FishingMagic Magazine

'Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.' (Proverbs 16:18)

As I sit here in my humble cottage reflecting on the past, I am approaching my 65th birthday! Where did all those years go?

I would have been around ten or eleven years old when my father first described to me a rather grizzly stage act he had seen as a young man at the Hackney Empire theatre in East London. He told me as we watched our floats of a wiry, dark-haired Dutchman who would, among other things, push a very real three foot sword into his side, right through his body, and out the other.

Fishing in out-of-bounds areas is explored in this week's Angler's Mail magazine, along with a close look at new rod licences - and much more! The big value Angler's Mail magazine is packed full of insightful angling exclusives - not a load of rehash!

From its humble beginnings within the makeshift workshop of a Finnish fisherman, to the multi-national operation that it is today; the Rapala lure company is one of very few fishing lure manufacturers who can claim to have withstood the test of time, as we celebrate 80 years of Rapala's Original Finnish Minnow during the year of 2016.

My very, very first memories of fishing were with my Grandad and I guess I must have been around six years old at the time (1948). My Dad had a Great Aunt who lived in Petworth in Sussex and on one visit my Grandad got permission to fish the lake in Petworth House. I went and sat with him and saw him catch an eel and from that moment on I was hooked, so to speak

My love affair with the Cambridge and Norfolk Fens began many years ago and I've spent many hours and days seeking out a monster. Sadly it's never happened for me; however I have put some mates onto the odd biggie, including a 31lb pike on a venue I had fished for 20 odd years and never had a 30 from it - or anywhere else for that matter!

Not so much an epitaph, more my own personal tribute to Fred Buller, first published on FM over 10 years ago, but the sentiment remains the same, RIP Fred, and thanks for everything...