John Bailey: It’s better to have loved and lost during our viaduct barbel quest
Angling columnist John Bailey on his viaduct barbel quest in Derbyshire
Angling columnist John Bailey on his viaduct barbel quest in Derbyshire
4.45pm: An adult, presumably a teacher, announces tea time, and the river is abandoned within five minutes.
I’ve got something of a confession to make. I very rarely actually go fishing myself, just for the fun of it.
I have just returned from a trip to Scotland where a friend fished surface lures for pike for the first time.
I’m about to embark on a new season of Mortimer and Whitehouse, Gone Fishing and in 30-odd episodes we have yet to weigh a fish.
Yup, it’s that time of the year again - daffodils, bluebells, birds nesting in the eaves and the good old Environment Agency demanding their fishing licence fee.
My role as fishing consultant with Mortimer and Whitehouse, Gone Fishing, has been one of the great gigs of my professional life in more ways than I can begin to count.
Just on 10 years ago, almost to the week, I joined Carl Sayer and his UCL team on one of their spectacular crucian netting exercises.
Two of my dearest pals happen to be Spurs fans, and great fishermen.
Isn’t there a timelessness about fishing that is absent in other sports?
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