A hearty well done on your survival Dalesman and if I may add...
Well done and well deserved Sir.
Good luck on the trotting rod, I can't offer any input other than, if it all becomes fruitless, the alternative take which is...
Ditch the en mass tackle, commission a Gudgeon rod and explore your local streams and small rivers with nothing more than a waistcoat full of bits, a tin of maggots and a rod which is fine enough to run the float through and sensitive enough to register tip bites, if the thrill is anything like my perceived it will be more than worth it in terms of a freedom and roving approach to fishing with a minimalist tackle and preparation approach.
But...
Good luck on the Gudgeon rod if you decide to go that route, i'm still scratching my head.
I'm not boasting by any means and there are anglers on here who know me, have fished with me and who are in the same situation as me in that we are fortunate enough to be able to fish waters where double figure Barbel are practically an expectation in many situations and on practically any method.
That's not my angling skills, it's the waters i'm privileged to fish.
So why does a purple, diamond flanked little fish offer me so much more than these relative leviathans?
I don't have a clue, maybe it's the grass roots purity of it, maybe it's something else.
Either way I and I'm sure a few like me will likely one day find ourselves in a similar situation to yourself with regards to various health conditions and I couldn't think of anything better for the soul and for the sheer enjoyment and stressless contentment of it.
It might not be your thing in which case I wish you all the best in health and angling, along with your pursuit of that trotting rod but if it is then please come back and let us know
