I have always felt safe on the bank, I can swim , I'm safe in a boat , happy to be on park lakes and public waters . But last night on a water I go to in Slovakia some piss head was shouting his head off and shooting a pistol in the air . That has probably been the most uneasy on the bank. Anyone else got any incidents where they think . Better pick up and go home before it all goes wrong

In reply to Post #1
Nothing as scary as that. I did have one session where a herd of cows literally forced me into the water though. I'd fished the same spot loads and never had any issue. This one day they just got really weird and we're making loads of noise as they just slowly and definitely came to tell me I wasn't welcome.
I was waist deep in the lake for about twenty minutes as they weren't for backing off and they big buggers close up!

Soon as I got the chance I was grabbing my kit and out of the way. very weird!

Had a guy set up next to me once when i was 15, he was pissed up started talking about how he was a police marksman or something who had been discharged for killing someone. Later that evening he shot my bobbins off from his swim with an air rifle i stayed awake all night scared.

In reply to Post #3
Should've waited until he was asleep and shot the **** point blank in the prostate with his own gun

In reply to Post #1
Had a guy die at a lake in Southampton,had to sit in police car with my staffy and give a statement he died of Pneumonia,
also had police turn up with guns as I was at same lake as before and it's below Southampton flight path to their airport
Had couple of lads make comments about robbing me and a mate as we was on the river itchen they didn't realise my mate had heard them and then they realised I got 2 staffy's with me who were very protective.
Had a couple of young lads getting cocky over the other side of the canal in Walsall saying they were going to come over,they never did but got my hammer 🔨 out just in case.

In reply to Post #1
I was fishing a water with a friend where I could see my car parked on the road, I'd filled the swim in like I'd never done before, was after Carp and big Bream and the liners had just started big time. It was pub chucking out time and 4 lads walked towards my car, then 1 went to each wheel and started letting the tyres down
I wasn't having that, the sight of me and my head torch running towards them made them scarper..I moved the car got back to my swim and my mate said 'what if they come back', that was enough for me, didn't feel safe, couldn't relax.

A few years ago in France I'd booked a lake exclusively, had a walk round and a peg opposite where I set up had a dead Carp about 30 yards out stuck in weed, bloated up. One evening a group of local yoofs went round to that peg, box of beer with them and one had a rifle in a bag over his shoulder. For the next hour they repeatedly shot at the Carp and any bottles that floated after they chucked them in the lake. I didn't have the best nights sleep that night. I spoke to the local land owner the next day, lovely bloke, told him what happened, showed him a pic of the lad with the gun, he came back some time later and said it won't happen again.

Fishing a golf course lake one night and had someone turn up in the middle of the night.My mate was fishing further down the bank with his nephew and shouted me,he thought it was me who had walked round to bait up the far margin.I told my mate in next peg to me stay with our gear and I will go see who it is,as soon as I started walking around the lake the headtorch of whoever it was switched off.I stood and watched to see their silhouette in the moonlight walking up the bank back towards the carpark.The next morning we told one of the staff and he was very thankful we were there as a few local golf courses had been broken into and tools stolen.

In reply to Post #1
Although not threatening, the only thing that scared me was witnessing 3 pissed up blokes drown in a local very weedy pit I was fishing. They'd just come out of the local pub and decided to go for a swim, 2 disappeared completely, one was visible under the water with weed up to his waist and his hands were just brushing the waters surface. I was 11 years old at the time, 50 years later it still haunts me.

Early 90's guy murdered in the carpark about 60yrds from where I was doing an overnighter !! Shotgun to the chest

In reply to Post #9
Did you get his wallet? 9

In reply to Post #10
How disrespectful................................,.He took his car.

In reply to Post #10
had a few funny ones with police, one night the plod turned up and asked me what was I doing with a 2ft length of metal at 2 am , er officer I'm baiting up then I explained, then the cop said have u ever been in trouble with the police before, me being from Essex and quick like, said I'm not in trouble now am i, and after showing them my tackle, no not that , my rods and stuff thay went on there merry way.

In reply to Post #1
Bank side safety is ‘different' in the US, where we have more guns than humans...

As an expat, non carrying, Brit, my approach has been to set up a boat and fish from that, an approach also mandated by size of lakes and bank access.

Feels a lot more secure.....

