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In reply to Post #384
Great thread and essential forum reading  .I shall sticky the thread for a while,to encourage Pete to continue to add to the thread 
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In reply to Post #991
I was known in shropshire when it came to foxes even if we were shooting them, the keepers on most shoots would ask me to put the standing guns out but it was not always about killing i have respect for this rouge of the woods and the hedge row, he is a most beautiful animal a rouge yes but also a gentleman of the country side in his red coat, they do vary in size the biggest i have seen was absolutely huge he weighted in at 28 pounds and he was a hill fox from a shoot on the welsh border the average fox lets say male only weights around 6.7 kilograms and the female a bit smaller at 5.4 kilograms so the one from welsh border was big maybe an English record.
 The dog and the vixen
let me tell you a little more about this animal the selection of the earth is made in October and then the vixen takes up residence they do not provide bedding for the cubs to lie on unlike badgers that do, the cubs are usually born in february maybe even late January the vixen then suckles them for the first month under ground they are born with a woolly chocolate coat and are blind for the first ten days after the first twenty eight days the cubs start to emerge from below ground i have watched cubs of this size sitting in front of the earth as dark approaches looking for any movement that may be of interest to them, i have even seen a tractor coming down the field with his lights full on which did not seem to frighten them, but from my observations there is not much of a family life the dog rarely visits his off spring leaving most to the vixen you would think the vixen would protect her young if threatened but no they are away and leave them to it. but on one occasion i was proved wrong the vixen had been shot from this one earth leaving her cubs to fend for there selves, no way could they survive it was certain death, or was it i watched another vixen feed those cubs and even the dog gave a hand in feeding them he would bring a rabbit drop in the entrance to the earth and would be away over the fields i suspect the vixen that took over the feeding of these cubs was the litter sister of the vixen shot i really don't know but that's my theory but they survived it was wonderful to see if you read the books it says that does not happen well i can ensure the books they are wrong as i have seen it with my own eyes
 a cub at six weeks
I have spent some wonderful times watching these animals and i think i have learned a lot about there life stile i have took many others with me over the years to watch these lovely creatures some would never of seen a fox in the wild , it was away of life i still loved my fishing but i also loved nature its a pity these beautiful creatures do so much damage to the farmers, the country side would be a sad place without old charlie as he is known i hope i have a few years left to watch this splendid animal of our country side, as over the years he has given me great pleasure, i have watched him from the cover of ditches and he has passed me by i could of touched him and he never knew i was there, i have watched him from the cover of an hay field not once did he suspect my presense, well thats a bit more about my favorite animal i could tell you more but i dont want to bore you all with my tales of charlie . so a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #1161
It is as cold as ever today when your younger you don't feel it as much a few years back i would fish in all weathers but not now it does me no good at all my mate the bailiff had another good day after the barbel once again he came up trumps doing a couple of hours at the weekend he caught 10 barbel the biggest going ten pounds four oz well done Rodger you deserve every one of those fish they were well earned.
Rodger is a very good fisherman and seems to sneak a few out where others fail but i have heard a few stories about others catching and having some really good sport i love to go but i am afraid to say its still a bit to cold for myself and graham never mind the weather will soon warm up and then we can try our hand i have in the past had some very good sport fishing in the evening until about midnight i have caught some real busting fish twenty in a session was not uncommon with a few chub thrown in we could have some hectic evening and would have to keep an eye on the rods or they might get pulled in and believe me i have seen a few pulled into the river some they got back others they did no, well graham lost one last season its not been seen since so easy he was sitting by me tying up a rig and away it went the river was in spat and i watched the rod handle disappear into the water you could see it was being towed by a fish it is a bit upsetting when it happens but as i said after the unfortunate incident you must keep your eye on the rods at all times it happens in seconds lucky it has never happened to me i hope it never does as rods and reels are not cheap to buy .
The daffodils are once again in bloom so spring must be on the way i have a few in the garden and they look well the snow drops are also up and in bloom it wont be long before the country side starts to awake and the buds unfold on the hedge rows and trees i notice there are buds already on some of the trees the mountain ash is one the sycamore although the tree is an alien not really English but i have one in my garden they are self setters so ,i have to continually pull any new shoots up if i did not i would have them all over the garden, i will maybe go down the woods this week and have a look around i notice some of the under growth is throwing a few shoots up so it wont be long before its impenetrable with the brambles nettles and such but it hides the wild life and keeps it safe from pr-editors the perquine buzzard sparrow hawk owls and such, but it does not stop the stoat and weasel they will find plenty in the form of young rabbits. well thats it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #1161
It is as cold as ever today when your younger you don't feel it as much a few years back i would fish in all weathers but not now it does me no good at all my mate the bailiff had another good day after the barbel once again he came up trumps doing a couple of hours at the weekend he caught 10 barbel the biggest going ten pounds four oz well done Rodger you deserve every one of those fish they were well earned.
Rodger is a very good fisherman and seems to sneak a few out where others fail but i have heard a few stories about others catching and having some really good sport i love to go but i am afraid to say its still a bit to cold for myself and graham never mind the weather will soon warm up and then we can try our hand i have in the past had some very good sport fishing in the evening until about midnight i have caught some real busting fish twenty in a session was not uncommon with a few chub thrown in we could have some hectic evening and would have to keep an eye on the rods or they might get pulled in and believe me i have seen a few pulled into the river some they got back others they did no, well graham lost one last season its not been seen since so easy he was sitting by me tying up a rig and away it went the river was in spat and i watched the rod handle disappear into the water you could see it was being towed by a fish it is a bit upsetting when it happens but as i said after the unfortunate incident you must keep your eye on the rods at all times it happens in seconds lucky it has never happened to me i hope it never does as rods and reels are not cheap to buy .
The daffodils are once again in bloom so spring must be on the way i have a few in the garden and they look well the snow drops are also up and in bloom it wont be long before the country side starts to awake and the buds unfold on the hedge rows and trees i notice there are buds already on some of the trees the mountain ash is one the sycamore although the tree is an alien not really English but i have one in my garden they are self setters so ,i have to continually pull any new shoots up if i did not i would have them all over the garden, i will maybe go down the woods this week and have a look around i notice some of the under growth is throwing a few shoots up so it wont be long before its impenetrable with the brambles nettles and such but it hides the wild life and keeps it safe from pr-editors the perquine buzzard sparrow hawk owls and such, but it does not stop the stoat and weasel they will find plenty in the form of young rabbits. well thats it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #1258
When i was young i would fish a lake not far from my home it was a mysterious place to us youngsters it was surrounded with firs and and old oak tree it was strictly private but the owner whose name i shall not put in print was a nice old boy who would turn a blind eye to us fishing there, in fact in think he really liked to see us and on occasions would come down for a chat you can fish when you like but please not on shoot days he would say don't come on Saturdays but your most welcome Sunday, we got on well with the old gentlemen at times he would bring his wife down to see us and she would bring a big bottle of home made ginger beer, us lads loved the place and we would do nothing to hurt the old boy in fact we helped if asked, we did do a bit of beating on shoot days SAM would turn up and soon take charge of us youngsters, they were really big days the lords and ladies would be all dressed up to the nines in there brogues and plus fours as i have said they were real posh and when they spoke it really sounded if they had a plum in there mouths, us lads would try and copy there speech but old SAM would say keep quite these people are our bread and butter. He always called the gents sir or the ladies mam but they were good days we were always given something to eat at the hall at dinner time and when the day was finished we were given a brace of pheasants each and three bob for beating, the old gent came to see my my mother to make sure it was OK to go beating on a Saturday at christmas we would all be invited up to the hall usually christmas eve they would have the local carol singers, stand around the christmas tree giving us a song, and the old gent dressed as father christmas would hand out presents to all us youngsters usually some sweets or nuts and if you were lucky a pair of long socks they were great days and will remain in my memory for ever.
 The wild pheasent down the woods
Now back to the pool the water was fairly covered in weed it looked just like cotton wool only coloured green you could see the fish in the holes between the weed at first we did not know what the fish were we asked the old gentleman and he said they were Rudd and his grandfather had caught them to three pound in weight, it also had a few carp in which his grandfather introduced to the lake many years ago, but he said he had never ever seen one caught i was standing there one day and saw this big long shape under the water it sliced through the shoal of Rudd throwing up a glistening spray of water, and then he was gone normality returned of course it was the pike i was absolutely fascinated i wanted to catch that fish above all others, we would float fish with big pieces of flake or bread paste we caught the most beautiful fish you could not get your hand around them. Then one day i was playing this fish and all went solid i thought i was hooked up in the weed, but it started to move away we had no landing net put i managed to get the fish into shallow water and literally pull it onto the grass i stood shaking it was a pike not big but a pike the old man came and had a look ill kill it for you he said no please don't said i it was so beautiful a lovely green colour so we ended up putting it back after the the old man had took some photos i think it only weighted about three pounds but to me it was enormous a little bit more latter
 The beautiful Rudd like the ones we caught all those years ago
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In reply to Post #1258
In the days when i was at school i would be up at six to go on my paper round , the days always seemed to be long we would come home from school and then go birds nesting or swimming in the river as long as you were home before dark nothing would be said. In the summer holidays us lads would set up camp beside the river onny and we would search the reeds beside the river for the moorhens nest, the eggs would boiled in an empty tin and we would eat them with bread and butter brought from home, they were hazy lazy days i would clime the old oak to the crows nest we would find the owls nest in some hole up in a tree clime the jackdaw rocks to see the blue speckled eggs or maybe take a youngster home to rear they made a lovely pet i have already told you about the one i had he would ,steal the spoons from within the house and hide them in his pen mother was none to pleased. He would meet me as i came from school he was a marvelous bird.
 The jackdaw like i had as a pet
Before myxomatosis reared its ugly head we depended on the humble rabbit for our meals when the farmers cut the corn us lads would always be there stick in hand as the rabbits bolted from the corn we would chase then across the field they could not run that fast in the stuble and we would hit them on the head not only the lads but adults as well they knew the farmer would give them one or two at the end of the day, it was another meal and free i wander how many rabbits were consumed in this country in the war years and after it must have been thousands we had rabbit pie most Sundays for dinner, and a pheasant or two we were quite lucky really as old SAM would always drop by and give us a brace in the shooting season, we also had the one or two i shot with my pellet gun but i never touched any of old Sam's in all the years i knew him, he would give me a cussing telling me if i got caught taking pheasants i may go to court or be given a clip around the ear from the keeper, or policeman, but he always had a smile on his face and would say i may as well talk to that old chicken because you take no notice, it goes in one and out the other but deep down i did take notice and i was always frightened, that i may be caught.
 The wild rabbit we lived on in the war years and after
poaching was a big offence in those days and you would end up in court i dont know about a youngster but adults did and they would have an example made of them you could even get put away for a few weeks but that was very rare thing to happen it was the gangs the keepers really looked out for who came from the towns looking to make a bob or two but even in my young life poaching was coming to an end as things started to improve, you would still get the poachers but not the big gangs another thing us boys loved was when the farmer got the thrashing box going threshing days were very hard and dusty and the men became very thirsty i can remember the farmers wife coming down to the stack yard with big jugs of cider or beer most of the men helping were from neighboring farms she would also bring down a big basket full of bread, and cheese, they would sit around the stack yard eating the food, their hands were as black as coal but you rarely saw them ill. The exiting part was nearly at the end the of the threshing hundreds of rats would hide until the last bit you could see the rats moving under the straw the men would hit the rats with a pikle or stick anything handy some even brought dogs along they would kill hundreds like this, as boys we only wore short trousers so we were always on the look out incase one ran up your leg but it never happened they would line up the dead rats after and they would be counted very few got away but i loved it that is how we lived in those days. well a bit more latter
 The brown rat
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In reply to Post #1258
Spring approaches fast it will not be long before the woods are ablaze with flowers and new growth, the snow drops are already out one small copies not far from my house is a sea of white the floor is covered with snow drops the blue bells will be next with the primroses i love to sit in the woods at this time of year just to sit and watch the wild life the birds are now paired up i have a black birds nest in the garden with eggs and a pigeon nesting in the ivy that has grown on the old plum tree, mind you pigeons will breed any time and long as conditions are right , the doves are also building nests they are back and forward carrying twigs my resident robins are also in and out of the hedge i suspect they will once again have there nest in the old teapot which i put in the hedge years ago that teapot as seen some action so many birds have had there nest in it over then years but the robins seem to have made it there own.
 The lovely robins nest
 A pair of robins
The resident buzzard did well last year rearing four chicks they have been hanging around the woods until lately but have now gone to pastures new. The old pair will have their nests high up in the old fir tree as they have done for generations they have used that tree as far as i can remember it has been known when i was a young man to clime the tree so i could look at the eggs the foxes should now have there earth sorted and maybe the vixen has got cubs it wont be long before they are sitting and playing out side the earth usually the end of march early April i will have to go and look in the adjoining hedge rows usually she will use a old rabbit hole making it bigger for her self and youngsters, the badgers are also moving around a bit more i have already had them in the garden ,the one old set i have been visiting for years has about forty holes to it. The other is massive last time i was down the farmer said he had counted 90 holes in this one set absolutely huge but he was having a few problems they had under mined the adjoining field and his tractor had got stuck a few times as the tunnels had collapsed under the weight of his machinery but i love to see old Brock and i really hope they don't kill all these beautiful animals with gas and such it has been temporally stopped for now so we will have to wait and see what the out come will be, the sets where i live are frequently visited by the badger conservation officer he is a great friend of mine and does a fantastic job checking on all the local sets .
 The common buzzard
The waters on the lakes will soon be warming up unfortunately some of the ones i fish are ssi so there is a close season and some have lost the stocks of fish in the bad weather we had over christmas so i really dont know what graham and i will do we have a few options so we will have to wait and see how things turn out well that's it for now. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #1258
I hope you all liked my bit about foxes i could tell you so much more about this beautiful animal he really has been part of my life i have had the cubs in my garden a few times over the years my next door neighbour used to call me a hypocrite for not getting rid of them i would say why they are doing no damage, ill ring the vermin control he would say go a head they wont come on my property, but as neighbours we really got on together the trouble was he loved his garden and these little chaps could make quite a mess by rolling around and flattening his flowers etc but that's nature i would feed them chicken wings the vixen liked them also, i have one neighbour who is a police man and he said to me one morning i wandered what ever those things were walking down your drive then i realised they were fox cubs there are six pete. She has brought them back to my house for many years maybe not the same vixen but i would say one of the old litter from a couple of years back, i think she knows the cubs are safe here but up to now this year i have not seen her. Maybe she is dead i know the dog was a bit ruff looking i think he was in his last few years but hopefully they will be back they are quite safe and welcome here.
 Small cubs like i had in my garden
The badgers have been around digging holes all over the garden looking for worms they love peanut butter smear it on pieces of bread they will come for ever, my neighbors were asking what causes the holes in there garden i told them badgers. The people from house the other side have been watching the badgers form the bedroom window as the security lighting comes on when the badgers trigger it, but it does not seem to frighten the animals away the one old boar is a real big fellow all muscle he really looks big but they seem quite happy we just leave them alone. I told you i feed the birds well the badgers have been having there share of any seed or nuts that gets knocked to the ground by the birds they clean it all up they have been rooting around like little pigs under the feeder i suspect looking for the odd peanut that has got buried,
 The beautiful badger
A friend of mine has been braving the wet weather and chilly winds to fish for the barbel the water has been bank hight but he has managed to catch a few good specimens the biggest so far is Ten pounds fifteen oz a nice fish he caught six in one short afternoon session the other biggie was nine pounds five ozs the smallest was six pounds they were all caught on maggot but there is not much time left the season ends in march for another few months but it wont be long before graham and i grace the banks once again and try our luck for these hard fighting fish we caught some excellent chub last year the biggest falling to my rod a six pound five oz fish, very good for the severn. well that's a bit more . ill carry on latter
 My friend Rodger the bailiff with his 10- 15oz barbel
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In reply to Post #989
I suppose i was only about seven when i first fished acton burnell it was well before we moved to craven arms Bert owlet was the keeper and then a very young Peter jackson was the under keeper, i went with a lad called robert wilcox we really should not of been there in fact Bert owlet caught us but instead of telling us off he let us stay i only had an old bamboo cane rod not much good, in fact i think our next door neighbour Mr Jarvis gave it my mum for me to use mum bought the line and hooks but that's all she could afford as things were very hard the war had only just finished. I was not that good at fishing we really played about i did not know any one that fished who could show us how, so we struggled by. The only fish i caught at the burnell was a small pike it took a small roach i had on i was immensely proud of the fish and took it home with me i remember my mother cooking this pike all of two pounds , it really tasted muddy not really for me but in those days you would eat most things.
 The beautiful pike
Bert owlet was there when i caught that pike and really made a fuss of me, take it home for your mam he said funny really because this was not the last time i would see Bert and peter i became a good friend of Bert especially when i became older it was him who saw the owner and got me permission to fish the burnell i was issued with a permit well a bit of paper signed saying i could go at any time and take a friend but that's another story, in the mean time i fished the river Rea and i started to learn i loved to just sit beside the brook and listen to it babbling over the stones or just sit by the falls and listen to the water crashing down and watch the water foam and swirl, i was a learning i would see the king fisher and marvel at the dipper as he walked beneath the falls in fast water mum used to worry i would fall in i used to say don't worry ill be alright but i could not swim so i learned myself in the same brook the river rea i was not that good but i knew if i fell in i could get out i could only do the doggy paddle but it was enough to get me out of trouble, i could also swim out to the moorhens nest and get the eggs to take home for my mother as they were a good source of food we would have them boiled or fried the ducks eggs i really liked and i could always find a nest or two along the river bank.
 The lovely moorhens nest with eggs hatching
I would also walk down to bomere pool in those days you had trouble walking around the lake as it was very boggy the ground would move if you stood on it there were pheasants every where you looked it was keepered by Gerry haiz and a few under keepers there were signs every where keep out private property or you will be shot on sight i was a bit to young to poach the pheasants but i must admit it did cross my mind but how i did not know but over the coming years i soon learned, i would fish the pool without much success but i was learning i did manage a few small roach, i went to school with a lads called Gerald Harris we would go to Bomere fishing and birds nesting that's when we got chased and gerald fell into a hornets nest but that's another story. well a bit more latter
 The beautiful roach similar to what i caught at Bomere
The hornet gerald fell in a nest and ended up in hospital
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In reply to Post #989
I suppose i was only about seven when i first fished acton burnell it was well before we moved to craven arms Bert owlet was the keeper and then a very young Peter jackson was the under keeper, i went with a lad called robert wilcox we really should not of been there in fact Bert owlet caught us but instead of telling us off he let us stay i only had an old bamboo cane rod not much good, in fact i think our next door neighbour Mr Jarvis gave it my mum for me to use mum bought the line and hooks but that's all she could afford as things were very hard the war had only just finished. I was not that good at fishing we really played about i did not know any one that fished who could show us how, so we struggled by. The only fish i caught at the burnell was a small pike it took a small roach i had on i was immensely proud of the fish and took it home with me i remember my mother cooking this pike all of two pounds , it really tasted muddy not really for me but in those days you would eat most things.
Bert owlet was there when i caught that pike and really made a fuss of me, take it home for your mam he said funny really because this was not the last time i would see Bert and peter i became a good friend of Bert especially when i became older it was him who saw the owner and got me permission to fish the burnell i was issued with a permit well a bit of paper signed saying i could go at any time and take a friend but that's another story, in the mean time i fished the river Rea and i started to learn i loved to just sit beside the brook and listen to it bubbling over the stones b or sit by the falls and listen to the water crashing down and watch the water foam and swirl i was a learning i would see the king fisher and marvel at the dipper as he walked beneath the falls in fast water mum used to worry i would fall in i used to say don't worry ill be alright but i could not swim so i learned myself in the same brook the river rea i was not that good but i knew if i fell in i could get out i could only do the doggy paddle but it was enough to get me out of trouble, i could also swim out to the moorhens nest and get the eggs to take home for my mother as they were a good source of food we would have them boiled or fried the ducks eggs i really liked and i could always find a nest or two along the river bank.
I would also walk down to bomere pool in those days you had trouble walking around the lake as it was very boggy the ground would move if you stood on it there were pheasants every where you looked it was keepered by Gerry haiz and a few under keepers there were signs every where keep out private property or you will be shot on sight i was a bit to young to poach the pheasants but i must admit it did cross my mind but how i did not know but over the coming years i soon learned, i would fish the pool without much success but i was learning i did manage a few small roach, i went to school with a lads called Gerald Harris we would go to bomere fishing and birds nesting that when we got chased a and gerald fell into a hornets nest. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #988
I have walked most of the hills in Shropshire and even wales when i was younger i would get invitations from all over to take part in fox shoots even over the border into wales. I have stood in some of the big forestry plantations in the welsh hills and felt how insignificant i was. It was so quite you could hear a pin drop some of these forests were absolutely huge you could easily get lost they were dark and awesome places, the canopy of trees never let any light in and you were in semi darkness you never saw much wild life, i would stand on the ride the only animal you may see is the old mountain hair but you would see foxes they would live up in the mountains amongst the trees and bracken it was nothing to see as many a ten or twelve foxes shot on one drive, you could be standing for hours as the beaters and dogs made there way across the mountains or hills and through the forests, some of those forests had not seen a soul walk through them for years, there could be as many as thirty beaters made up of hill farmers and dogs they knew the terrain well one of the locals would put the guns to stand , we had plenty of time i would find a bank to sit down on as you would see no action for at least three hours some times we would think they had forgotten us but then out of the stillness you would hear the unmistakable yak and whine of the dogs , they were on the scent of old foxy. you would stand still and shake with excitement you knew any minute a fox would show its self and the rest was up to you if you missed the farmers would be none to pleased as they had walked miles and expected to see some thing for there efforts in fact if you did miss you would not stand again you would be put in the walking line thank god that never happened to me but i understood the farmers needed to clear the foxes because they would take the young lambs.
 The big forests of wales where we used to go foxing
 The old hill fox
Over the years i got to know some of the farmers well i fact i still do we have all aged over the years, but they still keep going and some must be well into there seventies it must be the fresh air i am sure they had one leg shorter than the other as they were like mountain goats i could not keep up with them i would be out of breath whats up with you lad they would say, i have had it, and would lie down in the heather i would be giddy but they would only laugh and say come on your only young, bloody young i was in my late twenties and i always thought i was fit but those hills would test you to the limit those farmers were used to walking up hill or down dale it was their job and had done it all of their lives so it was no hard ship for them but they were a great bunch and really looked after you if you came along an offered your help on the fox shoot, ill tell you what the times we have driven home in those days a bit worse for ware from drinking the home made beer and cider, you could in those far off days, as there was not the traffic on the roads like there is today. The other thing was you can fish my stream or lake if you wish it was all good and i made many friends over the years by helping out. well that's a bit more ill tell some more latter
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In reply to Post #987
In my early days of fishing we had very few options on what to use as bait when i was very young all you really had was bread flake bread paste and worms and if you were really lucky maggots which i collected from the abitor a bit of a smelly job but they did the job my clothes would really niff a bit. And i had many a good telling off from my parents, but the maggots worked no one else where i lived would take the trouble and collect them, i would collect the brandlings from the farm, they were in the muck heap i would collect a big tin full in no time and they were really good for most fish the perch went mad for them and the brown trout, i could go to the lake up the road and float fish for the perch and could catch them one after the other, not huge but to us young lads they were good fish, probably the biggest i ever caught on that lake was a couple of pounds we had no scales to weight the fish so it was a matter of guessing the weight, i loved the perch with its vibrant colours but a good many people in those days would eat them, as food was in short supply food was still rationed i remember being sent to the grocery stores to get our butter cheese tea i would have to take the ration book with me you were only allowed so much.
 The brandlings i would collect from the farm in the late forties early fifties
Times were very hard we used the books until the middle fifties when things started to pick up i did not know until i cleared my mother and fathers house out after they had died, that we all had identity cards i found mine it was in a grey card and stamped with an official stamp even saying where i lived i think i still have it somewhere i caught most of my carp on big chunks of bread they were not big most around three pounds but i did manage a few between eight and ten pounds these where actually weighted by the mysterious chaps that used to arrive to fish the lake they had the latest tackle and reels and some even used nylon line which was near impossible to get when i was a boy i used silk until the nylon line came on the market and became popular, i found it was not that good it was a bit thick and springy, but we got by and over the years it altered and was a lot better we really did not have that much at our disposal hooks were not that good and the shop i went to would only have those big old black jobs that looked like meat hooks but they caught with the right bait .
 The identity card used thought the war
 The ration books used in the forties and fifties
I well remember a chap called peter finch he lived our my small town he took me under his wing he was one of those mysterious chaps who crept round the lake with a big old hat on his head well in those day we called it a trilby i think it was peter that told me about using small part boiled potatoes by gum they worked where he had got it from i don't know maybe it was not him that told me as it is a long time ago and i cant really remember, but i got my mum to boil a few and would throw a few in every time we fished and we got runs using them the problem was you would not hook every one you would strike and then nothing, i found the old black hook although they looked big were not big enough and when i managed to get some bigger our success rate went up i could not get the hooks from our local shop so my dad would get them from shrewsbury or ludlow they were not that expensive i think you could get around four or five hooks for a few pence but we were learning and catching a few. well that's it for now more a little latter
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In reply to Post #986
When fishing i some times like to just sit and watch the wild life i was kept quite entertained last year by a couple of shrews, even the landowner when talking to me commented on them they were back and forth all day i had put my landing net down beside me and they kept vanishing under the net, on closer inspection i found there home it was a little hole in the weed strewn bank i left it well alone and practically every time i went i would see them they were always busy back and forth. I fished another lake nor far from my home its the only place i have seen water voles in quantity and they were quite tame did not worry about you at all. And they would eat your bait or ground bait if they had half the chance. i had a word with the owner and he said because of the big matches he held at the fishery the voles had become quite tame and were used to people being around. The owner had got English nature involved and they had been up doing a survey and taking photos. well ill tell you how bad it was i got home one night and was unloading my tackle looking into my bag there was one curled up in the bottom so it was back to the pool and i let the little chap go when we were kids we always called them, water rats and they were always shy little animals but not these i presume they are still there as i have not been lately and the owner past away a few years ago and his son took over from reports it is still being used for big matches i suppose if English nature is evolved they must be.
 The hole of the little shrew
 The lovely little water vole so scarse today
There is always so much to keep you entertained i was fishing a lake not to far from my home and saw a swift fall into the water he could not get out i watched amazed at two carrion crows swooped down a couple of times to investigate the swift struggling in the water, then all of a sudden the one grabbed the swift and was away to a tree just up the field on investigating the tree the crows had got there nest high up in the branches, this was not the last time i watched as they took the young ducklings, the same way in fact they had no fear of water the one family were nearly wiped out by these marauding crows the farmer said to me this one day have we got mink, why my ducklings keep vanishing , no said i its a pair of carrion crows and pointed the nest out well that was that the crows vanished i found out latter his son had shot them and blew the nest out of the tree they were not liked by sheep farmers. i only fished the lake to get a run or two and in one night caught 75 carp from six to 15 pounds in the end i had to pack up completly knakard and to be honest i have not been back since, i do know the place was deverstated by otters not long ago they found hundreds of carp dead on the small island , but i have since heard its being fished again and its back to its former glory i think the otters moved on.
 The greedy carrion crow
well a bit more latte
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In reply to Post #983
Davey asked me about the chicken of the woods it is a tree fungus or a tree parasite only the younger specimens taste good and that only really depends on how they are cooked it has slightly acidic taste and does not appeal to every one it is found in lowland woods likes fallen trees and deciduous trees none i have put up here will hurt you so happy forging
 Here you are davey the chicken of the woods grows on trees and such but is good eaten when younger
 jews ear can also be eaten found growing on old wood
 The puff ball can be sliced and fried i must say i have tasted this and it was very good
The chanterelle is one of the most popular edible mushrooms it has a very fruity odour smells a bit like apricots it has a mild peppery taste and is regarded as an excellent mushroom to eat this mushroom is common through out do not get it mixed up with jack o lantern which also grows in Europe as it is very poisonous and looks very similar and also grows on wood
 the chanterelle a very popular edible mushroom do not confuse with other varieties that look similar
 The penny bun another edible mushroom found under trees down the woods
 The shaggy ink cap can be eaten but if you drink alcohol it will make you very ill years ago it was used to make ink for writing
the horse mushroom is highly sought after do not get confused with the yellow stainer or even amanitas although similar they are poisonous and can make you very ill
 The Hoarse mushroom
 saint Georges mushroom another edible variety
You then have the field mushroom which grows in the meadows usually far away from trees but can be confused with other types i would pick a basket full of these when i was a youngster ill put a few photos up of edible mushrooms as it is not my strongest subject
 The field mushroom
 The oyster fungus is another you can eat
 This is another you can eat found down the woods
well that's all i am going to put up as you could fill a book on the subject so if you fancy picking a few when fishing you know what to pick some are most beautiful and i like to see them in the wild
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In reply to Post #982
A few years ago we got to know a farmer who had a small farm yard pool i was looking at it this one day when i saw what looked like a fair sized tench, so away to the house and a cup of tea latter we were given permission to fish it it was no more than a quarter of an acre and only about four feet deep we decided to float fish we were not expecting to much but how wrong can you be, we fished maggot and breads flake i really don't think anyone had ever fished this little pool they committed suicide it was a fish a cast it was quite comical as the road ran through the farm yard not a major road but a bit of local traffic they would toot there horn and wave in fact we were sitting beside the road we caught some lovely fish from that small pool i thing the biggest was around four pound plus but god did they fight the locals would stop there cars for a look are you going to eat them some would say . no i would answer but these tench were a shade of green beautiful fish really it was a fish a cast we caught a few small ones also no more than half a pound delightful little fish, we had some great days on this little pool but it came to a catastrophic end some silage got into the water course and killed the lot it was terrible to see tench dead every where you looked, the farmer picked them all up with the shovel on the front of his tractor, and buried them.
 The small tench similar to the ones we caught
Not long after he contacted me and told me to go and see a friend of his who had a similar pool it was a little bit bigger and covered in Lillie's the farmer said it was full of fish but he did not know what kind once again the road ran beside the pool but a hedge separated you from the road, we float fished once again same tactics what wonderful fishing we had you just did not know what you would catch we caught some beautiful orfe from this pool also big gold fish tench Rudd where the gold fish had come from is anybody's guess the farmer when asked said he did not know but the fish had been in for many years, they were in the pool when his father was a young man we also caught some miniature carp no more than a few ounces but they were quite beautiful, we would fish when we came home from work, and fish until darkness fell, we had some great fishing the tench went to round five pounds and would really fight but we lost a few in the extensive weed beds lilies etc but it was good fishing and cost us nothing, we fished there for many years until we lost touch with the farmer, in fact we passed it the other day i had a quick look it had not altered one bit and i wandered if the same family owned it but there were signs that it had not been fished i wandered if the fish were still there as it was in the late seventies we last fished, the water, it would be interesting to find out i may just call and see the owner it would be nice to be told the fish are still in the water after all those years . well a bit more latter
 lovely golden orfe
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In reply to Post #983
hi davey ill see what i can do in the next few days not one of my strongest subjects but ill have a go
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In reply to Post #982
Hi pete
thank you for sharing some of the stories with us, i will read the whole thread when i get chance... the mushrooms i was on about were infact the normal varieties, non haluciagenic,, lol,, so any info on chicken of the woods or edible mushrooms would be appreciated...  
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In reply to Post #981
What a wonder full life i have had i suppose old SAM had really helped and showed me so many things how to catch the humble rabbit with a snare how to shoot the pheasant but not on his patch, how to poach the trout and generally look after myself, to listen to the wild life or sit in the wood as darkness fell and hear the noises of the night, nowt will hurt you young'un he would say only another human that's what e must keep your eyes open for they are around the woods at night poaching the pheasants you know, he would speak with his broad shropshire accent at first i had a job understanding what he said but after a time i soon got used to it he would come down to my home at craven arms he would always call my mum misses and my dad the word chap he would speak up hello misses wheres the word chap today she would look at him, and shake her head, he always brought a rabbit or a pheasant down with him when he visited which was always welcome by my parents as times were very hard.
 The humble rabbit sam taught me to snare
But he was a friend he taught me to stand up for myself he had a pair of boxing gloves and would prance around out side showing me how to box i don't think his wife approved very much she would shout don't you hurt that boy SAM no i wanna he would say i think the gloves belonged to his son i never talked about him or asked about the lad but there was a photo of him in the house which took pride an place on the old side board, sam's wife once told me he had died through injuries caused from wounds in the war and was buried abroad i never said any more about him as you could see the tears in her eyes i loved them both they had done so much for me and my parents i think they liked to see me around as it was like having there son back well that's the way i saw it.
When Sam died it left a big hole in my life i was only young and was at that impressionable age i loved my parents but it was not the same i had an interest shooting and fishing and old sam shared this with me now there was no one, they found him lying in the woods with his gun in his hands i suppose its the way he would of wanted to go he never returned up at home one day and his wife notified the owners who sent a party to look for him They buried old SAM at Halford over looking the water fall he lies in an unmarked grave even i found it hard to find but we had so many things to share in the short time we had together he was a wonderful man and a good tutor and i am very grateful for all he did for me he was from the old school a good keeper and loved nature. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #980
In my younger days i would walk miles just my self and a friend called john guns in our hands and johns old dog to work the hedge rows we had no permission and even if we did, it usually ended with us taking a few pheasants it was not unusual for us to be out all day covering many miles i loved the way of life and would carry a little haversack with my sandwiches and a drink we would sit in the shade of some old tree or just sit in the woods and eat our sandwiches and chat about our lives about shooting and fishing and all thing good, i well remember this particular time ending up at a place called lyth hill it was only about three miles from my house it had a few small wooded coppice's on the hill and they were absolutely stuffed full of pheasants, they were put down by the condover shoot old bell, was the head keeper but he had loads of help with a number of under keepers well john and i got into these coverts oh what fun we had but in our excitement we forgot guns make a noise and john dog was not the best he would bark and whine and make one hell of a noise in his excitement to get at the birds.
 The beautiful pheasant like we poached all those years ago
We had shot quite a few and put them in the sack when we heard a whistle the police had arrived, i saw the one land rover coming across the track below us bloody hell john run they are on to us how many keepers i do not know but off we went through the adjacent hedge and ran down hill as fast as we could go we dumped the sack with the pheasants, hiding it in an old gorse bush. On looking back i saw old butch johns dog running after us way behind then there was a bang and i saw poor old butch lurch forward and lie still they had shot john dog Christ john what you going to tell your parents yer old man will go mad i dunno know he said with tears in his eyes, ill go back and get him john no they will catch you maybe, but i am not leaving your dog there so back up the hill i went and found old butch on his side but still breathing he was covered in blood i carried him the best way i could as it was very awkward walking and half running with a dog in your arms especially in the brambles and cover that was on that hill. I could still hear the shouting from the keepers and the police blowing there whistles, john was still crying when i arrived by his side, it looks bad john don't think he will make it home, i am afraid he did not and died in my arms, we hid the guns and pushed old butch under some under growth to fetch latter that evening, i went to johns home and helped him explain what had happened his father was none to please did we know who had shot butch i am afraid we did not but told him old bell was involved now john dad was from the old school a real wild fellow and would stand no messing ill go see him son he said, please don't dad we have been poaching the birds we have hidden them up the fields and old butch is there as well, we made our way back as dark approached johns dad came with us we buried poor old butch under this old holly tree every time i pass that tree by i think about poor old butch for he must still lie there, but that was years ago. when i arrived home that night mum said Sgt landers had been to the house and wanted to know where i was she said she did not know, he said he would be back latter and he did, and stood eying my gun standing in the corner of the room he said have you been up the lyth today young man no says i why well Mr bells been poached and we shot a dog that disappeared, and some thought it may have been you where have you been down town says i, who with a friend he could not prove a thing and when he left you could see he was none to pleased well that's another day from my life and all true, poor old john passed away a few years ago with that dreaded disease cancer,
but i still have memories of that day all those years ago the year was 1958 and its as clear today as it was then . well a bit more latter
 The shot bird in the back of my car
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In reply to Post #979
As i stood in the wood today the sun shone brightly and the clouds cast shadows, little pool gleamed and sparkled as i watched a fish broke surface at least the fish in here have not perished in the cold of winter we were there for our fox shoot i did explain that do gooders have let a lot of foxes go caught up in the cities, and we have got to clear them up poor little things can not even look after there selves, but i am afraid not enough of our syndicate turned up so it was trying to find a needle in a haystack but never the less we carried on the best we could but it was a disaster we did not shoot one but we did see three, and one even sat down in front of me he did not know i was there he was about 100 yds from me and looked in quite good nic
 a city fox
As i stood a wood pecker hammered away at the rotten tree behind me it certainly echoed in the quietness of the woods he carried on for about an hour i did catch sight of him banging away maybe trying to get the insects out or maybe making a hole for his nest but he certainly took no notice of me for i was not standing to far away he was a great spotted wood pecker, the birds are starting to pair up i saw a couple of crows carrying twigs for its nest the one thing i really enjoyed watching today was the peregrine falcon he was over the woods hunting and took a pigeon hitting and sending feathers floating down like snow from the sky they are incredible hunters and reach fantastic speeds when they swoop or should i say dive for there prey.
I was also pleased with the amount of wood cock we saw today i think we counted eleven all told lovely birds there were plenty of duck evident loads of teal and mallard nice to see now the ice has gone from the lakes, they are back in big style but they will live for another year as the shooting has finished for another year . one bird we are not seeing down our woods this year is the pigeon they would come in to roost in huge flocks and provided the guns with some testing shooting but not this year they have gone to pastures new where they can get better food to sustain there insatiable hunger, i did see some deer slots so they are still coming down to the lakes to drink and maybe keep to the cover of the woods at night its been an interesting day and a little bit tiring but at least we have been in the fresh air and there is always something to see. a little more latter
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In reply to Post #978
There was nothing nicer than to be beside a small river or stream early in a morning first light the times i have done that fishing for the trout it was a wonderful time of day you would see so much the kingfisher with his vibrant colours the little dipper even the sand martins the water vole which were quite common in my younger days and if you were really lucky you may catch sight of foxy or the badger they were great days always so much to do and see never a dull moment.
 The beautiful brown trout that i would poach in the days of my youth
I was up before the bailiffs and would start fishing at newing-ton bridge and slowly make my way upstream i used my one rod for most things in those days it was Hardy's combination rod so i could take a top for spinning which was about eight ft when made up. the other one i used for trundling a worm was 10 ft i always set the minnow trap the night before as in those days the rivers teamed with these small fish, i would catch twenty in the bottle they could not get back out when they had entered . I would kill one if spinning and mount it in a flight you put a spike through its mouth and clip the fins into the minnows body they were lethal and caught hundreds of trout using this method but i liked to use the worm either float fish or free lining. I loved free lining just a split shot on the line near the hook a couple of red worms from the farmers muck heap and you were in business i would drop it in the fast water beside the bank and let it make its own way down stream keeping in touch with my finger on the spool there was no mistaking a bite the rod would hoop over and you were in and with the light rod it gave you a good scrap this combination rod made so much difference to my fishing thinking back i don't know how my parents could afford to buy such a beautiful rod, as i have stated before when my parents died and we cleaned the house out i found a receipt for the actual rod it was 70 pounds from Mr forests fishing shop in shrews bury a lot of money in those days and combined with the Mitchell real i was certainly set up, i could fish for anything with this rod from trout to pike it had about five or six different tops including a fly rod.
 The lady of the river the gray-ling
But i had loving parents although they could be strict they always encouraged me to fish and i did even thought it meant me playing truant from school which got me into a fair bit of trouble i have already mentioned that in an earlier thread, i would carry on up the river a cast here a cast there i don't know there was so much more to being out on the river bank at this time in a morning the dew had covered the field the smell of the new mown grass cut the day before the smell of the river bank from the plants that adorned its bank it was pure magic one that is still ingrained in my memory from all those years ago, by the time i had got to the bridge that crossed the river i would maybe have caught five or six good trout, i would sit under the bridge and just listen to the sounds going on around me the water would babble as it glided over the stones beneath the bridge the dipper going back and forwards to her nest built high up in a hole in the brick work, the small wren with her shrill call and of course the robin. i would spin this section as the water ran very deep under the bridge at the far side, i would always catch a few under this old bridge before making my way back home for breakfast with a bag full of trout but i forgot to mention the lady of the river the gray-ling i would catch a great many of these beautiful fish mostly float fishing with maggot as bait which i collected from the abitor, they were great days days of my youth i would catch the trout to order for my family and friends and neighbors most of the locals were to afraid to fish the river in those days, as it was heavily bailiffs and if caught you would end up in court, but i could run and hide and i never rally gave it a second thought and believe me i have had to hide on a good many occasions even hiding in the undergrowth beside the river but that was years ago things have now changed they have recently stocked this river with salmon Parr its a good job it was not in the days of my youth
well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #977
My greatest memory is definitely my friend ship with dick walker . he was my boy hood hero dick was born in Hitchin in may 1918 and i think if i remember right he first started fishing at the age of three and went with his grandfather for those that don't know in the second world war dick helped develop radar he then went to the family firm lloyds of London who made and repaired lawn mowers also making the big gang mowers they used at ascot and race courses all over Britain, when i first knew him he supplied Shropshire council with mowers.
He did not suffer fools gladly and was also a very educated gentleman as a youngster i worshiped the man and i was absolutely dumbstruck when i had a letter from the great man wanting to know how we caught the big Bream and what methods we used he also invited me down to fish his private stretch on the ouse and stay in his private fishing hut i snatched his hand off meet dick walker i could not believe my luck. So it was arranged graham myself Dennis Kelly and a lad called George Bebington would go down for a week end the tackle was piled into Dennis car and away we went eventually reaching our destination in the afternoon.
 my freind dick walker
after a snack we decided to try our luck before dark i choose a weedy section with a central channel and proceeded to trot a float down but it was not to last looking across the fields i see this big man heading my way i realized it was my hero, he wore his trade mark big hat, how you doing pete he said i was speechless i have brought you these if there any good to you, he had two rods in his hand and proceeded to take them out of the rod bags one was an 11ft palakona cane rod which dick had designed and was made for Fred j Taylor for bream fishing it was the first one made a demo rod, i think hardy had made it, the other was a 10 ft Avon palakona cane beautifully finished to say the least i was cob smacked have you caught anything pete not as yet dick lets forget the fishing he said and go back to the hut and put the fire on and have a drink and something to eat and that's exactly what we did he had brought a couple of bottles of whisky along and we ate and drunk the evening away until the great man departed around midnight as he went he said you will hear from me again pete . well he heard from me first the gas fire had a fault as it was frosty we left it on low and nearly gassed our selves we were all sick and had headaches he could not stop apologizing pete come down and see me at the factory next week i have a friend coming from Shropshire county council his name is Kieth Wilkinson ill tell him to give you a ring at work and that is what happened, i remained friends with dick until his death in 1985, i have already written a piece about dick at the beginning of my stories so really this is for the younger generation some may not even know his name but if it was not for dick and co, carp fishing would not be like it is today so long may his memory live on a little more latter pete
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In reply to Post #976
I was just thinking back to my time as a teenager i am afraid i was a bit of a rum one they still talk about me after all these years i would as you already know poach and fight, i am afraid the latter got me into lots of trouble i would have a go at anyone that threatened my way of life, i have a few scars to show for it i was a rebel i know my mother and father were really worried about the youth i had become, at times i really did not like myself i got mixed up with a gang of teddy boys and on a Friday and Saturday nights would see us at the local dances and we would take on all comers and i mean fight i have seen broken chairs tables turned over broken noses you name it.
But one night i was brought to my senses i had a fight with a local hard character and won, a week latter saw me at a local dance in shrews bury at the music hall i went to the gents and four youths were waiting for me behind the door it was gang warfare i got the biggest hiding and kicking i have ever had i awoke in hospital with a broken nose cracked ribs bruised all over never again would that happen, i must admit the four youths had there comeuppance but that was that i looked at myself and thought no more. And that's when i took fishing quite seriously being out and about down some lake or being down the woods, anybody's woods but beside fishing and shooting i loved wild life i loved to just sit and watch the birds and animals around me i would watch the fox the badger i had no camera then only an old Kodak box camera which was not up to the job of taking that sort of picture, i would go and find the birds nests not taking the eggs just looking i would clime the trees to the buzzards nest it was all part of my life which i loved i would poach the trout from the rivers and the eels from the honey meadow as it was known in the days of my youth. By using big bunches of lob worms mostly caught on night lines from right under the keepers nose, i would poach the local woods for pheasants or hide in the hedge row and feed the pheasant raisins and sultanas then catch them with a fishing hook and line it was a clean and easy way to get a few birds for friends and family it was a wonderful way of life i would ferret the hedge rows catch a couple and be away to the next Bury i spent all my spare time out in the country side at least my parents knew i was safe.
 The buzzards nest hight up in the tree
I would hide in the under growth and watch the big shoots on the estates, and i was never once caught i would watch the pheasant crash into cover being brought down by one of the posh guns and i would be away, and if i had half the chance i would collect the bird long before the dogs appeared, i can still hear the gun saying its over there keeper in a very posh voice and watch the keeper shake his head i never went home without a brace or two we still needed the food although things were now on a better footing it was still very hard and wages were not that much i would take my air rifle down the woods and shoot a pheasant or two i could make a few bob doing this as well as help feed the family , they were glorious days the days of my youth . well a bit more latter
 The pheasents in the snow i would have one or two away
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In reply to Post #971
Davey c asked me a question yesterday about foraging for mushrooms he mentioned it was very secretive i suppose he is talking about the magic mushroom, when i fished at Berrington years ago and the hippies came down to swim who i have mentioned in an earlier thread. They were always collecting the magic mushroom in those days it was legal but not any more there was a ban brought out a few years ago they showed me what to look for and what to avoid the real name for the magic mushroom is the liberty cap its found in cow pastures usually growing in the shorter grass it will not grow on cow pats but in the grass near by of course it causes hallucinations when eaten i once asked the one hippie what it was like she said like living in a dream i am afraid not for me, the hippie commune was at the old Berrington hall they ran a health shop, in Shrewsbury i am sure she told me they sold it in a dried up form from the shop, but that was years ago they would not be able to sell it now since the law was changed.
 the magic mushroom the liberty cap
The one to avoid or so she said and i will have to look it up to be sure is the fly agaric which people do eat but can make you very sick but does cause hallucinations that's the one you associate fairies and elves with which you see in children's books it is a very nasty fungie and can make you very ill.
 The libery capes
 The fly agric that causes halucinations but makes you very sick a very nasty fungi
When i used to go and see the gypsies years ago they used to collect the mushrooms from the fields the buttons and the big horse mushrooms old jack lock always told me not to eat anything that does not look right and never eat a red one i never have, i don't pretend i know a lot about the fungi around our woods and fields but one thing i can say they look very pretty especially the ones that grow on fallen trees that are rotting away.
i know when i was a young boy my mother and myself would walk miles mushrooming she would make mushroom soup with them but you dont see many doing it today nothing nicer than fresh mushrooms with bacon and eggs but in the years following war you would eat most things and wild mushrooms were very sort after we would pick a basket full which would be shared out between the family and you neighbours. well a bit more latter
The horse mushroom we would pick in the war years
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In reply to Post #974
Davy when i fished on one lake in Shropshire a couple came around the surrounding land and woods collecting these mushrooms they were hippy type people but on asking him he said they were magic mushroom or for making the drug god its knowing which one to pick there are so many different types some are deadly and can kill They are still collecting them as we saw the same people last year they always stop for a chat i will put a bit on about fungi latter
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In reply to Post #973
Pete
are you any good on foraging or wild mushrooms and fungi?? i'd love to learn more.... but people are so secretative about it..
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In reply to Post #972
cor brian i am showing my age but seriously where ever you looked they were burning cattle i have lived through three epidemics of foot and mouth i was 25 years old then it does not bare thinking about and it only seems like yesterday 
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In reply to Post #971
One year i shall never forget was the year 1967 it was horrible ......
it was also the year i was born! 
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In reply to Post #967
One year i shall never forget was the year 1967 it was horrible i remember walking down the fields to bomere hoping to have a few casts at the pike with a spinner. when i was met with a terrible sight at the farm belonging to mr adkins there were a number of cattle piled up dead, and they had been set on fire, the stench from burning flesh was unbearable of course it was the year of foot and mouth. I suppose on reflection i should not have been there but most of the farmers around here were arable and did not rear or keep cattle. But Mr Adkins did he owned a big dairy heard and quite a few bullocks and sheep knowing the man on a personal level i felt very sorry for him for on that day his world stopped. And it was some time before he got back on his feet only for it to happen once again but he came through it all, unfortunately he passed away a few years ago but i have many fond memories of the gentleman i always remember him inviting us in for a drink on christmas eve, it was his way of saying thank you for all we had done IE the rabbiting keeping his farm yard and sheds clear of rats etc. As we sat before the roaring fire with a glass of scotch in our hands , he blurted out don't you think you should come to church with me and the wife to thank god for what you have graham looked at me through the corner of his eye as if to say lets get out of here, then Bernard speaks up and says its not a matter of what we have got, but what we have not got, i nearly burst out laughing, but that was john Adkins he was the chairman of the parish church in condover and a very religious man and he thought every body should be the same.
 the terrible burning of the cattle in the out break of foot and mouth 1967
I got on well with the said gentlemen and really had the run of his land we did all the rabbit clearance and controlled most of his vermin he was a big shooting man and always had a few pheasants on his land he always had a couple of shoots every year for his pals and neighbouring farmers , being out at night with the rifles rabbiting graham and i would take the opportunity to have a few of Johns pheasants when they went up to roost at night, we never really over did it we would shoot just enough to make a shilling or two john said to me one day pete have you seen any body shooting my birds no says i . well says john they are not showing up on the shoot like they were, some one must be poaching us, i had a job to keep a straight face, times were still very hard and we needed the money i really liked the old man and stopped the pheasant poaching on his land well i suppose you don't bite the hand that feeds you. a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #969
PM Reference book cost
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In reply to Post #968
mike thank your for your kind words some of my story will appear in milk proteins new book which i think will be launched at the brentwood show next year other than that its a bit expensive to have it made into a book unless it can be sponsored i keep hoping you never know some one may take it on thanks again mike pete
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In reply to Post #967
2 Questions Pete.
1. When are you going to put your memoires to print and make a book.
2. Can I have a signed copy.
Keep those storys coming Pete.
Tightlines mate
Mike
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In reply to Post #966
One extreme to the other bad floods have hit the upper reaches of the river severn loads of people rescued through the night it must be terrible to have your home flooded, the weather has now gone very mild but the winds are still quite bad and one or two trees have toppled over. But one thing that gives you hope that spring is around the corner, is the daffodils they are starting to bud in the garden and it wont be long before they are in flower snow drops are already up with a nice show i can not wait for the warmer weather when we can get out and do a bit of fishing.
As you get older the winters seem to effect you more, but when i was younger i never gave it a second thought i would be up the fields and through the woods to see old sam the keeper there was always a welcome fire in the grate a mug of tea or milk with a big slab of cake, then it was up the woods with old sam checking his line of traps he did this once a day he would catch rats and stoats and such but it was his job, he would take me out with his gun in the early spring and shoot the carrion crow, he had no time for this bird as it did untold damage to the young pheasants and the birds of our hedge rows, we would walk up to this tree where her nest, was she would be away before we even got there, the bird had really good eye sight, but one thing they cant do is count, so sam would say youngun walk away and leave me here Erl be back in a minute and she would bang and that was that another to hang on his gibbet he may even put a shot through the nest.
sam was a bit of a dab hand at fly fishing and would take me down the brook, i loved it in may when the may flies hatched out, he had this little six ft rod and a wooden reel he would put on a imitation fly and with a flick of his arm it would reach the other side and float on the swirling water and in a splash of spray it would be gone he would play the fish with a big smile on his face the misses will be pleased he would say and she always was, if any one comes he would say bloody run what sam, run he would say, i ain't got permission I'm poaching i could not believe SAM would poach but he did and was very skilfull at it, he gave me a go with his fly rod but i was hopeless it would land at my feet old sam would roar with laughter you will learn one day youngun, and i suppose i did but it was many years latter, some times i have been out using the fly rod, and i can still hear old sam whispering in my ear if any one comes run. Those memories from long ago remain with me they were wonderful days we would go back to that old cottage in the woods where his dear old wife would cook the fresh trout for dinner, as i have told you all i have been back to find the cottage but it is no longer there only a few stones and bricks that is all that is left of that happy home from long ago, where i spent most my childhood, and as we stood beside the pile of stones i am sure i could still hear old sam say if any one comes run. well a bit more latter
 the beautiful mayfly
 a spent may fly floating on the old trout stream
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In reply to Post #965
What a better way to spent my time than fishing , shooting, and general nature, fishing has always been my main hobby although i shoot i suppose i was brought up amid country pursuits it is a way of life and a very close knit community i have made many friends over the years some have been a big influence in my life some have been very rich others very poor but they all have one thing in common and thats the country side but even this is not what it was when i was a lad the wild life i took for granted is no longer here some seem to have disappeared, we do not see the lap wing in big numbers any more the curlew the chiffchaff the spotted flycatcher, the yellow hammer, that even seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate, these birds and many more were quite common when i was a lad the green finch seems to have disappeared completely in Shropshire i think habitat is something to do with it but not all, we can not afford to lose to much of our wild life, as i have stated once before we tread a very thin line and the country side is a very fragile place, and if we do not look after it there will be nothing for the future generations.
i have been down the woods this morning we are having a fox shoot next Saturday shame some would say yes it is i love old foxy but there are far to many running around i have had reports from other shoots who have been seeing great numbers of foxes in the last two weeks they have appeared from no where as if dropped from the sky sad really that we who live in the country side have got to clear this mess up the people that are letting these foxes go want prosecuting as i have stated before the poor little buggers can not look after there selves and have no idea how to hunt not only that but the country side can only support so many the ones we saw last week end were real tame and had no fear of man its a big shame that we as a shoot, we will have to eradicate them if we do not we will have complaints from the land owners and farmers.
 a most beautiful animal is old foxy and my favorite
In the spring i love to watch the young cubs i certainly do not want them all eradicated i take a few out with me most have never even seen a fox in the wild it is a good bit of education for them and they all go home happy, but the fox is also an old rogue i aways try and put this over to the people i take fox watching, he can and will if given the opportunity cause devastation in the farm yard killing just about any fowl ducks he can get hold of killing them by biting there heads of and maybe only taking one or two at the most for her cubs. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #964
Some of the best times i had fishing was with Dennis Kelly myself graham fished together Dennis was from the potteries and was chairman of stoke angling society he was well known in my young days for his big bream exploits and would travel long distances to fish for them. we first met when we formed the three counties specimen group which i believe is still going today. We had great times fishing together and fished a great many of the big meres here in Shropshire and Cheshire graham and i both owned A 35 vans so there was no problem traveling the first mere we encountered was colmere it was big and hard but we had a huge success on there leading up to breaking the bream record by a man called will Collins, in fact it was broken three times but only claimed once whitemere was another interesting water which held some huge fish in fact the two other fish that broke the record came from there we also fished crows mere for the roach and tench the roach grew to a good size and you would find us there in the winter float fishing we never caught any huge fish but had great fun catching them to a pound or so.
