2022 - An overview
2022 proved to be yet another difficult year for running a fly fishery, but it’ll take a lot more than that to dull our passion.
With the fear of Covid not such a worry because many were by now vaccinated, January 2022 started with warnings to “be aware” - but thankfully with travel restrictions fully eased people were keen to get back the time they’d missed out on so we were excited for the year ahead. Fishing started well for the year with some fine specimens being caught. January saw some gorgeous frosty mornings and our 2021/22 League continued well. The early months saw several ‘Brick Farm Biggies’ caught on a real variety of flies – everything from Cats Whiskers and Damsels to green or yellow fritzy patterns and even buzzers! Throughout the year we hosted group days and corporate training days including for the Angling Trust and Environment Agency where the Sussex Police Rural Crime Team were trained in angling law, licensing, nets lines and traps and were given a chance to have a go at fly fishing.
I’m sure we don’t need to remind you that July saw the hottest of hot summers on record – with overheads still very much in place we introduced some summer specials – a 1 fish ticket, and evening sessions. The 1 fish ticket was particularly well received by anglers who, as much as anything, enjoyed just getting out for a day in the sunny Sussex countryside for a minimal cost. We hosted our very first Ladies Day in July – again the weather was not in our favour due to the blistering heat but nonetheless, the Ladies who came along had a fantastic day. Ladies Day is something you can expect to see more of at Brick Farm – it is a sport we have found that women feel outnumbered in, and they are keen to meet other likeminded anglers. The fact we have the stunning Lodge and an alcohol licence can only be a win!
The summer heat went on and on and on with temperatures reaching a whopping 40°C. It was the longest and hottest summer we could have thought possible, yet still we had overheads which were ever on the increase. As everyone felt the effects of the cost of living crisis something had to give. Often sole hobbies and past times are one of the things to be dropped by people as somehow money has to be found for more important things. Fuel prices rose beyond belief and as a nation we all faced struggles. Yes, we were incredibly lucky to have the space and outlook for our office, but the overriding thoughts in our minds were “please give us some rain”. We even continued the 1 fish ticket into September but eventually we saw some level of normality (whatever normal is these days) regain itself and stocking resumed and fishing custom picked up, sadly in line with rising energy prices but nonetheless we were pleased to see the return of smiling anglers once again.
Less than 3 months after the tropical heat conditions, mother nature flipped 180° in December and hit us with a big freeze, forcing us once again to take a hit. We closed the fishery for 8 days due to being so heavily frozen on the lakes. It was a stunning site to see – the lakes and fields glistened throughout with the untouched snow and indoors the fire was gladly roaring. We had 3 events cancelled due to the weather and now here we are, back to our great British weather at its finest. The forecast rain and winds are making for difficult fishing conditions once again, but we are still here and are still open. Fish are still being caught by the anglers brave (or mad) enough to give it a go and the fish are feeding well.
We are now discussing plans for 2023 – everything from group pricings to our favoured loyalty scheme so watch this space. As mentioned above, we’re a positive bunch here at Brick Farm and we will be doing our best for you, our valued customers and friends, and we look forward to seeing you in 2023 – let’s call it the year to fly fish!
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year with hopes for many a tight line for everyone.