Well, with the river season nearly upon us, I have been investing in some ‘normal’ fishing gear for roach and chub fishing as well as my usual lure fishing. I thought I’d give the gear a try on the canal today, and I have to say I had a wale of a time. I caught about 30 fish - a mixed bag of perch, roach and a few skimmer bream. One of the roach went about half a pound which made me think about when I started fishing…
I started my fishing career on the Oxford Canal with my Dad. With a crowquill float, a scoop of maggots and the expectation garnered from watching ‘Catch 77′ and ‘The Great Maggot Race’, we had a session of about 3 hours right next to the bridge between Kidlington and Yarnton. My Dad didn’t even take a rod, he just sat and helped me put into practise all the knowledge I had picked up from the Peter Stone, Billy Lane and Richard Walker books I had been getting from the library all summer. I caught six fish on that day - two gudgeon, two perch, a dace and a half-pound roach. The half-pound roach attained an almost mythical status for me from then on, and it was a long time before I bettered it.
Today’s session reminded me of all the times my Dad spent with me, teaching me how to fish, teaching me that the fishing was important, not the size or number of the fish, but the being there. I do love lure fishing, but I felt a lot more ‘present’ today than I usually do when I’m out luring. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t partly because I actually caught some fish today, but it was more than that - it was a connection to a time and place gone by, and to the person who taught me the most important lessons in life and fishing. Thank you, Dad.