My First Fish

[Snape]

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

Blimey if I had known there were fish like that in there when was 12 I would have tried harder!

[Snape]

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!

I rarely fished Teddington lock but fished Molsey weir a lot and in 1989 even managed to catch a 9lb female salmon in Dec when wobbling a sprat for pike. The national river's authority chap turned up in a van with a tank, took her away and stripped a large amount of eggs from her before releasing her back into the Thames.

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

I have recently been fishing Teddington. A real treasure trove when it comes to what you might find!! :thumb:

[CraigM]

Mine was a 2oz perch from Stew pond near Epsom in 1974 [my first year as a teenager & as an angler].

First fish over a pound was a tench from the same pond nearly a year later - an absolute thrill at the time [3 maggots legered on 3lb line & a no. 14 hook].

I had to wait 35 years for my first 1 lb perch [Basingstoke canal] - but I did have 24 years "off" [1983 - 2007].

First & PB 2 lb perch was caught using the same Daiwa rod as for my very first perch & the tench [2lb 3oz - Le Court pond, Hants] but 34 years later!

First proper "fight" - a 4lb barbel on my Peter Stone u/l leger in 1975[Stour]. First chub over 4lb [4lb 4oz] on the same PS leger but in 2009! [Blackwater].

First "good" fish on cane & a 'pin- a toss up between a 2lb+ perch & a 3lb 10oz chub on my grandad's Westley Richards float rod & Trudex.

Happy memories! Wonder why I keep adding to my rods but can't say goodbye to the old favourites?! I reckon all old rods should come with log books of their better catches!

[PerchBasher]

As might be gathered from my user name, perch are my favourite fish. It was the first species I ever caught, nearly half a century ago, on a freezing cold day in late December on Crystal Palace Park Lake.

Small ones are willing biters and have saved me from a “blank” on many occasions. Yet the big ‘uns are canny in the extreme, game fighters and in my view a two pound perch is a more worthy quarry than a 20 pound carp