The Inaugural JJAC Coaching Session, 11/04/26, Charlottes Lake, Harbourbridge Lakes.

Eh? What? I beg your pardon…

The day had finally arrived.

The first ever official JJAC event was upon us where, maybe not for the first time, we could wheel out all our shiny new things and start what I hope to be a new era for local junior coaching.

The weather forecast which had been promising for the early part of the week had decided to take a huge download on the affairs of the day. Breezy with sunny spells had turned into ‘Let’s try and blow all the water up one end of the lake’.

It didn’t start off that way though. It was a little breezy as expected and, although Charlottes Lake was bathed in spring sunshine, the temperature was not yet returned from its winter holiday, and you could feel it.

Jerry grimaced when he stepped from his car, not because he felt the cold, just because the factor-50 had stiffened on his face as soon as the chilly wind bit into it.

With everyone present, we gathered for everyone’s favourite part of the day. The health and safety briefing.

You can see it in their eyes as they eagerly await each and every item read from my own personal favourite activity, the Risk Assessment. It’s like being present for their most favourite Christmas’s all rolled into one fun-filled, exciting three and a half minutes of pure ecstasy and joy.

Once the euphoria of the H & S briefing had washed over everyone and subsided, four of the juniors were treated to an intensely thrilling set of questions from the Get Fishing bronze coaching level. They all passed with great aplomb and were treated with a chance for me to exploit their images for our own uses once more.

Seth Hopkins was awarded his trophy early because he happens to live more than a three-day camel ride away living, as he does, in the darker reaches of New Milton. I wonder what happened to the old one. Seth took home his glittering prize of the Jerry Bracey Specimen Award for the biggest fish (by % of the British record) caught by a junior during 2025. A stunning Perch of 3lbs 1ozs during a match on Campbell Lake at Viaduct. Well done, Seth…

Being at Harbourbridge meant it was time to break out the new, very blue, bog tent again. The tent did its party trick of being released from the bag to then bend, twitch, shudder, then….

‘Whadompf!’

Bog tent!

From a round shape to blue monolith in 2 seconds flat.

Once me, Lee, the Captain, Harriet had held it down to get it pegged down, we decided that it would best to tie it to a tree for good measure. Despite this, the BT was extremely animated, if a little agitated.

I looked over to during one of my many, many visits to the car to see what I can only describe as the tent digesting a poor soul within. Being a pop-up tent, it doesn’t have the integrity of a regular tent with rods and such. As the tent wildly thrashed around trying desperately to release itself from its shackles of oppression, it first developed an elbow, then a shoulder, and finally a full half a body as its first meal in weeks was being battered to death inside. In the end, the tent decided it wasn’t that hungry after all and spat poor Harriet out through the zip. Maybe it turned vegetarian?

Imagine if we hadn’t have tied it to a tree? It would have been like taking a whizz inside a rotating washing machine!!!

From the far end then, your juniors today were…

Sir Frederick Campbell of Yeovil sat at the windward end of the lake and was the first to get hit by every gust that the weather could throw at us. Don’t get me wrong, it would have been a lovely day without the wind that could slash through tempered steel like a mouses tear on a hot frying pan. But the fact was that Fred’s cast was heavily decided on how strong the gusts were when his finger let go of the line! I saw his pellets literally get blown off the feeder in mid-flight on two occasions and, yes, they were mixed correctly…

Aaron and Freddie displayed an impressive turn of speed when it was decided that the weather was too strong to continue. The only thing that I’ve seen pack up faster is a Formula One team at summer break, or Jerry when the Rugby is on t’telly…

Next to him was a late arriving Lady Mia Evans of Ilminster. I’m not going to write much about Princess Mia because, due to stuff happening on the way to the lake today, she was a little upset and overwhelmed. She got some cuddles and soothing words. I hope she feels a little better soon.

The ‘Stuff’ meant that Mia was accompanied by young Isla (Sorry if that’s the wrong spelling). She more than made up for a rather subdued Mia by exclaiming loudly every time her Uncle John caught a fish. Jerry and I exclaimed equally loudly in return because we hadn’t seen him catch anything for ages!

Seth was in full match practice mode, playing his fish with very soft hands.

Over the winter, many of the larger fish had been removed to grow bigger in one of the other lakes. But I doubt if ALL of the bigger fish had been netted so, whilst I watched Seth delicately playing his catch to the net, I did wonder if he had indeed latched onto one of the forgotten ones.

