Memories of an angler #8

Nice piece Davy. Our club used to go to Brid, Whitby, and Scarboro on the cobbles. Interesting boats, big at the front and like a rowing boat at the back.
On mussels, our skipper one day was shelling them and when he got three of those plastic marg-pots he passed them down the line of anglers to get to the front of the boat. He carried on shelling and another three pots passed down. Before he could do any more one pot came back empty and some big guy at the front was shouting "Alright them Skipper! Can I have some vinegar on the next lot."

Pretty much like one of the CSG lads when he thought that his jam sandwich was abit lumpy, a slug had crawled onto it.

nothing wrong with very fresh raw mussels...especially with a squeeze of lemon...slugs..never tried them,but snails...bit too crunchy;0)

I'm not sure but using mussel for bait is a Yorkshire / North East thing, when I've talked to sea anglers from other parts of the country they seem not to use them. However I've found them good in cocktails from the shore especialy frozen as the mussel disolves in the water making a good scent trail.

I tried mussel for chub once, but didn't get a sniff, but to be fair I didn't get a sniff on anything that day. I'm sure they'll work, has anyone tried them?

You remind me Davy of the many times I used to go out from Bridlington Harbour after the cod of the North Sea.

I used to walk the whole distance from my Grandad's house in Bempton to catch a "Coble" out for 6 hours fishing. Often I spent the whole 6 hours vomiting into the sea. When I got my sea legs. I caught lots of cod, plaice, haddock and other species. The boatman used to gut them for you, then I walked back home with a huge load on my back.

Later that evening, my Grandma used to perpare the best fish and chip suppers I have ever had in my life.

Oh happy memories.

Not fishing really, but in 1965 about 6 of us ( all anglers) hired a boat on the Bbroads for a couple of weeks. One evening we had moored up close to one of the many pubs and were all ready to go on the pull. It being dark we had problems finding the exit (or whatever its called)One of the lads said you dont need to bother with that, just jump. He did but from the wrong side, and as it was tidal water, at low tide, he finished up in several feet of stinking mud. Good old Ted, forever the joker

We went to Brid regularly, it was a works club then, and this time one of the works lads was with us on his first sea trip. On the chara going up, he joined in with the rest taking the mick out of those who'd be uncle ****. "Put em at the front and let em groundbait..." etc.

We put out and as per usual it was lovely and calm in Brid bay and after a mile he says "Oooohhh look! You can see Norway!" "Where's Norway?" the others asked. "Over there on the horizon. All the mountains way off." "Ooooh yes" says everyone - knowingly..

Course we got a couple of miles further out and you start to see the so-called mountains are the big rollers you get off Flamborough. "We're not going that far though, are we?" he asked. "Ooohhh Yes!" came the emphatic reply.

He spent the rest of the trip either over the side or under the seat up front. It was a quiet trip after all, other than the sound of barfing. His nickname - Fishy-Dave.

Looking back to those day's, do members of to-days clubs have the same fun that we all seamed to enjoy. We had regular club/ pub trips. Sometimes in an old bus, and others in my dads old Bedford Dormobile, and as far as prizes went I think the best I ever achieved was a leg of pork. To-days average match/competition angler is just not interested unless there is big money to be won. My clubs match scene is non-event, but the club is still expected to subsidise the winter league and other such events.
The only thing that comes close are the get-together weekends of the CSG. But I think most of us, with the odd exception, are of a certain age!

John, I might do an article for FM sometime on our old sea fishing trips. We had some great time in the early 70s. A lot of friends no longer with us, I'm afraid.
You're right about the money, but we had some of them then. One of the members wouldn't fish the Fur and Feather at Christmas because it wasn't money as a prize. Greed, sheer Greed.

We had some great times, espcially on the boats of of Brid. Mostly with the lads from the Brittania pub in Wakefield, now no longer there. One lad, Keith Taylor, was a dead ringer for Des T. He had an older brother who worked on the railways??