What's Your Memorable Catch?

Merlot's thread about nabbing a 35lb common off the top is brilliant. His emotions say it all, that's why we go fishing.

What catch/day/trip got you into such a state and realised "that's what it's all about"?

For my part it was a few days on the Hants Avon at Somerley back in the 1980's with a good mate of mine trying to catch his first ever barbel. We did achieve that and it was great (we were both shaking like a leaf as all 6lb of it slid over the net). But it was just the sheer pleasure of those few days in great company, great fishing, even better pubs and the overall escapade of the whole thing. Brilliant!

Probably for me walking a mile or so from my dads old house down to the club lake.
Started fishing and managed to lose 5 carp between us before landing one. God knows how we did it.

Anyway when we did hook a fish for long enough to relise we were going to have to land it, i relised we'd forgotton the net. Oh dear i thought. So he walked back from the bank while i lent into the water scooped out a little 3lbish common.
Put it on a small tuft of grass, unhooked it and just looked at each other and laughed.

It was just the whole thing really not just the fish. Walking down to the lake for only just more then 1hours fishing, standing next to each other on the edge of the lake sharing the swim. Our floats were only a foot or so away from each other, as usual we spent more time watching each others floats then our own.

Anyway dragged on a bit there but it was a brilliant evening a one i reckon i will always remember.

This fishing buisness is really magic isnt it!

28 on a drifter, saw it in a bay on the far side of a gravel pit, float went straight at it like it was on rails.

Knew I was going to catch it as soon as I saw it.

A good net of 7 gravel pit tench of up to nearly 7lb,on a hot sunny May day 2002.
But, I think Christian's response,is what it's really all about.

At 9 years old, first ever fish (roach) when my dad first took me fishing (medway in Tonbridge). Nothing will ever replace that.

The one that sticks in my mind. I fished an old brickpit when i was about 13-14 long time ago with my dad. Saw a shoal of perch close in , in gin clear water and just had bread and worms with us.Soon ran out of worms .But i had a bright red jumper on and me dad pulled a thread of wool off it, and believe it or not we caught 26 perch on it .Nothing big upto about 6oz i think, but, you had to watch the wool not the float as soon as they mouthed it you had to hit it otherwise it was spat out.
Always remember that one.weird.

After 55 years of angling, it's not the catches of fish that stand out at all and there have been many.

What I remember most is the people I have fished with. And some of the hilarious times we have had.

Most outsanding memory was riding a one ton circular barley straw bale across Adams pool the CCG water in Studley after swimming the rope across the lake first to tow it across. Kept expecting some big moggy to come and grab my foot as I was swimming across. Great fun, this was on my first working party there, apart from my other 3 mates all the rest of the members thought i was insane, my mates were used to it.

Two small roach one straight after another from chapel point land drain Chapel st Leonards lincolnshire circa 1974 I knew there and then that I was a bagging machine.

For me it was a jam jar of sticklebacks caught in a net with my 4 year old daughter........she didnt stop talking about it for days.she told me that she wants to be a fisherman when she is older, thats my girl!but seriously her enthusiasm was infectious and really drove home to me what fishing is all about....FUN!

Lee, is it true each one of those roach took you the full length of the drain before you "bagged" it?