IN SEARCH OF BIGGER FISH 

I’ve been writing my Angling Diary on AnglersNet since 1999, it has been a fun three years but a lot has changed. Fish are getting bigger, I’m getting bigger and I’m also getting a bit older! All this means that the ‘JuniorNet’ label isn’t really relevant anymore. This is why I’ve decided to change the style of my column…. 

Some of the older ones amongst you may remember a little book published by Angling Times in 1963 and written by a certain Frank called “In Search of Big Fish”. It was a diary following my Dad over the course of a year, through the ups and downs of a fishing season. It was a very popular book, one of the first of a new style of fishing books aimed at the ‘Specimen Angler’. Nowadays Specimen angling is a very well established branch of our sport, and hundreds of books, magazines, T.V. programmes, Videos and also Internet sites are aimed at the specimen hunter. I’ve decided to go back to basics and resurrect my Dad’s book as my new angling diary: “In Search of Bigger Fish”. Fishing is very much a different kettle of fish today, but much of the spirit and excitement remains the same. Despite the vastly larger fish, new techniques and baits, new waters etc., June 16^th is still a momentous day, the mist rising off a lake at dawn remains a special scene and a big fish lying in the folds of a net still sets an angler’s heart racing. To compare and contrast these two different eras of big fish angling I’m going to include exerts from the book for the relevant date so we can see what my dad was getting up to 40 years ago! 

As an addition to my diary I’m going to interview some of the biggest names from our sport on the bank, giving an insight into their public and private lives. In the first ‘batch’ of the “Fred Fishes with…..” series are specimen maestro Martin Bowler, angling’s representative in the house of commons and Labour M.P. Martin Salter, carping whiz kid Colin Davidson and Who Wants to be a Millionaire star and mad keen angler Chris Tarrant. Keep your eyes peeled – You’ll read it here first on AnglersNet!

Fred's Articles & Diary

In Search Of Bigger Fish - Published 6th October, 2003
Fred Fishes with... Colin Davidson. - Published 21st February, 2003
In Search Of Bigger Fish - Published 23rd November, 2002
Fred Fishes With...Martin Salter, M.P. - Published 14th August, 2002
In Search Of Bigger Fish - Published 14th August, 2002
Spring 2002 - Published 11th April, 2002
Having A Purple Patch - Published August, 2001
Getting The Urge - Published July, 2001
Catching Up - Published 24th July, 2001
Fishing In Ireland by Tyrone Hull - Published 31st May, 2001
February 2001 - Published 21st February, 2001
January 2001 - Published 20th February, 2001
October 2000 - Published 8th November, 2000
September 2000 - Published September 25th, 2000
August 2000 - Published 24th August, 2000
July 2000  - Published 17th July, 2000
End Of Season 2000  - Published 1st May, 2000
Kebabs...Just Say NO! - Published 13th February, 2000
November 1999 Diary
Fred's Guest Nick Tredwell - Published 18th July, 1999
Exam And Fishing Don't Mix! - Published 18th July, 1999
Don't Always Believe What You're Told! - Published 1st May, 1999