Blake mere was another one we fished catching some nice bream we had one or two sessions there with angling times the fish were not that huge but we caught them to eight pounds plus they were good days why bream you may say well what we really wanted was to catch double figure Bream which were not that common in our younger days and to show other anglers it could be done and we really did it in style, we were really well known for our big bream stints, graham and myself had just managed to get the lease of Bomere so a few from the group joined our syndicate, Dennis absolutely loved the place and spent hours fishing for the big big roach it held, we would live bait for the pike when you had one on they would tail walk they would go mental we had a few good catches of pike especially in the summer, as the lake would come alive we had angling times there for a session after the pike and roach which lasted two days it was not to bad for myself and graham as we only lived up the road and if we got to tired we could nip home for a wash and kip there was no bite alarms in those days you had to keep awake i made some butt indicators for the roach fishing which proved a big success, and we used them for the Bream as well.
 the but indercaters i made all those years ago
We fished to together for a number of years we fished Acton burnell for the tench and roach there was no syndicate in those days and i really had the run of the place, when the syndicate took over i could still fish the place as a friend of the owner we had some great nights fishing there catching some really respectable bags of tench and roach they were hazy lazy days, we even fished in a couple of big matches on the canal, at ellesmere and i won both i had the pi took a bit because my weight was only around four oz but i won and got a bit of money which was very welcome at the time i shared it with graham as i always did we had been mates for years so it helped us both.
i won some big prizes in the seventies for my big bream exploits even holidays with angling times which was spent in ireland on the black water and in denmark fishing on the guden. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #963
When i think back to the early sixties and seventies how on earth did we managed. all we had was the old garden bed chair a blanket and some canvas we have fished in mid winter and on more than one occasion we have woke up and found we were covered in hoar frost you would be that cold your teeth would chatter your whole body would be stiff and aching but we did it, we loved to be out and to catch a few we have been out in gales severe gales where trees were falling down but we stuck it out and caught fish, at times our lines have frozen in the ice i think it was then time to call it a day. I have trotted down a float on the river for the roach only to see the line freeze to the rod and rings and we have still caught but those days are now over i am at the age where i like my comfort more i now leave that to the younger generation but with the equipment to day they are better protected for the elements than we were in our days.
How wonderful it was to walk the tree lined river where the snow had piled up in large drifts beside the swirling water it almost looked black as over head the snow clouds formed once again threatens more snow ice had formed at the waters edge as i cast my spinner into the channel that was still open it was a little mepps spinner no sooner had it landed than my rod bent over to the satisfying take of my first fish, i had no landing net for it was 1959 but i managed to land this great creature from the depths, i held him in my trembling hand a stared in wonder at this striped beauty of course it was the perch i returned him to his home between the ice i could of killed him and took him home for tea but i thought i would give him a chance to live another day
 a nice perch from years ago
I walked on down the river side a cast here a cast there until i came to the falls the water ran faster here but icicles had formed under the sill they looked like daggers hanging there out i cast to the far side and slowly spun it back i hardly turned the handle of reel when i felt a savage take the rod bent over into a hoop this was no perch or chub away he went down the river i hung on and fought with all my might at last i played him to the bank and there he lay upon his side what a sight a pike, no more than a few pounds but what a fight he gave i cut my hand unhooking him on his wicked teeth, i returned him to his home beneath the falls maybe we will meet again another day. The wind got up and the snow began to fall as pulled my color around my neck it was time to head for home as i walked up the fields the snow swirled in circles in the wind, looking back my tracks had already vanished no sign of me would bailiffs find i would soon be home beside the fire reflecting on my day and maybe fall asleep and dream about things i had done or things to come another day. This is a true story around about 1959 i was seventeen years old and it was on the river rea the falls have now gone those days will never return but i have my memories of those days from long ago which only i can tell . a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #962
I have just been down the woods the lakes are still partly frozen after all the rain we have had i cant believe its now been two weeks of milder weather and we still have ice. The wind is blowing a north westerly a penetrating wind very cold i really went to help tony out with his young springer spaniel he took his four ten shot gun down and wanted myself or graham to put a couple of shots up in the air to see the dogs reaction, he sent him for a dummy and we fired at the same time no problem he did stop and look as if to say what was that about then he was OK no problem what so ever he should make a really good dog.
when i was younger this weather really never bothered me i would be out and about every bit of spare time was spent fishing or up the fields with the ferrets doing a bit of rabbiting we had some great days just netting up the holes in the big hedge rows i well remember netting two hedges rows on this one farm and catching sixty rabbits they were all netted none shot, and we got an excellent price from the dealers those were the days we would be out at every opportunity we were also giving a good service for the farmers , i am hoping to get a day or two next week as long as my health will let me, nothing nicer then being out in the fresh air catching a few rabbits it will probably be a week end so we can take young tom along to continue with his tuition about the ways of the country side
 another shot across the moors we lived not far from here the lake we fished was in the distance a rugged and remote place
If we were not ferreting we would be pike fishing on the river or one of the big lakes i loved the river we caught some big old pike on dead bait a totally different fish it would beautifully marked compared to the fish we caught in the lakes but i loved it all, there were hot spots on a river if you caught one it was usually followed by more and in a good morning we have caught ten or twelve fish some making height doubles i think we really caught the bigger pike from the lakes but i really did not mind what size they were as long as we caught and enjoyed what we were doing
 My beloved hills and valleys where i poached and shot the black rabbits when i got married in 1960
I am going to the hill country this after noon taking the wife to her parents grave then a ride on through the hills and dales wonderful country and so full of wild life it is our heritage a place of beauty and ruggedness i shall no doubt pass the old lake where we fished for the wild carp all those years ago, no one fishes it any more or so i am told to far to walk across the moor and valleys, of course we knew the owner well and he would take our tackle down on a tractor and trailer and pick us up three days latter its still the same farmer but the sons now run the place i think the lake is used for duck shooting, you can see it in the distance from your car it looks the same as it did all those years ago a beautiful place locked in time which never seems to alter well a bit more latter
 looking back to the old lake in hill country where we caught the wild carp from
 where i poached and shot the grouse and watched the fox cubs play
 another photo of the wonderfull hill country that i so love
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In reply to Post #961
I loved the piece and quite and have fished a few places where you would never see a soul other than the farmer checking on his sheep we have caught the true old carp torpedo shaped they never grew big i think the biggest we had was just over seven pounds but god could they scrap they would lead you a merry dance before getting them to the net i fished two lakes that held these fish there was no difference between either the fish looked the same and scraped the same how or when they were stocked into these lakes i do not know i would doubt for food as the one lake was to far away from civilization the other did have the farm and a few houses doted around i asked the one farmer he said they had been in the lake for generations. he allowed myself Bern graham to fish there and we had some great days catching the fish i don't think the one lake had ever seen a hook but the fish were catch-able all muscle and stream lined ill put some photos up latter
 bern and graham with the true wildies caught from hill country
Another lake graham and i fished or poached was absolutely beautiful it had a summer house and beautiful lawns that ran down to the waters edge we would park our car behind the big hedge and walk through the lush gardens to the lake we would cast our rods out and if we wished and sit in the summer house, all the time we fished the place we never saw a soul we could pick vast quantities of lob worms from the lawns and would fish for the big eels it held . it was covered in places by gorgeous lilies pinks whites we would float fish for the tench, we tried to find who owned the place, we even called at the hall that was in the grounds, but without much luck we asked the locals but they did not know but there must have been a Gardner as the lawns were well kept and cut, we fished that place for years and to this very day i do not, know who owns it. But it was a magical place to us and we had lots of good nights catching the eels and tench i think the biggest eel was only around three pounds but i know a friend who had a go and manged a six pounds plus specimen a lovely eel i saw the photo but we have not fished there for years but i imagine its still the same i must go and have a look some time it will bring back happy memories.
 seven wildies caught in one night from lake in hill country
Another lake we fished was above clun deep in the woods we poached it for some time it was a route march through ferns way over your head i knew the pool from years ago when i lived at craven arms it had a small boat house at the one end when looking at the water it looked blue asking around a few years latter some said it had been a marl pit we caught some big old Rudd from the pool we also saw some decent, carp the place had not been fished for years if ever but i never felt comfortable fishing the place. when we found the owner we asked permission but we were refused keep away from there he said, i don't want anyone near the place i do wander to this day if at some stage a tragedy had happened on that lake but he was a nice chap and gave us permision to fish his private stretch on the river severn but no way would he allow us into those woods to fish that old lake. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #960
I love my fishing its a few years since i fished the big meres of Cheshire and Shropshire there was always plenty to see the big skeins of geese and rafts of duck but most of all the beauty of the place i would lie on the old garden bed chair and watch the stars far above it always made me feel so insignificant i have heard the nightingale sing watched the planes over head there was never a dull moment. i would drift off to sleep and jump with a start as the fox, barked somewhere behind i would look at the trees and wandered how many years they had stood on that spot and if they could talk what wondrous things they may have seen, some of the oaks must have been four to five hundred years old nature is so wonderful . We would catch the big bream and at times the Tench or float fish for the big roach the big meres held, we caught the eels using big bunches of lobs . i liked the big winds on the meres, it would blow in your swim and the water would foam at your feet this was the night for the bream i would watch the doe bobbin hanging on the line between the reel and but ring away it would go an inch at a time before smoothly rising to the but ring you would sweep the rod up and feel the resistance of the fish, yet another bream you played it gently to the bank into the net you would steer your prize, and gently part the net and stare in wander at the big bronze flanks, it held no weighting the fish in the dark into the giant keep net he would go you had already pegged the net out before you started, you cast again to your chosen spot and put the bobbin on, before you even get it done the other rods away another bream hits the net what away to start you night you look within the net and lying there before you eyes is a lovely sight a huge bronze bream of double figures you tremble with delight as you gently put it in the big net . You feel so tired and yet you continue until your eyes can take no more so in the with the rods, and leave them on the rests, you cover your self with a blanket and canvas and sleep the the the night away when morning breaks you weight your fish and have your photos taken a nine pounder and a ten no more could i wish so we put the tackle in the van and away home we go still tired but feeling good about the night you have had, A night in my life fishing for the big bream on colmere year 1970 a little more latter
 A big bream fromk colmere 1970
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In reply to Post #959
Another cold morning -7 the car is covered so i will get the scraper out once again one thing i have noticed the snow drops are out and the daffodil are starting to shoot a sure sign that spring is on the way a wonderful time of year the woods and hedge rows will team with new life, the vixen will soon be having her young, the foxes we saw Saturday were definitely let go, the shoot over the fields from us shot 3 and saw a few more the one had severe mange and was put out of its misery a most terrible disease and your dog or farm dogs can catch it from being in contact with animals that have it. The people that have let these foxes go think they are doing a favour for the city fox by giving him a chance to flourish in the country side but they are very foolish and do not understand the foxes way of life they do not survive very long as they can not hunt like a true fox that has been born in the English countryside, it is also very strange territory which they do not know or understand it is very cruel and irresponsible .
I think i mentioned once before about the time i was walking my dog SAM and came across this big white van with no number plate, as i approached the driver opened the back and out shot a number of foxes, he did not see me i went straight to the farm but by the time we got back the van had gone but the farmer had trouble for weeks with the foxes around the farm yard, he had one little vixen that was always trying to catch a chicken but had no idea how or what to do he eventually trapped her she was put into a bag and taken i think without having a look at my diary she was taken to the vet what happened then i don't know, but it was when hunting with hounds was legal and they were called in a good many were either shot or killed by the hounds, this should not happen.
i love the spring the new leaves start to appear on the trees and hedges the birds start to mate i love to listen to the bird song early in the morning or the black bird or thrush singing as the dark approaches, so much new life the lambs start to be born which keeps the farmers very busy, especially the hill farmers who manage to scrape a living from his sheep a most important time of year for him, the young rabbits start to appear scampering away as you approach, the lakes start to come alive, the weed beds start to revive the moorhens coots and ducks have one thing on their mind to lay there eggs a rear their brood, where ever you look you will see somthing new on most lakes that we fish still have the old close season, most are ssi, but there are a few we can fish and hopfully graham and i will be giving it a go ,as long as my health hold up. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #958
When we first started carp fishing seriously it was hard as some of the lakes we fished had very low stocks we had no idea how to even start this would be in the middle sixties quite often when eel fishing we would hook a big carp on lob worm as it happened most that we hooked were lost in the big weed beds lilies and such. i know one lake we used to fish in the Telford area graham and i would ledger big bunches of worms we would catch a fish a cast not big but at least they were carp we were on a learning curve and catching any carp gave us a boost of confidence. I think it was in the mid sixties or early seventies we met a man who has been a good friend ever since a lad called Bern weaver he was mad to catch eels and carp we fished together at acton burnell betton really all over Shropshire's and some times over the border into wales he was dead keen his father Aubrey always came along and his brother charlie they were out most week ends and had caught some very impressive eels and the odd carp and some really good tench.
Bern with the first thirty from acton it weighted 33 pounds
Bern with his twenty seven pounds fish
Bern Graham and i were like the three musketeers never apart in fact Bern is a member of my shooting syndicate all three of us are now getting on a bit, but we can still remember the good times, when we fished in wales together i think in two days we caught over eighty fish the locals told us it was hard i was completely knackered from catching them we had fish to fifteen pounds, some of the nicest times together were at betton and acton burnell we would catch the tench in big numbers from acton and most fish averaged anything from five to seven pounds i well remember Bern catching a thirty three and a twenty seven pound carp on the same night i suppose that was the early seventies i think if a remember right it was the first thirty from acton but looking back she was severely spawn bound i had three the same night and i think graham had a number of tench some over seven pounds but they were great days we were still learning and were managing to catch a few.
 <
my self with a common from the same night
another from the same night
When i met lordy and he asked me if i would like to fish his private lake i really never looked back a few months went by and lordy asked if i would like to form a syndicate on the lake i snatched his hand off i had 14 in the syndicate and Bern was one of them we had some great times on that lake we caught chub big fish some going to seven pounds, graham caught seven in one morning, but it was the carp we wanted and managed to catch a few biggies it really changed in the eighties the Hair had arrived and i heard on the grape vine about using peanuts i would bait up often not to many at a time the fish went mad for them we absolutely slaughtered the place the other members could not believe how many we were catching or what we were using and i think to this very day they dont know. well ill tell you a bit more latter
 my rods out at acton early eighties
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In reply to Post #957
Well its been the last day of shooting for my syndicate, the two lakes had once again frozen over we had a few pheasants but one thing we must sort out is the foxes i don't mind seeing one about the place but we saw six today a few to many i love old foxy but you must control them the farmers will be having a go next as it will soon be lambing time the one dog fox i saw was nearly black first time i have seen one so dark he looked a majestic animal and in really good nick its a shame we have to resort to such measures but needs must before we get complaints from the farmers, i really wandered if some had been let go as we have been in that position before its not only cruel but very foolish as they cannot look after them selves or hunt like the old country fox the one that came out in front of me did not have a care in the world he was in and out of the wood just like he was used to being around humans a wild fox would catch your scent and would of been away but not this one unfortunately he was dispatched cleanly and so was a vixen having a look at the vixen she was barren not carrying cubs but i still wander if some have been caught up in the city and have been let go on our patch how many more there is i dont know as we did not shoot all of the wood and land but on what we saw this morning i would think more its strange how they have turned up with a week we have always had the odd one which i like to see, i shall over the next week be having a look around as i feel something is not quite right.
 the lake frozen again
 my syndicat members another year over
 end of the second drive
i had an email from a friend who is a bailiff for the federation and he sent a nice picture of a roach caught at sydney avenue shrewsbury it was two pounds eleven oz a most beautiful specimen and what made it all the better was the chap that caught it has just started fishing and this was his first visit to the severn with rod and line i would be very proud if i was him its a fish of a life time most have never seen a two pounder never mind a bigger one well done him and i wish him all the luck and i hope he contiues to fish the river i have not heard of any barbel being caught in this cold weather only a few chub but at least some are catching a bit cold for me as yet but i shall be having a go as it warms up. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #956
 my mate graham with another from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #955
 one from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #954
 one from whitchurch
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In reply to Post #951
 my dog sam who i painted better poacher than me god could he catch fish
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In reply to Post #951
 another just landed a few years ago
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In reply to Post #951
When i first moved to craven arms i was about seven or eight years old we had no money as such so we scraped by i helped the best i could as i have said before i would bring the ducks eggs home and the moorhens, one egg i loved was the peewit i would lie down and watch her land then run to her nest i would traverse the field until i found the nest they were lovely to eat small but nice my mum would pickle them in vinegar the peewit was quite common when i was young of course its true name is the lapwing, but as lads we always knew them as peewits, i could always find half a dozen nests in one field i would only take two eggs from each nest, sad today they are not around in numbers like when i was a boy. the habitat has gone for a good many ground nesting birds, another i would watch and find was the curlews nest the big grass pastures are not here like they used to be i have not seen a curlew in my area for some time sad as they were quite common years ago,
Anything to survive but i suppose the rabbit was the main stay until myxomatosis appeared terrible disease as lads we would go up the fields there would be hundreds just sitting there heads like footballs we would put them out of there misery with a big stick, it was awful it made life easier for the farmers, but some estates lost revenue as they made money out of the rabbit it was some time before you saw a rabbit and then it was the odd one it nearly wiped them out a lot of people would not eat them after mixie, but over the years they made a steady come back some became immune to the disease and are now nearly back to pre war years . as i once said i had an air gun for christmas this one year, that really altered things i got quite good with it and would shoot a pheasant or two that really helped at home i got to know the woods fields and most of the shoots around the area i loved every minute it really gave me a big kick the adrenaline went sky high i loved to out fox the keepers but they really never gave a young lad like me a second look i think they thought we would never poach and were to scared .
I was fourteen when i moved back to Bayston hill the village of my birth then my poaching really began i would walk for miles and at the age of sixteen had my first gun a webley and Scot four ten god did i shoot some birds with that and i did not wait for them to fly we needed food so it was bang and away to another spot i managed to acquire a high powered air rifle that was even better as i could go out at night with a torch strapped to the barrel or with a freind who would hold the torch but i prefered being by myself i woul;d shoot the pheasents out of the trees when at roost we were never whithout a dinner mum would worry sick you will get caught but i never did i loved the way of life i learned so much about the country side and its ways i think i walked every wood around condover bomere over to hanwood any where i coulsd get a free meal i fished the streams and rivers some stocked by the esatates for the owners and freinds to fish well i was a freind was i not i knew there woods and feilds back to front ha ha i have been chased a few times but i can honestly say i was never caught. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #946
I have had a great life i have met many friends fished shot and i have loved the country side i taught my self to fish sometimes successful other times not but i persevered and eventually caught fish i cut my teeth fishing a river in south Shropshire the onny it was strictly private in those days and heavily baliffed but that did not stop me fishing the place i got chased on more than one occasion but i only got caught once and that was not my fault the lad i was with was petrified and i could not leave him they confiscated my tackle but i managed to get it back the policemen brought it to our house and said as long as i did not fish there again or along those lines i could have my tackle back i should coco I carried on fishing it until we left and came back to live in the village of my birth Bayston hill so i hold it in my heart and memory, craven arms is where i met old Sam the keeper he taught me so much about the country side and its inhabitants.
Sam taught me so many things i am eternally grateful to him and his wife he taught me how to eel fish at stretford all about nature in general what not to shoot, that nature was a gift from god and not to be abused well that's how SAM saw it he showed me how he reared pheasants in the big rearing field they sat broody hens on pheasant eggs in little coups it was a hard life and SAM at times lived with his birds he would protect them from any predators that would destroy his hard work it was his job to make sure the birds survived he would trap rats stoats weasels even shoot the odd fox. how things have now changed all rearing done with incubators if old SAM was around now his job would have been a lot easier but most of all he was a friend that will remain in my heart forever at times i go, back to the church at halford that stands by the old water fall, i used to fish, such a pretty place to lie in slumber, so many friends now lie within the old church yard old SAM his wife and many more i went to school with, its a place of piece and quite the only noise you hear is the bird song and the sound of the river down below ,i look and leave them to there slumber i hold them in my heart and will forever more.
I have vivid memories about fishing stokesay court it was strictly private but i had a wonderful time catching the big Rudd and roach it held i have even fished the place when they had a shooting party i hid in the bushes and reeds that surrounded the place. The style is till there today where i would get over and hide my bike things have changed very little over the years and i think it is still a private place strictly no fishing its still a very big shooting estate i remember that horrible keeper that gave me a clip while i was at sams and how i got my own back by poaching his trout from the brook i had a few of his pheasants to, he would brag to sam how no one poached his patch i would smile little did he know but they were hard but great days and would live it all again if given the chance. a little more latter
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In reply to Post #949
 a very old warrior from betton
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In reply to Post #948
 graham with a chub
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In reply to Post #947
 tench bomere years ago
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In reply to Post #946
 another from lordys
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In reply to Post #945
I think we are going to struggle to find places to fish in Shropshire i hear about more fish loses every day some lakes have got away with it others have not it seems the deeper the water the better off you are terrible as some of the waters are steeped in history some i have fished all my life. The one lake has lost half a dozen fish over thirty pounds and loads of mid twenties and below are they worth restocking i doubt it very much as it could happen again, i was just sitting here thinking of days gone by the times we have had, good times by anyone's standards when graham and i were in our twenties we had the run off most lakes in and around shrews bury we could pick, an choose where we fished . we spent many hours fishing acton burnell we caught some lovely carp and tench they were lovely days no pressure you rolled up and fished when you liked, and you stayed as long as you wanted, no pressure to catch big fish you were pleased with whatever came your way of course it was nice if you caught a biggie but it was not all about fishing it was also being out and watching nature it was all part of our hobby.
When graham and i first fished nib's heath we were young and still learning we made most of our own tackle which added to our enjoyment we made our own floats, ledgers, rod rests and such things it was a long time before we met dick walker. We were two young men on a learning curve we experimented i well remember trying blood i would go to the local abitor and get a big bucket of blood straight from the tap god did the workers look at me strangely what on earth do you want blood for and by the time we went fishing it would stink to height heaven but it worked we tried mixing it with layers mash sausage rusk and maggots graham worked in telford at the time and on the way from work on a Friday he would call at the maggot farm and bring a gallon of maggots they only cost shillings, in those days, we would mix the maggots in the blood and mash and throw it in your chosen swim i think it attracted every fish in the lake we would float fish we caught perch two pounds plus every cast was a fish the biggest haul of tench was 134 pounds but would regularly catch eighty pounds plus we caught tench to five pounds a good fish for those years we found the blood would work on most lakes and really caught some great fish using it but other anglers were catching on to our big catches and it became more and more awkward to go fishing without being troubled by other anglers, i did not mind at first and we tried to help others but we found that we would not be able into our chosen swims as otheres would beat us to it, we would not take our keep nets out of the water with others present, as we would not get in that swim any more it got so bad that the police caught two anglers fishing at acton burnell and when asked there names they stated pete pemberton and graham wakley well the policmen knew me and the owners took them to court but it happened and nearly drove us to pack up fishing but i am glad we did not as i have met so many freinds over the years . well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #944
 a bream berrington years ago
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In reply to Post #943
 another nice carp
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In reply to Post #942
 a good chub
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In reply to Post #941
 another good barbel
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In reply to Post #940
 another good barbel
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In reply to Post #939
 big barbel shrewsbury weir
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In reply to Post #938
 big barbel from the severn
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In reply to Post #937
I would walk the hill country and its valleys to watch the wild life so much to see i watched a goshawk for weeks up on the longmynd he took a good many rabbits and a few pheasants but he was a magnificent bird i would lie in the heather and watch him hunt he stayed for quite some time then disappeared gone to pastures new there was always something to see the common buzzard sparrow hawk kestrel then there were the hill ponies with there shaggy coats, the Hair and of course old foxy it could keep me busy for weeks i loved to be up on those hills with the wind on my face it was pure magic i would find the mountain stream fish for the small trout that inhabited the dark cold waters pick the win-berries in season what more could i ask. i would walk for miles box on my back gun in, hand and ferret the rabbits that infested the hill country we had some great days catching a couple here and a couple there we did not net the holes but shot them as they bolted for cover it was a fantastic way to spend your day.
I got to know a small lake down in the valley the farmer said it held fish and he thought they were carp he said if i wanted a go just call at the farm to let him know i was there, well we were soon beside this little lake or maybe i should call it a gem because that what it was where do you start well i float fished it with maggot sweet corn bread casters we caught some tremendous crucian carp every cast a fish all from a pound two two pounds but did the scrap every so often away the float would slide and you would be into a bigger fish we landed tench four, pounds was about the biggest, but great fishing how on earth these fish got into the lake the farmer said he had not stocked them we got broke on a number of occasions by bigger fish i presumed they were big carp the next time we went we took the carp rods i tried every thing but could only catch on maize they loved the stuff we never caught a carp over 18 pounds in all the time we fished the place they were mostly around twelve pounds plus but we did not care the fishing was free and the scenery was spectacular it had to happen over the years it had got quite well known, and now a local club controls the fishing. i have fished it since with young Andy who's in the club but its not what it was when i fished it all those years ago. the farmer died and his son took over like all farmers the revenue helps him out its becoming more difficult to find these waters but there are a few out there i have come across a few when shooting on some of the big estates, some i have fished and have had good sport. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #936
 another big barbel
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In reply to Post #935
 another carp this one had a big sore on his shoulder
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In reply to Post #932
i have walked the roads and bye ways of Shropshire i have walked the tree lined lanes i have fished the streams and rivers i have watched the otter play i loved to fish the river and catch the barbel it held i suppose looking back we used to catch as many as 30 fish in a evening we usually went about five in the evening and fished until midnight or latter we fished two rods that's all you could handle, it was great fishing in the summer i have had chub to six pounds and i have hooked the occasional carp but i have managed to lose it because of the thick weed beds, but no more those days have gone you are now lucky to catch one barbel. Fish stocks are being depleted by to many predators that are now on our rivers, i have seen packs of goo-sanders fishing together the otter cormorants you name it we have got it on the severn. The days of my youth will never return we would catch huge bags of roach and dace,, the barbel had yet to arrive but they have been the main stay of our river the last few years i loved to dead bait for the pike i would always head for the deeper water where the shoals of roa ch were you could always catch a few pike from these spots, but no more they have gone how sad.
Things are changing from my youth the wild life is also disappearing the water vole that was so common when i was young is now very rare due to the mink but also there habitat is disappearing , when i was young the water meadows by the streams and rivers were amazed with flowers of all varieties no more all ploughed to many mouths to feed. A lot of the country side i knew when i was young has gone new houses stand where i fished and poached the wild life has gone i could walk up the road from my house and i was in the fields or clime the fence at the bottom of our garden no more its now tarmac we still have the fields and lakes and the woods i loved but a lot has now gone for housing and such.
i really wander what old SAM would say about the way its going or my grandad it is so different i am sure some people think the mink is a furry little creature which should not be killed the goo sanders are lovely to see the general public, don't care a toss about our fishing only the wild life they can see on the river bank, fish don't matter because they cant see them the likes of otters matter because they are portrayed as lovable little creatures i don't think in my time any of these animals a birds will be controlled but they should be to protect our fish stocks and our voles and birds for the future generations to come, the environment agency are doing a survey at shrewsbury i shall be very interested in there finding and what they recommend we shall see but ill bet it wont be a cull . more latter
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In reply to Post #932
i am very sorry something has deleted my one storey and most of my photos i have gone back to photo bucket they have all gone i had somthing called malware come up i then lost every thing help wanted pete
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In reply to Post #931
What a way to spend the day graham one side of the hedge me the other gun in hand ready to shoot the bolting rabbit Rodger would work the ferrets we would have netted most of the holes we could find ,but there was always a few that we missed. out from the hedge row would run the rabbit up with the gun bang and the rabbit would tumble down i have literally shot hundreds over the years we could end the day with a good many and we always made a bob or two, you would not get as much for a shot rabbit dealers liked the ferreted ones but we had a chap that would buy them shot or ferreted and always gave you the same price i think most went to france he would open his refrigerator door and there would be hundreds hung in t
 learning young tom the country way of life
 rodgers huge feeret run
more of rodgers ferrets
I did not like digging but i did my fare share luckily we had the collar with the transmitter and the hand held receiver which made things a lot easier to locate the ferret and rabbit she may of killed, we have dug down to the ferret more than once and after removing her have found as many as seven rabbits backed up a dead end. When i was young i would not ferret the big burries but always liked the small ones usually in a hedge row with three or four holes they were not as deep as a rule and the digging not as hard, we had no transmitters then so i used an old hob ferret with a collar and a line attached you would follow the line by digging down usually the old hob would move the little gill ferret and she would come back to the entrance she would be put back in the box. and you would proceed to dig the hob out, he would not leave the kill and would be on the rabbit when you got down to him, as i have said some times he had backed up more than one it was a great way to spend a day the difference was when i was young we had to catch to survive today its a hobby to make a bit of money
 rodgers ferrets
we have also used the ferrets for flushing rats from the bales the farmer had stacked in the big indoor sheds they would bolt from everywhere we had some friends bring a couple of terroirs along they would catch the rat then toss them up and before they hit the floor they would be dead the farmers loved this and were always grateful this is how we gained much of our fishing, but the country way of life is no longer here the rats are now shot with an air rifle and torch i have a friend well distant relation, who shoots up to two hundred plus a night and gets paid for it when i lived at craven arms a chap there had a pack of terriers he would go around the farms when it was dark he would kill large numbers the farmers welcomed him with open arms as he did a very good job . well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #929
I have been out with my syndicate this morning we only shot until dinner time one or two of the guns have other commitments. I am very sad and shocked about a lake i fish not far from my home which has lost 800 fish through the bad weather its part of shropshire's history gone in a matter of days, the bailiff has told me all about the sad loss via pm. some of the fish were very big how on earth they will replace them i don't know but its not just this one, other lakes have been severely hit maybe some wiped out for ever i have got a feeling anglers up here will be struggling to find places to fish even the river i think will suffered
Going back lets talk about nature not only have fish suffered in this weather but it has killed many owls the barn owl is the worst hit but a few Tawney's have also succumbed to the dreadful weather we have experienced this year, the barn owl has not been able to find the voles and mice, it hunts for. They have been there but deep below the snow so the owls could not get to them very sad such a beautiful bird I wonder how many more of our native birds have perished in this weather, the lakes were frozen once again my friend tony found a fox dead in the water looks like he drowned trying to catch some water hen or duck and fell through the ice and that was his end there were marks on the ice where he had been, very sad such a noble animal should meet his end like that.
 Bomere looking back from the keepers cottage which IS now flats i would fish the pool right under the keepers nose
 showing the extensive work done by english nature the keepers pens were just down the bank thats where i would have a few of his birds years ago
 the pool i poached years ago you can see it in the background
There were a few skeins of geese going over this morning very high going some where to feed and rest for the day they were mostly grey lags with a few Canada's flying with them, i love to watch them high above on a winters day the pools were deserted not a sign of fisherman here today although a bit of water seemed to be open at the far end of the twenty five acre lake, usually the pike fishermen are out but no one graced the banks it was a damp fogy and freezing and i for one was glad to be home i took a few photos of the wood and lakes to put up on here and i am now home in the warm i was surprised at the number of wood cock that were seen today the guns only shot a couple but it was nice to see them here. we had a good show of pheasants but lacked the guns as some had to work and could not make it so it was only the oldies that turned up but it was a good morning, it is the last shoot day next saturday and every one will turn up it will then be finished for another year how time flies it will soon be spring and the birds will sing a lovely time of year. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #928
Thanks rob very grateful for your remarks very much apprecated
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In reply to Post #924
Now i am getting old and my old bones creak a lot all i have is my memories from long ago. Times of hard ship and lots more beside to stand upon the mountain side and walk the valleys far below to shoot the mountain hair and old foxy to, watch the buzzard soar above to see the grouse on the wing raise your gun but let him pass to live another day to see the snow drifts far above it all has made my day.
To fish the mountain streams the lakes and rivers, To catch the brown trout that swam in the mountain stream trousers rolled up to your knees then slide your hand underneath his belly and in one swift movement on the bank he went, it was all part of my life that i have loved. I have laid down in the heather and watched the fox cubs play I have watched the vixen bring them food a rabbit or a hair i have got so close i could of touched them all and they never knew i was there, i have climbed the tree to the kestrels nest and held the youngsters in my hand and stared in wander at the sight. I have poached the woods of Shropshire night and day i have watched the keeper feed the birds as i sat in his the coverts not to far away, soon he would be in the pub and i would have my way a few birds in my sack and i would be on my away no mess would i make no feathers left to give me myself away.
i would fish the old pool and hide within the reeds i have caught the Rudd and the bream i have heard old Gerry pass me by. With gun in his arm and dog behind and he never knew i was there i have sat beside the lake and watched the stars above and listened to the noises of the night i have heard the vixen, scream the bark of the dog and the screech of old olut as he searched for a vole or mouse what more could one want i have raised my gun with my torch strapped on and seen the pheasant up above i have pulled the trigger with trembling hands down he would come and flutter on the ground another for the bag a few more birds and i would be home and warm my feet by the fire and dream of things to come what a life i have had and i hope a bit more to come no more poaching like i did just my memories that i treasure from all those years long ago a bit more latter.
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In reply to Post #926
well done pete excellent write up with lovely pics as well
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In reply to Post #924
when will we learn the country side is a very fragile place, as a country we will have to change our ways or face a catastrophic,
Very true Pete, it seems to be disappearing at a rate of knots!
More good stuff from you mate, loving it
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In reply to Post #925
thanks ken that means a lot
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Great stuff, Pete...Now even better with the pix
Keep 'em coming, mate.
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In reply to Post #923
I look very young in some of those photos there is lots yet to put up. i have just read in the paper about the shortage of wild birds in our fields and woodland i have stated before the grey partridge is in decline corn buntings yellow wagtails plus turtle doves, bullfinches thrushes tree pipits and lots more when i was young we took these birds for granted you would collect the birds eggs it had no effect on the population i have not seen a bullfinches nest for years no doubt there are a few about, but not like when i was a boy they were quite common tree pipits were also seen in most woods the papers were even mentioning the lesser spotted wood pecker we are lucky here as we have one or two. There was great excitement on our patch a bittern as been spotted and photographed English nature are so exited or so i am told. well i have got news for them a pair have been here for few years i have spotted them several times over the years, and have seen the bird almost freeze in an upright position, when in flight there legs lie flat behind the body they look quite strange it is a difficult bird to see against the dead reeds but its nice to see, but the general bird decline is caused by man new agricultural methods sprays, have killed many of our native birds a few survived, when will we learn the country side is a very fragile place, as a country we will have to change our ways or face a catastrophic, disaster some might laugh but i have seen a great decline in our wild live over the last few years well moa
I was invited a few years ago to a lake in south Shropshire it was a most beautiful lake covered in lilies not big, maybe a couple of acres with a dam at one end but absolutely spectacular it was in the grounds of a big school i had been shown some photos of fish that had been caught a few years before but none had been out for at least five years i did see one or two showing in the extensive weed beds i really did not fancy my chances i chose my swim and got the bivi and the tackle sorted it was so weedy but there were a few holes in the weed which had been pulled out by the syndicate, in front was an island i was using triga so one rod went to the island in about four foot of water, one went out in front into a hole in the weeds the far side , the other one to the right into another hole in the weed i just left them were they were, i did not tighten,up or such just clipped on the indicators, there were some very big perch in the pool and it did not take a friend long to catch a couple ledgering worm they were spectacular fish and both were nearly three pounds in weight i think he caught around twelve through the night all very much the same they were wonderful deep boded fish. i never had a bleep until i was awoken at 3 am to a single bleep and noticed my rod had a distinct curve , no need to strike i had a fish on deep in the weed bed, i gave my mates a shout and they came running, i eventualy extracted the fish from the weed bed he came to the side in a big ball of the stuff when we parted the weed a lovely common lay whithen the folds of the net, the first out for five years the syndicate owner patted me on the back congrats he said feather in your cap no one else has done that photograhps done the fish was returned i was offered a place in the syndicate most said it was hard but i managed to catch a few over the next few months but nothing big . a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #922
I loved bomere i knew every path it was a lot different than it is today there was pheasant every where the woods were full of wild life it was keeper-ed by old Gerry and bell from condover they were both head keepers and would have the help of the under keepers my mother would be frantic when i went there, you will be caught she would say no not me i would say I'm off to get a peasant or two and i would i had an old air gun i would lie in the bracken as they came near i would pull the trigger they would flutter and lie still, i would leave it where it was and repeat the exercise i would do this four or five times and put the birds in a sack and away to go it was a laugh really i was taking the birds from under old Gerry's nose .
I would poach the lake and cast a spinner for the pike i would keep my eyes on the keepers cottage to make sure Jerry was there i used big old kidney spoon spinners with a red tassel at the hook end i would whack it out and slowly wind back bang the rod would bend over as you felt the power of the fish it was great fishing and the adrenaline was sky high i was not only competing against the fish but the keeper as well no one on our village would go any where near the place but i loved the game because that was what it was i caught some really nice fish thinking back the biggest was only about ten pounds, i would always knock a couple on the head it was not frowned upon in those days and take them for a gentleman who lived on our village he absolutely loved cooked pike i did not fancy it at all but i made a couple of shillings out of it it all helped.
I really loved it at night in the woods i would lie in the ferns and listen to the night noises it was a different world the screech of the owl or the scream of the vixen some where across the fields the bark of the dog fox the woods are a different place at night i have took mates with me and they have been scared to death but i usually went alone i would get into the coverts, i had straped a torch to my pellet gun and would look up the tree for the pheasants pick one out and aim bang down he would come the gun made very little noise i could move around quickly by my self, and would regularly shoot any thing between six and ten pheasants and away home i would go with the pheasants safely in my sack with my gun in hand i would skirt the village and arrive at my house from the fields the neighbors where always grateful for a peasant or two we always had meat and we always shared with the neighbours in those days . well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #921
well thats it for tonight ill write a bit more tomorrow or later loads more photos to put up hope you like them some are years old thanks pete
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In reply to Post #920
 another from lordys
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In reply to Post #919
 another from lordys
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In reply to Post #918
 another from lordys
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In reply to Post #916
 the ping pong balls hanging from the line between but ring and reel
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In reply to Post #915
 andy with the beautiful coloured cross mirror
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In reply to Post #914
 big mirror from lordys
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In reply to Post #913
 another from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #912
I will put a write up latter going out for dinner today giving the wife a treat loads more photos for you all to see pete
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In reply to Post #911
 another big carp
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In reply to Post #910
 another carp from whitchurch
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In reply to Post #909
 another from lordys
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In reply to Post #908
 a bag of chub and roach on cheese paste from my beloved rea brook
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In reply to Post #907
 maybe my first thirty from bomere years ago
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In reply to Post #905
thanks keith i have had a wonderful life although i am struggling a bit now with the arthritis but i could not of asked for more if i had wished, and i still enjoy what i do, i like to share my life and ways with others theres not many of us left Kieth, am just going to put some more photos up from years ago thanks m8 appreciate your remarks pete
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In reply to Post #902
Brilliant writing Pete. It keeps bringing back many of my memories of my young life, especially catching the pheasants on sultanas etc and lifting the duck's [and larger fowl LOL] eggs and testing them to see if they sank or floated.
We "survived" for many a winter on "angled pheasant" and "snared rabit." LOL. Keep it up mate. Fantastic.
Keith
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In reply to Post #903
a carp from lordys
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In reply to Post #894
I have fished Bomere and walked the woods for many years i loved the place when i first saw it with my grandfather it had so much wild life there were ducks geese some rare as well, to me it was a mystical place when i was only seven i would go down and sit beside the lake, and just listen to the wild life, at times you could hear a pin drop and the only sound you may hear was the rapping of a wood pecker deep in the woods behind where i sat you would see the little owl the barn owl the tawny also i have even seen the long eared owl the woods at the right time of year would be full of primroses and blue bells, i would hide and watch the locals sneak down and dig up the roots of a primrose plant to take home for there garden there were orchids as well some very rare i did not know how rare , until a nature warden told me latter on .
As you approached the lake from my village of Bayston hill you would see signs on trees saying private keep to the path do not wander off the path or you will be shot on sight you would not get away with that today but the keepers in those days would shoot if you wandered into cover maybe over your head they would have been done today in court, but every thing then was in there favour even the police helped them do there job, there were big release pens with thousands of pheasants that's were i would catch some of the mature birds with my fishing line and hooked raison or sultans but that's when i was a bit older, the woods were beautiful then i would lie down in the bracon and just listen to the bird song i learned when old foxy was around the call of the blackbird or the noise the magpie made even the smaller birds made a noise it was a warning that danger was around i have even seen magpies Harri's old foxy not one but four or five, i have watched as he passed me by he never even knew i was there, i learned to keep out of the keepers way i have hid by the pens and watched him feed and water the birds, i would find the pheasants nests and take them home to mum i would always break one to make sure they were ok my mother used them for baking and such i would find the wild ducks nest if i could not reach them would tie a spoon on the end of a long stick and spoon them out i would always leave a couple as she would then carry on laying you may be lucky and have a few more latter.
It was a wonderful life mum would worry about me going to bomere because of the reputation of the owners and keepers some of the locals would not go near the place but not me i learned the tracks of the fox there was not many badgers around in those days they were killed shot or poisoned but you would come across the occasional one i found the keepers gibbet it was massed with dead animals badgers foxes stoats rats magpies jays anything that interfered with his job was killed, but not all you would think there would be no wild life left but there was there seemed to be more around then than today the keeper had to protect the birds ei pheasants partridge or he would be sacked it was how things were in those days. So it was a surprise many years latter when i was asked by the owners wife if i would like to form a syndicate on the lake i snatched her hand off well graham and i did , old SAM her husband had passed away he was the last of the old school farmers but he did let graham and i fish the lake we were the only ones allowed to fish it but old SAM would keep an eye on us, so now i had the syndicate we soon found out what fish it held and saw the occasional carp and big tench show i was determined to have a go for the carp but that was put on hold for latter i did catch a few ill put some photos up they are a bit blurred but it was years ago colour photograpy had just appeared and we were still learning and did not have the best of cameras well thats all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #900
Yes Kieth it was a lovely looking fish the colour was amazing the golden orfe grew to quite a big size first i have seen out of there i, have never seen kio in the place other than orf and commons and mirrors i suppose it is possible thanks Kieth
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In reply to Post #899
Hi Pete.
I can't see the detail well enough but that looks like a cross between a mirror and a metallic Ohgon Koi mate. I used to cross them in our garden pond in UK and it is the spitting immage of a couple of ours.
Keith
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In reply to Post #897
 another from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #895
 lass=inreply>In reply to Post #895
small pike with graham looking on
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In reply to Post #895
 another pike from marton
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In reply to Post #894
 my old mate graham
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In reply to Post #889
I had been fishing up in hill country on this small lake that held some big golden orfe and some reasonable carp when the farmer informed me his neighbouring farmer wanted to see me urgently so leaving the tackle made up i left them in care of a friend , what a mess he had, something was killing his chickens and always when it was dark it was killing at least one chicken a night a night. The chicken house was on wheels a foot or so off the ground having a look underneath i could see feathers what ever it was could be living under the chicken house the farmer was beside himself i wont mention names as i don't wont to embarrass his family as he passed on a few years ago. The chicken house was quite big and to move it you would need the tractor but you would defeat the object by moving it the predator would follow so i had a plan.
i carried on fishing for the rest of the day catching a few common carp i suppose the biggest was around eighteen pounds but nice fish my friend caught one of the prettiest fish i have ever seen a cross golden orfe mirror carp not big but beautiful it was only about seven pound i have a photo i will put up with Andy holding it the pool held two big shoals of orfe unfortunately the farmer had been poached and the lake netted at night, and a good many disappeared and some of the bigger carp, the poachers were seen with tanks on the back of a pick up pity they did not get the registration number i was asked if i could help him stop the poaching but it was ruff country and lots of ways they could get to the lake but thats another story
Getting home that night i went to see graham two days latter saw myself and graham, and his brother dick, arrive at the farm graham, had brought sue his terrier she went absolutely mad but could not get under the chicken house as it was a bit to low. whatever had killed the chickens was under that house the chickens,were going barmy so what i suggested was to fill all around the chicken house with earth and leave one entrance and in that entrance i placed a trap with a half chicken inside it was covered over with sods of grass i told the farmer not to kill whatever was caught but to leave it in the trap until we arrived.
I had a phone call next day to say he had got the animal in the trap and it was alive he had put it in the cow shed we went the following morning which was a Saturday what a sight greeted my eyes in the trap was the biggest pole cat i had ever seen he was beautiful, the farmer had got his gun out and wanted to shoot it but we would not let him, we took that pole cat and released him on the stiperstones i was a bit worried he may reappear but he did not the farmer was happy and offered us money we did not want that only the shooting and any fishing he may have. He agreed and we shot his land for many years we remained friends until his death a few years ago, but that's what can be got by helping the farmers out, i had so much shooting and fishing i could not get around it all. I have stood with graham on this farmers land and shot the duck as they came to feed on the stubble , with only the light of the full moon what else could we want nothing it was heaven and all free. tell you more latter
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In reply to Post #892
width = 500 another pike from marton
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In reply to Post #889
from pri width = 500 private lake at ludlow shropshire
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In reply to Post #890
hi andy how many if you have buried eight hundred its absolutly terrible all those big fish gone in a few days give me a ring when you can pete
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In reply to Post #889
some left m8
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In reply to Post #888
The first time i went fishing for a three day session i was only about 12 or 13 years old it was such a long time ago i know my father dropped myself and and a friend off we had an old white tent and we decided to stay in that for the three days and nights we where there. Mr Evans that owned the lake had got to know me over the years so there was no charge he also gave us some hay to put in the tent, which was then covered with an old army ground sheet very comfortable indeed, we had no sleeping bags then so it was a couple of blankets each but we kept very warm. i loved every minute i would sit by that lake way into the night i learned to put a piece of silver paper over the line between but ring and reel you would hear it russell if you had a run i would put a big old worm or a piece of bread on the hook and cast it out using our home made ledgers then put our rod in the rest usually a stick cut out of the hedge row but we caught, our tackle and tactics were a bit crude but never the less we managed and caught fish not real biggies but to us young uns a three pounder was huge.
I remember waking up one morning the sun was up we had fished part of the night and had over slept the tent was full of wasps and when i mean full they were every where. while trying to get out we got stung all over Billie had been eating jam before we went to sleep and had not put the top back on properly he left one flap open on the door of the tent and in they came, god it still sticks in my mind i was stung on the face neck and arms and so was Billie there were a few tears i can tell you Mr Evans was very good and covered us in calamine lotion which eased the pain a bit we had to remove the tent and erect it else where what was left of the jam was thrown away never again did we take jam to eat while fishing, but they were great days no worries care free we fished when we wanted i remember one night there was a big storm and the tent started to leak god did it rain and blow we got up into Mr Evans hay barn and slept in the hay we were warm as toast covering our selves with blankets and hay.
I can still smell the bacon cooking on the open fire and frying the eggs Mr Evans had given us why it smelt better then i don't know maybe it was the open fire then for a wash we would swim in the lake as long as no one else was fishing they were good days you would see these strange chaps turn up to fish the place creeping around the lake watching where the carp were feeding and then throw bits of bread to the feeding fish they came on motor bikes and such i asked a couple where they lived Birmingham they would say how they found this little lake i don't know as it was way out in the country side, some would come in old vans and set up camp bringing the wife as well one or two tried to push Billi and i out of where we were fishing but Mr Evan's or Sid as he was known soon put them right and they were told in no uncertain manner that if they continued they could have there money back and clear off. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #882
What a day i had yesterday it was windy cold and wet and i struggled to get about but one thing that pleased me i shot well and after the news i received on Friday from the specialist at the orthopedic it gave me a bit of a lift i have now been told my spine is buggered with arthritis i must admit it did not look to good on the x rays i have now got to have an MRI scan then see another's specialist but i was told they don't think anymore can be done but i will keep smiling and carry on fishing as best i can  well that my smile for today every where is flooded up my way the river is just about to break its banks i loved it when i was younger i would fish the side of the river when it was bank height and would catch some lovely chub you don't see many today doing that today why i do not know as it can be quite productive.
most of the ducks on my syndicate seem to have left and will now be feeding on the little flashes caused by the flood water they absolutely love to grub around looking for the worms on the fields that have been flooded , i will be glad when this horrible weather goes and god willing will be able to get out with the rods it did not bother me years ago i would be fishing all weathers even in the snow, some was not strictly legal and i would poach the rivers far and wide i have even caught a salmon or two i must put some photos up of the fish i have caught, off course i have caught the rainbows winter and summer and loved to fish from a punt and cast a lure on a fast sinking line i have caught rainbows to 18 pounds plus but i did not really rate them as a hard fighting fish it was a different matter with the big brownies they would fight like there was no tomorrow and if landed would always put them back . The big rainbow i caught was killed we found that putting them back did not work and most would die of exhaustion, so we presented the biggie i caught to the Condover blind school where it was very much appreciated i knew the head cook well she lived on my village she made a tremendous job of that trout and the youngsters at the school absolutely loved it and i suppose it helped them out and gave the fishery a bit of publicity. I would be up most mornings early before any clients came to fish the place and graham and i would hide under the hawthorn hedge and wait for the cormorants to arrive for there morning meal they would come in great numbers but a few never made it to the pool we would shoot them stone dead SAM was beside me and would and bring them back to my feet, i had i good relation ship with defra i had a licence to kill two a month which defra, collected to find how much trout they were eating and the damage they were doing on the fishery, they would turn a blind eye if i shot more i would bury them out of the way i have had these birds regurgitate trout up to two pounds plus horrible things ,that really need controling. tell you more latter
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In reply to Post #886
thanks ken its was quite easy when i looked i must of got a bit of grey matter under my hair some where
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In reply to Post #885
Well that was quick, Pete. You sure did catch on fast!
