|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #419
i see there is a thread on the forum called guesting, well ive certainly done plenty of that as you can see by my stories i think bomere was one of the hardest i ever shall we say poached, it was well keepered with the house at the end of the lake it was owned by a mr davies and all the locals were frightened to go any where near the place, i would go down and fish it for the pike it had a reputation for its big fish, i was always told as a young lad to stay away from the place as it was dangerous and a few had drowned there including my great uncle who was never found and to the best of my knowledge is still there, i had some great days fishing using spinners i would catch some nice pike not really big ones but the biggest around ten pounds but they were massive to a young lad i would also fish for the roach that it held using bread flake i caught lots not big but it was good fishing i would fish right under the keepers nose and have even fished there on shoot days i never got caught but did get chased on more than one ocassion, it was strictly private and my mates would not even come with me. just behind bomere was shomere a lovely looking pool but it was very boggey and you had to watch where you trod it was full of rudd and bream i managed to fish it and hid in the reeds i had some great days on there catching bags of bream and plenty of rudd to arround a pound all on maggot and bread flake but it was not a place i really liked i always felt uncomfortable fishing the place whether it was akward to get away from there i dont know but in my latter years i have run a syndicate on there and have had the same feeling really strange more latter
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #419
Very interesting reading and look forward to the story continuing.
A jack the lads tale, brilliant!
Keep up the good work Pete. 
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #418
I used to fish the severn in those days no barbel then only roach and chub and dace , i got to know a old chap he was always roach fishing by the grey friars bridge shrewsbury, and always ledgered bread paste his catch rate was very good he would be there nearly every day and would catch some decent fish going up to a couple of pounds he showed me how and what to do, i worked right opposite the river at a butchers my first job i was 15 and just left school so it was no problem for me i would take my rods to work with me and fish after work, i found it quite difficult to catch these roach the rod tip would knock then pull over very fast missed again, so i learned to hold the rod and also feel for the bite with the line between my fingers my catch rate improved using this method but i still missed a few. just across the river was a pontoon behind the mortuary and i gained permission to fish from, it was great and i used to trot a float down the river using an old center pin reel by gum did i catch mostly on bread flake and paste you were very limited on tackle and i used to go to Philips tackle shop and buy cork body floats very like avon floats and a few pence of maggots i found with using maggot i mostly caught dace but good ones going half to a pound but they were very quick and i would miss a few as always get the fish going and you would get a take from the pike and i got broke many times so myself and a friend decided to set our stall up to catch these marauding pike while fishing for the roach and dace to be continued
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #417
This really got nothing to do with fishing and the likes its somthing that came back to haunt me after all these years. Going back to my early years i was a dab hand with the catapoult and just down the road was the power station which powered all the village with electricity i shot one of the conducters off the main power lines The line came down in a shower of sparks , I can tell you we were away as fast as we could run, it put the electic off on the village for at least twelve hours. the police came and interviewed all the lads me included the next day asking if we knew who had done it. everyone knew it was me including some of the village residents but it really gave me a bad reputation and they never ever forgot that i put there ejectricity off. two years ago i went to a reunion at the village hall, some i had not seen for years, and at the opening speach they mentioned things that had happened in the village years ago , i could not belive my ears first up was the lad that put the village in darkness, they all looked at me and clapped there hands. well i suppose i have been forgiven at last, but it goes to show people dont forget i used to have a hob ferret called george he came every where with me i would carry him in my shirt or down my pullover carrying a few nets in a bag i would poach the land arround our village off bayston hill find a small warren net a few holes put the ferret in have a couple and away to the next . we lived on rabbit in those days mostly rabbit pie i sold any we did not eat for sixpence. i had a few encounters with the local farmers but always got away.most are now gone but there sons still rember and have had many laughs with me about those days well thats all for now it wil be continued
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #416
hi baitmen i dont think a film but it is all very true its really funny because years latter i was working at shrews police station i was based there working for the home office as a radio mechanic and was called to market drayton police station to repair the radios and who should be there was sgt landers i was introduced to him, first thing he said was dont i know you i said no but could not help smiling and had a laught to my self he had not changed one bit only his hair a bit more grey the names i have used are all correct it takes a lot to remember all that happened all those years ago but i will put some more on latter i have had a great life some happy and some not but would do it all again if i could god bless pete
