Spooky Experiences

[Guest John S]

Originally posted by Cap'n Hook:

I take great ummbrage at your question John of course was there you silly man. Who do you think was by the rods waiting for the penny to drop. (any young anglers please refer to R Walkers writings on early bite indication).

 

I always ensure that I'm never more than a pint of Guinness away from my rod...

 

Cheers

 

 

 

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John Suffill

[Guest Steve Burke]

Originally posted by Elton:

 

Early bite indication? Steve Burke still uses that method, although I'm told by his syndicate members that he prefers to use the old half-pennies, 'cos you can't spend those ones

 

 

Steady on Elton, old bean. I'll have you know I use farthings (a quarter of an old penny to you young whippersnappers). They're smaller and so make less noise than than halfpennies when they fall into the tobacco tin.

 

Mind you I confess I was tempted to buy one of those new fangled bite alarms that buzzes when you get a bite. That was until the chap said he wanted as much as 5 guineas for just one!

 

 

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Wingham Fisheries

www.anglersnet.co.uk/fisheries/wingham.htm

[Guest Cliff]

What a reply Alan - closer to Stephen King than Mills & Boon, I'll never sleep again!

 

My brother was once night fishing, alone, for salmon in a remote part of Scotland on one of those dark nights when you can hardly see your hand in front of your face.

 

He heard something moving towards him from the darkness, but being a tough Yorkshireman chose to continue fishing, the noise from behind him continued, moving closer & becoming louder.

By now he was wandering why he was alone in the dark in a strange place in the middle of nowhere, but still he fished on.

The noise continued to move closer & he knew something to be very close behind him.

he then felt warm breath on the back of his neck.

Plucking up courage he turned around to see a huge Deer right behind him & looking him right in the face, presumably it had approached him to check him out.

 

Both fisherman & Deer were equally startled & fled in opposite directions, my brother packing up and seeking refuge in the safety of the pub, where he told the locals there was nothing doing!

 

Cliff

[Guest gray-catchpole]

cliff

i had a similar, encounter, i was fishing the broads, i was fishing for eels to please my uncle so he could have them for breakfast, i was about 15 at the time, i heard a sound that i could only resemble to a very large old man gurgling phlem, i couldnt see a thing, so i lifted my feet off the wet ground, and hoped it would go away, it didnt, the sound got closer and closer, then all i heard was the slow sloshy sound you get when your wadding through the water in big wellies, and the gurgle, that was enough for me, i just ran, left all my gear, and ran, strait into a solid yet soft object, i flew backwards, onto my back, stunned and **** scared i looked up to see to green eyes coming towards me, i tried to move but i was frozen, thats when it happened, a big long wet tounge slapped me in the face, still of brown pants i stood and fled, looking back, i could see a herd of cows on the edge of the water, having a sup, i have never been so frightened, and have never addmited this before, we are a funny old bunch us anglers.

 

gray-catchpole

http://1freespace.com/catchpole

[Guest Bruno Broughton]

Loved the piece, Alan. Please explain it to me (when I have a couple of days to spare).

 

So, you were " well seasoned anglers". Salt & pepper? Sage & onion? MSG & soy sauce?

 

Nah, I'm sure you meant 'seasoned' in the context of a 'well-seasoned' gatepost. Stops it going bent when you erect it... as Mr Portillo would claim.

 

My spooky bits?. How's about fishing a deathy quiet lake one night and being hit, slap bang on the forehead, by a bat? Or casting into a mist-shrouded Boreham Mere, in 1965, having a belting bite... and landing the head of a bream? Or night-fishing on a beach in the Outer Hebrides in a sleeping bag (it was freezing), and rolling over in the morning to find a conger eel hissing next to me?

 

All in my younger days, of course. Now I'm much to mature to be scared by... AHHHH!!

 

 

 

 

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Bruno

[Guest Gordon Scott]

Originally posted by Bruno Broughton:

...Or casting into a mist-shrouded Boreham Mere, in 1965, having a belting bite and landing the head of a bream...

Yeah, I was the same as a young lad, always did strike far too hard...

Gordon

[Guest Iain]

Things that go bump in the night don't usually bother me as my house is 150 years old and seems to attract a 'visitor' quite regularly, so I don't spook very easilly. I have been properly scared a couple of times when fishing at a local pond which sadly no longer exists as a fishery. The first occasion was when I was fishing on my own late at night and it had just become properly dark, the pond was in the grounds of a sand and gravel quarry and there were loads of funny noises which came from sand/gravel moving in the hoppers that loaded the wagons and you quickly got used to these. I was sitting there wondering whether or not to pack in as I had waited an unusually long time for a bite when I heard footsteps coming along the path out of the wood which was to my right, I assumed that this would be a poacher out lamping for rabbits so I coughed loudly just to make sure that I didn't get mistaken for something edible and get shot at. The footsteps kept on coming closer and I peered into the darkness to try and see who was there but I couldn't make out anything. They got closer and then passed me within about a foot and I never saw a thing, I just sat there unable to move for about 5 minutes after they had become silent again. When I packed up and dumped everything back into the car I got brave and decided to look for footprints this was when I got really scared as right beside where I had been fishing was a perfect pair of footprints from bare feet.

 

I didn't fish there alone after dark but made the mistake of going back a few months later with a couple of mates who I had told my tale to, one of them confided that he too had experienced a similar encounter but the other took the p***. I decided that I was going to make sure that he had an encounter as well so I waited for total darkness and set about my attack. Having crept to the edge of the wood I sat hidden for a few minutes while I blackened my face with mud and was just about to start walking towards him when I heard footsteps, I assumed that it was one my mates who had decided to do the same so I stayed hidden. Once again the footsteps went straight past and I never saw a thing so I gave it another couple of minutes and set off to scare my mate. When I got to his peg he was gone along with his tackle and I found him in the car absolutely petrified, a few minutes earlier something had walked past him in the direction of the wood and left bare footprints in the mud. Whatever it was had walked straight past me hiding in the trees. Needless to say this was the last time any of us fished there after dark even as a group.

[Guest Cap'n Hook]

Extract from Dr Broughton: My spooky bits?. How's about fishing a deathy quiet lake one night and being hit, slap bang on the forehead, by a bat?

 

Bruno what on earth were you doing playing cricket in the dark, next time don't stand so close to the stumps.

[Guest Bruno Broughton]

Cap'n: methinks you misunderstand I with deliberate intent.

 

The full story? I was fishing in the stumps swim and the bat was chasing a cricket at the time.

 

 

 

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Bruno

[Guest Nightwing]

I was pulling an all-nighter on the Muskegon River in Michigan, when I heard a shuffling in the dead leaves just inside the wood line. I flashed the light back there, and lo and behold, there stood about a 400lb black bear! The bear was likely just as spooked as was I, but it decided to run right past me in its retreat, making the event even more interesting.

Not at all supernatural to be sure, but an adrenalin enhancer all the same!