Years ago when I started fishing there wasn’t many about to educate you on the fine art of our great
hobby. I had been schooled by an older lad on how to use the float on the canal but not on how
weather time of year and most of the other secrets that go into catching a fish. On one evening when
unintentionally all of these came together I was fishing on the Royal canal at Campbell’s bridge. It was
a humid windless evening in early June and the nature of the canal was in full bloom and voice .
Plenty of people were out walking the towpath ,most just passed some ask that oul question ‘any
luck” and some struggled with curs of dogs that pulled and dragged their owners up the path.
Fish were biting well and as the light began to drop I already had a good bag of small Roach, Rudd
and Perch . I could see a oulad strolling up the bank swinging a knotted blackthorn stick . He sat down
on a tussock of scutch grass opposite me. He was a travelling man and began to ask the usual
questions ‘er an oul fish” etc. We were chatting and I was enjoying his company when the float
dipped and moved away . I struck and well the rod buckled as the fish made a big run up the swim
after a bit I managed to land the fish and my travelling friend says “that’s the tinch pure yella whin ya
kitch em pure brown whin ye cook em “ and with that he upped and rambled on along the canal
leaving mel with the nervous shake of a boys first Tench.