In reply to Post #28
The sun is shining although a ground frost the spring is here the birds are courting and building there nest just out side my bathroom window i have a tree sparrows nest the first i can remember in my garden i would really like to take a few photos but i don't want to disturb her i have been watching her for the last three or four weeks i would really think she is now on eggs. The gold finches are here as well i have two pairs as yet i have not found there nests maybe in the fir trees they used to nest around the front of the house in the old scotch pines, but the trees became unstable and dangerous so i had them cut down by a friend the sunny weather really makes you feel better as it has been a long winter one bird that did survive the hard frosts and i am surprised is the humble pigeon in 1982 it absolutely devastated them i have a few in my garden some of the biggest and fattest pigeon i have ever seen but they are welcome one thing we missed this year was our pet squirrel he was so tame i could walk up to him while he fed on the nuts and take photos he has been coming here for the last three years they don't live that long so maybe he has died or one of the local moggies might have killed him i must put a photo up they are vermin but he did no harm here .
MY TAME SQUIRREl
The plum tree has come out in bloom i hope the frost does not kill it off last year some of the branches broke off with the weight of the fruit the black birds and pigeons feed on the plums for weeks i have a couple of thrushes here and watched the other day as one tried to break a snail shell on my drive he must of picked it up under the hedge it will soon be time to dust off the rods i loved a bit of fly fishing at this time of year mainly fishing the reservoirs from a boat or punt i have done very well at this time of year i would fish deep the most i caught in one morning was 80, rainbows between two and three pounds god do they scrape i have had my share of big ones up to 18 pounds but found the smaller ones scraped better i may a latter stage cast a line on the Rea for the gray ling or trout but at the moment i have so much going on around me i have not got the time i am writing this at eight in the morning as i have a busy day in front of me.
MY PLUM TREE IN BLOOM ITS UNDER HERE THAT THE FOX BRINGS HER CUBS
Just up the field from my house within walking distance is a small reservoir it became stocked with fish over a short spell maybe a couple of years ago i know the local farmer who owns it maybe he has stocked it. It is stocked mainly with common carp no big fish but as yet i have seen no one fishing there I suppose the biggest i have noticed was around 16 pounds i had an amble over as i thought the bad weather may have killed them but i need not of worried as they were showing on the top in the sun thinking it could also be a stock pool for the environment agency as they have one or two in this area on the way back i found a fox earth it is being used so i kept well away and never left my scent around the earth she may have cubs but i will keep an eye on it over the next few weeks and with a bit of luck take a few photos the earth has been there as long as i can remember but not always used but with the pad marks leading to it the vixen is in residence
It would be nice to get the carp rods out and give it a go i know of one nice water we can fish with no close season so graham and i will go and have a look maybe give it a go over the next few weeks
i was thinking the other day about the lake i fished and poached, we called to have a look as we were out for a drive it now belongs to Birmingham anglers as i have told you in an earlier chapter i would hide and watch the gentry shoot i was only about 10 years old any pheasant that were shot and came my way i would pick up and hide them until i went it has not altered that much and still looks the same i did not see the duck on there like when i was young but i am told by a friend that fishes the place they still have a shoot and it is still keepered it was a huge shoot when i was a young and the men and ladies would be all dressed in tweeds real posh. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #29
This is the lake i poached when i was ten years old i ended up beating there with old SAM

The tree sparrows nest up in the honeysuckle tree

In reply to Post #30
Come with me for a walk through the woods in spring the banks of the woods are ablaze with flowers the blue bell and the primrose, the trees, are now unfurling there new leaves as new growth abound in all corners of this tranquil place hi up in the trees the cark cark of the rook attending there nests high above there is far to many to count a few years ago you would have seen the old keepers shoot this big black bird, and there breasts would be used for rook pie that's something i have never tried but i well remember old SAM offering me a slice of pie many years ago i am afraid i really did not fancy it the geese are now on the one lake i wander if its the same pair as they have breed here for years the mallard is also down on the little lake she will build her nest up in some old willow tree i have seen them in the past use a old squirrels nest and reared there young high up in the canopy the ferns are coming to life with the tips of new life pointing through its a wonderful time of the year the daffodils that grow on the out skirts of the wood are now in bloom and young rabbits are seen scuttling out of the way they have as yet no sense and stray on the old road above the wood where they meet there end but that is nature some survive and others don't

