My mum just gave me some old family pics.
theres one of me at hampstead heath ponds aged 2 in 1973, sitting on the edge with stick and line , dotted with split shot and my mum holding the back of me cardie.
I know it was my uncle roy and ray who got me started back in the early 70's.
Hampstead heath, camden lock, the chase, victoria park, and the roding and lea.
remember a deep thudding comming from my nans bath late one night. When i went in there was a bath of cold water full of Eels thumping around the edges.
First rod i made was a bamboo cane, some line tied to the end, a split cork slipped on to the line and some bolt nuts as weights with a hook tied on the end.
Took it down to Camden lock, must have been about 7 or 8 years old, put bread on as bait but my nan and little brother wanted to feed the ducks with it.
Roy and Ray gave me two old glass rods and a old mitchell reel, some quills and odds and sods.
other bits i found or got from woolworths.
When i moved to Se london and made new friends we were out exploring all the time but always managed to see out of town.
We would cycle for miles or walk just to get some fishing in.
I worked out that from 1973 aged 2 or 3 to 1982 aged about 11 or 12 I didnt catch a single fish.
First fish was a stickle back from a small pond in new Eltham, SE London 1982, after that all i got was Rudd and Crucian untill they stopped us from fishing that pond in about 1984.
johnathon fell off the Log(fallen tree) that stuck out into this pond.
Gordon froze in fear whilst on it cos lea said the pike was hunting him.
I tried to row across it in a bath Tub with no plug in the hole.
Gorden got a size 8 Stuck in is butt. His Dad had him over his knees with pliers.LOL.
And Mark, you know who you are.
Tipped a bucket of frog spawn over me head.
After that things became a bit more seriouse and have vastley improved. Havnt they Mark?