In reply to Post #78
In reply to Post #62
cracking thread .
Thanks i apprecate that

In reply to Post #77
It was a moonlight night the wind roared over head as i made my way to the old woods i don't usually venture out on a moonlight night but i needed a pheasant or two i approached the wood and slipped in beneath the canopy of the big oaks and beech trees the leaves had mostly all gone leaving the branches exposed looking like huge skeletons i know these woods well i have roamed them since a child i stop and listen all i hear is the roaring of the wind the bark of a fox traveled on the wind maybe looking for a mate the month was November i make my way forward down wind from the keepers cottage i pass through the trees just like a ghost no noise do, i make i was heading for the big ride i already knew it had recently been strawed ,where old Gerry fed his pheasants but he was not around tonight he was in his warm bed not a care in the world no one would dare poach him but how wrong could he be i had roamed these old woods since i was a child i knew every path and walk way as thought they were my own.
The pheasent in the car
i made my way towards the ride stopping and listening but all i could hear was the creak and groaning of the big trees as they moved to and fro in the wind as i reached the ride it was on with the torch the birds were easy to see i, pick one and take aim he hits the ground in a ball of feathers i pick it up and put it Ito the bag i clear the feathers away from where the bird hit the ground and away to the next tree as i walk the ride i take the easy birds twelve in all enough for tonight i fold the gun and it joins the pheasants in the bag i make for the fields and away for home i stand and listen before i leave the woods but all is quite except for the wind as i walk across the field the rabbits run for cover to the distant hedge rows they are now recovering well from the myxomatosis a terrible disease made by man the moon shines showing up the fields like a silver sea as the grass ripples in the wind i can see the badgers five in all huddled up like giant mole hills they were feeding on the worms and feasting well, i leave them well alone and make for the old wooden bridge over the small stream i stop and listen all is quite as i make my way up the field before crossing the railway line as i come from the railway line and over the fence i stop and stare in wonder as a barn owl drifts by like a silent ghost how it managed in that wind i do not know i made my way slowly through the copies stopping now a then to listen i knew i was safe now i ,put down the bag put my back to the old oak tree and pulled my pipe from my pocket and lit it the aroma spread throughout the old copies. if foxy was there he would be well gone by now i skirted the village arriving at our house from the fields it was 3am i hung the pheasant in the shed there would be plenty for the family and neighbors as things were still hard this is the story of a night out with a young poacher some time in the late fifties. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #80
No more do you see the gypsies around your house selling pegs like years ago they used to visit my house selling everything from lace to carpets from the back of the horse and cart i remember our mum talking to the old lady and being given a posy of heather for good luck those years have long gone its sad really as i learned so much from them. They would have there dogs lurches terriers and were never short of a meal or two old jack lock going back when i was only about six or seven would be out with his two lurches and always caught a rabbit or two i would go down to the caravans which were in the wood called the Berries they would all be around the fire smoking there clay pipes even old Mrs lock smoked her clay pipe fiddler would be playing away and they would sing along i think they were very deeply religious people as i have been down there and they have all been praying a lot of the villagers were a bit wary of them, but not me old jack even went to see my mother to see if it was alright for me to go down to the caravans i remember jack saying he will be alright misses we will look after him and they did i would have sweets biscuits pockets full, jack would take me out with him and showed me how he set a snare for the rabbit i was only young as i say he would give me a couple to carry back to the vans by the time i got back i would be tired out from carrying the rabbits, but he would say take a couple for your mam young UN she was always grateful as the war had only just finished.

