Paul Richardson
Senior Member & Supporter
Insprired by the " how much have you spent on tackle" thread - it reminded me off my biggest spend. This is a bit of a yarn...be warned.
It was mid-December 2018. I was days away from a 2-week winter sun holiday that was much needed after another stressy year.
As is so often the case, a chance conversation with a new work colleague ended up with me shoe-horning fishing into the conversation. This lad mentioned that his mate was selling some fishing gear and that was about as much as he knew. Purely out of habit I responded
" Tell him to send me a list and I'll have a look at it ". I had no spare money, I was going on holiday only to return for Xmas and all the associated expense of that. I had everything I needed to enjoy my fishing? Why oh why did I even get involved?
Quickly forgetting about it, I carried on with my day when late on Friday my phone ' pinged' and I had a text message from an unknown number. I opened it to be presented with some very blurry pictures of what appeared to be fishing gear. The penny dropped. The only thing I recognised were some Delkim alarms.
Now as a keen pike angler I had always yearned for a set of Delkims, but could never, ever justify spending £500 on a set.
The Arthur Daly in me kicked in " Mmmm - it's nearly Xmas, he must need some quick cash, even though I don't have any spare money, it's got to be worth a derisory offer - after all shy kids get nowt"
So I summoned up the cheek to call the vendor.
Long story short, he told me quick that he wasn't going to split his gear and he started to reel off all manner of brands and part numbers, most of which I vaguely recognised but clearly it was an out-and-out carp set up.
" Let me stop you there mate, from what you've already told me you're into £000s and as I said I'd take the Delks at the right money but that's my limit" I coolly replied.
It's always worth a conversation but this one had veered way off the original course.
He replied " Hang on - you haven't heard what I want for it. Look I don't want to waste my time with Ebay and the first person to come with £????? cash - takes the lot"
Dilemma! Did I hear that right, surely not?, it's nicked?, but then my colleague vouched for him? I'm confused? I have no money? I'm going on holiday! Brain work - quick!
So the best I could muster under pressure was " Right - what time can I get there tomorrow morning- I'll have it "
He agreed to send a brief list, confirm the price and send me his address and we set a time to meet the following morning. Well that went to plan!
Now to deal with the wife
" Hi love- blah, blah, blah" . She took it surprisingly well and assured me I wouldn't put us in the poor house but I wouldn't be able to get enought cash out of the hole in the wall in time to make up the amount. So she suggested I ask her dad. I was less nervous asking for her hand in marriage but, I asked could I lend £xx and he never asked a thing, just dissapeared upstairs and returned handing me a wad, just saying " pay me back when you can lad " What an absolute legend. Old school miner- no trust in banks - cash is king.
After a sleepless night i was up and off and turned up way too early at a housing estate in the shadow of the Angel of the North - not exactly a fishing mecca - and I hoped she was watching over me as I nervously made my way to the door and was met by an equally nervous bloke who invited me in for a cuppa.
And I started to relax, it was a lovely home and he seemed a decent mush. And we started to talk.
He told me he had had a serious accident at work which had crushed his back and legs and he was lucky not be crippled. The only upside is that he received a generous compensation payment and someone had suggested that fishing would be a good pastime to get into for his recuperation and mental health .
He got ' the bug' and went to town, buying his carp fishing set-up and joining a syndicate further South. He'd been few times and loved it but then fate cruelly intervened again.
He then told me that he had been diagnosed with cancer and then had blood-clots on his lungs all in a matter of months and he couldn't physically enjoy his fishing anymore or dare be bivvied up, so after some soul-searching he decided " everything must go".
He threw in a last minute Geordie curve-ball " You know - if you'd been a d***head I wouldn't have sold it, I know I'm giving it away, but Bri( the work contact) said you were sound ,so let's get cracking"
At that point we supped up and he took me to a well maintained garden shed and unlocked the various padlocks
" This is what you're buying " and he opened the door.
It was rammed floor to ceiling with fishing tackle. I felt like Howard Carter breaking through into Tutankhamuns burial chamber! But no curses please.
In a second I went from a hard-nosed negotiater to a gibbering idiot who couldn't get the money out his pocket quick enough.
I've already gone on enough without listing the full contents but to give you a taster with the headlines
1 x Waverunner Mk4 Baitboat c/w Toslon GPS + batteries + every conceivable extra
3 x Delkim TXI - with receiver and every extra in the case
2 x Daiwa Basia DF 12' 3.75tc rods
2 x Daiwa Longbow Spod / Spod Marker Rods
1 x Daiwa Longbow Floater Rod -( great barbel rod)
4 x Penn Affinity Reels - c'w braid and spare spools
1 x Shimano 6000 XTEA + spool
1 x Fox Voyager Bivvy c/w winter wrap
1 x Nash 4 seasons sleep system
1 x Nash Indulgence Reciner Chair
1 x Fox Ranger continental pod
2 x JRC 42" Nets c/w carbon poles
RH dial scales
Fox digital scales
Reatining sling/ weigh slings
Barrow bags/ Nash rucksacks/ Insulated Bags
Numerous bank sticks - with solar butt grips
MRS burner + cookware bag and utensils
Trakker Bags, Ridge Monkey buckets, marker sticks....