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #1000
essential forum reading
never mind essential reading, i cant wait for the film to come out 
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #412
as you will rember i had many encounters with sgt landers he was always stopping me and ckecking my gun licence which in those days was seven and six pence and could be bought from the post office. looking back it was quite funny he lived up the road from our house at the local police station, and behind his house he had pheasents in a pen he used to breed a few for the local shoot, i waited for him one night to go out in his landrover crept across the field into his garden and poached a few out of his pen into a sack and away. hell did the ballon go up he was blaming every youth on the village me encluded. he never did find out who had them, well just up the road from me a place called lyth hill was another shoot , well a mr jones was the farmer he was always drunk well john and myself asked permission to shoot the pigeon on his property which was granted this was the only time i nearly got caught realy it was the pheasents we wanted and we had them by the sack load they were easy we used to make a few bob out of them to buy our cartridge well the keeper relized what we were up to and waited for us we had shot a few and it was just going dark when we heard a noise behind us in the wood then a shout . christ i dont know how many there was but we were away i have never run so fast or far old landers was there with a pc called stan sharp and came flying down the field in his landrover lights full on but we did have a good start on them and ran into a small wood not far from our village and there we stayed for next two hours you could them talking and shouting they even had dogs with them talk about being scared we were petrified we dumped the birds and hid the guns in a ditch and were away home, we collected the guns next day the funny thing i never had a visit from old landers and never once did i return to that shoot as you must now relize i was a bit of a jack the lad in those days what with fishing and shooting there never was a dull day to be continued
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #413
In reply to Post #1000
fantastic reading im still using a "avon royal supreme centre pin" that my dad bought in1958,ive also got his "wallace wizard" split cane,whole cane btm rod(which i dont use) keep it coming ps,i used this reel for long trotting in the sixties,fishing bottom of dobs weir broxbourn on the lea
wallace wizard i have not seen one of those for years thanks for the kind remarks
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #1000
fantastic reading  im still using a "avon royal supreme centre pin" that my dad bought in1958,ive also got his "wallace wizard" split cane,whole cane btm rod(which i dont use) keep it coming  ps,i used this reel for long trotting in the sixties,fishing bottom of dobs weir broxbourn on the lea
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #406
as i have said the river onny contained some big old brown trout the fishing rights if i remember right were owned by the shropshire fly fishing association. but that did not stop me having a few. we lived in the railway terraces and most found it hard to live as the wages in those days were very low so the odd tout helped them out. i would love a rainy morning with a bit of colour in the water and would be out in the early hours no bailiffs around at that time. i would free line a worm down a nice looking spot catching a couple then move up or down stream most were caught on little red worms from the manure heaps in the gardens as most grew there own veg in those days. i soon got quite a reputation and caught trout to order.i would bring home a least nine or ten every time i went, all around a pound but very good eating, i would also cycle around five miles to clun and fish the brook there they were great days the onny also contained some great perch not big but around a couple of pounds but to me they were great fish to catch. There used to be a water fall at a place called halford i loved to fish under the sill of the fall i would lip hook minnows and float fish the takes were savage and they fought like demons i always put them back until a neighbor said they were good to eat but they were not for me to many bones i would also catch the odd chub going a couple of pounds on the same method but there was not many in there it was mostly a trout and grayling river with a few perch not far from my house was stokesay pool it was right next to the castle and owned if i remember right the marsh brothers they did not like any one fishing the pool but turned a blind eye to us youngsters it was full of weed and stocked with roach and rudd and some very big pike i did not realize at the time how significant this pool was as i was only a youngster. i would fish holes in the weed using bread flake and porcupine quill as a float and would catch rudd great big fish you could not get your hand around also some big roach hybrids. those rudd were massive and many years latter graham and i fished it and had lots to three pounds and over alas the pool is still there but all the fish have gone. but us youngsters were always fishing it and i often wander if one of us ever caught a british record, as records never really mattered in those days it was pure enjoyment
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #406
great stuff, Pete, you old scally 
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #405
