It's Halloween! And whilst many might wonder what that has to do with fishing, anglers have some of the best ghost stories going.
Not only are there many fishing lakes and venues that are seemingly incredibly haunted, but anglers who are out at all hours of the night have frequent tales of the unexplained.
Here is a collection of the best fishing ghost stories we have shared from our readers and staff over the years...
DON'T BE LEFT IN THE DARK WHEN YOU GO FISHING. GRAB ONE OF THESE BEST HEADTORCHES.
LOOKING FOR HIS LOST HEAD
_A story by reader Robin Ellison...
_"I was night fishing at an old brickpit in Crockerton, Wiltshire, when suddenly had a strange feeling and something told me to turn around.
"I have never felt so cold, and my hairs stood on end. As I turned I could see a figure walking down beside the fence to the edge of the lake, at which point it vanished into thin air. I spoke to somebody in a local garden centre about it the next morning and they told me that years ago a man was beheaded in a work accident there. They reckon it’s him that walks around the place."
YOU NEED A GOOD SHELTER TO HIDE IN AT NIGHT. HERE IS OUR GUIDE TO BEST FISHING BIVVIES.
ROMAN ON BANK DUTY
A story by reader Neil Davies...
"I was on the Shropshire Union Canal in Chester about 25 years ago, fishing a free stretch near the city centre. It was getting quite late and there were two old boys fishing opposite. I was just thinking about packing up when I glanced over to the far bank... then did a double take. Walking along the towpath behind them was what looked like a Roman soldier.
"At first I thought it was somebody in fancy dress, but soon after passing behind the other anglers he faded away and then vanished. I later found out that the ghost of a Roman centurion is said to guard the entrance to Chester city at Northgate, where part of the canal was dug into the moat 2,000 years ago!
"Everybody thinks I’m mad when I tell them the story, but I know what I saw!"
URBAN VENUES CAN BE NATURALLY SPOOKY, BUT ARE GREAT SPOTS. HERE'S HOW TO FISH THEM.
ESSEX GIRL IN WHITE
A story by reader David Varley...
"I once saw a girl in a white dress walking over the surface of the lake at Maysbrook Park in Dagenham. You’ve never seen me move so fast to get out of there!"
PARK LAKE PRIEST
A story by reader Colin Hoose...
"I used to night fish Newsham Park in Liverpool. Right across the road is a big abandoned orphanage that was run by nuns. I would often hear strange sounds coming from the grounds – banging noises, and iron gates opening and shutting when there was nobody there.
"But the scariest moment was when I saw a dark figure that looked like he had priests’ robes on walk up the street, turn to look at me and then disappear. I haven’t night fished the lake since."
SLEEP IN COMFORT, AWAY FROM ANY GHOSTS, BY GRABBING ONE OF THESE BEST FISHING BEDCHAIRS.
DEMONIC GOINGS ON AT REDMIRE POOL
A story by reader Mark Thomas...
"In 2006 I was fishing the Stumps swim at Redmire Pool. Everything seemed normal until the middle of the night, when I attempted to get up off my bedchair but found that I couldn’t move.
"I had a strange tingling sensation all over my body as if someone was holding me down. Suddenly a black shadowy figure rose above me and I was able to make out a face with no eyes, and a demonic smile, before it drifted out through the fly sheet."
REDMIRE IS AN ICONIC VENUE. HERE ARE SIMILAR VENUES YOU HAVE TO FISH BEFORE YOU DIE.
THE VANISHING GENTLEMAN
A story by reader David Griffiths...
"I was sea trout fishing on the Ure at West Tanfield in North Yorkshire on a warm June night with no breeze and no moon. As I entered a stretch of river called Church View I looked downstream and could just make out the figure of another angler.
"I thought I’d better leave him to it and climbed out of the river, and there in front of me was an elderly gentleman dressed in tweed and black rubber waders carrying a cane rod.
"As I got my gear together I asked how the fishing had been. He replied: 'Not bad, lad, not bad at all. I’ve had two beautiful bars of silver.' I turned to answer and there was no sign of him anywhere. I went cold and the hairs on my arms stood up.
"The next day I was told I had most likely seen the ghost of the club’s founding member, Maximilian Warbrand, who had drowned in Church View pool in the 1800s."
