Best catches

[tonytaylor]

I hate people who brag but due to overwhelming demand heres a few tasters for you.
Best catch of codling from the shore was 45 from Blyth beach with fish up to 5lbs. That particular year I landed close to 400 cod!
Biggest local cod landed was 23lbs - 3oz from the Sumps at Rocky Island.
Over the years I have taken about 30 doubles with quite a few coming in competitions.
I fished Loch Long and Balcary in their heyday and had huge catches of cod to nearly 30lbs. I rememember losing a huge fish at Balcary which eventually snapped my trace after I got it to the rock edges. It was possibly 40lbs. I can remember fantastic days at the Rhu Narrows where I had 7 and 8lb coalies every cast with the odd double figure cod for variety.
In recent years I have struggled like everyone else but did manage a double shot of plaice measuring 59 and 54cms a couple of summers ago.
I won't bore you with boat catches!

 

[alan]

So your to blame for the lack of fish
I dream about those fish Tony,class mate

 

[FISHMAN]

remember a good few years ago fising under the cliffs at newbiging beside the quarry a think been there a while hadent had a touch when tony came down set up and immediatly started dragging cod out (few choice words under my breath)was going to pack up had a few words with tony pointed me in the direction of my mistakes and told me to try just along from where he was and just to lob the bait out not to far started catching fish almost straiaght away.
first class angler.

 

[jamiebrennan]

Class tony, i just wish i had been around in those days instead of the poor ones we're having now, i'll still be out 2mora havin a go tho...

 

[boblydon]

Tony,
Several of the old times you talk about, especially the loch long trips i remember well, as a whitley bay junior angler staying with you in the caravan, the sesions at the rhu narrows were legendondary, and also rhu spit when you caught an excetional cuckoo ray.
I remember a night in particular on blyth beach as a junior, ( having been digging bait in berwick in the morning with you and tony anderson ), me and another junior never had a touch, whereas you had 9 cod, then to cap it all on your last cast got a birds nest, it landed only 10 yards out, you reeled in to have a cod lying on which wieghed something like 20lb.......bloody amazing !!!!!!!!.
can you remember the good old days on a sunday morning on the ferry landing ???? you always caught more than anyone else as usual
I wonder what ever happened to all of the cine camera pictures that Jack Fairbain used to take.....it would be fabulous to see them again.
My parents still have all the old photos from the whitley bay club trophy nights at the allesta ballroom in whitley bay, i think there are some of us next to your old scimitar....makes you feel old !!!!!!.
Quite a few of the rhu narrows pictures where in the sea angler / angling times when bob gledhill came to spend a weekend with the club, remember the photo of Don Simpson, he got snagged up approx 10 yards out with a fish, decided to strip off swim out and get it, he disapeared for a few seconds, came back to the surface with a 6lb cod in each hand.
On one trip we were all fishing the flat rock in loch long, there were plenty of codling and a couple of huge coalfish ( pudlers ) the biggest being a scottish record at the time, i was in the water ready to cast out ( only about 6 foot from waters egde as the bottom dropped off rapidly ), chris stringer was winding in a good fish so i waited, unfortunatly without seeing it the fish spat the hook out, after much swearing by chris...........with in seconds i felt something hit my leg, i picked the fished out of the water........it was chris's fish..........it was wieghed before carefully being returned...just under 18lb.
Thoses were the days...................

 

[Charlie_Thompson]

Class post Bobbly

 

[willywetegg]

Got to agree Ian, great post Bob mate.

Sadly not much chance of seeing those days again.

Jim.

 

[STEVO]

excellent posts lads!! its only something we can dream about now unfortunately but the excitement back then must have been tremendous.. cheers for sharing it.. much appreciated.

 

[STEVO]

Jim if we could go back in time to when good catches were available you'd still be gettin rockling gets ready to strike hehehe

 

[tonytaylor]

Class post boblydon. Steven Mather one of the Whitley Bay juniors at the time still holds the Scottish shore record for coalfish. I think it was just under 12lbs. I remember that evening well. We had about 15 juniors with us and I spent all evening dashing about, helping to land fish and collect fresh peelers from the Loch side. Things started to slow down about 10pm and I fancied having a few casts just to try and wind down after a really hectic evening.
I moved about 50 yards south of where everyone was still fishing and lobbed out with a massive crackly back on a 6/0. The bait was so big , I only landed about 60yards out. I stuck the rod in the rest, set the ratchet and sat down on the nearest rock to enjoy the sunset. My rest was shortlived, interrupted by a few clicks of the ratchet. Picking up I could feel the steady pull as the fish slowly moved off with the bait. I struck hard and nearly got pulled off my feet. After one of the best scraps I have ever had I landed a superb 25lb - 7oz cod. I will always remember that fish which was golden brown and in superb condition. What away to finish one of the best ever sessions I can remember.
One day I will tell you about some of the conger sessions!