the primroses at bomere

The old cock runs throught the blue bells and heads for cover

The coots nest can be seen in the old reeds
the moorhens nest perches in a tangle of undergrowth at the side of the rippling water as i approach away she goes startled making that all to familiar call kerr-UK it echos across the water warning others of approaching dangers as i look in the nest i can see at least five eggs when i was young i would of had my spoon attached to a long stick and away home i would go with three or four eggs we would eat them for breakfast the following day, on i go to the old snarled oak tree the tawny owl has had her nest in the hole in this tree for generations although i cannot clime any more, i look at the footholds that i cut in the tree many years ago so i ask a friend to clime up its only 10 ft from the ground as he looks within he sees the tawny she must be sitting on eggs so we leave her well alone, we look up the big old fir and can see the buzzards nest she soars above on the thermal making that unmistakable call me ee-u she has nested in this old tree for years and the nest gets larger every year she will not lay her eggs until April usually a clutch of two or three they both take it in turns to incubate the eggs as we walk on through the wood an old cock pheasant runs for cover through the blue bells and is gone from sight within seconds, out in a tangle of floating weeds we come across the great crested grebes nest she has reared her young on this lake as far back as i can remember as we walk for home we spot the vixen crossing the adjacent field she may have her cubs tucked up under the old hawthorn hedge in some disused rabbit hole i must have a look another day, we hear the call of the raven she has her nest deep in the woods or high up on the cliffs in the quarry we have had them here for years and years once again the peregrine nests up on the ledge in the quarry where she has reared her young for generations a majestic bird and fast on wing a lovely sight to see . well thats it for now more latter

I feed the young ducklings as i fish for the big roach

In reply to Post #31
It is like music to my ears the dawn chorus what could any one want better i loved to be in the woods at this time of year and just sit and listen to the bird call its absolutely wonderful and i have never tired of listening to it from the blackbird to the robin one subject i would like to discuss is the otter when i was young i would see them on the river onny in fact i loved seeing them in those days the rivers were not over run with them like today you would see a pair here and a pair there but there was no overcrowding a lot of the people today think the decline in the otter was due to hunting in fact the demise of the otter was caused by the use of pesticides and the hunting of the otter finished in 1970 but the otter is now back to the 1950, levels i think it is even more but what i will say otter hunting did keep the number of otters down.
THE OTTER HOUNDS IN 1955 THEY KEPT THE OTTERS TO AN EXEPTABLE LEVEL

But now they are protected and have no predators really it is the same with the badger there are now far to many when i was a lad we would see the otter hounds regularly on the onny and its tributaries the river ran red it was not my favorite method of control but it was efficient and kept the otters down to an acceptable level the huntsmen would walk for miles up or down the river with water up to there knees the kill was quick i have seen them catch as many as three or four a day but that was what it was like in my days it was an accepted thing, but today with no control i do wander where we are going, some of the rivers have a big influx of these animals but i am afraid there are to many do gooders around and i cannot see the otter hounds coming back i would not like them all killed they are a lovely animal but the problem is they hunt for fun and drag fish on to the bank taking one bite then leave them to die a bit like old foxy he gets in a pen and kills the lot then only takes one or two at the most.
The lovely badger but in places they are out of control
Some say fencing as a club you are responsible for your own fish but it is not really practical especially on big waters it would cost a fortune one thing that has crossed my mind why they don't sterilize some of the breeding bitches or some sort of birth control it would certainly help and stop the spread of youngsters to other waters but we certainly now have a high level of these animals and i would like to think it may happen perhaps in the future. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #32
I was a bit of a jack the lad in those days i was young and had no fear i loved to be out at night and poach the local streams and rivers i suppose it was a game and gave my adrenaline a big lift as i was trying to out whit the many keepers old bell at condover was one a hard man and a good keeper but i would be out at night and worm or spin his beloved brook it was crammed full of lovely brownies stocked by the old squire who owned the woods he would let his friends fish it was all fly fishing and some of the rods were well to do very posh but fly fishing at my tender age i think i was around fifteen years old was not for me we were hungry and needed the fish for food and our neighbors were always grateful if i took them one or two.