In reply to Post #10
Apparently he had about £9G on him & a decent Rolex !! He stitched up a couple of Pakistani heroin dealers made National news at the time 🤷‍♂️

Lots of interesting things have happened.. lol

Shot at ,air rifle pellet straight through a brolly during the night

Shot over, over my head,point blank range,single bore 20,shotgun,farmer blamed me for killing his fish,in fact an otter killed them.i got the msg..

Red dot on me for ten mins on a lake in Bodmin Moor..

Full on fist fight with a bloke and his son ,after they tried to bully me,big mistake,I look harmless,...but ...!!,..

Early 90s,road behind my swim,3am two cars rocked up ,reversed,boot to boot...Bristolian,accents..drugs being transported..

Seen a guy get thrown in at Creedy once,never forgot that one,baitboat wars..

House nr Bussow,ressi burgled,police wanted to know what I was doing,whilst sat in my bivvy ,with three rods out..

All good fun...!!

In reply to Post #15
Thought it was nice around your way

In reply to Post #16
It's beautiful,but we got the same issues as anywhere else I guess,mind you the only time I been a bit worried was the red dot situation,two miles from nearest farm ..

I got a few more as well..!

In reply to Post #15
Not fishing with u

In reply to Post #18
..

In reply to Post #19
My mate had to go in and rescue a bloke on a giant inflatable duck at Salford park in March 2/3 years ago,surprising how many people stand there with phones out watching and filming rather than use them to call emergency services.
The guy survived and thanked him the next day too ,apparently as he went in it had a puncture and he was dressed in jeans and a Parker coat and a ruck sack on his back,not ideal to go paddling with,he got a certificate of bravery through post as he wouldn't do and pick it up in person,we was on about this yesterday and he had his son With him who phoned for help I said to him he was lucky he himself came out alive as he could have easily drowned himself scary stuff.

In reply to Post #20
Another one when I was on the canal in town centre I've seen a full scale fight and screaming match all in one as people come home pissed out of their heads and wanting to fight each other,luckily I was on opposite and they were too drunk to notice me and it was too dark over other side as I blended In rather well.
Also when fishing river itchen for the carp I've had to pull a very young Asian girl around 4/5 out of the water as she had bent over the edge to much as she was feeding the ducks,her mom didn't bat an eyelid a never said thank you either just dragged her off home.

In reply to Post #15
They use to fire air rifles at the bivvies from the blocks of flats by Salford park in Birmingham untill the knocked all of them down

In reply to Post #1
1000s of nights on bank... worst thing I know of is a knife point theft on allestree lake same night I was fishing. memory can't remember if it was a mobile phone that got took or rods etc... it was in papers. never saw anything or heard anything. reckon the robber knew the lad myself as in it wasn't random...

Not carp fishing but whilst bait digging at night In Pevensey bay I heard voices coming down the beach and then the sound of an outboard... I swiftly turned my head torch off and beat a very quiet but hasty retreat as I could see the silhouette of several people running up and down the beach with hefty looking parcels!!!!

In reply to Post #1
Worst I've had it is when river fishing at the bottom of a steep bank, then the farmer shooting near enough directly above me. Normally I give a swim 30-40 mins, this time around i gave it an hour and a half not wanting to get me head blown off as I climb up the bank 😂

20 years ago I was fishing a lake near Heathrow, this was when we were on high alert due to terror attacks.

I'd had a few beers in the evening and was woken in the middle of the night by talking outside my bivvy. I came round to 2 armed coppers pointing heckler & Koch mp5s at me through the door

They searched my bivvy and car and went on their way.

In reply to Post #26
I had a similar experience. I was dying for a pee, drove into the car park next to the lake and jumped out of the car and ran into the bushes. In mid stream I was surrounded by armed police. They had been on a mealbreak in the car park and thought my actions were that of a drug dealer. I said I didn't think it was illegal to take a pee in the bushes. They went away after telling me to be more careful in future. Whatever that's supposed to mean.

This is second hand,although I believe its true..

How many of you on here walked or seen ,fished Bude canal..?
If so you might have seen a big bed of rushes almost opposite the bird hide,that area,back in the day was known as Sharks pool..

Apparently, chap was night fishing the reeds,got snagged up ,pulled and pulled,eventually realising,he'd hooked a dead person..imagine that..!

