Back to the Future......

I have often sat and thought about my many years I have spent on the bank and I have to confess that my mind always takes me back to the early years....the years when I was in my teens and early twenties....that would be around the early 70's....

That seems to be the time that I enjoyed most......despite the fish being many times smaller than they are today.

Just for curiosity's sake...I wonder how many of you feel the same....I wonder how many of you prefer that time of your fishing life compared to todays offerings....I wonder how many of you prefer the unmistakeable smell of roach and bream on your kit rather than carp and barbel....do carp and barbel have a smell?.....anyway, let's have a little debate and maybe we can vote on it.

I suppose you need to be at least in your mid 40's to be able to fully compare today to the times I am referring to...but it goes without saying, if ANY of you have any thoughts about this topic....please make them known.

To be honest....I would like to see those times return....I wonder if we could go back to the years when the Middle Level Drain, Sixteen Foot Drain, Denvers Sluice (Ten Mile Bank), Sibsey Trader, River Witham, Foss Dyke, River Nene, Welland and the waters of the Norfolk Broads...were top dogs when it came to quality venues.(in this neck of the woods anyway). I am sure there are many more venues in various parts of the country that I am unaware of that are hardly fished today....but for you guys who used to fish them when you were much younger...that is the time of your angling life I want you to compare to todays fishing scene.

I am thinking of ...and have been for number of years now.... to have a few days down on the Middle Level in places like Pophams Eau and Three Holes...could these times ever return and take the place of todays popular fishing....Is today's fishing becoming boring and do anglers need a fresh challenge? If so....these places are perfect for that sort of thing.

The once great waters mentioned above are all waiting for us to return....I know a tackle dealer in Wisbech who told me not so long ago that the Middle Level is fishing very well.....could we return there and make the old days our future once more...could we ever get back to the massive matches they used to hold on these and other great venues of the past....or are they over forever?

Those days are forever in my heart...and I see absolutely no reason why at least I myself can't return to the TRUE glory days of angling.

So, who prefers today's angling compared to yesteryear....and why?
...and who prefers the fishing of years gone by compared to todays...and why?

Maverick

I would be hard pushed to say whether or not I prefer my fishing now to when I was regularly running a stick down the Trent in my early teens which in turn would have been in the early eighties.

Back then heavy feeder gear for the huge chub shoals would have been 4lb main line for a maggot feeder which wouldn't even get near to a hooklink these days and it was nice to be able to build up a catch of silvers without the fear of being smashed up at any given moment.

I think the big open matches on natural venues are sadly a thing of the past for a variety of reasons, I did a winter league season and even those where sold out early in those days but it would be a great thing if they were ever to revive.

I think for me it's just been a case of adapting accordingly, diversity and getting off the beaten track occasionally which gives me as much pleasure as my fishing ever did.

I enjoy the memories, probably the 60’s and 70’s stand out most although I still remember some of my 50’s river and pit sessions (especially catching my first tench in ’52) . LAA matches on the Kennet and Thames and Billing for the big carp were my main memories from the 60’s (yes I do remember the '60's and I was there). For the 70’s being a member of a Marlow specimen group meeting at Marlow weir and taking my first ‘double’ barbel in ’72 – also having exclusive rights to a farmer friend’s stretch of the Loddon that held some very decent chub and barbel and a good head of 2lb plus roach.

Having said that I enjoy my fishing as much today.................

Back to my youth and I only fished in fine weather, caught little but enjoyed my time

Now I have better gear , fish most weeks and catch better fish

I'd like to go back to my youth with today's gear and knowledge

If I could go back to my yoof I would probably do the same, give up fishing in favour of bikes, booze and birds.

sagalout said:

If I could go back to my yoof I would probably do the same, give up fishing in favour of bikes, booze and birds.

Click to expand...

Thankfully I managed all four...............

Interesting topic, but whilst those wonderful days of yore were great, I still get as much, if not more enjoyment these days.