Nikon binos...
You get the picture - add in JAg sharpeners, Korda hooks, swivels of every description , Korda tackle boxes, spombs, marker floats, leads , KGs of boilies, 10 bottles of Goo, spools of braid and mono- unopened - baiting needles, drills, catapults, etc. etc. etc...
Just every possible thing you would ever need including a bait freezer and bib and brace. Plus 20 or so books.
Everything was pristine and top quality. It was simply unbelievable
After several attempts I managed to load everything into my 4X4 and as we looked into the empty shed his bottom lip started to wobble and his eyes watered up and I won't lie to you, mine did too. I felt like a vulture, but it wasn't the money, it was the end of an era for him, he was going to miss his fishing and I really did feel his pain. Imagine if the boot was on the other foot?? And it was a real life lesson for me - never take your health for granted , get on the bank as much as you can and don't procrastinate. I had no reason to fall on that good fortune but I did and I will never get a deal like that again.
As we both stood there silently, but comfortable in sharing the moment ( as men do) I had to blurt out
" I give you my word that I will not profiteer from this, I'm going to use it and look after it for you - I'll give it a good home" and he smiled , patted me on the arm and walked into the house. And I drove off not quite knowing how to feel, but rest assured the euphoria soon took over when I got home and started to uncover the treasure trove.
And do you know what - I haven't sold so much as a single hook.
I did drop a few clangers, such as grinding up KGs of big boilies and using them as ground-bait.
Of course carpers use a lot of pop-ups and that opening day on the river ,people couldn't believe how many chub and barbel were rolling and feeding up in the water and of course bites were slow when the penny dropped that my super bouyant groundbait was feeding every fish for about 1 mile downstream.
Over the years I've used the vast majority of the kit despite having only fished for carp twice in what is 6 years more or less to the day.
At some point my grandkids might get into fishing or I might get into carp fishing but the vast majority of stuff has been well used.
Only this week I found a net I'd forgotten about, mice had a bit of a go at the mesh but it got slid under a pike. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.
And yesterday I used the delks, the pod, the Penn reels. I had the RH scales, net and weigh/retainer sling but they never got used - nuff said.
The baitboat has been used a plenty dropping deadbaits off in the distance. Can't say it's caught me a ton of fish but having a play with it on them slow piking days is always fun.
And of course the price that I paid ?- now that would be telling but i'll give you a cryptic clue - less than if you need to contact the emergency services
It was mid-December 2018. I was days away from a 2-week winter sun holiday that was much needed after another stressy year.
As is so often the case, a chance conversation with a new work colleague ended up with me shoe-horning fishing into the conversation. This lad mentioned that his mate was selling some fishing gear and that was about as much as he knew. Purely out of habit I responded
" Tell him to send me a list and I'll have a look at it ". I had no spare money, I was going on holiday only to return for Xmas and all the associated expense of that. I had everything I needed to enjoy my fishing? Why oh why did I even get involved?
Quickly forgetting about it, I carried on with my day when late on Friday my phone ' pinged' and I had a text message from an unknown number. I opened it to be presented with some very blurry pictures of what appeared to be fishing gear. The penny dropped. The only thing I recognised were some Delkim alarms.
Now as a keen pike angler I had always yearned for a set of Delkims, but could never, ever justify spending £500 on a set.
The Arthur Daly in me kicked in " Mmmm - it's nearly Xmas, he must need some quick cash, even though I don't have any spare money, it's got to be worth a derisory offer - after all shy kids get nowt"
So I summoned up the cheek to call the vendor.
Long story short, he told me quick that he wasn't going to split his gear and he started to reel off all manner of brands and part numbers, most of which I vaguely recognised but clearly it was an out-and-out carp set up.
" Let me stop you there mate, from what you've already told me you're into £000s and as I said I'd take the Delks at the right money but that's my limit" I coolly replied.
It's always worth a conversation but this one had veered way off the original course.
He replied " Hang on - you haven't heard what I want for it. Look I don't want to waste my time with Ebay and the first person to come with £????? cash - takes the lot"
Dilemma! Did I hear that right, surely not?, it's nicked?, but then my colleague vouched for him? I'm confused? I have no money? I'm going on holiday! Brain work - quick!
So the best I could muster under pressure was " Right - what time can I get there tomorrow morning- I'll have it "
He agreed to send a brief list, confirm the price and send me his address and we set a time to meet the following morning. Well that went to plan!
Now to deal with the wife
" Hi love- blah, blah, blah" . She took it surprisingly well and assured me I wouldn't put us in the poor house but I wouldn't be able to get enought cash out of the hole in the wall in time to make up the amount. So she suggested I ask her dad. I was less nervous asking for her hand in marriage but, I asked could I lend £xx and he never asked a thing, just dissapeared upstairs and returned handing me a wad, just saying " pay me back when you can lad " What an absolute legend. Old school miner- no trust in banks - cash is king.
