball bat, I was gasping for air and could barely stand.

It felt as though I was at a "this is it Pete" moment. I could see the river from where I sat, made peace with the world and said my goodbyes to my family. I remember thinking if this is where it ends then it is a pretty place to do so.

I tried to lay down and to just drift off but my head hurt too much to do so and I think it must have been then that the survival instinct, aided by a huge rush of adrenaline, kicked in and I managed somehow to get back to my car and to eventually get home.

It turned out I had suffered a rare form of bleed on my brain called a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Apparently the chances of surviving this are pretty slim and if you do, then getting through it without any loss of mental or physical faculties is even less.

Yup, some shit did happen but I have been given a second chance which means I can resume my life as I left it but I now look at it through different eyes. The first night I was home from hospital I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen and it moved me to tears.

We are lucky as anglers that we fish in some locations that a lot of people don't get to see as regularly as we do. My aim is to try and capture as many moments as I possibly can and to enjoy every second of my second chance.

One of my aims since starting ESF is to look at fishing as more than size or numbers of fish but the experiences, especially those in the company of good friends. I have been deeply touched by the number of calls, texts and emails I have received since this happened and can't say enough thank yous for them all. They really did make a difference and lifted each day considerably.

So, my prescription for this month is a simple one. If you have a fishing friend that you haven't spoken to in a bit why not give them a call, see how they are doing and perhaps fix some fishing?

Trust me it works and is good for the health!

I hope you like this issue, I think it is a great one.

Good fishing!

Pete Tyjas

Pete Tyjas is a full time fishing guide based in Devon, UK

Pete is also on Facebook, find him here