Another clan lived in the gorse they were honest people true Romany's like the locks i have sat in there caravans more than once and listened to the old chap telling tales from long ago mostly about horses he loved them and had a few through his life time. It was he that gave me a sandwich i was with another friend a chap called john leading-ton and we had been up the fields shooting well poaching, with my old ferrets i suppose i would be about sixteen then as i had got my first shot gun a webley and Scot four ten it was great for bolting rabbits at close range lets get back to the sandwich after we had eaten it he said nice was it Pete yes i said. Well it was Hedge hog he said cor did i feel sick the very thought of it all i could think about was dead hedge hogs killed on the roads but thinking back it was very tasty a bit like pork but i have never had it since . It was this old gypsy that taught me how to tickle trout i will not mention his name as not to cause any embarrassment to his family, his sons are good friends of mine and now all live in houses his dear old wife lily lives about six doors from me and she has told me she would never go back on the road it was a hard life she is now quite old, her husband died years ago the true gypsies have mostly all gone now and have taken there knowledge with them, sad really there are not many true Romany's, left i know this has nothing to do with fishing but it was all part of my life i would not have missed it for the world and would do it all again if permitted i have met so many interesting people throughout my life time and all i have now is my memories well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #81
I suppose the country side has been my life fishing has been my main hobby it has kept me happy and out of trouble over the years i have made some really good friends through fishing. Although i don't see some for months but when we do meet we have a good old natter about the past and the present. A lot of my friends are now old men well i suppose most are in there sixties and seventies but most still go fishing they are not fit like they used to be it takes a little longer for them to set there tackle up but they still love there hobby i don't like saying sport some of these same gentlemen also shoot i think i have at least six in my syndicate who i have known for years they are really good friends and i could trust them with my life.
A pretty acton carp
Graham and Bernard have been my main fishing partners over the years they both also shoot, we have fished together on a number of waters local and away into wales, and between the three of us have caught some very impressive fish, not just carp but eels bream roach i always remember fishing with Bern at landodd we went a couple of times, in those days it was a prolific water for the carp we had some great catches from that old lake it was in the middle of the town the only thing that worried us were the drunkards when they closed the pubs they would get the boats the out and would be row around the lake the police would arrive what a job they had getting them off the lake, they would cart them off to the local nick but they would be back a couple of nights latter but it was a bit of a laugh. The carp society fished landodd nearly every year in those days, they would have there get together on the water, and they caught some very impressive fish i believe there were a number of thirties caught over the years but we never had that luck most of the fish we managed to catch were around the fifteen pounds mark but it was good fishing and we had some tremendous multiple catches from the lake, in those days you could only use two rods but it got so bad that we could only use one we were getting two runs together so we packed up using the two rods and used one in fact the one night i packed up i was absolutely tired out from hooking and playing the fish funny really the locals would come down and ask what we were using as bait it was pea nuts at the time we never knew what damage they did to the fish, we also used them at lordys the fish really went mad for them and we caught some respectable carp using them.
Bern with an impresive fish from acton
A couple of tench from acton
We also fished acton burnell together and caught some wonderful fish we caught them to over thirty pounds they were good fish for those days, we also had some huge tench from acton many over six pounds with a a sprinkling of sevens good fish for those years, but like every where else word soon got out and it went syndicate but i was allowed to still fish the lake as i was a friend of the owner over the years we caught some great fish from this water . It is now run by rob hales and is stocked with some very impressive fish. a little more latter

In reply to Post #82
His bright eyes watched me from the corner of the room he coward in the corner of the kitchen as i tried to calm him down but he was a wild animal a most beautiful fox full grown with his rustic coat i had opened the door hearing a noise and in he ran seeking a place of refuge i heard the hunting horn in the distance as they made there way towards the house no way were they going to come on our property i stood by the garden gate and faced the on coming dogs i suppose the year was about 1963 i watched as the huntsman came down from the hill a towards the gate where i stood, have you seen the fox sir no says i the dogs were casting around looking for scent hoping to find a line to hunt again can we come through your garden sir no was my answer you can follow the road at the bottom of the hill he was not amused by my answer he knew me well he only lived down the road why he called me sir i do not know probably being polite in front of his friends we have chickens and cats so we do not want you on our property.

