I used to fish at Colnbrook, on, I think? The Colnbrook!
With my old friend Keith Sellick (drowned on a work party on Savay, the same day Ayrton Senna died, 1st May 1994)!
The river went under a road, quite a wide dual carriageway as I remember, and there were two large pipes, we could sit either side of the river and fish a pipe each.
Our method was quite simple and bait consisted of a lump of cheese paste, some luncheon meat and a large pot of Lobworms, we also had a large sliced loaf each, but this was not for bait so much as it was for getting our tackle as far under the pipe as we could.
We would both set up a simple link ledger with a couple of swan shot pinched on a loop of nylon, the hook length was about 18inches and the hook was nearly always a size 6 eyed.
We would bait the hook with whichever bait, take a slice of bread and push the swan shot through the slice, we would then lower the slice and gear into the water and let it flow into and down the pipe with the bail arm open, initially we would let the bait hang from the slice, but once we found the fish we would just nip the hook point into the crust so that it pulled free with a slight jerk.
We would then gauge the flow and time the slice down the pipe, 10 seconds for 7 yards and so on, while carefully watching the line.
If the line jerked or pulled tight we would strike and hopefully catch a Chub.
If we missed the bite, we would simply wind in and go over the process again, but this time pulling the tackle free at 18 seconds or what ever the time was for the bite.
Sometimes the Chub would be 10 yards down some times 20 yards, and sometimes there were more than one school of fish, so you could take one from the further school and next “cast” fish for the closer fish.
We never ever blanked on this spot and on our best day we had 25 Chub 13 for Keith and 12 for me (in those days we used keepnets), and our best fish was a Chub of 5lb 8oz (I suspect we both had the same fish, on different days, but from the same pipe).
Usually the bites were spectacular and I have to say it was great fun!
Then one close season the river was polluted (I think by idiots at Heathrow airport) and that was the end of our fishing!!
I have not remembered that for a long time, happy days fishing with Keith, we both worked as Saturday boys in Chubb’s of Edgware.
It was while fishing with Keith that I met Prince Charles, but that as they say is another story!
Tight lines.
