How Chris and Bob saved my life

When I was but a young nipper (10 years old) some of my more experienced fishing friends (10½ years old) took me on my first fishing trip. The venue was our local pond; a mysterious place covered in a blanket of saucer shape lilies under which according to local legend hidden monsters lurked.

We tackled this shallow pool armed only with a loaf of bread, heavy sea rods, 20lb line and 5oz lead weights.

We spent most of that long hot summer day casting into trees and trying to remove our leads from the deep dark silt they had sunken into. Our mini fishing season ended with no fish and no bites and I returned home wondering if I should take up a pursuit that produced more tangible results.

Starved of achievement my thoughts drifted to other boyish concerns such as radio control cars or if I could afford it, a high powered BB gun.  But things changed one fateful evening when my Dad pointed to a new programme in the Sun’s TV pages. A Passion for Angling changed my life changed forever. Thoughts of BB guns disappeared into the ether never to return.

Bob James (left), Chris Yates (right) with filmmaker Hugh Miles (centre)

For the next few weeks my new friends (Bob & Chris) and I journeyed around the UK to strange lakes and winding rivers catching scores of fish each more beautiful than the next. I learnt of the beauty of a winter grayling, how easy it is to catch a roach over 2lb and how to catch a mighty carp using an old scarecrow.

Passion For Angling showed me that being an angler is not about having the most expensive equipment or catching the biggest fish. It showed me the romance of the natural world, the friendship that exists between bearded men and the moment of wonder that leaves you speechless as your float slowly sinks beneath the surface.

Over the years I have caught a few fish and lost many more. I went to live in the big city, leaving angling behind. But the fishing bug remained imprinted in my brain, sustained by memories of catching a chub for the first time out of a cold, clear river Itchen.

Now into my thirties I have returned to the south and returned to fishing.  I am still casting into trees but even in the dark moments when I feel like giving it all up, I think of Redmire Monsters or Mr Crabtree catching perch and I suddenly find the strength for another cast.

Mark Glanville
(Tangled Reel)