IT WAS woman against fish.

I fought in solitude, the silence broken only by my curses as I struggled to play the unseen fish and avoid losing valuable tackle.

Well, this was the scenario I had expected.

I was desperate to haul a slippery catch to the surface but in reality I didn't come close to a hungry fish.

On that cold March day, anyone with a modicum of common sense would have looked out of the window at the drizzle and fog and gone smartly back to bed. But not this would-be angler, to whom a grime-encrusted water's edge and the promise of unseen dinner proved irresistible.

My main reason for not missing the trip was my eagerness to test out the theory that a hormone possessed by women is rumoured to attract fish.

After all, Georgina Ballantine in 1922 achieved a feat unequalled to this day when she landed a salmon weighing 64lb, which was - and still is - the British rod-caught record for the species. But considering I was wearing a thermal vest, four jumpers, a fleece, two waterproof jackets and plastic bags round my feet, it would have been a feat in itself if my hormone vibes had reached my fishy friends.

My experienced angling partner, 59-year-old grandmother Doreen Gordon, who has been fishing for more than 30 years, lowered her baited hook to the darkness of the canal bed and came up trumps, reeling in fish after fish.

"You can't be sure that hormones are responsible for catching fish but it's a possibility, " said Doreen, of Hodder Street, Accrington, who taught to fish by her two grandsons, Daniel, 11, and nine-year-old Matthew. The exponents of rod and line claim that considerable skill and long experience are the crucial factors in achieving success. But Doreen's impressive catches suggest something more.

Even her husband Geoff, 64, said: "I'm not putting it down to hormones but she is very, very lucky. If there's a big fish swimming around you can be sure Doreen will hook it."

Roger Mortimer, editor of the monthly magazine Match Fishing, said: "There have been stories in the past that women have a hormone which is more attractive to fish than the male hormone. Women do seem to catch quite big fish first time around. My own personal view is that if women's hormones are so special, why is it that men usually come out on top in angling competitions?"

The urge to fish has always been strong in man. From the earliest times, using spears and stones, fishing has been one of humanity's most important means of feeding itself. Yet fishing as a sport is commonly seen as an excuse for men to flee domesticity in search of peace and tranquillity next to a flowing river. Doreen, a member of Hyndburn and Blackburn Angling Association, has fished in Holland and Australia.

She said: "Women would really enjoy fishing but it is just getting them to the water first. Once they actually catch a fish, they are hooked on the sport. It is pleasurable, relaxing and a challenge. It is great if you catch a record fish but the main thing is just to have fun doing it."

According to the National Rivers Authority, there are 400,000 women who are active anglers but they are still only 10 per cent of the angling community.

This imbalance is being addressed by The Angling Foundation, keen to recruit more female anglers with its "Take a Friend Fishing" campaign. There are sea, game and coarse angling competitions for women but the biggest attraction is game fishing - ideal because of the lightweight rod and artificial fly lures - which has netted stars such as actress Diana Rigg, entertainer Faith Brown and newsreader Fiona Armstrong. One good motive for going fishing, if nothing else, is the prospect of practising your culinary skills on the freshly-caught trout or salmon. But I have to admit, despite having no bites, my fishing trip was a pleasure. And whether the wait be five minutes or five years, Doreen assured me that the sense of fulfilment and achievement of catching a fish can never be diminished.

For angling information, send a large stamped addressed envelope to the Take a Friend Fishing Campaign, Federation House, National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, CV8 2RF.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.