I later heard,it was a fresh suicide..there's a coupla Bude lads on here who might verify my tale,...

In reply to Post #28
Sounds like the begining of every episode of inspector morse ever.

In reply to Post #1
back in the early to mid 70s I was a Bailiff for Kingsmore anglers and was super fit a bit handy too (not like now lol) anyway it was midweek and we had a little lake In Moor Lane Staines and when I arrived there was a scruffy old builders Pick up truck that I had not seen before I walked round there were 2 guys I had not seen before fishing

I asked to see the permits and got a mouthful off the bigger one saying its free fishing despite the very good club signs I said well you got pack up and go Im afraid
at that point he jumped up out of his seat red faced veins standing out thought he was going to burst a blood vessel screaming as loud as he could saying he was going to chuck me in the ****ing lake

it was fight or flite time !!!!
so I simply pushed him as hard as I could he had nowhere to go except back into his chair ((((the banks were very narrow not much wider than the path in some swims )))
and he really hurt his back instantly his m8s bottle went and said sorry sorry we dont want any more trouble mate we will go watching this big guy struggling with his back I waited till they buggered off

I walked round the lake chose the swim next to the road bridge and set up I had only been fishing for 10 mins when I heard the sound of a motor driving slowly and then stopping on the hill behind me I stood up and before I had chance to turn round a house brick hit me full pelt in the head luckily it didnt knock me out or I would be in the water and probably drowned !
but I was really dazed Ashford hospital in those days had a good A&E and very close I had 3 stitches but could of been so much worse for the next couple of weeks I with 3 very good m8s drove round all the pub car parks looking for that pickup and those guys luckily we never found them

In reply to Post #30
Lucky you wasn't killed,and they'd have murder on their hands..

Bet you wished you could find em,back then..

In reply to Post #28
There's a club puddle next to tesco in Accrington with a very similar story.

Fella hooked a whopper that turned out to be a dead body.

Although in accy probably nobody even looked twice

In reply to Post #30
Bullies, glad your mates didn't find the scum

In reply to Post #28
Obviously I'm not from bude but I am from down this way, I have fished bude canal a few times and have been told that on more than one occasion.

A friend of mine was fishing in Bulgaria he woke up to some locals standing around his rods and bivvy, they made him go to a cash point and withdraw all the money he could, when mentioned to the lake owners they admitted they had a problem and the week before someone got done over because they refused and had all his gear nicked off him, I would of been fuming to not been warned beforehand

I also no of someone that was fishing next to a dead body in the margins for 48hrs without knowing it was there, only found out a week later when it was found

In reply to Post #34
Super soaker full of petrol would have sorted them out.

In reply to Post #35
I guess he didn't have that to hand

In reply to Post #35


And Braders

In reply to Post #34
Not good bout dead body in the margins,got a mental pic of that in my head..

Many years ago,I was in a park,walking the dog ,I mean I was really young,maybe nine or ten,,there was some green railings,propped up ,against these railings was an old man ,his teeth out of his mouth,just still,oh so still..and the dog,my grans dog,wouldn't budge..I ran back to grandparents, parents place,and told them

Old chap, passed away on the railings..was the last time I stayed with them too..

(You never forget stuff like that)..

In reply to Post #38
That's not good and yeah you definitely don't forget it especially from such a young age, I have seen my fair share of people who have passed away, the job I do we have to clean up after them aswell so seen a few bad things.

He never actually seen the dead body in the margins and doesn't no how it got there either but there was a lot of easy access areas around the lake, a couple pubs near by aswell. He was just shocked when he found out that the bloke had been there right near him the whole time

In reply to Post #36
Buy it instead of giving to the cash point.


#love a nice fire.

In reply to Post #40
Are super soakers big in Bulgaria and I would of thought they would of gone with him or he could of just gone get the police or lake owner

In reply to Post #41
They did go with him not the first person I've heard of it happening to over there either pretty common from what I've been told

You could get a gun for less than the price of a set of delks 🤷🏻‍♂️

In reply to Post #42
Fishing in the North West as a kid, there were always some 'big lads' threatening to take your tackle - occupational hazard. In Belgium, Dibble will march you to a cashpoint for speeding / driving fines (if you're not a Belgian resident). Holland's pretty chilled by comparison but catch too many big fish from a competitive water and your car may get keyed or worse (bbq'd). Usually, it's not the locals you need to be wary of, it's time to do one if the conversation goes like this...
"What cost reel?"
"What cost rod?"
"Where your friends?"

