In reply to Post #618
Abosulutely briliant snippets of a life full of living!!...I'm sure alot of us feel we were born to late reading this thread. Good mates being out there with nature is what carp fishing means to me, however i'd say we have all had a watered down version in comparrison.

In reply to Post #619
appreciated Daniel

In reply to Post #618
Been away for a time so more stories to follow

In reply to Post #618
Old bells dogs were very good the old bugger trained them quite well, he sold a lot all over the uk he was no fool, i had one or two near escapes but i also had great respect for the old gentleman. I was a fisherman and dearly loved the trout in the stream they had been stocked by the owners they were fished mainly by friends of the estates and looked after dear old bell. It was not long after the war and people would eat most things offered them they had lived off rabbits for years. As i crossed the field i could here the wind rushing through tree tops i hid my bike in some big ferns into the wood i got and sat down and listened there was a sharp yap further into the wood a dog fox no doubt little did i know that at one stage in my life i would lease the woods and such but its not then but now the river was well kept i got up from my resting position and looked in my bag i had some lovely red worms in a jar which i had collected from the farm yesterday they would do hooking a couple on the hook cast out the only weight i had was a box of BB shot i used two. The line swung around then tightened up no need to strike the fish was on i played it to the bank we had no landing nets then into the shallow water i got and picked this lovely deep fish from the water a good pound i need more around his size to night. THE wind was blowing well into the trees i would not expect ay Baliffs or keepers to be out tonight but how wrong could i be, i had caught another dozen fish when i could smell pipe smoke its got to be bell before i could turn around he was there i dived into some bracken and just lay there he never saw me he shouted to some on the other side of the river have you seen any one bill no nobody is around tonight ill cross the shallows to your side i don't won't to be out all nigh i listened for his land rover to start up he was away i could hear it fading in the distance

i caught another five or so fish, when i heard a shout the crafty bugger had not gone home he was now joined by mr pc plod and company i heard him run through the trees he has gone that way away they went blowing there whistle as they went i just walked over the water fall i stumbled onto the blind school land i hid my rods and bag under the chicken pen and climed the nearest big tree i watched as they came back and stood talking its that bugger from Bayston hill he was talking to the Sgt we will check him out today or tomorrow thanks said bell we may as we'll call it a night i got my bag and rod and i was away on my bike i got home around three in the morning i washed the trout and put them into the pantry i washed and went to bed
i heard the police motor bike i had a look it was pc jones he looked quite funny on the bike as he was very big man, your lad in mrs yes he is a sleep and has been all night thanks we will call again and away he went well theres a bit more. more to come

In reply to Post #622
Many thanks, Pete.

In reply to Post #623
Thanks ken i appreciate your kind remark

In reply to Post #622
I really think christmas was my busiest time even into the sixties things were very hard i would be kept busy cutting holly and mistletoe anywhere i could get it for free, then there were the nights out i even had old farmer prices turkeys, it was only by luck i found he had any. I was up the fields when i heard all this noise what was that i found an old brick shed which really had not been used for years and in it were these black turkeys i had made my mind up i would have three or four before he killed them for xmas

I took another friend with me the night i was going to have them, his name was ray where be they pete up the grove wood i said I'm not coming up there it be Haunted well me mam says it is, i have never seen anything all the years i have been going up there alright ill come i want a bird for me mam, it was the worst night i have ever had i opened the latch on the gate to the shed i was hit in the chest by this big angry bird bloody hell he had me on the floor i managed to get my torch out and called

ray, no answer i am sure he hit a new world record for doing the mile i was scratched all over but managed to get the best off this old bird i took four in all i met ray down the field i was just coming back bloody hell pete your bleeding all over i gave one to ray for his mam although he ran away .

That was that i never ever took anyone with me again i made quite a lot of money at that time of year i poached the pheasants they were very daft birds so easy to catch they would put thousands down on some estates all you needed was a bit of luck i used a piece of line with a hook tied to one end bait was sultana i would buy a bag and scatter a few around god those birds loved them i would hide in a ditch the silly birds hooked their selves you just pulled them in and smack them on the head and into the bag they went i have had twenty or even more . This is how we lived they were good days more latter

