I have fished for the past 50 years since I was a young lad, when I started fishing ponds on the Fylde round the outskirts of Blackpool.
This combined with some trout fishing and later sea fishing saw me into my late teens when I started fly fishing which I did nearly to the exclusion of everything else and also took up fly tying.
I mostly fished rivers and occasionally stillwaters and about 15 years ago started trotting in the winter for grayling and chub. Initially I trotted with a fixed spool but after a couple of years started using a centre pin which I have used ever since.
Just coming up 2 years ago I fell whilst fly fishing on the River Aire in North Yorkshire and sustained a serious fracture to my leg which involved surgery and a stay in hospital and now I set off metal detectors at airports.
To start I couldn't fish rivers and a friend suggested I take up course fishing again and introduced me back to fishing ponds and small stillwaters again on the Fylde.
I was initially sceptical but after a few minutes realised how much I loved sitting and watching a float and was taken back to being a young lad.
I again started with a fixed spool but after a few weeks found using a centre pin was much more fun and now don't use anything else.
I also found that catching carp, any carp on floating crust was exciting and very visual and have now caught carp in each month of the year off the top.
I still fly fish for trout, sea trout, salmon and grayling but now I also fish for anything that will pull a float under on the ponds that I fish, and have also started trotting for barbel.
I now find that I can fish throughout the year and get out most weekends and try to fish twice a week in the summer with the light nights.
Gadwall
www.salmonflyworkshop.co.uk
Bowland Game Fishing Association
This combined with some trout fishing and later sea fishing saw me into my late teens when I started fly fishing which I did nearly to the exclusion of everything else and also took up fly tying.
I mostly fished rivers and occasionally stillwaters and about 15 years ago started trotting in the winter for grayling and chub. Initially I trotted with a fixed spool but after a couple of years started using a centre pin which I have used ever since.
Just coming up 2 years ago I fell whilst fly fishing on the River Aire in North Yorkshire and sustained a serious fracture to my leg which involved surgery and a stay in hospital and now I set off metal detectors at airports.
To start I couldn't fish rivers and a friend suggested I take up course fishing again and introduced me back to fishing ponds and small stillwaters again on the Fylde.
I was initially sceptical but after a few minutes realised how much I loved sitting and watching a float and was taken back to being a young lad.
I again started with a fixed spool but after a few weeks found using a centre pin was much more fun and now don't use anything else.
I also found that catching carp, any carp on floating crust was exciting and very visual and have now caught carp in each month of the year off the top.
I still fly fish for trout, sea trout, salmon and grayling but now I also fish for anything that will pull a float under on the ponds that I fish, and have also started trotting for barbel.
I now find that I can fish throughout the year and get out most weekends and try to fish twice a week in the summer with the light nights.
Gadwall
www.salmonflyworkshop.co.uk
Bowland Game Fishing Association
