Maybe it's a getting older thing. Maybe it's because I've actually enjoyed the fishing a lot more than last season, even if - one or two decent fish aside - I've gone through several spells of not catching very much.
Talking to some other anglers on the bank the other day, the conversation turned to people we knew - including one or two who either aren't fishing any more or seldom go.
There's no getting away from the fact that pike fishing has got harder in recent years, regardless of differing views regarding why exactly this is.
In better winters over the last decade or so, I've caught more fish in a month than I've managed all season so far.
A mate texted me the other day to say he'd caught a 14lbs pike. Not the sort of fish that would usually have anyone swinging from the chandeliers - but in his case, it was the first he'd caught in 10 trips. That's some blank spell - even when you fish as often as we do.
Then there's the cost of it. With diesel hovering around the £1.40 a litre mark, I know a lot of people are fishing local rather than making the trip to the Broads, trout reservoirs or more glamorous desinations.
So it's harder than I can remember, plus more expensive than it's ever been to catch pike as we make our first few trips of 2012 and wonder if the fishing's going to improve by the end of the season. Happy New Year...
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