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I haven't been fishing since I was a lad - probably about 10 years old, over 50 years ago. Then it was a rod, float, hook and bait (often bread) catching who knows what in the local canal!

Move forward 50+ years - yesterday I had the opportunity to go fishing on Lake Michigan with a couple of friends. I caught an 8lb Lake Trout, and a friend caught a 21lb King Salmon. "Not a very good day" according to my friends - to me it was magic! I learned to deep water fish, how to clean fish, and now they are in my refrigerator! I had never actually caught a fish I could eat before!

I expected to keep the trout, but was amazed when they gave me the salmon too - "we have all we can handle"! AND all it cost me was a few $$$ for fuel - to go out for a full day on a charter boat (with no guarantee of catching anything) is about $500.00!

I am looking forward to going again!

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(Update on the new venture) Went down to the river this morning as a try out, tied the rod and landing net pole to the bike like I used to when I was a kid, few bits of tackle and a reel in my back pa

The Witham has a good reputation for chub Rog, so get yourself up there. Brew can advise about fishing rods    Most of my time on the river banks these days is checking for pollution. I lead

To all you fishing buffs out there, this obit was in our paper recently. I pray that I may live to fish Until my dying day And when it comes to my last cast I then most humbly pray When in the Lo

Reckon there were two reasons for going fishing 1) to catch fish and 2) for therapy. They were mutually exclusive, could do one or the other, but not both.

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I know what you mean

Nice to relax and unwind , but then you're constantly on a knife edge waiting to strike when that 'biggun' bites !

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piggy has gone fishing for many years as a form of relaxation he will be out for the day on tuesday he takes a 93 year old man once every two weeks who is now regitered blind as he now has only perifial vision but still loves his fishing he was only 65 when dave started taking him and has out lived a lot of the much younger guys than him who were in the fishing club now down to just the two of them left in the club wich was started in 1906belived to be the oldest fishing club still in existence although now only the 2 members left in it they still keep the name going.

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To all you fishing buffs out there, this obit was in our paper recently.

I pray that I may live to fish

Until my dying day

And when it comes to my last cast

I then most humbly pray

When in the Lord's great fishing net

And peacefully asleep

That in his mercy I be judged

Good enough to keep.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had another fun day on Lake Michigan yesterday. The fishing is dying off as the salmon and trout retreat up the rivers to spawn, but we did catch a 22lb King (Chinook) Salmon that put up a real fight. It took all three of us over half an hour to get her onto the boat! Most of it is now in my refrigerator!

I think that's it for big lake fishing this year - the next good fishing is in the spring as the Steelhead (Rainbow) Trout go downstream into the big lake and can be caught from the breakwater piers. I am looking forward to going out in the big lake next summer - it was/is a great way to spend a day and hopefully bring home a few dinners!

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I know you probably already know this, but don't forget to eat it within 2 months, even in a deep freeze fish deteriorates if kept too long.

I'm actually doing something I've never done before on Thursday/Friday. I'm going for a 2 day (overnight) session, going after some really BIG Carp (Hopefully into the 40lb bracket)

47 years of fishing under my belt and I've never done an 'all nighter' !!

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Excuse my ignorance beefsteak not being an angler myself but can you eat carp I always thought they were too muddy. Or is it a case of land it, weigh it then throw it back?

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Land it , weigh it, photograph it then (Unless you're of Eastern European decent ) place them back carefully from whence they came.

The photos are for years down the line if you catch it again you can tell how much it has grown, as the Mirror Carp is a bit like a fingerprint in that each one scale pattern is unique and doesn't change as it gets older.

Seafish on the other hand ...................

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I went after the Carp again on Thursday (Didn't manage the 2 day session as SWMBO got called in to work at the last minute) and ended the day with over 100 lb of them (15 fish) smallest at 6 lb largest was 10 lb 2oz.
Roll on Tuesday when I'm going at lunch time and then 'overnighting' (Hopefully this time) till Wednesday lunch.

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Beefy you would cry over here ! the european carp are in plague proportions and any caught cannot be put back by law so they are discarded on the bank for the feral cats and whatever else to eat.

Some lovely specimens too, its criminal to any uk brought up fisherman but thats what they do.

Remember on one of my trips back to the uk a few years ago, met up with an old fishing mate and he took me to some private ponds near Newark somewhere and we paid either 10 or 15 quid for the day to fish for carp!

My favorite spot from years ago was in the trent at Stoke Bardolph just near the sewage factory outlets, had many a pleasant evening after work catching some nice roach and if lucky a few chub there.

My second favorite was the sluice gates through colwick park, actually caught a barbel there one evening.

Oh and cannot leave out piking in the rowing course or on my sailing clubs lakes at Hoveringham.

Some very special uk fishing memories for me.

