Friday 4th August, 6pm
As we left the in-laws behind at the flat in Bridlington I debated the wisdom of a 250 mile trip home to Wiltshire for a match I wasn’t even fishing! Gareth, aged 14, the younger of our two sons had managed to talk us into returning early from our annual sojourn to Bridlington with Col’s parents so that he could fish the first leg of the Three Counties Six-a-Side League. An event he had individually won for the previous two years. Four and a half hours later as I was unpacking the car, after a caravan and horsebox-impeded trip, I was even more dubious.
Saturday 5th August, 8am
Milkhouse, Pewsey on the Kennett and Avon Canal – a venue that could produce a lot of small fish but more often than not didn’t! Don Underwood our local contact had done a sterling job clearing the pegs for the juniors but was pessimistic about their chances. Gareth drew the pegs for his team, Peatmoor Red and managed yet again to get the longest walk – good job Sherpa Dad was with him! Having got to his peg I then discovered that the only piece of luggage that Gareth had to remember – the food and drink – had been left in the car! Muggins began the trek back to get it.
The match started at 10am and after a bright opening period a barge came over his swim and turned the water a nasty chocolate colour. Action was then very sparse.
2pm saw my fears of the early return realised as two tench from a bush peg further along and a last gasp pair of skimmers saw only third place in the section for Gareth – his worst result in three years!
Sunday 6th August
Gareth and I return to Yorkshire! I was one of 10 NFA Coaches taking part in the Roadshow at Pontefract Park. A night with the in-laws made me reassess my feelings of going back early – Friday night a drunk had smashed his car into my fathers-in-law’s car which had then concertinaed into the next four cars. Had I not gone back mine would have been a write-off like my father-in-laws – Gareth’s third in section looked better by the second!
Monday 7th August, 8am
My first Roadshow – Ponte Park was looking a bit bleak but after setting up the kit and having a go we found there were a few fish waiting! Gareth was acting as Gofer for Chris Vaughan who was co-ordinating the entire event nationally (in fact as I write this three weeks later he still has three left to do!).
At 9:30, when it opened officially, with the Mayor of Wakefield taking his turn next to me, Gareth brought me my first “victim”, an obvious glutton for punishment – she had been at Roundhay in Leeds the previous day and blanked! With that bit of information my first task for the 8 year old Emma was to catch a fish! Having gone through the rudiments, on her first cast Emma missed a bite, but the next few casts saw a clutch of perch and roach come Emma’s way – she was really thrilled with it and when Gareth came to say our time was up she went off to book another slot – best of all she beat the mayor off the next peg who blanked!
More and more people came to have a go and by 4:30 I realised I was totally knackered having gone right through without a break – except for a quick toilet break at 3pm.
Tuesday 8th August
I was next due on the Roadshow at Luton on Wednesday, with a hotel booked at Dunstable for Tuesday night. Gareth wanted to have a look at next year’s Junior National venue so we bade our farewells to the in-laws and set off for Boston arriving at about 10am. Having found Vanguard Tackle (thanks to the Tourist Information Centre) we bought our bait (which was excellent) and got some very helpful advice and directions, we found the Sibsey Trader and having had a look and got a few photos for the rest of the team, went off and fished the Hobhole Drain for three hours in brilliant sunshine!
At three o’clock we were on the road again to Dunstable and after a quick bite in a Burger King we proceeded to get totally lost in Dunstable – finally finding our hotel opposite the old AC Delco works (no-one told the person writing the directions that it was now called something completely different!)
Wednesday 9th August
We found the canal in the middle of nowhere and began to have doubts about whether anyone would come. Gareth was Gofer again and directing the people to the coaches and yes our doubts were unfounded as we were kept busy through the day and even had the TV cameras having a go!
A smashing day but one that will stick with me for one very good reason, James, a ten year old, and his dad had come along having never fished before. James was well into it after catching a procession of perch, gudgeon and roach on the short pole. After some cajoling Dad was in the hot seat on the long pole and lapping it up. James had a job getting him off the box! Finally they left when Gareth brought the next prospective angler- they went straight to the tackle tent and bought a whip and tackle arranging to see the tackle dealer next day for licenses and bait – Gareth was with them at the time and he said I must have made an impression because the dad was gushing with enthusiasm. A result!