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In reply to Post #884
The wrens nest behind my swim i told you all about she reared her young sucsessfully
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In reply to Post #883
 the killer in the garden when i went to close he attacked me
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In reply to Post #866
I cant wait for the spring i love the time of the year you are out with the rods. years ago you could not do that as from the 16 march it was the close season now most lakes are open all year. when i was younger we would get all exited as the 16 of June a appeared all our preparation had been done which pool or lake we were going to fish what bait we would use and of course our reels were loaded with new line. Once the lake to fish was chosen we would start our baiting campaign we would bait up three times a week a little bit often we had watched the lake for weeks before starting our baiting campaign and was on the lake at first light we looked for showing fish where they were feeding and patrolling all fish have routes they favour, when you had a good idea as to where they were feeding you would chose your swim and cut the vegetation and branches that would obstruct your casting in my days you would bait up with sausage rusk bread crumbs soaked bread laced with maggots and maize if you could get it.
by the time the 15 of June came you would trembling with excitement i would arrive at the lake early i always tried to get time off from work for the first couple of days we could only fish with two rods and would have to purchase two licences i often said to graham no bailiff will visit this lake its to far out in the countryside but you would get a visit it maybe it would be in the middle of the night usually two would turn up i have been asleep and got a tap on the shoulder can i see your licence sir i remember the one year the chap i was fishing with had only got one licence the bailiff gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him off as long as he used one rod he waited until he went then reverted to fishing with two rods and got away with it the bailiffs seemed a lot more keener than today i have not been checked for years, but in my younger days the bailiffs worked night and day or appeared to.
i could not wait for midnight on the 15 June graham and i would both fish together two rods each we only had the old doe bobbins to use as indicators and if windy you could get a problem with undertow we used a night light in a jar hanging from a stick to illuminate our bobbins you would get clouds of mosquitoes around the light this one night i had a frog sit by the jar his tongue would shoot out and catch a mosquito after mosquito i watched fascinated i loved every moment and still cherish the memories another night we had a nightingale sing all night what a songster we would watch the geese come in to rest in the moonlight a lovely sight there would be hundreds mostly canada's on another occasion i had a water vole he would take the doe bobbins from our line he certainly kept me busy for most of the night but it was all part of our fishing and nature we would be tired out from watching our indicators and had no trouble sleeping when we reached home the next day. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #880
 another from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #879
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In reply to Post #878
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In reply to Post #875
pete insert the 'width=500' before the > at the end mate
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In reply to Post #876
please if any one can help me i would apprecate it ive put a few photos up i have littraly hundreds some in black and white but i keep getting them to large or to small help please i am not to good at this thanks pete
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In reply to Post #875
 another nice carp from bomere
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In reply to Post #874
 the first fish caught from ludlow in five years
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In reply to Post #873
 another from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #872
 another pike in the net marton
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In reply to Post #871
 my favorite swim at betton
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In reply to Post #870
 width = 500 an ellesmere carp
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In reply to Post #869
my old poaching ground
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In reply to Post #868
i am not to good at puting photos up i have so many ill keep trying mods can delete any have made a mess of thanks pete the one below was from lordys a bit blured i am afraid
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In reply to Post #867
very pixelated blurry picture unfortunately
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In reply to Post #865
caught at acton burnel years ago
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In reply to Post #864
another from ellesmere
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In reply to Post #863
When i was a small boy you saw little traffic on the road we did have the buses some of the farmers still used horses to plough you could walk miles without seeing a car there were a few lorries but most things went by british rail i was a completely different way of life, if you wanted to go fishing it was on your bike peddle power and that is how a lot got around. i suppose it was only the better off that could afford a car. our family managed to get a motor bike and side car i was about twelve years old then it took us every where to the sea in north wales all over but you could get rather wet and cold on some journeys even thought you were wrapped up warm .
my father would take me to where i wanted to go fishing leave me there and pick me up latter it was better than going on your push bike i would put my tackle in the side car and i would ride pillion passenger they were great days i would lie on the bank with the sun shinning over head and watch my float between the weed beds what a better way to spend your time the float would rise up and lie flat and slowly get pulled beneath the surface strike and you were in you would play the fish to the side we had no landing nets so into the water you would go and scoop the fish up with your hands they were not big by today's standard but to a young lad my age they were massive, i really did not know at first what fish they were until , some chap called peter finch told me they were carp, i got on well with peter and went with him on numerous occasions he was a mysterious chap and would stalk around the lake throwing pieces of crust into the holes between the weed beds you would see the carp sucking the bread in what a noise they made slurp, slurp, i can remember it well they would break that bread up until there was none left, but no one ever fished for them in the weeds, well another friend called chris dodd and myself did we decided to give it a go our line was quite heavy and we would coil it up on the ground behind us put a big piece of crust on the hook and give it the big heave ho we would watch that bread for hours the carp would break it up then the piece with your hook in would suddenly disappear up would come your rod and strike sometimes you would connect other times you would not, the ones you hooked you pulled through the weed, it was to thick to play the fish and they would arrive beside the bank covered in a big ball off the stuff, but you had caught looking back the biggest i had from there was ten pounds every one wanted to have a look at my prize i suppose it was big in those days, but mostly they were from three pounds to around five but we were on a learning curve the more we caught the easier it became it was a lovely way to fish in those far off hazy lazy days of summer. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #862
This is the time to fish the rivers when i was a youngster i would be down the Rea brook or the severn roach fishing i loved to fish down at the grey friars bridge shrews bury the locals have fed the ducks and swans there for decades and those roach knew what a piece of bread or a bit of crust was, there were a couple of really old gentleman that always fished together and always fished for the roach at grey friars in those days the river was full of roach and they would ledger proping there rods against the old iron railings by the bridge, i learned so much talking to these oldies and watching them there tackle was not that good the rods were green heart they did have fixed spool reels but not Mitchell's but could they catch roach, after roach, they would sit on there little stools and watch that rod top for movement it had only got to flicker and they would sweep the rod back towards there shoulder some times they connected at times they did not they used bread paste what was mixed in i do not know no arsley bombs for ledgers just the old ball ledger or at times the coffin ledger but they certainly knew how to catch the roach i suppose they were both in there eighties and had fished the severn all there lives at times the pike would strike and break there line they would play hell they were there for the roach and nothing else i suppose this would be in the late fifties.
The rivers were full of fish in those days no dredging no cutting the bank-side vegetation you could trot for the dace and catch huge bags roach by the bucket full and of course chub pike and perch no barbel then, it was a paradise in its own rights i would ledger on a Sunday morning in the winter by the old shrews bury boat house the church bells would ring out behind me it was a fantastic time pure heaven i was only about 16 years old and would bike down the severn with my rod tied to the cross bar and my old wicker basket on my back i would catch anything up to twenty roach in a morning lucky if you catch one now, i always fished with a like minded youngster called Robert willox and we fished most of the town water we had great catches and if we got bothered with pike out would come the old pike rod or should i say built cane sea rod but it did the job we would use a big old cork float and live bait a roach through the swim it was not long before the float vanished under the water and we were in we caught pike mostly around ten pounds but huge to us younguns i would arrive home in the afternoon exhausted and tell my parents about our adventure and the fish we had caught i had no camera in those days but my step father did an old brownie box camera he went on in life to be a profesional photographer i still have some of his old cameras nickons and such and would not part with them they are not worth that much but they are to me well theres a bit more . ill carry on latter
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In reply to Post #861
I loved to walk over the longmynd the stiperstones as well it was wonderful country i also loved the clee hills abdon Burke the highest point in Shropshire real wild country and so full of wild life i remember nearly getting caught up abdon burke one christmas i was cutting a Xmas tree or two i was working up there at the time and thought i would bring a few back in the big van i was driving for family and friends, i was up this tree and i saw four or five forestry workers coming my way we were into that van and away down that hill my mate suffered with asthma and it brought on a turn what a game i had, i dumped the trees over the hedge then had to attend to him he eventually came around and started breathing better with a few squirts of the inhaler it really frightened me i thought i had lost him a couple of years latter he died from a similar turn very sad i will always remember Alex he was a great work mate and friend to continue the story i went back after dark and picked the trees up in a friends pick up they were still where i had left them.
I can say it now its long ago we had a few pheasants from that estate they would roam every where i would lie in the undergrowth and shoot them with my rifle it was a big shooting estate and the owners were relations to the queen they lived in the hall way below you could see it from above, on the top of the hill i found the remains of two Lancaster bombers the wheels showed above the boggy terrain asking around they were all killed but that was many years before. there was another estate that had a big lake in front of the hall it was strictly private i would go on the big hair and fox drives the keeper told me it had some good carp in i asked permission but was refused it belonged to lord forester i was determined to have a go but it was so heavly keepered i was a bit scared about getting caught the lake was a bit open but i did manage one night on the said lake the only thing i caught was a tench which was around four pounds i never ever went again as it was to close to the hall but i did see a few decent carp showing as far as i know they are still in the water but i wont be trying again i am a bit to old . bit more latter
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In reply to Post #855
I watched a house sparrow carrying straw for its nest the other dayi think they have got there body clock wrong. i was lying in bed the other night and although i live on quite a big village i could distinctly heard a couple of foxes calling to one another the one was a dog but the other certainly was a vixen you can tell by the different, type of bark i would of thought they had mated as i have seen cubs as early as the end of february but i must admit that is exceptional it is usually march to April but i have watched young cubs playing out around the second week in April but with the weather we have experienced they maybe late mating this year.
I have known a few keepers in my life time some good some bad some loved nature but others went out of there way to destroy anything that got in the way of there work one thing i did not like and would not condone was the use of poisoned eggs i have found them on my travels left on some old path through the woods for some animal to come along and eat , usually it was injected with strychnine what a horrible death that poor animal suffered i have also seen them rolled into badger sets and they have exterminated the whole set that was the way of life for many keepers years ago thank god it does not happen like that today, i have seen all sort hanging on the keepers gibbet from badgers foxes squirrels poll cats you name it i have seen it even domestic dogs and cats in those days you dare not complain as you could end up in court for letting your dog stray so most said nothing.
my friend old SAM i never once saw him use poison he was a gentle man that really cared about nature yes he would kill the occasional fox that was causing a problem and he did snare a rabbit or two but never once did i see him use strychnine maybe he did but i never saw it while i was there and i never saw any tins with the name on the label but there was lots of different poisons used, one that caused hypothermia the keeper would inject a dead rabbit and leave it in the field or woods the crows would feed on the carcase and would die of cold but it killed a lot more than crows , Tawney owl barn owl little owl buzzard over the years things have improved but funny you saw more wild life in those days so they could not have killed all. well a bit more latter about the passed
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In reply to Post #859
hi Pete.
I see something I never seen before today at this time of year. 3 baby Moorhens. pretty sure they was Moorhens, they dived under water when i got close. like little Quails they was..
I've never seen nothing like it considering the weather we had.
The seagulls were still standing on ice on the lake beside where I see them.
I'm Really confused, does it happen?
Sorry to read of your fall. Bolt holes covered in leaves
hi pete i wander whats going on been watching the sparrows carrying grass also i told you about the magpie i have seen we had had a dove sitting on eggs last year in feb but got blown down in gales mind you i have seen doves and pigeon breed all year if the weather is ok. but not in the conditions we have just experienced the lakes are still frozen here and i see talk about the severe weather returning but its the first time i have heard about young moorhens this time of year how on earth did they survive in that cold, yes bolt hole covered in leaves still hurting but a bit better thanks pete
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In reply to Post #858
hi Pete.
I see something I never seen before today at this time of year. 3 baby Moorhens. pretty sure they was Moorhens, they dived under water when i got close. like little Quails they was..
I've never seen nothing like it considering the weather we had.
The seagulls were still standing on ice on the lake beside where I see them.
I'm Really confused, does it happen?
Sorry to read of your fall. Bolt holes covered in leaves.
hope your out an about soon Pete.
Peter
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In reply to Post #856
yes m8 no probs you will have to come up and help get the boat out with graham not had it running for at least two years your a mec but should have no probs ill let you know more latter give us a ring friday evening im in the orthapedic in the morning ill know whats going to happen in the next few months but always willing to help you know that and i think you will need a bit of help my m8 god bless pete
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In reply to Post #776
Good read. m8 ill let you know when i need the boat m8 . Are you coming down to help Are you still up for the bailff job
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In reply to Post #854
It wont be long before spring is upon us a beautiful time of year i loved the woodlands the lakes and streams at this time of year so much to see. The birds have paired and some have youngsters the blackbird thrush and many more the fox cubs have been born and some have been weened off there mothers milk. and are now eating meat anything the vixen brings will be devoured i have watched the cubs playing with a dead hedge hog the vixen had brought them and they had a grand old time to slinging it around just like a ball before ripping it apart to eat i had a couple of friends that had foxes for pets they had reared them from babies and had been found wandering in the fields probably the mother had been shot and killed Doug would bring the one to the pub he was very well behaved and would lie down under the seat but he did like a drop of ale and the landlord would pour him a pint into a big old china bowl and he would lap it up in seconds doug had that fox for many years but it always had that wildness in him it was inbreed he would stalk old Dougs chickens and on occasions would if left kill one the other friends fox had the run off the house and if he went rabbiting with nets and ferrets the fox always went along he was very tame and would not stray to far from old bill he had him until he died funny he would sleep with the dogs and i have seen him curled up next to the cat on more then one occasion.
There was lots to see, the first of the young rabbits would be seen running about and feeding on the new grass shoots, on the lakes when trout fishing i have seen the grass snake swimming across the lake i would catch her in my landing net and pick her up and admire this lovely creature she would spit a bit and they will bite but i have never had it happen to me, i would also catch the slow worm sadly not many seen today they are still about but not in the numbers they were when i was young i would worm the brook for the browns and if lucky would bring some home for tea, it was a wonderful life, and us young lads had the run of the country side we would be all off birds nesting or out with the catapult most carried one in those days and we did shot a few rabbits over the years, we would catch them lying down in the grass or nettles and shoot them with big lead slugs we had made from the seals of the pigeon baskets that held the pigeons they were let out in the thousands every Saturday they would come by train from all over the British isles to take part in the pigeon races the sky would be black until they found the right direction to take them home i would go up to the railway sidings and help with the pigeons release, then pick the lead seals up to take home not only did they make the ammo for the catapult but also ledgers for fishing what you could not buy you made. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #853
I am feeling a bit under the weather since falling yesterday but you must keep smiling and try and get on with life at least the snow has gone for now but reading the long range forecast it is to return with a vengeance, i really hope not as it has a big effect on our wild life but when i was younger it never really bothered me i would be away up the fields gun under my arm or rods in my hand, i was always out and about i would love to walk the hedge rows graham one side myself the other grahams terrier would work the hedge we would shoot the bolting rabbit or work the gorse and ferns that adorned the ruff ground up in hill country some times we could shoot dozens they were all welcome we would gut and clean them before reaching home and sell them to neighbours and friends we never had any trouble selling them the problem was not getting enough to fulfill our orders, they were great days we would sit and eat our sandwiches and drink our tea or coffee high up in those hills and never see a soul at times it was so quite you could hear a pin drop we could get lost in this magical land scape, you could watch the buzzard high above hunting for his meal maybe some unsuspecting rabbit. We were out one day and had shot this rabbit when there was a flash of feather nearly hitting me it was a peregrine and he was on the rabbit before i could get near enough to pick it up, what a wonderful sight and away he went rabbit and all, and perched in a nearby bush to eat his prey but we did not mind this is what made our day, it was about being out with nature not just the shooting that was a means to an end but a wonderful way to spend the day we did this many times and i never tired of the wonderful scenery and the wild life we saw.
It was the same with my fishing of course you wanted to catch but with me it was more than just fishing it was watching all that went on around you i even got pleasure watching the frogs in the old lake or the water vole going to his nest which was in a the hole under the bank. The lovely coloured dragon fly with there bulbous eyes the sand martins hunting the insects above the pool there was always so much to see, . you would find the robins nest tucked under the far, bank with its eggs the crows nest up in the old oak by the lake side i would clime and look into the nest and see and hold the eggs it all gave me pleasure. To watch the tench sending the bubbles up as it hunted the bottom of the old lake in search of food see the perch chasing its prey it was a great way to spend the day and i never tired of all these wondrous things. more latter
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In reply to Post #852
My god i fell down today put my foot in a rabbit hole while walking and fell backwards did it hurt then realized none of my syndicate were anywhere near so out came the radio and shouted for help. I could not get up due to my arthritis but no one heard my shout for assistance and i lay there staring up at the sky after a time i did manage to get up with some difficulty i made my way to the car and just sat there and waited until my syndicate returned from the woods, it was the last drive of the day, so i am home now a little bruised and aching all over what a liability i am lucky i had put my gun away, years ago if i had fell i would be up instantly who wants old age?
The old trout lake is still frozen over it was stocked with carp many years ago and on having a look you could see the carp dead below the ice it really is very sad that is four lakes that i know of years of work and dedication all gone in a couple of weeks it does make me very angry, but that's nature it will take years to get these lakes back to what they were while standing today i heard the geese calling in the distance and when they appeared i can quite honestly say i have never seen so many there was skein after skein and most passed over me literally hundreds to far up to shoot, they all landed on the old quarry pools mostly grey lag but a few canada's as well it was a great sight and i watched in awe as they circled around before they went to roost on the old pools for the night. A few years ago i would have been huddled under the far hedge row with my spaniel SAM trembling with anticipation hoping to get a shot or two.
Shooting and fishing have been like a bug to me although fishing has been my main love, but they both have one thing in common the country side and nature . i am no longer bothered about killing things and i am quite content to sit and watch others shoot or just watch the wild life i really have no need of a pheasant today, gone are the days of poaching to make a bob or two or a bird to feed the family but i will take the opportunity to shoot if a bird is presented over me, all the game we shoot is eaten by my members or friends of the syndicate and nothing is waisted while standing today i watched a big flock of long tailed tits flitting from tree to tree lovely little birds it makes you wander how such a small bird survives the cold weather we have just experienced i also saw two or three wrens and of course old cock robin none seemed worse for ware, old foxy was sighted once again theres always so much to see. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #851
My old springer SAM came every where with me in Shropshire, to most he was a star he was brought up fishing and would come on most sessions with me and he could catch fish he would spend hours standing in water nearly up to his neck with his paw stretched out in front as if he was ready to spring or jump on his prey, and he would his head would disappear under water next minute he would have a fish in his mouth he did this many times he was a better poacher than i. I have seen him catch trout over four pounds he would come trotting back as proud as punch with a big old trout in his mouth he would never bite them and you could always return them back to the water unharmed much to Sam's disgust.
i have stood with old SAM at my side in all weathers waiting for the geese or duck to appear on an evening flight and he would tell me the geese were on the way long before i had seen them it was his actions He would look up and get very exited he had some sort of sixth sense i think most dogs have this and in some cases can warn there owners of impending danger, he excelled as a shooting dog and at times i have had serious offers to buy him but i always refused not only was he a dog but a friend i have been on some big shoots with very posh guns lords and ladies and SAM never once let me down he found pheasants that other dogs could not, he had a very good nose and could find most wounded game, i have got sam's ashes still at home i just could not bury them he died from weil's disease from drinking infected water he had been injected but it made no difference the vets tried to save him but after six months treatment it was to much he collapsed and they operated on his liver but it was to late he died i have had many dogs but never one like my old SAM i have never had another since his death and i don't think i ever will so rest in piece my old friend maybe one day we will meet again.
its snowing here once again not nice weather i hope it soon goes the lakes are still frozen i have been approached by the bailiff well he is a friend to help remove the dead carp from one lake not far from my home, not a nice job as we ,have fished and caught some of these giants over the years and to see them like this will bring a tear to the eye but when that will happen i don't know as the lakes around here are still solid with ice and with more snow falling it could be some time before the weather allows us to remove the fish. i really do not understand why these fish have died when i was young the lakes would be frozen for weeks and we did not have any casualties could the farmers be spraying to much nitrate and getting into the water course and setting up a poison or is it as ken townly mentioned to me caused by a mixtiure of the salt and chemicals they put on the roads i really do wander or is it just to cold for the carp, to survive in these conditions it has also been killing barbel as well and when when chatting to dez taylor he said that barbel are not a cold water fish they come from warmer climes and i suppose he is right we have had mild weather for many winters and the fish were used to this, but the last three have been very cold and have killed fish in great numbers maybe there just not used to these tempretures. well a little more latter
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In reply to Post #850
One estate in Shropshire not far from shrewsbury was so private that if you were caught you were instantly in court there was so many keepers the estate stretched for miles just behind the big house or hall ran the river severn i managed to get a ticket to fish for the salmon it was a most beautiful stretch i would walk with my old spinning rod and fish the many pools i had some fantastic fish from that water pike to 21 pounds and salmon to 23 pounds in those days you could sell them to the local hotels which would make you a bit of money but those days have long gone the big runs of salmon don't materialize any more a sad really to many boats netting them before they reach our shores.
I was determined to poach that estate i am not going to mention names as it is still very private it also had a beautiful lake i expect some will know where i am talking about, friends would say don't go anywhere near the place as you will be caught well i nearly did this one night i got chased a fair way before losing the keepers by wading across the severn and lying down in the under growth on the far side i could hear them talking and stayed in that position for at least two hours i had been shooting a few pheasants with my rifle and lamp when i heard a shout saying stand where you are i said bugger off you, and made a run for it i hid my birds in a sack in some old rhododendron bushes i know there was at least three chasing me and i really thought i would be caught but i made it across the severn i waited a fair time before going back to collected the birds and my gun it put the fear of god into me and i was not that keen on going back, but i did on lots of occasions, I fished that old lake and would hide within the reeds beds making enough space to cast my rod and play the fish it was full of Tench all around four to five pounds i never weighted any i caught just put them in the keep-net, at times i would jump and hold my breath as i heard a noise behind me some where in the woods, you would hear Tawney owl and the screech of the barn owl that was bad enought but i was used to those noises what i did not like was the crack of a twig as if some one was walking about.
I caught some big eels from this lake i would leave a night line or two down and hide them in the mud between the reeds pegging them down before i left i would usually used big bunches of lob worms i would go back a couple of days latter usually about midnight and pull the lines in i have caught eels to 4pound plus from that lake using night lines, but i prefered the eels around two to three pounds to take home to eat i would have no trouble getting rid of them even the lanlord of the pub would buy them from me, i loved my way of live althought it did concern my parents but i would tell them not to worry as i could out run most keepers i was young and fit and had no fear. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #849
I have been out in all weathers and climbed the rugged terrain of the mountains that bordered wales i have watched the brown hair scamper across this rugged country side i have stood on the black mountains above clun and felt very much alone as you waited maybe hours for the sound of the beaters as they drove the foxes towards the waiting guns but i always had plenty to see while i waited the buzzard would mew above as he glided on the thermal the old hair would pass you by as he made his get away the odd rabbit would scuttle away to his hole hidden in the fern and bracon we were not there to shoot the rabbits but the foxes for the hill farmers so there lambs and sheep would be safe ,it was there livelihood.
Some of these foxes were huge they lived on the best , we shot one that weighted 28 pounds now that is big he was like a lion not all are like that but a few are a lot bigger than the old country fox that prowls the low lands, in a day i have seen up to 15 foxes killed it was doing a good job for the local farmers but it always caused me a bit of sadness as they are such a beautiful animal but alas these things must be done its part of being in the country side but it was not all about killing foxes if the farmers thought you were doing a good job and they could trust you and believe me you had,to earn there trust you may come up trumps by being offered a bit of fishing on his private lake or permission to fish the brook or river that ran through his land.
The amount of fishing we have acquired through helping the farmers was quite substantial i have fished the clun brook many times spinning its depths for the old brown trout i have also wormed the pools coming home with half a dozen spotted trout a lovely way to spend the day, we have also fished the old estate lake hidden in some forgotten wood we would not have known it was there if it had not been for the fox drives we have caught the tench the carp as well not huge by today's standard but using light float tackle great fishing the carp only about five pounds but did they go. I wander who stocked these lakes that are hidden from the human eye was it the monks from long ago or was it the land owner maybe for food who knows . A bit more latter
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In reply to Post #848
How many have walked the woods fields and streams at night and watched the barn owl under the bright moon drift across the hedge rows like a a silent ghost or have free lined a worm down some forgotten stream and listened to the call off the tawny high up in some old tree in the woods the shriek of the vixen that would curdle the blood its all part of our heritge.
To sit on some old lake deep within the country side and listen to the call of the coot or the moorhen and hear the splash of the fish way out in the depths of this old lake, to cast the rods and watch the bobbins on the line while you lie on the old garden chair and listen to the noises of the night it was a wonderful feeling you would shake with anticipation awaiting that first bite and when it came and you hooked that fish and played it to the waiting net and looked within the folds and stare at the beauty that lay in the beam of the torch it was a magic that would remain with you for ever to lift the fish with trembling hands and place in the giant keep net to weight in the morning this was how we fished many years ago.
I have watched the stars over head the moon casting shadows on the lake the call of the cock pheasent that had gone to roost in the old oak tree that had stood for centuries in that old spot beside the lake, i would wander how many more had fished below that old oak its branches stretched out like gigantic arms as thought they were welcoming you, to hear the plop of the vole it was all part of fishing that i have loved all my life. To walk the fields on a windy night with your freinds for company to hold the rifle in the forked stick and take aim at the rabbit the lamp had lit up this was our way of life or watch the badger scamper to the safty of the hedge or the wood i am so lucky i have done it all, to lie in the grass above the old hedge row and watch the cubs at play watch the vixen bring them food what a wonderfull world we live in, nature is a marvalous thing i have seen it all, i have fished for eels in some old pool and have not made a noise incase the keeper caught us there but we were lucky and never caught but we have heard him walking by we would hide deep withen the reeds no alarms to sound that would give us away it was all part of my life all those years. A bit more latter
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In reply to Post #847
Its so sad i went to my old estate lake over the week end the one i told you about old lordys lake all the fish are belly up and still under thick ice years of fishing gone forever i am absolutely gutted a bailiff friend has also told me about another lake in Shropshire that has gone the same way very sad indeed as far as restocking if we still get these bad winters it would be useless even contemplating it.
I never saw this happen when i was a youngster the lakes and pools would be frozen for weeks and some were very shallow and the fish survived but we certainly have had some very low temperatures in the last three years but we had the same temperatures in 1982 we lost hundreds of wood pigeon frozen to the ground i have picked them up frozen on the tops of kale but this year they seem to have survived, i have not seen any water fowl frozen in the snow either but it seems to have hit the fish badly some of these lakes go back centuries and i really cant see them recovering.
My syndicate shot yesterday and had a good day it was the first time for at least three weeks as most have to travel and the snow has been very bad in some of the Shropshire villages so i felt we had to cancel as there were not enough of us to carry on., i was quite pleased we saw a good show few teal and pheasants old foxy showed up in his winter colours he really looked in good nick he was left to carry on his way and until he becomes a pest and does us some damage he will be OK i like to see the odd one about the two lakes were still frozen solid even after the rain we had i hope the fish survive in these i think they may as they have a better depth of water its been a hard year for the wild life the birds in my garden seem OK but how many have succumb down the woods to its penetrating cold i did see a couple of robins and Wrens but it must be very hard for them years ago i used to make feeding stations down the woods and i would like to think it saved lots of our feathered friends but with my arthritis i find it difficult to do the things i did, carry feed and such i now leave that to the younger members of my syndicate.
I struggled a bit yesterday we have both been ill over christmas and my wife's still the same i thought i was better but i have not felt to good today must be my age well with Xmas over for another year, i could not believe my eyes i watched a magpie building or should i say patching up her old nest today as i waited for my wife at the doctors surgery she was carrying sticks and such back to her nest bit early as its only January but i have seen the rooks also adding to there nests they are always early but not this early something is not quite right maybe they can sense spring is not that far away i think we could all do with a bit of sun on our backs it makes you feel a lot better i hope your lakes and fish turn out alright but i think this weather will effect our fishing country wide. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #846
Pete tin of maggots has inspired me to write this but it was long ago without getting my diary and album out i would say around thirty seven years ago a it seems a life time ago i loved to fish my beloved Rea brook and one way i had lots of success in those days was on bread and cheese paste i would mix up the bread paste and add danish blue it would stink to high heaven but it caught me some fabulous chub and some lovely roach.
all i needed was rod and reel a couple of small ledgers or even a couple of swan shot a size eight hook landing net and rod rest and a small bag to carry you flask and sandwiches and a few odds and ends i would walk miles like this i loved the brook when it had a bit of colour in, i would fish all the pools and under overhanging banks i would stand well back from the bank cast into the pool put the rod on the rests and wait for the bang of the rod tip i did not have to wait long the tip would violently slam over and i would be in it was very exiting fishing you may if you were lucky catch two from a pool then it was time to move on to the next you would repeat it all over again and by the end of the day you could catch anything up to twenty chub and roach i think the biggest chub i ever caught on the Rea in those days was four and a half pounds but it was a massive fish for such a small brook mostly they would be between a couple of pounds and three pounds but it was great fun and i could easily loose myself it was pure magic .
In those far off days there always seemed to be a lot more wild life to be seen of course there were no mink and while you fished you could watch the timid water vole or water rat as we called it they were quite numerous in those days, i have had the kingfisher perched on the tip of my rod many times and he would dive below and catch the minnow i would stare in awe at his vibrant colour and would make no movement while he perched and fished from the tip of my rod, the little dipper was lot more common than it is today i would listen to the willow warbler and find her nest in the bushes the chiffchaff was another one you rarely see today or the spotted fly catcher she loved to nest in the ivy and creepers that grew on trees, the reed warbler was another who's nest i found in the dense
reed beds beside the river where have they all gone one thing i have noticed this year is the absence of the green finch i would get loads feeding in my garden i have only seen two this year are we destroying our nature and our selves ? you would also see the tracks of the otter they were still around but not in the numbers you see today just the odd pair.
Another method i used for catching the chub was floating bread i would feed a stretch of water with a few pieces and get the fish feeding, then drop a piece of crust in amongst the free offerings with my hook attached it was exiting fishing you would watch a big pair of lips break surface and suck in your crust in, i had loads doing this and even caught the odd trout they certainly were not returned i have caught chub after chub doing this once they got onto the bread nothing mattered and on the right day could have a bag full the Rea has still got the chub in but its now mostly trout and gray ling but i have a few friends that float fish for the dace and roach with maggot and caster and catch some respectable bags. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #845
When i was a boy the hedge rows and the bank side would be ablaze with flowers primroses cowslips violets ragged robin the meadows were also covered in wild flowers yellow rattle blue milkweed purple orchids they were a haven for butterflies it was a common sight to see foxes and the occasional red squirrel sadly lacking in our country side today.
when not at school i would be down the river or some small brook fishing another thing i did was catch the grass snakes i took a couple home but my parents did not like them in the house so i would take them down the woods or fields and let them go again i told you the story about putting one in my school teachers desk he would cane us lads for hardly anything me included, i got my own back by putting this snake in his desk i can see it now he opened his desk and put his hand in and all hell was let loose but Ive told the story before.. i was happy just walking the woods looking for birds nests i had a old hob ferret and would love to be out with him and catch a couple of rabbits that's all we lived on for some time after the war we had rabbit pie roast rabbit and stewed rabbit and i never tired of eating it
Even thought we lived in the countryside we were given gas masks i hated them mother had lessons how to use them thank god they were never needed , what really sticks in my mind is the severe winters and walking through the snow to school at times it could be up to our knees but we went the only heating was an old stove that stood in the centre of the class room. but we had great summers there was not much traffic on the roads and us lads would play football on the main road or play marbles you could not do that today, or we would be down the brook jar and net in hand catching the stone loach bull heads or lampreys sadly most have now disappeared. i would also visit prices farm which was situated next to were we lived a youngan he would shout go see if you can find some chicken eggs for the misses they were free range chickens they would lay there eggs any where in the haystack in the buildings hedge rows but i would always find a few it would two to the farmer and one to me he did not know but at times would take home a dozen eggs by gum they were welcome at home.
What days they were i would be off up the river rod in hand and spin the falls at halford i caught trout and lovely perch just under the sill of the falls it was strictly private but as a young lad i had no fear the water bailiffs would patrol the water on a regular basis so you had to keep your eye open on old prices side he kept the fishing to himself he loved his fly fishing and i liked my spinning and worming so i would fish his side as it was a bit safer but he wised up he put an old bull i the field he had a nasty temperament and he chased me on a couple of occasions but i always made it across the brook, but he was not that bad as long as you kept your eye on him i think it was only when he had a few young heifers with him that made him temperamental.. i saw my first otters on mr prices and watched them playing rolling diving and catching the odd fish i suppose the year would be arround 1949 or there abouts . a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #844
When i was young and lived with my mother it was still in the war years we had a land army girl lodge with us well i say lodge she really became part of the family her name was Joan hay i am sure she will not mind me telling her story and the times we had together yes she is still alive and lives not to far from my village. when she arrived at our house she had already got about five years experience in the women's land army. she was transferred to jimmy locks farm at bomere her job was to milk the cows by hand and machines she also hearded goats and looked after the pigs. But her real love was horses she was very happy working at bomere and as a young boy at times i would accompany her down to the farm the farmer mr lock had a daughter called rosemary and she would take me for rides on her pony as i said she had lodgings with my mother who was a young widow and had me to support.
Joan would cycle from our house every morning past the old quarry and would be at work by 7 am the farm stood next to bomere pool and it still does but in those days it was a beautiful wild place and when i was a child it was reputed to be bottomless the geese gathered in huge flocks. after a few months jimmy lock died joan was transferred once again to otley farm belonging farmer mottram he was not the easiest of men to get on with well he chased me a few times poaching his game but that was long after joan was there, she did the milking and looked after the heard she also worked in the fields old mottram found fault with most things and was disliked by most he employed he was a crusty old faggot, so Joan moved once again to Home farm condover she still lived with us and earned two pounds ten shillings a week she had to pay her keep out of that we had no running water and we got our water from the conduit outside the house this would freeze up, we would unfreeze it with boiling water.
home farm was run by Mr Cartwright and he had two sons who i am still friendly with today john and Jeff i would go down the farm and the three of us would go birds nesting or fishing in the brook Joan dug potatoes and cut beet it was a back breaking job they worked from 7am until 5 pm that was in the winter but she could be still working until dark in the summer old Cartwright so she told us once made her move 92 one hundredweight bags of corn from a lorry then carry up the steps to the granary. But as Joan once said they were happy days she loved the old shire horses and would walk them from the farm to our house at bayston hill she would tie them to an old mangle in the garden, the out side privy was next to the mangle and i would be frightened to death going past them but they were gentle animals she would also walk them to the black smith in abbey foregate shrews bury some times i would go along and ride on there backs she also worked for johnny crow another farmer . i have poached his farm many times in the past joan would always bring us some eggs home if the farmer had some to spare, they were always welcome at home, she also looked after the bull his name was bill he loved apples and she spent many hours looking after him she would cut the kale by hand and her hands would be raw, hoe the beet harvest the swedes and mangolds and pick the potatoes and she would also thresh the corn it was a hard life i feel privileged to know Joan and to have known her all those years ago she left the land army in 1948 after eight years of hard slog but we could not of got by without the land army. well there a bit more about my young life . a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #842
Its new years eve once again i have now seen sixty eight but one year to the other is always the same we do the same things we try to live a good life we go fishing and generally do the things we like to and believe me that gave me a lot of scope i loved to be out in all weather be it rain wind or snow there was always something to learn and see. how many of you on here have just sat in a wood or field and watched a pair of buzzards soar high up on the thermal a marvelous sight or sit and watch the tree creeper run up a tree around and around he would go looking for insects under the bark or watch the wood pecker drumming away with his beak on some old rotten tree i have and it all gave me pleasure.
Life is so wonderful and very precious i cant believe how fast life passes us by it seems the older you get the quicker it goes i remember when i did not have a care in the world and would walk the paths and wood land fish the streams rivers and lakes i would catch the crafty trout spin for the pike and perch or fish some forgotten lake it was my bit of paradise, i can say i have not been the best of blokes i have had my faults i would fight when i was young i loved the ring at the fair, i got knocked around a bit and still have the scares i know it worried my parents but i am still here gone are those days the teddy boy suit long gone. what i am trying to tell you all make the best off your life as it is so short when you are young you don't give old age a thought, i certainly did not but the chaps that were young when i was a kid and some i worked with have now passed on .
how things have changed over the years living is much easier no scrapping a couple of bob together for a smoke or a pint or poaching the woods for a pheasant or two no need any more but i loved those days and i still miss them, when i was young you could leave you back door open but not to today where has all the trust gone in our fellow man, you were respectful to your elders you learned respect at a young age mostly at school if you did wrong you were punished you would think twice the next time where have all the morals gone they do not seem to exist today.
I was lucky i had the run of the land i could go birds nesting not always to steal the eggs just to look i could go fishing poach the brown trout or catch the gray ling the world was your oyster as long as you did not get caught i fished the private lakes you would be out all day but you were safe from harm your parents knew you were safe. i would clime the trees up the woods and look with awe at the eggs whithen the nest. or take a rabbit from the keepers snare i did that so many times and soon learned to reset the snare the old keeper never knew i had been there they were great days we never wanted much only a full belly and a loving family thanks for reading my stories most are from an age long ago there is still more to come but that can wait in the mean time i would like to wish you all a very peacfull and happy new year to you and your familys god bless you all pete
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In reply to Post #842
Its new years eve once again i have now seen sixty eight but one year to the other is always the same we do the same things we try to live a good life we go fishing and generally do the things we like to and believe me that gave me a lot of scope i loved to be out in all weather be it rain wind or snow there was always something to learn and see. how many of you on here have just sat in a wood or field and watched a pair of buzzards soar high up on the thermal a marvelous sight or sit and watch the tree creeper run up a tree around and around he would go looking for insects under the bark or watch the wood pecker drumming away with his beak on some old rotten tree i have and it all gave me pleasure.
Life is so wonderful and very precious i cant believe how fast life passes us by it seems the older you get the quicker it goes i remember when i did not have a care in the world and would walk the paths and wood land fish the streams rivers and lakes i would catch the crafty trout spin for the pike and perch or fish some forgotten lake it was my bit of paradise, i can say i have not been the best of blokes i have had my faults i would fight when i was young i loved the ring at the fair, i got knocked around a bit and still have the scares i know it worried my parents but i am still here gone are those days the teddy boy suit long gone. what i am trying to tell you all make the best off your life as it is so short when you are young you don't give old age a thought, i certainly did not but the chaps that were young when i was a kid and some i worked with have now passed on .
how things have changed over the years living is much easier no scrapping a couple of bob together for a smoke or a pint or poaching the woods for a peasant or two no need any more but i loved those days and i still miss them, when i was young you could leave you back door open but not to today where has all the trust gone in our fellow man, you were respectful to your elders you learned respect at a young age mostly at school if you did wrong you were punished you would think twice the next time where have all the morals gone they do not seem to exist today.
I was lucky i had the run of the land i could go birds nesting not always to steal the eggs just to look i could go fishing poach the brown trout or catch the gray ling the world was your oyster as long as you did not get caught i fished the private lakes you would be out all day but you were safe from harm your parents knew you were safe. i would clime the trees up the woods and look with awe at the eggs whithen the nest. or take a rabbit from the keepers snare i did that so many times and soon learned to reset the snare the old keeper never knew i had been there they were great days we never wanted much only a full belly and a loving family thanks for reading my stories most are from an age long ago there is still more to come but that can wait in the mean time i would like to wish you all a very peacfull and happy new year to you and your familys god bless you all pete
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In reply to Post #841
The love of my life was fishing and the wild life although i have shot all my life my love for fishing came first i even played truant from school as i have already mentioned i taught my self although i went with my grandad he died in 1947 so i was left on my own with just mum , my father had got killed in the war i acquired an old bamboo rod where from i cant remember it came with an old wooden star back reel i think the next door neighbour gave it to mum for me it was better than having nothing i managed to get a few hooks and floats the hooks were nothing like you get today they were like Ruddy big meat hooks well that's all you could get the line was like string well i suppose it was silk but thick old stuff i would get a few worms from the garden and go down the Rea brook which ran down the fields from our house mum would worry in case i fell in, i would stand on the bridge and try and trot with a big plastic float and a worm for bait i certainly did not catch much but i was on my way i was proud of myself and the tackle i owned, then one day i was standing on the bridge and the float vanished out of sight i can still remember and thought i had lost it i started to reel in and felt a tug i could not believe my eyes i had a fish on was it big well it was to me all of half a pound but it was my first fish i was so proud i took it home to mum who said she would cook it i soon found out what it was as my next door neighbour Mr Jarvis did a bit off fishing himself it was a roach not very good for eating he told us we soon found out for our selves to many bones but i was well and truly hooked.
Not long after mother met a man called Albert pemberton and they got married in 1949 just after the war i was seven years old i took on his name pemberton he was a signal man on the railway and we soon moved to south Shropshire a place called Craven arms he knew i liked fishing and came home one night and gave me two rods i have had these made for you they were the old tank aerial jobs they altered my whole life i still had the wooden star backed reel i really only needed one but managed to acquire another from a friend of my dad a mr Bill jane i was over the moon just over the field from the house was the river onny only about 500 yds away i would be over the wall and down that river at every opportunity there were signs every where you looked private fishing it was stocked with brown trout thinking back shropshire fly fishing club owned the lease on much of the river, but not all, by gum they were posh and would fly fish for the trout i really did not understand what they were doing but by watching i soon cottoned on they were using artificial flies it did not take me long to learn to fish this river it also held grayling the lady of the river . a little more latter
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In reply to Post #840
Where do i start i got married in 1960 it certainly curtailed things like fishing i had very little money and i was made redundant the night before i got married i went to live with my in laws who lived up in hill country a place called the stiperstones it was very rough country we lived on the side of the hill a place called gorsty bank. my main priority was to get a job as things were still very hard i managed to get a job working for a building firm in Shrewsbury called Boswells they ran a works buss from a place called plox green i had top walk six miles to catch the buss every morning and walk back at night it was hard going then i had jobs to do when i got home like fetching water getting and cutting fire wood they were very hard times but i fell in love with the country side and its people.
As i have said before the place was steeped in folklore and in the evening my father in law would tell me stories that would make your hair curl he used to frighten me to death and when i had to walk any distance in the dark i was always looking over my shoulder, i did not know the country that well i had walked the woods and hedge rows in the dead of night when i was at home but this was different i think most of the older residents that lived there believed in the supernatural i tried to push it to the back of my mind but my father in law was a big believer .
my wife had four brothers all had left home except you youngest john who i got on really well with the oldest was called fred and lived at a place called Hinckley when he came home for a week end we would be out together he was a very hard character and stood no nonsense he lent me his gun a nice side by side it really opened things up for me i would be away over the hills the one estate was about six miles from our house the owner was a politician a man called jasper more they reared hundreds of pheasants i soon got to know the lay of the land and would shoot his property it was quite heavily keeper i suppose i was lucky i never got caught especially using a shot gun but i would have a couple of birds then i was away home, back over the hills, the birds were always welcome as i have stated before my father in law never worked because he had silicosis which was caused through mining Britte's so everything helped us get by, old jasper had a lake in front of his house surrounded with lovely lawns i would creep around the lake and fish through the reeds i caught some lovely tench when i first decided to have a go i thought it was stocked with trout but i soon found it was all course fish but he did have a few ducks on the water i would lie in the reeds and shoot them with my old air rifle which i had brought from mum and dads, they would flutter a bit then lie still some times i would have to get into the water to fetch them but after a bit of thought i cut a long stick and would fish them out from between the reeds when i had finished i would hide the stick until the next time i went, i had so many mallard over a peroid of time but they were a welcome change to our diet we never starved this is how we lived in my early married life it was hard but fun. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #839
When i was a youngster just down the road was a wood called the berrys i loved to go down as the gypsies had an encampment there they were wonderful people and lived in the old Romania caravans the caravans were beautifully painted and i really got on well with them they made quite a fuss when i went down and would always give me an apple or a handful of sweets, they had half a dozen horses which were always quite tame and well behaved old jack lock would let me ride on the back of the one old horse no saddle bare back, i would ride him up and down the path through the wood they were marvelous days they had a few dogs as well mostly lurches and terriers which they used for doing a bit of poaching old mr lock would let me go along to watch and off down the fields we would go the terrier would put the rabbits up from the hedge rows and the lurches would run them down i had some wonderful days with him. I always remember them coming to see my mother to ask if it was alright for me to go with them rabbiting, hello misses he says to my mum you got a gooden there his been coming down to see us at the vans that alright with you he will be alright you know. she let me go i was fascinated i watched them for hours they would make cloths pegs for the washing line, and then sell them around the villages on there horse and cart. Mr's lock would make little posies out of the wild flowers and also sell them if some one bought a bunch she would wish them all the luck and read there palms i think she told every body the same thing bless her but they did have a certain some thing they lived as one with nature, old jack had a linnet in a cage and it hung from the caravan the bird would sing it was wonderful to hear i suppose i was only seven years old ,they showed me how to make a catapult and how to use it i think old jack made my first one. jack was a brother to old fiddler lock who i mentioned a few threads ago i can just remember him sitting around the open fire playing his fiddle and they were all singing and smoking there clay pipes the women as well . But those days have now gone old Dollie lock and her sisters have passed on many years ago so to has jack, the family still exist but now live in houses. the true shropshire Romany gypsys have now passed on they are now history, but i knew them all the locks, the stevens, they are just two of the clans, but there were many more some poeple were scared of them but they were gentle poeple who lived the life on the road, we will never see there likes again and i feel the world is a poorer place without them more latter
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In reply to Post #838
My old friend joe lived on my village all his live and i can honestly say he was one of the best poachers i have ever seen joe died two years ago and i am sure his family would not mind me telling you all about his escapades and believe me there was many. he like myself loved wild life especially birds he would be away across the fields with a sack full of traps i know i have been with him or he would use bird lime and catch the wild linnets gold finches even yellowhammers he would take them home to his aviary and breed with them after they had reared there chicks he would return the adults to the wild. He had a great understanding and compassion for all wild things. In his garden he had his pigeon loft he had breed and raced these birds all his life i used to go down and see him and he would pick these birds up and talk to them they loved him and would respond to his kindness
I remember going to see him this one day and he was not really interested and seemed a bit distant this was not the man i knew whats up joe, buggers have got my traps who joe the police some one has reported me i think others are involved, i was tipped off Im expecting the police any time you can help pete i have got to get rid of my birds the ones that have no rings and that's what happened he popped them in a sack and i let them go up the fields the police arrived next day poor old joe denied every thing they were not his traps and of course his birds in captivity were all legal but it certainly effected him in lots of ways he trusted no one from then on exept me we were the same breed loved the country way of life but this was years ago. we would be away at night he was a great shot with his old air rifle i think it came out of the ark the stock was held together with wire but could he use it my job was to use the lamp and he would do the shooting he killed hundreds of pheasants over the years with that old rifle but it always seemed more powerful than the normal air gun and it was he told me he had fitted a more powerful spring into it but he always shared the profits with me i got summat for you pete he would say and hand me a few notes i was grateful as times were hard, but not once did i see joe fishing over the years i asked him to come but he was just not interested but he loved to be out with his ferrets although the rabbit population was not what it was he loved to be out using them joe had kept ferrets all his life we could be out all day and only catch three or four as they were just making a come back from the terrible disease myxomatosis but i dont think joe would of minded if he had only caught one as he was out with his beloved ferrets and doing what he had done all his life. It was really an honour knowing joe and when he passed my life seemed a bit empty as he had been a great freind he was of the old school and he had lived throught some very hard times. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #837
I have sat behind the rods so many times and faced the south westerly wind that made the water foam at your feet the stars shone over head and you could here the call of the coot in the distance the trees would sway over your head and you would worry that one would come crashing down we watched the planes pass way over head and you would wander where they were heading some foreign climes far away. all we had was the old garden lounger and if you were cold a blanket and a piece of canvas to cover your self up.
They were good days no pressure you were there to catch the fish that inhabited the ancient lake it was all that was left from the ice age i would wander what this place was really like so many centuries ago and what animals roamed its ancient banks . what fish had swam in its depths but we were here to catch the bream and roach our eyes would get tired watching the doe bobbins hanging from the line between the reel a but ring did it move or was was my eyes playing tricks, we could not sleep we watched the bobbin for any movement it made and when it came and slid towards the but ring you would strike with a swift movement what a satisfying feeling you got as you played that fish under the stars which you duly landed in your net no time to weight the bream you had caught back out went your bait into the darkness of the lake and into the giant keep net went your prize we did this so many times we caught the roach the Rudd the bream and carp they were lovely days. The Tawney owl would screech in the old oak over head and you would hear the fox give a sharp bark in the nearby field this was the way we fished so long ago, the water still foamed at our feet but the wind was warm you needed no heavy jackets on tonight we caught the roach then the bream and popped them in the net. the moon shone brighter it was a full moon and you watched the geese fly over head the ducks as well going to some stubble field to satisfy there hunger hundreds passed us by that night it would soon be September and we would be huddled under some hedge waiting for them to come to roost, the dog lying at your side shaking with anticipation but that would have to wait as we were fishing this ancient place tonight, when morning came you would be tired and weighed your fish what a night you had 100 pounds of roach and bream this is how we fished, then off home to a welcome bed and dream of things to come this was the late sixtys. more latter
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In reply to Post #834
Well its now melting raining here quite sharp and warmer than its been for days. hurry up the spring when the floor of the woods will be white with snow drops. From february we shoot the pigeon for the local farmers as they come into roost the one spinney we shoot gets absolutely covered in these lovely flowers from around the middle of march if not before , The brook i poached all those years ago runs through this little spinney so i know it very well years ago it was full of trout they had been stocked by the land owner for his friends and local gentry to fish although some were leased to tenant farmers, but it is all different now the tenant farmers have now bought the farms long ago the big estate that i remember are no more you could not walk on the property when i was young there were signes on trees telling you to keep out trespassers will be prosecuted or another that was a favorite keep out or you will be shot on sight there was about 16 keepers in all they had so much land to look after and two head keepers old bell was one and Gerry at bomere the other, i think there is still a sign the one end of bomere in an old oak tree saying you would be shot on sight they would not get away with it today they were a different breed of the keeper in those days.
I have had them chase me on more than one occasion and have hid up some old fir or oak tree and listened to them discussing who they thought it may be i have laid across a branch and watched and listened to the keepers telling PC Stan sharp and Sgt landers all about the incident and how they thought there may of been more than one taking the trout i could hardly contain my self from laughing more than one there was only me, i was on the village a few days after the incident and PC sharp called me over i saw you up that tree the other night pete i was cob smacked to say the least did the Sgt landers know, i did not tell him says old Stan i happened to look up and saw your face in the semi darkness it was you was it not i really did not know what to say no it wanna me Mr sharp i was no where near he just smiled and said let that be a lesson to you as i don't want to see you there again, funny really years after i was working at the local fire station fitting the radios in the appliances and old Stan was working there he had retired from the police and was now the handy man at the fire station every time i saw him he always reminded me of that night many years before and we would have a few laughs about it but i never really told him it was me he asked and i would say no but he would have none of it he was convinced it was me and i suppose he was right but stan has now gone like many before him god rest his soul but i will always remember that night many years before . more latter
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In reply to Post #835
hi James i have had some put on already a few threads back about my fishing days ill see whats in the album i have some going back years when i was eleven or twelve i have some of foxes also but not appropriate to put on here and albums of fish and general nature, problem is i am not to good at putting them up i emailed them to big dave in cumbria last time and he put them up. there will be some appearing in jasons new book which is being launched latter next year thanks james i am glad you like my stories happy new year to your self and family god bless pete
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In reply to Post #834
pete
Ive enjoyed your writings of days gone by as much as anybody. You have mentioned photos acouple of times,if you have any old ones to share on here thatwould be great.
happy new year to you
james
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In reply to Post #831
i have walked the lanes of Shropshire and traversed hill and vales Ive climbed the trees to the crows nest, and looked upon its eggs , i have seen the young buzzards and held them in my hand, i have stood on wen-lock edge and watched the rolling Shropshire planes and thought what a lucky man i have been, i have walked one end to the other meeting many on the way most i met were simple men that would not hurt a fly but one thing bound us together was nature and her ways. My friends and i have shot the pheasant and the woodcock to we have watched the humble fox cross the rolling hills and vales, and shot the rabbit as he bolts from his hole within the hedge i have fished the streams and rivers catching the gray-ling and the trout Ive cast a fly in the twilight for that wily trout and held him in my hand and admired his lovely colour and returned that handsome fellow to fight another day, i have seen the streak of blue as it passes me in flight looking for his evening meal i have watched the dipper walk under water by the water fall, i have found the nest of the fly catcher with her eggs in the tree above the falls what more could i ask i have shot the duck on a moonlight night waiting on the stuble seen the geese come on high the grey lags and the Canada's going to there place of roost and have shed a tear at this wonderful sight, i am but a simple man that does not ask for much only to fish and shoot and watch the nature and her ways. to pick the mushrooms in season and blackberries to to dig a few potatoes from the farmers field poach the pheasents and the rabbits. To also fish the streams owned by the the big estates, be by the river in the night free line the worm towards the pool under neath the over hanging trees under the far bank and feel the vicous take and bring another trout to hand we will not starve, another four or five and ill be home. To listen to the nosies of the night they all ment so much to me the scream of the vixen or the bark of the dog fox were noises that i loved and i knew i was not alone no need to run and hide tonight the keepers were not around just a bit about my life and i hope you have all enjoyed it as much as i have over all the years, i can not run anymore my legs are buggered and my old bones creak with age, no poaching any more but i have my memories of those times long ago and the woods i used to walk and take the pheasents, most still stand but are not the same the keepers have now all gone so long ago and rest in slumber in the old church yard, maybe there ghosts still haunt the rides of these ancient woods on certain nights i dont know as im not there no need to poach anymore those days have gone long ago never to return. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #832
Thanks ash i really appreciate your remarks a happy new year to you and your family god bless pete
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In reply to Post #831
so i think a bit off magic helps them along the way.
and your certainly providing that for us all here as well Pete
Your a lovely bloke and providing some real 'hairs stand up on the back of my neck' moments with this thread!
