Steeple Langford - Building a Fishing Punt

In the Summer of 1974 I spent quite a few weekends fishing the two lakes at Steeple Langford. The lakes were controlled by Salisbury Angling Club. I was concentrating my efforts on fishing under the trees on the road end of the big lake. Most of the swims around where I was, were normally fished towards a large island of reeds directly in front of you. My swim was just on the end of the reeds which were about 70 yards out. I was able to see partly round the back of the reed island. I could see an angler fishing the back of the reeds from a punt sat in the middle of the lake. 

He was hauling in tench one after the other and catching far more than anyone else on the lake. I found that watching him was totally frustrating in the knowledge that no one else but him could reach those tench. In that moment I decided that I would try to purchase a punt if I could, so I to could have a crack at those seemingly forbidden tench. I subsequently found out that purchasing such a boat was entirely in the realms of fantasy for me as the cost was far too great for my small pockets. 

I decided to aim at perhaps building one for myself. I was quite friendly with a man who worked in a scrap yard and when I told him of my plans he agreed to help me gather the wood and help me to build it. It took us about 3 months to collect the wood we needed and we were even lucky enough to get a pair of rowlocks and oars for it. It took a further 2 months to build it. We fixed a canvas tarpaulin around it and covered it in a layer of tar to make it water tight. I was really proud of it when it was finished, but it was heavier than I thought it would be. I looked forward to the day when I would launch it onto the lake.

We all had quite a laugh when 3 or 4 of my mates heaved it onto the top of my Ford Escort. We had to tie it on the top, with the ropes being anchored in each of the door windows. I gingerly drove home and because it was late Autumn I decided to store it on top of my shed until the next Summer and the new season started in June. 

With further help and much grunting and groaning we managed to get it up onto the flat roof of my shed. The boat became the butt of many jokes regarding whether I was expecting floods and calling me Noah. There was no way that I was going to be able to load the punt off the roof and on to my car without a lot of help.

To cut a long story short, the punt, which I had painted green, was never to see the water. After spending the next 2 years on the top of my shed, I took it apart and got rid of the rowlocks, oars and a little anchor I had made. Unfortunately there was to be no fairytale ending with me launching my craft and hauling in tench and bream from that elusive damned swim which was still as elusive to me as it always was. I do think every now and again, what might have been. Maybe, in my dreams!