There surely cannot be any other sport which encompasses such a wide variety of aspects and skills as angling does.

We fish in seas and rivers and canals and lakes and reservoirs for a great many different species of fish and using lots of different techniques.

As we get older and more infirm our scope is more limited and restricted of course.

Being old and infirm myself I cannot agree with those anglers who pour scorn on those of us who fish a lot on the many so-called commercial fisheries and their safe platforms, toilet facilities, car parking near to the water, and abundant stocks of fish.

Were it not for such fisheries anglers like myself would find it very hard to keep fishing.

Of course, I have to accept that fishing on the commercials lacks some of the attractions of fishing more remote and more lovely venues.

Also it is necessary to accept that you rarely find peace and quiet on the small stillwaters that are so popular nowadays.

Why, oh why, do so many anglers find it necessary to shout and to spend so much time on mobile telephones?

And am I alone in finding the prevalence of repeated swearing so rife at the waterside now with, sadly, some of this emanating from female anglers?

Having stated my reasons for fishing waters that offer comfort let me correct anyone who does not appreciate that in some of its forms ours can be the roughest, toughest sport of all.

As a younger man I often trekked many miles across Scottish wildernesses to reach remote lochs, and I climbed steep mountains carrying my tackle to hill lochs that hardly ever saw another angler. And I had polio too!

I rowed heavy boats against the wind for hour after hour when apparently fitter companions had given up or not even attempted the task.

Thank goodness I did all these things when it was still possible.

How awful it would be if I had listened to those people who advised me that there would be plenty of time for fishing after I had retired.

I fished as often and as hard as possible and occasionally I managed three days and nights of non-stop fishing.






John Neville