Angling features and news

On the 10th January 2009 my Dad passed away after falling ill on Christmas Eve, the article below appeared in my weekly angling column for The Surrey Mirror the day before my Dad's funeral on 23rd January 2009. I could have filled the whole publication up with memories of our times together and of course our fishing trips....

In memory of Eddie John Evans

14^th January 2009 Angling Column

“Life will never be the same, but I will carry on catching for us”

This angling column is my first of 2009 so let me wish you all a Happy New Year, but sadly out of all the articles I have written over the past four years or so this piece is the hardest I have written. The Sunday before Christmas my parents came down from Suffolk to stay with my family for a long awaited family festive holiday and as usual my Dad and me talked about fishing, our beloved West Ham and everything else a father and son do. All was well until the early hours of Christmas Eve morning when my life, all of our lives were turned upside down. My Dad suffered an heart attack and was rushed into East Surrey hospital, our family Christmas was over before it had started. On Saturday 10^th January 2009 my Dad, my number one fishing buddy passed away peacefully and my only comfort is that he will not suffer anymore.

            At the age of two my Dad introduced me to the art of fishing and in my early years we spent so many trips to Wanstead Park in Essex, which was our local pond, my training ground really. We often went by cab in the early 60’s catching a taxi outside Plaistow Station to the perch ponds as they were called then and one day that will stick in my mind forever was the first time I beat my Dad at fishing. It was Boxing Day 1968 and we went over to the perch ponds, the only anglers on the lake as I recall and it was a windy day with us fishing off the boards. We had one bite between us on my float and it was a 2 ounce perch which claimed me victory and I can still see his face smiling proudly at me as I was holding the fish in my hands.

            In the 1980’s and early 90’s we were members of Tunnel Angling Club and we won the pairs title five years on the trot and that gave my Dad so much pleasure as we achieved the success together. On one particular day we were fishing a club match on the Grand Union Canal near a section called the Ovaltine factory and it was a cold hard day with both of us struggling with our nearest competitors doing well. Mid match I walked up to Dad to see how he was doing and he said that over on the far bank where some hot water was being pumped in through a factory pipe he could see a few carp moving around and he was going to target one of them. We knew that if he could land one of them the match would be ours and another title would be in the bag. Some thirty minutes after walking back to my peg I looked down the canal to see my Dad’s rod bent over, he was into one of the carp. With my eyes fixed on him for five minutes or so and the adrenalin rushing through my veins he netted a carp of nearly five pounds on a size 20 hook to 2lbs line. After slipping the fish into his net he looked down the bank to see if I had noticed him in action, I stood up to acknowledge him and he punched the air with delight. His fish won the match and won us our fourth pairs title at the time with one more match to go, happy days.

            Although I am lucky to have so many memories of our times together, it hurts that our fishing sagas have ended so quickly, Dad was only 69. We did not know it at the time but last August was our final fishing trip together when we fished the River Thurne in Norfolk near a place called Martham. We had bites all day long with my Dad catching plenty of his favourite species, roach on the pole and we always had a pound for the biggest fish and a pound for the most weight, I nearly always won which did not bother him as we were out fishing and having a laugh together which in the end was all that really mattered.

            I would like to thank, on the behalf of my family, all the doctors and nurses at East Surrey Hospital who cared for my Dad and made him as comfortable as he could be, you were all marvellous.

I know that when I go fishing from now on my Dad will not be far away in spirit and although life will never be the same now without him I will carry on fishing for the both of us and of course cheer on the Hammers even louder.

            “Tight Lines”

              Russ Evans

14^th January 2009