Petersfinger and the glorious 16th

Fishing at Petersfinger Lakes

As you know from my earlier recollections, we had a break from fishing each year and it was called “The Close Season”. There would be great excitement on the build up to what was known as “The Off”, as we started the new season. That day would be the 16^th June. Well that was true, but avid fishermen would be ready to wet a line at midnight on the 15^th, to ensure they were the first to fish their chosen swims. I remember planning to fish the lakes at Petersfinger, just outside Salisbury on the Southampton Road. Although you could not actually start fishing until after midnight on the 15^th, you were allowed to bait up swims for a few days before and on the actual day before the night time offensive began.

It was amazing to see huge carp and tench mopping up floating bread and soaked dog biscuits during the days before the start of the season. This would galvanise your imagination as to what you would catch once you really started fishing. Those images playing on your mind would immediately disappear when you actually started, as if a switch had been pressed at midnight, the carp and tench, frustratingly, inexplicably, would disappear also.

I suppose all the bankside activity during the lead up must have made them wary, along with all the casting and recasting of bait and tackle. It was a bit of a giveaway signal for them to sink back and sulk into the depths. The two lakes were reasonably small and the fish could not really move out to the middle out of casting distance to gain any respite. All parts of both the lakes were within easy casting distance with both float and leger tackle. The first day was always difficult and catches always seemed to be low. After the first week, a lowering of activity from anglers always seemed to improve the catches.

The lake closest to the road was the smallest and also the weediest. It held some really large carp and as such was heavily fished by specimen hunters and carp fanatics in the club. Most of the best swims were always occupied by these types of anglers. They tended to form themselves into little syndicates and would camp in their chosen swims for weeks on end.

As one guy finished fishing he would hand the swim straight over to the next one on their pre-planned rota. It was months before the normal ordinary angler got anywhere near those swims. By then they had been fished out and the fish were very wary of anglers baits.

At that time the specimen hunters and die hard carp fishermen looked down their noses at ordinary anglers who were happy enough to catch smaller species such as roach, perch and bream.

They also disliked match fishermen and would label non specimen catchers as “noddies” and “tiddler snatchers”. They hated anyone who might take up space in what they considered to be their lake. As you can imagine it caused many arguments and battles within the hierarchy of the club, especially when the club had matches planned on that lake.

Personally I probably fell at that time into the category of a tiddler snatcher as I was quite happy to catch anything that swam in the lakes. It did not feel nice when you knew what was going on but could do nothing about it. I promised myself that one day I would try and get on the Club Committee and have a go, but that was for another time.