They gave me a dirty look and made there way down the hill calling the dogs as they went i had left the fox in the kitchen with my in laws my father in law wanted to shoot the poor thing but i would have none of it as i approached he gave a snarl and coward further into the corner i talked gently to the animal, and wandered if he was thirsty his eyes shone bright as he watched every move i made he never took his eyes off me i put a bowl of water on the floor and with in the hour he plucked up the courage and lapped it up i would say he was about two years old and a fine looking fellow. I was going to let him go as soon as the hunt disappeared from the area how you going to get him out of the house i was asked ill pick him up was my answer it was not the first time i had handled a fox he will bite you Pete no he will be alright i gently talked to the animal and he eventually calmed down but i would keep him a couple of hours i tried him with some dog food but he was not interested it was now time to let him go i got an old blanket a threw it over the animal he did not move i gently grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and gently eased the blanket away he did not even struggle and let me carry him to the garden gate where i gently let him go he trotted down the path stopping once looking back then he was gone and vanished into the gorse that surrounded the house that why our house was called then gorsty bank i never saw him again just another true tale of my favorite animal this is only one of many i have handled i like to think i saved him from a tragic death by the hounds well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #83
The hill country is so huge acres of land covered in ferns heather and in season the wimberries a wonderful place to watch wild life it was dominated by my favorite old foxy but there were many more birds and animals the humble rabbit the Hair even the stoat and the occasional weasel you had the peregrine buzzard sparrow hawk and the goshawk and the grouse and the curlew i loved the place then there was the mountain streams they did not look much but they held the brown trout i have had my trousers rolled up many times and tickled a few of these lovely marked fish they never reached a huge size maybe only half a pound but lovely eating i would take them home and they would be stuffed with tomatoes and herbs then baked in foil the flesh would fall of when cooked absolutely wonderful to eat.

I have walked the Shropshire hills from one end to the other i have slept under the stars and listened to the noises of the night a lot different to the noises of the woods i have watched old foxy feed her cubs in one earth i found two litters two vixens and twelve cubs which is a bit unusual they took some feeding the cubs got quite used to me being there, and would come and investigate where i was hidden they got quite used to my presence. I felt a bit sorry for the two vixens they had been pulled about by the cubs when they were being suckled and now the were hunting for the food it really made them look a bit ragged and out of sorts i don't think the vixens knew who's cubs were who,s they seemed to feed them all. At the time i did wander if the vixens were litter sisters , all the time i watched the vixens i never once saw the dog fox it was all left to them but they managed to rear them until they went there separate ways.

I have fished a few pools up in hill country most we have acquired through helping the farmers on the big old fox shoots they would have two or three every year it really was a must as the foxes would take young lambs people will say they don't do that but i can assure you they do i have watched foxes harassing a mother and twin lambs while she was trying to protect one they would take the other nature is quite cruel, but they have to survive, on one big earth on the longmynds we found the remains of six young lambs now thats a lot to lose to a fox so they had to be cleared as the farmers could not afford to lose so many. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #85
I see there are a couple of threads regarding otters and the damage they do the problem is certain organizations have been playing with nature letting them go willy nilly without giving a thought about the damage they can do. When i was young i loved to watch the otters at play most of this was done on the river onny in south Shropshire's i have also watched them on the Rea brook to me they were lovely animals, but now we have all the big commercial fisheries with big stocks of carp breed for match fishing and such in my younger days these sort of fisheries just did not exist it was mainly rivers and the estate lakes, but there were not the amount of otters that we have today in my stories i have said i poached and fished most of the rivers for the trout, they held and you would very rarely see an otter at times you would come across a pair they were secretive animals, i would lie down in the under growth for hours watching them but in those days they were hunted to me it was very cruel but it had existed for centuries and was an accepted part of out heritage in the country side hunting ended when the otter hounds IE huntsmen volunteered to end the hunting of this lovely animal the main cause of there demise was pesticides and pollution causing a lot to die out so the hunting stopped