I got to know one of the local farmers a Mr Jones who took me under his wing you like a bit of fishing youngster i do Mr Jones then fish my land he had at least five mile of superb trout fishing i could go in the day and take as many as i wanted as long as i dropped some off at the farm our arrangement worked well i was challenged by the local game keepers but they could do nothing farmer Jones asked me can you catch the rabbits, i did not want asking twice and i would be down on the farm with a friend ferreting the big berries on the farm the rabbits had made a come back after myxomatosis although he never mentioned any thing about dropping a rabbit for him at the farm, i would always take, a couple for him and they were gratefully accepted, well just up the road was keeper bells house and when he found out i was ferreting the rabbits all hell let loose he knew i poached and i had had few encounter with the said gentlemen he did no more to do but get sgt landers involved from our village who went to see Mr Jones with a view to stop me going on his land but it did not work and i was allowed to continue.
I would shoot the pheasants out of the trees with my old air rifle
my beloved woods in winter
I was down the wood today with my mate tony this is his wonderful German ruff coated pointer

i had my own back and in November i would be away on my bike hiding it by the old railway bridge with my gun on my shoulder i would cross the fields and traverse the river and into cover of bells woods i had strapped an old bicycle lamp to my trusted air gun which had done me proud over the years i would shine the torch into the branches of the tree picking out a roosting pheasant pull the trigger and down he would come some times i would have two or three out of the same tree then move on to the next covert it was easy shooting and usually took home eight or nine birds they were very welcome at home and by our neighbors as times were very hard, i found i could also make a bob or two from my exploits, i was chased by the law, and the keepers, on a few occasions but managed to get away by hiding up a tree, or lying in the river, and going home soaking wet but it all added to the excitement i got out of the game you dont have to do that today as pheasants are two a penny and no money can be made out of them but that's been my life i loved every minute and loved the chase i would do it all again if permitted. well a bit more latter
The woods are now showing signs of new life

In reply to Post #33
i would hide from the keepers under this old bridge then run down stream and loose them in the woods

The water fall i tried to cross one night and fell in when i was chased by the keepers and old sgt landers it was a lot deeper in those days

old bells house nestles in the wood he has long gone but i always left him a brace to say thank you
Old bells wood where his house was

In reply to Post #34
AS we huddled under the near by hedge the wind whistled through the depleted branches and the brown leaves winter was here again it was an easterly wind and penetrated every bone in your body the clouds skidded across the face of the moon making ghostly patterns on the surrounding fields my dog SAM shook with anticipation we were there for the mallard duck they would come in there hundreds and to roost on the little pool behind where we stood. The moon was full so they would fly all night they had been feeding on some far off field . we heard the unmistakable call of the geese as we looked to the right a big skein of grey lags appeared and disappeared into the moonlight night to far to take a shot, but there will be other days.

We heard the sound of duck, two mallard flashed by and landed on the water behind we saw the next two and shot them far out in front and they tumbled down in the open field.
Sam was gone and brought them to hand the cold was even worse but with the excitement we carried on the duck came in two and three we shot a couple more and a lone goose and decided we would leave for home and let the duck ,come into roost as they had done for generations, this was another night in our lives we shot 6 duck and one goose enough was enough as we trudged through the wood on the way back to the old land rover brambles caught in our legs threatening to send us sprawling a sudden scream froze our blood it was a vixen calling her mate she was not far away it would not be long before they mated once again, the night was not yet over as we had other things to do we arrived back at the old land rover we had promised the local farmers we would shoot a few of the rabbits that threatened to over run the adjacent land we had brought our rifles and a lamp to search out the rabbit no hiding tonight or running from the keepers it was all legal, as we made our way across the fields, and graham shone the light in an arch you could see the eyes of the rabbit, glistening in the light of the lamp, i put the cross of the hair on the rabbit and squeezed the trigger you heard the thump as it found its target we picked them up as we passed we shot until one in the morning, picking up at least forty rabbits the farmers would be pleased. we cleaned the rabbits and headed for home another night over but we were contented , for tomorrow was another day and we would try and catch the pike from a local mere the boat had been sorted the day before a now lay ready and waiting

