The pleasure angle

A great piece as always Mark. Thank you.

Now my dad was never a fisherman, but he introduced me to it by buying me a kid's outfit, more to keep me quiet on family holidays than anything else, and I was largely left to my own devices, learning from others around me at places like Exmouth pier, Llangorse lake, and numerous little streams and rivers that surrounded the cottages in Devon and Cornwall where most of our holidays were taken.

This soon progressed with dad soon becoming an expert at finding some of the more out of the way fishing spots on the Somerset levels near my home. Although he hated driving he would always find the time to take me and pick me up at the end of the day, and always had a camera handy, just in case!

Now I cannot repay the debt by taking him fishing, but as he has developed Parkinson's in recent years, I am now his taxi driver and every time I take him somewhere I cast my mind back to all the hours he spent ferrying me around.

Thank you mate, you made me the man I am today.

Thanks Mark, lovely read.
I've got a tear in my eye!(no bull) and a guilty feeling.
My dad started me at 6 years old (33 years ago) your right, large debt to be honoured.
The guilt is because he wants to start again but I haven't had the time, but I've made time for my fishing! Selfish or what?
The trouble is he's diabetic and his eyesight is getting very bad,(although touch ledgering was his speciality) the thought of him on the banks of my local scare the life out of me.
Time to repay the debt though! I will be on the phone to him tomorrow, just got to think of a safe place to take him.

Thanks for the "wake up call" Mark.

Good tale it brought back memouris. I've repade my dept by intraducing my grand son to fishing after I returned to the fold this summer after 40 years. its still a lot of fun and you meet some of the nicest peaple.

Hi Mark..great read.
Brings back a few memories... I also started my fishing at Kingsbury Water Park and the B/ham - Fazeley canal... both right on my doorstep.
In my teens I used to fish the park well before it was managed and had a m/way running through it.
A mate and me used to sneek around the back, keep in the long grass and fish the stock pools... that is when Fred's dad was in charge... had some cracking days on there.
Also had 3 twenties (carp) out on bodymoor water a quite few years ago... on the bay area. Not fished it for a while now, just the occasional trip out to the Pine pool.
Thanks for the memories.

Lovely piece Mark and it brings back a lot of memories of my formative fishing years encouraged by my father, no longer with us I'm afraid. I've fished Kingsbury many times but not since I moved down here 11 years ago, I wonder if its still as good as I remember it, plenty of bream to the groundbait feeder and roach to the waggler.

You seem to have a background much like my cousin who now runs the Starlets Veterans, Fred Pear. He lived in Aston in those days and was a member of the Starlets for most of his life though his main club was the King of Clubs. He is one of those people thats gets great satisfaction out of organising though his match fishing cost him his marriage because of his committment to it. He's in his middle 70's now but still organising matches for the vets and even running a junior section too.