About Me
I have been fishing since I was 11. My cousin lived and breathed fishing and competed in match fishing all over the country. His many trophies inspired me to ask him about fishing and he was generous enough to give me a 12ft float Rod and a Mitchell Reel.
My first visit to the River Lea in Waltham Abbey, with my gifted rod, reel, plus tackle and maggots acquired from P&B Hall tackle shop was certainly exciting. My Grandad took me and together we worked out how to get things set up, sort of. I don’t remember catching anything, in fact, I don’t remember catching any fish for a long time.
The same year I started fishing I started secondary school where I found a lot of other keen young fishermen who enjoyed a session on the River Lea. During the summer, weekends and summer holidays this is where we would be. We were definitely fair weather fishermen but every weekend and summer holiday was good weather in the 80’s and 90s wasn’t it? Next to the river, fishing, listening to the radio, the cricket, Graham Gooch scoring 333 runs in an innings or listening to the football. We used float rods and whips, we would catch perch, roach gudgeon and bleak and if we were really lucky we would hook into a tench, fishing on the bottom with sweetcorn. The float would tear off and once struck you knew it wasn’t another roach. Hearts in our mouths we would fight the fish into submission taking more than 30 minutes sometimes on our lightweight tackle. Once landed, the trophy picture was safely in the camera it was released so we could catch it again another day.
When I finished school I had one long 8-week summer holiday before starting work. It feels like I fished every day of that holiday. Once I started work there was less time for fishing but I would still go, meeting up with the same friends from school.
Years passed by and fishing became less important, working, cars, pubs, and girlfriends took most of my time and then some more years on again, marriage and children, I had forgotten about the fishing. All the fishing gear I had collected just sat in my shed not being used. One day, deciding I needed the space I sold it all, firmly convinced I would not be going fishing again.
One day, watching Youtube I stumbled across this world of commercial fishing and the methods used to catch the fish, not little fish though, carp, and F1’s (I had never heard of those). I bought a cheap pole, a box some tackle and it sort of escalated.
Now I have a shed full of gear able to take on almost anything, commercials, rivers, natural and big carp waters. The Internet, mostly Youtube has taught me a lot and trial and error has taught me the rest.
I have my favourite places to fish and people to fish with. I still meet up with one of those friends from school to go fishing with now and again. I also like to travel and experience different waters and venues. Lots of snake lakes, commercial lakes and carp waters. Join me as I document this fishing journey around the country finding new spots and sharpening up my fishing technique.