Whats your magic fishing memory ?

Do you have a magical fishing memory?
One of mine was when I was about 10, I loaded me and my gear onto a train to go fishing at my local lakes about 5 miles away, got to the lake in the end it was hammering it down in a bad thunder storm, no brolly just a tree for cover, there was no one else at the lake so could not scrounge some maggots so had to use the only thing I had bread. Anyway the sun came out and it warmed up, then my float shot under and I struck and hit into a big fish that almost pulled me in, I landed the fish with my keep net and the monster was mine. It was a 2 1/2lb tench that almost snapped my 9ft white glass rod. My PB before that was a 4oz roach. Those were the days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yle3C4uudQY&feature=email

30lbs carp that i got at bury hill

My favourite catch wasnt my biggest fish!

It was summer time and went fishing with my buddy at the villa in cumbria just a small venue but ideal for a day session. My mate was almost instantly in the water with a ledger setup, seems to always be a race to whos first in the water! but I was hungover and not really in the mood or capable of setting up ledger rigs so decided to use a float, looking through my float selection I found an unused surface float n fancied to try something brand new, I set up my main line to the float and used some flyline with a small hook for the business end, easy set up with no messing perfect for my hangover, I greased the fly line to make it float and soaked a few dog biscuits at the water edge so i could push the hook straight in, another hangover method!!

My mate was having no look and came to see what i was up to, he threw a few buscuits in and they vanished almost instantly, we both got excited like a couple of kids in a toy shop, I made my cast and threw a handfull of biscuits arount my bait, probably too many! we both sat looking at my bait as not to loose sight and mix it up with the 20 or so biscuits out there. One by one they dissapered into the depths of fishy goodness, more n more excited we got waiting for my bait to go....... but no... every single biscuit dissapered but mine, they can see the hook said my mate at the same time BANG it went,

I made a strike and it was well on!! this was my first fish of the surface, so I didnt want to loose it but equally wanted it in quick, it came right in then was on a run so tightend the drag to hopefully tire it out, a couple more runs later the little bugger started to tire and managed to get it in close between two reed snags, it went for both, I managed to bully it out and my mate got it first time in the landing net, i was jumping up and down, hangover cured, and a first catch on the surface, picture perfect common carp at just over 8 lbs!! ......Get in!!