I came across an old fishing logbook I used to update back in the late 70s and 80s. It contained mainly weights of club matches, open events and pleasure trips that I took part in and one thing stood out as I ran down the list of weights.

They were all low and mostly under 10lb. I am not saying I could not catch plenty of fish in those days, as plenty of the weights represented match wins and frames, but it did show how hard it was to put together a heavy bag of fish.

Another common factor and the reason why the weights in general were low was that a good majority of the matches in which I competed were on canals and rivers, where scratching around for bites and small fish were normal in order to achieve a good result.

It has all changed now, of course, as the commercial fisheries up and down the country rule the roost over natural venues.

One year in the 70s my total weight for the whole match season nearly topped 100lb and I was club individual and pairs champion in the process.

These days I commonly weigh over 100lb in just a five-hour match so it just goes to show how the commercials have changed the way we go about our sport now.

I must admit I still love scratching around for bites on cold hard days when the frosts have arrived and the air temperature is almost freezing.

It sorts out the men from the boys and nothing gives me more pleasure than a section or match win with a low weight.

One match that will always be notched in my memory was when I was competing in a Tunnel club "most fish" match on the Grand Union Canal on the Ovaltine stretch.

I turned up with a game plan after enquiring that minnows would count, so from the off I set up a small, light rig and with just the top section of my pole, I poised myself, sitting low down on the canal concrete banks aided by a soft sponge acting as my seat, and set about catching as many minnows as I could. For five hours I sat in a crouched position catching minnow after minnow to record a total of 403, 150-odd clear of my nearest rival. I can still see the astonishment of the club match secretary as I lifted out my net and then watched him have to count all the minnows plus one gudgeon back into the canal.

It was hard work and I loved every minute of it as my plan worked, winning me 10 club points plus the Most Fish cup.

When I lifted out my net that day I was surprised how heavy the net felt and another plan was being plotted.

The following season we were back at the same venue for one of the memorial matches and being around early winter time I knew the catching of roach and gudgeon would be hard so it was back in crouch position again, banging out the tiddlers for another match win with a weight of 2lb 3oz, all minnows.

Last Sunday, I was at Framfield where I weighed in 111lb 14oz for just fourth place, I wonder how many minnows would have been needed to equal that weight. Oh haven't times changed?

Tight Lines