Fishing is supposed to be relaxing, supposed to be an aid to peace of mind and long life. But I'm beginning to wonder.
There was this doddery old boy I met on the bank. Shaking in every limb, he was, wrinkled like a crab-apple and the hair of his head and beard like Father Christmas. But there he was, fishing peacefully away.
'To what do you attribute your great age?' I asked.'Fishing,' he said.
'Even better,' I said. 'And how old are you?'
'Thirty-three.'
No, I just made that up. But I have come across several cases in which fishing has brought a hell of a shock to the participants. And probably knocked several years off their lives.
It knocked quite a few years off the natural span of an angler in Melbourne, Australia. (All right. I know you know where Melbourne is, but not everybody's that well up on the Anti-podes.)
All his life he had dreamed of a giant catch. He got one: a 58lb cod. As he landed it he dropped down dead.
His loving wife gave a funeral tea which befitted the passing of such a dedicated angler. It was a supper, actually: a fish supper. Cod fritters on a bed of clams with the departed's name written in instant mashed potato over the lot. Doubtless just as he would have wished.
Anyway needs must and all that because fishing is at the back of my mind at the moment, but walking well I enjoy that especially when the weather was nice and fair for this session. It didn't start well because road works, horse and carts, dawdler's and delinquents, still it only took about 25 minutes to get there (15 minutes back) and I got fishing quick enough.
The Zander had others idea though and after leapfrogging the hot spot without a nibble I decided to move back up the stretch and try some more cover. After nearly being taken out by a waif like cyclist on a speed trial I managed to get the first bite on smelt, which I subsequently missed. Great !!! Anyway a good few hours fishing a good 300 yards of canal with nothing really to show for it.
I had another bite where the float went from zero to a half a metre pull in a second but the bite didn't develop assuming the fish felt resistance. The telltale puncture wound showed it was a small zedlet most likely and that was my lot. This fish were there for sure, but just not up for a feed, not uncommon at this time of year but I wish they would hurry up I need a bend in the rod. 😁