daystate 177 Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 I have loads but I think the best 2 come in are, I was lucky to go on a fishing feature for my bday last year as my friend is high up in the trade and got his pal at the mags to run a feature on me, we fished the river test which in itself was enough but we had the camera man following our every move, we'll all day the grayling would not play ball all little fish or out of season trout. Well just as they called time on the feature I had 1 last cast as you always do I hit this bite and my 3wt went double and about 15mins later I slipped the net under a massive grayling on the scales it swung 2lb 9 a rush with the camera and I was made up my pal was not happy been in the trade 18yrs and his pb is 2.3lb 2nd is the river Wye this year fished a private stretch had 50 odd fish in the day wild Browns wild rainbows not massive about 2/3lb at best but what a beautiful place I guess having my pal in the trade I get to fish some fantastic places Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double10 Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 A couple of nice experiences - first bull trout whilst fly fishing for salmon in Canada, first brown trout this summer whilst fishing for salmon on the Tamar. First bass (a brace) fishing an afternoon windswept low tide at Pett Level beach at the end of Rye bay. 17lb pike on the lure was nerve racking although I think my greatest catch was on a sunny afternoon fishing with my mate on his pond; I had freelined a piece of bread on a 1.5lb hooklink with a size 20 hook to catch a 1inch fry. Not knowing whether any perch were about I stuck said fry on the very same rig and left it. Noticed the line moving away about 2mins later a bit faster than it should have and proceeded to reel in a lovely looking 2lb12oz perch, with the size 20 just nestled in his scissors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) 20lb cod from Chesil Beach in October 1968/9. Edited December 28, 2014 by rjimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted December 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) 20lb cod from Chesil Beach in October 1968/9. nice one, as a kid I used to fish off Walton pier most Sunday's in winter, in those days twenty pounders were regularly caught, happy days , I remember me dad had a bite that wrapped his rod round the rail and it was only the clutch on his centrepin that stopped the rod from being lost I doubt i will ever get a twenty pounder in Britain Edited December 28, 2014 by islandgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 My most memorable day was in 1985 off Aberdovey..we were on a tope session and I was geared up with a 20lb class rod. with a 15ft 70lb leader and short steel trace We anchored to catch some mackerel and I couldn't be assed to set up another rod so I took off the bronzed hook and steel trace and tied on a smaller set of forged Aberdeen's on a 20 lb dropper. I put a slip of mackerel on the bottom hook because there had been some black bream being caught off this mark and you never know. When I let the multiplier clutch off the lever stuck and the weight sunk all the way to the bottom. While I was dicking around with the clutch a Dogfish (I think) started knocking at the bait so I reeled into it. After about 30 turns the whole set up went solid. It then started to take line.... Something big had hit the dogfish in mid water and was intent making a meal of it. I just kept pumping on the rod...and it came with me for 5 minutes or so and then started pulling back... The skip got all the other rods in and then wound up the anchor. Whatever was hanging on the end of my rod was pulling the 35 ft boat around. I never had a butt pad or a harness and after 45 minutes my arms were hurting like hell. After an hour and 30 minutes the 70lb leader broke surface and it was chaffed to ******* where the fish had been rolling the line. A porbeagle estimated at 85 - 90lb by the skip broke surface at about the 1 hour 45 mark.. copped a stare at me with a steely eye, said to itself I've had enough of this and with a last violent head shake severed the trace... I can only imagine it had been hooked right in the gape previous to this. Far from being disappointed I was elated and exhausted... I sat back on the deck resting against the lifeboat canister, someone handed me a cigarette and a cup of tea...I didn't have the strength to work the lighter or hold the cup..! I didn't fish for the rest of the day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 I like that one Mike ^^ One of mine was on Lough Derg about 20 years ago. Just me and my 6 yr old son out in a rowing boat fishing for whatever came along. We were float fishing with maggot and not much happening. I said we would row off to a different spot and as I wound in a big pike took my hook. It took me 45 minutes to land it and we were an awful long way from where we started. We won't forget that one. Another was a year or two ago. My son was working out in Australia and I decided to go visit for the weekend. Spent the weekend camped in the dunes of Rainbow Beach catching Darts out of the surf. An eccentric trip as it cost me £1500 for two days fishing. Worth every penny. A separate trip found us again in Queensland fishing in a creek that was 50-60 miles away from the nearest tarmac. Not many on this planet have ever fished