in my opinion it was about time the river ran red with the blood of this animal it was not a pleasant sight i was only a young lad at the time it it has always remained in my memory very few got away but because they hunted the otter it was also looked after especially the otter Holt's beside the rivers and another thing the otter found its own level with the availability of food. It also gave the keepers a bit of a headache because if food was short it would raid the keepers pens i have seen a few hanging from the keepers gibbet over the years but not now of course. I think the only way around the problem today is to protect your fishery with fences and such the game keeper protects his birds putting electric fences around his pens and if having trouble with owls and hawks he may cover the top of the pen but he takes the necessary precautions when needed to protect his interests . I think this is the only way forward if it costs more to fish your favorite water so be it, because we will not get permission to control this animal in the public's eye it is a furry cuddly animal and it is also the way it is portrayed in school along with the fox and other animals. The public dont care a toss about our fish they cant see them because they are below water but they can see otters mink foxes and such it would cause a human up cry if otters were culled the on going problems have been caused by human intervention not giving the country side a thought or about the damage they may do but it is to late now we must put our own house in order even if our fishing costs more and fence as many fisheries as we can, in time the otter will find his own level with the food available but that may take a few years another thought they could make the females baron over a period that also may be an answer, but i for one would not like hunting of the old days to appear not as it ever will.

I would not like these days to appear as the river ran red with the blood of this animal

In reply to Post #86
Well i have just enough time to write this story before more treatment on my back. As a teenager i was pretty lucky in Shropshire i could fish most places there was a lots of estate lakes and those i could not fish i poached then we had the river Severn the river Rea and the onny in south Shropshire and loads more besides in those days i would fish the river tern it ran through attingham park it was a keeperd estate and in those days strictly private i would cycle there and hide my bike in the undergrowth i got to know the estate quite well and would fish it on a regular basis i also roamed the woods there were pheasants every where i think in those days there were three keepers i was only about fifteen it was the late 1950 you had to be very quite as the estate employed a fair amount of workers IE gardeners park workers and of course the keepers i would never take any one with me as i did not want to be caught so i was responsible for my self and no others.

I soon discovered the river was stuffed with chub roach and a few trout and thinking back i caught a few nice eels not huge around three pounds but nice eating size they held some very big shoots in those days and i would hide in the under growth or even up a tree i always carried a bag with me it was an old post office bag the ones the postman used i would watch where some of the pheasants hit the ground and i would be away and pick it up before the dogs even got there they shot literally hundreds they would never miss a few birds but they did the gun would say keeper its over there of course they never found it because it was in my bag you would hear the keepers or the picker up saying you must of *****ed him sir and he has run or flown on you could see the frustration in the guns face but he came down over there keeper he was dead in the air, i found it quite funny and had a job to stop laughing they were great days i would be gone from home all day on a Saturday, the park also had some beautiful deer, in those days the park got poached by men with lurchers looking for the deer they would come mob handed they caused terrible injuries to these beautiful animals, i was there one morning and i found one severely wounded bite marks all over its rump poor thing it was terrible cruel i left it where it was a bit latter in the day i heard the sound of a gun it was the keepers putting it out of its misery these men would poach the deer in the night using torches and the dogs.

It was a lovely estate and i really got a bit to confident, and got chased one night they discovered i had been fishing in the park and were waiting for me to arrive i was into the water and across the other side i made for the road bridge hiding my rod and bag before i got there i launched my self into the water and swam under the bridge it was quite deep not over my head about three ft and that is where i stayed for the next hour i could hear them shouting in the distance i was trembling with cold but at last it went quiet and i scrambled out onto the bank wringing wet i manged to pick my rod and bag up got my bike and made for home i kept to the back roads and eventually got home around midnight but it was not the last time i would fish and shoot on that estate, and over the years i also had my fair share of rabbits but that's another story a bit more latter

In reply to Post #87
How the years roll by it did not hit me until yesterday, the next birthday i will be seventy i said to a friend yesterday wheres my life gone it has passed so quickly i have had a great time especially fishing and i have met some some great anglers and made many friends. I have fished in shropshire from one end to the other some legal some not but i have enjoyed it all they say life is for living i have certainly done that if some one asked me what was the best thing you ever did i would not hesitate and say meeting dick walker he was an icon, i learned so much from the great man he was so kind and generous towards myself and friends we lived a long way apart but he would ring me at work asking how i was and what we had been fishing for he loved it when we were catching the big bream and asked me to write about our campaign but i never really had the time i was a young chap with a young family work had to come first.

