Your Letters
on the week’s news
SIX years ago I was gifted with my greatest-ever catch, a 7lb 8oz personal best in the form of my son Benjamin. Thanks in no uncertain terms to Ali, Dean and The Big Fish Off (every series and episode of which he now knows by heart), he picked up a fishing rod for the very first time a few weeks ago at a local venue. Amazingly, his very first cast resulted in his first-ever fish.
His cries of joy and excitement, heard around the entire lake, started with: “Dad…I’m in!” followed by “Keep the rod up!”, “Enjoy the fight!”, “Get in there!” and “We’re in the game!” (do these phrases sound familiar at all?)
Eventually, after those priceless remarks, Benjamin skilfully drifted a fish into the net. While it might not have been the 40lb monster we all dream of catching, this fantastic little mirror, to which he gave the mandatory goodbye kiss before gently sliding it back into the water, will be the one fish he and I remember for the rest of our lives.
This is fishing, this is what fathers and sons (and daughters) can enjoy, and these are moments that we will build upon, relive and recount for many years to come.
So I’d just like to say a massive thanks to Ali, Dean and all at Angling Times and The Big Fish Off, not to mention all those anglers we’ve already met and asked: “Have you caught anything yet?”
Most have kindly welcomed him in and let him see and touch the fish they have landed, along with offering lots of advice and best wishes for his future days out. Mark Smith, Wakefield, West Yorks