Fairham Brook...happy days
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:32 pm
Bernie's 74 recent post "Where it all began" got me thinking of Fairham Brook which runs through the large housing estate called Clifton in Nottingham.
Clifton is where I grew up and in the 60'S and finally cutting my ties with the estate in 1979.At the age of eight I caught my first fish a minnow using a 6ft solid glass rod and awful reel,from that moment I realised there were wonderful creatures living in this little brook,it wasn't until I was ten or eleven I started to fish in ernest and this little waterway was to give endless hours of pleasure.
In the early days I caught lots and I mean lots of minnows with the odd dace on a really good day,this never put me off as I saw older anglers catch roach and chub which looked huge.....one day so would I .
When I started senior school , Fairham Comprehensive,where the brook flowed past,I met three fellow fisher-boys Dave,Rob and Dave,they all had fished the brook at some point.Two of their Dad's also fished and this was to be turning point in mine and their fortunes in futures fishing trips.
One of the Dave's Dad's started catching Roach to over a 1lb using cheese fished in the slack areas which there were many as the brook had many bends,we all followed his lead and we all caught some very nice roach,we were finally catching "proper fish".....
Then one day around 1973 disaster struck large diggers moved in and without warning they ripped up the banks and started dredging the brook,the place looked void of life and the following two seasons we never fished the brook.
Then one day Dave's Dad annouced the fish were back,he has spotted some dace so we decided to take a closer look and we were not disappointed,we were now better fisher-boys and we applied our knowledge to take great catches of dace ,roach and chub,the latter still holds a great memory for me.....
the day was overcast as I settled in to a difficult swin at the bottom of a steep bank and was overhung with hawthorn trees, I was fishing casters and running the float under the trees,first the roach moved in the average size being 12 ounces then the rod took a sharpe curve,this was no roach it was one of the larger chub,the fight was exciting as it tried to reach the cover of underwater roots but finally the prize was to mine and what a prize,just a little over 3lbs and a beautiful deep bronze colour ,it is still today the chub I remember the most ,,,,very happy days.
I hope your memories are as happy.
Clifton is where I grew up and in the 60'S and finally cutting my ties with the estate in 1979.At the age of eight I caught my first fish a minnow using a 6ft solid glass rod and awful reel,from that moment I realised there were wonderful creatures living in this little brook,it wasn't until I was ten or eleven I started to fish in ernest and this little waterway was to give endless hours of pleasure.
In the early days I caught lots and I mean lots of minnows with the odd dace on a really good day,this never put me off as I saw older anglers catch roach and chub which looked huge.....one day so would I .
When I started senior school , Fairham Comprehensive,where the brook flowed past,I met three fellow fisher-boys Dave,Rob and Dave,they all had fished the brook at some point.Two of their Dad's also fished and this was to be turning point in mine and their fortunes in futures fishing trips.
One of the Dave's Dad's started catching Roach to over a 1lb using cheese fished in the slack areas which there were many as the brook had many bends,we all followed his lead and we all caught some very nice roach,we were finally catching "proper fish".....
Then one day around 1973 disaster struck large diggers moved in and without warning they ripped up the banks and started dredging the brook,the place looked void of life and the following two seasons we never fished the brook.
Then one day Dave's Dad annouced the fish were back,he has spotted some dace so we decided to take a closer look and we were not disappointed,we were now better fisher-boys and we applied our knowledge to take great catches of dace ,roach and chub,the latter still holds a great memory for me.....
the day was overcast as I settled in to a difficult swin at the bottom of a steep bank and was overhung with hawthorn trees, I was fishing casters and running the float under the trees,first the roach moved in the average size being 12 ounces then the rod took a sharpe curve,this was no roach it was one of the larger chub,the fight was exciting as it tried to reach the cover of underwater roots but finally the prize was to mine and what a prize,just a little over 3lbs and a beautiful deep bronze colour ,it is still today the chub I remember the most ,,,,very happy days.
I hope your memories are as happy.