I started fishing by float fishing for Roach. They were the 1950's and 60's Carp, ie the fish almost every coarse angler went for. Your target was a 2lb'er but anything over the pound mark was a good one.
In those far off days the float was king, and legering something you did if all else failed.
What a change in attitude we have seen since.
I still go Carp stalking using a float occasionally, ok the line strength is a tad up on what I started with, and I hope the Carp are a bit bigger than "pastie" size. But it still "floats my boat" after all these years.
If I had begun in the pole era perhaps I would be using a pole instead of a Avon rod and a reel.
How did you start?
BOF ;)
Ever since i was a nipper i have had an attraction to water not being able to pass by without having a look. When i was about 4 my parents noticed i was missing from where i was playing only to find that i had made my way through the hedge and was watching the fish in the neighbours pond. This happened a few times and resulted in our neighbours having to cover their pond with metal grilling with fear of me drowning lol.
My dad was never into anything like fishing so taking me was well out of the question and after many a years hassling them they finally bought me a rod and reel at the age of 10.
With nobody to teach me how to go on catching my first fish was going to be hard work and after almost a year of constant blanking every weekend i finally got my first fish, a pike of about half a pound which luckily fell to my lobworm which i was simply reeling in. What a result lol.
Not knowing how i had caught my pike or why it had taken my bait it was back to the usual blanking sessions until my aunties new boyfriend gave me some fishing tackle, which as much by chance had an old intrepid black prince which was loaded with some fine line. Off came the old shakespeare omni with its thick wire-like line and on with the new reel. After 2-3 years of constantly blanking all bar my lucky pike i could now catch fish, and from there i have progressed and am still avidly learning.
I wouldn`t like to even imagine where i would be now if i hadn`t been given a nudge in the right direction with the line diameter business but i`m damn glad i was patient.
sorry if it`s of a novel lol.
John
:wave:
i used to go after school on a friday for a "night" session,all i used to do was watch then i borrowed a beach caster rod..a shakespear norris....some 20lb kite line of my brother...and 1 size 4 spade end(had to get mates to tie it!! :lol: ) cast the grand total of 4 feet :lol: and had a 6lb mirror :lol: :lol: :lol: now i have diawa infinitys/shimano 10000's delkims/bivvys/scales/you name it...and what have i caught????? f+++ all!! :lol: :lol: :lol: there's a message there somewhere....ahhh wellll :D
Dad started me off on this road of despare! :D But I think this was due to my natiral obsession with fish and fish tanks. I'm told I burnt a hole in the carpet when I was about 18months old as I couldn't keep my hands out of the fish tank. Obviously I couldn't catch the fish, but managed to pull the heater from within and left it on the floor! :rolleyes:
When I was 11, I got talked into fishing the Thames with my mates, rumours were that they were catching baby barbel. LOL, more like gudgeon. I hated bursting their bubble when I told them of their error.
I then moved on to Perch fishing, then whilst fishing gravel pits I caught my first ever Tench, she weighed in at 5lb 15oz. This prompted me to start fishing for them and with that came the Carp bug! Anyway, thats how I started and where I am now.