After a sleepless night i was up and off and turned up way too early at a housing estate in the shadow of the Angel of the North - not exactly a fishing mecca - and I hoped she was watching over me as I nervously made my way to the door and was met by an equally nervous bloke who invited me in for a cuppa.
And I started to relax, it was a lovely home and he seemed a decent mush. And we started to talk.
He told me he had had a serious accident at work which had crushed his back and legs and he was lucky not be crippled. The only upside is that he received a generous compensation payment and someone had suggested that fishing would be a good pastime to get into for his recuperation and mental health .
He got ' the bug' and went to town, buying his carp fishing set-up and joining a syndicate further South. He'd been few times and loved it but then fate cruelly intervened again.
He then told me that he had been diagnosed with cancer and then had blood-clots on his lungs all in a matter of months and he couldn't physically enjoy his fishing anymore or dare be bivvied up, so after some soul-searching he decided " everything must go".
He threw in a last minute Geordie curve-ball " You know - if you'd been a d***head I wouldn't have sold it, I know I'm giving it away, but Bri( the work contact) said you were sound ,so let's get cracking"
At that point we supped up and he took me to a well maintained garden shed and unlocked the various padlocks
" This is what you're buying " and he opened the door.
It was rammed floor to ceiling with fishing tackle. I felt like Howard Carter breaking through into Tutankhamuns burial chamber! But no curses please.
In a second I went from a hard-nosed negotiater to a gibbering idiot who couldn't get the money out his pocket quick enough.
I've already gone on enough without listing the full contents but to give you a taster with the headlines
1 x Waverunner Mk4 Baitboat c/w Toslon GPS + batteries + every conceivable extra
3 x Delkim TXI - with receiver and every extra in the case
2 x Daiwa Basia DF 12' 3.75tc rods
2 x Daiwa Longbow Spod / Spod Marker Rods
1 x Daiwa Longbow Floater Rod -( great barbel rod)
4 x Penn Affinity Reels - c'w braid and spare spools
1 x Shimano 6000 XTEA + spool
1 x Fox Voyager Bivvy c/w winter wrap
1 x Nash 4 seasons sleep system
1 x Nash Indulgence Reciner Chair
1 x Fox Ranger continental pod
2 x JRC 42" Nets c/w carbon poles
RH dial scales
Fox digital scales
Reatining sling/ weigh slings
Barrow bags/ Nash rucksacks/ Insulated Bags
Numerous bank sticks - with solar butt grips
MRS burner + cookware bag and utensils
Trakker Bags, Ridge Monkey buckets, marker sticks....
Nikon binos...
You get the picture - add in JAg sharpeners, Korda hooks, swivels of every description , Korda tackle boxes, spombs, marker floats, leads , KGs of boilies, 10 bottles of Goo, spools of braid and mono- unopened - baiting needles, drills, catapults, etc. etc. etc...
Just every possible thing you would ever need including a bait freezer and bib and brace. Plus 20 or so books.
Everything was pristine and top quality. It was simply unbelievable
After several attempts I managed to load everything into my 4X4 and as we looked into the empty shed his bottom lip started to wobble and his eyes watered up and I won't lie to you, mine did too. I felt like a vulture, but it wasn't the money, it was the end of an era for him, he was going to miss his fishing and I really did feel his pain. Imagine if the boot was on the other foot?? And it was a real life lesson for me - never take your health for granted , get on the bank as much as you can and don't procrastinate. I had no reason to fall on that good fortune but I did and I will never get a deal like that again.
As we both stood there silently, but comfortable in sharing the moment ( as men do) I had to blurt out
" I give you my word that I will not profiteer from this, I'm going to use it and look after it for you - I'll give it a good home" and he smiled , patted me on the arm and walked into the house. And I drove off not quite knowing how to feel, but rest assured the euphoria soon took over when I got home and started to uncover the treasure trove.
And do you know what - I haven't sold so much as a single hook.
I did drop a few clangers, such as grinding up KGs of big boilies and using them as ground-bait.
Of course carpers use a lot of pop-ups and that opening day on the river ,people couldn't believe how many chub and barbel were rolling and feeding up in the water and of course bites were slow when the penny dropped that my super bouyant groundbait was feeding every fish for about 1 mile downstream.
Over the years I've used the vast majority of the kit despite having only fished for carp twice in what is 6 years more or less to the day.
At some point my grandkids might get into fishing or I might get into carp fishing but the vast majority of stuff has been well used.
Only this week I found a net I'd forgotten about, mice had a bit of a go at the mesh but it got slid under a pike. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.
And yesterday I used the delks, the pod, the Penn reels. I had the RH scales, net and weigh/retainer sling but they never got used - nuff said.
The baitboat has been used a plenty dropping deadbaits off in the distance. Can't say it's caught me a ton of fish but having a play with it on them slow piking days is always fun.
And of course the price that I paid ?- now that would be telling but i'll give you a cryptic clue - less than if you need to contact the emergency services
.