YEOVIL AND SHERBORNE ANGLING ASSOCIATION

Memories from the past – Ron Sams

Introduction

Graham Bugler, the current Chairman of the Association (Club) got in touch with me to see if I would share some memories of the early days of this special ‘Club’. I was delighted to oblige. For some time, I had been thinking about recording my memories of fishing the Association waters and more over the years. Thank you, Graham, for thinking of this. In conversation with Graham, I thought it would be an idea if we could make it more of a ‘blog’ where previous and current members could add to the memories, or in many cases the stories. Filling in the gaps and adding other names that I have missed or forgotten would hopefully bring the whole story alive and complete.

Fishing was a very important part of my life and continues to be. The benefits of going fishing as a young man, just about able to carry the gear either walking or on the push bike cannot be replaced. Going fishing on your own or even better with friends, was an education you did not appreciate or understand until much later. Sitting on the riverbank down at the River Yeo at Chudleighs or at Clifton Maybank and other places, I think, in some way helped to ‘mould’ my personality as well as my understanding of the wildlife and flora and fauna around me. It was a defining period and a great pastime. You learnt so many things, patience, often, when the fishing was slow, and a respect for the environment. A list of those things that we learnt would be long. I suppose it may have been different for us all but it would be useful for other anglers of the Club to share.

The Early Days – my first fishing memories

We all have memories of the first time(s) we went fishing. I will share this as part of the ‘story’ as it develops.

My fishing friend in the early days was my late brother Malcolm. He was four years older than me. I think I was about eight years old. That would have been 1966. My mum would only let me go fishing if I could swim at least one width of Yeovil swimming pool. Needless to say, this did not take too long to achieve!

There were two clear times I remember about those early days of fishing. One of the clearest, not Yeovil and Sherborne waters but on the Dorset Stour at Durweston. My Uncle and Auntie used to own the Pub at Stourpaine, The White Horse. We often stayed at the weekends at the pub. It was a short walk from the pub to the river. It was a great spot to fish. Two weirs and a millpond. A combination of fast and shallow and wide and deep. My first real fishing memory was catching a Chub at the confluence of the mill pool and the overflow back river. My brother had showed me how to set up a float and cast. As we all know it takes a little while of lost hooks and line, before we get it somewhere near able to cast and trot the float down the river. I did that and caught a decent Chub around 2lbs I think. As they say, I was hooked!

My second clear, early, memory was going fishing on a Sunday afternoons at Clifton Maybank. This was Club waters, and we had licences. We would park on the corner at the gateway and walk across the field to where there was a corner ‘swim’, just upstream of the latterly installed pump station, which was used in emergency to pump water from the Yeo to Sutton Bingham. We generally fished for eels with a lobworm. Those Eels we caught we would take the larger ones home to eat, we used to catch just a few, three or four. It was an amazing experience if a bit ‘grisly’ chopping the head of the Eel and then watching the body still trying to twist and turn even though it was headless. They were taken home, and we removed the slimy skin, which was an art to learn, cut the Eel into cutlets and soaked the pieces in brine. On Monday we would eat fried Eel with mashed potatoes and veg from my dad’s allotment in Rosebery Avenue where we lived.

My brother would walk the bank, and I would tag along! There was a spot just upstream from the corner where the water was shallower and faster and just below there was a pool. Occasionally Malcolm would catch a Trout, usually about 1.5 lbs, which was also taken home!

The Early Days! Where it started with Yeovil and Sherborne Angling Association

My clearest memory was that of joining the committee as a sort of junior member with (another, maybe Nigel Garrett?) in 1972. I was fourteen years old. By this time, which I will cover later, I was fishing the club competitions at Newton House and also up at the North Drain. My father worked at The Western Gazette, with the Club secretary Alfie Miles. At a club AGM that was then held at the Liberal Club at the bottom of Yeovil we were asked to join the Committee. WOW, what was that all about, but I was intrigued, and it happened

To me, at the time, the Committee were all quite old! I remember some members from the Sherborne side and some from Yeovil. Characters and good people. Ross South, Alfie Miles, a builder from Sherborne, John ? , Bob Northover (I think), Graham you probably need to go and check the committee back then! [Edit GB – The builder would have been my late uncle George Abbott, George used his builders lorry to pick up anglers around Yeovil area and they would sit in the back on their boxes as we travelled to mini league matches at Ilchester or Langport , I was lucky as I was picked up first in Sherborne so had a comfy seat in the warm cab, not like those sat outside on the back, never get away with it today. There was a past Chairman of the club John Webber lovely chap, very firm but fair and always kept the meetings to order]

Not that I realised at the time but the addition of Juniors to the club committee, or in fact any club organisation, was quite unusual in those days. In fact, it was innovative and clever, developing us to grow and get involved in the club and later to become officers of the club. It was a great idea and worked very well.

Episode 2 soon!

Ron July 2025