STARTING LIKE WILSON
HAVING read the John Wilson grabbed a few of the I returned to my perch spot. tribute book you produced, minnows. I hooked one on Each time the float slid away I was surprised how much and dropped it down by the I got the same thrill as I did on John’s foray into fishing wall. Immediately the float that first visit. That set me on mirrored my own. disappeared. I just reeled in the road to fishing, with the My first rod was also made and stood up with the rod same feeling now when I from a tank aerial. I made a held high, and a lovely perch catch as I had back then, some cork handle and taped an old was hanging on the line! 60-odd years ago. reel to it. I had one float, a I lost count of the times Andrew Piercy, email bobber, and some tie-on hooks, and away I went to the River Chelmer where my uncle and cousins fished.
At the weir they were fishing for roach, but I crossed over to sit on the concrete bank on the other side. Sitting there, I noticed minnows suddenly trying to go up the weir and thought they must be trying to get away from something.
So I scrambled down and
(*indicates an anagram)
ACROSS
1 Phil ____, expert speci angler (6)
5 ___ egg shot, ovoid, camo-coated, for wary fish (*the last) (7)
9 Bullhead fish feed at ___ and dusk (4)
10 As unchecked line and rig will do in a current (5)
11 Loosen a knot (4)
12 A swivel stops line doing this (8)
14 Simon ____, our ‘Speci Angler of the Year 2023’ (6)
15 Areas of calm water... and smart casual trousers (6)
17 Main town on Isle of Bute (*Tay shore) (8)
18 Fish aka ‘saithe’ and ‘coley’ (*foil cash) (8)
21 Huge, powerful (6) 22 Pellet feeders are small ones (6)
23 As a pole’