I wish you good health and happiness for the new year Pete
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In reply to Post #826
I am not feeling to good today full up with a cold and a bit of man flue so i really am feeling a bit sorry for myself i should really of stayed in bed and wrote this on the lap top but i have so much to do i hope you all had what you wanted i certainly did no fishing tackle as i have loads and really did not want any but i have received a new printer a three in one job that scans prints and does the photos i have already got one but that's up stairs, but i have the new one with my computer in the living room and also one of those photo frames you can load all your photos to and play them back so i have done rather well good old Santa.
i can remember all those years ago when i was a youngster when your mum and dad would say if you don't go to bed and sleep Santa wont come well i tried to stay awake and would look out of my bedroom window hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa and his reindeer and sleigh i was lucky to have had loving parents as they always provided us with a christmas. my cousin jean would always stay over festive period and we would get that exited on Xmas eve looking back i think mum and dad must of had quite a time trying to quieten us down, But it is a magical time of year i have played father christmas a number of times over the years for the children of our village and the look on there young faces always fills me with pleasure and brings a tear to my eyes, i have also done, it for the old folk at the home and i really feel that some who have lost there capability to remember still believe in Santa its what i call there second child hood, bless them every one as they have lived through difficult times with war and food rationing and most had very little money so i think a bit off magic helps them along the way.
some times i wandered where my parents got the money as in those days my step father was only a signal man on the railway but they certainly looked after us as children i have told you all about the one christmas i woke up to a find new split cane rod made by hardy it could be used for fly fishing spinning and float fishing a combination rod we found the receipt when clearing my parents house out when they both died, 70, pounds he paid for that from Gordon forests fishing shop in shrews bury good god that was an enormous amount of money in those days i also had my first Michell reel with the rod i was only about twelve years old they always encouraged me top fish well i suppose shoot as well as i awoke one christmas morning to a brand new air gun and pellets that gun became my second arm and although not that powerful would bring the dinner home i soon learned to stalk the rabbit and get close enough for a head shot it was around the time of the big myxomatosis kill which really decimated the rabbits for some years you would still see isolated pockets of rabbits but they were left alone to survive i soon learned to shoot the pheasants and i got quite accurate with it so we did not starve i know this is not about fishing but about a time when people really struggled to survive and live but they were good times where every one pulled together but sadly that does not happen any more some don't even know there next door neighbour, very sad really but i suppose that's progress more latter
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In reply to Post #829
thank you so much for those kind words fred very much appreciate them hope you had a great day yesterday so may i will wish you and your family a very happy and peaceful new year thanks again god bless pete
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In reply to Post #828
Pete your way with words is so accurate in describing past events that you give the reader a real feeling for what you have seen through your eyes, i read a lot of books by famous profesional authors and beleive me you have a talent just keep writing as you have untold fans on this forum , and you are giving a lot of pleasure with your stories of old.
May you have many years to come and merry christmas to you and your family
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In reply to Post #827
Thanks taffi me old mate the same to you and your family have a great time and piece to you all
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In reply to Post #826
Merry Christmas Pete. Always love reading your bio my friend.
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In reply to Post #822
it was christmas eve as i walked the path that went through the wood the snow was falling like feathers from the sky the pool was frozen , but all was well i was fourteen years old i was there to hear the haunted bells that was reputed to sound from the depths of the old 25 acre lake i would laught at such statements but as we stopped you could hear the unmistakable peel of church bells bloody hell said my mate Gerald I'm going he was as white as the snow lets go pete, no says i its no ghostly bells, there was a slight breeze and the lake was in a hollow below where we were standing the church at condover was only two miles away and it was their evening service the bells were really from the church but carried on the breeze and sounded like they were coming from the lake, but i must admit for a minute i thought we had heard the hunted bells of bomere pool, it goes to show how rumors start although i have fished the place many times and have been told it is hunted i am yet to be convinced i have seen nowt worse than my self i really think it was put about to stop the poachers from long ago, but it never stopped me from fishing the place or taking a few pheasants the only Person i was frightened of was the keeper and his assistants . i had poached this old place many times over the years and i knew it back to front i knew where to run if i was chased and which was the best place to hide. Just over the field from bomere lived old mr mc cartney he was a terrible man and ran his farm with an iron rod putting the fear of Christ into his labourers and he really frightened the locals he was a bully and to some a very bad man he had a small pool on his land no one would chance thier arm and fish it but i was not going to be put off by him or his attitude towards others he had caught on his land. I would be on that pool before he had even got from his bed i would float fish the place and caught some very nice Rudd and tench, after a time i went and asked him if i could fish his lake he told me to bugger off, and if he caught me he would stick his boot up my bum . By the time i was sixteen i owned my first gun he had a strip of woodland with mixed trees of oak birch and a few conifers i poached that woodland many times and shot the pheasants with my old webley four ten, one day i heard this shout he had discovered i was there come out yer bugger he shouted i was out the other side and away up the bank behind the house stop he shouted or ill fire and he did ,i heard the pellets hit the tree over my head, on i went and managed to make the main road. After hiding my gun and pheasants under some briers by the railway bridge i managed to get home i said to my parents the police may call and told them the farmer had shot at me wheres your gun dad said under some brambles they will not find it i was right half an hour latter, old Sgt landers arrived on our door step could he see me yes said mum, have you been out shooting today no , where have you been then he says, down town says i, why some one was out poaching mr mc cartnys ground he thought it was you, he could not prove a thing if only he had asked to see my gun i would have been in big trouble so i got away once again, i recovered the gun latter that evening and six pheasants and i never went near that old buggers land for some time . well a bit more latter a merry christmas to you all
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In reply to Post #823
A big thank you Pete for all your stories, always a must read thread for me and I really hope you can get the book sorted next year. Seasons greetings to you and your family and I hope your wife gets better soon.
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In reply to Post #823
Hi Pete.
Thank you for your inspiring an vivid images you have envoked in me again over the last twelve months.
You are a kick up the arse for me at least to enjoy what I do.
I hope your Santa brings warmth and love and good health to you an your family..
Best Wishes Pete.
Peter.
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In reply to Post #822
Its Christmas eve tomorrow and i may not be able to put a story on owing to family commitment it will be a busy day and they must come first. So i would like to wish those who have read my stories and have asked and encouraged me to continue . A very happy christmas and a prosperous new year and may i wish you piece and happiness for the coming year god bless you all pete thanks again for your support plenty more to come
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In reply to Post #821
I have been up in hill country this morning i was asked by the family i would put a wreath on my in laws grave no problems i managed to get to the church there had been about a ft or more of snow it really brought back some happy memories the snow looked absolutely beautiful on the fir woods high up on the mountains, i took my camera with me and managed a few shots it is the most beautiful country and it is known locally as gods own country the whole place is full of mystery and legends, of ghosts and such that abound around the place i have personally never seen a thing, but i know of others that have, one such man was my father in law, legend has it if England go to war on are threatened in any way the Anglo Saxon chief wild edric is seen to ride with his clan across the mountain tops of the stiperstones well just before the second world war my father in law was returning from his day shift at the habberley mines and was crossing the hills on his way home it was a moonlight night and he was surprised to see horse men coming towards him especially at this time and in the dark, but he was more surprised when they reached him he shouted out to them but they failed to stop the one was covered in golden armour and it shone in the moonlight he had a great sword strapped to his side the other horse men where dressed similar and the moon shone on there golden hair with blew in the breeze as they past,him by and at the rear were three or four big wolf hounds as they disappeared, from sight he distinctly heard the sound of a horn blowing this was the account he told me he had kept it in his memory and it was still as clear and fresh as when he had the experience, i do not doubt that he saw something i asked if it frightened him he said no he got a distinct feeling of peacefulness but the funny thing is one month after the encounter Germany declared war on Britain so was it wild edric riding across those hills on his way to warn people of the impending danger i keep an open mind my father inlaw was an honest chap and i truly believe he saw something that was not of this world.
but i have talked to other locals who have had funny experiences i have walked those hills all hours and have never seen a thing only foxes rabbits and such but i do believe that some can see things that others cant, i have had the odd feeling that i should not be there and some one was watching me my dog has growled at nothing and i was glad when i moved on but i have never seen a ghost , i don't ask you to believe me but this was as far as i am concerned a true account of what my father in law saw that moonlight night it has been seen by others over the centuries, i think there is more to heaven and earth than we will ever realize. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #817
Snow can be very frightening depending where you are i was once up in the hill country driving a land rover and i got lost you could not tell the sky from the snow on the ground it was a complete wipe out so i can understand how people get lost lucky i knew my way around and managed to back down the hill but one chap i knew did get lost and the rescue team could not find him .They had all the equipment but he had literally vanished it was a similar thing that i had experienced a complete wipe out. he turned up 12 hours latter he could not find his way off the hills and had been walking around in circles he was a very lucky man he survived when he was found he was minus his boots and his over coat what he had done with them i really don't know but i would think he had been hallucinating caused by the cold but quite a few have perished on the shropshire hills old fiddler lock the gypsy was one unfortunate man to loose his life to the elements and he knew his way around and had passed that way many times on his way back home but he perished in those high hills and he was not found for some days after nature can be so cruel but it does happen.
But i loved those hills and i was never happier as when i was up there i loved the different seasons the spring summer autumn i loved to see the hills amazed with the purple heather a wonderful sight to behold to pick the wimberries by the basket and take them home to my mother in law ,who would sell them at the market to look for the foxes earth high up on the side of the hill, to watch her feed the cubs she would never know i had been there she would bring the rabbit and the hair and at times a lamb as well , i would fish the mountain stream that ran through the valley i would trundle the worm through the fast water and under the far bank the rod tip would bend under a violent take and i would land another little brownie a jewel in this small stream, i would only take the largest that i caught the rest were returned to catch another day. i would love to stand in the tumbling water and cast a fly as it drifted in the current you would see the splash of the taking fish most pleasing to my eye what better way to spend an hour of two on this summers day. , i wandered the hills far and wide with a box upon my back it held the ferrets that i would use to catch the rabbit i never bothered with the nets i would quietly slip the ferrets in the bury and stand back with the gun out they would bolt make for the cover of the heather but they were dead before they made that cover what a way to spend a day only myself for company and the ferrets on my back well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #819
self publish quote
might be worth an enquiry
Keep it coming Pete
Martin
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In reply to Post #818
In reply to Post #817
love this thread,
it would make a good book Pete, every thought of it ??
similar ones have been done, some from years back, might be easier now with pc's etc to get a draft and publish
hi martin yes i have thought of a book its a bit expensive to get it published lots of members on here have suggested the same ken townley x pat in Poland and many more some of the stories are going to appear in print in jason's new book who is known on here as milk protein A1 baits his book should be launched latter this next year i think i at the bentwood show he even says himself its worthy of a book in its own rights i am now an old age pensioner and really cant afford it unless i could get sponsers which has been mentioned thanks for reading my stories and i am glad you have enjoyed them there is more to come the problem is rembering every thing that has happened over the years i have had a most enjoyable life and would not of missed it for the world i hope i can continue for some time to come thanks again god bless pete
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In reply to Post #817
love this thread,
it would make a good book Pete, every thought of it ??
similar ones have been done, some from years back, might be easier now with pc's etc to get a draft and publish
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In reply to Post #816
snow and more snow ive seen it all before when i first got married and lived with my in laws in the hill country you could expect big snows nearly every year it was a hard life living up there . you would stock up most years with the basics matches tins of beans peas anything to keep you going in case you got snowed in one thing you got was bread flour a valuable commodity if you could not get to the village shop for bread you made your own nothing nicer than fresh bread baking in the oven beside the fire then eating it smeared with fresh home made butter. On the ceiling of the house would hang home cured bacon and hams from the pig you had reared a few months before nothing nicer than a couple of slices of home cured bacon with two eggs and home made bread and butter as long as you had a full belly and warm cloths you would be alright.
it was nineteen sixty when i got married and moved in with my in laws and young brother in law, times were hard and my father in law was a very ill man suffering from a disease from working down the local pits i found it quite hard as i was only 18 years old one of my jobs was to fetch fresh water from the well sometimes with snow up to my knees i would drop the bucket down the well on the end of a rope and when full wind it back up with a handle i would carry back two buckets at a time the well was a good quarter of a mile from the house i would do this before i went to work and when i came home in the evening in the winter it was dark, it was about 16 feet deep and the water was very cold it never froze up because of the depth, after we had got enought water we would put the top back on to stop anything falling into the water. another job was making sure there was enought fire wood to keep the house warm and to do the cooking there was no elecricity only oil lamps and candles it was certainly a different life than what i was used to, i have gone to bed and it had froze that much that the frost would glisen on the walls it was very cold and at times we would throw an old army coat on the bed for exrta warmth.
but i loved these people they did not have much but gave you unlimited love i would do anything for them i soon got to know the woods and would borrow the old chaps gun i managed a few pheasent and rabbits which was always exepted with gratitude, so we did not starve i managed to get a few snares and would set them for the rabbits the hills were over run with hairs and i manged to shoot one or two but as i said once before they were a bit to strong in taste for me some of the woods were heavely keepered the hills were also used for grouse shoots i would go and watch them shooting the grouse the guns all dressed up in there plus fours i would lie in the heather and watch from afar the guns would stand in the butts made especaliy for shooting the grouse, i kept my distance as it could be quite dangerous but this was my way of life, i loved the hills and the valleys i got to know the wild life, and would walk for miles i would also find the curlews nest the lapwing i would find the grouse and her nest, lie in the heather and listen to the sky lark way above watch the buzzard drifting on the thermal i loved it all.. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #811
How wonderful nature is a spiders web built so intricately they now stand out with the white of the hoar frost. its now time to get the camera out so much to see on a winters day, i was watching the birds feeding on the feeder hung on the shed it is full of sunflower seed and i caught glimpse of a little head appear from under the shed it was a field mouse which has come into the garden in search of shelter and food as long as he does not get into the shed he will be OK the ones i don't want are rats we had a couple last year but they did not last very long out with the rifle both head shots dead instantly best Way to deal with the furry critters, since then i have not seen one the problem is just below my house is a bakery and he throws most of the stale bread into a horse box to take to the tip and the bread really encourages the rats we have the council vermin officer down he has killed a number of over the years but they soon come back as the bread attracts them from far and wide its like any animal when there habitat becomes cold and water logged they move from the fields to a warmer place and where food is more accessible.
Reading the thread about otters this morning will they starve through lack of food fish because the rivers and lakes freeze over no they wont otters are predators and will eat most things rabbit pheasant partridge duck and it is not past there predatory skills to take the farmers chickens they have no enemies and are not really afraid of man they are top of the food chain as they have no predators to keep them in check, the difference between the fox and otter is the fox will kill for pleasure killing everything in a pen and will only take one, but the otter will only take what it needs usualy one but if he finds it easy will return for more another day. but they are like any animal they only kill to survive i think most animals will be finding it difficult in this weather the poor old kingfisher a most beautiful bird will really struggle the weather in 1982 nearly wiped them out and i really have not seen the dipper in quality since that winter.
i was going down the woods today but my wife has some sort of virus so she must come first, i like to take the camera and take a few shots as the woods are very pretty with the hoar frost really standing out on the tree branches. I love to track the animals in these conditions and it is surprising what you may come across i came from a family who loved photography my father was professional for most of his life and when i was a youngster i was encouraged to spend hours in the dark room but i really did not like it very much and would rather of been out fishing. i prefer the digital camera but my father was one of the old school and stuck by the old film cameras i have his old Nikons and would never part with them i really must get them out and give them an airing, i have just bought a new camera and cant wait to get out and use, its a sony Hd with ditachable lenses so i really want to try it out down the woods and fields well i hope im have not bored you to much with my rambling on about cameras. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #814
reply to Post #800
more classics to come pete i hope kep m coming.
thanks arfer i am glad you still like the stories
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In reply to Post #800
more classics to come pete i hope kep m coming.
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In reply to Post #812
thanks i hope you enjoy my stories
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In reply to Post #811
I did not know about this thread, crikey its brilliant, very good work Pete this is going to take some reading
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In reply to Post #810
- 11 here today really cold icicles under the car it was very much the same in 1962 terrible winter i was living up in hill country then there was so much snow i never got out to work properly for at least three months, we lived on the side of the stiperstones the snow was that deep it covered five bar gates and then it froze from then on you walked over the top of the gates we had no money i did manage to get out as a drivers mate picking milk up for the local creamery we had very little fuel for the fires in the house and had to resort to cutting trees down which were full of ice the sap had frozen but the logs we cut kept us going i can remember another very similar winter that was 1947 it was very cold and i can remember picking the poor pigeon off the Brussels sprouts they had literally frozen to the sprouts i think it was one of the worst i can remember i was only five years old and my grandad would carry me down the garden to feed the pigs and hens. Another was 1982 that was bitter but did not last as long but did severe damage to the wild life killing many small birds and it really decimating the big flocks of pigeon it was a cruel few weeks that did untold damage to the country side.
it really looks as thought this may be a bad one i notice the rea brook has partly frozen over and parts of the severn has also started to freeze over i think it was 1982 i saw some idiot drive a car down the centre of the river on the ice i think he went all the way to the weir and back not somthing i would do i can remeber it being in the local paper mind you the ice was very thick at that time but i dont think i would of chanced it we did no shooting or fishing for some time the poor rabbits had nowt to eat only the bark from young saplings they could not get at the grass as it was deep below the frozen snow even if you could have caught a few there was no meat on them the amount of water fowl i picked up was emence they were frozen to the ground poor things when you look back you really wander how they survived at all but they did.
When you live in the countryside in those conditions it can be really hard we had no central heating in those days only coal and log fires and our main priorty was to keep warm and keep those fires burning night and day most people also did there cooking on the range which was part of the fire grate so we had to make sure that at all times we had enought fuel . if you ran out you would get no more coal as they could not get through to yo, so as i have already stated you had to cut trees down and saw into logs to help out the washing was also done in a bolier which was fired by wood and in an out house. so you can see most of our time was spent looking for and cutting wood for fuel it was a hard time i was then 20 years old and was married with a young child to look after so they were my priorty. well a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #807
Well i had to cancel the shoot this morning no way could we go i have one or two elderly gentleman in the shoot who are in there late seventies and early eights some are not to good on there feet, and with the snow and ice it is very dangerous so i discussed it with my mate Tony who helps run the shoot and he thought that some would not be able to make it through the snow so we decided on a big no for today. It has just started to snow again and the weather forecast suggests we could have another 8 inches before tonight i hope not but we can not control the weather.
I think if SAM was here today he would of been proud of what i have achieved i think most came from him how to stalk the fox and watch her cubs without being discovered to watch the wild life birds and the badger. when i was young and went to sam's he was not allowed to shoot or snare a fox they were for hunting and the gentry but he would have the odd one if it was causing him some damage, but he preferred to snare them it caused no damage to the pelt and he could skin it out and sell it to Horace friend the dealer i think he made a few shillings out of a fox skins. i remember going with him one day and he had caught a badger in the snare it had flattened every thing in sight the brambles nettles all flat stay back young un he will bite i don't want to kill her, no more to do he grabbed the badger by the neck and cut the snare with a pair of cutters which he always carried with him, he quietened that animal down just by talking to him he had a away with animals i don't think i would have the courage to handle a badger like that the snare had cut into his neck making it very sore get me that sack young he said ill take him home to the misses , her will no what to do into the sack he went and we took him home. He got the badger out in the front room his wife got a jar from the shelf full of thick green cream it smelt a bit. she smeared it all over the wound put him in the shed tonight sam he should be better by tomorrow he had so much passion for wild things i thought you would have killed that badger Sam i wanna kill anything that does me no damage. when i went the next day we took the badger up the fields and let him go, through the hedge he went no worse for wear he will be alright said Sam. when the estate had the big shoots all the guns would wear plus fours and tweed jackets the ladys usualy dressed in tweed skirts and boots and tweed jackets it was a posh do usualy there were about twelve to forteen guns and would draw for there pegs before they started, you had to call them sir or mam and be respectfull i said to sam what a load of tosers they pais my wages youngun i usualy got two shillings at the end of the day not much but it was then, and maybe a couple of brace off pheasent or duck, the guns had a brace a piece the rest were sold on to the markets and made revenue for the estate but i loved every minute and i supose as a family we always had somthing to eat it all helped as we lived in hard times. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #808
Thanks very much apprecated i think bob will put it right when he sees what you have put thanks again pete
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In reply to Post #1000
©Bob an Pete. to type the copy write sign
put your numbers lock on. then using the numeric keypad hold down ALT as you type numbers 0169 ©
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In reply to Post #806
I spent most of my time at old sam's house especially in the winter i would go along to most shoots and really enjoyed his company, on shoot days the guns would shoot a few hundred birds, he would have me working tying the birds in twos by the neck then i would then hang them across the side of the game cart, the cart was pulled by a big old cart horse i loved him and he would let me sit on his back and away we would go but i had a job getting down as he was a big animal and i fell off on a few occasions, but it did me no harm only a few bruises. keepers would come come from far and wide the one was right old bugger and even SAM was not to keen on him. well he gave me a clip across the ear what for i don't know well SAM went mad and told him in no uncertain words touch that young UN again you will answer to me. i hated that keeper and i was really frightened of him he was even cruel to his dogs, i would try and keep well away from him . But i vowed i would one day have him away he lived at onny berry court i think at the time he worked for Mr magnuson i was determined i would have some of his pheasants ill teach him it was only four miles from my home ,i cut my self a long piece of fishing line and attached a size eight hook one of those awful black things i used for my fishing in those early years. i raided my mothers sultana and current jars. I watched that cruel keeper feed his birds so i new exactly where, i could catch his pheasant from, and i did i would pop a few currants on the hook leave it in the open so the birds could see it along they would come pick up the hook bang i was in pull it into the hedge where i was hiding, wring its neck and into the bag with it, i i think i caught twenty the first time using this method but it was to many i had a job carrying them home and i had to hide some to fetch latter. Our neighbors were over the moon as we shared them out between every one that lived in the railway terrace, i really did give that place some stick, i caught hundreds from there over the years, i used to smile he would tell Sam he had no poachers on his estate, well that's what he thought funny it was Sam that showed me how easy it was to catch the birds using a hook and a few currants, i put it in to practice on a good many shoots when i was a young man and i never failed to catch a few birds , That old keeper also had a brook to look after that ran through the estate it was stocked full of trout for all the toffs and friends of the owner well did i hit that brook i would spin with a Devon minnow i would catch ten or so and would be away he never knew i had been there they were lovely to eat mum would cook them in the oven beside the fire they tasted great we never starved and always had plenty to eat and it was all free . well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #801
You remember i told about the parcel Sam gave me for Christmas it was all wrapped in brown paper well when i opened it on Christmas morning it was a new pair of brown boots he knew i walked a lot and said wellingtons were no good i needed a proper pair of leather boots, looking back they must of cost him a mint how he did it i don't know as his wages were not that much he also gave me another present in that box one i still have today volume one and volume two British birds of today. the photos of birds are in black and white i have treasured those books all my life, what kindness Sam and his wife showed me looking back it was pure love i think i took the place of there son who i think got killed in the war
Not far from sam's house stood some big cherry trees when they became laden with fruit off we would go we could fill a basket in no time we would take them back to his wife if i remember right she used to bottle them and then store them in the pantry to make delicious pies in the winter and believe me her fruit pies were something else but that's how they lived i never saw them waste anything. Sam liked a bit of poaching himself and poached a few of his own birds to eat . or give to friends when i asked him about his little forays he would say perks of the job young UN who's gonna catch me I'm the keeper here and it was true he was a single handed keeper the only time he saw other keepers was on shoot days when they came to help beat the woods.
he said to me one day are e taking some of my birds on shoot days, i told you before i would watch were the shot birds fell and would pick them before the dogs got anywhere near no Sam not yours but i know you did he said in his broad Shropshire voice, saw e once or twice yes but that was before i got to know you, why did you not catch me then he just smiled i did not want to i thought maybe you needed the food as times are hard yes Sam i took them for mum and dad and the neighbours he never mentioned it ever again but would always give me a brace every time i visited give these to mum and dad he would say there be half a dozen eggs in the house take them as well i went every where with him i have told you before how we both poached the trout from the local brook and rivers ,he was very partial to eel so in early summer i would be away with him he would put a couple of eel traps down baited with some stinking meat or fish if he caught a couple he was happy and would be away home to his misses. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #804
thanks for reading the stories i am glad you like them plenty more to come yet but i have to get the old head round it as most happened many years ago thanks again pete
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In reply to Post #1000
Amazing read Pete I've copied every thread written and will put into a word document to read on my iPad for when I'm at work
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In reply to Post #802
Thanks mark i have lived a very interesting life and have loved every minute of it thanks again for reading my stories and i am glad you enjoyed them
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wow  this is the first time i have looked at this thread and cant beleive what i have been missing BRILLIANT peter some great reading
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In reply to Post #800
Its been a happy life i have been on a journey i have fished shot watched wild life what more could i ask i am content and along the way i have met some great friends but the one that i learned most from was my old friend SAM the keeper, he knew the wild life inside out he could track any animal and tell you what it was he would take me birds nesting dunna take the eggs young he would say you, have seen the nest the eggs and the bird so that's enough hold it in your memory but he had a big collection himself it was huge he had collected since he was a youngster but not any more he just liked to watch and look when he died i think the collection must have gone to a museum it was so vast but he was in a job that allowed him to collect such things another thing he used to collect was bugs and butterflies hundreds all under glass and in draws he had collected since he was a young boy he really was a fascinating man. i would be out with him in the woods he would say young un you have three things that are important to you in your life your eyes ears and nose, and in his profession it certainly was im sure he heard thing i did not most keepers have a good eye sight and SAM would sit hours alone in the dark watching for poachers no torches he knew those woods back to front in fact they could be dangerous times as the poachers some times worked in gangs especially around Christmas time.
Although Sam was an old man to me he was only probably in his fifties but i think he was quite capable and could look after him self he had a couple of scars down his face i asked him one day what had caused them he did not want to talk about it but after some time he said fighting, its part of the job y knows not as bad to today as when i was a young man i got slashed with a chain catching some poachers, then i knew he could look after himself it was a lonely job out all hours and the pay was not that much but at least he had a cottage to live in. I loved to sit in that house in the evenings with a roaring fire in the grate and oil lamps for lights they would cast shadows on the walls and would make you feel all warm inside and out, he had some stuffed animals foxes owls hawks and such, all in glass cases i was not to keen on the foxes, as i was only a youngster and in the poor light they looked quite fearsome but Sam would reassure me and say its all in yer head youngan they wunner hurt e they be dead, and he was right no animal will hurt e in my woods or any woods its only a human y has to look out for, and that was good information as he was right. I have been out with him and he has said listen, listen to what Sam do e hear that, what that be a deer , and we would lie down and out of the trees a big old deer would appear with a big head of ankle-rs, his an owd un he would say, He was amazing but what he taught me has helped me through my life. i loved to listen to his tales of long ago when he first became a young keeper at the age of fourteen and how he lived on the rearing fields in an old shed and looked after the broody hens that were all in , little pens and sitting on the pheasant eggs he was one of the old breed alas they have all gone now, we have only the the memories of these old keepers. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #799
A Christmas long ago
It was snowing hard as i made my way to see SAM the old keeper who had befriended myself and my family i suppose i was about twelve years old the year was 1954 i wanted to take a card and thank him for all he had done for myself and the family the air was cold and still as i made my way up the fields the bitter wind had piled the snow into huge drifts you could not see the adjacent hedge rows they were covered in snow which looked more like cotton wool hanging from the sides of the hedges i pulled my coat around me as the wind whistled and bits of snow disappear down my collar of my coat making me shiver. i could see the woods in the distance you could see the smoke rising way above the trees from sam's tiny cottage deep in the woods.
i would get a warm welcome when i arrived and would get a place beside the roaring fire to warm my feet and hands but for now i struggled on the snow was not as bad in the woods. I made my way forward disturbing a squirrel who was grubbing about maybe for acorns that he had buried long ago a pheasant made me jump has he took flight and cleared the tree tops and it still snowed i eventually came into the clearing where Sam's cottage stood and knocked the door hello young un he said come on in. His wife came and gave me a big hug I'm glad yer come Ive got summat for you for Christmas's he gave me this box all wrapped up in brown paper dunna open that till Christmas day he said sit down there by the fire we will have a bite to eat his wife came with a big plate of home made bread with helpings of butter and cheese and big cups of tea, they really did spoil me with there kindness Ive got a couple of birds for you to take home for your parents should keep y filled up over Xmas he said . i have to go out in a minute to check the traps do you want to come did i i had my coat and boots on and we were away up the woods and then into the valley checking the traps he had set for rats stoats and weasels and squirrels any caught he would take home with him and then skin the animals, the pelts were sold to a company called Horace friend he would send dozens of pelts it was the keepers tip, but only got pennies back for all his hard work, but i loved this old man and his way of life . He also fed the birds throwing large quantities of grain onto the strawed rides in the woods there were hundreds of pheasant scratching about in the straw looking for the corn to eat by the time we got back it was nearly dark ill come home with e he said i don't want anything happening to you on the way home falling down or getting lost, ill be alright SAM but he would have none of it and delivered me to my door and after chatting to my mother was away home i was cold and tired but the smell of mother baking kept me awake it was Christmas day tomorrow and it was still snowing but as i felt the warmth of the fire i felt content, what a day i had with my friend SAM. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #798
A few years ago it would have been a very busy time of the year we would be out poaching any thing to make a bob or two maybe out at night shooting the humble rabbit or in the woods taking a few pheasants, it all helped ,for the family to have a great Christmas graham and myself and another friend also had turkeys cockerels and ducks to kill and truss we usually had about fifty turkeys and also the same for cockerels it was a long job we would be at it for at least three days feathering trusing the birds then we had to deliver to our customers but at the end of the day we made some serous money which really helped out over Christmas.
but i loved to be out and about whether it was dark or in the day i loved to ferret the hedge rows graham and his brother one side and myself the other side waiting with the gun for a bolting rabbit we shot hundreds like this and some times we caught or shot so many you could not carry them to the car so we would gut and hang them on the fence and return latter to pick them up we could make good money most were orders we had to fill any left were sold to a dealer in my home town. i would love to be out with the rim-fire rifle at night usually three of us would be together using two rifles and taking it in turns to shoot one would use the lamp while one shot the other would pick up we had some fantastic nights doing this and shot scores of rabbits. Some times not strictly legal as we would poach others land but we got away with it we did have a few escapes where the keeper had realized we were on his patch but we usually got away with it we have actually been lying in thick cover and the keepers have passed us by you could hear them talking also the police have been with them at times, as i said once before i have had a dog stand on top of me when lying in a ditch covered in brambles and listened to the Sgt talking to the keepers i could hardly breath in case i was discovered i suppose i lay there a good half hour listening to them discussing where i might be little did they know i was lying right under there feet, they were exiting times i loved the chase and to outwit the keepers was always a feather in your cap they knew it was us but could never prove it i have hid my gun in many different places and have retrieved it latter when all was quite. Some times i am reminded about my life of long ago by different people that can still remember my exploits i would love to do it all again i was asked the other day would i care to come out shooting one night a few years ago i would not have hesitated but im a bit to long in the tooth now and with my legs could not do the walking and it was all legal as he has permission but when i was younger it was all big estates no way could you get permission so you poached and took the chance. a bit more latter on about my life as jack the lad
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In reply to Post #797
What a day yesterday . the lakes are still frozen despite the recent thaw we were out on the pheasant shoot when i was standing by the smallest of the lakes i noticed some idiot had walked across the centre of the lake i cant believe how some people play around taking these sort of risks it was an adult by the look of his foot prints, if he had fell through that would have been his end no way would he have got out it certainly was not any one in my syndicate. it could have been some one poaching but i very much doubt that as most poachers know the lay of the land and certainly would not take a stupid chance like that the said lake is quite deep why people take chances i really don't know. But it turned out quite a good day and i saw lots of mallard and teal flying around huge flocks maybe two or three hundred at a time there was a good showing of pheasant but not many shot owing to the lack of guns a few of my syndicate could not make it yesterday so it left us really short but the day was enjoyed by most they will all turn up next week for the Christmas's shoot as its sloe gin all around.
we saw a nice dog fox and i was very pleased to see, him he walked around the side of the lake on the ice and i watched him disappear into cover on the far side i am glad no one shot him as he really looked in good nick his red coat really stood out against the white back ground i think maybe it was the one i saw the other week that i told you all about, i like to see a couple around and would hate to see them all killed but alas he has such a bad reputation that on a good many estates around here he is shot on sight the farmers are none to keen on this old fellow of the woods but i love him and the country side would be a lot poorer without him.
As i stood yesterday i had a big flock of long tailed tits in the trees above me lovely little birds i would say there was a good fifty in the flock all looking for some tit bits to eat to keep them going in this cold weather just of late i have had some big flocks feeding on the nuts in my garden at least they can get a bit of protein down them to help keep them through the winter. By the amount of birds of every kind on the feeding station this morning there must be more hard weather on the way they really are feeding very heavy it is surprising what our little feathered friends can tell you. I had a look at the river severn this morning it is still partly frozen over in places and where it was free of ice all i could see was goo-sanders ,feeding on the small fry they fish all together and on counting them there was at least thirty they certainly want controlling as the amount of fish they eat is immense and those small fish are the future for our rivers the way its going the severn will soon have no fish in it what with all the other predators the problem is unless you are a fisherman no one else cares most people like to see the goo sanders otters and if you mention anything about a cull they are up in arms they really want educating as to the damage they can do . a little story about a chap that lives not far from my house he was always playing hell with my friend Rodger and ourselves for shooting foxes he would say leave them alone they have to live like all other animals but he soon changed when old foxy crept into his garden one night and killed the children's pet rabbits six in all he is now anti fox and cant stand them how people change when things affect them personally. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #796
Three weeks until Christmas. How it has changed over the years you don't hear the carol singers any more i would love to hear the singing . And watch the local ladies make the wreaths for the local green grocers shop we would as kids collect holly by the bag full and mistletoe growing wild and sell it to the shops it was ways of making a shilling a two. Out side the butchers would hang turkeys chickens pheasants rabbits hairs all for sale and by night most would have been sold it was a wonderful time of year, we would help one another what one had not got, the other did and we would share it out. When i was a bit older my parents never had to worry to much as i have said before i would be up the fields or woods and would bring home a few pheasants and rabbits our neighbors were always grateful i would go up to the plantation and get a Christmas tree i was caught doing this by the local squire and after giving me a good telling off allowed me to take it home and said in future come and see me before you cut anything down. Although the said gentlemen is now long gone i had quite a good relation ship with him he owned a pool on his property and allowed me to fish the place he had lost one off his sons in the war and really treated me well he did have a younger son but i did not meet him until some years latter.
it was quite a big shooting estate and the squire was the high sheriff off Shropshire but as i have stated he took a liking to me i fished that pool it was next to his house and i never saw any one else fishing there i would catch the roach and perch on the maggots that i had collected from the local abattoir, i was there one day and this fish jumped out in the pool it really startled me it was a carp and i intended to catch one and i did on float fished bread paste what a time i had trying to land it i had no net in those days sirs wife came at the same time i had it on , ill, go and get john he has a net hanging up in the house, well to cut a long story short down he came with this old net it looked more like a tennis racket but he landed it was only three pounds, but huge to me do you want to take it home he said no ill put it back. its the first time i have seen one caught my ancestors stocked the pool years ago mainly for eating but ill take a photo he came back with this old wooden camera and took a few shots i never did see the photos so perhaps they did not come out i returned the fish and i felt really proud of myself. i was there one day he said young fellow do you want to come shooting well beating i jumped at the chance ill have to come and see your parents first to make sure its OK with them. i was so exited they were all toffs and i could not believe my friend SAM was there the old keeper that had been so good to me and my parents he had shown me so many things. come on young UN he said yer can come with me today ill learn e the ropes and he did i walked through the under growth stick in hand up the pheasant got and you would hear the shots in the distance they collected the pheasants in an old cart pulled by a horse there were hundreds tied together in twos and hung on the side of the cart. at the end of the day sir came to see me and gave me ten bob bloody hell i had never been so rich it was a lot of money to me, SAM also gave me two brace for home would i like to come again i certainly would and snapped his hand off and so it was to be i went every Saturday from then on i had some marvelous days out but I'm afraid i still did a bit of poaching it was in my blood as my ancestors were livers of the the woods and lived on what they caught they were also fighters and would fight for any one who paid the most, money they won the family creast fighting in the holly land . well ill tell you a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #794
well its very cold here last night was - 10 the poor birds are really struggling to survive in this weather i was down the woods with my syndicate yesterday and we noticed hundreds of pigeon on our the way. Trying to feed on the frozen turnip tops i just hope to god its not going to be another one like we had in the eighties it killed so many pigeon, but a lot of other birds as well the wren blackbirds with lots of other small birds died because of the cold and lack of food, i have got so many on my feeding station gold finches green finches chaffinches sis-kins i have the lot and im feeding them twice daily and they clear it all , so they are starving so i urge every one to put a bit of food out for our feathered friends to insure that they will survive in this terrible weather.
the bye roads are a sheet of ice very bad to drive on i had a look at my beloved river rea and parts are already frozen over, the condover brook i used to poach all those years ago is also starting to get covered in ice i really wonder when it may end. So many of the animals that roam our country side rely on the small streams and rivers to drink the tree branches hang with a frosty covering that glistens in the suns rays the trees of the hedge rows and streams look like bleak statues against the white land scape no animals only tracks can be seen as i stand and watch the crows fly over head making for some woods far away to roast the night away.
the kingfisher in all her glory flashes by the only chance she will get is to catch from the faster water where it has not frozen she may pick a minnow in the swirling water that runs down the centre of the brook, which is incased in ice on either side, as i walk along the heron takes flight he looks like a prehistoric monster against the white back ground he has probably caught his meal for tonight a trout or gray-ling maybe a chub but things will get harder as the days go by and i really hope he survives this bitter weather and does not die.
as evening approaches flocks of field fairs pass over head a few lap wings are also seen where they go i do not know as i enter the woods by climbing the old style the same as i have done many times before, i disturb the fallow deer and i watch as they disappear into the the shadows of the wood leaving there tracks in the snow, it will soon be dark and i must head for home as the warmth of the house beckons me, but first i must call on my freind the farmer and have a cup of tea and talk about things of old that some will never see we were both born in the forties and we both have memories some are good some are not but we love to talk about our lives and what happened long ago more latter
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In reply to Post #1000
couldnt he just write a book
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In reply to Post #792
April came the next year and i visited the keeper he remembered me but said sorry the boss still does not want any one fishing the lake, it was like some one giving me a kick in the teeth i blurted out then ill bloody poach your lake he smiled and said go a head i wont kick you off, and gave me a wink but just keep an eye out for sir he rarely goes any where near the pool so you should be OK, ill tell my under keepers you will be fishing there pop to my house when you are going and ill come down and see you.
And so it was we really had the run of the place it was a very pretty place i suppose the lake was about ten acres and covered in lilies and bull rushes around the sides at the top end of the lake a small stream ran in and at the bottom was a dam it had been made out of stone many years before and was covered with grass, where daffodils and primroses grew it was absolutely beautiful and we could not wait until the 16 of june to come around we carried on baiting up a little bit often looking back about three times a week and also giving it a good scattering of maize they already knew what the maize was so i had no doubt they would be on it straight away.
The night finally arrived and graham and i set up in the same swim between some rhododendron bushes with two rods apiece i baited both my rods with maize graham was trying meat on one rod maize on the other the keeper called by to see if we were alright, before he went graham was in on the meat and managed to land a nice common of 17 pounds well it was a start and he had the next two all around the same size then it was my turn i managed a nice mirror of 18 pounds then i got broke by a much bigger fish by morning we had caught another two carp the biggest a 22 pounds common, falling to grahams rod , we had also caught some nice tench, i really did not know there were any in the place, the biggest going around six pounds, we had high hopes for the future we had seen much bigger fish showing but now it was time home as we did not want to out stay our welcome we called at the keepers cottage and told him what we had caught and we would be back maybe next Friday he wished us well we could not wait untill the next week end, ill tell you more about this old estate lake latter
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In reply to Post #792
April came the next year and i visited the keeper he remembered me but said sorry the boss still does not want any one fishing the lake, it was like some one giving me a kick in the teeth i blurted out then ill bloody poach your lake he smiled and said go a head i wont kick you off, and gave me a wink but just keep an eye out for sir he rarely goes any where near the pool so you should be OK, ill tell my under keepers you will be fishing there pop to my house when you are going to be there and ill pop down and see you.
And so it was we really had the run of the place it was a very pretty place i suppose the lake was about ten acres and covered in lilies and bull rushes around the sides at the top end of the lake a small stream ran in and at the bottom was a dam it had been made out of stone many years before and was covered with grass, where daffodils and primroses grew it was absolutely beautiful and we could not wait until the 16 of june to come around we carried on baiting up a little bit often looking back about three times a week and also giving it a good scattering of maize they already knew what the maize was so i had no doubt they would be on it straight away.
The night finally arrived and graham and i set up in the same swim between some rhododendron bushes with two rods apiece i baited both my rods with maize graham was trying meat on one rod maize on the other the keeper called by to see if we were alright, before he went graham was in on the meat and managed to land a nice common of 17 pounds well it was a start and he had the next two all around the same size then it was my turn i managed a nice mirror of 18 pounds then i got broke by a much bigger fish by morning we had caught another two carp the biggest a 22 pounds common, falling to grahams rod , we had also caught some nice tench, i really did not know there were any in the place, the biggest going around six pounds, we had high hopes for the future we had seen much bigger fish showing but now it was time home as i did not want the owner to know we had been there we called at the keepers cottage and told him what we had caught and we would be back maybe next Friday he wished us well we could not wait untill the next week end, ill tell you more about this old estate lake latter
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In reply to Post #791
We used to fish a lake a few miles from my home i cant name the place as it is now syndicate when i fished the place it was very over grown but it was fringed with lilies and really held some very good fish we first fished the lake in the late seventies middle eighties at that time no one had got permission the land owner would not let any one on the estate although i approached him the answer was always the same no. so we poached the place it was very difficult as it was very much a shooting estate and was very heavily keeper the keeper would walk around the lake with his gun most days so when we fished we were very much on edge and always alert and ready to hide the tackle and run.
we decided the best time to fish was in the evenings maybe night on a Friday as the chances were the keeper would be at the local pub if i remember right the hair rig had just gone public as the lake had not been fished before we started to put a little bait in often a mixture of bread layers mash and maize i bought the maize from a local mill my brother in law was the foremen so i managed to get it a bit cheaper i would soak it a few days then boil it up adding a bit of salt then i would let it stand for a few days it smelt bloody awful but in it would go half a bucket at a time as well as the bread and layers mash. The first night we fished we blanked not a touch we were away before eight as we did not want to be discovered.
The next Friday could not come quick enough we caught nine fish between us the biggest was eighteen pounds plus the smallest twelve but good fish , all caught on hair rigged maize it worked, as i said to graham if it works for the bream it will do for carp as we had caught some very big bream on the bait over the last few months funny really we had not seen any one else using it on any other waters we fished. we slaughtered that lake using it the biggest carp was just over twenty pounds. But we were getting a bit worried about being discovered how on earth can you not leave signs that some one had been fishing the place, we had also caught some very big eels on worm most were between four and five pounds i really loved the place it was in the middle of a wooded valley there were pheasants every where you looked the estate must of put thousands down and i think at the time there was four or five keepers looking after the birds. We did not want to over stay our welcome so come the end of august we decided to pull off the partridge shooting was about to start and we were seening more and more keepers going about there duty feeding the pheasents there was a big pen not far from where we were fishing and i certainly did not want to be caught so we were away hoping to return the following year we caught over 60 carp from that old lake in the time we were there we took the chance and it worked it was good fishing but there was a lot bigger fish in the place than we had caught i really wanted permission i knew the head keeper and decided i would ask him the answer was no if i catch e on there ill shoot yer then he smiled he knew i had been a bit of a jack the lad come un see us after the shooting when april . so can i go please we will see he says i wunner touch your birds i say all he did was laught see y in april. well thats a bit more ill tell you more about that lake latter and what happened the following year
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In reply to Post #790
The red fox
A few more stories regarding my favorite animal over the years i have put so much time in studying and watching this beautiful animal i have took many people with me to watch this rogue of the countryside success in watching foxes depends on a number of factors but the most important thing is patience and varies a lot depending on the time of the year , i have observed foxes all times night and day but you must have some knowledge about his way of life also wind direction and the paths he takes, summer is a good time to be out fox watching i have watched them early morning night and day time but they are much more active around late April may June July the vixen is kept very busy feeding the young cubs, by the end of may it become much more difficult to watch and film the cubs in the daytime as they will emerge latter in the evening.
most fox cubs are born in a disused rabbit hole that has been enlarged by the vixen but first lets look at the the environment within the hedge they live in most hedge rows are full of vegetation with a number of plants and insects you have the humble dog rose the hawthorn tree blackberry bushes dock leaves climbing ivy the nettles voles, will burrow in the leaf mold and live in the bank hidden within the vegetation wood mice will clime among the lower branches of the trees the squirrel has his nest high above in the old oak that grows within the hedge row and small birds will nest in the trees shrews are also also seen hurrying along there tunnels in the vegetation also you will see the tunnels of the badger set and the rabbit holes can all be found in the shelter of a country hedge, it supports a number of vegetarians from beetles to the scavenger magpie and they all occupy different positions within the hedge row this is the environment the vixen likes to rear her young. the vixen will also be able to catch and kill a number of ground rearing bird to feed her young the partridge the pheasant the fox will kill any thing which is available it is a blood thirsty killer if he gets to the farmers chicken he does not just kill one but the lot by biting there heads off, if she has cubs she may take two or three she knows how much she and her cubs need to survive he is also a lamb eater and can do severe damage to some of the hill farmers but he is a lovable old fellow and the country side would be a sad place without him, most of what i have written is my own observations i have spent hours following and watching this splendid animal one thing that will kill the fox without man being the culprit is mange a cruel disease where there fur of the coat comes out and is caused by parasites i have seen them completely bald and had severe bleeding on there bodies from scratching i have shot these animals on sight and have buried them immediately, as if a domestic dog gets any where near it can catch this horrible disease.. well that's a bit more about my favorite animal. i know its not fishing i just like to share my experiences of the country side with you all
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In reply to Post #789
What a day cold and wet i was with the syndicate the rain came down most of the morning and it was freezing at times but they managed to shoot i got stuck with the car i could not get up the bank to the car park it was a sheet of ice the woods were dank and dark in fact i never saw much wild life at all the peasants did not really want to fly although one or two were shot we called it a day around dinner time i felt really sorry for the few duck i saw they were having a lean time finding food to eat if this weather carries on to long i can see a complete ban on all duck shooting
a few years ago i would have been out and about when it got dark and would be poaching a few birds and such for christmas i have done it in all weathers but did not like the snow as the keeper could tell you had been there foot prints were a give away a few spots of blood it all added up to poachers, and they would be out looking for you so usually when we had those conditions i just stayed at home Another thing was the lack of geese we had some big skeins in the last couple of months but they have now vanished gone to pastures new maybe the availability of food is better, but they will be back. The guns do not usually shoot ground game ie rabbits, but today was an exception and one or two made up the bag they certainly were not wasted and were all taken to be eaten.