there. Nothing special about the place other than the remoteness and time spent with my son again. Caught Sleepy Cod and Spangled Perch. Made fish and chips and fishcake with the perch. Went well with the Yabbies we pulled out of there. Early this year both me and my son went back to Australia for my 50th, this time we were down south. Spent my birthday fishing off some remote jetty in the Southern Ocean dangling my feet over the edge while a pod of dolphins swam beneath me. I could go on. The key things for me are not the prize winning fish, I don't care about that at all. What matters to me is remoteness, enjoying my surroundings and spending time with loved ones. These things are precious. One of the nicest fish I caught was a 15lb Grass Carp on the fly not 50 yards from my own back door. Just to see if I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roostshooter1 Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 My most memorable experience was fishing as a 17 year old (only 13 years ago) trying to get a result to be picked for an england under 18 member so we drew our peg numbers for berrow beach i was peg 26 out of 50 the wind was strong and the surf was running hard so in i went with a 3 hook loop rig and fished for 3 hours without a bite but seen a few cod landed so decided for last couple hours to swich to a pennel rig with 6/0 hooks on with half a cuttlefish on which was sent seawards and i sat there waiting and listening to dad moaning about me chucking my chance away then out of the blue i had a thundering slack line bite which resulted in first fish on beach which was a cod of 12lb 7oz which was followed up by 2 more of 11lb 9oz then the last one of 16lb 5oz so off i went to the weigh in with the biggest smile on my face took first place with 200 quid and a new conoflex source rod but never did get my england call up but did have my fitst 3 shore caught doubles which ive now taken to 18 doubles to 17lb 9oz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted December 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 great stuff FM good tale with a good ending. I went to college in Bangor and remember someone getting a very large Porbeagle entangled in a gill net in the Menai Straits, 39TDS , brilliant going to oz for the weekend !, I travelled over there for a year in the 80's and enjoyed the yabbies and some outstanding fishing, i worked on banana plantations in Carnavon WA for a time, they have a long Jetty stretching out into the Indian Ocean, I well remember watching the Turtles and huge stingray swimming by, whilst catching some smallish spanish mackeral on a spinning rod along with some nice black bream, the locals were using small bream as livebait catching 30+lb "kingies" on handlines, an aboriginal friend hooked a "fiddler" shark on a hand line guessed weight 175lb which damaged his hands so much we cut the line. roostshooter1 wow, way to win a competition and 18 doubles I am very envious, the Bristol channel sound like the place to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Stingray between the two boats. Massive great thing just aimlessly gliding around the harbour. There were two of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted December 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Stingray between the two boats. Massive great thing just aimlessly gliding around the harbour. There were two of them. was this in oz ? reminds me more of England, I caught one in Essex that weighed 36lb, they are very deep compared with say a thornback , the ones i saw in WA would have weighed in three figures, the one in your photo looks to be 4/5 ft across any guess of the weight ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Yes it was in Oz, somewhere between Adelaide and Melbourne although I can't remember the name of the place. No idea on weight but I would be very surprised if it were less than 6 foot across and I would expect it to be 6-7'. I was fishing off the little jetty you can see at the top of the pic. A pair of them glided around the bay and came head on to the jetty. They look very graceful when going in a straight line but they are rubbish at cornering when there's a jetty in their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Last year, fishing from a small Jetty in the bay at Marvig, Isle of Lewis. After casting a spinner out for my 6 year old daughter to retrieve a few times she soon got bored and wanted to learn to cast herself. A few tangles later she soon got the hang of it and then prompty out fished her old man - one of the proudest days of my life. We stopped when she'd caught enough mackerel for dinner, she knocked every one of them on the head herself and took them proudly back to the cottage to show her mum. Sea to plate in less than an hour and she could hardly eat because of the huge smile plastered all over her face. When she eventually went to bed, still grinning and planning her next trip, I walked out to a nearby Loch and had a cracking couple of hours with at least ten fish falling to the fly. That was a red letter evening in my fishing career, but it paled into insignificance compared to watching my little girl a few hours earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 I know the feeling Jonty. My son ad his first sewin (sea trout) this summer. he was delighted "thats the catch of the day" he kept saying, I was well proud. Tight Lines