i had a great parents and as i said in my stories and were very understanding and really encouraged me to go fishing in my early life, Tackle was very limited in those days my father managed to get two tank aerial rods which really made a big difference to my fishing. fixed spool reels were out the ones that were around were far to expensive, so i managed with two old wooden reels line was silk hooks were the old black eel hook but although crude we still caught. dad had a ford van and would take myself and two friends to a local lake we had an old tent and would stay the week. the lake was only about four feet deep and the one end covered in weed we would put big pieces of crust on the hook strip the line off the reel lay it behind you and give it a big chuck some times the bread would part company and come off the hook. but most of the time it would stay on a rod rest was a piece of forked stick out of the hedge we would put the rod in the rest the runs would come, nearly pulling your rod in you would lose more than you hooked they would come off in the weed but you would have a few they were not big round three pounds some around five and if really lucky a ten pounder which in those days was a big fish but to us young lads they were all massive they were the happiest days of my life. i spent most of my time fishing even playing truant from school i could, not leave it alone if i was not carp fishing i was on the local river grayling fishing trotting down with an old cork float that we made ourselves out of the top of bottles with a match stick through the middle to hold the line in place the reel was the same and line we managed to get some smaller hooks i think they were partridge. i would go to the local abattoir and collect the maggots from some of the skins discarded which were waiting to be picked up by the rag and bone man did they stink but i would always collect a few they were deadly and i would catch as many as twenty fish a day. they are most beautiful fish the lady of the river, i would always take a couple home to eat. the river was heavely baliffed and you always kept your eye open but i could run faster than them so it did not realy matter the river also contained some big old brown trout and a few nice perch to be continued
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #404
Not far from my home was was a large expanse of water called the honey meadow it was fed by a drain which ran from bomere pool when it was flooded It was very clear but it did hold some very good eels in fact it was stuffed with them. But there was a problem old gerry used to feed the ducks for the local shoot. so armed with my rod i would be down there after dark i used the old fashioned eel hooks large black ugly looking things with a great bunch of lob worms i would cast out cut the line then peg it down then cover the line with soil i would set about ten of these night lines and would be back in the morning before work well i caught some good eels using this method and the best thing no one knew i had been there,They only averaged about a couple of pounds but they were good eating i suppose looking back i supplied most of the village and the family with these fish. some on the village can still rember my exploits and are now a great age. But i had my sights set on bigger things gerrys ducks i was about sixteen at the time and had aquired my first gun a webley and scott four ten and knocked about with a lad called john leadington who was like minded i watched the keeper for some time or when i could he would feed the ducks morning and night at about the same time then he would be away to the pub up the road called the three fishes, that was his biggest mistake they were easy to shoot chuck some grain in shoot them as they came to feed on the water but getting them out was another problem we used to wade out in our under pants was it cold in winter try it and find out, but we had about ten a night which kept the family and a good maney others well fed as meat was very expensive in those days well it had to happen at some stage old gerry being a good keeper relized he was being poached went to the pub one night so we thought, waited till we were settled in and shooting and came roaring back down the road on his old motor bike we were away over the railway line that ran beside the pool have you ever tryed running in the dark in your under pants carrying your gun trousers and ducks well i hid the gun by the side of the railway in some under growth. dropping the ducks as we ran we managed to stop and put our trousers on and luckly made it home it was not long before a knock was heard on the door it was sgt landers wanting to see me where had i been by this time i was dry and changed the funny thing he never asked to see my gun which i collected next morning fom where i had hid it to be continued
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #402
i was never happier in my younger years to be down the woods or the fields or fishing it was my life getting food was a necessity. i soon learned to catch the odd pheasant. i suppose my parents were very understanding as they got a bit of meat to eat. well bomere in those days was a big shoot and they reared pheasant by the cart load Gerry heinz was the keeper along with old bell and a few under keepers now mods dont ban this. i used to lie down in the hedges and found i could catch as many pheasants as i wanted leaving no evidence. i used to feed them currants then with some fishing line and a hook with a currant on the hook i would have seven or eight and away i would go. well this particular day i had just come out of the woods when there was a shout behind me it was old jerry and his under keeper the old fart never hesitated and let two barrels off over my head i can tell you i was away through the hedge at the top of the field dumping the pheasants in the old quarry that was there and made my way to the road that was about three miles from my home coming down the road was old landers in his old land rover ive got you he shouts what for i says poaching pheasants not me i said his eyes used to go white when he shouted at you i called him old white eyes behind his back, well he said he would have me one day but thank god he never did i had no evidence on me so he had to let me go he knew it was me but could not prove it and that night i went back to the quarry the birds were still there so we had our meat what you must rember poaching of any kind was big offence i never did get caught i loved every minute of it to be continued
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #388
great reading
|
|
Stickies