The pools were still frozen not a fisherman in sight but if it keeps on raining it wont be long before we see the pike anglers back i was talking to the syndicate leader to day and he said pike up to twenty pounds had been caught but no bigger specimens but they are certainly in the place, he said that quite a few jacks had been caught . they are the future of the sport on this old lake when i was a young man graham and i could catch as many as fifteen on a sunday morning with some very decent fish gracing our nets , they say its not like that any more how things change over the years, i can remember when the pike championships were held on the lake i think that was in the eighties and some reasonable fish were caught . well that's it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #788
Snow and more snow the streams are now freezing over all the lakes and pools are frozen and are now covered in snow no fishing only the woods and hedge rows to roam the beech and the oaks stand out like giants with there out stretched branches covered in snow icicles have now formed on the trees and hang like daggers the woods and the meadows are so thick with snow it is like walking through an enchanted world where every thing seems to be suspended in time not a noise do you hear. the winter is upon us early this year the frozen landscape intensifies every colour and shade usually January is the cruelest month one of extreme cold and bitter winds but it has arrived early this year. There is hardly a leaf to be seen only the green of the ivy that stands out in this snowy scene the interior of the woods is a dark and silent place screened from the sunlight the trees are now laid bare not a leaf to be seen only the squirrel's nest high above i wander if he is within deep in slumber or if he is out looking for acorns he has buried to keep him going through the cold months. You find the tracks of other creatures imprinted upon the fallen snow where they have wandered in search of food russet coloured pockets of bracken poke from beneath the snow. the badgers bluish grey fur may be glimpsed in the half light as the evening approaches which blends in with the dismal tones of the wood. looking up grey clouds hang withen the sky and seem to cover the distant hills promising the certainty of more sleet or snow with it will come the icy blast the easterly wind which will penetrate the woods and silence the animals that live withen. As i walk for home i find a five toed claw imprint with a large bar like pad in the snow covered ground left by the badger who traveled to the woods in search of food it tells of his nightly activity he is a wary and cautious animal his only enemy is man he has short power full limbs and you can see where he has tried to dig some poor rabbit from deep within the hedge row he is a sluggish in his pursuit of prey and is now hungry and will eat most things he can get, i find his home excavated in the bank-side of the hedge old bracken lies out side they are meticulously clean and change there soiled bedding regularly and replace it with fresh dried grasss or brackon but where from now i do not know for most is now covered in snow. It is now snowing hard as i make for home the freezing wind blows causing drifts which i stumble throught. Eventualy i reach the car the windscreen frozen solid it wont be long before im home where ill be warm.. a little more latter
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In reply to Post #787
quite a few have asked about my stories going into print in the form off a book. well i have now been offered a part in Jason's new book are own milk protein , ken townley has now edited the piece that will appear in the book and jason has told me it will be the first chapter that will appear we are now waiting for big Dave from cumbria to send some photos which he has of me to jason its going to be quite a big chapter he would love to print all my stories but can not do that it really wants another book of my own but the cost is out off my reach as i am now a pensioner, but it is a start i would really like to thank ken for all the hard work he has done on my behalf i owe him he is a top man, and thank every one for continuing to read my stories thanks jason and x pat in poland for having faith in me i think the book will be launched at the brentwood show next year thanks to you all god bless pete
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In reply to Post #786
What a wonderful winter wonder land i had a trip down the woods this morning arriving around ten pm what a beautiful place it looked with the snow clinging to the branches like pieces of cotton wool i had arranged to meet one of my syndicate members who does a lot of the feeding for us, it just looked like a winter scene like you see on your xmas cards the two lakes were frozen over the biggest of the two where i watched the skating years ago was frozen and covered in snow i love to track the different animals and its surprising what you see the first i came across was mink not one but two, there was plenty of rabbit prints and as we looked up the ride in the wood a fox shot across and vanished into the trees he was a big dog and looked beautiful against the snowy back ground i said to my mate what ever moved him it certainly was not us. further into the wood by the old beech trees we could see the prints of the badger he had been scratching about at the bottom of the old trees maybe looking for some old nuts that had been buried under the leaves . There was plenty of small birds the robin the wren and we saw the jay flitting across the ride in his spectacular colour and caught sight of a wood pecker it was the great spotted wood pecker we do have the lesser spotted also but it is a much smaller bird we also have the green wood pecker . the pheasants were also in residence you could see were they had been. They have been feeding on the bins quite heavily and a badger had also been after the grain i have known them to push the bins over but this one was to full and heavy so he had to make do with what he could find on the floor, to me they are a majestic animal and i hope they do not get inhilated with the future cull they certainly wont at bomere as most of the farmers do not have cattle only one mr adkins he may apply for a licence to cull as he has had a few problems with the said animal, there were a few signs of foxes so we have more than one i know the one is a very small vixen one of the smallest i have ever seen shes been around for at least three years to my knowledge and i love to catch sight of her and usually see her a couple of times a year when i saw her last year she looked really pulled about so she must of been suckling cubs as they can certainly pull the vixen about but they soon recover i feel very lucky to have the run of the place and really know it back to front and it holds many happy memories from long ago more latter
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In reply to Post #784
As i lay in bed last night i could hear a vixen calling for her mate she was of probably down the fields but her call was loud and clear she would almost certainly mating what a noise she was making the night was frosty in fact minus eight but the sound traveled on the stillness of the night a few years ago i would have been out and down those fields hoping to get a closer look although i have shot a great number of foxes i hold this old fellow of the woods and fields close to my heart watching him over many years has given me great pleasure and many others who i have taken with me to watch who other wise would never see a fox .
the fox is Britain's only wild member of the dog family and has inhabited Britain for thousands of years it became a native just after the ice age today it thrives well is commonly found living in sheltered woodland and copses through the country side he is a most beautiful animal with his reddish brown rustic coat he stands approx forteen inchs hight a nd about two feet in lenght and has a distictive white tip at the end of his tail. his name in the country side is renard . The agile fox is one of britains most fastest animals and can reach speeds of forty miles an hour he will eat almost anything rabbits squirrels rats mice pheasents even hedge hogs, but in times of harship frost and long peroids of snow he will raid the farmers yard and will kill any thing that moves he prowles stealthly like a cat and will capitalize on the farmers chickens and ducks but at times he reveals the worst of his nature if he gets in the chicken run will kill every one by biting off there heads and will not stop untill all are dead he is also partial to young lambs in the lambing season espeacaly when they have cubs to feed i have seen the vixen killed and have watched her litter sister keep on feeding the cubs untill they were old enought to look after them selves most of the year they live a solitary life until november when the dog howls a sharp bark in hope that a partner is around when they have mated the off spring will be born in late march in a disused rabbit hole that has been inlarged which is usualy located beneath brackon or brambles they usualy produce between four and six cubs which are born blind this is my obsevation from years of watching this old fellow of the woods and hedge rows i know it has nothing to do with fishing but it has been a great passion of mine for many years i have stated before that i have only seen pure albinos once in my life time pure white with pink eyes and i moved them on i could not bare the thought that they would be hunted and killed by the man with the terriors. but the do have to be controled although i love them they can do lots of damage to the keepers coverts and the farmers at lambing time the country side would be a poor place whithout old renard. more latter
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In reply to Post #784
As i lay in bed last night i could hear a vixen calling for her mate she was of probably down the fields but her call was load and clear she would almost certainly mating what a noise she was making the night was frosty in fact minus eight but the sound traveled on the stillness of the night a few years ago i would have been out and down those fields hoping to get a closer although i have shot a great number of foxes i hold this old fellow of the woods and fields close to my heart watching him over many years has given me great pleasure and many others who i have taken with me to watch who other wise would never see a fox .
the fox is britain's only wild member of the dog family and has inhabited britain for thousands of years it became a native just after the ice age today it thrives well is commonly found living in sheltered woodland and copses through the country side he is a mos butifull animal
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In reply to Post #783
The year was 1958 i was now sixteen it was Christmas i had just acquired my first gun well legally that is, it was a webley four ten bolt action and was just the job for doing a bit of poaching, but that must wait a Christmas tree was called for we were not that well off like loads of others so it was to condover i went saw in hand creeping into the small plantation keeping my eyes peeled for the landowner or old bell the keeper i took the top out of the nearest tree and away over the fields i would go skirting the old quarry and having a look on the way at the honey meadow and what ducks Gerry had got on there, plenty for me i saw a couple of hundred mallard and made up my mind i would be back on the friday night when the keeper was at the pub. i managed to get the tree home, where did you get that i was asked oh i was given it from the farm at condover no more was said but i think dad knew different but he said no more.
it was the Friday after noon about an hour before dark when i skirted the wood and crossed the railway line into the honey meadow it was a bit early for Gerry to be at the pub but i needed to take the chance we needed the ducks for Xmas i had been asked by some neighbors if i could get them four as well as my own. I would lie in the undergrowth and wait for the ducks to come in to feed on the barley the keeper had put down earlier, they would flight in there hundreds i would wait until they were paddling in the shallow water then bang no sporting shot did i make we needed the food some times i killed two at a time up they would go circle around then drop back on the pool and i would repeat the same thing as before, i would kill about eight and away i would go across the railway and make for home but i was always listening for the game keeper you always knew when he was around as you could hear his motor bike in the distance i carried the duck in an old postman's bag i had been given but did not like going any where near the road until it was dark we had no street lighting then and i was frightened old sgt landers may catch me. So i would cross the road and skirt around the fields and would eventually arrive behind my house. Just behind our house was a little wooded valley not very wide with a little stream running down the middle , a few pheasants roosted in those trees so i would have a couple on the way home to complement the ducks they were easy to shoot in the bag they would go and through the hedge into our garden mum always welcomed the ducks and pheasants and we always had a good Christmas with plenty to eat. at times she would make game pie it was delicious but that was years ago my parents have now passed on but i have my memories i loved them dearly and always will but this is how we lived it was a necessity for me to poach so we could live, but i loved it and the excitement i got out of it . Today the spark has gone im now to old to run but i dream at times of what i have done all those years ago more latter
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In reply to Post #782
The snow was deep as i crossed the fields to my beloved river rea it had piled up in the hedge rows that surrounded the fields it was difficult walking but i was determined to try and float fish for some of the roach and chub it held. i was wrapped up warm as an easterly wind blew across the fields i wandered whether the river would be frozen the ice had started to form beside the river but i set up on a fast stretch that had produced before i was using a twelve ft rod an abu closed face reel loaded with two pounds line the bait was maggot i sat on my old wicker basket and tossed in a couple of handfuls of maggot the swim was only three feet deep running into a deeper section which made a nice eddy under the bank every time the float reached the deeper water it would dip and i was away i was catching mainly roach to half a pound but nice on light tackle but i was experiencing the line freezing to the rings but i manage to carry on and then i started to get the occasional chub nice fish around three pounds graham was above me and was also catching well but the cold was getting to us my fingers were numb how long we could continue i did not know. the wind blew even harder blowing the snow and covering our coats in a fine powder we pulled our colors tight around our neck it was february against the snowy back ground the river looked almost black a kingfisher passed me by like a dart going further upstream maybe to look for minnows to satisfy his hunger the sky took on a grayish colour as the late afternoon approached, and still we caught one after another i heard a plop and looking to my right i was just in time to see old ratty the vole disappear into some cover beside the bank it surprised me a bit as i would of thought he would of been asleep in his nest or had a stoat or weasel disturbed him from his slumber. It was time to go we ended the day with 30 pounds of fish between graham and myself not a bad day considering the condition we really struggled up the fields the wind had blown the snow into drifts that we could not avoid it was above our wellington tops we both arrived home wet and cold but as i sat before a roaring fire it was not long before i was dreaming of other days we had spent on that old river rea wonderfull times from long ago. more latter
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In reply to Post #781
Just read the thread about estate lakes well i am lucky to have fished a few estate lakes in Shropshire you have heard me mention lordys a most beautiful lake tranquil and very peaceful not very wide but very long and full of lovely old carp i have spent many happy hours fishing this lake it varies in depth from a couple of ft to around six ft at its deepest. i have had the lake to myself over the last few years but i am only allowed to day fish as lordy does not like people on the estate at night.
owing to my arthritis i have not fished as much as i used to as there is a fair bit of walking and lordy does tend to set the fields either side off the lake with barley and corn it has now got rather over grown and it takes some time to get your tackle to your chosen spot. i got permission to take a couple of friends with me and managed to drive my car around the edge of the pool as he had not set the field with corn but put it to grass for the last two years, as no one had fished the place for some time i really did not no if they would get on the bait but i was in for a shock using trigger wrapped in paste i was soon into my first fish a lovely common of nineteen pounds it turned into a great session i ended the day with six fish to twenty two pounds but this was just the start my friend saw some huge fish good thirties and did manage to hook one but he lost it in the weed. although they never caught we decided to fish again the following day they both caught the biggest going a tad over twenty pounds i managed a couple more with a nice mirror being the biggest weighing twenty three pounds i also started to catch a few tench to round five pounds plus they have certainly grown over the last few years in fact the trigger has really got the fish going.
we also started to catch the occasional chub looking back the biggest going to seven pounds wonderful fish and surprisingly they fought well a few years ago lordy had the weeds sprayed but unfortunately it killed the lilies as well but they have now made a come back i am very lucky to fish this old estate lake and i hope it will continue for some time i have become a good friend with the owner who i call lordy and can fish the lake whenever i want its such a peaceful place and is covered in wild life with great crested grebes ducks and such it is a big shooting estate and lordy is a big conservationist. ill tell you more latter about this old estate lake
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In reply to Post #780
This is another story you may think is far fetched but i assure you all it did happen. people on my village were saying they had seen a big cat like creature the police were called to one individuals house he told me that they had just got up in the morning and had opened the curtains and lying on the lawn was a big black cat which was eating what looked like a rabbit the police arrived with there flashing blue lights and siren blaring away the cat was a way through the hedge and gone. i know the family well and they are not liars i kept an open mind on the sighting, . Then other people started saying they had seen a black cat while walking there dogs. then nothing all was quite for a few months one morning i received a phone call from my mate tony who seemed rather exited you will never guess what i have seen this morning while feeding the peasants tell me tony a black leopard he replied his on our shoot and jumped out of the undergrowth right next to the feeder which feeder the one next to the pool the dog chased him i had to call him off as he might of been killed now tony has lived in the country side all his life and knows what he saw he was not frightened as such just amazed at what he had seen. The fishermen said they had seen a strange black animal while fishing . Then the water skiers said they saw a black cat watching them from the bank but when they got near he walked off into the woods. The farmer Mr Adkins said his cattle had been spooked at night and he had also heard strange noises . It was getting better we started to find half eaten rabbits then i had my first sighting head on we had been duck shooting and as we came down the track he came through the gate in front of us his eyes shone in the land rover head lights he was a majestic animal and held his head height seeing us he was away into the woods and gone, i saw him one more time sunning himself on a bank below the woods but was to far away to take any photos there was one or two other sightings by the locals but then he disappeared as thought he had not existed there were reported that he had been seen by local game keepers. But i or the syndicate have never seen the animal since a friend recently told me two were shot while the keeper was out foxing and were told to bury them by the police i suppose to stop people panicking its a shame well this is a true account make out of it what you will but i know what we saw and it was very real more latter
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In reply to Post #779
I was the late seventies when graham parked the old land rover beside the road. we made our way across the snowy fields there were three of us and we had come to shoot the mallard duck as they came into roast and feed on the old pool within the fir woods. we stood huddled together, under the canopy of the firs occasionally the snow would drop from the trees sending a shower and covering our coats with a fine powdery snow and we would shiver with cold it was a moonlight night and further snow was forecast but now it looked if there would be a severe frost but the snow clouds came crossing the moon casting weird shadows every where you looked, it was a cold night as we pulled our collars tight around our necks i wandered if the ducks would come . but as we watched the teal began to drop in between the trees into that old pool my dog blaze shook with excitement as the first duck appeared it was testing shooting through the canopy of trees the mallard came in two and threes we soon had two or three down and waited until our our dogs had returned them before shooting more. it was an interesting night we shot a further twelve a mixture of teal and mallard the snow had started to fall heaver it was time for home we staggered up the field towards the road but we had not realized how much snow had fallen as we had been protected from the snow in the old fir wood the weight of the ducks did not help we watched as fox crossed the field oblivious to our presence the snow had now stopped and the moon cast shadows from the drifting clouds making the tree look like ghostly giants as they stood out in the white land scape. as we reached the road it was covered in snow which had drifted in places i began to wander if we would get from this place high in the hills but as we made our way through the drifts the land rover slid from side to side, i was not sorry when we got home it was Christmas we had orders to fill which made us a bob or two we would be out again before long maybe to poach the pheasant at roost with the rifle in those days you could get a fiver a brace it was easy money we would sell them at market or to friends that had placed orders it made us few quid for Xmas and maybe a pint or two. from my diary 1978. a little more latter
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In reply to Post #778
Snow already in places severe frost i hope we are not going to get another like last year as it killed quite a number of fish around the country this morning its very cold with a severe frost. but when i was young you had good summers. And hard winters lakes would be frozen solid for weeks we would be out with the sledge and would slide on the frozen pools the ice would be at least five inches thick we really never saw any fish casualties, but i suppose it must of happened . i have seen as stated before birds frozen to the ground pigeon moor hens coots some survived some did not, luckily i have not come across that the last two winters. Even the rabbits suffered as they could not get to the grass as it was deep below the snow most survived by gnawing the bark of young saplings causing extensive damage to some woodlands.
But us youngsters loved it we would walk to school in snow up to our knees our boots would be full of snow and we would be wet through by the time we arrived, we would take our boots and socks off which would dry by the stove in the middle of the class room but we survived, no having days off school because of snow we went what ever the weather there was no central heating only coal stoves but they kept you warm and dry they were great days the few cars you saw used snow chains but most business's kept going in those days i delivered the papers to a place called Cheney longville and longville it was about six miles there and back and if i could not get through with my bike i walked i would be soaked by the time i arrived back home then breakfast and school the papers arrived by train brought from shrews-bury i got seven shillings and sixpence a week for delivering the papers but it helped i could buy hooks and line for my fishing with a few sweets chucked in looking back they were hard days but that's how we lived most jobs paid low wages but we scraped by this is when i started to poach a few rabbits i learned fast IE how to set a snare how to ferret and i was soon bringing one or two home for the family and neighbors who were always grateful as i have stated before i watched the keepers from afar set there snares and would on ocassions take the rabbits they had caught i would reset the snare and away i would go . they were great days i liked my own company i watched the birds i loved the woods i would sit under the canopy of the trees and listen to the wild life the birds and fox watch the little tree creeper run up the tree finding the insects under the bark or watch the nut hatch the wood pecker it was my life the one i have loved but things have changed, there now stand houses where i used to go the wild life no longer there. i suppose its progress but not to me i will always rememer how it was all those years ago. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #775
I was only thinking this morning who had the most influence on my generation when we were younger and i came up with the same man dick walker i think every one had heard of dick, he was writting for angling times in my youth , and we always looked forward to reading his page , i had a small book by dick called course fishing and it was published by angling times, at the time it cost me one shilling and sixpence in fact i gave it away to an editor of a well known magazine as he was a avid collector off memorabilia about dick collecting anything from books to rods unfortunately he does not work for the said mag any more . The other book that had quite an influence was Mr crab tree goes fishing i could not put it down i think i had one of the first publication of this excellent little book.
looking back there was others we looked up to that gave us inspiration jack Hilton pete Thomas bill quinlan Fred jay and many more i suppose you could call them heroes but they are legends most have now gone i was told pete Thomas is still alive what a great age he must be. i never dreamed in my youth that i would actually fish with some of them i remember meeting with jack Hilton and bill quinlan and fishing with them for a week after the big bream in the company, of graham Dennis Kelley it was a great week and we had some tremendous laughs jack and bill were fishing redmire at the time and although dick had told me loads about the place some of the things jack told us about huge fish that had been seen was a little mind blowing. Don bridge wood did the photos and write up for the session and i think it was chris ball who recently told me via a pm he had a write up about that very session i think looking back it was the early seventies we caught some nice fish in that week with bream to nearly ten pounds and some huge rudd so they were both very happy chaps when they went home.
You dont have to look far for legends we have our very own on this forum mr ken townley i heard lots about his achievements from anglers that i fished with over the years, i think i first i heard about ken was in the seventies if i remember right he was fishing some lake in the west country but anglers looked up to him i have one mate bern that was always on about him sorry im giving you a plug ken, but its true you were and still are a legend . i have been very privileged in my life to have known and fished with a good many of these older anglers who, have now gone but there achievements will always live on for they were the fore fathers of our sport and i am very glad i met them a little more latter
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In reply to Post #776
Thanks pete just wrote another bit we had a power cut lost it so ill do a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #775
Hi Pete, I agree with you mate about the birds, even down south here on the coast the birds were frantic this morning feeding like no tomorrow.
Keep the posts coming Pete, always my 1st read.
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In reply to Post #774
Heavy snow forecast for some places in Britain by Wednesday i will believe it when i see it although the bird life can give you a few clues to what may happen i have noticed that i am getting large numbers of birds on my feeding station at home and are really gorging them selves silly. Also up in the hill country a lot of the sheep have moved from the tops of the hills and are now down at the bottom in the valleys a sure sign of bad weather to come we shall see. i would like to get the boat out and try for a few pike before the weather really does close in i must admit graham and i love to spin from the boat as we can get to places that are inaccessible from the bank and have done really well in the past i have done a fair amount of trolling with the the soft jelly type lures you can buy today especially the roach, perch, will also catch but i find the roach come out on top i have had the rod nearly snatched from my hand when getting a take we have caught some good fish using this method and have also lost some huge specimens at the net . i like to get onto these big reservoirs if possible we go to one that has recorded fish to over thirty pounds , we have had plenty up to eighteen plus with the odd twenty chucked in but never a thirty although we have lost fish, at the net that looked really huge we will have to wait and see the place does have one problem and that is otters and i am not really surprised as the river that runs from it has eight pairs in a 16 mile stretch far to many but i am not getting into arguments about the animal all i will say it has no predators they did have the hunt years ago that kept them to a certain level. I also like to dead bait on the river and we really should be having a go i have caught fish to twenty pounds plus using sprats herrings and such it has been a very nice way to spend a winters day but with all the problems we have on the severn now lack of fish roach dace and such i don't no how we will fair the river really is in crises In all my years i,have never seen it like it is now so many anglers blanking the other thing i have noticed is the lack of big shoals of minnows they are also disappearing you could drop a piece of bread in and you would see them all over it not any more something is drastically wrong with the river and we are waiting the results of a survey being done by the environment agency but i have said before the vast flocks of goo-sanders and mergansers and cormorants, And otters mink are not doing the river any favours when i mentioned this to someone while fishing the other day i was shot down in flames they were horrified that the birds and otters should be blamed. i tried to explain that they were not helping the situation but it did no good and i am afraid while we have do gooders around like that anything we say will fall on deaf ears but we definitely need a cull but i cant see that happening in the foreseeable future . well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #773
I was out with my syndicate today not a very good day as it was rather damp and foggy but it surprised me i was standing on the one ride and i counted five wrens and two robins i really feel for these little birds as they try and find enough food to keep them going through the winter. i also counted six wood cock get up out of thick cover on the one stand , the wood cock have now started to show in good numbers we have not shot for a couple of weeks so i was very pleased to see them, years ago the shooting syndicate shot vast numbers of wood cock but this was when it was keeper by the likes of Gerry and old bell. the birds arrive from russia Latvia and Finland and usually arrive in october and November over 800,000 arrive in our woods and remain until mid April they eat mostly spiders worms beetles larvae and small snails they probe the moist soil and feel for there prey with there long tapered bill. the gentry loved this bird to eat and it was served up for dinner for the big parties that were held at the hall, where there host lived usually the local squire, But its not for me i am not to keen not a lot of meat on the bird but i have a friend that really loves a couple to take home for eating they are a real sporting bird and when in flight can be very hard to shoot as it zig zags in flight.
i stood beside the pool deep in the wood and not a movement did i see. No fish showing like in summer it all looked so bleak not a noise did i hear only the sound of the beaters far away in the dank woods the leaves of the trees lie every where the oak the beach, look like giants with out stretched branches looking like huge arms trying to entwine you as you pass them by. They are now shutting down for winter but it wont be long before the buds appear once again the ferns and bracken have turned a golden brown, and the few deer we had have moved to pastures new i did look for there slots in the muddy earth but i found none but they will be back as the seasons move on . no sign of foxy did i see no buzzard soaring on high what a funny day it had been as i stood watching the biggest lake the memories came flooding back of times long ago when only graham and i fished this old lake out in the punt we would go and fish the places never seen. we fished for the roach and the big pike, that it held. Those days will never return the punt has long gone, from this wonderful lake. when i was young lilies covered the surface of this old place now they have gone how things have changed from long ago for the better i am not sure. As fog drifted up the lake l turned for home another day gone. more latter
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In reply to Post #772
It was in the late sixties early seventies when i first visited cumbermere in Cheshire big old estate lake, we were there to net the water for stoke angling club it was a very big water and it contained big roach some huge bream i always remember that first netting we caught so many roach in the net that we bailed them out in buckets and put in the large tanks to take to Stanley pool stoke most were around the pound mark but good fish. we also caught three bream over the British record the biggest going to 16 pounds plus this was a very big fish for those years. the fish were all weighed then put in the big tanks they also went to Stanley at that time the lake was stuffed with record bream but whether they all survived i dont know i would think some lost weight but the pool was well maintained and looked after at the time my friend dennis kelly was chairman of the club.
over the years i got to know a few of the syndicate that shot on the estate, the head of the syndicate approached me and and friend with a view to clearing the foxes there was a big population on the estate and because they did there own gamekeeping, and most worked some being farmers, they had not really got the time to clear the place of vermin ie foxes so after we looked around the estate, i decided we would do it the following Saturday there was a big heronry on the estate and i did not want to disturb these majestic birds to much with the sound of shooting.
on the morning of the shoot about twenty guns turned up experienced shooters that could be relied on, and as many again to beat the woods to cut a long story short we shot ten foxes that morning and i was introduced to the owner of the estate who wanted us to come back on a yearly basis to help keep the foxes down to an acceptable level i must admit there was far to many there i put this down to cover they were the only woods for miles well decent woods and they seemed to all congregate on this estate, it was a beautiful place and i asked the owner if there was any chance i could fish it i am afraid not we don't let any one fish it owing to the wild life and such and i don't like people wandering around the estate i was a bit took back as we had just cleared the place of foxes for him and the shoot, a few years before i would of poached the place but it was to far to travel from shrews bury. i had many happy years on that estate netting the lake and culling the foxes and i got to know the owner quite well but not once did he relent and let us fish but that was years ago i know its syndicate now and i truly wander if they catch those big bream as they must still be in there. but i now live with my memories ot that lake long ago more latter
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In reply to Post #771
What an age i have lived in and a few more on here as well we have seen so much, when i look back and how we managed in the late forties and fifty it really is mind blowing we had nothing compared with what is around today we saw the introduction of the bite alarms the hair rig modern rods bolies i could go on and on but we caught fish our methods then were a bit crude, i have thought about trying out those methods today to see if they still work but i am getting a bit to old to sit behind rods looking at doe bobbins i don't think my eyes would stand it, the hooks were not the best or the line, you put your fish on the grass while taking the hook out so fish care has come on in leaps and bounds over the years. In the war years some fish caught were killed pike and perch where taken home to eat because of the food shortages you literally would eat anything to keep you going.
it made me think a bit when i wished mick or ruddles as he is known on the forum a happy birthday 77 years old and still fishing what a grand old age a bit like my mate graham 74 years old and they keep going they have seen it all mick is nine years older than me and graham 6years older. so they experienced what it was truly like in the early stages of the war and how people struggled to survive i only came along in 1942 but i know all about being hard up the money was not there if you read this mick i would be honored for you to add a piece to my stories explaining what it was like in those far off days. another thing worth mentioning national service was compulsory in those days i just missed it by a month but i still believe it was a good thing you soon learned black from white and it soon straitened up the youth of yester years. i am convinced it would do no harm today and would stop a lot of the problems we have with some of the youths of today and before i get it in the neck i don't mean all youths there are some great lads out there, but it also taught you to repect others.
christmas will soon be with us in our young days we did not get much we did hang our stocking up and usually if lucky have an orange and apple a candy mouse tin whistle but that was about it but one thing we did have was respect for our elders but in return we got love from within the family they were hard times i learned so much in my early years, i learned right from wrong i had a few beltings at school but that was a learning process if you played truant like i did you took your medicine two on each hand some times in front of all the school it carried a warning to all pupils not to mess about or they would get the same but they were good days how things have changed more money today no need to poach like i did so we could get by i think every one is better off today i dont think i would like to go back to those far off days or would i ? a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #770
i loved to walk the streams that adorn the Shropshire land scape to see the babbling waters that runs through the meadows the alders line the bank casting deep shadows on the clear waters of early summer you may see the blue flash of the dragonfly as he chases some insect he is such a formidable hunter as darts and weaves here and there
forget me nots seek the shade of the streams shore and display there blue flowers you may hear the plop of the water vole he is a shy creature sadly they are not here in numbers today they ,have been decimated by the.mink let, out by do gooders who do not under stand the country way of life.
you will see the mallard with her brood as she tries to hide her chicks amongst the yellow flag that blooms by the waters edge you may also see the weasel as he hunts for his prey on the banks of this old stream a vole or a rabbit to satisfy his hunger. The splash of the pike awakens you from your dream as he chases the minnows across the shallows. further down you see the heron standing to attention not a movement does he make, waiting for some unsuspecting fish to swim by with a quick stab with his powerful beak he has caught his meal for the day, another trout has gone his way. You hear the splash of the trout , you stand in the water as it babbles away and cast a line and watch in wonder as it menders under the over hanging bank you see the splash and the golden flash of the old trout as he takes your fly his only a pound as i hold in my hand and admire the spots that run down both sides how can i kill such a creature , so i return him to his home maybe to catch another day.
The thrush with his beautiful song also his mate breaking a snail by using using a stone like an anvil to get at the succulent flesh for its chicks she has her nest high up in the brambles that adorn the banks of the old stream . the Tawney owl drifts by like a silent ship lost at sea , looking for a young rabbit or mouse to take to the hole in the tree for its youngsters, its that time of the year new life is everywhere what a wonderful place to be. you watch in silence as the bumble bees go to the hole in the bank where they have there nest , and the sand martins dart here and there to catch the insects to feed there young and return to there nests where they have holes in the river bank just as there ancestors have done for generations. what a wondrous place we live i watch in awe at these marvelous things and it gives me great pleasure its all part of fishing and it should be treasured and kept for those that come after we have gone.. more a little latter
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In reply to Post #769
AS i watched the damsel flies on the lake which had brought me so much pleasure through out my young life, i thought about all the things that had happened to me and how many friends i had made through this great old hobby of ours. it has not just been the fishing and shooting . but about meeting with like minded people who enjoy the same things. Some i have remained friends with to this very day.
some have passed on the likes of Dick walker Dennis Kelly bill Quinlan and many more but one thing we all had in common was the love of fishing and the nature that surrounds it. i could talk to dick about all aspects of fishing he was a true all rounder he did not just fish for carp. i suppose myself and graham are the same we are both all rounders sea fishing included, we have both fished for mackerel up to catching the bigger species like the shark and have had some fantastic off shore fishing i have also caught Tope to forty five pounds with shark to one hundred and fifty pounds but its been all part of my life.
To me size really does not matter i am just as happy catching small dace trotting a stick float down some fast water using Castor or maggot as bait, or ledger for the chub with pellet or cheese paste or sit on some old estate lake and float fish for the tench or Rudd it all give me pleasure its being out with friends and being one with nature. listening to the bird song or the call of the fox or hear the mew of the buzzard far above or to watch the badger worming on a warm night what more could one ask for none. as its part of nature and most is free.
never a dull moment have i had i got as much pleasure walking the woods and the fields to watch the rabbit rush from the hedge only to be shot by the man with the gun or watch the flocks of peewits on a winters night going to roost or watch the sun go down glowing red showing up the frost that glistens on the hedge and to hear the call all of the vixen in the wood calling her mate what more could i ask its has been all part of my life. To stand and shoot the duck on a winters night or even watch the skeins of geese as they pass height over head going maybe to roost on some far off lake the Canada's the grey-lags with the odd little snow goose What a noise they make as they pass over head.. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #768
As i lay on my bed chair a warm breeze blew across the lake , i watched as the clouds danced across the sky throwing shadows on the water like ghosts from long ago the weather was warm as i listened i heard vixen calling her cubs up in the woods that surrounded this old lake, that was man made long ago. i was awoken from my slumber by the sound of the moorhen what a noise she made perhaps some predator was after her young . once again i was on Acton but it was years ago. i watched as the moon reflected on the surface of this magical lake not a movement did my indicators make but it was pleasure to even be there.
I shook with excitement as i lay there graham was only two swims away. We had been fishing with our friend Bern for the last forty eight hours fishing on a lovely old lake that had been recommended to us up in wales and we had had caught some stunning fish none were huge but thier looks compensated for the lack of weight we absolutely slaughtered the place and between the three of us caught 60 odd fish the biggest was only 15 pounds but we really enjoyed fishing there. Even before arriving at acton we were feeling very tired. i was soon asleep and was awoken to the sound of Bern calling saying he was into a good fish he duly landed a lovely mirror of thirty three pounds photos done it was back to the sack i had only just got into the bag when my left hand rod was away the indicator hitting the rod with a clang and staying there i picked up the rod no need to strike as the fish tore off down the centre of the lake towards the dam wall hearing the noise graham was by my side , it felt a very good fish and i soon had it under control and it soon slipped over the rim of my net we carried the fish up the bank so we could get a better look , what we saw was a beautiful common and on weighing it it turned out to be a fraction over twenty pounds i was well pleased and soon had the bait into position again i really did not have time to get in the bag and the same rod was away again this time a lovely mirror with big scales weighing in at twenty two pound i was over the moon . As yet graham had not caught. the next fish fell to bern rod a big mirror of twenty seven pound. i lost the next to a hook pull the air was blue as it looked a very big fish indeed. i need not of worried about graham as he was catching some really good tench with fish up to seven pounds plus he ended the night with twelve ,we called time next morning as we were all very tired i dont think i could have coped with another night and was glad to get home and was soon slumbering in a warm bed and dreaming about things to come . well more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #767
The hills of Shropshire have really featured in my life i have spent some very happy time walking them with my gun , the hill farmers were not blessed with having much money, the only money they made was from the sheep some had to take another job to help ther income and also run the farm it was a hard way of life and they would be up on those hills in all weathers. lambing was a busy time of the year for all the hill farmers and one thing they did not want was to have there lambs being taken by foxes. Some conservationists may say foxes do not take lambs but they certainly do i have watched a newly born lamb being stalked by two foxes one would harris the mother and the other one would take the young lamb. So every year there would be a fox shoot this would involve hundreds of acres you could be standing for a couple of hours waiting for the beaters to appear on the horizon, pushing any foxes towards the waiting guns you may have as many as fifty standing guns spread out over a large area and then you may not even get a shot as the guns were so far a part. And some foxes did manage to get away between the line. But they usually shot up to around ten or so on a good day to the farmers delight some times we would go back to the farm where all the farmers put on a good spread with a few pints of beer or cider to wash it down they were grand days but like every thing else those days are disappearing the old ways are no longer practiced it still goes on in places but they now use dogs rather than beaters but even that is a dying a death to many do gooders who do not understand our way of life are now trying to stop it.
WE also had the big hair drives where hundreds were shot in one day they were a necessity to some of the big estates who relied on the income they made from shooting the animal, most were sold at the local markets. also rabbit shoots i did not much like going as it could be quite dangerous as some guns would really get to exited and would take shots that were a potentially dangerous, i have seen some near misses in my life time and seen some guns thrown off the shoot because of there dangerous manner . But i always went when asked as you could get some good fishing for helping the estates out. it was a very close knit community and if you did get thrown off you would never get an invite again word soon traveled. well more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #766
The gales are terrible here in Shropshire the river is running bank high and the anglers that brave the weather are catching some good barbel, a friend rang me yesterday he had caught eleven with fish going to nine pounds plus you fish tight to the bank and use four oz feeders to hold bottom and most seem to be coming to the ellipse pellet its a pity my self and graham have not been able to go this week having to many commitments hospital and doc appointments so we have had to give it a miss but with a bit of luck we shall be out next week.
I love the big winds and have caught some good fish when out in them i have also shot in some very bad conditions one such shoot was i think in the eights i was in a syndicate just above much wenlock at a place called long-vile and it really frightened me to death i was standing in this strip of wood waiting for the beaters to come through the wood, the wind was so bad you had difficulty standing up and when walking it would blow you a long, really we should not have been out in such conditions the trees started to topple over and boughs started to crack off, i said to Rodger who was shooting with with me that day sod this lets try and get back to the car what a game we had what we did not know at the time the shoot had been abandoned and most had already gone home without telling the standing guns. so doging the trees that had fallen down we eventually got back to our car but it was not over we tried our normal route home and the road was blocked by a big old oak i said to Rodger no chance of getting home this way so on turning round we decided to try and get to church stretton i think it was the most frightening drive i have ever had we had to stop several times to remove branches from the road and on top of this there was the flooding a trip that should really of took half an hour took us nearly three hours by the time we got home i was totally exhausted i really did not think that we would get home that day, never again will i venture out in conditions like that.
But i have been up in the hill country shooting the ducks in September and faced similar weather with torrential rain and no where to seek shelter only the hedge for cover but i enjoyed every minute of it i could not feel my hands but we still managed to shoot a few ducks. i have fished bomere and seen bivies ripped to pieces and rods blown from there rests into the water, wind can and is very dangerous and at my age i now think twice before i venture out i now prefer the creature comforts of a warm house its just forcast more gales for tonight reaching between sixty and eighty miles an hour i hope they have got it wrong we will see. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #765
the wife and i went for a trip in the car the other day and we visited her old home up in the south Shropshire hills its a most beautiful place. when i lived up there i would walk those hills gun in hand hoping to shoot the odd grouse it was on the stiperstones a well known place in Shropshire, i loved the place and would walk for miles with a bloke called Doug whitall we loved to be out on the wet and windy moor, known as the bog it was a very wild place and in those days we would shoot the rabbits they were all black well most of them he had a little terrier and she would charge through those gorse bushes sending rabbits scuttling all ways we had some great days and by the end of the day we would be quite tired but we had the rabbits to carry home no transport in those days those rabbits that were not eaten Doug would sell at the market which made us a few bob to buy cartridges
There was some big shoots around in those days and there was always the odd pheasant, we did shoot one or two i must admit but it was out of need, and not for the money, we also shot hairs there was lots around when i was young i would take them home and the mother in law would cook them some times you had jugged hair but i was not that keen as i always thought the meat tasted quite strong. we did eat lots of pigeons and the ministry of agriculture would give you cartridge to shoot the birds as they were quite a pest, i loved pigeon pie it was lovely and really could not get enough of it, but it was very rich and i don't think today it would do your cholesterol much good but in those days you would eat most things.
I remember one Xmas the father in law had been given this Turkey. When i came home from work on Xmas eve he said can you kill it, where is it in the coal shed. what i said in there yes he said, all i had was one of the those old fashioned torches you know the ones they used on bikes, what he didn't tell me , it was bloody nasty a huge bird forty odd pounds, and he was having none of it, he took at me and scratched and pecked my legs all over, i fell over in the coal and i shouted for help the brother in law opened the door took one look and shut it again bloody hell i did manage to get hold of his neck but there was no way i could hold on to him never mind kill him. My father in law let me out i was black all over from the coal and blood running down my arms and legs from where he had scratched me i looked, and felt like a scare crow , i was bruised all over and it was like i had just completed ten rounds in a boxing ring, it put ,me off turkeys for life and to top it all the bird was still alive, not for long get that gun i said you open the door and shine the torch and ill shoot the bloody thing and that's what happened by the time i had plucked him it was really getting late. Then we found he was to big for the oven so we had to cut him up into smaller pieces, but he was very tasty on Xmas day, we lived on his meat for days after. and what was left was made into broth and a stew, when we were in the pub latter i said no wander you were given him this is all true and although i kept Turkeys latter on in life with two friends i have never come across one like that since, but it did put me off turkey for life a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #764
The phone went and on answering mr pemberton yes i said i was wandering if you could meet me at dorrington tomorrow evening i am a doctor and run a little trout fishing syndicate up in the hills so it was arranged to meet on the Tuesday night. we met in the local pub at Dorrington he was a funny little chap but he explained that he was having problems with poachers and wandered if there was anything that could possibly be done to stop it going on so i arranged to meet the gentleman on the Saturday morning i new roughly where it was, it certainly was a bit out of the way way up in the hill country to get to the pools you had to drive down this muddy lane.
we eventually arrived at our destination and what a sight met my eyes three lakes all in a row with water falls cascading down from each one and then running into another it was one of the most beautiful places i have ever seen or been, it lay in an steep wooded valley with firs and mixed wood land and at the top end a spring fed stream ran into the pools, it was absolutely wonderful the banks were covered in wilds flowers and i thought if there is a heaven this must be it the nearest residence which was a farm was about one mile away on meeting the doctor he told us he stocked it with brownies and rainbow but there had been evidence that poachers had been operating and stealing his fish he had found broken line and and you could see where they had made a path through the woodland can i carry my gun off course you can don't shoot any one will you i had a chuckle to myself as if i would but you can shoot the ducks in season if you both wish graham gave me a smile and have a go at the trout but please don't take to many i assure him i would not, a few years ago maybe, i asked him who had told him about myself and graham all he said you were recommended by a friend.
where do we go from here it was a very out of the way place but i was determined to help the doc out to the best of our ability. So i made some trip wires which we strung across the path to a home, made banger which was made out of a long tube that you could put a cartridge in, i used to fill the cartridge full of rice, the trip wire would go to a cotter pin and through a drilled hole in the tube which held the bolt in position as soon as some one walked into the wire it would release the bolt and it would activate the cartridge i usually put a piece of tin sheet under the tube which was strapped to a tree, what a noise it made you could here the bang and the pellets hitting the tin, it was enough to scare most people to death. So on the saturday night saw myself and graham hiding in the fir wood above the pools it was a bit after midnight there was an almighty bang followed by lots of shouting as the poachers struggled to get away and over the hedge and into the field, in there hurry they had dropped one rod and reel but at least it worked not long after we saw a car emerge from a lane further up the road, funny we never had any more trouble for many months ill tell you more about that latter.
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In reply to Post #763
What a wonderful day i had yesterday i was with my small syndicate. i was standing by the little pool in the woods and reminiscing of times gone by when looking in front a fox appeared out the long grass and scrub he was trotting towards me like he had not a care in the world how crafty they are he came to a halt and sniffed the air and vanished that quickly i could scarcely believe my eyes he must of dropped down and crawled on his belly until he could find a spot to get away, the beaters came through the cover with dogs but he had gone but i did not mind as we will see him another day.
I did not see a fish show on the pool the lilies plants are now dying back and it really looked bleak they have removed the trees from around this old pool it has been there for generations and is one of many in the area that has been left by the ice age but i love the old place and have spent some happy times poaching the pheasants and fishing that pool in my youth, it holds some nice fish crucian carp big Rudd and carp and enormous eels the mozzies have been a big problem but now the trees have gone and the bank side vegetation perhaps it will be a lot better.
i well remember the ladies and gents standing around this old pool in the woods i suppose the year would be around 1959 the gents all dressed in there plus fours and tweed jackets the lady's in there tweed skirts and boots it was the duck shoot and this old pool produced hundreds, the keepers fed it daily with barley they also fed with big helpings of rotten potatoes the ducks absolutely loved them. the guns were not allowed near the pool as it was very boggy and i suppose dangerous but it never stopped me fishing . they stood well back on the ride the keepers had cleared, i would lie down in the undergrowth and watch the proceedings the whistle would sound and the beaters moved in and the ducks took flight it was an amazing sight duck after duck plummeted to the earth shot by the waiting guns some used two guns and the wives would load for there husbands they were all toffs the better off i wont bore you to much but i had a few of those ducks before the dogs even got near and i would be away up the field behind where i lay and would hide them in the tall hedge row ready to pick up latter.
But that has now gone i can only live with my memories of times long ago and days spent by that old pool in the woods i will never see the likes again the keepers have now gone no more barking from the dogs which lived in the house deep in the woods, some of the rides are still there a bit over grown but the days of of the big shoots will never return or my youth spent fishing that old pool in the woods. although the cottage still stands its been made into flats with all the mod cons i wander what old gerry would say if he saw the place now i dont know its changed so much but i still love that old pool, and the memories i have of long ago . more latter
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In reply to Post #762
I was on the lake for a twenty four hour session and decided to fish the last peg on the field side this old lake was remnants of the ice age and as i said once before had a very low stock but there was some real old warriors swimming in its depth. i wanted to fish along side of the lilies but it was impossible to cast and reach that far as it was around two hundred yards. so it was out in the boat with a bucket of pellets my one rod was baited with a pineapple pop up the others baited with fish meal bottom baits . after dropping the pop up at the edge of the lilies i put a fair helping of pellets on top, the next rod was a bit nearer dropping it in the snags and followed the same procedure giving it a fair helping of the same, i dropped the next about twenty yards in front of my bi vie in about twenty ft of water.
after getting every thing sorted i felt quite tired in those days i smoked a pipe and i lay down on the bed chair and enjoyed a good smoke with a nice hot cuppa my mate had the swim just below me so if i had any problems all i needed was to shout as it was not unknown for me to fall down owing to my condition which was arthritis looking across the lake i saw movement the far side and getting out the binoculars i realized it was in fact a dog otter it was the first time i had spotted one on this old lake and i was a bit worried, but as i watched he was away up the field and vanished through the hedge. It was September and there was a slight chill in the air i was soon in the bag and fast on it i was awoken in the early hour as the far rod with the pop up screamed off i was on the rod instantly he was well and truly hooked there were two trees in front of my movie and i could only play the fish between them it was quite difficult. It had to happen i tripped on the tree roots and down i went flat on my face i still had hold of my rod and giving a shout to my mate i managed to get up but every thing was slack ,Ive lost him mate bloody hell i was hurting. I started to wind then everything went solid he was still on and had snagged me in the lilies i was a bit afraid to take the boat out in the dark but it was the only thing i could do on getting to the lilies and putting a bit of pressure on out he came and with a bit of help from my mates son managed to land this old warrior a very nice mirror we got back to the bank and on weighting him he was twenty six pounds and as black as coal we noticed he had what appeared to be a big abscess on his shoulder but he was returned no worse for ware i had only got back in the bag when the snag rod was away and i duly landed a common of twenty three pounds it was turning into a real good session we had six carp between us by morning i was really knackered the fall really had knocked me around i slept most of the day but decided that evening it was time to head home as i had bruised my self quite badly, and was having a bit of difficulty breathing what i did not know at the time i had cracked my rib so my fishing came to an end for that year. well ill tell you more latter
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In reply to Post #761
well its nearly winter again to wander the hedge rows and woods thick with snow is like walking in a winter wonder land every thing suspended in time and icicles form on every dripping tree while above the grey skies threaten more snow and the icy north wind blows through every tree and bush chilling you to the bone the beech tree stands tall ,on the still air the few bright leaves left on the tree are shown up by the frozen land scape intensifing every colour and shade of the few left on the tree not a green leaf to be seen only the ivy bush with its green sheen
you may see the prints of a fox deep in the woods as he crosses the path the snow speckled red or pink from his recent kill maybe a rabbit or the farmers chicken but he is now well gone and now lies deep below ground in the old earth he is content and has a full belly and knows he is safe no hunt today for the weather keeps them at bay so he sleeps his time away, you may hear the rapping of the woodpecker as it Carry's on the still air from deep within the wood or the call sounding like mocking laughter of the jay with his shrill raucous call the bird is a wary creature and is reluctant to show himself but you may catch a glimpse as he flips through the trees with his striking plumage he inhabits the dense woodland and lives deep within the woods he is a bit of a character and becomes a thief in in spring and summer and is disliked by many for stealing from other bird nests.
The blustery snow showers cover the ground with an icy sheet the hedge rows looks if they are covered in cotton wool with the snow piled on top and over hanging the sides the poor old rabbits can find no food, for the ground is frozen and the grass lies deep below the frozen snow so it off to the woods they must go to still there hunger they nipple the bark of any young trees and in some forests can cause extensive damage in these conditions they feed any time of day and in the half light of the evening you catch the sight of the barn owl as he glides like a ghost across the white of the field looking for his evening meal what a wondrous sight to see.
The crows glide like shadows in the half light going to the wood s to roost for the night followed by rooks with there noisy cries the cruel winter night is setting in with a forecast of more snow and frost to come so i pull my coat around me and head for home and the warmth of the fire to keep me warm more to come latter
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In reply to Post #760
i have a bit of time on my hands so ill carry on, as well as fishing bomere and berrington i was fishing birch grove long before Tim paisley had it, i got permission i cant remember how much i paid for the privilege they were idyllic days and i would spend hours spotting the fish on this water i think it was late sixties when i started fishing the place i would use luncheon meat straight on the hook no hair rig then i would use a size four hook push it through the meat then with a bit of bank side reed stem put it under the bend of the hook to keep the meat in place it was quite successful but we did have a problem especially at night eels i would get a dozen or so a night mostly around the two pounds mark but i did catch them to four pounds plus quite a nice fish.
but i was there to try and catch the carp i saw very few other anglers fishing the place i know a couple of friends one who is now in my syndicate fished it quite a lot, funny really graham never fished with me on the birch if i remember right he had work commitments one bait i did well with was maggot and caught fish to fourteen pounds i never really have any huge fish from the place i think if i remember right the biggest was 19 pounds i was told after it was a big fish for the birch in those days, but i really loved the old place and i spent some happy hours there. not far from the birch was another lake i used to poach, but i never felt easy fishing it i was always on edge although i did catch some nice carp and bream not really big but worth the effort i packed up going there. i wrote about the place on a thread some time ago about two friends who fished there one night. They had a most dreadful experience on the water and have not fished it since. i was fishing birch grove that particular night and they arrived to tell me what had happened to them i offered to go back with them but they would not return till morning to collect there tackle they were absolutely petrified, i cant say i have ever seen a ghost but they certainly had seen something that really frightened them and i can vouch for there honesty but its not the first time funny things have happened on this lake i have heard stories from other anglers plus the farmer so i keep an open mind on the subject well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #759
I think it was 1970 when graham and myself first took the lease out for berrington pool it was known locally as heart break pool a very hard place to fish and very deep it was shaped like a basin but it certainly held some good fish roach to over two pounds big perch and some huge bream. when we took on the lease the bank side vegetation was very much over grown not many had fished the place only a few of the owners friends i had known him for some years and his father. On the pool was a boat house with a punt and in the early years graham or i would row the owners wife and children around the lake . When the bream were showing on the top we would take the punt out and just sit there you could almost touch there backs .
They were busy days we now had the lease at bomere and berrington plus we were fishing the meres at ellesmere colemere white mere practically all the meres the bream record was broken at white mere but not claimed it was caught by a friend, who was very keen to keep it quite and it was broken again at col mere, by our group and owing to the fish dying the record was claimed at a weight of 11lb -12oz a good fish in those days as a lot of anglers did not believe they existed to that size we certainly proved them wrong and had some fantastic captures. And i was lucky enough to catch some of the bigger fish myself some falling just under the British record by ounces i was certainly on a high and graham and myself were getting well known for our angling exploits within our county and beyond we appeared in the press many times but i did wander if it was a good thing because we would be followed every where we fished, and some times had an audience watching us, there was a lot of jealousy in those far off days and we even had our swims soaped with carbolic luckily a friend saw it happen and we were informed, the gentleman that did it was quite well known in the bream circle and his name was nearly ruined silly man .
We were also fishing mar-bury mere in Cheshire for its big bream and other lakes within our county so you can see we were quite busy i was really never at home if we were fishing the meres i would bait up three times a week that took quite a bit of our time as we did that in the evenings that was a round trip of about thirty six miles so by the time we got home from work had tea then bait up the evening would be gone and i arrived back at home it would be dark good job i had a understanding wife, graham and i were obsessed with fishing and truly had bream fever every minute of our spare time revolved around catching bream they were crazy days we did not have much money but we managed and got by i designed some better indicators and bobbins to make it easier to fish in the dark i have already mentioned them in an earlier thread. ill tell you more latter
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In reply to Post #758
It was in the late sixties early seventies that myself and graham were offered the lease at bomere it was a nice water of 25 acre i had regular poached it most of my life so i had a fair idea what fish it held There was lots of rumors about it being haunted which put a lot of people off going any where near the place. it was also a haven for wild life i said to graham i had fished, the pool and poached the woods and had never seen a ghost so graham and myself started to bait up a spot on this old lake firstly we had to rake out a good area of weed to clear enough space to fish four rods between us, we baited up a little bit often about three times a week consisting mainly of sausage rusk layers mash breadcrumb with a few drops of tincture lemon grass it smelt absolutely great.
We were both exited when we arrived at the lake for our first session as no one had ever fished it at night well not to my knowledge i had poached it into dark put the that was a few years ago. After Sorting our selves out and putting the old garden bed chairs up and pegging the umbrellas down in case of rain we managed get our rods out we used twelve ft rods coupled with Mitchel's 3 lb line size eight hook and free running quarter oz arsley bombs completed the set up we were using bread flake tipped with maggot on one rod with maggot or caster on the other after casting out and putting our doe bobbins on the line between but ring and reel we sat down and relaxed but not for long we had a pike, in the swim and he kept striking at fish, we had in the swim mostly small roach, so it was out with the pike rod on went a plug first cast i had him he weighed in at fourteen pounds, not a bad start to the night i decided not to release him back into the swim and took him further up the lake i watched him disappear into the depths no worse for ware then i returned to graham and our baited swim. The first take produced a nice roach of two pounds plus to graham followed shortly by a tench for myself of nine pounds plus to say i was over the moon was an under statement before midnight we had accounted for twelve roach eight over two pound and my big tench ,plus the fourteen pounds pike. And then it was like some one pulling a curtain down the fish vanished until first light when we caught more roach to around the pound but the big ones had vanished and it was some time before we caught them again well that was our first night on bomere that was many years ago . so a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #757
I dream about my early years when i stalked the rivers for the wily trout and the gray ling, and the days i spent walking the mountains fields and hedge rows to find the black birds nest and the thrushes to, and to clime a tree to the buzzards nest and hold the eggs in my hand a wondrous thing to see . To watch the little dipper walk under water and watch the kingfisher in his vibrant colour dive from his perch above the water and catch the minnow in his beak to me it was a marvelous thing to see this was how i spent my youth i fell in love with the country side which has lasted all my life.
To stand in the river jar in hand catching the bull heads with our hands to lay a minnow trap full of bread then mount the minnows on a flight and spin for the trout this was my way life to trot a float with a little red worm and catch the gray ling and take him home to stand under the falls lip hook a minnow and wait for the take from the beautiful perch it never ceased to amaze me the fish i caught the little jack pike who i hooked on a minnow under the sill of the falls. To watch the sand martins darting around making holes in the river bank for there nests i would take the wild garlic home to my mum we really did have some fun i would be sent with a basket to the mountain tops where i would pick the whim berries, the blackberries mushrooms to we harvested them all nothing was wasted in those early years
I loved the woods and walked for miles watched the keeper go about his work i would poach the lakes as most were private in my youth to stand on the bank rod in hand and watch the big Rudd in the clear spots in the weed drop a hook in with a bit of bread flake tremble with anticipation as you waited for that take the float would tremble and away it would slide you would tremble with excitement when you held this fish in your hand with its lovely red fins and its golden flanks to catch the carp on floating bread between the weed beds was another thing that past the time in my early years. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #756
I was born in the year 1942 into a loving family. although my mother and father have now gone i shall always be in there dept they always encouraged me to fish and shoot and to live the country way of life. just up the road from where i lived was old rabbit catcher home, grandfather would take me to his house i well remember him telling us about his way of life i suppose i was only about five or six at the time but i was fascinated by the tales he told. he told of times long ago when he used a pony and trap he would actually fill the trap with rabbits from the snares he had put down he caught hundreds and made a good living out of them he would have rabbits hanging in big rows from hooks in his garden and cages full of ferrets his life was hard but he had a great understanding about nature and the country side and i really have a lasting impression about the gentleman and his way of life .
i was only young when i had my first ferret i would carry him in my shirt to my mothers horror she said i stunk but that old hob ferret caught me lots of rabbits giving me lots of pleasure i would carry a few nets in my pockets and up the woods and fields i would go find a small warren with two or three holes net them and stand quietly back the rabbits would bolt into the nets if you were lucky you would have two or three and be away to the next bury but i was always on the look out for the farmer or game keeper as i was poaching and it was very much frowned on and if caught you would be in serous trouble i soon learned the best holes to ferret, how to blend in with the land scape and escape the keepers clutches and my family and neighbors were always grateful for the rabbits i caught.
I loved the way of life i learned such a lot in my early years that put me in good stead in my future life this time of year i really loved it was always a pleasure to be out be it fishing or shooting to see the colours of the trees the orange rustic browns and the yellows of the leaves as another year came to an end to smell the damp and decay in the woods it was all part of nature to watch the squirrels collecting what they could and store for when times were hard i loved to look for the different fungus which grew on rotting wood to watch the rabbits scurry through the wood to hear the buzzard high above or see the stoat stalk the rabbit it wont be long before he changes his coat or catch a glimpse of the weasel where he has his home within the farmers wall or catch a glimpse of old foxy with his rustic coat it all gave me pleasure as it does today to fish for the pike on a frosty day and stare in wonder at this great fish as it lay on the bank in all its glorious colour then returned to his home deep whithen the pool maybe to catch another day what could i ask for better than this its been part of my life for so long and i pray it will continue for some time to come for when i have gone who will tell the tales from long ago. more latter
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In reply to Post #755
as i stand and look down the lake at bomere and the surrounding woods it brings back some happy memories. I well remember the days when it was strictly private and the old keepers that looked after the shoot and all the wood where hard men and would not hesitate to put a shot over your head if they saw you any where near the woods or on the surrounding ground. Shooting was big business in those days and bomere was part of a huge shoot that stretched for miles it was heavily keeper by the likes of old bell and Gerry haiz and a number of under keepers it stretched from my home at Bayston hill to Dorrington and it was well known for its big partridge shoots. I would watch from afar and was fascinated by these men in there plus fours they were all toffs and all spoke very posh . The sgt from our village a mr Landers who i have mentioned before was part of the shoot as well i think they invited him to keep an eye out for poachers . As i have said earlier he used to rear a few birds behind his house at the police station for the shoot as i said in my earlier stories i had a few of those and it did not go down very well he was livid and came to see my parents but he never proved anything it became a game of cat and mouse between my self and old landers But he never caught me . People still laugh on my village as most of the older generation remember those days and my poaching and the scrapes it got me into
Just up the fields from bomere was the old stone quarry ,and in those days it belonged to a man called harper as i have stated before the honey meadow backed on to the quarry it always flooded when there was two much water in bomere but it always had a fair amount of water in it all year round i have told you before i used to shoot the ducks on there when Gerry was at the pub well just above the quarry was a strip of wood land also belonging to the shoot but it was a bit out of the way and not many went any where near it, as they all said it was haunted i think this was circulated by the farmer mr lock and the keepers to keep any one away from the place. Well it did not keep me away although i was a bit apprehensive i would be there on a black cold windy night when the keepers were at the pub i would take my air rifle and torch and shoot them while the were at roost it was an easy method and i made a bob or two doing it i was there one night when i heard a shout come out of there or ill shoot and he bloody did it sprayed the under growth and trees all around i was not hit but i was away across the fields as soon as i got my bearings, just down the fields towards my home was an old disused firing range that the army used to use in the war years for target practice i dived into the cover and lay there i was shaking with fright and there i stayed for the next hour or so i could hear them shouting and i think the police were there also. But i did manage to get my self home in the early hours when everything went quite it was all over the village in the coming weeks that poachers had been taking birds and they had been duly chased off i laughed to myself poachers it was only one myself and i managed to get away with four brace funny really they were exiting times and i loved the chase but did not fancy getting shot in the rear. but it never happened my poaching days are now over but i have great memories of those far off days. more latter
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In reply to Post #754
it was the first shoot for my syndicate of twelve today. i was a little bit hurt to say the least i have mentioned before it is a Treble ssi site and they have been working in the woods and the surrounding area for the last twelve months and the work was supposed to have revolved around removing four and a half acres of rose dendrums which have flourished there for many years but it is a little bit more than that all the silver birch trees have also been removed, and along the the path that runs beside the lakes they have now cleared all the bank side vegetation and most of the trees, it really looks more like a desert than the place i have fished and poached most of my life. my main concern with taking the bank side scrub and trees down is there is a good chance the woods could get severely flooded as there is now nothing to keep the water back. There was a need to remove the rose dendrums as they were so thick it stopped other things growing ie primroses and the blue bells and wild garlic that grew in abundance when i was a youngster.
