Bus Pass Fishing
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 02 October 2007 09:53
- Written by Bob Graham
How’s your carbon footprint? Want to reduce it and save money? Well, if your over 60 and live in Scotland you’re in luck. If you’re over 60 and retired and live in Scotland you’ve hit the fishing jackpot.
Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time the ruling politicians in oor wee parliament in the big toon o’ Edinburgh wondered if they would be re-elected. One of their ideas was to promise free ’bus travel anywhere in Scotland to onybody ower 60. The good fairy and the older folk smiled on them, voted for them (not expecting very much) but a miracle happened and now onybody (ower 60) can go to their cooncil offices, produce their birth certificate and a picture (even one taken with a mobile ’phone) and in a week or two they get a wee card that says, “let this man (or wummin) on the ’bus for hee-haw”. And noo most of the ’buses in Scotland are full of older folk traipsing all over the place. What more could any troot catcher ask for? Leave the car at home and use the petrol money for the important things in life like new tackle and have the warm glow of self- righteousness that you’re helping to save the planet.
One disadvantage - or advantage if you think about it is time. Where once you (in this case I) could drive to (say Cardrona) in an hour and a bit it will now take almost two hours. On the way out read the papers, do the crossword, watch the antics of demented drivers or just watch the world go by. On the way back have a kip and / or jump off the ’bus in Penicuik and have a pensioner’s fish supper and maybe a couple of pints knowing that corporation ’buses to the city centre are every ten minutes.
Are you starting to like this idea?
This is what you worked all these years for - regular, relaxed and stress free troot catching - and all for free. Maybe not totally free, you might still have to buy a permit - £15 a year for fourteen miles of the Tweed - just affordable.
If you’re fishing a new water you’ll often ask what flees to use and where to fish. The next couple of paragraphs are in the same vein; hints and tips for ’bus pass fishing.
Buy a proper rucksack. I used to use one of the grand-weans old school bags but, honestly, they’re just not up to the job. Buy a travel rod with a tube. You could use a two or three piece but the risk of breakage is high on some express buses. Make sure that the tube can be securely tied or fastened to the rucksack. Once I had to walk back over a mile of river-bank when the tube had fallen out, un-noticed. Avoid neoprene waders or waders with separate boots. Although they might fit in your rucksack the extra weight of wet boots or waders on the way home could be a bit of a pain. I use thigh-boots. Use a wading stick. Aldi and Lidl do telescopic hiking poles for under £6. Then again you might like going home by ’bus drookit after falling in. Everything else is up to you and your physical condition. I like to travel light.
Planning - this is critical. Check the ’bus times on Traveline Scotland, the web site is fairly accurate. Not accurate enough in every case however and you should keep your eyes open while you’re traveling around for ’buses that you never knew existed. Did you know you can go direct from Edinburgh to the Clyde? I didn’t either until one day I saw a MacEwan’s ’bus passing Lamington with Penicuik on its indicator board. It’s actually an Edinburgh - Dumfries service but Traveline won’t find it unless you put a “via Abington” in your search request. During the close season I do trial runs to get an idea of times and to find other services that don’t turn up in normal Traveline searches. An example is Ballinluig where I sometimes fish the Tay and Tummell. Searching on Perth to Ballinluig seems to ignore a regular service running from Perth to Aberfeldy via Ballinluig. A trial run is a nice way to pass a wet Thursday (or any other weekday) in November or January.
Permits can be a pain in the a**e. I like Wolfclyde but have to hike a mile up and down the drive to buy a ticket at the hotel at Cormiston. The answer is season tickets; they’re dirt cheap if you qualify for pensioner’s rates. Always tell the truth. If someone asks, as they do now and then despite the evidence of the ’bus pass, which you actually get from age 60, the honest answer might be, “yes”. Are you or have you been a member of a pension scheme of any kind? If you are or were, and most people are or were, you are a “deferred” pensioner. So if the question is, “are you a pensioner?”, the ,admittedly hair splitting, answer is, “yes”. I’m a proper O.A.P. but if someone is giving a fishing club an extra bit of income by answering a question honestly where’s the complaint? Politicians do it all the time.
What else do I have to tell you? Go on, get out there by ‘bus and brighten up your fishing life. A final point I almost forgot. I do use my car because I write my own rules, just as you will. I’m allowed (by me) to drive 2 miles to Harthill Park and Ride or 5 miles to Livingston ’bus station. Write your own rules.
If the editor permits I might just tell you some useful journeys in a future issue.