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![Scott West](https://wrt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Scott_West.jpg)
Scott West
Fisheries Scientist
My first experience of fish and angling…
Growing up in Somerset, as a young lad I would feed the ducks on the river Tone and see large chub beneath the surface, stealing the bread! These fish captivated me; they seemed monstrous and not at all catchable by hand! There had to be a way!
Although I had tried fishing once or twice as a boy it wasn’t until a year after the bread feeding incident that I properly found angling through a friend. We loaded up with the cheapest of kit and were sent off to the river.
Those days were magical, I remember them so well. We didn’t have a clue! It was a proper boy’s adventure, rods tried to bikes, cheap tackle, no real plans and a floppy used copy of “learn to fish”.
It didn’t take long and on the first trip to French Weir Park in Taunton on the river Tone, I connected to and landed a lovely small chub, which was my first fish. I sure this was more luck than skill but something about that fish ignited the fire for angling. I had seen those fish below the surface, laid awake at night reliving the scene, preparing the tackle and then finally caught one.
I still live and love angling and all it offers me and others, I owe it a lot and will always be a custodian of fisheries.
Find out more about the work of Westcountry Rivers Trust...
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