Aled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shropshire_Lad Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 The first fish I ever caught was a 14lb cod, beach fishing on the N.Kent coast.I had a Woolworths rod and reel and it was in a northerly gale.I doubt if the bait was 25yards out because it was my first ever trip out and I didn`t really know what I was doing.I brought the fish home and no one believed I caught it off the beach,my dad said I bought it off a fishing boat,but I knew the truth.That was 40 years ago and I remember it like yesterday.I will take that memory to the grave with me. Fantastic ! The Woolworths rod comment brought back one of my greatest fishing memories. As a youngster a few of my mates and I were lucky enough to fly fish a few of our local trout pools some 35/40 years ago, my dad a farm labourer worked hard to give me this chance. Anyway one summers day we were fishing a local reservoire alongside an older chap who had helped us all morning trying to get us catching fish to no avail . All of a sudden his rod hooped over to nearly bent double and he beckoned us over, our mate Jimmy could run the fastest and was at his side in a flash ! The old boy gave his rod to Jimmy and he played the fish out and landed it ! We were all awestuck as the fish was around the 31/2"lb mark, a monster. Jimmy was using a Wololworths fly rod and reel but landed his Trout on a Hardy Rod....the stuff of dreams lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul taylor Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 I'm not even going to comment on my best catches although I will say as others have, they've involved my young ones rather than me. Really enjoyed reading about all your experiences and think I need to put the guns down for a bit and dust the rods off .Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallshort Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Not sure this counts but I was Sea fishing on a small day charter boat out of Salcombe once with my dad, I must have been about 13. It was a bright sunny day and the water was gin clear. We are stood up drifting over a wreak when this huge Basking shark swam under the boat. All I remember seeing was this huge mouth that I swear was half the size of the boat glide towards us then just drop under the boat. Everyone on our side of the boat stood in shock for about 30 seconds not quite believing what they had seen. I never caught the fish as such but its by far the most Memorial thing that ever happened to me while I was fishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Not sure this counts but I was Sea fishing on a small day charter boat out of Salcombe once with my dad, I must have been about 13. It was a bright sunny day and the water was gin clear. We are stood up drifting over a wreak when this huge Basking shark swam under the boat. All I remember seeing was this huge mouth that I swear was half the size of the boat glide towards us then just drop under the boat. Everyone on our side of the boat stood in shock for about 30 seconds not quite believing what they had seen. I never caught the fish as such but its by far the most Memorial thing that ever happened to me while I was fishing. I'd say that counts mate. I was sailing in the seychelles a few years ago where basking sharks are not uncommon and I was lucky enough to have quite a few close encounters with them - it certainly reminds you of how small we are in the scheme of things when you have one of those big beggars appear out of the blue by your boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatergun Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 My best trip was the opening day of the season about 9 or 10 years ago on the middle severn just downstream of bewdley. I had a couple of barbel at first light, followed by a monster chub of well over 5lbs from a classic overhanging tree/weed raft swim. The rest of the morning and early afternoon was quiet with just a few small chub/eels until around 4pm when the barbel seemed to switch on. In the next couple of hours I landed 18 fish, including 5 over 10lbs, with most around 7-8lbs. On several casts the rod didn't have time to settle before the tip had gone round. I was knackered after that little lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted April 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 My best trip was the opening day of the season about 9 or 10 years ago on the middle severn just downstream of bewdley. I had a couple of barbel at first light, followed by a monster chub of well over 5lbs from a classic overhanging tree/weed raft swim. The rest of the morning and early afternoon was quiet with just a few small chub/eels until around 4pm when the barbel seemed to switch on. In the next couple of hours I landed 18 fish, including 5 over 10lbs, with most around 7-8lbs. On several casts the rod didn't have time to settle before the tip had gone round. I was knackered after that little lot. Wow thats a serious result did you get any photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatergun Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Wow thats a serious result did you get any photos I have, but they are actual photo's!! and I have no scanner. Edited April 9, 2015 by tatergun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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