When I rejoined the world of fishing in the 1990's, I still very scarcely went anywhere close to home which was silly since there were a choice of good places within a short distance. The main challenge was that the village didn't run to a fishing tackle shop which made it a problem since you needed to make a trip into Guildford and back which was ten miles each way.
The village did have an angling club which owned a fishery within a mile from my home which had 2 little lakes, or good sized ponds depending on your viewpoint. The smaller lake was a lot weedier than the other and had a decent stock of tench, roach and chub and was sometimes my choice to fish. It had a very nice little almost private swim with a little salient that meant you could get your bait and tackle set up and put your rod on a rest and hang back away from the edge. The bigger pond was stocked with mirror and brown carp, roach, dace, chub, perch and rudd and sometimes a pike came out as well but the popular view was that there was just one, which for the measurements of the pond was just as well.
I would prefer instead to go fishing when it required a weekend away and a favourite spot was the Hampshire Avon. In Christchurch and Ringwood there were an abundance of guest houses that specialised in catering for the visiting angler. Most would have a fridge for holding bait in and wherever you went, you were never a long way from a fishing tackle shop to purchase new and replacement bait and tackle. I loved dawdling round a fishing tackle shop. I have a soft spot for specialist shops, whether it be a fishing tackle shop or model railways, quality butchers or even craft shops.
I remember one short break in Ringwood, my friend and I hadn't enjoyed a great day and strolling back to the car we came upon a little branch off the river. As it was still bright and sufficiently early, we decided to have a try and immediately our day picked up and we got into a plentiful supply of roach and rudd as the water appeared to be very deep, even though the stream itself was very thin. It was in fact quite hard to choose what bait and tackle to go with since you needed very short rod, floats were out of the question. Feeders unnecessary and so we just went with a few basic weights and a number sixteen hook with a maggot, and a maggoty handful thrown in as ground bait.
It was a hidden treasure and from the look of it, very few anglers ever bothered as there was not a great deal in the way of trampled or cleared banking which could be why the wise fish gathered there instead of the main river where we had been fishing for them for most of the day.
Since relocating up to the Midlands in ninety five, I haven't had a single day by the canal and I'm now annoyed about that. I will be returning though at the moment I will be a fair weather fisherman and wait until late February before I look at what bait and tackle I still have remaining and what I need to replace at the local fishing tackle shop and I must say, I'm really looking forward to it.
20101218
The village did have an angling club which owned a fishery within a mile from my home which had 2 little lakes, or good sized ponds depending on your viewpoint. The smaller lake was a lot weedier than the other and had a decent stock of tench, roach and chub and was sometimes my choice to fish. It had a very nice little almost private swim with a little salient that meant you could get your bait and tackle set up and put your rod on a rest and hang back away from the edge. The bigger pond was stocked with mirror and brown carp, roach, dace, chub, perch and rudd and sometimes a pike came out as well but the popular view was that there was just one, which for the measurements of the pond was just as well.
I would prefer instead to go fishing when it required a weekend away and a favourite spot was the Hampshire Avon. In Christchurch and Ringwood there were an abundance of guest houses that specialised in catering for the visiting angler. Most would have a fridge for holding bait in and wherever you went, you were never a long way from a fishing tackle shop to purchase new and replacement bait and tackle. I loved dawdling round a fishing tackle shop. I have a soft spot for specialist shops, whether it be a fishing tackle shop or model railways, quality butchers or even craft shops.
I remember one short break in Ringwood, my friend and I hadn't enjoyed a great day and strolling back to the car we came upon a little branch off the river. As it was still bright and sufficiently early, we decided to have a try and immediately our day picked up and we got into a plentiful supply of roach and rudd as the water appeared to be very deep, even though the stream itself was very thin. It was in fact quite hard to choose what bait and tackle to go with since you needed very short rod, floats were out of the question. Feeders unnecessary and so we just went with a few basic weights and a number sixteen hook with a maggot, and a maggoty handful thrown in as ground bait.
It was a hidden treasure and from the look of it, very few anglers ever bothered as there was not a great deal in the way of trampled or cleared banking which could be why the wise fish gathered there instead of the main river where we had been fishing for them for most of the day.
Since relocating up to the Midlands in ninety five, I haven't had a single day by the canal and I'm now annoyed about that. I will be returning though at the moment I will be a fair weather fisherman and wait until late February before I look at what bait and tackle I still have remaining and what I need to replace at the local fishing tackle shop and I must say, I'm really looking forward to it.
20101218
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