Back In My Childhood I Spent Every Spare Minute On The River Bank Trying To Catch Fish. I Would Grab A Few Hours After School Before It Got Too Dark And Sometimes I'd Get Up Early And Get A Few Hours In Before School!I Remember Looking Forward To The Weekend So I Could Spend Two Solid Day Fishing And Sometimes Overnight Trips Were Planned.I Spent The First Two Years Trying And Trying To Catch A Fish, Just One Fish! I Didn't Succeed, I Caught Nothing, Other Than The Odd Cold Or Piece Of Reed!As I Got A Bit Older, My Pocket Money Went Up And I Was Able To Buy Some Better Fishing Tackle. This Helped A Lot As I Learned I Had Been Using Hooks Which Were Far Too Big For The Fish I Was Trying To Catch. As My Experience Grew And My Knowledge Base Expanded I Began To Catch Fish Consistantly. I Started Catching Gudgeon And The Odd Roach Or Perch. Nothing Big, Just Small Fish. This Kept Me Interested And I Couldn't Wait To Get Back To It At The Nearest Possible Time.After A Couple Of Seasons Of Catching Small, Easy To Land Fish, I Felt The Urge To Catch Bigger Fish. Carp, Bream And Tench Were What I Wanted To Catch.I Needed New Fishing Tackle As I Only Had The Equipment For Small Fish. I Turned 14 And Wasn't Able To Get A Job, So, I Started Washing Cars On A Saturday. This Was Hard For For A 14 Year Old Lad, Especially In The Hot Summer Months.I Would Make About 20 For A Days Work Which I Thought Was A Lot At The Time. I Saved Up And Got Myself Some Top Of The Range Fishing Tackle. I Had The Money To Buy The Bait I Needed To Catch The Fish I Was Targeting.I Had A Great Time. I Learned So Much And Gained A Lot Of Experience. I Joined A Local Team And Started Fishing In Competitions. Every Weekend Their Would Be A Match. I Would Turn Up Hoping To Win. I Rarely Did Win But Kept Trying. I Really Enjoyed Myself And Gained Some Good Friends.From The Age Of 16 Onwards, I Went Less And Less. I Wanted To Go But My Friends Weren't Interested. I Was Torn Betwen My Passion For Fishing And My Social Life.I Made The Decision To Go Fishing When I Can, But To Spend More Time With My Mates. I Started Drinking On The Weekends And Was Trying To Impress The Girls.Life Took Over And My Fishing Hobby Was Well And Truely Over!A Fair Few Years Have Passed Since Then. I Am Now Married And Have My Own House And Dog. I Walk My Dog Every Day By The Same River I Used To Fish. I Spend Many Hours Remembering The Great Times I Had As A Child And Keep Wanting To Get Back Into The Sport.The Fishing Season Began On 16th June So I Dug Out My Old Tackle And Went Through It To See What I Have And What I Need To Buy.A Lot Of My Old Fishing Tackle Has Deteriorated And Needs Replacing. I Went To The Local Fishing Shop And Looked Around. I Was Absolutely Astonished At How Much Everything Now Costs.As A 14 Year Old With Just 20, I Was Able To By Everything I Needed To Keep Me Going. Now I May Aswell Take Out A Second Mortgage If I Want To Get Back Into The Sport I Once Loved So Much!I Have Been Looking Around The Internet To See If I Could Find The Tackle I Need Any Cheaper. I Have Found A Few Sites Which Are Cheaper Than The Shops. The Best One In My Opinion Is Http:www.fishing.shop-around.co.ukThey Literally Shop Around The Internet And Find The Best Deals.I Have Now Got All New Fishing Tackle From Them, Brand Names Mostly And All At Reasonable Prices.I'm Now Off To The River Hoping I Can Remeber What To Do!
