The good old days...

[Stores]

Remember Lottie and Jimie well, especially at the prize presentations that used to be at Tynemouth Boating Park as is now. To me as a junior it felt a bit like being in the adult world as we were all treated in a similar way.

[Charlie_Thompson]

Cheers for that sam

[bozjc]

i have been told of these freak fishing sessions. that would be a joy to have once and a while and just keep a few fish.

there are a few names in those articles that i used to fish with when i was a junior for shiremoor club a while back.
bob g and alec h took me and my mate under their wing and showed us a few tricks and hot spots

never seen either of them for years now

[sam harris]

The Good Old Days

I started fishing almost 70 years ago so you can imagine the changes and funny things that I've seen happen in that time. I promise you lads every word of all the stories I've told you so far, and can tell you, are true.
For instance, a pal of mine Byron Barawitzca (no longer with us) and myself decided to fish Blyth Pier. Now it was New Years Eve and we got along the pier about 10 at night. There wasn't another soul in sight just the two of us, and it was snowing very heavy in fact there was a good foot of snow on the ground. We got as far the gate, in those days you couldn't get past it, and tackled up. Now Byron used to use an Apollo Hollow Steel 13 foot rod and a twelve inch Scarboro' reel, we didn't fish light in those days. We tackled up and cast out, nothing, not a bite, we kept checking the baits and rebaiting. After about two hours Byron pulled in rebaited and cast out. Now you can imagine the weight of his rod and reel, and as soon as he had cast out he put the rod down resting it on the railing and was kneeling down winding in the slack line. The rod was between his legs when suddenly he got an almighty bite which lifted the rod off the ground and smacked him hard in the "crown jewels". He didn't say a word, but after about 4 or 5 seconds he gave a low moan and almost in slow motion fell over onto his side, oblivious to the fact that his ear was full of snow and he was being covered in it. He lay there for almost ten minutes, every now and then giving out a moan and sometimes what sounded like a little squeak. Now, I was also lying in the snow not able to help him because, I was laughing so much. By the way just as he got the bite the chuch bells started ringing in the New Year, it certainly rang his bells. He walked funny for a couple of days afterwards.
Another time there were about half a dozen of us on Blyth Pier. We had been there most of the day, some decent fish were coming in because there was a nice sea running. It was just getting towards dusk and we noticed a boat out at sea heading towards the harbour. We watched it get closer (it turned out to be a German coaster), now this thing was being pushed around in a big way by the heavy seas. The closer it got the more we doubted about it getting into the harbour entrance, suddenly we realised it wasn't going to make the entrance the damned thing was coming straight towards us. It was a case of grab the rods and bags, we didn't reel in, and run. The boat cut the pier in half and our fishing on Blyth Pier was stopped for a long time afterwards.
Plenty more lads if you want to read them.
Tight Lines, Sam.

[codseeker]

cheers sam i enjoyed that mate class memories

[gypsyjabber]

well never have that problem to come across.theres no fish left lads well not here anyhow.

[Charlie_Thompson]

Thanks Sam - keeping em coming NESA.

I remember turning the tops of me proper fisherman's socks over me wellies and thinking, noones laughing at me, perhaps I can drive a car as well (I was 6)

[Topfly]

Nice one again Sam, Mutch better than the fishing , blanked again today.

[bozjc]

Good stuff.

I have been told that the pier had been wiped out before. Good to hear how, i would have been put off going on there after that! haha

the rickety old thing was moving about today in that sea!

[sam harris]

Big Skate ?.

A lot of years ago I was a member of an angling club in Newcastle called the Novocastrians, in fact I was the Chairman. We used to fish both shore and boat matches and have trips to exotic places like Eyemouth, Scarboro' and even the Heugh at Hartlepool. One weekend we booked a trip on a boat out of the Tyne. Once aboard the skipper headed down towards Souter Point. Now, I had two Penn Squidder reels one with a plastic spool for the shore, the other metal for the boat, in my hurry I put the wrong one in my bag, the plastic not the metal.
We went on the drift about three miles off and started picking up a few fish, after about half an hour my rod was nearly torn out of my hands and I could feel whatever it was it didn't want to come up.
Everyone pulled their lines in to give me a chance with whatever this thing was, after a few minutes the spool of my reel imploded, the side plate opposite the handle flew off, but the "thing" was still on. Reduced to handlining I could feel the "thing" still putting it's head down and swinging about. After a while one of the lads said he could see this huge shape deep down, after a couple more minutes, two or three of the lads started shouting "it's a common skate, it's huge look at the size of it". Two of the lads grabbed gaffs and stood by, a couple more minutes and the two lads with the gaffs told everyone to move back to give them room to try and swing it on board. Reaching over,the gaffs went in and they heaved the "thing" onto the deck. And there in front of us all was a 4 foot 6 inch Dunlopillo Mattress. From then on for some time I was known in the club as Sam, Sam the mattress man.
Every year there used to be an annual small boat competition on the Isle Of Arran which our club always used to fish. On the pier at Lamlash there was a resident fish and chip van which was always the first port of call as soon as you got back to the shore. One evening there were about twenty of us standing waiting to be served, talking about the ones that got away and so on. Suddenly the chap that was serving threw himself over the counter and just shouted "run", which he did, we stood there wondering what the hell he was on about when there was an almighty bang and fish and chips started flying out of the chimney, across the counter, it seemed from all directions. We were covered in batter and squashed fish and chips. and these damned things were red hot, that was when we decided that we had better join him and run, which we did.
Tight Lines lads.
Sam.

