Hi All,
I don't quite know how I got into match fishing, it certainly wasn't a conscious decision on my part. My father took me coarse fishing for the first time when I was about eight years old, and I carried on fishing for pleasure only until I was in my early twenties. At that time I was working in a large factory that made electricity meters and angling was a very popular pastime amongst my co-workers. So much so that the company had its own fishing club and the rights to some waters. These consisted of a pool which housed about thirty pegs and a stretch of canal at Shirleywitch, near Weston in Staffordshire. The odd thing about the rights that were held on this canal was that it was the opposite side to the towpath. We fished it from the field side and although it didn't seem strange to me at the time, I can't recall any other clubs having the fishing rights to a non-towpath side of the canal.
It wasn't a problem until the club that held the rights to the towpath side staged a match on the same day as us. It was quite a thing to see anglers sitting opposite each other all the way down the canal and tossing groundbait at each other's wellies. Everytime a boat came through it looked like a military wedding.
Because there were so many anglers in the factory, an annual fishing competition was held every year to win a big cup called the Dora Sprake trophy. The competition was held on four separate Saturday afternoons during the summer and fished on an inter-departmental basis. Five anglers were required for each team and I guess this is where I got roped in. The first year I fished it I hadn't got a clue about match fishing so our team failed to take the cup. However, I was learning fast and soon began taking part in club matches and going off on fishing outings to various venues around the Midlands.
I guess most anglers can remember when they had their first success in a fishing match and I'm no exception. Mine came after finishing eighth in the annual fur and feather match that was held on the River Trent at Farndon, near Newark. One of the reasons that this day was unforgettable was because it was my first time on a ferry. I still tremble when I think of how a coach load of anglers and all their tackle managed to get onto a flimsy vessel that wasn't much bigger than a park rowing boat. It was a November morning and strictly standing room only as we swayed our way across that swollen and icey cold river.
Anyway, we fished the match and due to coming eighth I won six bottles of Manns' brown ale. It's a shame that last roach came off at the net because I'd have got half-a-dozen bottles of Guinness if I'd managed to net it.
Ah well you can't have everything, to win something was nice and a glimpse of the success that would later come my way. On the right you can see a photo of me and two of the trophies I won in one year.
Now you can call me a sad wart if you like, but after I drank the contents of those bottles I kept one of the bottle tops as a memento. I put it into the little box where I keep all my little mementos of special occasions and that's where it still is today keeping a farthing and a set of worry beads company.
In fact it's quite ironic that I've still got that bottle top while all the other trophies I won during my fishing career have long gone. Fifty six I had in total, on four shelves in my living room. Well they were until I married my second wife, she reckoned they looked cheap and tacky so they all went to the tip. Ah well, she's damn good cook.
Anyway during that first year of match fishing I improved quite quickly and helped our team win the Dora Sprake Trophy at our second attempt. If you take a look at the photo at the top of this post you can see me in the middle wearing a funny seventies jacket. To my immediate right is one of my oldest friends and fishing companions Paul Burton and to his right is Neil Dale. It was Neil who taught me a lot about fishing and a few year later I was pleased when he had the good sense and balls to get out of the factory and follow his dream. He now runs the very successful and excellent Heronbrook Fisheries nr Eccleshall. This is probably one of the finest fishing venues in the country and I can recommed it to anybody. If you want to find out moreClick here to go to the heronbrook website
The fellow immediately to my left is a chap called John Hallsworth or "Irish John" as he was known to his mates. He did a runner to Ilfracombe with somebody else's mrs and was last known be living in Cheltenham. I did bump into him briefly around 1980 when I saw him during the interval at a Harry Chapin concert we were both attending in Birmingham. I haven't clapped eyes on him since but if anybody knows of his whereabouts I'd love to hear from them. Now it might just be old age but to my embarrassment I can't recall the name of the other member of the team. If anybody knows his name perhaps they'll get in touch and I can put the record straight.
My book on fishing, titled "Fishing: Learn from the Tips & Laugh at the Tales" contains lots of tips that are useful for match or pleasure fishing. It also includes many funny true stories from the real angling world. If you want more details including a free download click on the link below.Click here to go to my website
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