In reply to Post #625
I loved the hill side it was like walking in a different land in my time as a youth it was so pretty it had not been spoiled like today with cars and such i spent hours watching the game grouse and such i also watch the various raptors that seemed to be making a come back buzzards sparrow hawks and kestrels they used to feed off the humble rabbits. i loved fishing the mountain streams off would come my boots roll up my trousers and in i would go under the over hanging bank i would feel the stream lined body of this fish i would soon have him on the bank i looked at this pretty fish no more than there quarters of a pound big for this mountain stream.

i continued down stream catching one or two for the pan at home I had tickled at leased twelve when a voice sounded whats e doing down there young un nowt sir. you be after sirs trout he won't be very happy about that. YES but his got to catch me first i managed to get my socks and boots i looked up he came hurtling down the bank but i had a least five hundreds start have you tried to run in heather i looked back he had vanished from sight i saw him crawling up the side of the stream bank he certainly was not in a good mood i wished him good day and i was away shouting i will have a few more yet i managed to get into the adjacent woods i heard another shout thou won't get away this time, you don't won't a bet does you i looked up the bank behind where i stood and there stood the lord of the manner well i called it that infact it was the big hall, he shouted once again your the bugger that had my duck last year it could of been sir i thought for a minute he was going to blow up, i thought to make my escape i managed to get to my bike with ease and cycled across the fields i saw no more of them and managed t get to the farm of a friend Chris Davies we sat and had a laugh with a big cup off coffee got your rod pete yes i have not used it yet have a go on my piece of river bloody hell Chris what will bell say nowt its my land i let who i won't so i was away pete get us a couple as approached the river i will mate i caught forteen in all not one under a pound i gave Chris three and i was away as i cycled passed bells i tied a couple to his gate thanking for the sport i had on his river. well thats another story. more to come latter

In reply to Post #626
When young i had no fear of any man to my mother said i was spoiling myself, i would end up at the fair ground they would offer five pounds to fight their prize fighter me a young chap would go down and watch for a bit then if i though i had a chance i would put my hand up for a go i would be stripped to the waist i stood in the ring eying their fighter he was made like a bull he came out of his corner like a swinging his fists he expected me to go down and call an end to this fight but i was made of sterner stuff he jabbed with a right it bloody well hurt i was up when he came at me again i was ready i stuck the nut on him he went down the canvas was covered in blood i don't think they liked what i had done it was time to run i grabbed my jacket and shirt and run like hell i was stopped by a gentleman the other side of the ring whats your name young man i can put some business your way meet me tonight i saw him latter at the old sun pub now gone demolished to make way for shops and such when i went there they would be playing the piano funny really they were all irish come in young man i looked around and their sitting by the piano he nodded i hear you sorted one of the fighters out at the fair.

I knew this man well he was my foreman on the job i was doing with a local firm in the beginning i was the only local man working mr Joyce, kept and eye on me if i got to cheeky and he caught me he would give me a good hiding he was only trying to teach me to be a gentleman and not to loose my temper so easily i loved these irish men they worked hard and played hard most came over to work and never went back to there homes in Ireland i loved their company. i would take a big jug of tea around the men most had tin mugs i filling one mug when i was grabbed by the balls bloody hell did it hurt the next thing i knew was my foreman pulled this welsh man to his feet he gave me the nod although in pain i was ready he let this welsh man go he came at me like a mad bull i dropped him very easy and i was given a clap by the lads. Now mister you can collect your cards at the office shouted mr joyce i went over to him don't sack he may have a family to support that welsh chap came a big friend over the years mr joycs died early in life i would like tp think he was a friend the next foemen was mr Donnelley he was another hard man he liked me i liked him we had great respect between us he called me one day what pay do you get i told him i have just put it up to twenty pounds a week god that was big money in those days i could go out and have suit made to measure ill tell you more latter. I loved these lads ill tell you more about taking them poaching. more latter

In reply to Post #627
I those days i really did not like myself i think that it was brought home when i took on to many i looked as if my head had swelled like a football plus a broken nose and missing teeth i soon learned that fighting was a mugs game i ended up in hospital and nearly broke my parents hearts. lets say the four that did it to me came unstuck the local police did nothing as they thought it would get the four off the streets. And from that day i never fought again unless it was a necessity and i was threatened i can't even remember going down the fair again if anyone thinks fighting makes you look big they are telling porkis some in their eighties and nineties that still live on my village can still remember those days, i can remember the pain thats about all. All the men i worked for including mr joce stuck by me be jesus he said you will have them back and when you do forget it. And that what i did i resomed with my poaching and kept to my self a lot of the lads bought pheasants from me some even offered to come with me i really did let three come with me mr Joyce himself he new what were going for and had learned at a young age in southern Ireland he had a few bust ups with local keepers i won't none of that i have never been caught and i won't it to remain that way.

