john-d

Although I've fished many rivers around the country, the most beautiful is the Dove, but I'm biased as I only live 15 mins from it. Not only that the mighty Trent and river Derwent are even closer.

I think I've got all of Barries books, I will certainly be looking out for the re-write. Perhaps his best in my opinion as to be Fundamental Principles, a book which made me think more about fishing than any other book ever has. I hope Barrie makes a speedy recovery.

After 20 years of trying to beat a personnel best eel of 5lb's, this year I had a eel of 6lb 9oz. Although it was a fish I'd dreamed about for years, the next eel I caught a week later was less than a third of its size I was just as happy...well almost. Taking my 11 year old son cat fishing and seeing him catch a 36lb 14oz fish, the look on his face will remain with me forever. Minutes later he was back to catching small roach and perch, I asked him which he liked best the big cat or the little silver fish, his reply was "I just like catching fish dad". This year I decided to fish with a centerpin more often than just once or twice. My best fish was a 2lb 15oz perch on a lob worm fished on my local River Derwent, and on a home made float too.

I remember catching sticklebacks and minnows with my hands when I was very young. The very first time I caught a fish on rod and line was in July 1976, I was 13 years old, my dad had brought me a 13ft split cane rod and a small closed face reel from some chap he worked with, he also had a wooden seat box made for me in his works maintenance department which I still have. No one in my family knew anything about fishing, luckily my grandma had brought for my birthday which is in July,the ladybird book about coarse fishing, I still have the book. And my first fish all those years ago was a Roach, I had another roach a while later and that was it I reeled in and sat on the canal bank and decided there and then I would fish for ever,and ever,and ever.....

Hi Steve I've never posted anything before, although I registered a long while ago. So would a first post such as this one enable me to put my name down?