My First Fish

[Tony1964]

The first fish I held was a beautiful Grayling that my father caught trotting a bubble float down a fast flowing stream. We cooked the fish on the bankside. The first fish I caught myself was a small ruffe on the canal. Quite rare now but in the 70s every other fish was a gudgeon or ruffe!

[StalkingLuke]

My first rod caught fish was also a perch caught on a toy fishing outfit a steel rod with yellow plastic eyes and matching plastic reel loaded with I seem to remember kite string!
My parents had bought it for me on our annual holiday to the Isle of Wight.

It was from the Diana pond in Bushy Park one of the royal parks in London about 1975/'76, sadly no photograph but probably my earliest memory of anything.

[DontKnowMuch]

Like you Mark a perch was my first fish on proper tackle, small and fiesty and exciting enough for a young un. All I managed on my latest trip out this week was a perch of a similar size so I suppose I've not learnt much in over 40 years :think:

circa 1972


This week :hahaha:

[Mark]

Two lovely shot's DKM, do I see two perch in the first picture.

[DontKnowMuch]

Yes, you're right there are two.

So I've got worse as an angler over the years

[Mark]

Yes, you're right there are two.

So I've got worse as an angler over the years

[Snape]

It was from the Diana pond in Bushy Park one of the royal parks in London about 1975/'76, sadly no photograph but probably my earliest memory of anything.

Bushy park? I used to fish there as well around '75-'76. Small world.
Sadly I don't recall catching much!
My first fishing memory was at Walton on Thames in 1967 just before my 4th birthday - maybe not a real memory as there is a photo somewhere.
I mostly fished the Thames around Teddington, Kingston bridge, the Long Water at Hampton Court palace and Pen ponds in Richmond park. Yes, small perch were a staple along with the glorious gudgeon and quite a few ruffe (pope) and small silver fish (never could decide whether they were dace or bleak). Serious fish like chub, tench, carp and barbel didn't appear for a long time.

[StalkingLuke]

Hi Snape
yes I fished all those places as I grew up in Isleworth, a particular favourite was Teddington Lock, I caught several good barbel from there and Richmond adjacent to the old ice rink on the steps I had a huge bag of big roach one winters day on casters which came to an abrupt end when I slipped on ice and fell in!

[J.T]

Funny you should mention Pen Ponds, I've been meaning to try it for years as I've walked around them many a weekend.

Does anyone know what the fishing is like there these days?

[DontKnowMuch]

The Pen Ponds at Richmond hold one of the land's most sought after carp, the Royal 40.