I can fish here and catch some amazing ocean and freshwater fish, but its weird ! my uk fishing memories always come flooding back.

On my trips back I always go down Stoke and have a pint and sit in my old spot for an hour or so.

My wife thinks I'm nuts ! ;-)

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I know this next bit is going to sound hypocritical but:-

It's a shame they have to destroy something so beautiful that has taken so long to get to a decent size.

And no offence meant to you Banjo but it's a shame they call them "European Carp" when in fact they mostly come from Asia!

I also have a bit of a problem with a FB friend who insists "Meat is Murder" and won't stop going on about it, but loves (And brags about it too) to travel all over the world after some big fish. (Now to me , that "IS hypocritical!)

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No offence at all. I agree, but that is what they are labelled here.

In my last house I had a nice pond with several Koi in it, they were so tame they would come and hassle you for food when I you near the edge of the pond.

I used to feed them all sorts of things and they rarely refused. Quite upsetting when I sold the house complete with fish as the new owners wanted them with the sale.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's great to read of member's fishing exploits, especially you guys from abroad.

But really I can only identify with Banjo.

I too was brought up on the Trent - Burton Joyce/Stoke Bardolph area. Early '50s as a 10 year old living in Basford and fishing in junior competitions. The draw for pegs was in the yard at the back of th "Lord Nelson". Competitions also on the Embankment. I was hooked by fishing like a lot of people. I was caught by County also. Tommy Lawton etc.

Two pictures here; On the steps as a 8 year old and more recently with a mirror at my favourite Coventry venue.

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Nice fish, I caught his little brother on Tuesday.!

Of all my Mirrors this one is perhaps my favourite catch, as it will be my last (For a while, I'm having to take a forced sabbatical for a few weeks) and it was caught on a whimsy, and very light tackle. (When I say light, I mean on a reel with a broken handle that is not a lot better than a "Shakespeare Black Prince" (Remember them??) loaded with 3lb line on a rod that is lighter than many a bank stick I've owned!) But boy what a scrap, only just over 10lb , but heck I knew about it!

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Ah Beefsteak that is some days fishing which ever way you look at it; weight or number and that mirror really is a beautiful creature.

I don't get on to the rivers much these days; perhaps once or twice a year although the Warwickshire Avon is close by to me and the Severn isn't a million miles away. When you're in your seventies and a lone fisherman it's not wise to go sliding down banks in lonely locations. No, I find myself fishing these days in the comparative safety of a local 'commercial' in North Warks. (No, not Makins, never have although I could walk it.)

I started out fishing at Vernon Park, Basford and in the River Leen where it ran behind the Park and in Billy Bacons Field, the other side of Vernon Road. The shoals of roach in that river were unbelievable in those days.

Hi Newbasfordlad, unfortunately that rod and reel went years ago but have been replaced by some reasonable kit since. I bought an Allcocks Aerial Match reel back in '61 from Billy Lane (Name dropper) and still as good as new. Cost me 4 weeks wages at the time.

OK here's a silly story I made up a while ago (Chevin is an alternative name for Chub in some parts) :-

So Mick and Matt had had a good days fishing down on the river and they were ravenous, thirsty and a touch cold. They decided to drop in to the ‘Float & Feeder’ public house down by the bridge. It was a lovely traditional theme pub based on fishing of course. The bar was festooned with keepnets landing nets rods etc. All the sort of stuff you & I would be familiar with. A few cased fish adorned the walls as well and as soon as they walked though the doorway and up to the bar, Matt says “Look at that pike over the fireplace, must be at least 35 lb”. “Did you see that chevin on the left of the doorway as we walked in.” responded Mick . Turning around to see, Matt said “What chevin?” Quick as a flash Mick replied “Oh cheers Matt, I’ll have a pint of Carling and the Chef’s special please; let’s go and sit over there by the fire”.

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Sorry 'Newbasfordlad' I did mean to ask you if you were far from Chard Street and district. My Primary School was Egypt Road, on the corner of Radford Road. I don't think there are many New Basford contributors on the Forums but I may be wrong!

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We used to fish for chub under the suspension bridge on the trent from the Meadows side, early sunday morning while there was mist on the water, large cubes of cheese for bait, or lob worms were the go.

Used to get some real monsters there in the 60's.

We also used to go up to the Fiskerton powerstation near Newark, it was Nottm piscatorial waters, but I went as a junior visitor with a mates dad who was a ticket holder. Good chub and roach waters too.

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Was at Doncaster market yesterday and on one of the fresh fish stalls was for sale "European Mirror Carp" £4.98 per Kilo, these things were between 8 & 10 pounds each in weight, what a sorry sight. high population of eastern europeans live in Doncaster now, so thats two sorry sights yesterday

Rog

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