After a lifetime of fishing, I often ask myself what is my favourite type of fishing of all? There is no definitive answer but with some difficulty I have tried to nail it down to 3 (in no particular order). Fly fishing for Atlantic salmon? Casting a dry fly for a rising chalk stream brown trout? Then I am torn between trotting for roach and margin fishing for tench with a quill float? Each has its magical qualities.
An interesting mix but a recent offer from the Angling Trust proved irresistible to me. The deal was to bid for a place on their 48-hour tench Masterclass with ‘guided’ fishing on Dorchester Lake near Oxford. All in conjunction with the Tenchfishers and the Abingdon and Oxford Angling Alliance. Funds were being raised for the Angling Trust’s “Tench Fishing: The Future” initiative helping to ensure there are thriving tench waters around the UK.
My ‘bid’ was successful, and I joined six other budding tench fishers together with a plethora of volunteers at Dorchester Lake (a gravel pit near to Oxford famed for its tench fishing).
I was fortunate to be paired with Duffers (Mark Daffern) a fully qualified Angling Trust Coach and Mental Health first aider. We soon hit it off with our various tales of fishing and tactics but once we got on to his involvement in utilising fishing to improve the mental health of both children and adults, I started to feel very humbled. Donations are one thing but giving up valuable leisure time is another and I was blown away by his and his colleague’s dedication to passing on their knowledge to us over the 48 hour period. Also the support for various fishing charities such as Fishing for Schools run so well by our mutual friend Charles Jardine is amazing and so successful.
Fishing can provide incredible benefits for our mental health and wellbeing. The outdoors coupled with fishing is the ideal mix to clear the mind and engage with nature.
So whilst I caught an incredible array of super fish including 6 float caught tench to nearly 7lb I took away something much more important.
Over those 48 hours it certainly worked for me and it is something I will remember for many years to come.