Our top 3 of 'more agg than it's worth territories are as follows'...
3. Romania.
2. Bulgaria.
1. Albania - not even for a fully scaled, never before seen, curtain mouthed wild 60lb carp.

In reply to Post #44
All the stories make my little situation seem like a friendly social in comparison

In reply to Post #38
Bloody hell Ads. Where was that?

In reply to Post #45
Just down from where the fish pass is on the Camel,..Camelford,railings ,or those original ones long gone Sam,...like my grandparents..

In reply to Post #1
. . last time I ever fished Linear was 20yrs plus ago, swore to never fish a circuit dayticket ever again after the following

Was on St Johns with a mate and we were half way up the social bank doing the weekend for 48hrs. For the first 12hrs a couple of groups of lads (scousers) were moaning at each other further down the lake (far corner) about swim rights . .this started out as vaguely amusing banter but didn't stop and to be honest it got annoying after a whole day of nasal wining . . .

Suffice to say it carried on and on and at about midnight it broke out into all out war. We witnessed grown men (probably charlied up) in a pitched battle smashing each other up with storm poles footy hooligan style. The police were called and drove up onto the complex, lights flashing past our bivvies and several were arrested / limped off the complex.

Would like to say we were glad for the peace and quiet afterwards but the whole lake blanked due to the selfish stupidity of a few . . . .one word (said in a scouse accent) . . d*cchhheds!

Not scary as such but put me on edge a bit, mid 90's fishing the Wye me and four mates set up for the night fishing we chose just above the pump house on the Belmont stretch which was an area that held a few carp, one of our mates had been to fetch pizza in the evening so we all gathered in the middle swim (my swim) eating chatting and having a beer, it was that half light dusky time of the evening and across the river from me was a well kept garden that backed onto the river and they had a park bench at the top of the bank quite often would see an oldish couple sat on the bench in the day, anyway I looked up as something had lumped out in the river as I looked up there was on the opposite bank just passing by the bench a cat that was as long from nose to tail as the bench the other lads with me all see it as well it was no domestic cat as this thing belonged on the plains of Africa or a zoo it was near white in the half light and must of stood waist height at the middle of its sunken back as it was nearly as high as the back rest of the bench, my first question was how well do they swim we watched this thing stalk across the garden like it was hunting and melted into the woods to the right of the house which would of been the old quarry area of Belmont, I slept with one eye open that night and no there was no funny fags involved.

The other one I was fishing Woodchester lake 3 in late November this place was a bit spooky at the best of times, I was all set up in a swim near the Dam end on the opposite side and my mate was a swim or two above me and we were the only ones fishing on the whole of the estate, it was a wet miserable day and again just as light was fading I was sat there looking at the water but this time I felt like someone was watching me from behind, I'm sure most have had that feeling like a sixth sense and as I turned there was someone stood head to toe in black just staring at me I said alright mate can I help you and with that he turned and headed along the path towards the Dam, within a few seconds my mate appeared and said have you just seen that guy dressed all in Black as he had wandered into my swim and just stood there staring but he said he had a bar or something in his hand I hadn't spotted that, my mate asked him if he was alright as he was just standing there staring at him, as soon as he spoke to him he about turned and headed my way.

In reply to Post #49
Wow,...wonder if that was a serval that you saw,you see,I know someone, an ex workmate who breeds these creatures and hybrid Savanah cats..


Also,...this is 100%..no bs,no joking ,messing or anything like that,I had the beast behind my bivvy last year,I have prints to prove it ,plus.....my fishing buddy saw a puma,panther drink from the lake early next day..now that is real enough except my mate was fishing the most famous swim ,possibly in angling terms..where the lake itself ,is more significant than Redmire..

That night we heard strange coughing sounds,and all the game,birds,deer..etc were very vocal,then deadly quiet..,something was passing through..

If you know,you'll know..!!

In reply to Post #50
One night fishing in East Sussex we could hear the sheep a few fields over going absolutely mental making all sorts of noise, followed by a couple of rifle shots.
Didnt think much of it tbh just assumed it was a fox.
The next day the owner came round and said "I dont want to worry you but the farmer had a big cat take one of his sheep last night".
Yeah thanks for that.