At that time my life was rather full most of the time when i was away from work i was either fishing or down the woods as nature played a major part in my life i also walked the hills where the time came from i don't no i would come home from work and would be away fishing until dark i lived and breathed fishing in the sixties and seventies and then i had my shooting in the winter so there was never a dull moment lucky i had a very understanding family and wife, I remember dick giving me a ring at work hi Pete can you do me a favour and take a disabled lad fishing no problem he gave the address and telephone number i arranged to meet him and his father at Acton Burnell i had a ticket and was a friend of the owner i took all my gear a long but i had no need dick had sent him all the rods reels the lot line hooks you name it he sent it the man was so generous and helpful towards young anglers, the rods were made by hardy one a twelve ft float rod the other an eleven ft ledger rod but i had my work cut out with this young lad he had no coordination between his arm and brain when he tried to cast it would end in a tangle at his feet it took nearly all day to get him casting but he eventually did it i can remember his face when he caught his first fish a small Rudd he was made up, and that was the beginning of a long friendship with his father who was also a friend of dick the great man rang me up at home and could not thank me enought it was not a problem, i know the lad carried on fishing throught his young life i think his father has now passed on and i have now lost contact with the family i suppose that would be in the middle senventies. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #88
I always remember the last time i spoke to dick i really rang up to see if he wanted any more wood pigeons sending down as i used to send at least four a month as i have said before i would pack them in a shoe box i don't know if he would eat them or whether he used them for fly tying i never did ask him. well i rang him from work this one morning and a lady answered the phone i suspect it was his wife sorry , but dick is to poorly to take phone calls i heard a familiar voice say who is it peter from shrews bury ill take it hi Pete he said how you doing and what you catching i told him all the news do you still want the pigeons dick no Pete i am in bed i have got cancer i am dying it went very quiet i was absolutely shocked, i thought you knew Pete no i did not i replied what do you say to your boy hood hero words would not say how i felt i was devastated as he had done so much for me given me tackle and such but one thing above all else stood out he gave me friendship i would certainly miss our little chats and the visits to his factory we said our good byes and that was the last time i spoke to dick walker he did not last that long and a few weeks latter he had gone i never went to his funeral as i could not get the time off work i would of loved to have gone but it was impossible owing to big work commitments one thing i can honestly say he was a great man and had a good sense of humor also an inventor and writer and a superb angler i do wonder if without him carp fishing would be what it is today i still think of dick as the grand father of carp angling.

But he could and did catch many other species he caught big perch roach tench you name it he caught it in the last few years of his life he spent fly fishing if i remember right he broke the rainbow record i am sure if i am wrong some one will correct me i have fond memories of the times i went to his factory he would take me around the factory and introduce me to the work force he knew all by name it appeared to be a wonderful place to work he said most who work here are fishermen or play football his co director was a world class referee he would take me out to dinner and a pint or two then either to see his mother or around some of the lakes he had fished i used to like going to see his mother we would always have big pieces of cake and tea she was a wonderful old lady she used to try and scare me with stories about the resident ghost i never did see it but she was conviced the ghost was real dick would shake his head take no notice pete i had some wonderfull times when i went down to his factory and they will remain in my memory for ever,. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #89
Pete,

I always enjoy your posts. There is something about the old days that is sadly missing today, natural untrodden banks for one.

You are absolutely correct about Dick and the trout record. In fact he held the trout record at the same time as he held the carp record. The only man in history to hold two British records simultaneously.

The 34 lb common that took his bait off the dam wall at Redmire was at the time the second biggest carp ever caught in Britain. The only man in history to hold a record and the second biggest fish of the same species at the same time.

Truly, he was the greatest.

We will never see his like again.

Alan

In reply to Post #90
Thank you so much Allan you are right the banks were very quite in those days most lakes where private you had no chance to fish them unless you did a bit of guesting you were right about dick he did hold both records i see your name is walker no relation are you dick also did a bit of poaching with the gun shooting a pheasant or two Tim his son said he was caught and i am not certain but i think he was done for his crime well done the man seriously it was a pleasure knowing him he was a terrific man and freind thanks again pete

In reply to Post #89
I was with Dick one day at his mothers god bless her and he said come with me Pete he proceeded to get a fork and bucket and started digging for worms they were perfect lovely little red jobs after putting some soil and leaves and mixing them together he said take them home with you and start breeding your own worms i had already got one in my old compass heap but i added Dicks i think he gave me around a hundred and i still have it today i like to think some are descendants of Dicks worms they have certainly caught me some fish over the years mostly perch and trout but i have also caught a few Rudd and bream using them.

