Insight into the madness

Thank you for visiting my blog.  My blog is an intimate and often funny look at my life where I grew up with a big, huge lump of sea angling thrown in for good measure, catch reports, places to fish etc.  Dedicated to my Grandfather, Thomas Rogers, the man who introduced me to a lifetime of angling passion. I hope you enjoy!

Thomas and David Wrasse Rogers (Jarrow Viking)

Thomas, my Grandfather unwittingly introduced me into sea angling on a walk up South Shields pier one summer afternoon in the 1970's.  The guys at the end of the pier were pulling in mackerel by the boat load and after looking on I was immediately hooked.  What was it that had me hooked?, maybe the smell of the sea air, the excitement, or the thought of that big catch to come. Whatever it was, I just simply craved it as a seven year old. The hunt for me was well and truly on!

Thomas had little interest in sea angling, his only goal in life was to provide for his family.  Descended from Northumbrian pit men he knew how tough life could be.  After watching the hardship of his elders,  Thomas realised that life down the pit just wasn't for him so as a young man he moved to Tyneside to work as an electrician at the huge Reyrolle plant in Hebburn. 

After much badgering and saving Thomas bought my first fishing rod and reel at the old Ripons toy and hobby shop in South Shields.  A three piece wibbly, wobbly,12ft Shakespeare affair with a metal fixed spool reel out of the 1950's! but I loved it and it was now time to catch some fish!

Rewinding a little I was born in Jarrow on Tyneside in 1967.  Here is some random information about the month of December 1967 when I was born. 

Star Trek aired the " Trouble with Tribbles" episode.  Which was all about a small furry creature with no legs that multiplied and multiplied out of control on board the star ship enterprise.  I must have watched this one as a baby and became a trekky into adult hood. 

Captain Kirk surrounded by his spare wigs, sorry "tribbles" which is my favourite scene!

There were 474,300 US soldiers in Vietnam, Good morning Vietnam!

And finally DNA was produced for the first time in a laboratory.  This test tube full of the stuff in the picture matured into what formally became known as David Cameron, our dear leader.

I have it eureka! the DNA of David Cameron mixed with LSD!

So back to the story, Jarrow was founded by the Anglo Saxons around 750 ad and was at the time known as Gyrwum, quite a mouthful that meant the place of the marsh dwellers!  Jarrow as it is now known has grown to be a large town on the banks of the River Tyne within the urban conurbation surrounding the city of Newcastle.  The marsh dwellers have sinced moved to Sunderland.

Jarrow is famous for the Jarrow Crusade a march to London for jobs.  I salute their intentions but little has changed in all of the years since the march in terms of jobs.  Jarrow still has one of the highest rates of unemployment in mainland Britain.

Highlighting the North's plight, Jarrovians marched to London for jobs.

Jarrow is also famous for Steve Cram, the Jarrow Arrow set records in the 1500m, 2000m and mile in 1985, some say his lightning speed was down to always being the first to sign on at the job center on a Thursday morning.

Steve Cram, pretty quick off the blocks

Well that's about it as Jarrow, goes, we did use to have shipbuilding at one time but now we make do with two huge tunnels in the ground under the river.

Palmers shipyard at Jarrow with it's odd looking cranes, long since demolished.

The Tyne tunnels, one north, one south just to save any confusion.

A little more about me, in the center of Jarrow not far from my home we have two large statues of Viking raiders, apparently back in the day they'd come over the North Sea mug our monks at St Bede's monastery in Jarrow and do one back to Scandinavia.  Why we put a statue up about them is pretty strange, a bit like putting up a statue of Adolf Hitler in the town center because he bombed us!  Anyway strange as it is we have grown to love them over the last 50 years and I even nicknamed myself after these two in the picture.

I am Jarrow Viking!

Born to fish in 1967

This is a fishing blog ultimately so here is a place for you to fish in Jarrow

Pedestrian Tunnel

Easily found in Jarrow by the banks of the Tyne is the Pedestrian Tunnel walkway, just ask anyone who hasn't got a skinhead haircut and they'll tell you where it is... we are a canny bunch in Jarra as we like to call it. 

Fishing is throughout the year with March and April being quiet months.  Winter gives codling, flounder and whiting to worm and crab baits with the same species plus common eel during summer on peeler crab.  The biggest tides fish best here with casts of over 30yds taking fish. The flood tide is normally best. Very poor on small tides so give it a miss then.

My first post of many tongue in cheek fishing reports and blog updates, I'll be back soon with more, I hope you enjoy and keep coming back for more.