It was nearly Christmas and i wanted a few birds for the locals so the i thought it would be some of Bells he put a large amount of birds down in the woods i explained to the lads to follow me and don't make a nose and thats exactly what they did i think they really enjoyed the experance we shot over twenty birds i led the way out of the wood past old bells gates i looked at those gates with a tear in my eyes i remembered some of the great times we had over the few years, i had poached those woods.

What times the pub shut said mr Joyce iil tap the window i did and the landlord said come in he knew mr joyce from working on then road where have you been pete poaching yes any chance of a few to put under the dominoes
yes it will buy us a bit of beer i know we sold over 15 birds over under the cards and made quite a bit of money, i offered the lads there share no way they were quite happy to come along i knew i could ask them again so theres a bit more. more latter to come latter

In reply to Post #628
I loved the the countryside and its wild life i spent hours in the woods and down the fields i learned by spending time watching the wildlife i loved to poach the trout stream and catch the beautiful brown trout when fishing it would hit the devon minnow in a see of spray i have caught as many as ten fish in no time at all they all past the same size around a pound just the right size for eating i could not catch enough for home and our friends.
Over the years i met i met some good friends some were the local gypsy clans they were good people and made there living from the land as i have said before i would ride their horses up and down the woods and fields they learned me a lot i would go with old jack ferreting the rabbits, he never took to many usually half a dozen they would cook them in a big pot hanging from the open fire with potatoes onions any thing they could Get free from the local farms they would all sit around the stew pot waiting for it to boil they always handed me a dish full with great slabs of bread it was really good to eat i never got hungry after that, they even went to see my mother to make sure it was alright for me to go down there i can remember old jack knocking the front door hello misses just checking to see if it was alright to take the lad with us when rabbiting thats alright jack she shouted, left you a couple of rabbits said he how much said mother nothing to you.

i spent hours and hours with these people they used the old traditional caravans lovely painted i never once spotted dirt or such after tea they would sit around the fire smoking their clay pipes and if fiddler was around they would ask him to play a tune they would sing and dance around the fire they were quite religious and would sing hymns jack even learned me to tickle the trout. when i think back most have died years ago some of the youngsters now live in houses not many on the road anymore no romanies around any more. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #628
I loved the the countryside and its wild life i spent hours in the woods and down the fields i learned by spending time watching the wildlife i loved to poach the trout stream and catch the beautiful brown trout when fishing it would hit the devon minnow in a see of spray i have caught as many as ten fish in no time at all they all past the same size around a pound just the right size for eating i could not catch enough for home and our friends.
Over the years i met i met some good friends some were the local gypsy clans they were good people and made there living from the land as i have said before i would ride their horses up and down the woods and fields they learned me a lot i would go with old jack ferreting the rabbits, he never took to many usually half a dozen they would cook them in a big pot hanging from the open fire with potatoes onions any thing they could Get free from the local farms they would all sit around the stew pot waiting for it to boil they always handed me a dish full with great slabs of bread it was really good to eat i never got hungry after that, they even went to see my mother to make sure it was alright for me to go down there i can remember old jack knocking the front door hello misses just checking to see if it was alright to take the lad with us when rabbiting thats alright jack she shouted, left you a couple of rabbits said he how much said mother nothing to you.

i spent hours and hours with these people they used the old traditional caravans lovely painted i never once spotted dirt or such after tea they would sit around the fire smoking their clay pipes and if fiddler was around they would ask him to play a tune they would sing and dance around the fire they were quite religious and would sing hymns jack even learned me to tickle the trout. when i think back most have died years ago some of the youngsters now live in houses not many on the road anymore no romanies around any more. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #628
I loved the the countryside and its wild life i spent hours in the woods and down the fields i learned by spending time watching the wildlife i loved to poach the trout stream and catch the beautiful brown trout when fishing it would hit the devon minnow in a see of spray i have caught as many as ten fish in no time at all they all past the same size around a pound just the right size for eating i could not catch enough for home and our friends.
Over the years i met i met some good friends some were the local gypsy clans they were good people and made there living from the land as i have said before i would ride their horses up and down the woods and fields they learned me a lot i would go with old jack ferreting the rabbits, he never took to many usually half a dozen they would cook them in a big pot hanging from the open fire with potatoes onions any thing they could Get free from the local farms they would all sit around the stew pot waiting for it to boil they always handed me a dish full with great slabs of bread it was really good to eat i never got hungry after that, they even went to see my mother to make sure it was alright for me to go down there i can remember old jack knocking the front door hello misses just checking to see if it was alright to take the lad with us when rabbiting thats alright jack she shouted, left you a couple of rabbits said he how much said mother nothing to you.

