As a lad I was brought up in Pegswood where Alan lives now. we used to explore all over the area on foot, fishing and bird nesting, building camps and catching Great crested Newts. One day we came across the Abyssinian Pond, a square deep hole that will never dry up, its too deep. Sunk in the field you are almost on top of it before it can be seen.
Aged about 13, we decided to fish it. And what a suprise I got. We arrived on site at about 10pm and fished all night ( you could do that then, paedophiles hadn't been invented). As the sun rose at about 4am the mist was hanging on the water and we started getting bites. we ended up filling a keepnet with huge Roach and some small Gudgeon ( great for the Northumberland fish list, like getting Red veined Darter). We didnt have weighing scales but the Roach were all between 14 and 16 inches long from nose to tail fork.
Then, at 6am the farmer arrived. Not best pleased he asked if we had caught owt. We could hardly lie with the net in the water, so we lifted it out on to the bank and I wish I could have photographed his expression! He didnt know there were Roach in there, it was a trout pond! oh well, the innocence of youth and all that. We released the fish and headed home...
Oh, Alan, its here.....
Be careful mind, its private and you aren't 13!
7 comments:
I can see that I might have to venture further afield one of these days. Loved your fishing tale (and the map is very useful, thanks).
Hi Emma, this pond isn't really worth while (unless you are a school kid up to no good or a fisherman). But, there are a lot of other ponds in the area that do have interesting wildlife - Botal Pond, Longhirst Flash, Linton etc. They are much easier to watch from roads or public paths.
I had a conversation with the fisherman who was there when I arrived it went like this:
Me: Caught anything.
Him: No
Me: Is it stocked.
Him: I think it used to be years ago but it got poached out.
Me: (thinking)I could name that poacher in one.
Still loads of fish in it. Including pike. The roach are smaller now, but the gudgeon are a good size.
Alan - I suspect the fisherman was on about trout. The stuff we fished for were always released after the session.
Steve - Have you fished it recently?
yes - with permission.
Handy all those winters, spent with your hands between another mans legs, for the group hug, oh and not to mention the showers after.
J.C, Trotter, even the two pound Roach weren't worth a session in the showers!:)
Post a Comment