[kela66]

excellent stories sam yourself and mr charlton should write a book for us

[codseeker]

excellent stories sam yourself and mr charlton should write a book for us

i agree great reading

[CODHEED]

I started fishing almost 70 years ago so you can imagine the changes and funny things that I've seen happen in that time. I promise you lads every word of all the stories I've told you so far, and can tell you, are true.
For instance, a pal of mine Byron Barawitzca (no longer with us) and myself decided to fish Blyth Pier. Now it was New Years Eve and we got along the pier about 10 at night. There wasn't another soul in sight just the two of us, and it was snowing very heavy in fact there was a good foot of snow on the ground. We got as far the gate, in those days you couldn't get past it, and tackled up. Now Byron used to use an Apollo Hollow Steel 13 foot rod and a twelve inch Scarboro' reel, we didn't fish light in those days. We tackled up and cast out, nothing, not a bite, we kept checking the baits and rebaiting. After about two hours Byron pulled in rebaited and cast out. Now you can imagine the weight of his rod and reel, and as soon as he had cast out he put the rod down resting it on the railing and was kneeling down winding in the slack line. The rod was between his legs when suddenly he got an almighty bite which lifted the rod off the ground and smacked him hard in the "crown jewels". He didn't say a word, but after about 4 or 5 seconds he gave a low moan and almost in slow motion fell over onto his side, oblivious to the fact that his ear was full of snow and he was being covered in it. He lay there for almost ten minutes, every now and then giving out a moan and sometimes what sounded like a little squeak. Now, I was also lying in the snow not able to help him because, I was laughing so much. By the way just as he got the bite the chuch bells started ringing in the New Year, it certainly rang his bells. He walked funny for a couple of days afterwards.
Another time there were about half a dozen of us on Blyth Pier. We had been there most of the day, some decent fish were coming in because there was a nice sea running. It was just getting towards dusk and we noticed a boat out at sea heading towards the harbour. We watched it get closer (it turned out to be a German coaster), now this thing was being pushed around in a big way by the heavy seas. The closer it got the more we doubted about it getting into the harbour entrance, suddenly we realised it wasn't going to make the entrance the damned thing was coming straight towards us. It was a case of grab the rods and bags, we didn't reel in, and run. The boat cut the pier in half and our fishing on Blyth Pier was stopped for a long time afterwards.
Plenty more lads if you want to read them.
Tight Lines, Sam.

byron whatsitisname? was he a polish bloke who lived in ashington but had a caravan on church point? think i might have had a bit crack with him a few times!

[sam harris]

Byron Whatisname !.

Byron was English and lived in Jesmond, Newcastle. A top class angler and caster.
My two late wives were always on at me to write a book, maybe I will one day, and dedicate it to them. I have been writing down some notes to remind me of things that have happened over the years, (I'm getting old, you know, I feel like an eighteen year old, but her who must be obeyed won't let me have one). Some of the things that have happened have brought back some wonderful, and sometimes sad memories of people and places.
If you want to hear more of the things I've done, places I've been and seen, I'll keep telling you all. Let me know.
Tight Lines, Sam.

[mickcave83]

Byron was English and lived in Jesmond, Newcastle. A top class angler and caster.
My two late wives were always on at me to write a book, maybe I will one day, and dedicate it to them. I have been writing down some notes to remind me of things that have happened over the years, (I'm getting old, you know, I feel like an eighteen year old, but her who must be obeyed won't let me have one). Some of the things that have happened have brought back some wonderful, and sometimes sad memories of people and places.
If you want to hear more of the things I've done, places I've been and seen, I'll keep telling you all. Let me know.
Tight Lines, Sam.

with out a doubt sam, please keep them coming they are a joy to read