One of the pike caught from the boat

Another from the mere all thought not big good sport
Another as graham lookes on

We arrived at the mere at in the early morning, the mist rolled on the mere like an army of ghosts it was still cold and we were tired from the night before but we manage to get out on the old mere we were using the jelly lures roach and perch and we maneuvered around the big water trolling the lures behind the boat, the rod would arch over ,as you hooked another fish engine cut you played the fish to the side and stared in delight at the sight of the wonderfully marked fish only twelve pounds but good sport, there were monsters in this mere but they eluded us my freinds have had them to thirty plus but who cares it was a great way to spend the day as we made our way arround the mere shots rang out it was the local shoot who were shooting a fringe of trees around the mere a shot pheasent plunged into the freezing water i quickly picked it up putting it in the bottom of the boat it was not long before dogs appeared arround the reed fringed lake we pulled over to the side as a keeper appeared fom no where i proceeded to hand the pheasent to him keep it he says not a bad day we picked another three from that mere and caught another eight pike fifteen pounds the biggest, a good days bag of pheasents and pike we went home tired but reminised about the day, and of days to come. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #35
Living in the country side like i do i have seen my share of poaching from fish to pheasants but the cruelest of all is deer poaching it really brings a tear to my eyes if you love the animals you also respect them i have seen horrific injuries done by man using lurchers and other methods, the lurchers will chase the terrified animal until exhausted it is brought down and if the owners are not on the scene quickly the dogs will rip pieces from its body it is completely inhumane and barbaric i have found them lying in cover covered in bite wounds i can not abide this sort of cruelty.

Another method is the cross bow it penetrates deep but does not kill and the deer is in so much pain and if not caught will die of infection or blood loss completely inhumane. i live not to far from a big park attingham and a few years back it was a regular target for deer poachers they have caught some of the individuals in the past but not before the damage had been done they ended up in court and fined in excess of two thousand pounds not enough as they can make good money on the black market in the case of the poachers that had been fined, wardens on the estate found four carcases three had there throats cut one was still alive but so badly mutilated and exhausted that it had to be shot another was found alive a few days latter with its hindquarters chewed by the dogs terrible cruelty which i do not condone i think the poaching has stopped on the estate in the last few years but it still goes on in other parts of Shropshire and the surrounding country side.

These poachers have no respect for there quarry and will hunt out of season this is one such report after gralloch the beast they left two twin feotus that would have been born in the following three weeks i was reading a report on the west country and the forestry commission who have had animals fatally shot with the cross bow i am afraid i can not stand this sort of cruelty personally with people being out of work and short of money it can only get worse i do hope this does not upset any one that reads this story, as i am only trying to highlight this sort of thing, the country side is a beautiful place, but this sort of poaching still goes on these people that do this are morons and have no respect for our country side it is not only deer that are killed but sheep as well . When i was baliff a few years ago graham and myself found the fleece of two sheep the carkases had been taken they had been skinned out on the lake bank this has gone on quite a bit in shropshire in the past, hill country it is mainly a sheep farming community and thousand of sheep roam the side of the hills so it would be quite easy to take a couple for the freezer believe me it goes on, and under this economic climate it can only get worse. well a bit more latter

THOUSANDS OF SHEEP ROAM THESE HILLS

Easy country to poach a sheep or two, and it goes on

In reply to Post #36
I Loved to be out on a summers evening fishing for the barbel and chub we had some fantastic sport catching multiple catches with fish over ten pounds, i would fish from around five pm until midnight i used to fish mostly pellet but changed to bolie and to be honest did very well using them not only barbel but i caught some very good chub using the same bait most were over six pounds a good chub for the severn i have also hooked one or two good carp one in particular one i hooked it in fast water he really did go i had to follow him down stream and then he got stuck in the thick weed i had two mates with me Andy and mike they both waded out with a flash light mike said it was a good fish as they could see him they tried to get the net under him but he was away he went down stream so fast i just hung on i could do nothing it was just like i had a big log on, there was a twang and he was gone it broke the braid like cotton, another time i had a vicious bite thinking it was a barbel i picked the rod up and could do nothing it started moving upstream against the current there was nothing i could do only follow him it was no barbel but a huge salmon probably over twenty plus i only saw him when he cleared the water getting rid of the hook in the process some you win and some you don't.
A good barbel
Another good fish
but we were quite successful on the whole and word got around that we were catching some good fish at the time myself and mike were bailiffs for the Shropshire federation and combined our fishing with our bailiff duties on the whole most anglers we met were very nice but you also met some real ********s that always looked for trouble and would refuse to buy a ticket i never bothered with these people but would go to the local nick and get the law to deal with them it worked quite well when the offending anglers saw the police coming they soon paid up, poaching was another problem chinese taking fish to eat they would put night lines down if thy saw you coming they would be away leaving dead fish on the bank i have had pike to twenty five pounds it did become quite a problem until a couple of friends visited there shop and warned them off they would come in gangs women as well and put the night lines down i would get an old gaff and drag it a long the water at the side of the river you would soon pull there lines up usually we would dispose of the line after taking the hooks off, it must of cost them a bit making new lines up but it was not all about poaching we made some very good friends over the years doing the job.
Another big barbel
on a Saturday night it could get very busy also a Friday there was a law made by the federation that no bivies were allowed it was a terrible job reinforcing the law as some anglers brought their wives and children along i would ask them to move the bivie from the side of the water onto the field most anglers were very good but you always got the awkward one i never argued but got his registration number from the car we then traced it through the police and club and he was warned or it maybe worse even banned but they were few most were very resonable people. well a bit more latter
A good one from by the weir

