Superb Dave....It brings it all back. I remember Don Hipkin and Ian Booker that morning fishing up the end of the Causeway. They were fishing over the 2nd or 3rd bar, a good distance out. If you remember, they were fishing using these huge donkey chokers to make the distance. I can even remember the flavour they were using, it was Hutchies Mega spice. But it was their freebait delivery system that will always stick in my head. They had fashioned a huge catapult head with the thickest elastic you had ever seen and it was fixed to the top of a beach caster handle. Booker was at the front manning the catty. He would hold it back and Don, who was stood behind him would load the pouch with one of these huge baits and shout "right" and booker would just punch it out. I've never seen anyone do that before or since! Also, that VW of yours...ha ha ha...I remember me, you and Bernard having a party one night and Bernard having a funny turn and crashing out half in and half out of your van. But the funny thing was, that The Pear (Stuart Barry) had been with us earlier, and he was fishing the Pads on Savay but ended up getting locked in Harefield car park. But obviously he had to get back, so we ended up giving him a pog up over the gate...ha ha ha... imagine what we must have looked like, us scarwny gits trying to lift The Pear over the gate!!! It still makes me laugh until this day! Great times Dave....Great Times x
Someone put me on to your story here, Dave….awesome to hear about your experiences at Harefield. I read about you and Bernie after I had moved on. Long time since I carp fished but I’m pleased that our exploits there inspired you to have a go too. I wasn’t any different to you guys - also daunted by the place and trying to work out how to hook and land fish consistently. It was one of those lakes that had produced few fish - we could count on two hands the captures we had heard of. We reckoned about 40 fish in forty acres at the time. That was before they put the Rodney Meadow fish in there. The biggest one apparently was a thirty-five caught by a guy called Steve. I think Rod had met him and his friends there and said they’d caught around half a dozen between them. The big one came from what is now the island but it was part of the bank back then. Generally though, Harefield was an enigma. For us, there was a lot of fumbling around and of course, the odd stroke pulled just to try and get fish on the bank. Something that we kept under wraps for fear of losing our membership were what we called ‘The Harefield Ducks’ that got their one and only swim on the Royal Wedding weekend. If you have an email address I can send you the story….I wrote it up for Rod for a book that never ended up getting published. Even now, I still remember where all the bars were…spent hours swimming and in an inflatable kids boat mapping it out. One of the best sessions I had was from the small hump but casting out into the main part of the lake over those lethal bars. Denis Davis lost eight fish one session from there so that’s when I knew we had to do something different and so the long 60lb leaders and all that swimming out mullarkey started….I think I was the only nutter game enough to try it but I landed every one I swam out for except one where the hook pulled. On the little island which sounds like what you guys call The Point (?), I broke from using peanuts and used boilies as they could be catapulted into the troughs out past the long island. About eight pounds of boilies were used over a couple of days, which sounds a small amount these days. I put in half of them at the start and hooked a fish around midnight. I swam out and played it from the island but the hook pulled. Next morning I swam out for a couple of twenties in an hour, followed by what was my last and biggest fish from Harefield. At 32lb 6oz, it was the orange fish that you had at 33lb Dave - I saw your photo with it in an article I found online. The dream was to catch a thirty - mission accomplished. Soon after that I ran away to Australia. Now I live in New Zealand where it’s all trout fishing…still fishing lakes and still after big fish at times. Take care mate and keep those rods bending. Paul :)
Id love to hear 'The Harefield Ducks '' story at some point............ I used to fish the Gold Ticket for Boyers, I Fished Harefield which was an impossible water, Rodney Meadow(and Savay ) as well as Farlows......I had 9 fish to 37 lb in the 80s from Farlows........I swapped letters with Rod Hutchinson for 'bait recipes ' ....... met people like Steve Briggs and Rob Maylin, I fished with the Hippies, I remember the bailiff (Bruce) chasing Bernie Lofthouse around Harefield with an old putrid pike to slap him with it......... I stayed 'private' and never announced hits of 12 fish in a day on home made fish meals laced with just fish feed inducing oil - the original ''oily boilies'' - John Stent went on to run 'Le Lac Rouge' in the loire valley, Boyers sold Farlows.........I moved to Kent .... I still love my fishing, Float rod, 5lb line , little hook and sweetcorn - I still catch carp......but the ''fever'' for catching a kipper had waned a little.... Im too old now :-( I love your books and stories Doug....... please do a studio shoot at least once a month..... memories dont leave like people do ( PS ........take me out to scary tree swim and leave me there......wow, what a setting )
These stories remind me of our early carp days as a 13 year old kid with my school mates, fishing our local rez and then moving on to fishing elstow in Bedfordshire, meeting the likes of a young Martin bowler 👍👍
I have been addicted to these story sessions, just worked myself back. I loved my time on Harefied (early 2000), and you brought a lot of things back. That lake is now just a gravel swamp! So sad. PS get your oil quick its only 20p / litre. Only benefit of the lock-down!. Thanks for keeping me occupied.