In reply to Post #51
Yep,had that happen to me on my lake pre,otter fencing in 92,only it was a big Ewe,the lamb was untouched, all the flock was backed up into the top of the field..

People say ,yeah ,yeah nice story etc,NO..,,these creatures exist and are out there,..another experience was in a slate quarry where we practised acoustics on a didge,didgeridoo,.. both of us seen a big cat on the perimeter,the Atlantic thundering away below us..

This thread is enough to put anyone off fishing

Gangsters and tigers ffs!

I was worried by some passive aggressive cattle. Selling my gear and buying a tank.

In reply to Post #50
They're about Adam for sure, this thing was big.

Had a similar experience on a lake south of Hereford to what you described, many years ago now I was out on an evening goose and duck flight when all the animals in the woodland to the one side of the lake were going skittish, pigeons thrashing out the wood pheasants in roost cackling out and thrashing through the pine trees a roe deer barking out I thought the obvious sly Mr fox or even Tarka had them on edge.
I was back out the following weekend an hour or so before dusk and took a walk through the wood for a possible opportunity at a roosting pigeon or two, looking for a bit of an opening in the canopy I spotted the remains of carcass well striped of a reasonable sized lamb some way up in a tree, now I know foxes will bed down in the bowls of oaks or hollows in the trees but carry a lamb up one to my knowledge is not happening maybe a hen or a pheasant but a lamb hmmm, my next thought was a big bird of prey but we hadn't got any Eagles nesting around Herefordshire to my knowledge so then my final though was a large wild cat having seen one along the river not many years before, I was on my toes regardless that I had a twelve bore over my arm with heavy loads for geese in the bag.

In reply to Post #53
Cows are def much more lairy these days . . they reckon its the chemical additives in the feed . . add calves / bulls / bullocks into the mix and I wouldn't go near the leviathan beasts . . .much scarier than drug fuelled scousers!

In reply to Post #49
I Need korda to sell a night light after reading that second part

In reply to Post #45
It's a good thread. We fished Denmark annually (not for carp) but for almost everything else (sea trout, pike, bream, rudd and roach etc.) and had noticed a 'fishy looking mere' in the middle of nowhere. After several recce's, we decided to give it a twirl. We followed a track down to the water's edge and set up. As the lakes are shallow there, you usually stand in the water with a platform and chesties. Next thing we saw two tractors coming at us with four very angry Vikings brandishing shotguns. I'll never forget wading out of the water carrying my feeder rod above my head 'surrender style' and trying to explain we were only catching bream.

Tucked away river carp fishing back in NL, I heard a rustle in the bushes and suddenly saw a bare (female) backside suddenly push through a gap, underwear down...it was a toilet break so I shouted 'woah woah, I'm fishing here' (in Dutch) the bare bum suddenly shot back through the gap and I heard someone cycle off quick sticks.

A more grisly tale, from a serious matchfishing friend, occurred on the River Severn. At the 'weigh in', it was discovered one angler had found a corpse in his peg but elected not to say anything until after the final blower. The police weren't impressed and actually arrested him but i think he got off with a caution.

In reply to Post #57
Did he hook it and try and include it in his final weight for the match?? 😂😂

In reply to Post #58
the term " Thats a lump!" took on a whole new meaning

In reply to Post #52
Wealthy people have kept all sorts of dangerous animals in their private estates for decades. What happened to the big cats that were in the park at cricket st Thomas when it was closed.

In reply to Post #48
Average night then

In reply to Post #59
😂😂

In reply to Post #60
I used to know loads about these big cats of the UK. I was a member of some crack pot organisation at one point. Within that community there was quite alot of disagreement about whether all the sightings were escapees or from canned hunts etc.. or in fact there are breeding pairs in the UK. It is very difficult for me to believe in all but the rarest circumstances / if at all any breeding goes on although there are large military bases etc where it may happen

In reply to Post #60
Spot on..

Not only that but when the dangerous wild animal captive bill thing came into existence, many were said to be released..

I don't expect anyone to believe me,but I do know of two black panther ,or puma Cubs that were owned nearby,they were walked up n down the main street summer time,and people stopped to have their photo taken with these animals,they disappeared,...now Bodmin Moor is a stones throw away..

