FishingMagic Magazine

An estimated 60,000 rainbow trout are believed to have escaped from a fish farm and made it into a nearby river.

Many years ago I moved to Deal, a small seaside town on the east coast of Kent. It has one of the best fishing piers in the land with some features specifically designed with angling in mind. Having moved from the suburbs of London where I grew up this was a whole new world and, for me, an education in fishing: from little roach and bleak out of the Thames to something unimaginable back then - and much else besides.

We're all aware of those rare individuals who have an affinity with dogs and horses but I knew a fella who had an uncanny understanding of chub.

Simon Pettit had never lived up to the mild, thoughtful persona one might expect from one so named: 'Simon' had religious connotations while 'Pettit' was suggestive of shyness and diffidence, of a self-effacing individual at home with a reference book, a mug of tea and a chocolate hob-nob.

The Angling Trust is part of a coalition of countryside and nature conservation organisations that came together two years ago to assess the potential risks of fracking to the UK's natural environment, landscapes and climate.

Prince Harry tried his hand at fishing as he visited Wigan-based Cast North West as part of a tour promoting sport as a means for social development.

The heaviest carp I have caught to date went 27lb 6oz and was taken with enormous satisfaction on the simplest rig. We all will have seen various versions of what is shown and described here but, as far as I'm aware, it's never been popularized pictorially or in print. Certainly, I was very pleased with what I saw as my originality at the time.

Fishing Magic will be off the cyber-waves for approximately 5 hours tomorrow Wednesday July 6th, 09.00 - 14.00 hrs approx.