Sunday 23/08/1970 - Colendense Printing - Club Match - Hampshire Avon

As my Brother-in-law Phillip Hoare (pictured right - first from left, that's me third from left - the picture was taken many years ealier on a family day out fishing) worked at Colendense Printing Company in West Street Bedminster, Dad and I were invited to one of their club matches on the Bat and Ball (it’s a pub) stretch of the Hampshire Avon. It was a Charabanc job, with us being picked up at the Kings Head pub on the A38. Dad never learnt to drive, so we would have walked the two miles from home to the Kings Head. We usually caught the bus back home.

This match took place on the Sunday before my wedding!

There were three prizes up for grabs (all small trophies – no cash):

Heaviest weight
Heaviest fish
Best specimen (closes percent to the current record)

It all turn out a bit embarrassing for me as:

I won the match with 23lb
I weighed a 3lb 12oz Chub for the biggest fish (Photograph right - me with Chub. I now wish it was the picture of my Dace)
I caught my best ever Dace, weighing a massive 1lb 1oz – just 8 drams off the then current British record.

Landing the Chub was down to Dad as he waded in to the river to free the fish from streamer weed.

I had some stick going back, particularly about my forthcoming marriage.

Dad and I were invited to go again with them the following year to the Royalty waters in Christchurch – Hampshire Avon. This trip was memorable for two reasons. The first was that on the way the Charabanc had a puncture in the front tyre. This happened on the A36 near Codford. No problem you think, especially with twenty or so able bodied men ready and eager to help change the wheel. However, not that simple, the driver informed us that he didn’t have a spare! With no mobile phones two lads set off in search of a phone. One of the lads noticed that there were two sets of wheels on the rear. So he proposed that we take one off the back and put it on the front. The driver wasn’t having it “it’s illegal”. The upshot was the Charabanc was commandeered and the tyre taken off and fitted to the front. On arrival the driver was sent to get a new tyre. His passing comments were “I’ll get the sack”. Without any thoughts of getting home we all set off to find the section of the river we had booked. I am not sure of the name of the section of river we fished, but it was on a big sweeping bend.

The second memorable reason was the amazing Roach fishing we all had. It was not a pegged match but pleasure fish where you wanted – crafty Dad fished the inside of a bend and must have had 50lb of Roach from 8oz to 1lb 12oz. I didn’t have as much as Dad, but did weigh a 2lb 13oz Roach still today my personal best. As for the Charabanc driver he was waiting for us at five o clock and shared a drink and a laugh about it all on the return journey.

It was traditional when on a fishing trip that involved a Charabanc to stop in a pub on the way home. Have a look at the attached photo of us on one of those stops (Dad circled centre picture bottom left). Don’t get thinking where’s the removal van for the tackle – everyone and everything fitted in the Charabanc. Compare this with the typical tackle load taken today (wheel barrow needed) by my travelling partner Bela Bakos (pictured bottom right).