GAZZA ON…HIS LOVE OF FISHING
QYou’re back into your fishing in a big way, and you’re clearly enjoying it again.PAUL GASCOIGNE: I love fishing and I’ve been fly fishing since I was about 17, but I can remember going before that with a little rod and catching perch and pike. I’ve recently started to watch a lot more videos and I love watching Ali, especially him catching carp.
I think it’s the only sport I know in the world which takes your mind off everything else. All your problems go away when you get those rods out of the car.
At the moment I don’t have any problems, I’m enjoying life, I’m getting well again and I’m not looking back.
It’s an honour to be out with you guys, and I really appreciate it. I got emotional when I saw you guys earlier and I felt like crying, I’m just so happy.
QWho got you into fishing?
PG: One of the coaches at Newcastle was a fly fisher and I said to him I’d like to take that up. So he taught us how to fly fish and I’ve been doing it ever since.
QHow did you manage to fit in your fishing when you were training and playing? PG: I’d sometimes go fishing before training. When I played for Tottenham I’d often go before training and then on the way to the training ground I’d trade in my trout with a guy in one of those burger vans at the side of the road for a hamburger or a bacon sandwich on the way home.
Once I was fishing and the manager, Jack Charlton, turned up. I don’t know how he found out where I was but I had about eight Budweisers in the net in the water to keep them cool and he asked me if I’d caught anything. I said no, but he spotted the net and said ‘that looks like it’s a bit heavy’.
I thought I was in trouble but he pulled the net up, we had a Budweiser each, he said ‘good luck with the fishing’ and then he shot off!
QWhat about on England duty – did you get some fishing in? PG: I did when we were playing at home. I can remember Terry Venables giving us the day off and going fly fishing with David Seaman once. I’d had a few drinks and I fell asleep and it was lucky David was there, as I fell in and would have died.
He ran around the lake and pulled me out. I woke up about an hour later and asked him ‘did I catch anything?’
QDid you manage to get any of the other players into fishing? PG: I went fishing with Chris Waddle a few times. I remember playing in a cup match for Tottenham and it was a night game so I said to Chris ‘let’s go pike fishing’ and we went out for eight hours on a choppy lake.
You know when you get jet lag? Well, I thought we had ‘boat lag’ – we went out on the pitch and it was going up and down like the
waves. He pulled us out, though, he scored and we won one-nil.
QIs it right that you do a bit of sea fishing as well? PG: I was fishing off the rocks the other week and I cast in and I thought I’d got a bite, so I struck. The rod was bent over and I thought I was going to break it. I had it on for about half-an-hour and I thought this must be an unbelievable fish.
All of sudden this scuba diver who was spear fishing came up. I’d hooked him in the back of the neck.
He said ‘alright Gazza?’ so I said ‘sorry mate’ and cut the line, then I told him to go and fish somewhere else. It was the biggest thing I’ve caught!
QYou’re fishing for carp today for the first time. What do you think? PG: I’m hyper and I’ve got to be on the move all the time. I used to think carp fishing was boring. I’d give David Seaman stick all the time saying ‘you just cast out and wait’ but now I take it all back.
I think I’ve caught about 11 fish now and they’re so beautiful. When you watch it on TV you don’t think about it until you actually land one yourself.
Obviously, I feel a bit sick now, as I’ve kissed 11 fish, but I’ll definitely be going carp fishing again.
QI’ve heard you read a lot of fishing magazines too PG: Every week I go to the garage and I go straight to Angling Times. I also get Trout & Salmon magazine.
I love looking through Angling Times and seeing the fish people have caught. I like seeing people happy, and when I see Angling Times I see that. When I got the call to come out today I was so excited to see you guys!