We arrived home in Wiltshire at 8pm totally fed up with Burger Kings having stopped off for yet another!
Thursday 10th August
No rest for the wicked they say – so goodness knows what I’ve done in the past as 9am saw me in Lydney for a coaching session with the juniors of the Lydney club. 
Setting up a fishing station, pole rig selection, bait preparation, mixing groundbait, plumbing the depth, fishing postures were amongst the topics covered before a short competition during the afternoon.
Many eager questions were asked and one lad who did not have any groundbait was given the batch I mixed – he promptly went and won the match! At 4pm we headed back home across the Severn Bridge (Gareth accompanies me on these ventures as I use his tackle to demonstrate and he fishes while I circulate and coach individually) so I actually had a meal with Col for a change.
Friday 11th August
Spye Park near Calne, was our port of call at 9am for our monthly coaching session for the Calne Club (only 10minutes from home!). 
A mixture of adults and juniors watched me run through the rudiments of waggler fishing on a duck-infested lake. I also demonstrated groundbait mixing, plumbing the depth, etc. Again, some memorable moments – little Nathan with the first fish he had ever caught followed by his friend and dad catching their first, culminating in Nathan catching a “monster” – a skimmer bream of about 12oz. Scott catching a carp of about 3-4lbs moments after me sorting out his tackle. Stewart catching more fish in one day than he had caught in total before.
Oh yes, and Gareth getting a net of skimmers (about 14lb) plus a carp close to 4lb. 
Saturday 12th August
Shopping for food in the morning, then over to Devizes for some interviews with prospective coaches.
Get back at 4:50, change, tackle in car, down to the River Marden at Stanley for a Calne Junior Match. We were last to arrive and the rest had already disappeared to their pegs so we ended up with the first blank peg that was left!
Three hours later, having spent two very pleasant hours watching, through Polaroids, chub bump and nudge Gareth’s meat, while he placed three into his net before the fourth threw the hook and spooked the rest for the duration. Gareth won with 6-10-0.
Back home by 9pm.
Sunday 13th August
Cut grass, sort tackle, do all the jobs that should have been done during the week!
Monday 14th August
Leave home at 6am for New Barn Farm in Devon to work with Steve Lockett on his assessments to become an NFA Coach. Steve does a session for two young sea anglers on waggler fishing who really took to plucking out the roach that were eagerly grabbing their bait. A really good session with Steve, who will be a real asset. Return home at 6:30pm.
Tuesday 15th August
The County Ground, home of Swindon Town, saw me deposit Gareth’s tackle on a coach for an outing organised between two junior clubs in Swindon – Peatmoor (Gareth’s club) and Liden to Witherington Fisheries, on the outskirts of Salisbury.
At 7:15am we were off, to arrive two hours later, the driver having missed the turn! A draw for pegs was quickly organised and Gareth was true to form in picking not only the furthest lake but also the far bank of it! Sherpa Dad was in action again.
A bright day saw all the youngsters catch fish and I spent most of the day going between a lad who had only just started fishing and getting him sorted and catching and watching Gareth compile a weight of 35-10-0, 15lbs of which came in the last 40 minutes and given another 30 minutes he would have reached 50lb given the amount of fish colouring his swim! Got home at 6:45pm, changed, left at 6:55pm for the 20 mile trip back to Swindon for a Committee meeting of Peatmoor.
A glutton for punishment or what!
Wednesday 16th August
Silly season is over! I now have three days to prepare for a family holiday in Cornwall, now where did I put my rods?
A few days in the life of an NFA Coach – they are not usually so hectic! Why do I do it?
I often ask myself that question but at the end of the day I love fishing and if I can give back something to the sport that gives me so much enjoyment then I will. There are rewards too. Not financial. You can’t put a price on the smile on Emma’s face, or Nathan’s enthusiasm or James and his Dad setting off on a new adventure with their 4 metre whip! Neither can you ignore the warm glowing feeling you get when you see the people you help catch fish and know that they are hooked for life.
If you are interested in becoming a coach or finding out more about the scheme, or even getting some help, then contact the NFA at Halliday House, Egginton Junction, Derbys DE65 6GU. Or telephone 01283 734735, fax 01283 734799 or e-mail office@nfahq.freeserve.co.uk
