Angling

Book Review from 2007

Angling… yes…. It is well documented that, of Eric's hobbies, by far his most favourite was fishing, so no surprise, to find he lends his name to several such book.

This large format book is packed with colour photographs and maps to Britains best fishing spots with guides to the nearest camping sites and hotels.

There is not a lot to say other than Eric provided the following forward:

Angling is the biggest participation sport in this country. It is estimated that there are three million anglers in Great Britain - and I'm happy to be one of them. Such a guide as this is invaluable for at a glance, readers can find the best places for coarse, game and sea fishing. I've been a keen angler for many years, but in the hurly burly of weekly variety dates that punctuated the '50s and early '60s there was little time for a quiet spot of fishing.

Nowadays I can plan my fishing activities with much more precision and I recommend such planning to readers. Frankly, I get a lot of fun out of preparing these expeditions; choosing my rods and tackle with care, plotting my destination, and knowing I'll be away from the telephone for a few days.

A lot of people find it difficult to understand the joys of the piscatorial art. They think it's boring, failing to realise that even if you are on your own there's a multitude of life teeming around you. A river is like a motorway, except that instead of vehicles rushing past there is a variety of wildlife constantly in view. And as an ornithologist, I get an extra bonus spotting all the birds that frequent the river banks.

Mind you, I've had my un-peaceful moments - like the time I fell in the river at Hampshire. I hooked myself while casting and overbalanced. When I emerged from the river, I was covered in slime. I had to completely undress and spread my clothes out to dry. Luckily, no one came by, but in case they did I should have told them that I was a nudist who had lost his way!

My favourite fishing haunt is the River Test in Hampshire, but I like the area once called Huntingdonshire and Carnforth, near my home town, where I used to fish for sea trout. Carp are my favourite catch, but they're tricky blighters. I usually bait with a fairly big crust, with a little piece of bread dangling on the lower float. This way the small fish nibble at the big crust while the bigger ones attack the smaller bait, thinking it has broken away from the crust.

Which reminds me of the teacher who asked little Johnny, a keen angler, to explain 'the line of least resistance'. 'A fishing line without any bait on it,' answered Johnny. But I can recall a funnier story - and this one is true! Some years ago in Blackpool I arranged to meet some friends for a fishing trip at six o'clock the next morning. I went to bed, set the alarm for five o'clock and, after what seemed hours I woke and dashed downstairs where I pulled on my waders and swallowed my cornflakes. But it was only two am.

I went back to bed, still wearing my waders, and slept soundly. When I awoke the sun was streaming in through the windows. It was a glorious morning for fishing, and so, now to meet my friends. Too late. It was 8.30am!

That's a real fisherman's tale - and a true one. But the real fishing stories of yore about 'the one that got away' sum up the true joy of angling and anglers who pit their patience and skills against nature.


© morecambeandwise.com 2007


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