In reply to Post #37
It was in the late sixties i took an avid interest in catching big bream i suppose if i was honest graham and i had bream fever we lived bream although i did fish for carp it had not got the same appeal i found fishing for big bream was harder than carp fishing, i think at that time my biggest carp was around nineteen pounds not a bad fish for the late sixties it was about that time when we formed the three counties specimen group which i believe is still going to today it was formed around 1969 - 1970 the aim of the group was to fish for the big bream on the big Cheshire and Shropshire meres as a group we became very successful and it was around 1973 we caught the English record a bream of 11 -12 oz it was a big fish for those years and it put our group on the map well and truly it was caught by wil collins unfortunately it died in the net and its body went to liverpool university and we had a paper sent to us telling all about its age the fish was fifteen years old a fair age for a bream, if it had not died i don't think the record would of been claimed owing to the record committee wanting a dead fish for proof well thinking back i think that was the reason we certainly would not kill any fish for the sake of a record in fact we broke it twice more both fish coming from white mere in ellesmere Shropshire they were both bigger than the fish caught at colemere i was lucky enough to get amongst some of the biggest bream caught in the country at that time.
Me holding a very big bream angling times 1970
We actually netted bigger bream graham and i would help Dennis Kelly net certain waters in shropshire and Cheshire and one particular water held some huge specimens in one pull of the net we caught three over the English record and they were a unbelievable size the biggest was a tad over sixteen pounds with a fourteen and a thirteen pounds plus these were absolutely mind blowing as no fish ever caught came any where near this size in the far off days, they were netted from cumbermere on the border of shropshire and Cheshire i got to know the owner well funny we could net the place for stoke angling club but we were never allowed to fish the place the times i asked him and his answer was the same no we do not let fishing on the estate he did not like people wandering around it was a big shooting estate and also had a big heronry in the woods he was very proud of these birds and he had them watched by his keepers and made sure they breed undisturbed.
ME again in the national news papers the one rod i am holding was given me by dick walker
A few years before i would have poached the place but it was to far to travel and i had made a good freind of the owner so i never did i have told you all before he ould ask me to clear all the foxes from his property and we had some very good days on his estate , i suppose we traveled around quite a lot and fished most of the meres around ellemere and a few around whitchurch in those early years we caught some very big fish and not just bream but roach and rudd and some very good pike we never had the tackle like today we made do with what we had no bite alarms i think i was the first one in our group to use alarms thanks to dick walker who gave me two heron bite alarms at least i could fall asleep. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #38
I suppose i have been very lucky in my life i have made a lot of friends, mostly due to fishing and shooting the shooting field especially in Shropshire is a very close knit community i have shot all over Shropshire and even into Cheshire fishing is another hobby i have made many friends over the years, some are very close and i have fished with them most of my life we are all in the same age bracket, Bern graham and i have also fished quite a few lakes into wales, he always came with graham and myself he also fished on bomere with me in fact Bern and i caught the first carp out of bomere it was in the early eighties and weighted 27 pounds at the time know one knew the were in the lake but i had spotted them when walking around there was maybe fifty fish in all in a twenty five acre lake so we started to bait up and the first session produced the 27 pound fish, we went on from there and the both of us caught some very impressive fish but like any other water word got around and the place got quite a bit of pressure from visiting anglers some quite well known, i was the bailiff on the lake and had a good relation ship with the owners it was not long before a syndicate had the one side of the lake led by a very young man who is now quite well know Ellis brazier and his mate Alex perrin in fact they were only youngsters . They both cut there teeth on bomere and over the years caught some reasonable fish , i can still remember Ellis catching his first thirty i did the honers with the camera it was a nice fish but a bit latter it was killed, in fact cut in half by a speed boat but there were bigger fish in the place one was named white spot it was a huge fish and had been seen by many but never caught in fact all the years i was bailiff no one caught it.