I was absolutely disgusted with the mess they have left. A lot of the wild life has now lost its habitat with having the trees ripped out even some of the rare sphagnum moss has also disappeared which was protected by English nature i am told that the trees beside the lakes and under growth was removed to help the natural plants like lilies and such to get a bit more light so the can flourish i am not convinced. It will over a period of time grow back but it has seriously effected our small shoot the pheasants are not there in numbers like they used to be, i think that was mainly caused by the noise from the huge machinery that they were using but that has now finished for this year i was well pleased with the ducks as lots of mallard was seen and shot with a good many teal a lovely little duck which makes good eating. Talking to some of the carp fishermen they are not to happy about some of the work that has been done by contractors for English nature and they have informed me that they do not fish the one bank as it is now to open to the elements and when windy gets quite cold. my grandfather and father had lots do with these woods and lakes and i really wander what they would say if alive, especially old Gerry the keeper who was there for many years. I poached these woods for years fishing and shooting as i have already mentioned in my earlier part of my stories and really love the old place it will take years for it to get back to what it was and i wander if they have done the right thing only time will tell but in the mean time with the help of friends i will monitor all the wild life one thing we did see was a couple of foxes i love to see one or two and as long as they do no damage they are quite welcome. well that's it for now more to come latter
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In reply to Post #745
I loved Acton Burnell when i was young it was a place of mystery a magical place it was surrounded with trees and woods that sloped up towards the sky i roamed those woods well before i fished Acton i think i only poached it once it was well keeper ed and i knew them well peter Jackson Bert owlet and co it was peter that first gave me permission to fish the estate i suppose i was only about 15 years old. i soon got to know the owner who gave me a ticket to fish the lakes any time i wanted i would bike from my home with the rods tied to my cross bar and bag on my back there were two lakes both man made many centuries before. Between the two lakes was an eel trap the water drained from the big lake into a purposely made eel trap and the eels were collected from it and sold at market but that was years before i suppose it made extra revenue for the estate. centuries ago for those that don't know the first parliament was held at Acton Burnell when i fished at night i would imagine the ghosts of those long ago still walked the paths and roads that surrounded this old and mysterious place.
It was a place of beauty and mystery and for a number of years i never met any one else on the place exept for the keepers who would always stop for a chat and see how i was getting on how could i poach and loose their trust although there were pheasant every were i never once took a bird. But i would roam the woods at times looking for birds nests and would listen to the wild life it was on one of those walks that i came across a little pool deep in the woods it was full of Rudd not big but i would take a rod and catch a few for live baiting for the pike that Acton held , i caught plenty from there but i did not have one above fifteen pounds. But alas they have now all gone the tench, i caught have also gone, the roach, as well. It was drained and stocked with huge carp who now swim in the depths of of this old place that i fished long ago. Gone are the carp that we stocked years before that myself and friends would catch, They inhabited those lakes to forty pounds mirrors, and commons, where they went i do not know but when i pass the burnell now i think of the times we had and of the friends i got to know some still here and some have passed and i wander if there ghosts still haunt this mysterious place that i fished all those years ago more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #746
Looking at about 9 months. A full history of carp fishing through the decades remembered by a lot of top names. Also some bang up to date stuff.
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In reply to Post #748
Amazing stuff Pete. Definitely worth a book in its own right! I will hopefully do it justice in the forthcoming book. There is certainly some fantastic material to go with it from some of the best carp anglers there have been.
thanks jason i am glad you enjoyed them we will wait for ken to return and we will then sort out whatever you want between the three of us lots more to came yet kind regards pete
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In reply to Post #748
Amazing stuff Pete. Definitely worth a book in its own right! I will hopefully do it justice in the forthcoming book. There is certainly some fantastic material to go with it from some of the best carp anglers there have been.
thanks jason i am glad you enjoyed them we will wait for ken to return and we will then sort out whatever you want lots more to came yet kind regards pete
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In reply to Post #749
#749 29 Oct 2010 at 4.22pm
In reply to Post #748
Any idea when the book will be on sale?
if you pm milk proten he will give you some idea i think brentwood show thanks again pete
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In reply to Post #748
Any idea when the book will be on sale?
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In reply to Post #747
Amazing stuff Pete. Definitely worth a book in its own right! I will hopefully do it justice in the forthcoming book. There is certainly some fantastic material to go with it from some of the best carp anglers there have been.
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In reply to Post #746
pete i certainly do i fell through a few the canvas used to break or the cover, and away you would go i have also had the rachet break more than once you would end up on the floor when i think back we managed with nowt thanks again pete some of the stories will be appearing in a book which is being launched the end of next year by a member on this forum
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In reply to Post #745
Peter, another good read that brought a smile to my face, like you I remember only to well the old garden chairs we used back in the 60's.
Keep these great stories coming mate. Pete
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In reply to Post #742
We stood on the dam wall at Acton graham Dennis and my self we were there to catch the big Roach and Tench that inhabited this lovely old lake it was one of two and the smallest. i fished the right hand side while den fished the left side leaving graham in the middle. i walked around to the small island and baited up using layers mash bread crumbs laced with maggot it had been a very hot and humid day and there was storms forecast we were using the old garden chairs or loungers as that was all you could get the year was 1969 at least we did have umbrellas which sheltered us from the wind and rain we always pegged them down to stop any movement by the wind.
the sky took on a purple tinge and the wind started get up i watched from under my umbrella as lighting streaked across the sky lighting up the woods above us the thunder was so intense it was nearly deafening. i had just about got my rods out one baited with bread flake tipped with maggot the other with maggot when the heavens opened up i had a attached my little red light to a spare rod rest and it was now shinning on my two doe bobbins the rain was bouncing off the pool the lighting was so in intense you could see the other end of the pool sod this for a game of soldiers i shouted to graham but i got no response i reeled my rods in and made for the car which was only yards away taking my boots off i covered myself up with two blankets and listened to the rain hitting the roof of the car the thunder seemed to be getting louder the lighting was spectacular as it streaked across the sky i eventually drifted into a deep sleep and awoke with a start on looking at my watch it was 3-30 it had stopped raining and the mist was rolling down the lake like lost souls from another time. Graham and Dennis were asleep covered with a blanket and a canvas sheet there bobbins were still hanging from the rods since casting out last night the air was humid but i felt we were in with a chance i baited the left hand rod and cast to the island the other into the corner to my right i was just putting the bobbin on the right hand rod when the other was away i played the fish and after a few minutes a nice Tench slid over the rim of the net six pounds exactly . After waking graham and Dennis i cast out again and was just having a cuppa when the same rod was away again another Tench slid into the net on weighting it was five pounds exactly i was well pleased but the next fish i lost to a hook pull. the other two were now also catching we ended the night with over 100 pounds of Tench none under five pounds we were well pleased with our effort and we decided to do another session latter on i will tell you about this session latter .
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In reply to Post #743
Thanks martin i really appreciate your comments
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In reply to Post #733
Very nice to see some one that has not forgot the old ways,and what else go,s on around you,this was nice to find as i have not been on for atleast a year,many thanks martin.
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In reply to Post #741
As a lay on my bed chair and listened to the Tawney owl in the old snarled tree that stood next to my bivie i watched the geese coming into land on this old lake which had been there for generation and was formed by the ice age i felt good to be alive the stars shone above with the moon shining bright the swish of wings and a shadow crossed the moon it was the mallard coming to feed on the stubble field which they had for generations the splash of a fish brought me to my senses but i soon drifted in an out of sleep the cry of the water hen the call of the coot it was all part of a magical night the old oak tree the far side of the lake stood out in the moonlight with it snarled branches looking like great arms it had been there for generations and i wandered if it could talk what things it had seen. The ground was steep behind the old tree a dog fox past silently looking for a meal a rabbit or what ever it may find the sound of my alarm brought me to my senses no need to strike the fish was on it powered down the lake toward the lilies but i soon had him under control and as it slipped across the net the moon showed up a big old mirror it was black as coal i wondered how many years this great fish had swam in the depths and whether i was the first to catch him it was hard lake to fish with a very low stock and i was well pleased to catch he weighted in at 28 pounds my friend did the honers and took the photos and i returned him no worse for wear.
i fell asleep but was awoken to the sound of gun shot and watched the light across the fields it may be poachers shooting the rabbits who knows then i saw the light of a land rover. and knew they were after old foxy as they came closer they stopped by my bivie i need not of worried it was the farmer and indeed they had been out after the fox they showed me three they had killed and said they were away to pastures new i heard one or two more shots far away in the distance as i drifted into a deep sleep i was awoken to the sound of my alarms once again and was instantly on my rod he was well hooked and after ten minutes had him in the net another mirror also black as coal it weighed in at twenty five pounds to say i was pleased was an understatement once again the photos taken he was returned to the depths of his home maybe we would meet again some time who knows this was one night in my life i would like to share with you it was full of magic and one of many on this old lake. more latter
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In reply to Post #740
I Took a friend with me to watch a family of foxes which i had found a couple of weeks before i set my video recorder on my tripod and lay down in the long grass looking down the slope at the hawthorn hedge , the vixen had had them in an old hole below the hawthorn tree, they would come out and play in the long grass above the hedge there were five in total not very old my friend Rodger was fascinated they would come out to play and run up the bank towards us then roll all the way back down they were now on meat and i would watch the vixen bring a rabbit to them and then after checking they were alright she would be away they would play tug of war between their selves pulling the rabbit one way then the other. i got a bit concerned as i had not seen them for at least four days so i felt that i would investigate i was saddened at what i found one cub was lying dead on the path that ran beside the hedge my first thought was had it been killed by dogs or shot but picking it up there was not a mark on his body. it looked under nourished my thoughts were maybe its the runt of the litter but i still had not seen the rest of the cubs were they dead also i did not want get to close to the earth as they may be still alive and if the vixen caught my scent she would probably move them i really needed to get below the earth and build a hide so we could not be seen and i could film away at my leisure.
another friend Bern wanted to come along and also do some photographs, i built the hide in the hedge over looking the earth it was big enough for the two of us and the equipment i was still worried that they may be dead we arrived early next morning and set the recorder up and the cameras and low and behold there they were four lovely young cubs they were playing with a dead hedgehog it was just like a game of football they would throw it up in the air and one or the other would catch it then have a tug of war we were fascinated over a period of weeks they became quite tame and they knew we were there i got out of the hide this one day and the one young cub was standing behind me maybe six feet away i just stood still it just looked at me then walked of into the corn field adjacent to where we had the hide they became so tame they would come to the front of our hide we could of touched them we watched this family for many weeks and really got some good footage but the time came for them to leave and fend for there selves how many survived into there adult life i don't know but my guess not many but it had been a privilege watching them This was about a fox watch that went on for many weeks and was one of many i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did while filming its been all part of my life and i have loved every minute more to come latter
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In reply to Post #739
Well ill try again you may remember i told you about the river severn in crisis well low and behold a piece appeared in the paper last night written by Mr john Roberts chairman of the Shropshire federation i take my hat of to Mr Roberts for bringing it to the forefront tonight another piece appeared and the environment agency are now involved but what really made me laugh there was a picture of some domestic geese and the geese were being blamed for eating the fish, morons geese do not eat fish goo sander and merganser and cormorants eat fish it just shows how little the press know about nature they are not the only predators but we have mink running around like pets now the otter even if they allowed a cull it will take years to get back to what it was and that may not be in my lifetime i am quite looking forward to what the environment agency comes up with but after discussing the situation with a bailiff friend i think it is a culmination of things severe winter weather big floods and predators this has nothing to do with my stories but i am trying to highlight the serious situation that could spread to other rivers in the UK i have fished the severn for many years and have never seen it like this something must be done or it may become devoid of fish thanks for reading pete
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In reply to Post #738
I was never afraid when i was young i don't think we new what fear was i would clime the cliffs at a place called jack door rocks and look at the eggs i did take a young jackdaw and reared him but i have covered that in an earlier thread or clime a tree to the kestrels nest and hold her chick in my hand or to see the eggs of the buzzard they were all wanders of nature it was a wonderful time in my life.
I would sit in the woods and listen to the noses the birds and the animals made even the creek of a tree it was a path of learning i would pick the primroses and smell the aroma of the blue bells in the spring. The woods were so wonderful at that time of year i would find the dormouse and hold it in my hand and wonder at its size such a small creature to survive in this big world find the Tawney owls nest with its round white eggs watch the young rabbits from afar long before the days of myxomatosis they inhabited every field and wood to watch the fox cubs at play this was all part of my life
I would never be at home from morning until night my parents knew no harm would come to me. i would traverse the streams and rivers and stare in wonder at the kingfisher in his vibrant colours or hide in the undergrowth and watch the timid water vole sadly not seen in numbers anymore because of the mink which has now wiped them out but they were common in my youth why do we have so many do gooders around today letting alien animals loose they do not understand nature at all and the damage they are doing to our country side. i would lie on my stomach and watch the brown trout glide by and he never knew i was there or free line a big worm from my rod i caught many a trout in the early morning using this method and they were always welcome back at my home but as i say this was all part of my life.
I would watch the game keeper from afar he would feed the rides in the woods to keep his birds safe or hang the vermin from a gate crows jays stoats rats and weasels even badgers would be there but this was his life and he had to protect the game for his employers i would watch him set his snares and he never even knew i was there i learned so much in those early years. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #736
One thing i really loved when i was younger was the shire horses i used to watch them pull the binder around the field cutting the corn or plowing the fields some on here might remember those far off days they were great massive animals and i got to know one farm labourer that used to talk to these animals and they understood every word he said but saying that he worked with them every day . The farmer a Mr bag-got also used to show them they looked beautiful with all there brasses on and he won many certificates sadly those days have now gone even then they had started to use the tractor the old fort son and the Davy brown they were so much quicker than the horses it really was the end of an era.
I have seen so many changes in my life time some good and some not as far as farming goes one thing that really got to me was extensive farming making the field bigger by pulling out hedges and trees so they could get that little bit extra in crops what they failed to realize they were ruining the habitat for lots of animals and birds and in places creating a big dust bowl as the hedges were the only drainage. one bird that was really really affected was the grey partridge or as some might know it as true English partridge the plover and many more the harvest mouse the door mouse i could go on and on sad really but that's the way of the world now to many mouths to feed so we are always striving to produce more food at the expense of our wild life.
The wild life abounded when i was young the yellow hammer, the bull finch the linnet the sky lark i would lie in the grass on a hot day and watch the sky lark high above another bird that was quite common was the curlew they would nest in the long grass of the meadows not any more you still see a few but with modern farming there is no where for them to nest once again habitat gone the peewit or plover not here in any quantity the large flocks have gone. i remember collecting the eggs for my mother who would pickle them in a big jar not as you could do that today but when i was young you would see them in most fields they were very common. Well another moan over a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #736
One thing i really loved when i was younger was the shire horses i used to watch them pull the binder around the field cutting the corn or plowing the fields some on here might remember those far off days they were great massive animals and i got to know one farm labourer that used to talk to these animals and they understood every word he said but saying that he worked with them every day . The farmer a Mr bag-got also used to show them they looked beautiful with all there brasses on and he won many certificates sadly those days have now gone even then they had started to use the tractor the old fort son and the Davy brown they were so much quicker than the horses it really was the end of an era.
I have seen so many changes in my life time some good and some not as far as farming goes one thing that really got to me was extensive farming making the field bigger by pulling out hedges and trees so they could get that little bit extra in crops what they failed to realize they were ruining the habitat for lots of animals and birds and in places creating a big dust bowl as the hedges were the only drainage. one bird that was really really affected was the grey partridge or as some might know it as true English partridge the plover and many more the harvest mouse the door mouse i could go on and on sad really but that's the way of the world now to many mouths to feed so we are always striving to produce more food at the expense of our wild life.
The wild life abounded when i was young the yellow hammer, the bull finch the linnet the sky lark i would lie in the grass on a hot day and watch the sky lark high above another bird that was quite common was the curlew they would nest in the long grass of the meadows not any more you still see a few but with modern farming there is no where for them to nest once again habitat gone the peewit or plover not here in any quantity the large flocks have gone. i remember collecting the eggs for my mother who would pickle them in a big jar not as you could do that today but when i was young you would see them in most fields they were very common. Well another moan over a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #733
thank you both very much for your kind remarks i very much appreciate what you have said kind regards pete
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In reply to Post #733
Better than most books i,ve read , this thread should be in print, what a book it would make keep it coming Pete and good health to you sir
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In reply to Post #733
Pete, I have finally managed to get round to reading this wonderful thread of yours, full marks mate for a fascinating insight into your life. I love the way you write as you speak with a clear passion of your love of the rural life and wildlife in general.
I can't wait to read your next post Pete and I just wished I had got round to reading it all sooner.
Thanks again Pete for sharing your life stories with us mate, the best read on this forum ever!
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In reply to Post #732
When i stand up on the hills and look towards my home and see the woods fields and valleys it brings a tear to my eyes for most i have roamed when i was young and in my prime. in the distance i can see the trees of bomere standing proud the woods i poached that belonged to old bell the meandering streams most i have fished. The hills where i now stand i have walked far and wide through the valley hills and the dales gun in hand waiting for that grouse to take to flight or catch sight of the goshawk soaring far above making his call gek gek he lives in the conifers and deciduous woods which flourishes on this high ground to watch him make that rapid chase over a short distance and grasp his quarry in his talons gives me pleasure nature is so wonderful . the kestrel hovers effortlessly it hangs in motion waiting to catch that small vole or mouse oh to be at one with nature.
To hang over the bank of a mountain stream and watch the brown trout before he knows whats happening he is on the bank not big but beautiful all the same with his spotted flanks i return him for another day. to watch the fox bound away across those hills and go far away for no one is hunting him today he stops and turns towards me lifts his head and smells the air then in a jiff he has gone maybe ill see him some other day. In the valleys far below i have shot the partridge a lovely bird to eat the true grey partridge that is sadly in decline today when i was young that's all you would see and not the french ones that are so common today.
i loved to trot a float down the meandering river in search of the lady of the river the gray-ling a lovely fish and related to the salmon i would only keep two for the table the rest were released and on a good day you catch as many as twenty no wander they call her the lady of the river she is such a graceful fish but they are also nice to eat but i have not done this for years owing to my health they were lovely days i wandered where i wanted although most was private it was away of life my life i have loved every minute of it times were hard but we managed and survived. a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #731
cant believe how quick the years go by it seems only yesterday that got married and now its fifty years on Friday where have the years gone i cant say but i have had a very happy marriage and a wonderful wife who has put up with my love of fishing poaching shooting and my love of nature i have spent hours away from home practically living in the woods or fishing this would have caused a divorce in most relationships but she has always supported me in all i have done i really don't think a lot of today's women would put up with the sort of life i have lived.
i have been a bit of the jack the lad and as i have stated before it still gets thrown in my face by some of the real old residents of our village saying you was a rum un but they forget about all the pheasants and trout i supplied them with when times were hard yes i was as jack the lad anything to make a bob or two as i have stated before i would box down the fair it was a fiver if you faced there boxers i would get knocked around a bit but a fiver was a fiver in those far of days and as i walked away i really would feel rich that five pound note went a very long way a few pints fags fishing tackle
but i would make most of my money by poaching the odd pheasants and catching a few rabbits or poaching the brown trout from the local brooks and rivers it was a way of life one i still miss. but there is no need today you can go to the supermarkets and buy most thing trout and pheasant included and dirt cheap when we were young it was hard no big shops so you lived on what you could but you survived . mum would bake all her own bread and coupled with home made butter it was delicious what realy sticks in my memorey is my mother baking potatoes on the open fire there skin would be black but when sliced open and home made butter put on them they tasted great and we would eat them with great slabs of home made bread and butter those were the days never to return so we live with our memories but to me they are good memories but they were hard days and i dont know if i could live that way again maybe if i was younger but now i like my creature comforts a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #730
I have always had an infinity with wild life ever since i was a youngster. my wife thinks i should have been born a bird ha ha she gets a bit cob smacked at some of the things i can do she was watching me today feed the birds its quite uncanny i can fill the table up with the birds still on it they are not afraid of me one bit and on some occasions they have fed out of my hand the doves are really tame and stay there when i put more feed out the great tits are the same the blue tits do come but are a bit more timid than there cousins the coal tits don't seem to worry about me one bit i have always fed them and i think they just get used to me and know i will do them no harm i had a pair of black birds earlier in the year that would feed right next to my feet while sitting out side and even brought thier young well i like to think to see me i don't know but i could nearly hand feed them with bits of apple.
This is not the only animals that have trusted me badgers would feed out of my hand i used to go down to a friends just down the road from where i live we could feed the badgers, with peanut butter on bread they absolutely loved it i would also feed the fox cubs i had in my garden i fed them on chicken legs i would put them in a big bowl the vixen would come and toss the legs to the cubs she used to keep her eye on me but i never hurt her or her cubs and she knew and put her trust in me i could even mow the grass and they would stay not frightened one bit the next door neighbour was not to pleased as they used to dig holes in his garden but i loved them and they were safe from harm in my garden but the day always came when she moved them to the fields or woods they were wild animals and really that's where they should be.
One thing i do have is starlings i love to watch them in the evening wheeling arround making patterns in the sky before they come in to roost in the next door neibours conifer trees they have roosted there for a number of years they are now getting quite rare and you dont see the numbers as you did when i was a youngster they can get a bit greedy on the bird table and i have now made a feeding station just for them not that its made that much difference as they still get on the fat balls and believe me they dont last that long with that amount of birds feeding on them well thats it for now more tomorrow
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In reply to Post #729
Once again we were out after the barbel not one barbel did we catch but caught some very nice chub the biggest going five pound 2oz. the barbel seem to have vanished and i believe that something has seriously gone wrong on the severn its not just the barbel but dace roach and such. it has been suggested it may be the severe winters we are experiencing and the huge floods that may have decimated the fish stocks. There are still barbel in the river but certainly not like there was a few years ago you could almost guarantee up to twenty fish in an evening your now lucky if you catch two fish and lots of anglers blank and its not just the shrews stretch its all the way down the river anglers are struggling match weights are also down.
i have just been to our local angling shop total angling and at least Andy who works there has got the environment agency involved good for him it really needs someone like him to take the problem on board. i would certainly like some answers a few years ago when fishing the avenue you would be lucky to get a swim but now the place is empty i think yesterday there was only about six anglers including us so it will be interesting to see what the environment agency does about the situation when i was a youngster you could trot down for dace and roach and catch a net full those days have gone sad really. and one other thing which does concern me is the predators mink, otters, goo sanders, mergansers, they certainly are taking lots of the young fish which is the future stock on our rivers i love nature and birds but we have to call a halt at some stage and cull some of these predators. Or the future of our rivers and lakes will be at stake
I read the paper the other day and also listened on the radio i think it was the environment agency stating that it was great to see the otters back on our rivers and it much better having them on our rivers. the fish stocks were up and healthy who ever wrote that must live in cuckoo land yes maybee the odd pair but not the amount we have today. i am told that on good authority that eight pairs exisit on my beloved rea brook between shrews and its source at martin pool a distance of about 16 miles what a situation to many do gooders they do not understand the country side or it ways i best shut up as i get very anoyed about the situation and the damage these preditors do sorry about the moan but i do feel we as anglers get walked all over we should be taken into account as we pay good money for our licences well moan over more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #728
Graham and myself went barbel fishing yesterday we did not get a bite for at least five hours and i did not expect it when it came i said to gray it was only a little fish but i soon changed my mind as it powered up stream i could do nothing with it for at least five minutes i just had to let the fish have his head, after a while i did get some sort of control but worse was to come he then decided to head down stream after about ten minutes i got to within a few yards from the bank then it happened the line got cut off on the sharp rocks which adorn that part of the severn which is just below the weir pool in shrewsbury i was really a bit fed up as it was a very big fish indeed and was probably an upper double well it does happen.
The next cast produced a nice chub and that was that it started to rain it was coming down like stair rods because we were fishing on concrete we could not get our umbrellas up so we decided to call it a day but we will be back on Thursday and give it another go, one interesting thing we learned from the bailiff who is a good friend. was on Sunday another angler hooked grahams rod the one he lost the other week as i mentioned it was pulled in by a barbel he had the line and with the help- of my bailiff friend managed to pull it to the surface on the far side of the river but it got stuck and the line broke, but at least we know approx where it is and will take some strong line and an old sea rod and try and cast over it on thurs and drag it in we may be lucky we will have to see.
i am going to try using 10ml or 12ml bolies as i tried the small halibut pellet and had no success i really do wander if they are wising up as when i changed to bolies yesterday i had an instant take a friend is going to send me some free bait to try some that he has made which he has had quite some success using i am quite looking forward to using it but i dont think it will arrive in time for tomorrow so i will stick with the 10 mill halibut boilies for now but look forward to using the new bait next week well thats all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #727
Old SAM my friend the keeper was always interested in what we got up to. and when i told him about the estate lake we were fishing and the duck we had had he was none to pleased as he knew the estate and the keepers they were a close knit community and helped one another out especially on shoot days. yum goner get catch ed one day young'un he would say in his broad Shropshire language but i was lucky we never did get caught i used to laugh at him some times as he was partial to a bit of poaching him self especially the brown trout.
some times he would take me with him he would put night lines down using worms for bait or a dead minnow he would catch a dozen or so i could not believe what he did as he was keeper its the perks of the trade he would say and who's gonna catch me he would say im keeper here and he was right he would also have the odd rabbit and pheasant and would give me a couple to take home with me. i suppose it was SAM who learned me the art of poaching he would take me down the woods and learn me the different signs to look out for the fox, badger, rat, stoat, he would also shoot the rooks and take home for his wife to make rook pie i never really fancied that and he would say y dont know what yer missing they would only use the breast and put potatoes and vegetables in and put a great big crust on top which had been baked in the oven i never did once try it i just did not fancy it.
He would also put eel traps down i did like eel ls and his wife would skin them then batter and fry i would sit in there house eating battered eel and potatoes with butter on with great big slabs of bread and home made butter she would make the butter her self with milk from the farm she would send me up to the farm ,for the milk and i would carry it back in a big old tin jug at times it would still be warm and i would take a sip or two she also made her own bread it was delicious and always had the crust with plenty of butter on it they were great days i would roam where i wanted far and wide and i learned so much about nature and the country side from old sam alas these old timers have now all gone and have taken there knowledge with them but i have happy memories of dear old sam and his wife that will remain with me forever. more to follow latter
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In reply to Post #726
I suppose its about fifty five years since i used to guest or poach a lake in south Shropshire it is now owned by Birmingham angling association i would be around thirteen years old and would bike to this lake which was about eight miles from my house it was full of tench and a sprinkling of carp and some really nice roach i would hide my bike in the undergrowth and slip onto the estate over the road side fence. i would mostly float fish this lake and i caught some very good tench not huge three or four pounds but to my mate ray and myself they were absolutely huge we caught them mostly on maggot which we collected from the abattoir but bread was another good bait.
The problem was it was a big shooting estate and was heavily keeper ed we were there one day and they started to shoot the duck. There was literally hundreds of duck on the place mostly mallard there was about fifteen guns and at least twenty or more beaters and keepers Ray and myself were petrified we would be caught we lay down in the bushes beside the lake and there we stayed we watched as duck after duck came tumbling out of the sky we were intrigued by there shooting they were all toffs and you could hear them shout to the keepers duck down and most sounded like they had a plum in there mouths really posh they also shot any pheasants that came out of cover beside the lake. Ray and i watched like eagles and any that fell behind where we were hid we picked up and put them over the hedge where we had hid our bikes, and prayed the dogs would not pick our scent up.
We got away with this many times and always managed to get away with half a dozen mallard, and the odd pheasant, we got stopped going home one night by one of the local farmers who wanted to know where we had got the pheasants and duck from as some were hanging from the handle bars on our bikes. i told him we had been given them for helping the keepers to beat the estate up the road he believed us and we were on our way home i don't think he thought two young lads like us could really poach and steal from the estate but that's how we lived the year was 1955 and food was still scarce so the odd bird was always welcome by mum and dad and the neighbors it was a change from rabbit. well more about my adventures latter
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In reply to Post #725
We have been down the woods looking for the door mouse but we were out of luck as yet we have not found any its rather worrying as we usually find a couple they are now becoming quite rare but i will keep looking over the coming weeks.
we went fishing for the barbel on thurs not good it was quite a cold breeze and failed to catch any barbel talking to the bailiff he is quite concerned as this year and last has not proved very fruitful the barbel were missing in early summer and none were seen on the shallows where they have spawned for years. it is very worrying as i could catch as many as twenty fish in an evening but those days seem to have gone you are lucky if you catch two in a session we did catch some good chub up to five pounds plus i just hope the barbel have not had some disease it could be they are wising up to the halibut pellets like they did with meat a few years ago it was virtually impossible to catch any on the meat but where have they gone when spawning we will have to wait and see.
we will be out again on Tuesday and maybe thurs as well. what we did see on thurs were numerous goo sanders and mergansers not good as they are depleting the fish stocks you never saw these birds years ago the goo sander really wants controlling and you can apply for a licence to shoot them there has been as many as thirty in one spot on our local waters and they really want dealing with as more and more will arrive over winter the cormorants are not doing much harm at the moment they seem to have disappeared where to i dont know.
I had the long tailed tits on the bird table today and as i put more feed out they fed right next to me great tits as well and did not appear to be frightened about me one bit we have the wood pecker visiting as well and numerous finches the next door neighbour was complaining about the badgers digging holes in her garden i told her they do it when worming she is not impressed one bit i said you will just have to put up with it for now as they will stop coming when it gets colder but i love to see them and they have been part of my life for many years. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #724
With a bit of luck ill be off down the woods on sat looking for the dormouse and his nest a wonderful little fellow who should soon be curled up in his nest fast asleep and will stay that way all of the winter. years ago they were kept as pets English nature now put boxes for them to hibernate in you can pick them up and handle them and they still sleep on i think nature is so wonderful. the hedge hog will also start to hibernate and sleep the winter through. but i love the woods at this time of the year the different colours as the leaves die and if you sit down in some quite spot beneath the tall trees you may see the nut hatch or the wood pecker or hear the latter banging away as he tries to get at the insects.
I watch the bird life long tailed tits who live in great flocks funny little birds hanging up side down to collect the insects they find. the sparrow hawk as he skims across the ride deep in the woods looking for a meal the tawny owl who sits up in a tree oblivious to us watching far below and the buzzard who glides on the thermal far above giving the occasional mew. You may even see the wood cock but most arrive at night from over the waters far away for this is the time of year they arrive on our shores.
Some times you may catch the sight of the fox in his rustic colours although he can do a bit of damage he is a majestic animal and blends in well with the autumn colours some times i would squeak like a rabbit in distress he would stop and listen before coming my way i have called him from quite some distance and have had him a matter of feet away before he relized i was there
the woods are now full of decay as the leaves fall from the trees and it wont be long before the canopy has gone for another season the fungus that grows on the rotting trees that have fallen down still grows. the great flocks of pigeon that come into roast at night the hunter will soon be after them with his gun the rabbits scuttle throught the under growth its been a good breeding year and soon the man will be out with his ferrets once again.. well more latter
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In reply to Post #723
How things have changed all we had in my youth were books and an old radio and that was ran from a battery. i think we had our first tele for the coronation 1953 and we had all the people living in the terrace watching it the house was packed. we had only just had the electricity installed until then it was oil lamps and the cooking was done on an old cooking range fired by coal and it was the only heating we had. before electricity we did have gas my job was to light the mantels at night it was better than oil and a lot cleaner
now we have computers i find them a bit hard but i get by i have learned myself but there is still a lot more to learn i still dont know how to put up photos and such but i must learn as i have to send photos to jay when he publishes his new book as some of my stories will be appearing in it i have also got to send the script to our ken for him to piece together i should have learned more at school all those years ago instead of playing truant and going fishing but i will get by i am sure and with a bit of help from ken and xpat Steve and jay and few more it may just happen.
We will be going after the barbel again tomorrow we should now start to catch the better fish as they pile the weight on to keep them going over the winter i have got some winterized oil to mix with the pellets i have got sardine and mackerel we have had success in the past using these oils i do hope i can fish thought the winter but with my problems we will have to see i visited the hospital yesterday and saw a specialist at the pain clinic who says she is going to send me to wolverhampton hospital to have the nerves tested in my legs as she thinks they may be damaged i have a bone scan on Friday to see how much my hips are damaged so i really hope i can carry on fishing through the winter the specialist has told me to carry on while i can who wants old age it gets to my old mate graham as well but its a wonderful life. One i have lived to the full its been a happy life i really would like to have a second bite of the cherry but that's not an option so we carry on day to day and live the life we love shooting fishing and nature and with a bit of luck and god willing it will continue for some time in the foreseeable future. well a little more latter
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In reply to Post #722
When i think back and the things i used to get up to i cringe and really wander how i did not get caught but luck was on my side i like to think it was because i knew the woods hedge rows and ditches better than most and even at night i could easily get lost if i had been chased and it did happen on more than one occasion. i loved to fish bomere which was strictly private and would creep around right under old Gerry the keepers nose and spin for the pike i always used a big old kidney spoon with a Tasle of red wool tied to the end of the trebles this accounted for a number of good fish but you were always on the look out for the police and keepers .
I would also poach the park at Condover the keepers name was frank bell i would walk the woods. i always carried a four ten shot gun that folded up and i would carry it under my coat it was very handy and accounted for a good money rabbits and pheasants and if chased i could always hide it under some brambles or push it in a hedge row and pick it up latter i had many clashes with old bell he would get the police involved and they even called at my home to see my mum and ask where i was but she never once let on, i think it really got up old sgt landers nose he knew it was me but could never prove it.
i loved the chase it was all part of the fun but make no mistake if i had been caught i would have been in serous trouble as poaching in those days was absolutely frowned on and most ended in court or even worse the estates reared thousands of birds for the gentry to shoot, a mixture of pheasants and partridge and they were protected well by the keeper and his under keepers most liked a drink and i would wait until they went to the pub that was the time to poach a few of his precious birds and i did but i never got to confident and only took what we needed and you could always make a bob or two selling them to the locals as time were hard and every penny counted. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #721
The leaves are now turning there autumn colours. At this time of year i would start to poach a few pheasants i would love to be down the woods and listen to the night life the vixen would really put the fear of god up you she would now be prowling and would at times let out a scream that would make your blood curdle she was starting to look for a mate i have seen very young cubs as early as the end of february.
we would also start to long net the rabbits i always liked a windy night as it would hide our presence i used a 100 yard net and we would run it at the side of a wood or a railway embankment if we had permission i would some times run it out in the day time we used hazel sticks to attach the net to and if set in the day would keep the net of the ground so the rabbits would be able to pass under neath to go into the fields to feed on getting there in the night we would drop the net and two or more of my mates would walk a couple of fields towards the net i would stand at one end of the net and graham the other you could feel the rabbits hitting the net and they would get tangled up and it was a matter of dispersing them as quickly as possible we could catch on a good night maybe sixty or seventy which made us quite good money. when poaching on some of the big estates you would run the net out in the dark get the job done and be away as quick as you could and off to your next destination . we always tried to leave no mess as the keepers would soon put the word out that we were around but we never touched that estate again for a few months just in case the keepers were waiting for us. one thing i have had in the net on a few occasions was a badger he would absolutely rip it a part and that finished the night as you had to take it home and repair the holes that the badger had made or it may cost you a new net which was an expensive job
This was all part of my life i loved every minute of it there is nothing like being out at night with the rifle and lamp shooting the rabbits some nights you would shoot so many you could not carry them i would gut them and hang them on a fence and collect them latter in the night it was nothing to shoot fifty or so in a few hours and we made good money selling them to the locals and at the market we could get as much as fifteen shillings each i had one dealer who would take as many as you could get he sent most to france although he would only give you around ten bob a rabbit it was a quick turn around but saved us taking them to Bridgnorth market well thats a bit more about my life as a poacher it was years ago but this is how we lived. more latter
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In reply to Post #720
Huge skeins of geese are now arriving in my home counties Canada's and grey lag with the occasional little snow goose flying with them. i love to watch the geese especially on a winters evening as long as theres a full moon they will fly all night i would love to be out with graham and a couple of pals huddled up behind the hedge or sitting in a dry ditch waiting for them to come into rest on the old quarry pool i loved the frost glistening on the fields and the moon casting shadows as the clouds scudded across the sky the first honk you would hear far off and you knew it would not be long before they were heading your way we were there to shoot or harvest what we could the farmers had been complaining about the mess and damage the birds had been making
They would come in there hundreds and we would wait full of anticipation shaking with excitement the first skein would come low over the hedge we would take two or three from that skein, skein, after skein, would pass over us that night, but we would only shoot a dozen or so between us we would let the rest go to rest on the old quarry pool like there ancestors had for generations we took what we wanted enough to share with our friends and neighbours and left them in piece for another day but this was a necessity we shot to eat . Things have not changed and we will be out once again god willing and stand or sit behind that hedge as we have done so many times my sight is not what it was my arms and legs are stiff but to be out on a moonlight night watching for the first skein to appear still gives me a thrill its in my blood its what my forefathers have done for generations and now i pass my knowledge on to the younger generation it will never be for them like it was for me we shot to survive and as i have said before nothing was waisted.
We are from a different generation a dying breed and the generation now does not need to poach or catch the willy trout to survive the world has changed so much and life really flies by its 60 years since i met old SAM who past his knowledge onto me i was a mere lad of eight or nine i have my grandson when he is at home from fighting far away to pass my knowledge to. i have loved the nature fishing shooting but there are not many left who have lived my way of life. we are a dying breed and the younger generation do not show the interest or the know how to carry on this old age profession sadly it will slip away like so many things do today more latter
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In reply to Post #719
What a disaster we have been barbel fishing the last two days the river is running bank height but we braved the conditions and in the process losing a few feeders and it does not matter how experienced you are things do go wrong my poor old mate graham was sitting next to me and trying to tie a rig when his rod doubled over and that was that away the rod sailed into the depths of the river it really pissed him off no way could i get to it before it vanished the thing was the rod was brand new i said to him after you only have to take your eyes off it and in a second it has gone lesson learned . but i really felt sorry for him he may get it back some angler may catch it at some stage one rod was realed in on Monday night and it looked brand new so things do happen so we are keeping our fingers crossed he is not without another rod i had a pair of drennan specialists which i do not use so i have fixed him up with one for his future use.
Today has gone a bit better but the river has started to rise once again we did manage a few good chub and the biggest barbel fell to myself at eight pounds plus a very deep belled fish . The biggest so far this season from the avenue is eleven pounds twelve oz there has also been a couple of ten pound plus fish caught by another friend i really am beginning to wander what is wrong going back three years with these sort of conditions you could almost guarantee fish i have absolutely slaughtered it in these conditions catching anything up to thirty plus fish those days seem to have gone maybe they are wising up a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #717
Life was so much fun when when i was a lad the world was our oyster no computers all we had were our bikes if you were lucky . fishing tackle was a bonus an air rifle you were in heaven but one thing you did have was freedom you could go out in the morning and not return home till evening but your parents would know you were safe. off you would go with a bottle of pop and maybe a few sandwiches we would Travis the woods and the fields lie down in the long grass and listen Th the call of the curlew the peewit or the sky lark they were wonderful days carefree you would collect the birds eggs get a thorn from a tree or a pin out of mums sowing box and make a hole in the both ends and blow out the yolk it would be then added to your collection. So much to do never a boring moment you would build your camp down in the woods by the running stream collect the moorhens eggs a boil them in an old tin on the fire nick the potatoes out of the fields and bake them on the open camp, fire we were never bored always so much to do.
We would fish for the old brown trout with rods made of bamboo thick silk line and little red worms collected from the farmers muck Heep and we caught we learned quickly we watched and caught the rabbits which inhabited every field and ditch we had cricket football really to much to mention we swam in the river not a care in the world we would fight and box but still remain friends. we would buy a sweets gob stoppers were a penny each great big things that made your cheeks bulge aniseed balls by the quarter. we would watch the shire horses pulling the binder which cut the corn and the farmer shooting the rabbits as the bolted to get out of the way of the impending danger i was only a lad of eight or nine but they were the days of my youth. School i did not like and at every opportunity i would play truant i would rather spend my days in the woods or fishing for the willy trout and that is what i did until i got caught and had the stick an old bamboo thing that was split at one end i had three on each hand, it would pinch as it came down on your hand
We would collect the eggs from arround the farm yard and take them home to mother. Take a few potatoes from the farmers fields collect the mushrooms and the blackberries the hazel nuts as well there was always so much to do . more latter
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In reply to Post #717
great reading pete. from a man with wealth of knowladge. {spelling}
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In reply to Post #716
Looking back over the years i have been very lucky to have met so many friends some have have now passed on others like myself are still here and it is always nice to meet up with them and have a good chin wag about things that have happened now and in the past. last night i watched a program about Gypsy weddings great program and it really made me smile i seriously have known a few gypsies through my life time some real old characters the Shropshire clans the locks, the stevens, the prices the smiths, i could go on and on but one thing that unites them all was there love of the open air and the country side and its wild life. when i was a young lad they would come around selling there lace and pegs and even carpets some were mysterious in there ways and would frighten us youngsters, but most where very clean and honest and had a great knowledge about nature.
One gypsy i had know for years taught me how to tickle the brown trout he would get into the brook up to his knees slide his hand under the roots or stones under the river side and with one quick movement the fish would be on the bank he would also bake the old hedge hog in clay. The first time i ate that i was nearly sick he told me it was chicken it was not till after i had eaten it did he tell me it was hedge hog he had so much knowledge about horses in fact he was an horse whisperer he could talk to those horses in there language and calm them down how i don't know but he could he could also heal he was a marvelous man but alas now long gone and has took his knowledge with him these were the true romany gypsys that have roamed this county for generations i like to think there ghosts still exsist but alas they are no more
Old Mrs lock used to make me smile she lived by my old mother in law and would walk past the house with a line of dogs and cats following her she always had a clay pipe in her mouth she lived to way over a hundred i can just remember her husband his name was fiddler lock and he would tour the pubs especially at Christmas and play his fiddle but he failed to return home one night and they found him dead in the snow on the longmynd some weeks latter. i always remember the funeral of mrs lock it was spectecular they came from all over britain to honour one of the last true gypsys of shropshire there were caravans and horses made of flowers on her grave. She was buried with old fiddler it happened, and i was there watching from afar hundreds attended that funeral. the days of living in a caravan have now gone and most of the older generation have passed on. The younger ones now live in houses And Only a few carry on the tradition it will be a sad day when it ends Well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #715
When i first fished lordys pool for carp it was well before the hair rig had been invented. It was chocked full off weed he said fish it when you want but how i had no idea how to start it was about five acres eight feet at its deepest and held some fantastic fish that had lived in this old estate lake for generations. so myself and a friend made up a rake an d literally dragged the weed out it was very hard work and we would go, home totally exhausted.
i would go up in the evenings and clear another swim i think in all it took us about a month to clear four swims to fish we had seen some real nice mirrors and a few commons on most visits it also held some enormous chub and a few tench but the latter seemed on the small side. this all happened about a month before the season started which was june the 16th the one thing i could not do was night fish this pretty lake as it was heavily keeper and lordy did not want anyone on the estate after dark he had in the past had problems with poachers not me i must say. we started a baiting policy with bread crumbs layers mash mixed in with maggots by the gallon. I had the carp rods dick had given me and coupled with Mitchell 300 and twelve pounds line i felt i could cope with anything the lake threw at me i suppose the year was about 1973 or there abouts. so full of excitement we started our first session red worm on one rod and paste on the other both rods placed on the old heron alarms i was trembling with anticipation. And before i knew it i had my first take a wonderful marked mirror of 19 pounds i was over the moon it did weed me once but i managed to force it out into the open water. The next fish broke me no way could i move him from his sanctuary under that weed which he had forced himself into So i put the rod down hoping he would move no way so i had to pull for a break, you could not wade as it was dangerous and the bottom was very silty in places. my mate caught another fish of thirteen pounds and caught two chub one six and one seven plus big fish for that time in angling history. we did not want publicity we kept it very quite we did not want to lose this great water lordy had let us fish as yet we had it all to our selves but it was not to last. more latter
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In reply to Post #714
Its monsoon time here its bucketed down for nearly two days the river will run brown and wash the soil; from the river banks i was fishing the other day and watched a pair of mink going back and forward to a hole in an old wall the other side the river which i suppose they will abandon as it will be flooded out. one positive thing i saw was a pair of water voles it as nice watching these shy creatures which were quite common when i was a youngster but alas are now in decline due to the mink and habitat. The wild life is certainly not in an abundance like it was when i was a youngster on a summers day i could go out and catch slow worms, grass snakes even adders not that i condone any one catching the latter. The old hedge hog around here seems to have gone into decline why i don't know i used to see them most days and evenings around my garden but in the last few months they have vanished a few years ago we had a couple of albinos pure white lovely looking animals. i have still got the badger visiting digging holes here and there looking for the worms the vixen has long gone and took her cubs down the fields maybe to the woods she will be back at some stage I was very pleased to see a wood pecker feeding on the nuts i had hung in the garden, i am also being visited by a big flock of long tailed tits which is a lot earlier than normal so i do hope that is not an indication of severe weather in the future as there should still be lots of natural food still about for them to eat.
Friends of mine where called to a farm the other day the farmer was having real problems with foxes and he had lost a number geese and hens to this crafty marauding animal although i love him and he is close to my heart you have to have some sort of control so they surrounded the maze field next to the farm and with a number of beaters they pushed it though they shot six foxes from that field and the next field produced a further four no wander the farmer was having trouble although i did not see the foxes i suspect it may have been two litters from this years breeding its a shame they do so much damage i would not like to see them all killed as the country side would be in a sad state without them. i love to see this old fellow of the woods on a winters day in all his rustic colour his been here for generations and has more right to be there than most of us and its only natural for him to take a chicken or two but on occasions they can and will desimate a farm and thats when you need control well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #713
Not far from my home was a patch of trees which was called the withy bed it had a small stream running through the middle it used to be absolutely full of water cress and wild duck it was part of a big estate and belonged to a mr mc cartney well i used to go and pick that water cress we loved the stuff the only problem was the owners used to pick it and sell it to the local markets. i would creep down there just on dark get into the water and wade in that little stream i would only take what we needed but it was most welcome by our family i also collected one or two ducks eggs mallards they used to nest in the tops of the withy trees these trees were really looked after by the estate and were never allowed to grow out of control they would cop-pis them on a regular basis.
In the winter i soon found i could shoot a few ducks i would hide in that little withy wood and wait for the ducks to come in at night not very sporting but i would shoot them on the water with my pellet gun the old keeper would come down and feed the duck with sacks of barley so there was always plenty there for the estate to shoot including me i would never over do it only take what i needed but this one night the keepers arrived and it was not to feed the duck it was to catch me there was three of them i was absolutely petrified at the thought of being caught. i suppose i must of left a few tell tale signs a few feathers here and a few feathers there well the chase was on i was not going to leave my ducks or the pellet gun i was in the water and away down through that little wood i went, bag on back and water up to my chest in places. i was frozen i could hear the shouting far behind and the sound of dogs i really thought i had my lot i managed to get to the road bridge over the river onny and hid under that old bridge all off a sudden one of the dogs a springer spaniel came under the bridge and licked my face i kid you not i though my end had come but that was that they called the dog and away he went, i waited a good hour and waded across the onny and away home my parents were none to pleased i was so wet but soon forgave me when they saw the ducks. funny thing it was in the local paper about the keepers chasing some one poaching i kept away from there for some time and let the dust settle but it was not the last time i poached that little withy bed as times were hard and we needed the food so it was a nessesity . more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #711
After having a great days fishing on Tuesday with my good mate graham i have ended up in bed and have really suffered sickness and aching all over but whether its a virus or the morphine i have been put on for my arthritis i don't know but its really knocked me back and i certainly wont be taking any more full stop well that's enough of my health.. for now.
one positive thing that, has happened in the last week i have been offered a part in a book that is bieng written by a gentleman on this forum he has already written two books and i am quite looking forward to its launch at the end of next year it wont be the first time i have appeared in a book the last time was about catching big bream by dennis kelly in the mid seventies. i am having quite a lot of help from xpat in poland and our ken townley who has kindly offered to put my stories into chapters when he is back from his holls which he and his wife justly deserve after all they have been through there are a good many on here that have shown there support so you know who you are and thank you.
well graham and myself managed a few barbel when out the other day mostly caught on small halibut pellet 8mill and 10mil if you use anything bigger you don't seem to be able to buy a bite funny really as i used to murder them on the big chokers but not any more we lost a couple to the line breaking and with the help of a good friend who is a bailiff started to discuss line and between the three of us did some tests on the line we had in our bags i was a bit surprised branded line which we use for hook length i wont mention names which stated a breaking strain of ten pounds broke at five pound so we tried some more branded names and they to broke under the recommended breaking strain this has really got us thinking about what we buy and use and i certainly will think seriously about what i use in the future . the biggest barbel was a tad over six pounds we also had a few chub between four and five pounds but as yet no biggies have graced our nets but with a bit of luck it will happen in the future well thats all for now more latter pete
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In reply to Post #711
After having a great days fishing on Tuesday with my good mate graham i have ended up in bed and have really suffered sickness and aching all over but whether its a virus or the morphine i have been put on for my arthritis i don't know but its really knocked me back and i certainly wont be taking any more full stop well that's enough of my health.. for now.
one positive thing that, has happened in the last week i have been offered a part in a book that is bieng written by a gentleman on this forum he has already written two books and i am quite looking forward to its launch at the end of next year it wont be the first time i have appeared in a book the last time was about catching big bream by dennis kelly in the mid seventies. i am having quite a lot of help from xpat in poland and our ken townley who has kindly offered to put my stories into chapters when he is back from his holls which he and his wife justly deserve after all they have been through there are a good many on here that have shown there support so you know who you are and thank you.
well graham and myself managed a few barbel when out the other day mostly caught on small halibut pellet 8mill and 10mil if you use anything bigger you don't seem to be able to buy a bite funny really as i used to murder them on the big chokers but not any more we lost a couple to the line breaking and with the help of a good friend who is a bailiff started to discuss line and between the three of us did some tests on the line we had in our bags i was a bit surprised branded line which we use for hook length i wont mention names which stated a breaking strain of ten pounds broke at five pound so we tried some more branded names and they to broke under the recommended breaking strain this has really got us thinking about what we buy and use and i certainly will think seriously about what i use in the future . the biggest barbel was a tad over six pounds we also had a few chub between four and five pounds but as yet no biggies have graced our nets but with a bit of luck it will happen in the future well thats all for now more latter pete
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In reply to Post #710
My tackle was a bit crude i had the tank aerials and i used the old wooden reels i think they were called star backs and were used for float fishing not really for carp fishing the only ledger es that you could get were the round or flat coffin leads but i managed and would coil the line behind me on the grass then give it the big chuck some times it would fly out other times it got snagged in the grass but we got by we had no bank sticks so we cut forked sticks out of the hedge row mostly hazel they did the job and got us by we had no landing nets so we got into the water and lifted the fish onto the bank if it was not to deep and on a few occasions have literally dragged the fish up the bank but don't forget this was in early fifties and we had no money to buy such things as nets and such this was how people fished in those far off days.
