Shakespeare

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My Fishing Background


Well where do I start? My father used to go fishing with his brother Frank (both of whom are sadly, no longer with us) using a bent pin and a piece of bamboo! However, he was never a keen angler and never took me, probably due to the fact that my uncle once hooked him in the roof of his mouth while casting - they never did find the worm!! Maybe, he thought I was too much of an insurance risk?

However, one of his labourers Vernon 'Nobby' King was a keen fisherman. He gave me my first rod a bamboo special with brass fittings. Sadly, he didn't take me fishing either. Luckily my father's cousin worked at John Smith's brewery and was president of their fishing club. Finally, someone was going to take me fishing - I was eleven!

We went to a stillwater in Lincolnshire and I bagged half a six foot - the awful old knotted type - keepnet full of Perch! I was quite literally hooked!! I was bought a new rod by my Uncle, a hollow fibreglass Shakespeare and I have stuck with Shakespeare ever since. A few more stillwater trips and I was allowed to go with my uncle to a river Newark Dyke - The Trent at Farndon.

This was a completely different type of fishing, for one thing it moved, crikey does it move! Unfortunately, it waas not for me, I battled on, but ended up as a cast a leger and hope angler! I threw more bait in at the end of a session than during it. I read up on my sport, but never put the learning into practice. I attended the John Smith's brewery league matches, but the only match I ever did any good in was a sixth out of twenty-four. I hit a nest of eels which caught themselves!

With the match circuit behind me, which coincided with the closure of the brewery club, I focused on a variety of pleasure angling trips. That is what angling means to me - pleasure. I am not crticising match anglers, I even went to watch an edition of 'Hooked' fished at North Muskham, where I met Jack Charlton, Ian Heaps and Ivan Marks and many more. They were and are far more talented than I will ever be, but it just wasn't for me.

I fished different types of waters, general coarse fishing, piking and carping. Sadly, it all came to an end when I went to Kingston Polytechnic in 1986. My last fishing holiday was in the summer of 1990, where I bagged two mirror carp the largest being a 16lb 14oz thumper!

I then battled on with odd trips, while I travelled the Midlands with Toys R Us. After a series of different jobs and a self-employed spell for five years, I am now settled in a web design (hence this site) job I enjoy. I have a fantastic wife, two great kids and a beautiful home I am rennovating in Lincolnshire.

However, prior to my move to Lincolnshire I did the unmentionable, I sold my fishing tackle. My marriage had to come first and we wanted children - I now have two cracking boys! Wnat goes around, comes around though, as this year I am forty and my wife has bought me new fishing tackle!

In conclusion, I am fishing again at last! After a break that has been far too long. Therefore, I might see you on the riverbank - Tight Lines!