Wonder what happened to to them?

I was fishing a lake literally in the middle of nowhere miles from any houses etc in mid France I was the only one fishing it it as it was a collection of 4 lakes that had been a fish farm new owner was a pal of my boss and wanted to turn the big lake into a carp fishery and wanted someone to fish it and see what gets caught
and he knew that all the carp that had got too big had been put in the big lake one side of the lake had a forest that went up to the edge and as the forecast was for very hot weather I went that side for the shade
in the early hours I was asleep having driven the 7 hours from Calais and setting up I was knackered

I was woken by the sound of branches being broken in the woods behind me the noise was really loud and I turned my head torch on and tried to see where it was coming from but the woods were too dense and overgrown to see anything I reasoned maybe its a cow or something ? I went and put the kettle on just as I had made my coffee the sound came a LOT closer ! I went again to see and caught site of this bloody big Boar !!
dont mind admitting I was pretty scared I had heard these things can charge you and break bones ! I grabbed my landing net unscrewed the net and thought I could fend it off if i had a go next I grabbed some dead wood and using my stove got a fire going after about an hour it buggered off in the Morning an old French guy came walking round and despite he couldnt speak english we managed a chat of sorts I made him a coffee and making snorting noises he got the msg that a Boar he became very excited putting his finger against his lips in a keep it quite sign then making a gun sign lol 2 nights later the sound of a shotgun a short time later he came round all excited he had shot it I was both happy and a bit sad

In reply to Post #65
Wouldn't want to hunt wild boar with a shotgun Gerry, min caliber should be .270win but .303 is popular.

In reply to Post #66
I was once fishing a local res and got my rods out put my lucky mascot on the tree stump when all of sudden a man walked into my swim talking to my mascot (ignoring me). Was taken aback and a bit nervous but then after a couple of mins he walked off but said he would be back again to mascot. Thought nothing about it until 15 mins later police and nurse walked into my swim asking if anyone has walked past. The man was sanctioned under the mental health act with violent tendencies. I told them what happened and they said if I spotted him again to ring 999. I never packed up so quickly and went some where else

In reply to Post #67
Sod that...thats made my stuff look like a gentle breeze

In reply to Post #58
Exactly what we said... “It's all weight”. Apparently the match angler couldn't understand why five more hours would make a difference to ‘the departed'.

In reply to Post #66
To be honest Glenn
I dunno what he shot it with I just heard the bangs lol

In reply to Post #69
😂😂 wonder if he foul hooked it

In reply to Post #67
Reminds me of a few stories of the Green lagoon in Bedfordshire, literally next door to a victorian mental asylum that closed in the 90s. Spoke to one chap who had a guy come to his swim for a chat then wandered off, 10 mins layer a load of orderlies from the asylum came round the lake as the chap had escaped. Also recall a story of a guy hearing a load of commotion in the night and waking up to find someone had hung themself in a tree behind his peg!

In reply to Post #70
intrigued as to how the fishing went gerry

In reply to Post #73
It went well double hook ups like this

This has been child's play so far.

In the 70's I was fishing a small pond with a mate on a cold winter's day. As we concentrated our efforts on the only ice-free corner, we were suddenly aware of a figure behind us. It turned out to be a woman, well past 70 I would guess, she wore too much lipstick and a fur coat that may well have had mange.

It was soon apparent, from the direction of her conversation, that she was gagging for it and left a trail of lude hints to that effect. We were trapped, she had us in our corner and wasn't taking 'No' for an answer. Being the braver of the two, I offered my mate Paddy the opportunity to widen his limited experience, which he declined, quite rudely if memory serves.

The day was saved when her attentions were redirected to some poor sod she knew and we escaped what was surely a most terrifying experience.

In reply to Post #75
Lies, lies, lies, you were in there like a rat up a drain pipe.

In reply to Post #74
outstanding

In reply to Post #1
A couple of years ago, on Chase lake in Dagenham, some local EE who were drunk outside a block of flats in Romford, were confronted by a resident, who they beat, then dismembered and threw the body parts in both lakes.

Legend goes, a guy fishing thought there was a dead fish out in front of him......pushed into his lines on the wind, only to realize, it was a severed leg, not a dead fish