SHARKS IN THE RIVER TRENT.

One of the main features of our fishing trips was lots of leg pulls and many jokes and on this trip it was a bit of both.

It started at our local Scout jumble sale that I helped run. On this occasion I found a large rubber shark that was very well made and looked very real. As we had a fishing match the next day I could see the prospect of having a joke and some fun, so I bought it.

Part of our fishing strategy was to take two retired miners with us to act as bailiffs and help to run things and help with weighing of the fish at the end of the match. On this match we only had one bailiff and a more surly and cantankerous man you could not find, but he enjoyed the power being in charge of the match and loved to show he was in charge and kept everyone in order. His name was Jack Bradder.

He blew his Acme thunder whistle and the match started. Jack patrolled up and down the river Trent bank watching everyone and making sure nothing was being done that should not have been. Half the match had gone and fishing had become a struggle with not many fish being caught, then I saw Jack was approaching my fishing peg. I pulled my line out and taking the rubber fish out of my fishing basket, put it on the hook and slid it into the water and waited for Jack to arrive. “Has tha caught owt?”. was Jack’s first remark “Thars nowt being caught darn there. Tha dunt want a deal to win today”. “Not much Jack” I replied “But I’ve just had something nibbling at my bait”. I then grabbed my rod, struck at an imaginary bite and started to make the rubber shark wriggle and move about in the river current. Jack was immediately full of excitement and came down the bank to stand behind me to see what I had caught.

“Don’t lose it youth, play it steady, keep thee line tight, this could win thee the match”. I continued to make the rubber fish do as much as I could without bringing it to the surface and Jack continued to give me advice on what to do and not lose the “fish”. After about ten minutes I brought the “fish” in close and putting my landing net under it kept it out of Jacks view, took it of the hook and then showed him what I had caught.

“Good God” said Jack “What sort of fish is that?” “Jack” I said “You are looking at history being made, this is a Trent shark. They were supposed to have been extinct 1,000 years ago. I only read about them last week, this is going to make fishing history,” and put the rubber shark into my keep net. For the rest of the match Jack went up and down the match length telling everyone I had caught a Trent shark and of course no one believed him and in the end he got rather angry insisting he had seen the shark and they would believe him at the weigh-in at the end of the match.

The match ended and the weigh in commenced. Jack could not wait to get to me and he was going to make them eat their words for not believing him about my Trent shark. Cliff Hodgetts had been weighing the fish but at my peg Jack said “Stand back I’m going to weigh this fish in then you’ll all believe me.” At this I pulled out my fishing net and brought it up to the weigh scales. I had a few fish in the net, mostly roach and dace and lying there was a 18 inch Trent shark. “Now you clever buggers will believe me look there, a Trent shark and they should have died out l,000 years ago”

The whole bank erupted into roars of laughter and Jack suddenly noticed that the “shark” was not moving and appeared to be dead. He looked at me and then at the “shark”. The language that then came out I can only leave you to guess and grabbing the“shark” Jack threw it into the middle of the river and for a moment I thought he was going to do the same to me. However he finally saw the funny side.

At a later match on the river Trent when I did catch a 2lb goldfish he didn’t believe me and went down the match length telling everyone I wouldn’t catch him with the same trick this time - there weren’t any goldfish in the Trent.