A nice fish from lordys i was a bit younger then

A big tench from bomere

Lordy offered me a syndicate on his lake but no night fishing so i took him up on the offer i offered Ellis and his mate a place in the syndicate Bern was also a member we caught some very good fish from the place there was also some huge chub present and graham caught them to seven pounds and yours truly had them to six pounds plus there were a few thirties caught, but it was kept very quite we never even told lordy, there were a lot of doubles in the lake and lordy, would net the lake and sell the smaller fish on making a bit of money for the estate, but when one individual stole a few fish and he was caught, he closed the water down and graham and i and Bern were the only ones allowed on the property, he was livid and i was not to happy as it was some one i really trusted but you always get one we would also fish for the chub and barbel on the river and caught some impressive specimens. well a bit more latter

Another from lordys

In reply to Post #1000
Great thread

In reply to Post #39
Going back many years ago the carp society to used to fish at llandrindod up in wales Bern myself and graham would go maybe twice a year it was quite a big water and believe it or not was in the middle of the town it was quite handy really as you could get fish and chips for your tea the shop stood at the end of the lake you had all that you wanted toilets as well it was heaven and the fishing was not bad either there was some big fish in the place but we never caught them over 15 pounds it was great fishing but it could get quite over powering i suppose i am going back into the late sixties middle seventies if you could get the fish on the feed they would commit suicide we were only allowed to fish with two rods in those days and when i first fished the place we had no bite alarms so all we used was doe bobbins no bolies then, so it was bread worm or maggots it was real hard as you stayed awake all night and slept in the day but we did manage to catch a few.
Ayoung graham with a fish from landod
Lets step forward a few years with the coming of the bite alarm, it made things a lot easier then the invention of the hair we absolutely slaughtered the fish at the lake on quite a few occasions we have literally had to pack one rod in and fish with one rod it was terrific sport the locals would come around asking us how we caught such a lot of fish we would try and keep things quite as we were using peanuts they were absolutely deadly you would put two or three on the hair cast out and it would be away before you could activate your alarm it was barmy it was nothing for us to land over one hundred carp in a two day session with fish going to fifteen pounds we would be absolutely tired out before we left for home and then i had to drive quite a few miles home but it was great fishing but i have heard that all the carp were lost From some disease in the last few years whether they have restocked i don't know as i have not visited the place for years.
Bern with a fish from landod
Not far from my home there is another lake very much the same a friend asked me if i would like to do a session on there for forty eight hours i cant say i have never fished such a prolific lake, the fish were beautiful little mirrors from six to fifteen plus very stocky fish but with beautiful markings on there body, i set up opposite an island i was using three rods all fished with boilies as bait with a big feeder full of maggots bread crumbs and crushed boilies it was a fish a cast some times having two on at once by three in the morning i had caught 74 carp of varying size it was far to much for me and i wound the rods in and got my head down the following night the same thing happened if i remember right graham was doing the business as well looking back in our records i think graham and i caught over two hundred and fifty fish between us it was real silly you could not even get the rods back on the alarms before it ripped off i have not been back to that lake for a number of years it would be nice to have a look to see if it is still the same, there were far to many fish in the lake over stocked i did mention it to the owner who i knew quite well and he said he was going to sort it out but i really doubt he has i was told the other day the lake gets full at the weekend and anglers are visiting from as far away as Liverpool i must go and have a look as it is only about six miles from my home . a bit more latter

my set up from all those years ago

In reply to Post #41
I live in spectacular county but like all others take it for granted i have only got to drive eight miles and i am in the Shropshire hill country a most beautiful part of Shropshire and one i never tire there is always so much to see especially wild life the fox is common in hill country and they always seem a bigger animal than those that live in the low lands as far as bird life you have the buzzard the red kite which has now spread to Shropshire we also see the sparrow hawk the peregrine falcon which is now a most common sight and the kestrel and i have come across the goshawk most beautiful bird which stoops like a peregrine but not quite as fast i have watched from cover as it makes a rapid chase over a short distance grasping its quarry in its talons it feeds on woodland birds such as jays pigeon and thrushes rabbits and pheasants a few years ago it was hated by the old game keepers and would be shot on sight thank god that does not happen today or at times they were caught in a pole trap a vicious and barbaric way to catch such a beautiful bird for those that don't know the goshawk became extinct in Britain in the 1800 the current population is from escaped birds that have been in captivity.
PACOS IN SHROPSHIRE HILL COUNTRY

