According to a well known maxim "the sun shines on the righteous". The Bible, however, takes a more realistic approach, with Jesus declaring that it "rains on both the just and the unjust" (Matthew 5), but whichever of those two statements you concur with (as you might expect, I'll take my stand with Jesus' pragmatic observation!) the sun certainly shone on the 15 members of the Christian Anglers Group who gathered for their 5th annual Weekend Retreat in June. The event had been billed as an opportunity for fishing, food, and fellowship and it certainly delivered generously on all three fronts.
2020 had seen the first ever cancellation of the weekend since its inception in 2016, so it was good to be back together and enjoying each other's company. Our first two Retreats had seen us camping in a friendly farmer's field and embarking on day trips to local fisheries, our second two saw us located on the banks of the mighty River Trent fishing for barbel, while this year we took over the whole site of the Purple Badger Camping and Fishing set up in East Leicestershire. The camping facilities were ideal for our requirements, a lovely field with showers, a covered kitchen area, a small covered social area in which we held our meetings, and showers and toilets, all with an attractive rustic, countryside vibe. Add to that the friendliest and most helpful site owners and hosts you could wish for, and all was set for a wonderful weekend.
Friday afternoon saw anglers arriving from Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, and Shropshire, tents erected, old friendships renewed and new friendships formed, a barbeque, and the first of our meetings, all of which featured a short talk drawing lessons from the life of a Biblical character. The obligatory bonfire preceded a night under canvas that, for me at least, was punctuated by dreams of what I hoped to catch on the morrow.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and following a hearty breakfast and our second meeting, the assembled anglers dispersed and scattered themselves in likely looking swims around the site's two lakes. Reasonably sized rudd and roach featured prominently, along with small but voracious perch, and a solitary crucian that fell to Roy's rod. Some anglers found the fish more obliging than others, but everyone caught and no-one fell prey to the dreaded blank.
We fished until mid afternoon, before breaking for a Bible Study which was followed by free time. Some anglers elected to return to the lakes and add to their catches, while others preferred to stay in camp talking, socialising, and making the most of the laid back atmosphere and hospitable weather.
After an evening meal of jacket potatoes and chillie, we lit a fire and lazed around swapping stories, chatting, talking nonsense, and "chewing the fat" in the manner men are wont to do when camping.
Sunday morning dawned bright and early with bacon, egg, and sausage sandwiches, followed by a short open air communion service, before we resumed our battle of wits with the lake's fish. Once again, roach and rudd predominated, but the second crucian of the weekend made an appearance, Phil this time being the fortunate captor.
As the afternoon wore on there was a reluctant acknowledgement that even good things have to come to an end, and in dribs and drabs, tackle and tents were packed up, goodbyes said, and anglers departed to resume their normal lives. As in previous years, the weekend had proved itself to be a success, the desire to catch fish had been sated, the company had been congenial, the setting glorious, and the opportunity to explore our faith together as a group of like-minded Christians and anglers had been a much needed fillip as life continues to emerge from the spectre of covid19 and all its attendant challenges.
Plans are already afoot for next year's Retreat, and I have a strong suspicion that I'm not alone in admitting that I can barely wait.
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