Growing up in the South-East of England I was lucky enough to be taken fishing by my grandparents during the school holidays. We did a spot of sea fishing, some fly fishing for trout but mostly we fished on still waters for tench, carp, roach, bream, crucians and the like. This is what they loved more than anything and it suited their pace of life as the years caught up with them.
It was all very much Mr.Crabtree style, traditional coarse fishing at it's best. Fishing float tackle on overgrown pools covered in lillies, using dough bobbins and freelining chunks of meat, bread or lobworms. I loved it and the mystery of the other-world below the shimmering surface of the water fuelled my imagination and fascinated me. It still does to this very day.
Last summer, I went back to my roots and dug out the freshwater tackle to re-live the days gone by. I visited some of my old childhood haunts and a few other places that always struck a chord, piscatorially speaking. Bite alarms and self-hooking rigs just don't hold the same romance or allow one to tune in to the environment and your quarry. I stuck to my simplistic, traditional approach and loved every minute of it.
Freelined crust fished in the margin for surface slurping carp is a real thrill. It still gets my heart going. Hiding amongst the vegetation and trying to stay perfectly still so the fish doesn't see you as it approaches the bait is the trick. It's amazing how close the fish will come if you dont move. Being able to watch the fish engulf the bait at close range is still a magic moment, even all these years later. It was very nice to catch some beautiful scaley carp at close range.
Simple float fishing tactics for crucian and tench were also a pleasure to re-visit. The methodical process of slowly feeding and building the swim up, patiently waiting until the swim is bubbling nicely before introducing a baited hook. The fight from a tench on balanced float tackle is always a thrill, I just love catching these beautiful fish.
It's always nice to take a trip down memory lane. It's the variety of fishing that has always amazed and intrigued me. With that......I'm off to soak some big stinky baits down the beach for a bass now!
Tight lines!
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