In reply to Post #390
Definately the best read on this forum, in fact on any forum.
I admire you for remembering all the details and dates - amazing. I'm in my 60's and struggle with what went on yesterday, let alone all those years ago.

Please keep going, it's a great read.

Wishing you all the best for the New Year, regards

syd

Some old school pics from other members are allowed in this thread as well i asume?

In reply to Post #391
thanks for the kind remarks sid

In reply to Post #393
Brilliant pete keep up the good work happy new year

In reply to Post #394
thanks old geezer

In reply to Post #356
well its nearly two years since i completed my story, as some will know my health really went down hill but we still managed to get some fishing done, mikes drifted away owing to personal problems so it was with my old mate graham that we continued our passion for angling. we managed to fish a small lake in the heart of my beloved shropshire which contains some really good specimens so we were told. the night fishing was now out because of my on going health problems. so it was all day fishing. the fish in this lake had never seen bolies. so after a few early mornings and late evenings studying the lake. we set our stall up one morning in june using hair rigged pellet and maggots and what a day it turned into we caught 12 fish between us the biggest 24 pounds the smallest around seventeen it was a most beautiful lake with an average depth of four ft to sixteen feet with a few gravel patches. i had fished the lake before many years ago and had a few out but that was when i was a lot younger and i was poaching it, we now had permission and we started to trickle a few bolie's in hoping to get the fish onto them we also managed to get into another syndicate which was very local and managed a few days on that water which also proved to be a big success but it was getting more awkward i could hardly walk and i was relying on my mate graham more and more but we continued catching some great carp that first year on the two waters, looking back through our records i think we had over 150 fish between us the biggest two being 24 80z and 24 pounds but it was slowly coming to the end i desperately needed an operation but i was still enjoying my fishing and we were fishing three times a week on these waters mainly using running rigs or chods. to be continued

In reply to Post #396
keep it coming pete , fantastic reading

In reply to Post #396
I do hope the mods dont ban this as it was part of my life and how we survived in my early days, it was my constant battle with the local game keepers and a man called sgt landers the local bobby, as i have mentioned in my earlier part of the story how i used to poach the local streams and rivers around my area, in fact i would poach anything you could eat, including rabbit pheasant partridge hair duck it was a way of life, my father was a signal man in those days and money was in short supply so i used to supplement his income by doing a bit of guesting in the local woods and fields. i had many a battle with old landers, he was part of the local shoot and was well respected by all the game keepers condover brook in those days was stocked with lovely Browne's not going to big but around a pound but lovely eating fish now my dad loved them grilled, well i used to get on my bike rod tied on the cross bar and i would be away would fish it at night the brook ran right next to the keepers cottage at condover old bell was his name and a good keeper. i would catch a few minnows in the day by making a bottle trap filled with bread then mount them in a devon minnow what i called a flight you pushed the minnow on a spike then it clipped to the body holding it in place armed with this set up i would spin all the pools and likely looking places i never over did it, Taking what we needed to eat. but old bell was a crafty old character he kept all manner of dogs and they would let him know if any one was arround He would be down those fields like a jack rabbit dogs in tow on this one particular night i heard him coming and he had got old landers with him well as you can imagine i was away like a shot i ran through the local blind school along side the river trying to get over the river wich was

In reply to Post #398
Thanks for all your wonderful reminiscences, Pete...Keep 'em coming

In reply to Post #398
ill have to carry on from here as i said the river was rather deep so i took the chance and tried to cross the water fall well i slipped there was an almighty splash and there was i up to my neck in water i heard old landers shout i still had the fish id caught in my bag and luckily my rod i managed to get out and managed to make it to the bridge that crossed the road the water here was a little bit shallow so i could walk down the stream keeping to the bushes at the side keeping me in the dark by this time more keepers had joined the chase my bike was still in condover hidden in a ditch so i was really, in a bad position well i got up this old pine tree and there i stayed for a least two hours i actually listened to there conversation as they stood below this tree. i did not know if to laugh or cry well to cut a long story short i managed to get away once again to the disgust of old landers on returning to my bike and when things had quietened down i crept up to the cottage and left old bell a couple of trout with i hung on his door. this really added insult to injury i got home in the early hours mum was frantic as old landers had called at the house to see if it was me, but good old mum said i was in bed and made it quite plain she was not happy being disturbed at that time of night

In reply to Post #388
great reading

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 #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 #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 #406
great stuff, Pete, you old scally