Cycling everywhere - even with night fishing gear was the norm, the push bike was eventually replaced by a motorcycle, but it was still tough compared to the current transport.

I am a great believer in looking forward, not back, that is not to say those character developing formative years were not really important, but only look back when there is no longer any point in looking forwards.

it's almost inevitable that many will look back with rose tinted glasses. Nostalgia is very much part of the human condition, and part and parcel of getting older. However, I'm not entirely convinced it's too healthy to look too longingly at times gone. Yes, I'd happily go back to certain time periods on certain waters. However, I'd rather embrace changes and look forward to what might be round the corner.

I recall fondly going to the Trent in the eighties and early nineties. It seemed to be all chub, bream and roach then, though I'd missed the heydays. Then it had a lull period that I doubt anyone will look back too fondly at. That was followed by the explosion in the barbel population. I've little doubt that many will hanker after the days of big bags of roach, bream and chub. However, I've no doubt that others, that have embraced, or grown up with, the changes in the river, will one day look back very fondly at the way the Trent is now.

Fish populations ebb and flow on the vast majority of waters. Those that remain almost unchanged are relatively rare. It's a question of making hay while the sun shines, looking back fondly while being hopeful of a decent future, even a changed one.

Some great and very sensible responses......it is a good thing to look forward and not look back. There is also...as Sam says.....nostalgia and the fact we were all a helluva lot younger in those days and there was no such thing aqs hassle when you're that young...so I agree, you have to take all that into consideration.

Nevertheless, there is still the catching of fish to consider equally....there was no barbel in those days...well, not very many anyway.....and there was hardly any carp either....certainly not in the numbers there is today. When you was fishing those type of venues mentioned in the first post of this thread.....you either caught roach, bream or perch....99% of the time....occasionally you would come across a tench or a carp. I will never forget the feeling I used to get when I saw that flash of a large silver flank when I was fighting a hooked fish....."IT'S A BREAM....IT'S A BREAM"...would be the excited cry from my throat and usually aimed at my Dad.

These days catches like that are not even near a big deal....and I think that is a shame because in all truthfulness, I enjoyed catching a 4lb bream (which was a very good fish in those days) just as much as catching my PB Barbel of 15lb 1oz.

I must say that I am surprised at so many members saying they are equally happy today as they were back then....I would have thought the opposite but they were very good reasons that were given for reaching those decisions though...Maybe it is just me looking back through rose tinted spectacles....I don't know but if any of you have thoughts to the contrary....let us know, let us know that you actually do prefer fishing back in the good old days....I still do.

Maverick

Got to say that being in my mid fities and having having an older and younger generation to look after, along with an ex and curent partner, the joy of the freedom an old 500 guzzi, tent, and the odd bit of modern tackle brings on the rare ocasion that I get the chance is far better than posting memories.
The expectation of being able to go fishing, catching a fish, ANY FISH , even a minnow I would trade for being able to turn the Fing PHONE OFF....

When I started “Specimen” fishing on the Meres of the three Counties (Cheshire Shropshire and Staffordshire) in the early 70s, the fishing was for “Native” fish, bream roach, tench, rudd, perch and pike that had existed in them since they were formed after the ice from the Ice Age had retreated. With the exception of a few, which had a single handful of them in, they had no carp.
Today, the reverse is true and I can only think of 3 that are as they were back then. Do I lament this? Yes bitterly, that in some, the “native” stocks have been removed, others are in terminal decline and becoming carp dominated! 10,000 years of survival by the native stocks gone or in terminal decline all in the last 40+ years.

There are no rose tinted glasses being looked through on this one, it’s an ecological disaster by man’s own hand, through pressure from a vociferous minority, naivety, stupidity and profit in some cases.
Some years ago, I had a conversation with the first Editor of this site around this subject and his comment to me was,” We had the best of it Phil, it will never come back!