Below the hills in the valleys you have the streams and rivers that babble and wind there way across the valley floor you Will see the old brown trout i have caught a great many from these streams some legal some not, you will see the kingfisher with his vibrant colours and of course the dipper you have also got the otter and the mink the latter is a merciless killer taking any bird life in the vicinity it has now spread to all parts of the British isles myself and graham have trapped a few over the years mainly when asked by farmers whose live stock chickens ducks and such have been killed, the people that let the mink go do not understand nature one bit and do not realize the damage they have done over the years they may look like lovely furry creatures to some but they are not but I'm am afraid they are here to stay they are quite a common sight these days far to many to deal with.

caught from the same swim i saw the mink
Another barbel

When i fish on the river i see the mink quite regular and they can be quite tame i had one bring her family right to the bank where i was fishing and run around in the undergrowth below where i sat cheeky little things i have fished for the barbel at monkmoor shrewsbury and watched a pair swimming up and down the river they knew i was there but were not frightened one bit i, have even caught barbel in the same swim the otter is another that is now getting out of hand i watched a pair hunting the river not far from where i was fishing and i saw them catch what looked like chub they have a holt on the island at monkmoor and have been there for years and i must admit they did not seem to effect the fishing that much but on bomere they certainly did i found at least four fish on the bank one was still alive and they were all big fish but that was a few years ago since then i have not seen any sign of them it may have been a dog otter passing through looking for a mate but they can as you all know do severe damage to carp fisherys. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #42
I have loved my fishing its been like a drug to me the more you do the more you want to, do its really been my life i have enjoyed catching most fish, i also liked a bit of sea fishing and when i was working for the home office and based at shrewsbury nick i ran the west Mercia sea fishing club we would go at least twice a month from April until November we had some great times catching some good fish including shark, Over the years i got to know a skipper from aberystwyth who ran three boats his name was Vic Haig and ran the endeavour group he certainly knew his stuff and we would motor out about twenty miles, we did a lot of our fishing in what was known as the targets the air force used this stretch for target practice i have told you all once about the near miss we had fishing at this spot a big missile missed our boat by only a few feet if it had hit us it would of put a fair hole through the boat i am afraid there was a bit of shouting on the radio after the incident the RAF ordering us from the area but Vic would have none of it saying they should of let him know there was a practice taking place apparently they always let him know two days in advance but some one had made a cock up this time but as i said to vic a miss is as good as a mile i believe this missile was out of control and crashed into some ones garden at aberdaron further down the coast there was quite quite a fuss made about the incident in the press i suppose this would be in the middle late seventies.
Me with a tope
Me with another big tope
I love to fish for the porbeagle shark on our boat we caught them to 150 pounds we would fish from the back of the boat and used a balloon on the line above the bait when you had a take the balloon would literally skip across the surface and vanish from sight god could they fight i think the biggest vic caught was huge over 400 pounds i cant remember what type it was, i also caught my share of Tope the biggest i caught was forty five pounds and that got me membership to the British Tope club they could really fight we also caught loads of skate well thorn back ray a lot of the lads would kill and cut the wings off and take home with them but i was not that keen most of the fish i caught were returned unless it was a big turbot i always remember catching this big one and by the time we got back in to port there was a queue waiting to see if i would sell it i did but can not remember how much i got for it i will have to look in my diary vic had been in touch with his wife by radio and she had told everyone about the fish.
The big turbot
All the Tope and shark were tagged and returned to the sea, Vic had records of all the fish he had tagged and one turned up in Australia now that's a long way from ab er , but i can assure you all it happened, we also had a few sad times on board his boat, people being taken ill, and we even had some one die that really put paid to the day as you really did not want to fish after that they would fly the sick off the boat by helicopter the lad that died we carried him below into the cabin and placed him on the bed with a sheet covering him up what a thing to tell his wife but usually the helicopter would fetch the body before we got back to the harbour it only happened to me that once but i think vic had seen it before but it really spoiled the day and i for one was really glad to get back to the harbour, the other fish we loved catching and you did not have to go far out was sea bream i have caught them on a small spinners and they do give you a great scrap and of course fresh mackerel we have even cooked them on the boat what a beautiful smell they were great to eat fresh from the sea. well a bit more latter