i spent hours and hours with these people they used the old traditional caravans lovely painted i never once spotted dirt or such after tea they would sit around the fire smoking their clay pipes and if fiddler was around they would ask him to play a tune they would sing and dance around the fire they were quite religious and would sing hymns jack even learned me to tickle the trout. when i think back most have died years ago some of the youngsters now live in houses not many on the road anymore no romanies around any more. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #631
Not far from our house lies another small lake the locals would say don't you dare fish there as the keepers will catch you i would take my gun around dusk and wait for the duck to appear it was a natural water infact i never saw it ever fed, i had bought my self a single twelve bore shot gun, i shot a few birds with that old gun but you were always on edge i would be keeping an eye open just incase the keepers turned up, i got carried away this one night before i knew it they were onto me i heard a shout drop that gun no way i was away into the adjioninig spinny i litterally dived under the the barbed wire fence i was followed by a couple of guns going off the buggers were shooting to scare me out of the little spinny they need not of worried i was away the other side. I must admit it happened a few times over the years and i always got away i had a few near misses when the old sgt was involved you could usually hear is old land rover coming over the fields, the old honey meadow was another water the place was full of eels good fish i used to set night lines for them it was nothing to catch a dozen a night the locals would snap them up they were a good source of food as it was not that long after the war i can still see my mother stripping the skin from the eel then rubbing it with salt they were good days we never starved we always had plenty of Game to eat.

I it was not the pheasant it was the trout i had no trouble getting rid of the trout friends would snap them up i always let old bell have a couple it was my way of saying thank i would of loved to have seen his face when he opened the garden gate next morning they were good days so full excitement i used to get asked can i come pete when you go next i preferred my own company, i had only myself to look after and not others but i did have some friends i would let come when i went, they had been brought up in the countryside and i could trust them with my life but most were to frightened to come along especially in the dark i would say i have seen no one worse that my self now,t will hurt you in these woods only another human it was true i never ever saw anything other than the wild life, i have seen grown men freeze at the sound of a vixen screaming. Well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #632
I was sitting on my chair hoping for a fish or two, when i see this old dog fox he came down for a drink he saw me sitting there but it did not frighten him one bit he had his fill and slowly walked back into the wood, i listened the birds were kicking up stink, they did not like this preditor in their mist, and who can blame them a couple of pheasants got up and flew over the pool, right behind where i was fishing is a hide a friend made but inside can give you a bit of a shock sitting in a chair is a skeleton, he has a yellow coat on some one has been playing tricks with our members i don't know why they don't sit him beside the lake and put a rod in his hand i am sure it wold act as a deterrent and send any poachers running.

I like this water it has a mixture of big and small fish. the biggest i have had was fifteen pounds but there are a number of upper twenties that have been caught so it leaves me with a bit of hope that i may get one or two out, another fish i have seen in the water is perch i have watched as they chased the Rudd scattering them in all directions there are not small perch but big fish i would really like a go at these predators we will have to see how the winter progressses the lake can get frozen over quite quiickly i am afraid at my age i dont like being out in the cold and the wind really is a factor on this water

Not far from this water is the lake i fished behind the keepers cottage, i used to take my life in my hands the place was really a bog and you had to watch where you put your feet i had some wonderfull days fishing this water i would hide in the reeds it was nothing to catch a good bag of bream they were not huge fish maybe the biggest around five pounds but good fish i was only around fifteen years old i also caught some terrific Rudd from this water you could not get your hand around their bodies they were a lovely golden colour there is still one or two in the water Graham and i had one or two goes for them and always caught a couple i was always on edge the keepers dogs barked nearly all the while he came down once or twice when i was there i would hide up the nearest tree i could time him when he would come down how long he stayed he would bring a couple of sacks of potatoes mixed with barley for the ducks i have never seen so many ducks so i made my plans for latter i was going to have one or two away on shoot day. Well a bit more later