Life was good and it was all so simple back then as a child learning to fish in the 60's.
Do I miss those times? Yeah sure, especially with friends and the care free time we spent together but that was a whole different era. We grow up and we move on, we gain new friends and we learn different things. Inevitably things change and they change rapidly and no matter how nostalgic one feels on occasion, those times are unfortunately gone forever, good memories though - damn good.

PS. I miss my childhood friends more than the tackle

The bad one said:

When I started “Specimen” fishing on the Meres of the three Counties (Cheshire Shropshire and Staffordshire) in the early 70s, the fishing was for “Native” fish, bream roach, tench, rudd, perch and pike that had existed in them since they were formed after the ice from the Ice Age had retreated. With the exception of a few, which had a single handful of them in, they had no carp.
Today, the reverse is true and I can only think of 3 that are as they were back then. Do I lament this? Yes bitterly, that in some, the “native” stocks have been removed, others are in terminal decline and becoming carp dominated! 10,000 years of survival by the native stocks gone or in terminal decline all in the last 40+ years.

There are no rose tinted glasses being looked through on this one, it’s an ecological disaster by man’s own hand, through pressure from a vociferous minority, naivety, stupidity and profit in some cases.
Some years ago, I had a conversation with the first Editor of this site around this subject and his comment to me was,” We had the best of it Phil, it will never come back!

Click to expand...

Fantastic post Phil......it is almost identical to the way I feel about those times........the way fishing has changed....the way the carp have all but taken over practically all forms of stillwater fishing....yep, a true disaster.

I suppose we can take comfort in the fact that we did indeed witness the great times of the sport....and yes, I don't suppose it will ever come back....but I definitely will be giving it a try.....I want to see if some of those venues can take me back ....and if they have really changed from those days of my youth.

In all honesty, I would be amazed if they have changed but I will be sure to let you all know....and how it felt too.

Maverick

---------- Post added at 00:23 ---------- Previous post was at 00:12 ----------

laguna said:

Life was good and it was all so simple back then as a child learning to fish in the 60's.
Do I miss those times? Yeah sure, especially with friends and the care free time we spent together but that was a whole different era. We grow up and we move on, we gain new friends and we learn different things. Inevitably things change and they change rapidly and no matter how nostalgic one feels on occasion, those times are unfortunately gone forever, good memories though - damn good.

PS. I miss my childhood friends more than the tackle

Click to expand...

Hi Laguna......sounds like you preferred the past then. Of course you have to move on but don't you think there could be just a smattering of a chance that the lure of those kind of venues we fished when we were younger could draw us back?

They are certainly having a good go with me....I used to love fishing the drains of Boston.....it was all so idyllic and you certainly didn't need a massive barrow to cart your mountain of gear around like they do on commercials these days. All you needed was a fold up striped chair (remember them?), a float rod and feeder rod...a couple of reels and apart from the bits and bobs....that was about it.

I will be going back to the Middle Level Drain...hopefully this summer ...even if it's just to appease my curiosity.........

Maverick

The bad one said:

When I started “Specimen” fishing on the Meres of the three Counties (Cheshire Shropshire and Staffordshire) in the early 70s, the fishing was for “Native” fish, bream roach, tench, rudd, perch and pike that had existed in them since they were formed after the ice from the Ice Age had retreated. With the exception of a few, which had a single handful of them in, they had no carp.
Today, the reverse is true and I can only think of 3 that are as they were back then. Do I lament this? Yes bitterly, that in some, the “native” stocks have been removed, others are in terminal decline and becoming carp dominated! 10,000 years of survival by the native stocks gone or in terminal decline all in the last 40+ years.

There are no rose tinted glasses being looked through on this one, it’s an ecological disaster by man’s own hand, through pressure from a vociferous minority, naivety, stupidity and profit in some cases.
Some years ago, I had a conversation with the first Editor of this site around this subject and his comment to me was,” We had the best of it Phil, it will never come back!

Click to expand...

