36 Years Late - My next Match

So after the worst winter for decades, the thaw finally came and I started thinking about going fishing again.

I started by trying out new baits, like paste and jelly pellets, on the Island pond at Magiscroft, but after a few pleasure sessions, I started to hanker after some competition - I fished a lot of matches as a junior in the '70s and did reasonably well - but things have moved on a fair bit - but what the hell. My last match had been in 1977, somewhere on the F&C canal.

I decided to enter a match to be fished on the Woodside pond on May 4th 2011. There were only 8 of us, and everyone else had a modern carbon fibre pole and proper seat boxes - I had my wicker basket and a classic float rod/reel combination from the '70s.

So, fishing with sweet corn, on the slope of the far shelf, I was pleasantly surprised to catch fish fairly steadily throughout the match and end up winning it with 20lbs - 9oz of carp, tench, chub and a solitary skimmer bream. Roz Cassidy was second with 18lbs - 12oz and Wullie McAuley was 3rd with 11lb - 0oz.

So, the old kit wasn't such a handicap - or was it just 'beginners' luck? - time would tell!