It was exiting fishing the baits we used were very basic lob worms red worms bread flake bread crust bread paste which you could flavour i lived by the abitor and would go and collect the maggots from the bones and skins that were thrown out for the rag and bone man to fetch i would go home stinking and my mum would play hell and i would get a clip behind the ear but they worked you could not buy them where we lived as yet. but they did eventually come on the market and were sold in brown paper bags for three pence you would take them home and put them into an old tin box i think mine was an oxo box but it did the job and with a bit of saw dust added kept them fresh we also learned about using par boiled potatoes and they certainly worked slugs were another bait we even tried snails but i never did any good with them i would nick a few sultanas and currents from mums jars and i did catch fish but not carp loads of families kept pigeon in those days and i would scrounge the little peas that they fed them on they were deadly when soaked and boiled and i caught loads of fish using them especially roach. well ill carry on latter and tell a bit more
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In reply to Post #709
When we moved to craven arms i got to know a chap called peter finch he was a lot older than myself and would meet him when i was fishing the river onny poaching of course. he owned some half decent tackle well for those years it was very good. i struck up quite a friendship with this gentleman and he gave me lots of information about local waters some strictly private some not one pool i could go to was a small pool about two acres he said i the owner charged one shilling a day and it was stocked with carp Tench and perch.
Asking if i had a bike he said he would show me where it was he asked my parents if it was ok for me to go and two days latter we were sat beside this beautiful pool it had a dam at the one end and was covered in lilies it was a dream i did not know much about carp only what i had read and most said they were impossible to catch. the pool would get quite busy at week ends mysterious chaps creeping around the pool with big old hats on there heads, a rod in hand i would watch them drop a bait in between the weeds or a hole in the lillies usually a big old worm then set the rod down on a forked stick and wait . funny i never saw them catch one fish perhaps i was not there at the right time most of these anglers where from away and most had tents transport was a lot easier to get and some came on motor cycles with sidecars. I got to know the owner quite well over the time i fished there. i would knock the door to pay him and he would invite me in and give me a big glass of pop and tell me wonderful tales about the pool he never once charged me and would wave me away with his hand he was a great old man and allowed me to take a friend and fish days or nights if we wanted to, we certainly did.
Well with my parents permission we would be away on our bikes rods tied to the cross bar bag on our backs with a few sandwiches and a bottle of pop and maybe and old army blanket to keep us warm on a cold night i would get a sack from the farm to sit or lie down on. not that comfortable but we were only youngsters and were to exited to worry about creature comforts if it rained Ray and i would head for the barn and clime up into the hay or straw wrap our selves in the blankets and sleep like babies i would love the sweet smell of new mown hay and we would be as warm as toast but that's years ago. ill tell you more latter about this little pool
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In reply to Post #708
The first time i went fishing i was only three years old my grandfather would take me it was 1945 the end of the second world war was in sight. i would stand with a cane with a bent pin as a hook for hours and hours . fishing has had a great influence on my life grandad did not know what he had started he died in 1947 i was broken hearted as he was my mentor i had also lost my father in the war . I was young but as the years past i soon learned to look after myself i fell in love with the countryside.
When mum met my step father things really started to improve he bought my first bamboo cane rod and with an old fashioned wood reel i would wander the streams brooks and pools as i have said tackle was limited we were very poor so i made do with silk line peacock quills and what hooks we could get mostly big black things they were used for eel fishing i think i did manage to get hold of some model perfects a friend of my step father managed to get them from shop at ludlow but we mostly managed with the old eel hooks i think they were a penny each but they did most of my fishing it was quite some time before i used the nylon line you could not get hold of it where i lived.
A s i have stated before my father was a signal man with the railway not a very well paid job but it was a living before we moved from my village of bays-ton hill i would wander the banks of my beloved Rea brook i was only around six years old but in those days you had freedom you were safe not like today it has completely changed. i well remember the first big fish i caught from the Rea i was fishing in a big old Edy my float went under and i was connected to some monster my rod was bent double and i thought it would break i could feel every moment every twist and turn we had no landing nets in those days so i managed to get it to shallow water there it lay in all its glory a big old roach no more then a pound and a half but to me it was a true monster and i could not wait to get home and tell mum and dad about my capture this was one of many from the Rea. but it turned my life upside down i was truly hooked i slept and dreamed about fishing i think if i remember right my father bought me a copy of Mr Crab tree goes fishing i would lie in bed with an old oil lamp for light and read that book time and time again it must of been one of the first copies out. i was fishing mad.
When we moved to craven arms that really changed my life and my fishing dad got hold of two tank aerials which he had made into rods they were certainly better than the old bamboo rod i had i was now nine years old my dad did not fish so i really taught my self i made mistakes but i steadly started catch a fish or two mainly trout but it was a start more latter
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In reply to Post #707
The leaves are starting to change to yellows and browns and some are already coming off the trees autumn is approaching fast. Its a great time off the year you can now feel a chill in the air as evening approaches at this time of the year the fishing usually improves we catch the bigger fish carp and barbel as they stuff them selves full to help through the impending winter.
. i would love to be out and about at this time of year especially the beginning of October this is when we would start to ferret the rabbits or poach a peasant or two or stand under the hedge on a moonlight night and shoot the geese as they come into rest on the quarry pools canada's grey lags we never over did it only taking what we needed four or five geese and we would be away the younger ones always made good eating ,and were quite tender if cooked the right way.
some people did not like us to shoot the geese but it was our heritage and a necessity we needed the food nothing was wasted the same with the rabbits and pheasants we harvested them like the farmer does with potatoes. There was nothing like a brace off partridge lovely to eat and i really prefer them to pheasant. i have also caught the bigger rainbows in September and October and loved to be out in the punt all legal and i did not have to pay as the owners were friends looking back i caught my biggest an 18 pounds plus fish in September and i donated it to the local blind school at Condover who were very grateful. And so was i they had let graham and myself fish there private stretch of the brook for many years and it was away off saying thank you. When that blind school closed down it really caused a lump in my throat as we had made many friends over the years even the kiddies knew us and would be after us for sweets how they knew we were there i don't know. i do know their hearing was very good and could distinguish between graham and myself we would take bags of toffees and such and would be surrounded by this lovely kids who were really unfortunate to be born that way. Old Bell the game keeper could not bare the thought, of us fishing on that private stretch and even went to see the head master to try and stop us but he failed miserably it was all about the trout that the brook held it was stocked for the local gentry and he could not bare the thought of us especially me fishing there as i had often poached the estate and the brook for its trout he had chased me on many occasions but could never catch me but alas those days have now gone and old Bell now lies at piece and most of his underkeepers those days we will not see again they were exiting days i would do all again if permited but thats not an option so we live with our memories and pass on our experiances to the younger generation just as my grandfather did to me more latter
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In reply to Post #706
my wife was rather shocked today when the sparrow hawk returned while she was in the kitchen it took a pigeon in flight and crashed into the kitchen window, it crashed to the floor in the back yard got up and flew away with the pigeon still in its talons its a wander it did not kill its self i have seen this happen before and the bird has been killed
Well we had a good days barbel fishing the river had a bit of colour and i started to use the small ellipse pellet first cast i accounted four a six pound fish not bad really as others were struggling i caught five barbel in total and two chub the biggest barbel was eight pound plus and the smallest five pounds the chub really pleased me as they were both five pounds plus. My poor old mate graham struggled a bit not catching any barbel but managed a couple of good chub on small halibut pellets the biggest five pounds eight oz very good fish. i think we would have caught a few more if we had been a little bit earlier this morning but i had a appointment at the docs so we were a bit late starting. Talking to other anglers who came for a chat said they had not caught and were really struggling as graham says that's fishing we will be going again next Tuesday and i hope we can catch a few more of these hard fighting fish i never fish the week end as i like piece and quite you just get to many fishing and that not my style well i am a bit tired so i will tell you some more tomorrow
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In reply to Post #704
As i went out into the garden Monday evening i got quite a surprise sitting on a big plump pigeon was a hen sparrow hawk she was ripping out the feathers to get at the succulent meat on his breast. a managed to approach the hawk to within two feet she started to get very aggressive and jumped up and down towards me showing her talons warning me it was her kill and i was not taking it from her. well i had a camera in the car and managed to get a few shots of her feeding on the pigeon i had to use the flash and was surprised she was oblivious to all that was going on around her and was not frightened one bit i had to go up the road to my daughters and when i came back she was still there so i left her in piece to finish her meal all that's now left is a few feathers but its not the first time she has visited our garden as we have found feathers before black birds as well but its the first time i have caught the culprit in action my neighbours really do not like it and i am a bit surprised as most have been brought up in the country side and still don't understand its ways i have told them nature is very cruel and only the fittest survive i expect she will be back in a few days for another pigeon as we have a good many which have breed in my garden
Graham and myself will be out barbel fishing tomorrow and are quite hopeful as there is a bit of colour in the water and it is slightly up talking to the local anglers they seem to be catching a few up to around nine pounds plus but have also been catching some big old Bream good fish between six and seven pounds mostly on pellet i am an all rounder and will gratefully exept anything that graces my net be it chub bream or barbel its not just the fishing its about being out and about being one with nature. Talking to the Salmon anglers they have not done very well fish being in short supply but have caught some very big barbel while fishing the worm they have also caught some nice perch and pike while spinning so its not all bad news. i must now go and mix some ground bait for our feeders for tomorrow. more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #704
hi pete it was a pleasure to meet you and graham and we did have a chuckle over a cider. also it was nice to see you were passing your knowledge on to grahams grandson. i hope he takes it all in.
all the best pete,
rob.
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In reply to Post #703
What a day yesterday i managed a visit to the west mid game fair. it was a real struggle walking around and had to sit down on a regular basis i have not been for a few years because of my health but it was nice to meet a few friends from the past. one person i did meet was Rob d from somerset and his mate both members of the carp forum nice lads and over a drink of cider we had a chat and a good laugh he did know i was going with graham but it surprised me when he picked me out of the crowd but i was very glad to have made there acquaintance. by the time we went home i could hardly walk and i am not much better this morning. I had quite a shock when i visited the orthopaedic oswestry on Thurs i am told i have severe thinning of the bone and i have got to have a scan, in the near future how this will effect my fishing i don't know as it can become quite nasty but if they catch it in time can be helped with drugs the first knee i had done 18 months ago is showing severe thinning on the left side and the hip has become loose which i had done eight years ago and there i was thinking i would be alright.
Well lets get on that's enough about my health looking around it seems to have been a good year for blackberries and hazel nuts no one seems to pick them like we used to years ago but i suppose it was a necessity then. i have also seen a few picking the mushrooms its also been a good year for the wild life loads of rabbits . So there will be plenty of food for old foxy for some time to come. My old mate Rodger will be out with his ferrets next month and will make a bob or two graham and i may go with him depending on my health. we shall carry on our quest for the barbel and if not to cold shall fish into the winter when you can catch the bigger fish. One thing that concerns me is the badger cull i hope it does not become a free for all there is need for control but not extermination and i know a few farmers who would shoot them all. This must not happen its really going to be hard i have visited some of these big sets for years they have been there for generations and i would hate to see them all destroyed . The same will happen with otters protect any animal over time they get over populated and will compete for food its happening now its an easy option for otters to kill and eat our carp especially in some commercial fisheries where there is a high stocking policy well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #702
As we stood on mr Atkins land near bomere graham myself and a friend called Rodger we were there to catch the rabbits that were causing a considerable amount of damage to the farmer and his crops. We would ferret and shoot any that missed the nets it was an annual event at the farm although we could go any time we wanted. It used to make me laugh a bit as it was one of the farms that i used to poach when i was a youngster well i was not that young maybe around twenty . We loved be out on a wild wet windy night we would shoot the pheasants when they were at roost with a lamp and rifle and always made a bob or two especially at Christmas's .
Before we even went out we would make sure who wanted what and any left over would be sold to a friend who ran a market stall who specialized in selling game the money always came in handy at Xmas it would help buy presents for our children and maybe a pint or two as times were still pretty hard. But now we were catching the rabbits on one of the farms we poached all those years ago, but now we were doing it legaly. We would net all the holes we could see and put in half a dozen ferrets some of these warrens, were very big and had been used by the rabbit population for years. graham and myself would stand quietly by the hedge with our guns hoping to shoot any that missed the nets quietness was the order of the day and eventually rabbits would start to hit the nets and would be dispatched in the blink of an eye some of the bigger warrens would take a couple of hours to ferret properly, and you may catch as many as ten couple. One warren we did was in a small fir wood it was absolutely huge there were holes every where to many to net so we filled a lot of the holes in and left it for a couple of days then we would return to see how many they had opened up . when we eventually ferreted this wood we only netted the open holes that the rabbits were using and ended the morning with fifteen couple a good mornings work which really pleased the farmer this was our way of life and it was surprising how much trust the farmer had in you i have sat in many farm houses on Christmas eve in front of a roaring fire supping a drop of malt whiskey and eating mince pies it was there way of saying thanks for all you have done more to come latter
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In reply to Post #701
I was in my middle twenties when i got my first car or should i say van a friend said he knew some one who had A35 van for sale and it was in good nick it was standing on the drive when we arrived how much mate twenty five quid ten minutes latter i was driving home in it . That little van opened up my life it took me fishing shooting and on hols with the family in fact it completely changed my life and gave me freedom to fish and may i say shoot poach farther afield. i would fish the meres in Cheshire Shropshire in fact any where we could wet a line. we fished the meres at ellesmere Crows mere, Blakemere, Whitemere, Colemere, where we eventually broke the British bream record ,and it was where we formed The Three counties specimen group if i remember at the time we had about 14 members but it soon grew in strength and because of our popularity we soon had some well known anglers getting invitations to fish with us.
They were great days tackle was starting to improve but a lot of my friends could not afford the money to buy it one chap that was in our group would use nuts and bolt for ledgers that's how hard up some used to be. i suppose i was lucky i managed to catch a few biggies over the years and won rods reels sets of floats mainly billy lanes i won two of these big boxes of floats and gave graham one of the sets i also gave him rods and reels i did not need them all and that's what friends were for . we would all help one another out and share our knowledge with other members of the group. In fact as i have mentioned before this is where my friendship with dick walker began and with a good many more stars of yesteryears so i suppose i can look back on my life with pride and be proud of all i have achieved well that's not allot but i have met some great friends along the way some famous some not. Graham and myself would be away guns in the back and would poach a few pheasants it has been known to shoot a couple of birds over the hedge stop the van at the side of the road and bang not really the thing to do but you could get a quick get away in the van, and it was easy way of getting a meal or two and you must remember times were still very hard and we both had young family to keep well thats a bit more about my life more latter
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In reply to Post #700
I suppose i am very lucky to have led the life i have i started fishing at a very young age and had a very loving family we were not well off and at times life was very hard for my parents especially my mother who lost my father in the late stages of the war. It was not until she met my step father that things really started to improve for my mother and myself he was a marvelous man and i will always be proud to have called him my father he was all i had known all my young life. And he encouraged me to fish and shoot. although money was in short supply when i was young every Xmas i would always get some fishing equipment he bought my first fixed spool reel a Mitchell 300 a combination rod split cane made by hardy which when he died two years ago while sorting paper work out we found the receipt seventy pounds he paid how i don't know he was only a signal man on the railway and the wages were not that much so i hold him very close to my heart and he will remain in my memory for ever. My step father never ever fished so i learned most myself i made mistakes but it was all part of the learning process and gradually i got better and better. i awoke one Xmas morning to find a parcel by my bed and on opening it ,found to my delight an air gun it really changed my life although not that powerful i did shoot a few pheasants with it to the delight of my parents. mum would worry that i would get caught but i could run and was quite quick on my feet. we would have roast pheasant for Sunday dinner and any left she would make into a stew mixing it with any rabbit meat we had left over so we really did not starve i got quite a reputation for my poaching and as i have said before even supplied my school teacher with a few pheasants and rabbits it was not just the pheasants and rabbits but the gray ling and trout also that inhabited the river onny that kept us fed in the years after the war. There was always something to eat potatoes from the fields black berries apples from the farmers orchard eggs from the farm yard i was always on the look out for a free meal which helped my parents and our neighbours i suppose it was stealing but we needed to survive and we certainly did before dad died he wanted me to write a book about my life and nature well i suppose i am now trying but wether anything will come of it i dont know i have freind on here that are really trying to help and i will be in there dept forever more you know who you are so all i can say is thanks i owe you one more latter pete
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In reply to Post #697
I loved the autumn as i have said before a wonderful time of year and i loved the colour of the dying leaves the weather had cooled down and you could almost smell the approaching winter it was a real busy time for the game keepers as they would now be shooting the wild duck at evening flight and getting the pheasants ready for the start of the pheasant shooting which begins in October.. In my younger days the estates reared thousands of birds pheasants partridge duck and some estates employed as many as eight keepers. THE guns would arrive in the morning usually about nine thirty and would start the day with a spot of good slow gin and would then pick there peg number for the first drive. Some of the guns were real posh and used to talk like they had a plum in the mouth and all dressed up i used to laugh as i hid behind a hedge or the nearest tree. in a day they would shoot hundreds of birds and i was never far away and as i have said before i would pick a few before the dogs started to pick them up after the drive. i would really laugh you would hear the gun say keeper i shot two or three birds there over in that bramble and watch the keeper shake his head. i had already had them and were now hidden in the hedge. i would always have a sack with me and would wait until the end of the day and all was quite then collect the birds and make my way home some times with as many as eight brace for those that don't know sixteen birds. it was an easy way of poaching and i suppose looking back i was about ten years old and it used to fill me full of excitement. Old SAM the keeper used to tell me off and would say i can always give you a brace for your parents but it was not the same i used to like being out there and snatching a few birds doing my own thing and i could always make a bob or two. From the day i met SAM who learned me so much i never once poached his patch he would let me catch a few rabbits with my old ferret and at times would come with me but he would never over do it as the rabbits in those days were revenue for the estate and would all be sold at market for sixpence each or even less there would be thousands at the market, and they would be bought and taken all over Britain London Birmingham as rabbits really made a good and cheap meal especially after the war when people were really hard up but it was not to last it was not long before myxomatosis reared its ugly head which had a real impact on the country side and all its wild life.. moe latter
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In reply to Post #698
In reply to Post #697
thank you pete for a wonderfull read
Thank you for reading it i am glad you enjoyed my stories
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In reply to Post #697
thank you pete for a wonderfull read
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In reply to Post #696
The frost glistened on the grass as we made our way down the fields towards the old boat house that stood at the end of the lake. We were after the roach that this ancient lake held. we set up by the boat house using sliding floats in 18 ft of water we were using maggot bread flake and tares which had caught for us in the past. The fish were not huge in this old lake that dates back to the ice age but you would catch them between 8 0z and pound lovely looking roach and well worth the effort we would bait up with bread crumb and layers mash and maggots mixed with a few spots of tincture of lemon grass it smelt absolutely lovely and i am sure the roach loved it. only half an inch of the float showed above the water it would tremble then slowly slide beneath the water there was no hurry no violent strike tighten up and you were in it was a great way to spend a day in the mist of winter but as long as you wrapped up warm it was OK. We caught some very good bags from that old lake and would use the keep nets to put them in and weight them at the end of the day we regularly had bags of forty pounds plus, This was in the late sixties early seventies tackle had started to come on in leaps and bounds i now owned Mitchell reels that i had won in various competitions for catching big bream. We also fished a place called whixall moss it was taken over by English nature and is now a place of scientific interest and fishing is now banned. In those days it was full of roach big fish and you would catch them to two pounds plus it also held some very big bream they had been stocked by anglers that fished the moss and was not frowned on like it is today. there was an island in the middle of the lake with a channel the other side that you could not access from the bank as it was very boggy place we would wade over to the island as it was only about a ft deep and ledger or float fish in the channel which was only eight ft deep it was great fishing you would cast out using a running ledger rig usually a small arsley bomb four pounds line twelve hook a pinch of bread flake tipped with maggot tighten up pinch a piece of bread on your line between your reel and but ring and pull down giving you around 2 ft for your bobbin to travel before you you picked the rod up and struck we had some great big fish from this little lake and some tremendous bream i some times wander if they are still there perhaps some time in the future i may go and have a look it will bring back some happy memories also remembering freinds that fished that little lake that have now passed on. well more latter
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In reply to Post #695
Over the years you never really think of old age it creeps up on you and before you know it your claiming your pension and bus pass, but that's not all, you start to get all manner of things as i am sure some on here can vouch for. you think you can still do things like when you were younger but you soon find you cant your bones ache your eyes sight is not as good it takes longer to do things. Then you read the government are going to make you work longer what a laugh if you have worked in the building trade or any heavy industry you are or will be already worn out long before 65 years. I think there living in cuckoo land and as far as sending disabled people back to work there no work for the fit never mind disabled.
Nothing was waisted in those early years
I would love to walk the hills again and fish the mountain streams to watch the curlew and the plover, and watch the buzzard soar on high. the sparrow hawk as it stoops like a streak of grey to catch its prey . i would watch the ponies with there shaggy coats as i traversed the hills and valleys where meandering streams would run over hung with the willows and brambles and far below there lies the brown trout in all his glory sleek and beautiful ready to take the unsuspecting fly or insect you could see the occasional kingfisher in all his glory dive and take the minnow. I would pick the win-berries and fill the basket and sell them by the quarter, it was a nessesity as times were hard and we made a bob or two . We would pick the nuts from the hedges below the hills take home and salt and burry in a tin box where they would stay for another day, I would set a snare to catch a rabbit or a hair the rabbit was stewed or put in a pie which would make our sunday dinner the hair was jugged but was not my favorite meal but you would eat anything at your disposal as times were hard. we would pick the black berries by the basket some were sold but most were made into jam you would also pick the elderberries they would make your wine also nettle wine was good we always had a few bottles stored in the coupoard. plums damsons and apples were also picked apples were wrapped in paper and stored in a cardbored box to eat another day, damsons and plums were made into jam or were canned nothing was waisted not like today well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #694
The snow was falling hard as i walked through the wood it was in the eighties it had been snowing on and off for the last few days the ground was frozen solid and the lakes were also frozen . it reminded me of years ago when Shrewsbury school used to skate on the big lake i can remember the ice being at least four inches thick i used to go down with my grandad and watch them skate and jump, the wire rope that my father had put across to stop the enemy air craft dropping agents in by parachute but that was years ago. IT was a terrible year for the wild life i would find coots moorhens frozen solid in the snow and they were simply starving. I would put them in a bag and take them home put them in a big box and leave them to warm up by the fire when they had revived i would try and feed them and return them to the lake. The pigeon died by the score we would find them in most fields frozen solid and those that did survive were painfully thin they had not fed for weeks the sprout tops were frozen solid so was the kale you just stood and watched them die. it took a few years for the pigeon to recover. But that was life, the Rabbit population also suffered and many of our small feathered friends also perished i would take corn and any scraps of bread down to the woods and make a few feeding stations water was hard for the birds to find and i think they got some moisture from the snow it was really hard that winter. old foxy seemed to fair better than most he always had the farmers chickens and the rats that inhabited the farm you could follow him where ever he went and he would leave spots of blood from a recent kill. some wild life faired better especially on some of the big shooting estates where the keepers would feed the straw which had been put on the rides for the peasants to feed and scratch in, it used to feed most of the birds in the woods but would also attract predators that were looking for an easy meal. We did not fish for weeks the river was also frozen and it took a few weeks for it to get back to normal i would stand on the river bridge and listen to the big pieces of ice hit the sides it sounded like thunder we had huge floods caused by the melting snow looking back in my diary i think it was 1982 it even flooded the empire picture house filling it with three ft of water well thats just a few more of my memories more latter
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In reply to Post #693
We sat at they end of the mere we had cut away the bank to make a swim. we had started to trickle in a bit of bait on a regular basis a little bit often mostly bread crumb and layers mash this was in the late sixties we intended to fish this old mere on the Friday night we wanted to pit are whits against the bream it held as we watched a Bream, rolled in front of us on the baited area another and another showed they were definitely on our bait how big they were we did not know we could not wait until the Friday night we were full of excitement. As graham and i both worked it was a bit of a rush when we got home from work we both had young families and they had to come first. graham had called at the maggot farm on his way home and had bought a gallon which cost pence in those days. i had called at the local abattoir the previous day and managed to get a bucket of blood which we mixed with the maggots and layers mash and bread crumb making big balls of bait to throw in when we arrived at our destination. By the time we reached our swim and got our selves organized it was getting dark the month was august we baited the swim quite heavily and sat back and waited there were four other anglers on the lake and they came up for a chat before they retired to there own swims. We did not have to wait long before we had the first take and landed a bream of around five pounds it completely went mad we caught fish after fish even roach over two pounds we were both fishing two rods but could not handle the two and reverted to using one graham even caught an eel on bread it must of been the blood we had mixed in with our ground bait i was really feeling very knackered in the end we had an audience as the other anglers had come to watch. We ended the night with over two hundred pounds of fish with nine roach over the magical two pounds one eel to grahams rod which weighted in at three pounds the rest were bream between four and six pounds we had also lost a couple of bigger fish which were probably carp as we knew they were a in the mere. as we made our way home i said to graham what a night it had been we could not wait until the following week we arrived home very tired and it was not long before i fell a sleep in a nice warm bed and dreamed about things to come.. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #692
Lord foresters estate shirlet much wenlock
The hair drive the year 1979
Although fishing was my main hobby i was called to do many things i lived in the country side and this was part of my life. The hair population in those days was immense they did untold amounts of damage to the farmers crops and there was need for control on the actual day of the drive, about one hundred beaters and guns would turn up this is about one such day way back in the late seventies
my job at time was to line the guns up for the keeper and put them into a position where they could shoot safely also telling them no smoking keep quite and keep out of sight but you would always get some fool who would take no notice i really did meet some real old characters on those drives one such chap would always light his pipe then lean on his gun barrels with them facing upwards towards his face, how many times he did this i don't know he was in his late seventies, now long gone. i would have a word with the gentleman and explain the errors of his ways but it was to no avail he was to stuck in his ways to change so i would stand stand him well away from the other guns . When all was ready the under keeper would drive back to the beaters to say we were ready they could be over two miles away. You would stand behind that hedge shaking with anticipation little dots would appear on the horizon it was the Hairs speeding towards us there could be as many as sixty you would hear the first bangs . And the Hairs would stumble and would lie still more and more came on to face the guns, and some would get away through the hedge and disappear in the distance, The beaters would eventually reach us and the hairs would be picked and hung on an old tractor trailer fifty hairs on that drive you ended the morning with well over one hundred and fifty lordy was happy although only half the estate was done we could finish the rest another day the guns were offered a Hair most accepted and the rest were sold at market this was our way of life There was an abundance of Hairs. but those days have now sadly gone their habitat has gone and due to insecticides the hair population really suffered they are making a steady come back i will not let anyone shoot one on my syndicate we have a few and they are nice to see The days of the big hair drive is now gone but i was there and i will never see those days again more to come latter
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In reply to Post #689
If there is such a thing as paradise i have lived there. i have walked and fished the streams and lakes that abound in Shropshire and i have stood with my friend graham on a moonlight night and shot the geese as they come in to rest on the the quarry lake . i have slept and walked the woods i have poached the ring necked pheasants . we have stood together and shot a duck or two what more could i really ask i, have loved my life and lived it to the full. we have been out at night Graham Bern and me and shot the rabbits by the score and made a bob or two some times legal some times not i have my grandson to pass my knowledge to. But alas he fights in a far of land i taught him to shoot at an early age and he has filled me with pride i am proud and pray he will come home safely and stand beside me at Xmas time and shoot a bird or two. maybe a pheasant or a duck or two for he is my pride and joy. We walked the hills of Shropshire my friends and i with ferrets in the box a gun in hand no nets were needed we let them bolt and shot them on the run i some time thought you needed one leg longer than the other you were like mountain goats as you traversed hills and valleys but this was when i was young no more will this happen as my legs are old and knackered and i can not even run. i have loved the nature the sparrow hawk the peregrine falcon, who stoops from high to kill his prey . The buzzard who soars the thermal and gives a mew to let you know he is there the fox the badger so much to see and let me tell you all its free no need to spend money its there for all who love the country side. To be up at dawn rod in hand and stalk the local brooks and catch the brownies that it holds and bring a couple home or cast a fly across the stream and watch it mender down and with a splash it has gone and you bring another trout to hand. to watch the carp in the lake from hight up in a tree its all paradise for me who could really want for more as most is free more latter fom my diarys some time in the seventys
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In reply to Post #689
If there is such a thing as paradise i have lived there. i have walked and fished the streams and lakes that abound in Shropshire and i have stood with my friend graham on a moonlight night and shot the geese as the come in to rest on the the quarry lake . i have slept and walked the woods i have poached the ring necked pheasants . we have stood together and shot a duck or two what more could i really ask i, have loved my life and lived it to the full. we have been out at night Graham Bern and me and shot the rabbits by the score and made a bob or two some times legal some times not i have my grandson to pass my knowledge to. But alas he fights in a far of land i taught him to shoot at an early age and he has filled me with pride i am proud and pray he will come home safely and stand beside me at Xmas time and shoot a bird or two. maybe pheasant or a duck or for he is my pride and joy. We walked the hills of Shropshire my friends and i with ferrets in the box a gun in hand no nets were needed we let them bolt and shot them on the run i some time thought you needed one leg longer than the other you were like mountain goats as you traversed hills and valleys but this was when i was young no more will this happen as my legs are old and knackered and i can not even run. i have loved the nature the sparrow hawk the peregrine falcon, who stoops from high to kill his prey . The buzzard who soars the thermal and gives a mew to let you know he is there the fox the badger so much to see and let me tell you all its free no need to spend money its there for all who love the country side. To be up at dawn rod in hand and stalk the local brooks and catch the brownies that it holds and bring a couple home or cast a fly across the stream and watch it mender down and with a splash it has gone and you bring another trout to hand. to watch the carp in the lake from hight up in a tree its all paradise for me who could really want for more and most is free more latter
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In reply to Post #688
The river ran with blood i was twelve years old and the men waded in the river dressed in there brightly coloured jackets the pack of dogs had caught there prey a big dog otter it left a profound impression on a young lad like me. I really cant say i liked it very much it was not my way of enjoyment yes shoot the animal it was instant but to be ripped to pieces i think not but unfortunately that is how the otter was controlled in those days. but the rivers were looked after yes they did create the otters Holt's and although it was hunted it was also looked after and was kept to an acceptable level.
I would stand upon the bridge and watch the otters play or lie in the brambles they would dive and chase one another up and down that glistening pool. i would watch her young emerge from the hole under the the old tree it had been her home for years and generations of her family . She took the odd trout, under the water she would go hunting, here hunting, there the speed was amazing they would emerge from the water and scramble up the old rock and there they would eat their prey. I watched for hours and was amazed at this beautiful animal it was an obsession and i would be down that river as much as possible even in my dinner break at school. she would never know i had been there but i arrived one day and she had gone maybe to pastures new or maybe the hunters had returned and now she lay rotting on the river bed i was devastated but i soon learned that nature was cruel and only the fittest survived. gone now are the days of hunting the rivers with packs of dogs and men dressed in coloured coats . i was brought up on the river and loved the woods i would watch the keeper at work from afar and would snatch a rabbit or two from his snares i soon learned how and where to set a snare and the keeper never realized i had been there. This was in the early fifties a time of great hard ship but we had freedom to wander the woods and fields as long as you did not get caught You could always catch the odd trout or rabbit to provide a meal. the estates of old teamed with wild life which today is sadly laking well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #687
As i stand in side the wood i pull my coat around me the biting wind chills you to the bone. we are here for a reason it will be the demise of another fox a creature that i love a rogue who stalks the farmers chickens and moves in silence not even a crack of a twig does he make to let you know his there. The guns stand upon the ride waiting in anticipation for a glimpse of this majestic animal given away by the rustic brown of his coat. The beaters shout and make a noise to drive old foxy out but his not as daft as some presume . He picks his way gingerly through the wood stopping to sniff the air he has done this before many times He knows the woods every earth and all the paths he knows the scent of humans and really treads with care. He hears the dogs behind him the beaters shouting He stops and doubles back and creeps beneath the thick brambles towards the waters edge he has done this so many times up and away he goes hoping the hunters will lose his scent , into the ditch he goes and runs the water course . He makes for the same old tree where he has hidden more than once, and the snarled branches enclose around him it was the ivy tree and there he lay and no one knew only me, for i was standing there. along came the beaters in disarray have you seen him no says i. I could not tell them where he lay. This really happened it is a true story if they had only looked up they would of seen his nose poking out from beneath the leaves the dogs lost his scent beneath the tree and i said he did not come this way he must of run another way. so off they went still in disarray to finish the wood for another day i turned and looked up the tree and said in quietness you have got away and will live for another day . I could not of shot the fox up that tree as he deserved a chance and i walked away saying we will meet another day Taken from my diary the year 1982 more to come latter
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In reply to Post #686
shooting and fishing has been my life i have lived and breathed it from a very early age they go hand in hand. I don't shoot just for the sake of it . I shoot to eat and most of my friends are the same on the little shoot i run with the help of friends nothing is waisted everything that is shot is eaten if not by me i have always got friends that like a pheasant or a rabbit of two and will always welcome a free meal. I love to stand on a wild and windy night and shoot the pigeon as they come into roast nothing nicer than a pigeon pie but it can put your cholesterol through the roof as it is very rich but there is nothing nicer with a glass of red wine. I suppose i am really very lucky most of the farms and woods i poached when i was a young man i can now roam and shoot at will . A lot of the farms i poached are now run by the son or grandsons who have now put their trust in me to clear their ground of the rabbits and vermin. But i can not do it like i once used to, owing to health problems mainly arthritis which really restricts my movement but i have always got friends that will help me out and get the job done. poaching is now a dying art not worth doing pheasants are two a penny and you can now buy them at the local supermarket trout are the same. But i still know people who still poach the local trout lakes and make a quid or two doing it. But for the few that still do it i think it is the excitement and not the money they make out of it. When i was young it was a necessity it fed the family and neighbours and we could always make a bob or two doing it giving us a bit of pocket money. I used to be involved with the poacher watch scheme which was run from shrews bury police station it was very good and did seem to work quite well it certainly stopped a lot of the local deer poaching where dogs were used to catch the deer a most barbaric way to kill such a most beautiful animal. you never see any one poach the local streams any more for the odd brownie the old poachers are now a dying breed not many left and most have no one to pass on the art of poaching as i say its just not worth doing today more latter
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In reply to Post #685
It was mid September 1978 the moon was full and the wind pushed the few clouds making shadows on the ground. Graham and i hid in the reeds with the small beck behind us my labrador blaze shook with anticipation. We were out wild fowling the duck had been feeding on the big stubble fields high above the Shropshire hills we were wrapped up warm and with the full moon the duck would feed well into the night. They were mallard and were feeding on the best they could find they were now fat and in their prime and would make us all a good meal . It can be exiting shooting as they would come in like darts to rest on the beck behind, They came in ones and twos graham took the first two with a right and left then it was my turn and shot a single bird over my head i watched it hurtle into the reeds behind but it was not long till blaze brought it to hand. The moon cast shadows all around us and the fields looked almost silver it was a beautiful night pure magic We watched a fox cross the fields in front of us he was probably anticipating a free meal maybe a duck we did not pick or one of the farmers hens or a unsepcting rabbit we watched him go on his way and he did not seem to alarmed by the noise we made. We took what we wanted but never once did we over do it we would shoot a dozen or so and would be away leaving the rest to feed on the stubles untill they came into rest on that little beck . As we made our way back across the fields towards our car the rabbits ran for safty to the small wood where they had there burrows hidden under the tall fir trees and in the surrounding bracon , it would not be long before we paid it a visit with the ferrets, we kept the farmers happy and they looked after us we got most of our fishing by helping out and what we shot was very welcome as i have said before nothing was waisted. But that was years ago the magic is still there the mind is willing but the bodys not so we live with our memories sadley things are changing a lot of the places in my stories no longer exsist the wild life has moved on there habitat gone where once you would see the deer and most other wild life there now stands houses i suppose it is the price of progress but to what cost our lovely wild life more to come latter
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In reply to Post #684
It was some time in the middle to late eighties i had been putting a bit of bait in Bomere mostly hemp with a few boilies over the top the weather had been rather hot all that month but i made up my mind to do a 36 hour session. so away i went myself and my springer SAM we set up in what was known as the old tunnel swim rods were soon in position two rods in the margins one with a white malt chocolate pop up the other fished hard on the bottom.
i remember falling asleep and was awoken some time after mid night SAM was giving a low growl as the back of the bivy started to move i knew instantly what it was. just above where i fished was a badger set the badgers had come down to drink and i was blocking their way they could not get past my bivy with SAM making a bit of noise they soon moved on to pastures new i soon fell asleep again. I was awoken again by my buzzer it was absolutely screaming i was out and on the rod no need to strike the fish was on it had taken the malt chocalate pop up it kited to my right down the pool then out into deeper water i was up to my waist in water but i managed to coax it back towards myself and the waiting net eventually she was in the net. opening up the net i could see the flanks of a very big fish a mirror it weighed in at just over thirty pounds i was well chuffed i had to sack it untill morning when i could get the photos done. she was then returned no worse for ware. The fish was very specail to me as it was the first thirty to be caught from bomere and was the only fish to be caught that week end well thats it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #680
Once again a i stand deep inside the woods the rustic colours of the leaves on the towering trees signal that autumn has arrived again, the leaves will soon lie rotting and the canopy will be open to the sky. i have come to look at the old pool which hold so many memories to watch the duck and geese who have visited this ancient place for centuries past I sit or stand in silence and catch the unmistakable scent of a fox hanging on the damp air a buzzard mews far above a rabbit scuttles through the undergrowth maybe to get away from some predator it sends a shiver down my spine. I am not the predator today but i am here to observe the beech the oak the silver birch i love the woods the ferns have now gone brown and blend in well with yellows orange and browns of the trees. i watch a fish break surface just a dimple but it brings back happy memories when i poached and caught the bream and Rudd it held. No hiding in the reeds to escape old Gerry the keeper those days have long gone and most now lie at piece maybe there ghosts haunt the rides and trees who knows. As evening approaches i go in search of Brock dark is falling fast i find him and his family feeding on the worms on the field beside the wood just as his ancestors have done for centuries. i amble up the fields towards home and leave the badgers in piece to carry on with their meal. The rabbits scuttle across the fields to get out of the way of approaching danger and make for their burrows where they will be safe. until the man with the ferrets comes he nets the holes and slips two small gills in he has a terrier by his side and stands in silence, his mate stands with a gun further up the hedge in case any rabbits escape the nets they end the morning with fifteen couple the farmer will be pleased. it will be autumn again before long and with a bit of luck i will stand once again under those ancient trees and walk the paths of my ancestors health willing more to come latter
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In reply to Post #680
Ive not posted for a while in here Pete,but continue to enjoy youre trips down memory lane .How near are you to getting a book together?.
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In reply to Post #679
What wonderful memories i do have. Tim walker rang me the other day and we were discussing poaching and fishing and he mentioned his father Dick got done for poaching for shooting a pheasant with a rifle cant believe that our dick did a bit of poaching. In all the years that i poached the streams and woods i never did get caught once more luck than judgment or was it because i knew the lay of the land i like to think it was the latter. The keepers when i was young were a very different breed than they are today and would not hesitate to put a shot over your head which actually happened to me which i have already stated earlier in my stories. the police were as bad and if you had been caught you would have been given a good hiding or worse. But i loved the chase i liked the idea of out witting the keepers it was like a drug to me i just had to be out and about it was a freedom that you seldom get today i got to know the wild life there ways and the different tracks they made. I would seldom be without a ferret down my shirt or in my coat pocket and a few purse nets. and would always take the opportunity to catch a couple of rabbits for our dinner or to make a shilling or two as times were very hard I was chased on many occasion i have had the dogs chase me but have always managed to get away by hiding up a tree or lying in a ditch some times full of water its been a very exiting life and if given the chance would do it all over again. i always respected the water baliff and the keeper and if i had poached thier estate fishing or taking a pheasent or two i would always leave them a brace or a couple of fish as a way of saying thank you . I loved the countrty side and all that was in it i, loved the freedom. the animals foxes badgers they have all been part of my life . Its been a good life and i have met many freinds along the way. so ill continue a bit latter
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In reply to Post #678
I suppose it is now nearly 50 years ago when i first met my mate graham we have fished and shot together all those years some times legal and some times not. we have fished the lakes and streams all over Shropshire from catching the brown trout to the carp. Some of the lakes we fished we had no permission . But one we did get permission to fish was Acton burnell of the big carp fame. i had quite a good relation ship with the keepers at the time and they introduced me to the owner who gave myself and graham a ticket to fish the place anytime we wanted the keeper at the time was a man called Bert owlet and his under keeper was peter Jackson, Bert was one of the old school keepers and really new his job i did poach the estate once long before i got to know the said gentleman. The fishing was great it was full of prime roach and the tench fishing was some of the best we have ever had you would regularly catch tench to 6 pounds which were big fish for those years we would float fish with porcupine quills size twelve hooks four pounds line loaded to our Mitchell reels and would use bread flake tipped with maggot it was not unusual to catch as many as twenty in a session the roach were beautiful deep belled fish and most were over a pound with some going two pounds plus but it was all free you would have the two lakes to your selves and it was very rare to see any one all the time you was there. There was the carp as well but at the time no one Knew how many were in the lakes as at that time not many anglers seriously fished for them. i asked the keeper and was told they had been hooked by the few who had permission but had been lost as the tackle they were using was not strong enough. So graham and i decided we would set our stall out and have a go there was no hair rig then bait straight on the hook we used worm bread maggot even great black slugs and i think it took us around three years to catch our first carp from there a common of twelve pounds but we were over the moon. i don't think there was a huge stock of carp in the place but at least we had done what we set out to do and i think it was the first carp ever caught from Acton that would be in the middle sixties well ill tell you a bit more about the burnell latter
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In reply to Post #677
I always remember another session we had on that old hill lake. graham myself and another friend called Bernard had been fishing it for a week it was very misty at night and the temperature had dropped considerably it had been very hot in the days we had been there. and we had caught a few good fish. When out of the blue four people turned up to fish the lake i thought they had only come for the day and asked if they had got permission the said they were friends of the owner the one gentleman said he ran the local garage which the farmer used. they were very ill equipped rods reels line no chairs to sit on not even a pullover with them or coat if it got cold and believe me it could get cold up there. well evening came and we thought they surly must go before long or they would get lost in the dark but no they proceeded to light a fire they had bags of pork chops lamb chops sausage all sorts and the proceeded to barbecue or should i say burn it on the fire and they said they were staying the night and would keep the fire burning to keep warm. we retired to our bivvies about midnight and managed to catch a few fish despite the noise they were making. i was awoken about three in the morning by some one shaking me awake and giving me a cup of tea it was one of the ladies that had come with her husband the one that owned the garage she was absolutely shivering as i said she had no coat she was only dressed in a skirt and blouse can i get into your sleeping bag please im freezing what do you do she slept in my bivie till about ten in the morning i had some coats with me and managed to cover myself with these and slept on the floor next to the bed chair nothing happened honestly. when i got up the other lady was in grahams bivie fast a sleep. The two blokes were absolutly shivering and i thought bloody idiots putting there selves, and ladys throught all that. but it did happen why they never brought proper clothes with them i will never know . the said garage owner and his wife now live on my village and i quite often remind her of the night she spent in my bed and we have had a few laughts about it. i thought it may give you a laught more to come latter
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In reply to Post #674
We eventually started to night fish this old lake in the hills. the farmer was so good and would take my friends and myself down on the tractor and trailer picking us up about three days later it was an idyllic lake it had trees all around exept for the one end which was the dam end that's where we all fished. You could be there for days and would not see anyone and it was all ours i offered to pay for the privilege to fish there but the farmer would not exept anything the only thing i did give him was a bit of money for the fuel he used taking us down to the lake. i don't think it had been fished that much but one day we rolled up and there was a strange looking old man fishing there he had a beard down to his waist and when i talked to him he had a broad Shropshire accent and took a bit of understanding but i managed to get some information he was fishing for the big cats, that lived in the pool. Over the years i had never seen a cat in the water and having a chat with the farmer he said he had never heard of one being caught let alone see one i asked him who the old chap was he did not know he said he just turned up to fish. then he would vanish and would not be seen again for months. How he walked the distance to the road i don't know or where he lived strange as he must of been in his eights in all the years i fished the place i only saw the old gentleman twice and when i asked him where he was from all he would say was over yonder. well we had some great times at that old lake and caught some great fish all wild carp but as i said we had them to six pounds plus we caught most on hair rigged luncheon meat, and they would nearly pull the rods from the rests vicious takes and they really would fight i think the best night we had was fourteen fish, and most were all around the same size. the old lake is still there and it still holds the wildes i have not fished it for a few years owing to my health. i have never told others where it is as there are not many lakes that hold true wild carp and i dont think the farmer wants any one down there disturbing his piece and quite a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #675
Get well soon Pete
thanks m8 dont know what we caught just can not get right must be some sort of virus shivering most of the time. thanks again
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In reply to Post #674
Get well soon Pete .