 

[marksworld]

some great fishing trip tales there bob and tony, fantastic. about 22 years ago me and two of my mates saw an advert in the journal wanting 3 lads to join the hewoods mining company fishing club from down on team valley so we rang them and did just that. every month we would get a bus from down there and travel up to scotland. eyemouth, holy loch, loch long, gair loch and one big one was a full weekend on aran where we fished the shore one day then boat the next. we never caught anything huge but to get away with the older lads who would catch decent fish was great fun. when we fished holy loch we would have to drive right around the loch and the bus would stop at the top of the loch where i think a river ran in, drop to old lads off and then head down to the ferry landing and either fish from the ferry or the shore, we used to catch dogie after dogie, then when as youngters when we got bored a short walk to the pub to finish the night off then kip in the bus, all i can remember about holy loch it was allways freezing, and snowing and with just a tilley lamp to keeep warm. getting back to the two lads we dropped off, we allways wondered what they were up to and after a few sessions out with these big old hard looking lads we asked one of them why the bus dropped them off miles from us. we were told that they used to put a small net across the river and use dynamite nicked from work to blow the fish out the water. i know this is not proper fishing but i just thought i would share the story with you whether true or not.
my last short tale is a quickie about my first boat fishing(12 years old) trip. to cut it short one of the lads fishing with us pulled in a huge cat fish and i remember my dad picking me up, i asked him why so he asked the skipper to put the gaff near its mouth, then i knew why it just locked on to the gaff. acording to the skipper the cat fish was just a few ounces below the british record at the time.also that trip i caught my first ling and a few cod,cant remember the size of them.



cheers
mark

 

[Davyred]

This is a great thread, love hearing about the sea lochs in their prime. Sadly I missed it all, going to Loch Long, Holy loch(Kilmun jetty) and the narrows about a year or 2 after it was ll cleared out. The lads I went up there with told me of the session they used to have, and how a certain Tony Taylor used to get more than his fair share, together with Chris Stringer, Malcolm Macdonald, and others.

I also remember the Bob Gledhill articles in the angling times, not just on the sea lochs, but also Balcary. It would be great if someone could dig those out - I wonder if Sea angler keep archives?

 

[alan]

This is a great thread
Totally agree Davy,possibly one of the best I've read on here,happy days and as Jim says "Sadly not much chance of seeing those days again." unfortunately we have to agree with that as well

 

[boblydon]

Surprised after all that time the record still stands as it must have been some 30 odd years ago.....do i all of sudden feel old ???
The main memory i have from all those years ago, was having been very fortunate to have been taught how to fish by experts like Tony, Chris Stringer, John Nixon and the rest of the top anglers at that time...all angling legends in there own right, of cause they were a lot more fish around at time from what i seem to remember.
When i started fishing with whitley bay juniors i can remember it as if it was only yesterday, especially the first club comp i ever won, i was fishing from the goverment jetty ( any one remember that ?? )and caught two codlings, one about a pound, and a huge one about pound and a half, whereas Tony probally caught 20 and much bigger ones....as i started getting a more competent angler due to Tonys and all the other seniors guidance i started to win more and more, but you never forget your first win and your first trophy.
Dont know what happened all these years later, but i never win or catch anything now.....also got no hair and a big belly, all them years ago i was slimish and had hair........

 

[john/r]

hi tony, i have to agree also with what you say about bragging etc, with myself i know like most people how good you are i have also seen you years ago on dawdon blast pulling cod out one after another and fishing at distance yes a very long way out reels penn aquidder juniors, to be honest i personaly think and i think most would agree on here we are very lucky as we have possibly the countrys best anglers up here, i personaly have found you very helpful along with some other very good anglers up here and i think i speak for everyone else on here its great to see you contribuating on here, keep the good work up we are all listening, i am not trying to patronise you and some others here are just that damm good
john

 

[Stuey]

My grandad used to be in Whitley Bay Angling Club and I heard many similar stories, as have been relived already. He used to fish Blyth north pier, and would take his scooter on such trips so he could ride along and get fishing quicker. Maybe you knew him Tony, he was called Joe Joyce.


On a similar note, its interesting to hear you had a scimitar. My father and his friend used to service a number of them in the North East area. Maybe yours was one of them?

regards

Stu

 

[tonytaylor]

Stuey, I remember Joe Joyce well as if it were yesterday. I can even remember the crash helmet. Joe was a smashing guy who was liked and respected by all in Whitley Bay club. In those days W/B club had some great personalities and we had some memorable times. I joined in 1956 and will always remember my first comp. I fished Crawleys point with my uncle Alistair and landed a 1 - 14oz codling! You always remember the first one and from that point I have been match fishing ever since. I'm slowing down a bit now however!

 

[michaelw]

Hi Tony really like this thread

Do you fancy getting together with Stores and putting a book together im sure it would be a best seller,

I think it would be a shame if your memories were never written down for everyone to enjoy.

Michael w