This is a personal account of Paul’s, or as many refer to him as simply “F”, charity weekend at Linear Fisheries to raise much needed funds for motor neuron disease. Paul battled the disease with bravery and dignity until the end. Our friendship started many years before his “F word” blog in Carp World was unveiled to his many followers. The event, thought up by Dave Lane and Ozzy Holness, carried through to a very successful event by Oz with Linear Fisheries giving open access to Brasenose 1&2 for the three days.

Linear Fisheries

Having never been to Linear before, I was keen to see the complex and what it offers to the day ticket Angler. On arrival, I had a walk round as I was early (as usual). Soon, a flurry of well-known names and old friends started to arrive in the main car park where the draw would take place. The stars, as Tim Paisley referred to the “known Anglers” who had given their time freely to support the event and Paul. Thirty of us would be paired up with Anglers who had paid an entrance fee of £400 pounds to fish alongside for the weekend. I was paired up with Aaron McCarthy from The Portsmouth area, we had never met before, but as so often the case with us Anglers we got on from the very start after we were drawn together on Brasenose 2 swim 2.

Weed Bed

First day was a bit frustrating, hearing that Lee Randall and his charge were catching off the top from a weed bed in front of their swim. I wandered along to see what was going on to find he had been invaded by his invitation. Other anglers around the lake in some cases to catch their first surface caught carp. Being a bit cheeky, I asked what was the going tactic as our crust approach wasn’t working. But we didn’t have many carp in front of us, Lee was on a cut down pop-up on the hair, simple enough.

Dog Biscuits

The next morning I skipped breakfast and started spombing dog biscuits to tempt some of their carp to move a little towards us. By lunch time the hard work was paying off with more fish in front of our swim. The first take fell off but Aaron was soon into another surface  bite on the heavy controller method, hooking the carp at longish range which resulted in our first carp in the net. With Aaron off the mark it was time to eat.

Social

The evening social soon came around as anglers from both lakes met on the causeway for a few beers and the barbecue. Stories and old times were swapped as we all mingled to catch up with old friends and new. This is when it hit me, sitting there, just observing the camaraderie of everyone.

1984

It took me back to when Paul and I first met around 1984 on Marsh pit and instantly became friends, even working together on some of Paul’s bigger building projects. We fished many other waters together in the area, catching some lovely old carp from unpressured waters. Then, when Paul moved to Faversham, his adventure into the limelight began. I recall being called to take the photos of she from the school pool and the long common from Conningbrook in those first few months. I had joined Harfield around that time and got to know some of the more well-known anglers of the day. Paul asked if he could tag along on one of my trips to the well-known Colne Valley. We went across to the Horse and Barge in the evening where anglers from Savay Pit 1 Harefield and the fisheries would meet up. Paul made no bones about being known as one of those top anglers and meeting them face to face over a pint was the catalyst to becoming one of the best after a chat with Roger Smith from savay at the Bar.

And as I sat there watching all these top Anglers celebrating his life and raising money on his behalf, I was sad he couldn’t see how far he had come. Although he was probably aware, knowing him. I was blessed to have him as a close friend.

They Think it’s All Over..

Soon after, some of us wandered back to our swims before dark for another chance of a surface caught carp. A few more spods to get the carp back on the surface again and a cast right in the middle of them. Just when I thought it was all over, the floating braid was being pulled across the flat calm surface and after a good scrap, a lovely 29-pound common was swept up in the waiting net by Aaron.

Tigers

The night bottom fishing didn’t produce any fish for us over the weekend in the deeper water we had in front of us, and the range restriction in our swim didn’t give us many options. Cray fish were abundant, taking boilies within a few minutes of being cast out. I tried Tigers, Paul’s favourite bait, but no bites off the bottom. Fish were caught off the bottom by some of the other anglers in the shallower parts of the lake. Brasenose one produced the bigger fish from off the top and bottom.

Prizes & Goodies

The last morning was quiet for us, with no fish on the surface in our swim, so it was a slow pack up ready for the last get together in the car park where the presentations would take place. Prizes for our guests for personal bests and largest fish achieved over the weekend including young Mowgli with his first surface caught carp under Lee Randalls tuition. A bag of goodies donated by the bait companies for all our guests and quick look round for any rubbish or lost property and it was time for the three hour drive home after a very hot and sunny successful weekend enjoyed by all.