I well remember a Cannock guy starting to run a few Saturday matches on the Cannock Extension Cut many, many years back, way before the Chase Social had it.
One Saturday we decided to give it a go; I didn't know where the crappity smack we were but I do now, - we were at Fishley Bridge. There was quite a decent turnout of 50 or so and the talk was it would be hard. Famous last words, it was worse than any grueller
One guy had a decent roach from the trees section.
Most were walking as that was the only bite recorded. A lot had items of kit pinched as there were a lot of gypos about, I also remember the occasional fight with them
Fact was you could see roach and they were good fish, I suppose in those days we hadn't the knowhow or the gear to catch them, apparenty one fish to win wasn't out of the ordinary, they had a few complete blank matches in those days
Not long after I started doing reports for Anglers Mail I went to the Cannock Extension to cover a winter league match, with pics, for Angler's Mail. It was one of my first ever reports and they published my pic of a guy with a fish he caught. Whoops, unbeknown to me he was a wanted criminal and he was eventually found and put away; apparently he had escaped from the nick.
If you see me with my camera beware, - you just might end up behind bars
These are both true stories, I can assure you
