After many years of writing a column, the author has been informed that it will be coming to an end at the end of the month. This news brings mixed feelings, as the column has been an integral part of the author’s life and has allowed him to live a life he loves. His foray into writing began in the 1970s, and the success of his early pieces gave him the confidence to pursue a career in angling media. This decision led him to leave teaching in 1989 and pursue a freelance career, which he has thoroughly enjoyed. While he is sad to see the column end, he plans to reflect on the great moments in his fishing career in the final weeks. He promises to be all sweetness and light and talk about the star moments in a 60-plus years’ Norfolk fishing career, while also acknowledging the mistakes made along the way.
As the author reflects on the changes in two of his passions, fishing and football, he expresses a desire to return them both to the state of play in the 1970s. He recently returned from a trip to Sri Lanka and found Premier League soccer to be tedious and lacking in passion. Similarly, in fishing, he laments the use of self-hooking rigs in coarse angling, which has taken away the silkier skills that were learned in the past. He criticizes the rise of commercial fishing, which has shifted the focus from the challenge of catching wild fish to catching stocked fish, and the impact of otter fences on the natural flow of fishing. With the end of his column approaching, he anticipates discussing the great moments in East Anglian angling in the final weeks.
The author has been writing a column for many years and is now coming to terms with its end. Though it has been an integral part of his life and has allowed him to pursue a career in angling media, he is disappointed by the changes in fishing and football. He longs for the days of the ’70s when both sports had more passion and skill. As his last few weeks as a columnist approach, he plans to reflect on the great moments of his fishing career while also acknowledging the mistakes made along the way. Despite his disappointment with the current state of fishing and football, he looks forward to sharing stories of the amazing things he has seen in East Anglian angling over the past 50 to 60 years.