In 1998, as an 18yr old student I bought a copy of this book and sat at my desk in my hall of residence at Nottingham university and read it in one hit. My uni mates thought I was nuts! The best carp book for a generation. Thanks for sharing.
Epic tales Dave of times gone by , makes me remember the real laughs and beer I had myself ,loads of both was definitely how it should be then and now ! Thanks for helping me keep sane with the awesome vlogs!!!!🎣🐳
That was my best 45 minutes of the lock down, love the books Dave but having you tell the stories is a whole other level, if it was the quarantine that prompted these then maybe its not all bad:-)
Thoroughly enjoyed that Dave, back to the best era of carp fishing. Fished Harefield before it became a syndicate (season ticket through William Boyer) , and was then lucky enough to have a few guest sessions in the syndicate days. Good times on the bank and in the Horse & Barge
loved the story dave I fished hare field 1990 about the time Steve Morgan and zen started mainline and zen was finding it difficult along with the famous five, i caught 3 twenties
The first thing I did when got a Korda ticket years back was go for a pint in the horse and barge before I would fish... Thanks for the tales. Keep safe everyone...!! And thank you once again...!!!
Just watched all 3 of your lockdown videos and thanks you for that. I think your into a winner here Dave with this story book sessions I absolutely love them. And the wall of fame outstanding and there’s no smoke blowing coming from me. Just a big thanks you for doing this.
Awesome stuff Mr Lane, still have my 1st edition copy of obsession, great book along with your others, started on tilgate and went from there, great stories to listen to while we are unable to go angling
Could listen to your story all day long day Dave 👍 I feel that buzz you must have had 1st 30lb .... keep up the good work Dave Loving the new carp room....👌
I always thought terry hearn was a good story teller setting the scene and putting you there by his side ,BUT you mr lane are a GREAT story teller lets have some more please .
Great to see you doing more on your channel. I bought that book back when it was first released. Absolutely loved it and will have to try and dig it out again. Have subbed and will be watching along regularly.
Great vid Dave love listening to your stories I've got happy memories of carping in the 80's ..lol. and I've still got my cardinal ultra cast 65 reel i looked after it that much it still looks mint today i wonder what they are worth today.
Wow this stirred up s few memories, we used to pike fish broadwater in the late eighties, one day walking the causeway we saw you talking chatting to someone ,my mate said "look there's Paul Klinkenberg ,...... don't know who the geezer in the bowler hat Is though.......
So glad you did this. I remember asking you at a show if you were going to reprint the book as it was so difficult to find. You told me as it was all in analogue you’d have to retype the whole book and would have been a palava. Hearing from the horses mouth is better for sure 👍🏼
Ah yes tutti and salmon supreme, think honey Yucatan too? Had the scattered from Diana on the salmon in 85....sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago, others like yesterday...
Enjoyed the vid ... and your books iv had you classic rods in cork for years had fish up to 40lb + and would never sell them could you tell the year they came out... I remember you writing in a mag about you going abroad to test then.
Dave, cracking video. Not sure if you can make out my thumbnail pic. Its an 18lb 6 common from Harefield in '76. I was too young to drink in the pub which is just visible in the background. Cracking season, pre hair rigs and boilies.
Yeah I got a copy quite a few years back paid 80 quid for it would love it signed if ever bump into you anyhow still waiting for 3rd book to be delivered will have all 3 then
Harefield is nothing like that size anymore, it is being back filled and is about half gone now, guess the fish have grown legs, maybe why one of the other "pits" in the area had a big fish kill?? www.google.com/maps/place/Savay+Lake/@51.5896223,-0.4919268,547m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48766ebc66252913:0x62dbe35dd5c3e854!8m2!3d51.5813852!4d-0.4863515