SOME FISH CAN BE TERRIFYING THEMSELVES. CHECK OUT THESE CRAZY THINGS PREDATOR FISH EAT.
UNCLE’S NOT GONE JUST YET!
A story by reader David Daish...
"I was haunted by my uncle’s ghost two weeks after he was cremated.
I heard him walking around outside my bivvy in the night – he had a distinct wheezing from bad lungs – and I shot out of the doorway to look. Nothing. I went back in and heard it again, so I jokingly told him to bugger off and heard him laugh right outside the bivvy.
"I ran over to my mate’s swim, thinking it was him being silly, but he was fast asleep. The next night my missus joined us. I didn’t tell her about it. She went to have a wee in a bush and came running back terrified, saying: 'Your uncle has just whispered in my ear'."
BE ALARMED BY YOUR TARGET FISH, NOT ANYTHING ELSE, WITH THIS GUIDE TO BITE ALARMS.
NOT THE TED WE EXPECTED
A story by reader Mark Slater...
"Me and my mate were scouting out a club pond when an old chap appeared and asked what we were doing.
"We explained we wanted to fish it and he told us that the bailiff was here bankside every Wednesday and he’d sign us up. The old man told us to tell the bailiff Ted had sent us.
"The following Wednesday we returned and sure enough, we saw the bailiff who signed us up. He asked how we found out about the club and we told him of our encounter with old Ted. He went ashen-faced and told us old Ted had died five years ago.
"Suddenly the old guy appeared from behind a tree again and we shakingly pointed to him. The secretary took one look and said: “Oh, sorry, that was a different Ted”. I can’t remember how much the club fee was, but I demanded a discount to pay for my laundry bill!"
THE MAN ON THE BRIDGE
A story by reader Kevin Dobson...
"I was fishing my local club lake Abbrook Pond with my good mate Chris. We had caught a few fish on our overnight session and everything was going well.
"Chris was fishing from an island in the middle of the lake with two bridges across to it. I was fishing just the other side of the first bridge.
"I awoke to a typical misty summer morning, after the carp had finally let us get some sleep. Keen to see how Chris had got on, I reeled in the rods and started heading towards the bridge.
"As I was just about to step onto the bridge, I could see a man looking over into the water below. I shouted, thinking it was Chris, and then shouted again, assuming he was just ignoring me. At that point, the figure looked up and walked back across the bridge, past Chris and then totally out of sight. I really can't explain it.
"It's not the first spooky thing to happen to me at the venue either, as I have often heard footsteps behind the bivvy when I have been fishing on my own - very strange!"
WANT TO GO NIGHT FISHING FOR CARP? HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST VENUES TO VISIT.
THE GHOST OF WICKWATER LANE
A story by Angling Times Online Editor Chris Haydon...
"There have been several strange events that have happened to me and fishing companions whilst fishing Franklins Lake, formerly known as Wick Water, in the Cotswold Water Park.
"These events aren't frequent, I have done plenty of nights on there with no strange happenings at all, but there have been a few nights where things got very odd indeed.
"The first occurred on a summer night, which I chose to do under the stars. Having just cast out the rods and settled down on the bedchair, I gazed up at the stars but was jolted back upright when a voice said 'hello!' directly into my right ear!
"On edge, I frantically looked round, but there was nobody there at all. Whatever it was managed to spook the carp off that night too!
"The next bizarre event happened to my friend Aidan, who whilst fishing directly behind his car at the car park end of the lake, witnessed his interior lights going on and off for no apparent reason. On this same night, my car, parked the same end, had the alarm triggered in the night too, with no obvious reason why.
"The final event is the one that really did shock me. Whilst fishing on my own towards the top end of the lake, I woke and looked out at the rods, before being pulled back into my bedchair by an unseen force. I could feel this strange mass over me and could hear weird voices speaking in my right ear, yet I couldn't move or speak back. All I could do was look at the rods - good job I didn't get a take!
"Just as suddenly, it all stopped. Now this could 100% be sleep paralysis, but with the other events at the lake, I'm not so sure anymore!
"To add a further element of mystery, I did some research and found some ghost stories relating to the lane that runs along the back of the lakes. Maybe the ghost has moved a little bit?"
Do you have a fishing ghost story? Be sure to let us know....
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