Hi Derek

You describe my fishing history there. I started cycling 10 miles to fish
the River Thames at Cricklade, would park the bike in a farmers yard and
rove the river from Cricklade village centre to Lechlade on good days but
mainly to Castle Eaton as there was a great country pub that did not mind a
couple teenagers having a quiet pint and meal whilst sat in the garden on
their tackle boxes. Those were the days.

The got a motorbike so could travel further and carry more. Never got a car
licence though. The lake fishing came later when a bunch of us used to go
and that is where the usual fisherman's box came into it with masses of
tackle that just might give me an edge but usually got used once them
gathered dust. I even used to carry 5 rods and 3 reels so I could change
tactics. Well all used to carry as much as we could which was a lot for an
ex rugby player who was a fit 6 foot back then.

The career stopped me fishing for many years but I started again a few years
ago when I got forced into early retirement due to illness, unfortunately
the illness affects my physical ability to do things in a variable way so
sometimes I have the energy to go and sometimes I do not. When I got I do
have to pick a spot and stay there. I don't drive as my balance a reaction
times are reduced which is not clever on a motorbike.(;-)

So now I just go to one of four local still water venues and set up in one
spot and the need for light tackle is there but the rod issue is size more
than anything else. Taking the three section 12 foot rods is difficult on a
bus if you take a full holdall so I strapped them to my brollie but it makes
them vulnerable to damage so a telescopic rod or rod in a smaller hard
container would do the trick.

Cutting the amount of tackle I take was an issue as well and now I use a
small plastic screw box that just about allows the main items and a good
selection of about 20 floats. If I am going to use bite alarms I have to
carry them separate but the main lake I fish frowns on them and they
restrict me to one rod as well which is a real pain as I like setting one up
to catch the bigger fish and tiddler bash with the other one to keep the
mind active.

On the good side I can still remember the whole of the river between
Cricklade and Castle Eaton and recently looked at it using Google Earth and
could still pick out the swims to fish. I could even remember a lot of the
fish I caught on that river.VBG

--
Gandalf


"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...
In article , Gandalf
wrote:
Well the kit worked and I enjoyed it however I could not get through a
bed
of gudgeon. I actually took a small gudgeon at over 25 yards on a size 12
hook and four maggots and bread flake ( ok I was desperate just to stop
the
small fish )

If I went to float and held just off the bottom I got ravaged by roach
that
thought they were piranha.

- if you're looking for tips on how to -not- catch fish I'm sure we could
come up with something between us.

using the old kit was
good but I do need something more compact.

Fishing by public transport or (only done this once, keep meaning to do it
again) when hiking and carrying *everything* on your back does make you
look
hard at the tackle. I don't think it reduces catches either, it means you
pack just what you expect to need and saves a lot of indecision and
switching
around on the bank.

Another little bonus you might not have tried is one-way roving. I
usually
do this sea fishing but there's no reason you couldn't try it inland -
take a
minimal kit, say spinning gear to one point by bus, walk and fish five
miles
of water in a day and take a different bus home. If nothing else it's a
great way to explore a stretch of water.

Cheerio,

--
Fishing: http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/
Writing: http://www.author.casterbridge.net/derek-moody/
uk.rec.fishing.game Badge Page:
http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/urfg/