A look back - My time with the Bristol Post Office Angling Club

I joined the GPO as it was then back in April 1978 and after settling in joined the Sports and Social Club which had an Angling Club running alongside other activities.
The Angling Club had their own water (rented) on the Somerset Frome at Woolverton between Bath and Frome and were also members of the Bristol and West of England Anglers Federation who owned the fishing rights from behind Frys Chocolate Factory at Keynsham upstream to Swineford on the Bristol Avon. I can't remember the exact amount that was taken automatically from our wages each week at the time but it was no more than £0.20 for the Socal Club and £0.05 for the Angling Club. The basic wage at the time for a Postman was around £50 per week.

Still got the badge

The Angling Club had their own notice board in the canteen up on floor 3 of the Head Post Office in Cattle Market Rd behind Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station. On it was a map of the Bristol and West Federation waters plus one for the River Frome at Woolverton. I had really no idea where these locations were as I was fairly new to the area. There was also a list of Officers for the Club and competitions, usually about 6 per season. The Secretary at the time was Owen Edwards, Treasurer was Alex Lackie and the Match Secretary was Mike Birch.

The first one that I was able to fish was a match on the Fry's stretch of the Bristol Avon at Keynsham.
I didn't have any transport at the time and when I saw that the Fry's water at Keynsham wasn't too far away I thought about getting a taxi. I cannot remember how it happen but that same week on the Sorting Office Floor I came across Kevin Brown aka ''Brownie''. I had seen Kevin's name on the Match Results and he seemed to be doing well. After I got talking to him and explained my predicament he put me in touch with Owen Edwards the Secretary who kindly gave me a lift to the match.

In those early days all I had like many others was a float rod, reel, wicker basket, carryall, keepnet, landing net and a a few bits and bob's.
I can't remember if I actually caught anything that first match but I remember Kevin winning the match with 2 bream for 5lb odd caught laying on with a crowquill. What is that all about I thought.

Owen gave me a lift to quite a few of the matches before I had a car which was a Morris 1100, Reg No. KMR 176F, it had more filler in it than metal and a dodgy gearbox. Think I paid £200 for it.

As time went on and I was earning a bit of money through more or less unlimited overtime I upgraded my float rod to a Bruce and Walker XLS 12 foot, a new reel and a Diawa Black Seatbox (bit like the blue Shakespear ones) plus a ledger rod.

Being mobile now I went out to Woolverton on the Somerset Frome quite a bit, picking up Kevin or going with him and Ken Pollard.
It didn't take long before I won my first match and I always remember the weight....1lb 14oz made up of two roach caught halfway down the second field. Woolverton was a stretch of two halfs. Steady deeper water from the A36 road bridge down to a weir and then shallower water and pools. The weir pool or the little and big bay were the favourite places to draw.

Those trips out to Woolverton were enjoyable, the Christmas Match was about 30 pegs, tightly squeezed in as well, everyone got a prize. Some of the prizes were quite obscure.... Kevin who was a heavy smoker at the time won .... a smoke alarm lol.
The matches out there were well attended throughout the year but a lot who could not catch ended up leaving their tackle on the bank and going up the hill behind them to the Red Lion Pub. Some came back worst for wear and ended up falling asleep in there peg!

I learned to fish the stick float on that water and had a lot of success with decent bags of big roach, a few bream and then the chub appeared. Big perch were also a dominant species plus there were quite a few brown trout. My best pleasure session out there was 50lb of chub and bream from the weir pool.

Some old photo's I found of my catches at Woolverton.....

The Club also held matches on ..... The Bristol Avon at Keynsham and Chippenham, Lydney Lake, Sydney Canal (everyone blanked), Huntspill, Shearwater Lake, River Kenn and the Grand Western Canal in Tiverton.

I eventually became the Secretary of the Club when Owen retired which also made me a rep to the Federation were i also ended up as Treasurer for 15 years.

As a Club we held 24 hour matches on Shearwater lake, Bristol City Docks and Bullocks Farm Fishery raising money for children charities.

I ended up fishing for the Post Office S W Regional Team in the National Competitions up on the Bridgwater Canal at Runcorn and the Bristol Avon at Newbridge.

A few of us from the Club also done a feature at White Springs Fishery near Swansea for the Royal Mail Leisure Magazine.

   

The numbers in the Club dwindled due to Royal Mail (changed from GPO) stopped taking deductions  for the Club from pay but I managed to persuade the Kingswood and Hanham Royal British Legion to join forces with us to help pay the rent on the water which had gone up quite a bit.

I stood down as Secretary for the Club and Treasurer for the Federation, can't remember the year, must have been around 2007 and left the Club to join Clevedon and District Freshwater Angling Club, I am now the Secretary for them!

The Bristol P O Angling Club has now folded but some went across and joined the British Legion Club.

In it's hay day it was a great little Club, I was glad to be part of it.