TBT#8 That special day.

There was really only one place I could go with this week’s TBT post. It was 31 years ago yesterday I caught my “fish of a lifetime”. I have been very lucky in my fishing life to catch some amazing fish but this one still stands head and shoulders above the rest for me. A very special day I will never forget.

It was just a couple of weeks after my 21st birthday and fishing confidence was high after a string of good Wrasse including a new PB of 6-10. It was the first year I had targeted Wrasse with the static approach of 2 rods on a tripod casting out. Like Bass anglers that see lure fishing as the purists way, for me Wrasse fishing should really be done using 1 rod touch ledgering right under your feet but the purists way isn’t always the most successful way and I’m not too stubborn to adapt.

Tackle for the day was an Abu 174c for those of you old enough to remember paired with a Daiwa sealine real which was more of a boat reel loaded with 30lb line. Rig was a simple 2 hook paternoster tied directly into the main line something I would never do today and hooks were 1/0 Partridge Jack Hilton carp hooks baited with hardback crab.

On this day dad and I decided to move slightly over from the area we had been catching and we set up probably 50 yards apart.

We started fishing about midday and first cast in, the rod doubles over and I’m into a decent Wrasse that went 4-14. A great start and a fish on the dropping tide, a good sign as most low water Wrasse marks are always better after the turn. Another Wrasse of 3-10 followed before it went a bit quiet. If I’m honest I wasn’t even watching the rod when I had the bite about half an hour after low. I turned around and the rod was bent right over. I picked it up and hit it and instantly knew it was a big fish. The ground here is really rough and you have to bully your fish at the start to try and get them up and over a reef you cast over. Twice on the way in it snagged me and twice I put the rod down and patiently waited for it to swim out. As it was luck was on my side and both times it swam out. When it surfaced I had no idea it was anywhere near that big, I was thinking 5-6lb. I waded out slightly and dragged the fish on to the dry. I grabbed the scales and quickly tied a loop in the trace to get an idea of the weight, when I lifted the scales they pulled round to 9lb 1ozs. I never for a second thought that was close to correct, I just assumed I hadn’t zeroed the scales properly or something. I took the fish off, checked the scales were zeroed and tried again. Again it went 9lb 1ozs. I then really looked at the fish and it then dawned on me it really was that big. Dad was still fishing away further over oblivious to what was going on, at this point excitement took over and I’m jumping up and down waving my arms shouting for him. He made his way over to see what was going on and I remember saying to him what’s your biggest Wrasse ever anywhere because he had previously had a Wrasse in Alderney of 8-3 which was only 3 ounces under the British record at the time. I then doubted myself and said I think I’m weighing it wrong but the scales are saying this is around 9lb. I remember his reaction when he came over and looked at it and we weighed it again to be sure. At this time the Jersey record was 7lb and drams so this really was out of the blue. The British record at the time was 8-10 from Guernsey and this fish was so fat it looked like it could drop some weight quick. We never had a bag or anything between us so I wrapped it in my t-shirt and we packed up to go and get it officially weighed. Luckily we lived next door to a club weighmaster who had tested basket scales so we went there first and prayed he would be home. Luckily he was and after a nervous wait the scales settled at 8-13-2. Wow I had just broken the British record Wrasse, what a dream come true. We took it down to show Eddie at JFS and into the fish marked to show the guys in there and took loads of photos.

I’m sure many people would frown at keeping such a magnificent fish just to claim a record and I certainly wouldn’t do it today, in fact you wouldn’t have to but it was different times back then.

I did also the usual stuff with the angling magazines of the day winning a fair haul of prizes and I even got a free Barbour jacket from the British record committee.

Of course the British record has been beaten with a fish of 9-1 from Portland, but to my amazement the Channel Island record still stands after all this time.

I have many amazing memories from fishing, many with dad but this one is still the best and I can still remember it like it was yesterday.