As a small Carp of under two pounds surfaced, I found myself muttering reflex comments like ‘I would have swung that I Ireland’ and ‘I’ve used bait bigger than that’…

I redeemed myself by congratulating him on fishing to the motto of ‘Every ounce counts’.

Good work today from the promising young man…

I didn't get a picture of Lucas today. So here is a picture of an Ice Skating Chicken.

Lucas was in for the short haul today, leaving as he was at 1pm. I wouldn’t have blamed Steph for fabricating a reason to leave early because, by now the weather was horrendous. However, they did have a good reason to depart, but not before Lucas had demonstrated his ability to assemble a feeder rod from scratch. Even though he was still unsure what a feeder was! Lucas becomes the first junior to complete the silver level of the coaching program. If only the Head coach was competent enough to actually bring the silver level stickers!

Oops…

Incompetence again, Jerry…

It's all been recorded anyway, so well done!

Our newest ‘Micro-Fabio’, Rafe Cohen, sat complaining that his hair was getting into his face with the wind. Dad, Rick, suggested a hair band. The Head Coach suggested a barber’s shop… Now Kenzie has donated his flowing blonde locks to bolster the wig making industry, it’s good to have someone else to direct playful rhetoric towards.

Harriets' dad. Lee. Had bravely brought an umbrella along in one of the fiercest winds I had ever been fishing in. Last time we were at Harbourbridge in a storm, an umbrella took off and tumbled its way down the full length of the lake, mounted dry land and wedged its spike into the wheel arch of a shiny white sports car narrowly missing the bodywork and tyres.

My car was parked where the white sportscar had been that day… I was already working out how I would explain the puncture wound in Mrs H’s car, and why it was now sporting a very large umbrella ornament.

Smiley Harriet was halfway through her setting up a feeder rod phase when Jerry ran his finger across his throat. This was a signal that he was either going to kill me for forgetting the stickers, or it was time to call it a day.

We will pick this up next time Harriet. Well done today…

You guessed it, no picture. so, Mole flipping burgers...

Alexander turned up in what looked like pyjamas but quickly changed into what looked like very warm clothes! Sporting his Guru hat from the Christmas match (Ah…The Christmas Match!), his rosy, red cheeks were either from warmth or because he had been bead blasted from the wind powered dust flying around. Alexander was another who completed his rod assembly in some difficult conditions. So, well done for that!

Both Lucas and Alexander had left before I had got round to doing the photos. So, I would ask you to imagine a cute little lad with hat pulled down and collar pulled up, trying desperately to keep warm and fish at the same time!

I didn't get a pic of Josh either, so here is some Scouser bloke.

Josh had arrived before even I did and was halfway set up before I’d parked the car. He was also halfway packed away before we called an end to proceedings. It’s fair to say that Josh is a little more advanced than some of the others and he will have to bear with us during these first few events. However, he needed more help with the feeder than I expected, something that should have been clear from the shouts of ‘Look! He’s using a rod, and he likes it!’… Josh is a pole guy, through and through. But he’s embracing the art of the rod. Something that will make him a more rounded angler in the long run.

Josh also earned an absent silver badge (Of course he did!), next time out, GOLD!!!

So, a difficult day for everyone today and I want to give kudos to all the parents bravely sitting out in a freezing wind to let the shrimps partake in their sport.

In my day, my dad dropped me at a canal bridge in the middle of nowhere. He wished good luck whilst he mumbled how much of an idiot I was to go out in this weather.

Times have changed, and junior angling relies on the commitment of parents to join their juniors for the day.

It will get better. It will be nice again soon. Thank you all for being good sports and sticking out with us lunatic anglers.

In the end, and for the first time, the weather beat us. It was becoming dangerous for us to be there so, wisely, Jerry and I called it off. Our first session had been cruelly curtailed by events beyond our control.

But, I am going to call it a success. We didn’t get half the coaching done that I had planned to do. There was some good stuff there too. But the feeling of getting our club up and running is very satisfying.

Again, I’m going to give full credit to Jerry Bracey for making it all possible. If you find yourself at a JJAC event and enjoying yourself, then it is down to him that you are doing so and you should thank him for it every time, all the time…

Thank you to the ever-faithful coaches, Jon Bass, Jerry Bracey, and Chris Ward.

Lastly thank you to Jim Roper for letting us play with his pets for most of the day.

The next event is at Whitemoor on Chester’s Lake on the 25th of April…

The Bread Punch…