The Noble Art of Poaching

Poaching is an art as old as the sport itself. It ranges from simple "guesting" on other club's waters to hard-nosed poaching on waters where no fishing is allowed.
I challenge any angler to say he hasn't done it.

Some times I remember, mainly in my younger years:
Fishing the Thames at Henley in the mid nineties when I lived there. I was wandering up the river and I came across a lovely pond. There were no signs, nothing, but I just knew it was private, belonging to one of the mansions backing on to the river. There was lovely shoal of Golden Orfe basking right in front of me. I coudln't resist it. I bagged one straght away then a geezer came shooting round on a quad bike and started rollocking me. Pleading ignorance in my best Northern oik accent got me off.
Another one - aged about 14, we went trout fishing in the closed season on a reservoir that was open for trout fishing only. We couldn't resist sticking a livebait out.The bailiff turned up and we cut the line of the pike rod. He knew what we were up to and used another rod to snare the pike bung. In came a 1lb perch with trebles all over it and we claimed it must have taken a worm!!!! The police rang my Mum and Dad about that one.
Another time, I had come home from University for a bit and couldn't resist a dabble in my old club's water next to my house. I got thrown off for that one.
I haven't done it in years and years - i must be getting too old and sensible.
Can anyone really tell me they have never poached? Honestly?

I plead the fifth amendment.

"I was wandering up the river and I came across a lovely pond." - was that downstream of Henley on the southern or Berkshireside bank?

It's just that I can imagine the bloke who would have challenged you. Might just be the same.

In days gone by I used to spend hours sitting behind the bottom hedge of my Grandfather's farm with an old single barreled 12 gauge waiting for the pheasants to fly over.

I only used to shoot them when they alighted on the patch of maize I put out for them. Using 6 shot I often got 2 with one barrel.

My Irish grandfather often fished for salmon well beyond the boundaries of his permit and his best excuse was that he must have left his licence on the piano.....except he never owned a piano

Don't forget,
There is a big difference between poaching and fishing somewhere you do not have a licence for.

Cheeky
It was upstream of Henley on the long meadow. about a mile from the town and just after the wooden bridge that takes you round the wierpool. At the long meadow, where matches used to take place, I just walked over the fields behind the meadow and it was there.

I once got caught poaching a water on the river Arrow by Wixford. I had just caught a nice trout on the stick and was contemplating knocking it on the head when this voice behind me said "do you know this is private?" I said I was a guest of so and so (I wasn't) and he said "theres nobody in this club with that name". I said "he's been a member for years" to which he replied - "well I've been secretary for 40 years and I'm telling you he ain't in this club or ever has been". Red face time.

He did let me carry on fishing but warned me that in future.......

Oh! and I had to put the trout back as well.

i was once caught poaching on the duke of buccleuch`s estate as a 12 year old...trout from his estate used to find there way into the ise brook which i used to fish regular as a kid for stickle backs,bull heads,roach,perch etc...my self and a friend just followed the brook for what seemed an eternity and found a wide and weed free glide to fish...after nearly 2 hours and a shopping bag containing 3 good sized trout we were discovered by one of the dukes staff who was walking his dog,who had heard our laughing and joking...a good stiff talking too and threats of the police seeing our parents followed and we left in a hurry...we had to hand the trout over to him by the way!!!
my self and my brother did fish on his land again but this time it was for the quality roach my brother had discovered in a particular stretch...these fish were over 2 pounds!!!and for some reason they wouldn`t touch maggotts...we caught them only on sweetcorn......