The best thing you’ve seen whilst fishing

[Clive Shipman]

Second on the list fishing the BA on dusk with my brother Rich we fished 20ft apart between some trees. The out for the blue the sky lit up with a huge bang (I knew what it was I could hear it coming) a swan flew into power lines opposite us and went off like a firework. I went into concern mode whilst my brother fell about laughing. 5 minutes later showing good survival instincts this poor slightly black swan waddled towards us down the bank and into the river and swam away down stream looking worse for wear. My brother still laughs about it to this day.

 

[Steve Roffey]

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Whilst fishing on the Bristol one summer’s day, I’d taken a swim directly beneath a willow tree. Its lowest branch hung about five feet from the ground, forming a little arch where I could climb under and sit. I set up there, cast out, and began fishing opposite a much higher bank on the far side.


As I sat quietly—bite-less, as usual—I watched a barn owl hunting in the field opposite for a good ten minutes. Then, out of nowhere, it made a beeline for the high bank and flew straight toward me. It must have swooped over that bank a hundred times before, using the gap in the willow branches as a perfect flight path. But today, I happened to be sitting right in that spot.


In the blink of an eye, the owl swooped over the bank and, with no time to change course, glided silently over my head. The only sound was the faint rush of air as it passed. I froze, barely believing what had just happened. It cleared my head by inches.


An absolutely amazing moment—I doubt I’ll ever top it.

Had that happen to me once on the Severn above Shrewsbury about 40 years ago, absolutely magical!