Back to the Past - Fishing an Old Clay Pit – Martin James

It was June 1941 as a four year old when Uncle Len took me fishing; I caught seven small rudd from a clay pit close to the Alpha cement works on Cliff Marshes in Kent. For the next few years I fished with a few boyhood friends, uncles and grandfathers. In 1947 when I moved to senior school where I was given my first cycle, my passport to freedom. I often cycled to fishing venues ten – fifteen miles or more from home. One day I chose to fish Windmill clay pit close to where I caught my first fish. Arriving an hour after dawn, float fishing with bread I caught some big rudd, in fact to me, they were giant rudd. I had never seen such big and gorgeous fish. I reckon every one must have weighed over a pound. After a couple of hours I had caught eleven of these big fish, we counted our fish in those days and sadly retained them in a keep net; I was then approached by a very friendly looking man who said “Can I see your membership card.” I told him I didn’t have one and wanted to buy a permit offering him half a crown. I was told "its private fishing and I would have to join the club to fish the water". Membership was two shilling and sixpence commonly termed half a crown.

The gentleman introduced himself saying “I’m Mr Simmonds the secretary” he then put his name and address on a post card telling me to write for an application form and to enclose a sae. After packing away my gear and taking a last look at my catch, I released them into the green coloured water of the pit, and then cycled off home. After telling mum about my mornings fishing and my plans to join he club, I sat down and addressed two envelopes which were posted to the secretary next day. On Thursday I got the application form which a solicitor, doctor, clergyman or headmaster had to countersign. My doctor signed my form, Mum got me a postal order and soon my application was posted. Within a week I was the proud owner of a membership card for two clay pits on Cliffe marshes also I could fish Laughing Waters near Cobham reputed to hold monster pike, though it did contain some good perch and common carp. I had many happy years fishing those waters.

Fishing an 1880’s Clay Pit

Recently I relived those days of my boyhood when I visited my brother Tom and his wife Lynne in East Anglia where they have a riding school with some forty odd horses, both In stables and grazing, across the track from their home was an old clay pit dug in 1880 for the blue clay, it was one of only two pits in the area where it was possible to excavate blue clay used in brick making. The pit was roughly an acre to an acre and a half, where the clear water averaged around eight to ten feet deep, with an abundance of Norfolk reed and reed mace with its brown mace like fluffy head, often mistakenly called bulrushes, adding to the beauty of the water were some large areas of water lilies. In the shallows I could see water starwort and marsh pennywort, in the deeper was an abundance of spiked water-milfoil where the tench would dive for freedom when hooked. Around the irregular shaped pit were lots of trees, ash, oak, willow, lots of nettles the food for butterflies, red campion, and lots of bramble bushes loaded with fruit.

This old pit contained rudd, roach, perch, tench, carp, perch and pike, as always I was told about the mythical monster in the form of carp weighing fifty pounds, I can’t say it didn’t exist, though I didn’t see any evidence. It’s a water of unknown quality, full of mystery and one that makes you feel full of confidence directly you go down the long drive under the oak and beech trees. Though I didn’t see any evidence of big carp, perch or pike, I did see rudd to probably 2lbs; I caught some lovely roach to just over a pound with plenty of tench, the best weighing just less than 4lbs. I also watched a tench estimated at seven pound plus roll close to the far bank. I chose to float fish using a 13 foot rod, centre pin reel with 4lb Gamma line with a size 12 Pallatrax hook tied direct to the line. To complete my set up I chose a 4 AA shot waggler float three shot bunched nine inches from the hook, another AA shot three inches from the hook, Bait and ground bait was three loaves of bread, I would fish a cube of crust or flake fished over mashed bread. Plumbing the depth I set the float so the bait was fished hard on the bottom.

Lots of Fish and Fun

In the first couple of hours I had dozens of roach and rudd which were quick to grab the crust or flake baited hook on the drop, long before it reached the bottom. After a couple of hours I caught my first tench weighing about 3lbs. Though I wasn’t catching big fish I was having a lot of fun and let’s be honest that’s what fishing should be all about. Around 1o’clock Kate shouted across it was lunchtime. All I had to do was bring in my gear take the bait off the hook, and then walked the few yards back to Tom and Lynne’s. After an hours break I was back on the water where I continued to catch roach, rudd and tench. During my day long session I had twenty odd tench the best about 4lbs. There were times when I thought I had hooked a bigger fish only to find it had buried itself in the thick spiked water-milfoil. The great thing about this aquatic weed is, it’s a soft weed and you can usually pull the fish free.