Agree with all you say but....I was fishing around the same time, late 60's/early 70's and my father accompanied me on most trips. He used to bemoan the fact that the rivers we fished even back then didn't hold the stocks of large roach he used to catch in his youth. These are/were in Lincolnshire. Today you would be hard pressed to catch A roach, let alone a specimen sized one, from most of those venues. The other species are also in decline. As you say, tragic. It's not looking back through "rose tinted spectacles" just the unalterable fact that the fishing today is lamentable compared to what we knew back then.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Yes, give me todays gear AND clothing and the fishing I had access to in my younger days and I doubt Id catch much more.....but it would sure be more comfortable!

Ive fished in many continents and quite a few oceans, caught huge fish and small specimens but even to this day the sheer enormity of the challenge when I first stood at Denver Sluice is still fresh in my mind, and I don't think I have ever recovered from it

Never cracked it either, ah well, perhaps in another life.


Yes Jerry, I remember the cars, the birds and a bit of the booze, but its the fish that I caught I remember the most, some almost like it was yesterday.

.

It is the freedom that I remember best I think. I was a teenager in the 70s and spent much of the summer holidays down the river. Kit was minimal due to lack of funds and was certainly not up to todays standard with hollow glass rod and an Intrepid Black Princemg: My first Mitchell was like a Rolls Royce in comparison. The rod was strapped to the cross bar together with the landing net pole and everything else was in a ruck sack. My landing net was from Green Shield Stamps! I never used ground bait at all and maggots lasted several sessions. In those days I just looked for fish and then tried to ambush them with differing levels of success. I could nearly always manage to tempt a Chub, but not much else! My best fish back then was a 41b Chub which was not bad and fell to a lump of Cheddar pinched from the fridge when Mum was not looking. When all you have to think about is the fishing life is wonderful, but age inevitably brings many different concerns and you find yourself harking back to those carefree days.

The counter side of what I wrote on the Meres for me is the rivers locally in the NW. I do not for one moment lament the open sewers they were when I was a kid. And I kid you not they ran every colour of the rainbow with every noxious chemical you can think of.
The small village I was born in and spent my formative years had a small river in the valley below it that was biologically dead. The only life forms I can remember from when I was a kid were rat-tailed maggots.
Today it has a healthy fish fauna and invertebrate life in it. And this is repeated right across the region on most of the rivers.
Even the love of my life today, the River Ribble, wasn’t immune from periodic pollutions every 5-6 years back in them days.

Times do change and in the NW the rivers have changed and changed for the better, no longer do I have to travel to rivers far a field like the Yorkshire rivers, the Trent, Witham. They are there on my doorstep, and/or within a 40 minute drive from home with fish I want to catch and feed that specimen need I have.

I miss Dorset dace fishing. I still catch a FEW and occasionally a decent one but it's a fraction of what I'd get 30-40 years ago. Roach fishing was far better too; still catching some including decent ones and some big ones still about but far more localised.

My visits to the NW are few but I remember in the 80s going to Knutsford for work and mostly staying in Altringham and always wondering what colour the Bollin would be; no fish in those days yet I believe it has all sorts now.

It is indeed, but for how long is anyone guess, with the proposed vast expansion of M/c Airport which will over the next 20 years equate to a large town being place on it's catchement.

Back in the early 80s and through to late 90s I fished with two quite famous angling Scousers on the Meres, Rodger and Eddy. As the NW rivers started to get clean again were jested on one outing, that we may at some point in our lives be able to hold a Liverpool V Manchester Specimen Fish Match on the Mersey.
Ironically that match could today take place!

I missed the barbel boom on the Ouse in the mid to late nineties as I was having my 'testosterone' decade (birds, booze, raves and E's).

I had a glimpse of the good fishing catching lots of barbel up to when I was about 14 or so and then I put my fishing gear away until I came back from Uni (aged 24).

The fishing was quantifiably better then to now so I would love to go back there/then.

The world pre 9/11 was so much better in my mind aswell.