leisure - Messing about on the river.

(From The Northern Echo)

Byline: MARIE CARTER

MARIE CARTER spends time on the banks of an idyllic fishing retreat in deepest Yorkshire, and proves that fishing's not just for the boys WHEN I was asked if I'd like to try out coarse fishing for the first time, images of grizzled old men with trays of maggots by their side, flashed through my mind. Urghhh! ! Then I thought about it, reasoning that there must be some attraction in spending hours attached to a rod waiting for some unsuspecting fish to take the bait. After all, lots of blokes and a few women do it, so it must be fun, right? The scene of my initiation into this hallowed sport was to be an idyllic spot about 20 minutes east of York. Paradise Leisure, run by former Environment Agency fisheries officer Simon Cranmer Gordon, is one of the prime fisheries in the country, and a picturesque little hideaway to boot. Expert fisherman Simon was to guide me through the joy of fishing. He explained that, contrary to popular belief, getting kitted out as a fisher (wo)man could be as cheap as chips. You can pick up a rod for about GBP10, a net for six quid and the bait for a couple of pounds. As for needing a fancy box for tackle and all manner of fishing regalia, that wasn't strictly necessary. The only extras you do need are a disgorger - for unhooking the fish after you've caught them - and something to sit on. So Simon handed me a plastic garden chair, and we were off. As soon as you sit on the river or lake bank, you tend to enter your own world - away with the fishes, so to speak. Simon's pal and right hand man Johnny says it's a question of outwitting the fish. "They're clever, very clever, " he says, eyeing the slippery competition. I was to discover that it is truly a battle of wills, with the fish often swimming into the water weed and deliberately trying to get your line tangled in the gloom, then swimming free or, worse still, munching your bait before you can reel them in. The cheek! At Paradise there are up to 15 varieties of fish in the two lakes, ranging from 1lb tench to 20lb common carp. Naturally, the bigger fish are the trickiest to catch, not just because of their weight, but perhaps because they've been caught a few times before and know all the tricks of evasion. ...