Looking back that was in 1974 thirty seven years ago where does the time go i really don't know most of the old anglers from my generation have now passed on Dick was my boy hood hero jack Hilton bill Quinlan terry Thoma's Fred jay all gone but they left there legacy they were the anglers of yesterday i really feel that if it was not for them and what we learned from them our carp fishing would not be like it is today they were the pioneers, then we have good old Terry Thomas Chris tarrant's mate i remember them on tiswas together i certainly learned how to drink wine when he was about ,i remember him falling out of a boat while filming a bit worse for ware i would see terry most years at the game fairs and he was always a bit under the weather but a nice chap and we had many laughs talking to him.

Dennis Kelly was another quite well known angler at the time and in the late sixties and seventies he was one of the best bream anglers ever he caught so many big bream he also broke the record, a fish of over thirteen pounds from white mere at Ellesmere but he never claimed the record he did not want it publishing as you would have never been able to fish the place again. There were only a few swims so it was kept very quite i fact it was broken again by another member of our group and that was also not claimed for the same reason but they were the days we would be fishing at every opportunity i would fish all night then go straight to work next morning i would wash at work and have a change of cloths i would be tired out by the evening through lack of sleep as in the early years we did not have bite alarms and you would have to stay awake watching the doe bobbins for any movment that was tiring enough but to go to work after you would be completly tired out by five in the evening and ready for bed things improved for me when Dick gave me the Herons and i found i could sleep a bit which really helped in fact i caught my biggest bream from colemere using the Heron bite alarms i could never thank Dick enought for his kindness in giving me a pair. well a bit more latter

In reply to Post #92
With a bit of a struggle graham and i decided to go fishing yesterday we went for the barbel and although the river was low. When i say struggle my back is terrible painful but i managed a few hours after this hard fighting fish, there was a hint of colour in the water we only fished with one rod each as where we were fishing its a bit cramped. Trust me i screwed the rod rest in to the bank only to be met with a swarm of wasps i soon moved swims lucky i did not get stung when the bailiff came around i pointed the nest out to him i think he is going to get it dealt with a few years ago i would of dug it up for the grubs it held they were brilliant for fishing for chub but those days have gone , we started fishing with a feeder and small ellipse pellets and it was not long before graham was attached to one angry fish he was talking to the bailiff at the time he played it for a few moments then all went slack he got cut of on the rocky bottom it seemed a reasonable fish but not deterred he cast out again and was soon into another fish which was duly landed and took the scales to six pounds ten oz not a bad start to the day the bailiff had told us it was very quite and not many had been caught since opening day the sixteenth of June.
Graham with his 6ib -10 0z barbel
Me with the biggest of the day graham weighed it at eight pound ten oz but it looked a lot bigger

Then it was my turn the top of the rod bent around from a savage take i grabbed the rod, and he took line as he headed down stream after a while i managed to turn him and get his head up stream he did not want to give up and started moving against the current upstream i could tell it was a good fish and took me about fifteen minutes to get it under control it was duly landed looking at the fish i could see he had a fair belly on him graham weighted him at eight pounds ten oz but he looked a lot bigger i said to graham have we weighted that fish right as to me it looked a, lot bigger, never mind i recast sitting there wandering if grahams scales were right when once again the rod tip looped over it felt a reasonable fish but only weighted in at six pounds eight oz but it was turning into a good day and up to now i was well pleased it was shortly followed by another of around five pounds then it was grahams turn he was into what looked like a decent fish when all went slack he had lost another good fish well that was it although we tried no more came our way so at tea time we called it a day it had been well worth going the final tally was six barbel and we lost three not bad for our first day out we will try again on friday hoping for more of the same. a bit more latter
A beautiful stretch of river