When I was nine years old I had this yearning to go fishing in thesea, which was about ten minutes walk from where I lived.Unfortunately nobody in my family fished, so there I was, a bored kidwith a new craze.
Because nobody took me seriously I had to try to sort it outmyself (no problem I thought).
I made a rod from the straightest branch I could find on the treein our garden, when I had stripped all the bark off it looked almostpassable.
From where I cannot remember, but I had already laid my hands onan old wooden centerpin reel. This was duly loaded with orangeCourlene from a hand line complete with round grip lead and two boomswith rusty hooks. I was nearly there.
All this had cost me nothing but I had come to a problem – no rodrings. After pricing up the real thing I decided the only way was toinvent something. After much thought I tried screwing curtain eyesinto the branch and this looked the business, until I put a bend intothe rod similar to pumping in a common skate. I started work on planB.
Now having priced up the genuine article earlier I knew what theyshould look like, and then I had my best idea yet. I made some rodrings from safety pins by cutting off the clip and point and thenbending the arms. I then had rod rings but sadly no safety pins inthe first aid kit!
I quickly learnt how to whip the rings on the branch (nobody hadtold me about varnish) so this was a regular occurrence. I was nowready to fish. Bait collecting was next on the agenda. I took my kidsbeach bucket down to the beach and proceeded to collect a bucket fullof winkles from the breakwaters.
The bucket full of winkles topped up with fresh sea-water wastaken home and placed on top of the fridge for safe-keeping, much tothe families disgust. Sandwiches were made and I was in bed earlythat Saturday night ready for an early start the next morning.
Bright and early the alarm clock burst into life and I was up likea shot to get the best spot on the jetty. I grabbed by trusty rod andmy bag of food (I did not have any tackle) and when I got my baitbucket down from the fridge I was distraught there were only twowinkles left in the bucket.
I immediately raised the whole household demanding to know wheremy bait had gone and who had taken it. My bleary eyed mother, fatherand younger brother were all protesting their innocence but I washaving none of it – I wanted blood!
After over an hour’s searching high and low the missing bait wasfound, all the missing winkles were stuck all over the kitchenceiling. After knocking them all off with a broom and trying to makesome sort of peace with my family I eventually set off for thejetty.
I arrived on the jetty and found a spot next to an angler who wasobviously very experienced (he had a proper rod and reel!). I thenset about trying to get a winkle out of its shell to bait up my hook,but I was continually put off by the angler next to me falling aboutlaughing at my tackle.
I could not cast more than about five yards with the reel I had soI pulled plenty of line off the reel onto the boards and just flungthe end tackle towards the horizon and settled down to await my firstbite.
It was then that I noticed the worms lying on some newspaper thatthe angler next to me was using for bait. I had never seen thesebefore and asked him what they were.
He told me that they were called ragworm and they were a very goodbait. He gave me one and said I could have one just for my cheek. Isoon baited up with the new bait and again cast as far aspossible.
The inevitable happened and by the time I had used up all the wormI had scrounged I had caught two nice flounders, and the poor mannext to me packed up and went home in disgust.
He is probably responsible for changing my life and making mespend virtually all my spare time fishing. God bless him.
I have fished ever since then, nearly all types of fishing and inevery country that I have been to. These days I am lucky enough tomake my living from angling and I get as big a buzz from getting anovice catching fish as do from catching them myself.
Mind you don’t see many youngsters with branches today!
