I lived on the Isle Of White between 1970 and 1977 (up until i was 11 years old) and it was there that I fell in love with fishing.
My favourite spot was a small pond right on the banks of the River Medina, just north of Newport. Because it was owned by Mrs Chase, a dinner-lady from Hunnyhill primary school, we used to call it 'Chases pond' - it was a fantastic place full of Rudd and Carp (although I never caught one my brother had one of about 3lb, which seemed huge!).

I would love to know if the pond is still there, and any pictures if it is..... Mrs Chase (although a fearsome woman in the way that many dinner-ladies were) was great to us kids and used to let us keep all our rods in her shed so we didn't have to carry them around.

I know it is easy to get all 'rose-tinted' about childhood, but it really was a fantastic place to fish as a child.

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'bump'

i would hate to find out the pond was gone, so if anyone on the isle Of Wight could check it out for me i would be grateful.....

Looks like no Isle of Wight folks on the forum just now. I think there are some pretty good UK mapping programs that could show you the pond (or it's absence).

Sorry that my apps are US-centric and don't do real well with UK locations but is the pond somewhere in the area covered by this map?

It's not gunville pong is it?
Carfisbrooke way, south of Forest Road, West of centre?
If it is then Scotties of Newport do day tickets AND it's in this weeks Anglers Mail.

Meant Pond of course, must check spear chucking before pasting newt team. Lager.

Sorry it's taken a while to respond.........................

Mr & Mrs Chase have sadly passed away many years ago. Their old house, (you remember we used to go into the porch and pay our sixpence for fishing for the dayand could buy sweets off her!) has been demolished and replaced by an Executive House.

The Pond itself is still there, it is actually one in a series of three ponds, being the closest to the River. It is largely overgrown and mainly inhabitated by eels.

The Middle Pond which was off Stag Lane is owned by a private consortium, not sure on the top pond which never was really any good, but the last time I passed it looked like somebody was doing some clearance work on it.

The Bridge over Chase's pond which used to carry the railway has been rebuilt and is now part of the cycle path Newport-Cowes.

The whole cement mills site is scheduled for redevelopment, not sure what will happen then.

And if you fished there in the 1960's- 1970's chances are we fished together. I seem to remember spending my life there or out on my Dingy which Mrs Chase let me keep in her yard.

PM me if you need anything.