The Colne Valley (Volume 1)
For those of us of an old enough vintage, The Colne Valley is the birthplace of modern carp fishing. In a time when split cane and centrepin reels were on the wane and glass and carbon rods and Heron and Optonic bite alarms were becoming available, the Colne Valley grabbed our attention like nowhere else. Longfield, Wraysbury, Savay and Harefield and many more lakes that were dug in the forties, fifties and sixties came of age and were soon appearing in angling papers or being talked about in hushed tones.
Even though most of the clubs, societies and syndicates in the Colne Valley enforced a publicity ban, the Colne Valley seemed to attract people from far and wide. Many people became ‘tench or bream anglers’ overnight to hide their true desires and, lots of people found ‘second homes’ within the local catchment areas, to which to have news of their application posted.
Books such as The Carp Strikes Back and later, Tiger Bay, Bazil’s Bush and Fox Pool began to appear, which only intensified the yearning of many to walk and fish those famous and hallowed banks. The 80s and 90s were probably the golden years, when the balance between technological advancements, the tackle available, the size of the fish and quiet lakes was at its finest equilibrium.
Many of the Colne Valley lakes are currently on their second or third cycles, as older fish die, and new fish are stocked or brought on. However, the majesty of the Colne Valley remains. Other valleys up and down the country have flourished in more recent years, and all of them have their own slice of history. However, no valley in the country is held in quite such high regard and the Colne Valley. The original and still the best.
Long Live the Valley!