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In reply to Post #673
We wont be doing much fishing this week both of us came back from fishing for the barbel last week and we both fell ill graham has been to the docs but is still not very good i feel really under the weather having a job walking around and feel really sick at times must be our age you certainly don't seem to recover as fast as when you were younger man. tried to tie a few rigs but even that is taking some doing i feel really tired and worn out. SO i will have to try and write some more about my fishing from years ago as you all are well aware i did my fair share of poaching fishing and shooting. i used to fish a little lake up in the hill country of Shropshire i was told it was full of carp at the time was fishing with a chap called George Kimberly and we decided we would have a go at fishing it but it was about three miles from the main road a long way to walk i well remember collapsing on the bank the first time i fished it we were completely knackered it was a route march through ferns and bra con some as high as your head. It was a most beautiful lake with a cottage sitting in a wood at the one end it was covered in lilies We started fishing with worm but we could only catch tench not big little tench about a pound they were all stunted it was full of them you could have a fish a cast. we had taken some luncheon meet and using big pieces on our hooks no hair rigs in those days we started to catch a few carp they were all Wilde's torpedo shaped but did they scrap we had them to six pounds plus thinking back we ended the day with about seven they were all muscle beautiful fish. We were determined to fish the lake again but how it was a real long way to walk. so i went and had a word with the farmers trying to find who owned the water. we eventually tracked the farmer down who was not to pleased we had fished it without his permission but we ended up having permission to fish and the use of his tractor and trailer to take our fishing gear down to the lake funny it was the start of a wonderful friendship which has lasted all these years more about the lake a bit latter on
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In reply to Post #672
Its pouring down here rain at last it will do the lakes and rivers the world of good . but the river needs plenty of rain in mid wales for us to benefit. I used to love fishing the streams and brooks in this weather the rain would turn it on, it was like turning a tap on, i would free line a bunch of red worms and would catch some lovely fish from chub to gray ling brown trout i would also catch eels up to round three pounds they would really scrap on light tackle and it has been known for me to catch the odd salmon that had made its way up to spawn and that is not many years ago. One thing i will definitely will be doing this autumn and winter is fish dead baits for the pike on the shrews bury stretch of the severn we have caught some reasonable fish with this method, and float fished dead baits. You don't see the anglers doing it much today why i don't know as it can tremendous fun we have caught some very big specimens doing this. Talking about pike i used to poach a pool that was deep in the woods in south Shropshire SAM the old keeper took me there it was crammed full of roach and pike as soon as you had a roach on you would get a pike strike they were mostley jacks not much over eight pounds but just the right size to eat sam always took a few home to his dear wife to cook. Mum would clean the fish and soak it in salt for a few days to get the muddy taste out what else she put to it i don't know but you would never taste any thing muddy she would stuff it full of herbs from the garden tie it up with string and boil in a big pan on the old fire grate, it was absolutely wonderful we would have peas and potatoes with it and it kept us going for a couple of days as i said before nothing was wasted they were hard days but its part of my life i would not of missed. I really wandered how those fish got into that pool it was deep in the woods and i never saw many water birds on there i asked SAM but with all his knowledge he did not know all he would say they been always there, i will have to have a look if i can walk that far its doutfull at the moment but maybe latter on i would love to see that old pool again it holds many memories for me and my freindship with old sam the keeper well thats all for now a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #671
We were barbel fishing yesterday that's my mate graham and myself. After the rain we have had i was expecting it to be still coloured but it has fined down very quick and is nearly as clear as last week. The only way you could get a bite was fish very small pellets and use light lines i mean around six pounds to eight pounds breaking strain. graham was set up very close to me so we could share the landing net the bank was very steep and owing to him having a long handle on his net we could easily land any fish hooked. We had hardly cast out when graham had a real savage take lifting the handle of the rod and nearly pulling it from the rest he picked the rod up no need to strike as it was hooked it was on but only for a second he felt the fish then nothing on winding in his hook had gone it had broke him or it was weak hook link on recasting he was in again but this was no barbel it was an eel of a couple of pound nice to see the salmon lads have been catching a few when they have been worming they say its the best they have seen for many years. Then it was my turn over the tip went and i was in i knew straight away it was not a big fish but it was most welcome on landing it was only between four and five pounds It was grays turn again and he landed another around the same size as the one i caught. A couple of anglers came and had a chat and were very quick to point out that we were the only ones catching on the Sydney avenue stretch and most had packed up and gone home this surprised me a little bit but that's fishing we never caught any big specimens but had a few more most around the five pounds mark and the eels they could not leave the pellets alone. there was a salmon fishermen above graham spinning the weir he caught a lovely perch it was in magnificent condition and weighed round three pounds plus i would have been proud to have caught it but he did not seem very impressed strange some people. It started to rain quite hard towards evening graham had left his umberella at home so we called it a day but at least we had caught and not blanked like a few others. wel thats it for now untill the next time
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In reply to Post #670
The desire to catch fish really used to over power me. i would go to work and all i could think about was fishing it was like a drug it consumed every waking hour if i was not fishing i was making tackle or planning our next session mainly after the big bream. i would normally fish a Friday till a Sunday but i have been known to go straight to work from a session i would be absolutely buggered tired out. Because in those days you did not sleep much you had to stay awake and watch your indicators which in the middle late sixties was a piece of bread squeezed on your line between reel and but ring the doe bobbin i made myself a light from a small battery with a red reflector that would just show any movement that the bobbin gave. on a windy night you could have a few problems the bobbin would rise because of the wind or under tow. but we managed and enjoyed our fishing. Before dick gave me some bite alarms the old herons the doe bobbin was the only method i used to use i did try silver paper. but prefer the bobbins we caught loads of big bream using this method big for those years 7- 8 pounds i also used it for the roach with a lot of success we mainly sat up in an old garden chair all night. some times in the day you may catch up with your sleep for a couple of hours we would take a hessian sack with us and a piece of canvas wrap your self in a blanket inside the sack a piece of canvas under neath and over the top of yourself not very comfortable but you managed to get a couple of hours. i don't think many anglers would do that today it was pure dedication. graham and myself had bream fever we could not leave it alone its a wander our wives did not divorce us as we would be out at every opportunity and had become quite well known for our big fish exploits but we did not have the time or opportunity to do what some anglers have done today and made a living out of it. the lack of money was another thing that held us back you needed money to travel fuel food tackle and such it all mounted up the wages in those days was not that much and when you had a wife and family to keep they came first. ill tell you a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #669
Over the years i have heard many people bragging about the poaching they have done shooting the odd hair and the odd pheasant., and i have thought you should have been out with me a few times on a cold windy winters night with only an old rim fire 2-2 rifle and torch fixed to the barrel i have poached some estates and shot the pheasants out of the trees right out side the hall they have had all the lights on and have been having a real old knees up in side. Usually i would wait until the party had finished and the farmer had gone to his bed. some times i would shake like a leaf the pure excitement of it all your heart would pump as you dropped a few of his precious pheasants on his front lawn i would have seven or eight and i would be away putting them in an old sack and away home i would go. Some of those nights were cold and i would really shiver but it was a necessity i suppose i was around eighteen or nineteen then but we needed the game for food and also make a bob or two as i had a young wife and child to keep. I have had locals say was i scarred yes i suppose i was but i loved every minute of it. and as i have said before i was jack the lad and would always leave my calling card and leave a brace tied to the gate for the farmer or keeper it was a way of saying thank you i have had your birds. It was the same with my fishing i would be out and about at night when the old keeper would be away in his bed. i always went out alone you always used common sense i liked the wind in my face i learned the signs of the woods i suppose you could call it wood craft the call of the birds and distinguish the different sounds. The woods are full of different sounds at night and can be quite frightening to people that don't know the ways of the country side. when fishing i would trot a worm or spin a minnow and would mostly catch trout around the pound but they were great eating and i had no trouble getting rid of them what i did not give away i sold i was never short of a bob or two for a pint i loved the pub i learned so much the beer would loose the tongues off even the most hardened keeper and it was surprising what you could pick up i used to say, hear all and say nowt. well that's a bit more about my early life more to come latter
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In reply to Post #667
i suppose i have been really lucky in life i had freedom to roam the country side was my oyster. there was so much to see. I learned most of my fishing on the river Rea, the onny, and the severn,. In the beginning i fished for the pot it was a necessity we did it to survive it was the late forties i would catch the wild brown trout. another fish that was excellent for eating was the perch i would float fish a minnow under the falls at halford and would catch some real nice fish i would take them home and mother would prepare and cook them they were really nice. i think most people those days would eat most fish. one fish that i found easy to catch was the eel i would put night lines in the river onny baited with big bunches of worms you would always catch one or two with the odd trout or gray ling chucked in. i would stand and watch the neighbors strip the skin off the eel cut up into steaks then batter and fry it was lovely eating i caught hundreds using night lines. the rivers were heavily keepers in those days and if you were caught it was a very serous offence and most ended up in court or if using rod and line it would be confiscated i soon learned i found the best time to be out was arround about 4 in the morning as the baliff would be still in bed or late evening as the baliff and keepers would be at the pub it was a great life. i was only a youngster when as i have mentioned before i met old sam the keeper he taught me many things how to read the tracks of the different animals and the different warning noises the birds would make if someone was in the woods or a predetor was about. He also liked a bit of poaching him self and was not past catching a trout or two and at times took me with him they say a poacher makes a good keeper and i think that statment is right it takes one to catch one. so i had a really happy child hood poaching the streams and estates in my county of shropshire. i would play trunt from school just to fish i lived and breathed fishing it was my life ,which i have met many freinds and a few really old charictors but most are now gone and i am now the oldie who now has all the memories from all those years ago more latter
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In reply to Post #666
I think its a real shame the younger generation know nothing about our heritage the likes of walker, Hilton, Pete Thomas, Fred j . and many more some one asked me the other day who dick walker was i was amazed he had no knowledge of the said anglers. Maybe its because am getting old and living in the past. .But i do no one thing the youngsters of today have got it easy and that's not knocking any one. If you have the money you can by the very best of tackle and be an instant angler over night this does not apply to every youngster as there are some good anglers out there. Come on you oldies there a few out there we had nothing we learned the hard way we learned water craft made our own tackle but it was enjoyable all part of the excitement would this work or would it not altering it till it did. They were hard times but good We watched the lake for weeks before the season started watching for some movement or rolling fish finding patrol routes going out in a boat checking the depth most of this was done at first light you would over a period of time build a picture up it would all be put on paper also another point worth a mention was which way the prevailing wind blew by the time the season started we would have a fair idea where the fish were it was all part of the magic of fishing. maybe there is no place for water craft today as some learn by watching others fish. I personally think it a real shame as in my day you would not have caught without it and it was all part of the fun of fishing . there are some great oldies on here great carp anglers. i will ask a question to you all are we to old for the younger generation do they care how we started or interested i fear they do not a shame really. as you and the likes of walker and co are the real pioners of our great hobby. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #665
Well i went barbel fishing yesterday down the avenue in shrews bury what a disaster there was about ten anglers when i got there no one had caught the river was so clear no colour at all its really a waste of time fishing it until we have some rain. To cut a story short i tripped and fell over landing on my belly and catching my head in the gravel it really shook me up i found it difficult to get up and it was a good job my mate graham was with me or i may of been lying there for some time before some one spotted me. when i eventually got home i was in a right state could hardly walk and today has been murder i have been hurting all over it really has stirred my arthritis up and i suspect it will take a few days to get over it. But i will still plod on i just can not leave my fishing alone it will be a sad day when i have to hang my rods up but that's the trouble with old age the mind is willing but the body's not. i can not believe the amount of streamer weed in the river its in places i have never seen it before i don't think i have seen the river so low for many years. The lakes are the same all very short of water i have been talking to a few friends who fish for the carp and they all seem to be struggling. i am an all rounder fish for carp to anything that is catch-able but this year i am really not doing the business and i really hope it improves in the autumn. as i have said we really need the rain. When i was young i would spend all my time on the bank side i would love to trot down for the roach or the dace using Castor or maggot but those big roach don't seem to be there in quantities like they used to be you could catch a dace a chuck they even seem to be in short supply also. where they have gone is any ones guess maybe polution or weather change i really dont know but the river is certainly not what it was when i was younger gone are the days of big bags of dace and roach you still catch them but not in great numbers . well thats it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #663
I was reminiscing about my early days carp fishing with a good friend. i suppose i started carp fishing at at very early age i think i was no more than 10- or 12 years old i would go and watch the anglers on a couple of pools, not far from my house, they never really caught that much but after watching the carp in the weed beds i decided i was going to catch some of those fish. there was a lake about four miles from my home it was strictly private and full of carp. So i poached this lovely old estate lake. My tackle was very limited as i have mentioned before the old tank aerial rods some old wooden reels big old black eel hooks and silk line the nylon line had arrived on the market but living where i did you could not acquire it. i always remember the first carp from that old lake i would strap my rods to the cross bar of my bike small bag on my back and i would be away i would hide my bike in the undergrowth and push my way through the tangle of bushes till i reached the waters edge. i would use bread flake under a peacock quill and i was quite successful but i caught no carp only big Rudd and roach but the Rudd were monsters going two pounds or more. the lake had been neglected and was mainly used for duck shooting in the winter by the gentry it was also heavily keeper so i was always on the alert and ready to run if i was spotted. i watched those carp in the weed beds they looked massive to a young lad like myself and it was only by accident that i realized they liked floating bread. i had been feeding the ducks when there was an almighty splash and the bread had gone. so it was on with a piece of crust pulling coils of my reel i gave it the big heave ho and away into the weed bed it went i missed so many takes the first time i used this method they would suck it in and away to go i would strike but felt nothing. But after a time i did manage to connect the first fish i had from there was around eight pounds i had no landing net and had to wade into the water i got it onto the bank what a fish to me it was huge. my father came and took some photos with one of the old fashion cameras i had so many carp from that lake loads around 4 pounds but the biggest weighted over ten pounds a big fish for those years but being a youngster you don't realize the significance of a fish of that size they were all commons ,and in really good nick i fished that lake for years and never got caught. i, also had a few duck from there i would wait for the gentry to shoot and would mark the birds down pick them before they even got the dogs hunting for them. i would usually take around four and would be away it was a nice change from rabbit and such i would give a couple to the neighbors they would be over the moon as meat was quite expensive and most did not earn the money . well that's a bit more about my life more latter
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In reply to Post #663
I was reminiscing about my early days carp fishing with a good friend. i suppose i started carp fishing at at very early age i think i was no more than 10- or 12 years old i would go and watch the anglers on a couple of pools, not far from my house, they never really caught that much but after watching the carp in the weed beds i decided i was going to catch some of those fish. there was a lake about four miles from my home it was strictly private and full of carp. So i poached this lovely old estate lake. My tackle was very limited as i have mentioned before the old tank aerial rods some old wooden reels big old black eel hooks and silk line the nylon line had arrived on the market but living where i did you could not acquire it. i always remember the first carp from that old lake i would strap my rods to the cross bar of my bike small bag on my back and i would be away i would hide my bike in the undergrowth and push my way through the tangle of bushes till i reached the waters edge. i would use bread flake under a peacock quill and i was quite successful but i caught no carp only big Rudd and roach but the Rudd were monsters going two pounds or more. the lake had been neglected and was mainly used for duck shooting in the winter by the gentry it was also heavily keeper so i was always on the alert and ready to run if i was spotted. i watched those carp in the weed beds they looked massive to a young lad like myself and it was only by accident that i realized they liked floating bread. i had been feeding the ducks when there was an almighty splash and the bread had gone. so it was on with a piece of crust pulling coils of my reel i gave it the big heave ho and away into the weed bed it went i missed so many takes the first time i used this method they would suck it in and away to go i would strike but felt nothing. But after a time i did manage to connect the first fish i had from there was around eight pounds i had no landing net and had to wade into the water i got it onto the bank what a fish to me it was huge. my father came and took some photos with one of the old fashion cameras i had so many carp from that lake loads around 4 pounds but the biggest weighted over ten pounds a big fish for those years but being a youngster you don't realize the significance of a fish of that size they were all commons ,and in really good nick i fished that lake for years and never got caught. i, also had a few duck from there i would wait for the gentry to shoot and would mark the birds down pick them before they even got the dogs hunting for them. i would usually take around four and would be away it was a nice change from rabbit and such i would give a couple to the neighbors they would be over the moon as meat was quite expensive and most did not earn the money . well that's a bit more about my life more latter
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In reply to Post #662
When i poached i was always on the look out for the keeper or water bailiff. When out at night it was always a lonely vigil i did not like company i was responsible for my self and no one else. you soon got used to the night noises the dog fox calling his mate and the vixen answering with a shriek which can freeze the blood of some that are not used to the countryside. the whistle of the otter is another noise but one of the nicest noises i have heard and that was at Ellesmere while fishing was a nightingale it sang all night, Two hedge hogs fighting you could really compare it to some one fatally wounded and dying it can be a bit off putting. I really liked the woods and hedge rows and at certain times of the year you could really learn a lot about the wild life that lived there the different tracks that the animals and birds make in the snow but not really the time to be out poaching as you leave your tracks and the keeper knows you have been about. some things i soon learned was if you found a dead rabbit with a small puncture mark in its neck it indicates that it was done by a stoat, i always listened for warning sounds from other birds or animals the blackbird striking usually tells you that there is about a fox or a feathered foe about. I am sure the keeper had better sight than the average man especially at night as he was used to working in the dark. i don't think it is as bad today as it was when i was young if caught poaching when i was young you really went through the mill it was a very serious offence i was very lucky and never did get caught but i did get chased on a good many occasions but i knew the woods the, lanes, and ditches, and got away with it old sgt landers knew it was me but could never prove it so i have some happy memories from all those years ago i could not do it now because of my health i cant run and game pheasants and such are now two a penny you can buy it from the local super markets. well that's it for now more latter. i have been asked if i am writing a book i suppose i am about the fishing and my early life and how we survived it is being looked at by friends on this forum if it comes to anything the first copy will be donated to this forum thanks for reading my ramblings Pete
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In reply to Post #661
I Was talking to a friend the other day about our child hood and i said to him the most evocative memory of my child hood in Shropshire was the freedom to wander fishing, swimming in the brook, searching for wild flowers, birds nesting, my life was spent in the fresh air and it was without care, and without fear, but you were kept an eye and any misbehavior could result in a visit from the local bobby who would soon give you a clip behind the ear or a kick up the bum and would also tell your father and you may get another from him but i came from a very loving family and that rarely happened. i spent all my spare time when i was younger fishing, or birds nesting, i had a marvelous collection of eggs. you would go out in the morning and your parents would not see you again till the evening they trusted you and knew you would come to no harm. I soon learned the ways of the country side i used to love the harvest time as they cut the corn the rabbits ran out us young lads used to chase them we all had sticks, and would give the rabbit a good clout every one you killed you would put a notch on your stick. If you were lucky you would be given a couple at the end of the day. the farmer would keep the rest and sell them at market which would help his income as it was very hard in those days. Not me as i have said before i would hide a few in the hedge or ditch and collect them latter that evening it kept us in meat and our neighbors for most of the week. I would be off down the brook i would tie a spoon to a long stick and get the moorhens eggs and take them home to mother nothing was wasted It was a time of poverty low wages but most people in the war years and after kept a pig pig killing day was a great day not for the pig thought he would have his throat cut, you would be up early that day and would help to heat the water as soon as the pig was killed his liver was taken out i had to take it on a tray to the neighbors. we would have big blocks of salt which was used to cure the bacon hams they would then hang on hooks in the house to cure The hams would go black over a time mainly caused by the fire in the grate. i soon learned the art of poaching and had become quite a good shot with the catapult it was easy to shoot a couple of rabbits or a couple of pheasants, The estates and woods were full of pheasants reared for the gentry to shoot i would go and watch on a shoot day and stay out of sight i have had many of laughs watching the keeper looking for a pheasant that had been shot he would never find it as i had already got it i suppose it was stealing i had loads like that but they never really missed them as they shot hundreds in those days. But it helped us to live and our neighbors. well that's a bit more about my child hood and how we lived more latter
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In reply to Post #660
when i was a youngster and when i had a young family i poached the streams and woods to live. one particular estate had a large lake and the owner stocked it full with trout i used to watch the gentry fly fish the place and they never knew was there. i was determined to have some of those trout away and gave it quite a lot of thought how i was going to do it as it was quite heavily keeper ed. we needed the fish for food i would not take to many just enough for the family. I would leave home in the early hours one or two in the morning taking a rod and reel loaded with six pounds line i would use a size eight hook with two or three little red worms at arriving on the lake i would cast out cut the line and peg it down then cover it with earth marking every spot by bending a twig or leaving a marker only i would know. i would be back the following night and really caught some good fish trout up to round three pounds and i was never discovered but i became to greedy and the owners must of realized his stock was disappearing. On this one night i set out and on arriving at the lake started to pull my lines in when there was a shout somewhere behind me it was the keeper well not one but two or three it was a very black night the police were present as they blew there whisle. i was away i can tell you up through the woods i went i could hear the sound of dogs behind me i really thought i was going to be caught. I ran down into this valley and found a small stream it was only about a foot deep still in the woods i ran through this water for what seemed forever and i could still hear them shouting far behind me in the woods. well the stream eventually ran into this brook i was in the book further down was an old road bridge i managed to get under the bridge and there i stayed for quite some time and waited and waited and i must admit i was shivering more than a bit. I eventually got onto the road and got my bearings i was about four miles from my home i cut across the fields and eventually made it home i was exhausted but i got a real thrill out of the chase it was all in the local paper how poachers had cleared the trout from this local estate this made me chuckle as it was only me. when mother died last year i found that piece in the paper about the poaching she had kept it all those years i never did fish that lake again not for many years but have had many laughs over it since especially when fishing it for the carp it now has in it. well that's a bit more about my younger days and its all true we poached to survive it was a necessity this was another story i had forgotten about there is a few more yet that will come to mind i am sure but it was my life and this is how myself and my family lived well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #659
Well then year is slipping away fast. The farmers are getting the harvest in already i cant believe how fast the year has gone I went up to the woods last night and met some of the syndicate plenty for them to do last night they were putting legs on our feed bins and springs in the bottom of the bins so the pheasant can peck at the springs and make the grain flow good job done by all. As i came up the road towards the shoot and lakes i had an encounter with one of our smallest falcons on the road in front of the car was a hobby i think it had killed a sparrow i tried to get the camera and take a photo but it was away a bit to quick for me we followed it up the lane and it just flew above the hedge row . It really made my night a pretty little bird with its white throat and speckled breast we don't see them very much in Shropshire although i have seen one here before they are seem to be more down norfolk. i went to have a look at Bomere only one chap fishing although its spring fed its at the lowest level i have ever seen it in my life time. Shomere looked really great with all the lilies and i saw quite a number of dragon flies in different colours the blues the greens browns and the reds and a few damsels as far as dragon flies there are some real rare species on this little pool. the hazel trees are loaded with nuts they will be ready to pick latter this month if the squirrels don't beat us to it. We really could do with some rain the ground is so hard the and the lakes and rivers are so low the barbel fishing is real crap the only way you seem to be able to pick a decent fish up is to fish into the dark and then its really a hit and miss situation. most of the anglers fishing for the carp are really struggling the lakes are really short of water i, know it has really effected grahams and my catch rate and others as well. the hot weather does seem to have helped to produce some mega fruit apples plums and such and the wild life seem to have had a real good breeding season. In my part of the world there are huge flocks of pigeon the likes i have not seen for years the farmers will be asking for them to be shot as the damage they can do is very great. i have seen some very big skeens of grey lags and canadas so they must of had a good breeding year the lake i fish have had some really big broods of youngsters mostely grey lags but very nice to see there is also a couple of snow geese on there with them lovely little geese hope they dont get shot by the local shoot. well im off barbel fishing tomorrow evening so ill let you know how we fair little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #658
i was talking to a young chap the other day who said he was doing a bit of guesting on a local lake. I told him today it was not worth the effort when you can join a syndicate for a few quid and not hide away while you fish. It was different when i was young all the estates were strictly private mostly big shooting estates and there was no chance to fish the lakes the only way was to poach them. And i did with quite a lot of success but you were always on your toes frightened that you would be caught the best time was at night or the evening when the keeper would be at the local pub. methods in those days was mostly float fishing and some of the old estate lakes held some really big Rudd i would catch them to over three pounds in weight and nearly all were caught on bread flake from a big fresh loaf using a porcupine quill as a float and a size 8 hook if you could get hold of them. but today the same lakes do not produce those quality Rudd they have gone the Rudd are still there but much smaller fish stunted its a shame really how things change over the years. the one lake i poached for years had some really big roach and you would regularly catch them to 2 pounds plus i have caught half a dozen in an evening all over the magical two pounds once again all on the bread flake its a bait i rate even today it really catches the bigger fish but i see very few use it like when i was young . Bread paste was another bait that we did well with i would soak the bread then squeeze it out add flour until it was a nice contingence and would mold around the hook some times adding grated cheese or a spoon full of honey i have done very well on all these bread based baits catching chub roach and Rudd but this was way back in the late forties and early fifties. My mother used to have a big old tin full off currants and sultanas i would pinch a few well more than a few and i caught some really nice roach using them and a few pheasents as well lots of my neighbors kept racing pigeons in those days and i would scrounge a few pigeon peas boil them till just soft enough to get the hook through great for the roach i caught dozens using them and i did not see any one else using them at that time why i don't know well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #656
Another,,funny story from my younger days. I was always out and about and carried a catapult in my pocket. we as lads would put a target up and shoot at it. one particular day we found some little round tins like the flat ones that used to contain toothpaste we put them on the fence out side my mates house and started to shoot at them. i was quite a good shot in those days and i hit the one smack in the middle there was an almighty explosion it nearly knocked us over our ears were ringing it broke the house windows out came my mates next door neighbour she was quite a big women she practically fell through the door no ,clothes on only those old fashioned bloomers her hair was down her back she looked a really wild women all she could say was the wars over where the bomb from. we were a bit scared but we fell around laughing. Within minutes there were police every where at the time it was a Sgt Jones he came tearing down the road on his BSA bantam he was a very large man and looked like a tom tit on a round of beef and in his haste also came a cropper and fell of his bike by this time there was police cars every where the old westminsters if i remember right. Well we did get a telling off apparently these little tins were detonators and had been stolen from the railway they were used to warn trains if anything was wrong on the line and would slow them down we found thirty of these little tins thinking back i suppose we could have been killed but that's another of my child hood memories and some of the older generation people in there eights and nineties can still remember the day Pete blew the windows out of that house funny how people can remember after all these years all they say you were a rum un i was always in trouble like the day i chucked a fire work and it went through the window of this car it was a police car bang it went out came three coppers spluttering and coughing the car was full of smoke they tried to chase us but we got away the local Sgt came to my house but i got away with it once again i really was jack the lad and as i have said some can still remember it. well thats a bit more about my youth and what i got up to it may give you all a laught more latter
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In reply to Post #656
Another,,funny story from my younger days. I was always out and about and carried a catapult in my pocket. we as lads would put a target up and shoot at it. one particular day we found some little round tins like the flat ones that used to contain toothpaste we put them on the fence out side my mates house and started to shoot at them. i was quite a good shot in those days and i hit the one smack in the middle there was an almighty explosion it nearly knocked us over our ears were ringing it broke the house windows out came my mates next door neighbour she was quite a big women she practically fell through the door no ,clothes on only those old fashioned bloomers her hair was down her back she looked a really wild women all she could say was the wars over where the bomb from. we were a bit scared but we fell around laughing. Within minutes there were police every where at the time it was a Sgt Jones he came tearing down the road on his BSA bantam he was a very large man and looked like a tom tit on a round of beef and in his haste also came a cropper and fell of his bike by this time there was police cars every where the old westminsters if i remember right. Well we did get a telling off apparently these little tins were detonators and had been stolen from the railway they were used to warn trains if anything was wrong on the line and would slow them down we found thirty of these little tins thinking back i suppose we could have been killed but that's another of my child hood memories and some of the older generation people in there eights and nineties can still remember the day Pete blew the windows out of that house funny how people can remember after all these years all they say you were a rum un i was always in trouble like the day i chucked a fire work and it went through the window of this car it was a police car bang it went out came three coppers spluttering and coughing the car was full of smoke they tried to chase us but we got away the local Sgt came to my house but i got away with it once again i really was jack the lad and as i have said some can still remember it. well thats a bit more about my youth and what i got up to it may give you all a laught more latter
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In reply to Post #655
we have been down the river today after the barbel. the river is not really fishing that well it really wants a good flush through most anglers i saw today were not doing that well. But we did manage to catch a few fish but not the barbel we went for. we got amongst the chub and some nice specimens to we ledgered halibut pellet and what i call chops i did really well and ended the day with a truly great fish going 6 - 2 0z a real good fish for the Severn a very deep belled fish and really in good nick so we did not blank but i think most other anglers who stopped for a chat did. i shall be going back for another go on Thursday maybe fish the shrews town stretch but getting down the river bank is really taking its toll on me as my legs are not that good still i really need two more ops a left hip and the right hip i have already had that done eight years ago but it has now given up the ghost and wants doing again im a walking disaster but i keep smiling theres worse than me as long as i have fishing and good friends i will manage. i was watching a buzzard today a lovely bird he was being mobbed by four crows they just would not leave him alone but after awhile he did manage to shake them off there seems to be more and more buzzards i think its the rabbit population that has helped as it is there main food. well thats all for today a little more latter
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In reply to Post #1000
I spent a bit a time down the woods yesterday with our syndicate members. it is a triple ssi site but we get on very well with English nature. we filled all the bins for the pheasant and also fed the pool for the ducks. the amount of wild life we also feed through the winter months is really remarkable and English nature likes the way we run the shoot. It really is not like the woods i poached all those years ago gone is Gerry the keeper long dead. they have cleared all the trees from around shomere and the rose dendrums it really has made a difference the pool looked beautiful with all the lilies growing the bream i used to fish for are still in there so to are the big eels we had them to six pounds plus the odd big Rudd is still there for the catching but the mozzies put a lot of people off from fishing the place they would eat you alive but since the under growth has been removed they don't seem to be as bad so it might encourage those that have permission to give it ago and fish it. When i poached i t years ago i would rub lemon juice all over my skin before putting my clothes on it did seem to work but would still get the odd bite. The times i fished that place right under the keepers nose his house backed right onto the pool he had a pheasant pen down there he would rear hundreds of pheasant's in those days in the winter i would have a few away it made a few bob and also fed the family. The pool has been on tele a couple of times it was known as the secret pool and had and still has some very rare dragon flies on it the dragon fly society used to come down and take photos of these beautiful creatures. i would catch the pheasants in those days with fishing line and a current or raisins on the hook it was clean and made no disturbance i would lie in the under growth or hedge feed a few currents let them get used to them then use the line and hook i would catch half a dozen put them in a sack and would be away old gerry never ever twiged what i was doing but thats the way we lived in those days well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #653
Talking to a friend the other day he mentioned he had been clearing the rats for the local farmers. he was going out at night with his air rifle and lamp and had been shooting them in the farm buildings he had managed to shoot 300 rats in one evening last week now that's a lot of rats and is really giving the farmer a good service that's now when the harvests over the rats will really move in especially when the colder weather starts. I well remember when i was younger we would take half a dozen ferrets with us the farmers stored the grain in those days in bags in the granary we would pop the ferrets in and stand back the rats would fly out and run along the timber beams we would shoot them with a garden gun or four ten shot gun we literally shot dozens it was great fun and the farmers were well pleased. One farm had terrible problems with the little critters he had a big old hen run out in the field the eggs were getting eaten and some of the hens were getting killed there were hundreds holes every where. so we got the land rover into the hen run netted all around the perimeter filled some of the holes in and connected a hose to the exhaust of the land rover the fumes soon moved the little critters out came dozens we shot some with four tens and some got tangled in the net we ended the morning with at least 500 rats but that's years ago . but with the poison they use today they are a lot easier to deal with. but you still have to watch the live stock. Well we have managed to catch a barbel or two but nothing really big mostly fish around the five to six pounds mark a friend who fished with us the other day has managed a 10 pounds plus fish but every one i speak to seems to be catching the smaller specimens i think when we get some fresh water it will start to get better .We managed a carp or two yesterday the biggest only going 18 pounds plus falling to grahams rods it is one of the worst years i can remember on the fishing front and has really been a struggle i think its due to the very humid and hot weather well that's what i am putting it down to . a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #652
Its a few years since i fished the condover blind school stretch of the condover brook i had permission and as i said before had some great times fishing there unfortunately it closed down a few years ago. just opposite the school was a nursery they used to grow tomatoes and such the owner asked if i would clear the rabbits for her in return i could fish her private stretch on the brook i jumped at the chance and graham and myself would go and ferret her nursery oh what fun we had the rabbits had burrowed under the green houses and were inside gray had a terrier called sue she would be all through the plants chasing them every where we really caught loads. the owner said to me one day shoot those pheasants as well will you please they were every where. so i took half a dozen guns with me and stood them around the gardens we shot loads but the problem was they would hertel down and go straight throught the green house glass it was a bit deadly. The owner would be out there she would get quite exited and would be shouting her head off she really enjoyed it never mind the glass pete i can replace it we literally shot dozens from there over the years they would come from the big estate up the road old Bell was the keeper there as i have mentioned before i had quite a few run ins with him over the years he really did not like us shooting the pheasants at the nursery but the owner did not like him and would not let him on her property.The fishing was excellent and we would spin it using little mepps or use little red worms we caught loads the brook had been stocked by the local gentry so there was not shortage of brownies but they were all around the pound mark but very good eating we never over did it only taking what we needed and i would always take a couple for the owner. sadly the nursery has now all gone and the owner has died and they have now built houses on the land the price of progress or is it a little bit more gone never to return. well we went barbel fishing yesterday and we managed to catch more about that latter
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In reply to Post #651
Over the years i have met a great many old characters one such man was a chap called charlie Patterson he lived at a small village in Shropshire called much wenlock and was employed as a forester and game keeper he had a great understanding of the country side and its wild life. he also ran the Paterson hunt and had a membership of about sixty men who would be out most Saturdays and Sundays in the winter and spring and would do a job of work and shoot the foxes for the local farmers and gentry we shot vast numbers in those far off days he would sell the skins and the proceeds would be spent on a big dinner every year for the members and families. he was an incredible chap and would stand you in the wood and say don't you miss him he will be out in a minute and nine time out of ten he would but low betide if you missed he would really ball you out and you would be in the walking line for the next month. It really never happened to me as i would not shoot if i could not kill the animal. i learned such a lot from this man we would sit in the woods and he would say can you hear that Pete what charlie im sure he could hear a Nat fart but he had a great instinct almost like a second sight and would follow the tracks of badgers and foxes. i would take him around the farms and estates at Xmas and he would really get quite pissed by the time we were finished. he also carved walking stick and would make a marvelous job he would carve badgers foxes birds on the top of the stick and really was in big demand in those days. and would make a few bob for him self. he said to me one day Pete im not to well got blood pressure hows that charlie he was like a mountain goat and would really out walk most of us youngsters he walked every where never owned a car or a bike some days at least twenty miles not long after his wife found him dead in his favourite arm chair in front of the fire i went to his funeral there was hundreds farmers gentry and such he was really one of the old school who we wont see the likes of again this was way back in the late sixties and seventys it was a real privilege to have been his friend as i learned so much from him a little more latter
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In reply to Post #650
Years ago i suppose i was about twelve years old it was when i lived at craven arms and when i poached the river onny it must of been around 1954. all the old chaps that fished the onny always said this old big brown trout inhabited a certain stretch and they had hooked and lost him on many occasions . i hooked him once and lost him and from then on it became an obsession to catch it l would lie down on the bank peering into that clear water using the trees for shade and i saw him number of times chasing the minnows into the shallows to me he was big round three pounds but huge for that small river. i well remember another day i hooked him, i saw him take at the minnows in the shallows and cast a big lob worm to him he took it instantly and led me a merry dance away he went down stream i could gain no line at all i clambered over bushes around trees eventually i was up to my knees in water still in contact but he managed to snag me in the roots under the bank and bang and that was that. it took me two years to catch that wild brownie but i eventually did. i caught him while spinning i would mount a minnow in a flight you would push a spike into the minnows body and clamp the fins on the flight shut to hold the minnow tight there was two very small trebles attached to the flight that you hooked into either side of the minnow i was determined i would have him one day. i cast into that pool on the river a few times with no luck i left it and made my way further down stream and decided to come back and fish for him in the evening and so it comes to an end first cast and bang i had him on no landing nets in those days so i was in the water up to my waist i was hoping the bailiffs and keepers were not around i waded to the other side into shallow water and at last got him two my feet and out onto the bank he was an old warrior with a hooked snout i just stared at him my dad came down and took some photos i was the talk of the terraces where i lived i just could not kill him he was three and quarter pounds so dad and myself put the old warrior back i never saw him again althought i fished that pool many times after i still wander to day if he survived and lived to fight another day this is a true story about me as a young lad with an obsession with fishing which has never left me to this day more latter
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In reply to Post #649
What a night we have just had first night back off holiday. got up for a pee in the the toilet and the landing was full of wasps it sounded like the attic was full of the little critters what a noise they were making.. i have managed to kill those on the landing. but will have to get the pest control in tomorrow had a quick look in the attic but cant see where the nest is a few years ago, i would have been up there and would use symag on them and collected the grubs a little latter great bait for chub fishing and i have had some good days using them. But with my health arthritis i think i will leave well alone as i cant move that quick. Even when i was young it was always a dangerous job and i have had to run on more than one occasion and have been stung a few times when digging the nest out but wasp grubs trotted down the river with a big old Avon float has caught myself and Friends a good many quality chub and a scattering of good roach also. Its really has frightened the wife so i must get them killed tomorrow it really was a bit off putting in the middle of the night when you were half a sleep. i may still collect the grubs when the wasps are dead ill see what the pest control says tomorrow. Well we are going after the carp again on tuesday get those baits back on the plato and keep our fingers crossed for some action i just hope with the rain and wind they have had here while i was away it has improved the fishing . We will also be carrying on with our barbel fishing and i know we will catch a few specimens over the coming weeks and into the winter which in my opinoin the best time for the bigger fish we will have to wait and see more to come latter
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In reply to Post #647
Been doing a bit of sea fishing this week its was a great change lots of mackerel and a few sea bream caught. sadly i did not take my boat with me as i may have had a few skate and doggies maybe next time. now i am back we have a busy time in front of us what with fishing i have to run our shoot with the help of a friend who i could not do without we have barley to put out for the ducks and more bins to fill with corn for our pheasants but most of the syndicate help with the lifting and my job is really just helping and organizing to make sure it runs smoothly. my mate tony and graham are tirlesss workers and are a great help when running the shoot i have had the shoot for at least thirty five years and has been a big part of my life . What with the fishing i wander some times how i find the time to do it all. come october ill have the boat out and will start my piking graham and myself really like to get out and have caught some resonable fish from the boat i have had a lot of succees using jelly lures. and a few good ones using float fished dead baits. i also like to ledger dead baits in the river and i have acounted for some big fish over the years. But for now we will be back trying to catch the carp . and also doing a bit of barbel fishing. I will have to get another freind rodger to help clear some of the rabbits probably do a bit of ferreting but we will leave that till september we must keep the farmers happy as i have gained lots of fishing in the past by helping the farmers out. well a bit more latter on
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Message Suppressed by Forum Moderator.
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In reply to Post #646
Life's really strange is it not when i was young and i poached the land around here and other parts of Shropshire the land was strictly private if you got caught you certainly would be in court. we past a number of fields full of potatoes when we were out the other day i said to graham a few years ago i would be over the hedge and would have a bag full mostly well before the farmer was out of his bed. But thing have changed for the best no need to do that any more well i cant run now to old for all that.. but the same farmers sons who chased me all those years ago now let me go on their land i could be out all the while catching the rabbits fishing and generally clearing the vermin they ask me and have real trust in myself and graham. But my health really does play a part. when i was young i knew the animals that were in the country side i learned from an early age. i feel very sad when some of the younger generation have never seen a badger or a fox that's why i some times take a party out for the evening but that's life they spend more time on their computers. when i was young all we had was fishing or playing in the country side you could go birds nesting build a camp cook yourself an egg or bake potatoes on the fire you would live and breath the country side catch the rabbits find the ducks nest nothing would be wasted all would be eaten. i would collect the moorhens eggs and we would eat those as well but today it has all changed well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #645
Its certainly not nice weather we went fishing to another water today it absolutely rained heavy on getting to the lake it was green all over the old algae bloom has appeared once again. i got talking to some other anglers fishing the water who had been on a 48 hour session and had blanked they were putting it down to the algae bloom. it seems no one has been catching for at least a week by the time we went most others had packed and gone home. we both persevered but it was hopeless The farmer had but barley straw in the lake in the early spring but it has not done much good up to now. so it was another blank. i am going away for a short holiday next week so i really do hope things improve by the time i get back. our syndicate water has also not been producing like it should. i really did think it would with the cooler weather. i am going on a badger watch over the weekend i have been asked to take a party of youngsters out i just hope they keep quite as it will be a waste, of time we usually take a few peanuts and scatter them around broc really loves them. if thing go right they may even see some cubs as the sow may bring them down the bank finding the peanuts we scatter at the side of the wood where we have our hide. the cubs will be quite big now. they may even see a fox or two so i have told them to bring thier cameras. we shall continue our barbel fishing the fresh rain should really put some color into the river and the flush throught will do it the world of good. But wether i will go before our holls i dont know as i am quite tyed up with other things. WE have been also asked by the local farmers to clear a few of the rabbits that abound the land arround here there are litterly hundreds i dont think i have seen as many since the early fiftys. well thats it for now more to follow
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In reply to Post #644
What better hobby is there than fishing in my opinion none. The people you meet and the friends you make. and on top of all that you have the nature. the animals birds and the wild flowers. it all changes by the day theres always something else to see or learn. i feel i have been really lucky although i suffer with arthritis i can still get out and fish my mate graham is now 74 years old and is still looking good we have fished together for approx 50 years a very long time and i really don't know what i would do without him he is really a big help getting my tackle to and from the swim a true friend. . He is truly one of the old school anglers and came down with me when i first met dick walker. dick also gave him a nice rod another 10 ft Avon. it seems such a long time ago since i met graham and we used to go and fish the atcham stretch of the Severn at shrewsbury and fish for the chub we would catch. our methods were a bit crude we used nut and bolts for ledgers the rods were really not that good i still had the tank aerial rods the line was thick and springy we made our own floats as our wages were not that great and we had young families to keep. we would go night fishing for the eels and in those days we would catch loads the river was stuffed with them. we would give or sell a few to the local pub landlord who always liked them kept alive in a bucket of water before he killed them he would jelly them and sell them in the pub i well remember taking a rather large specimen in the bucket it was around three pounds plus i gave the bucket to his wife behind the bar on having a look the eel came over the top of the bucket and slid onto the floor behind the bar i kid you not the barmaids panicked and shouted the bar was in turmoil we could not stop laughing we eventually got it back in the bucket the landlord's wife banned him having any more eels from us. thats only one of many stories i can tell that still sticks in our memorys well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #643
What a terrible day. i planed to go barbel ,fishing on the severn. Well we did go we were going to fish into the dark but we had a monsoon arround about 7-30 did it rain it absolutly hammered down so graham and i called it a night. but trying to get my tackle up the bank i slipped and down i went and i could not get back up its realy a good job my mate graham was with me its a problem with my arthrites if i get down i have a problem getting back up thats the problem old age setting in. There was another five anglers fishing close to me and they all blanked exept one who had a nice fish arround eight pounds i lost one he got into really fast water and we parted company. The rain will do some good in the long run and it should help us if they have had a good storm up in wales and it adds a bit of colour to the water. some freinds have had a few fish this week i think the biggest was arround 10 pounds but better than nowt. We really have been struggling with the carp as well no big ones only hight doubles we have seen some real big fish showing we have tryed zigs as well but the fish are just not having it im putting it down to the weather. well day off from fishing tomorrow but we will be back out thursday probably after the carp the cooler weather may just help and get the on the munch. i think this is the worst year we have had as far as catching fish. we have managed arround twenty fish up to now with a few over the twenty mark but size really does not matter to me i just like to be out and be one with nature well more latter
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In reply to Post #642
Thinking back what can i really tell you all about this tremendous man that you all don't already know. he was a kind and generous man who would go out of his way to help fellow anglers. he was a great character could tell a really good joke but he also had a big impact on all aspects of angling. from match fishing fly fishing to carp fishing. and designing of fishing tackle from rods to the arsley bombs. He had such an impact on our hobby. And as i have said he truly was a great man. the likes we will never see again. When i was young all my mates myself included all looked up to this man and we learned from him through his articles. I never once thought that one day i would meet him and i. would like to think we became good friends over the years i knew him. He had an outstanding personality but as i have said before did not suffer fools gladly. looking back dick was well into trout fishing when i knew him which he soon landed the British record rainbow trout so another record beside the carp from red mire i would sit and listen to the great man tell me all about the capture of that stunning carp what a story i. loved to listen to his tales and when i left his company my head would be buzzing. In those days we were fishing for the big bream in the shropshire and Cheshire meres one particular water was proving to be a bit hard we could not hit the bites. so graham and myself made some floats that were at least fourteen inches long at the tip of the float was a a ball of balsa wood which we painted fluorescent pink the stem was bulb-as and the bottom was whipped with lead wire making it partly self cocking we would fish this at fifty yards and used a torch with a pencil beam we would cast out and fish it slightly over depth tighten up till you could just see the ball on the tip when you had a bite it would rise up in the water and you would be in we caught loads using this method. When dick heard how we were catching them please bring me one of those floats pete i think he was quite impressed well i did make him one but whether he used it i really don't know but i suspect he did so it was really a great privalidge knowing dick and long may his name be rembered. rip mate and god bless you were an insperation . More latter
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In reply to Post #641
I have a bit of time today so ill tell you more about our dick. he used to sell gang mowers and lawn mowers to Shropshire council. And one day a chap called Kieth wilkinson rang me from the council saying would i like to come down to the factory with him as dick had been in touch and asked him to bring me down to see him. this was the first time i had been to his factory and if i remember right it said to work here you had to be a fisherman or a footballer. but what i found amazing was dick he knew every one he employed he would take me around the factory and introduce me to his workers he knew every one by name and really treated them with utmost respect. he would not have time study and such in his factory and said on many occasions if i want to give my workers a rise i will what ever the government says. i was in his office on one occasion and his secretary gave him a roll of notes my wages he says pete i really don't need it as i make as much out of fishing i was cob smacked. with tongue in cheek i once said to the great man you some times write a load of crap i thought bloody hell i should not of said that but he smiled and said if i did not i would be out of business when you write for angling times and such you have to be controversial and he was right. i was in his office one day and he says i have brought you these try them out let me know how you get on with them you will be able to get some sleep with these little beauties of course they were a pair of heron bite alarms i certainly did try them and had lots of success using them. We would be away in his green BMW and he would take me around some of the lakes he had fished he was so knowledgeable not just fishing but on wild life two. He wanted me to write for angling times but i was married and had a young family and really was not very versed in english well im still not but i got by he said write it as you see it then send it to me i will edit it well i think i got a fiver or so for the stories . they were good days a little more latter
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In reply to Post #640
There is a thread on at the moment about the late dick walker. He was a great man and i am very privileged to have known him. it was the late 60 early seventies when the man first crossed my path we had just formed the three counties specimen group with dennis kelly of the big bream fame. i had and other members been catching some good bream big for that time 10 pounds plus and bigger eventually breaking the British record which really put our group on the map. i received a letter in the post which was from dick asking about are exploits after the big bream on the Shropshire meres and could he give me a ring which he soon did. he wanted to know more and invited myself and dennis, graham and another friend to go down and meet him at his private fishing hut on the river ouse and stay the week end. it was very cold November day. and i can always remember this chap walking across the field with his standard big hat on his head. hello Pete catching much i was stunned he had been my boy hood hero and now he stood before me i was really humbled. i have brought you these he said are they any good any good two built cane rods one a ten ft Avon the other 11ft built cane trotting rod i was speechless the evening was drawing in and getting very cold. I have a couple of bottles in the car lets get the gas fire going and have a drink by god could he tell a story or two we laughed our heads off till well gone midnight. we eventually said our good buys ill be in touch pete and he was i went down to his factory on many occasions. he would take me out to dinner at the letch worth hotel and he was always interested in my fishing. i met his mother on a number of occasions she was a lovely old lady and lived in a beautiful old tudor house do you believe in ghosts pete as we have one here she was immensely proud of dick and his achievements and she made some really good cake i would gorge that much it would make me feel sick but she was so friendly and always made me feel welcome. one day dick said come up the garden ill get a fork he proceeded to dig these little red worms up take these home and put them into some compose i still have a few of those red worms the ofspring of dicks worms from all those years ago more latter
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In reply to Post #639
Well on the fishing front its been quite hard the hot weather has certainly put them off the feed. we have managed a fish or two but nothing really big i did manage a big old mirror today . We have had one go for the barbel but the river is so low and clear it really wants a good flush through. a friend managed a nice double the other evening a ten pound plus. We are aiming to fish some late nights for them next week as that seems to be the time the bigger ones are turning up. Fishing for them in the day seems to be a waste of time well for the time being until we get some coloured water. The ones being caught in the day are on the very small size three pounds plus. Talking to the local anglers its not just the Barbel but chub and roach that are also suffering the low level of water so roll on some rain we really need it. I have noticed on two of the waters i fish they have now gone green the yearly algae bloom we experience this usually once a year and it soon clears up but it certainly seems to put the fish off the feed for some time. The fox cubs that i found have now moved on i did catch a glimpse of one the other day but he was by him self and seems to be big enough to fend for him self. i still have the cubs in the garden but they are growing very quickly and i would think they will move on before very long the vixen will take them up to the fields and woods or into the cover of the corn and barley fields i have got the badger visiting the garden at night digging holes all over looking for worms she really does make a mess. one thing that has really stood out this year is the wild fowl ducks and geese they certainly seem to have had a good breeding season. with some really large broods nice to see one thing we seem to have is a shortage of is Canada geese i did hear they have had a cull because of the damage they have been doing on some of the farms i do hope not as i loved to see them in flight on a cold winters day well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #638
To live my life in the country side has been a wonderful To learn about the animals trees wild flowers has been my life. to sit in the woods and listen to the different bird songs or out at night and listen to the noises of the night its really has been a privilege. To poach the willy trout from the meandering stream or take the pheasant from deep in the woods always filled me with excitement to be one with nature and to be ever on the watch for the crafty keeper. when out at night i went alone never in two or threes i was responsible for myself not others it is surprising how sound will travel on a quite night i liked to be out on a wild and windy night that's the night i would get a few pheasants and would be away before the keepers ,realized i was ever there. The only time we went in threes was when i used a long net for the rabbits you needed at least three chaps you could trust on a good night you could catch over one hundred rabbits not a bad nights work and you made a bit of cash. But i really liked to go alone i think i have said before i would be on the river and fish it into the night or i would go first light and spin for the brown trout it held or trundle a little red worm these little rivers were stocked with trout for the gentry and the estates i would take what i needed as i have said before food was scarce and anything was grateful accepted by our neighbours. I have been chased on many occasions but was always lucky i never got caught but most of the land i fished and poached i knew so i always had an escape route whether it meant swimming the river or climbing a tree and hiding in the branches which i did on many occasions and have even listened to the keepers and the police talking below they have even had dogs with them alsatians but never did get my scent or even looked up the tree i have laid down in a ditch and the dogs have walked over me that time i was scarred stiff as there was three keepers but i ended up getting away once again. one thing i always did was to hang a couple of rabbits or pheasents on the keepers gate it was away of saying thank you but it did wind them up at times. well more latter
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In reply to Post #637
Its so many years since i fished and poached the local rivers and woods that abound in shropshire looking at some now little has changed the same old woods the same trees but the excitement has gone the sparks gone out. the excitement i got from it was immense testing your self against some of the best keepers in the land and fishery bailiffs. i was only talking ,to a friend the other day who was saying what a life i had. but as i explained i only poached for the pot so we could live and i also made a bit of money out of my exploits. i explained to him that there was no money in those days my father i think earned about six quid a week a nothing really so i poached a few rabbits trout pheasants and such to keep us and a good many of our neighbors happy In those days we were one big family every one helped one another sadly those days have now gone you certainly could not leave your back door open like we did years ago but i suppose we never had much for a thief to take well what we did have was not worth that much but one thing we did have was love and respect for one another which is sadly missing today. i suppose i was jack the lad and lots of the oldies on my village remember what i got up to and i still get comments like you were a rum one. i learned at an early age to look after myself yes i would fight i remember old sgt landers taking me and a lad called Pete clee to the local nick because we had been fighting only to given a pair of boxing gloves and to put them on and box fair and the sgt re fed us for around three rounds until he was satisfied that we had enough good days i think they were you would not get that happening today the way of life has changed so much well ill write a bit more about this latter
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In reply to Post #635
The hot weather is playing havoc with the fishing the water where i was fishing yesterday was warm very warm you could of bathed in it we did have a slight breeze on the water but the carp had there minds on other things the one corner of the lake was packed with fish follow the leader they were spawning once again this is the second time this year. graham did manage one fish a small mirror a low double but yours truly blanked and so did the others fishing the lake it was very overpowering and i was not sorry when we packed in it was like fishing in a desert red hot. so it was a day of watching the wild life i had a visit from some white geese very tame but looks if they are a cross with the grey lags bars on there wings really strange birds but they seem to have taken a shine to me and sat beside me most of the day. i don't think i have seen so many grey lags for years there seems to be more there every time we go. The little wren has now gone her brood have at last left the nest i will quite miss watching her feeding her young. i watched a peregrine falcon hunting way above us a wonderful sight it had a pigeon and hit it at a tremendous speed feathers every where there is always something to watch.The dab chicks are still around and are growing very fast but i see some of the ducklings have gone missing maybe a mink, why i say that is because as i was sitting in front of the rods the ducks became very agitated and a mink ran out in front of me saw me and was away. another thing that's has kept me amused is a vole he is back and forward all day and vanishes into some short grass beside the swim further investigation i found a small hole in the grass he does not bother about me at all and is really quite tame well i don't think the fishing is going to improve much till we get a bit of cooler weather so i think it may be a few late night sessions after the barbel well all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #635
The hot weather is playing havoc with the fishing the water where i was fishing yesterday was warm very warm you could of bathed in it we did have a slight breeze on the water but the carp had there minds on other things the one corner of the lake was packed with fish follow the leader they were spawning once again this is the second time this year. graham did manage one fish a small mirror a low double but yours truly blanked and so did the others fishing the lake it was very overpowering and i was not sorry when we packed in it was like fishing in a desert red hot. so it was a day of watching the wild life i had a visit from some white geese very tame but looks if they are a cross with the grey lags bars on there wings really strange birds but they seem to have taken a shine to me and sat beside me most of the day. i don't think i have seen so many grey lags for years there seems to be more there every time we go. The little wren has now gone her brood have at last left the nest i will quite miss watching her feeding her young. i watched a peregrine falcon hunting way above us a wonderful sight it had a pigeon and hit it at a tremendous speed feathers every where there is always something to watch.The dab chicks are still around and are growing very fast but i see some of the ducklings have gone missing maybe a mink, why i say that is because as i was sitting in front of the rods the ducks became very agitated and a mink ran out in front of me saw me and was away. another thing that's has kept me amused is a vole he is back and forward all day and vanishes into some short grass beside the swim further investigation i found a small hole in the grass he does not bother about me at all and is really quite tame well i don't think the fishing is going to improve much till we get a bit of cooler weather so i think it may be a few late night sessions after the barbel well all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #634
As i said we went again to our syndicate lake on Thursday on arriving i really thought we would do very well and may catch a few But how wrong can you be. we had a lovely south westerly blowing into our swims all day really ideal conditions we only saw two fish showing all day and it was not till 5-30 in the evening graham got the first take it turned out to be a little fat common of 16 pounds five oz followed by one of twenty one pounds plus. i had to wait a little longer but eventually did catch another fish of twenty plus and that was that no more takes i cant believe that we had no more as conditions were spot on . Its really funny when i look back to Tuesday it was very hot with a south westerly and we caught never mind we will try again next Tuesday as i have said we are going barbel fishing next week and will be fishing mainly evenings im certainly looking forward to having a go at them as they are a very hard fighting fish and we have always done very well in the past i will write a little about our forays latter on. A local farmer has rang me up this week asking if i could get rid of a fox that is causing him some considerable damage at his farm well i went to have a look and found the vixen hold up underneath an ivy tree she has cubs not quite big enough to fend for themselves. so with all the will in the world i just cant leave them to fend for themselves the dog will feed them but there is a chance he may not so i moved them on by leaving as much of my scent as possible on the earth. and it seems to have worked they have moved. the farmers happy im happy i may have some trouble on our syndicate shoot latter on but we will deal with that if it happens at a latter date. I do like to see one or two foxes around and would not like to see them all annihilated they are such a beautiful animal the woods still abound with wild flowers the common fig wort is now in flower and the blue speed well the bugle is also flowering well so there is always some thing else to see our resident buzzards have done well and reared four chicks i watched them all soaring on the wind together a lovely sight well more latter
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In reply to Post #633
What a day i said yesterday we may not catch due to the weather how wrong i was although i am home early due to personal reasons we have had a great day. When we arrived there was a nice south westerly blowing into our swims putting one rod onto the plato and the other two further out i did not have to wait long the first fish came within half an hour of casting out a lovely fat common not huge but in wonderful nick 21 pounds shortly followed by a lovely marked mirror of seventeen pounds the other three were commons all going between 18 and 19 pounds all in very good nick graham managed another two both commons all hight doubles i was rather pleased as the others fishing the lake really struggled i think the bit of bait i have been putting in has done the trick i would have liked to of stayed still dark as there was some big fish showing on the baited area i am now feeling very confident that we may catch something very special in the coming weeks. we are going again on thursday and we will start fishing for the barbel in the evenings. the little wren must be really worn out she was back and forth all day she is still feeding her young. we have found where the foxes have their cubs there are two separate families both having five cubs apiece . the geese are really doing well, all greylags and have produced some really big broods we counted around one hundred so they have realy done well the flowers in the woods are a spectacular sight with the blue navewort and fox gloves and the lovely honeysuckle all putting on a good show. the farmer came down and said they had spotted two otters on the lake but he said they seem to have moved on i do hope so well im rather tired so a little more latter
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In reply to Post #632
Its really hot here in shropshire and my self and graham are finding the fishing hard there are some barbel being caught but not many the biggest i have heard about was a double of 10 pounds plus so we are going to give it ago in the evenings when it cools down a bit. We are off carp fishing again tomorrow but i am wandering if it will be worth it with the temperature as it is but its not just the fishing its the wild life two i love to relax and listen to the bird song and watch the different birds nature is really wonderful. Talking about wild life i see another fox has bitten some youngster on the hand if he goes and pulls its tail no wander they are wild animals and will retaliate if harmed. I can understand how the two young babies were attacked and their crying could have been taken for a young animal in distress and the fox or young cub went to investigate thinking it had found an easy meal terrible for the family and i hope they soon get better. fox's very rarely attack humans and keep well away i know its very different in the towns as they forage for food where it can be found and can become very tame but lots have the dreaded mange which will eventually kill them, there really is no answer only to catch them and humanly put them to sleep but that would be a major job . so in the mean time keep the doors shut to keep the animal out and don't feed them. i am very lucky really i have a pair of gold finches nesting in my garden lovely pretty little bird especially the male i think they have youngsters and have thier nest up one of the fir trees i have in my garden. well thats it for now little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #631
I went on wednesday to have a look how the barbel fishing was going in the shrewsbury area it was not very good at all infact i never saw a fish caught. I will put this down to the very hot weather although it had a bit of colour no one caught there were so many anglers and i suspect they kept the bailiffs quite busy all day selling tickets and checking permits. the environment agency were down pulling a big tree out of the river which had been there for many years what a day to do it on opening day i think it might well have put a few backs up. but it really wanted doing as it was there when i was baliffing quite a few years ago and many angler got snagged on it.. I will give it a miss this first week and let the rush go maybe having a go next week a few evening sessions we will see. I did see a pair of otters playing on an island further down stream they were up and down the river then back onto the island but i never saw them actually catch a fish. i was talking to a fellow angler who was fishing near the island and he said they had a Holt on the island and had reared young the previous year. There is quite a lot of weed present in some of the best barbel swims and one or two anglers were not amused by it. but i would fish between the weed into the channels well that's the way i will fish i have always done okay fishing this way in the past. i have been asked if i would like to give the ballifing a go again i may just do that although they have a good set of lads doing it at the moment with a good head bailiff but they are always on the look out for more. bit more latter
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In reply to Post #630
What a struggle the fishing is this year it was really to hot yesterday. They certainly were not on the munch. And we did not see many fish showing either we tried zigs with no success pop ups and standard bottom baits. i must admit its one of the hardest starts we have ever had but with a bit of luck things should pick up latter. i did see one chap catch a couple on the far side but most anglers on the lake blanked me included. The little wren was back and forth all day still feeding her young they must be nearly ready to leave the nest. the woods are full of red camp ion a lovely pinky red flower and the Rhododendron is in flower every where you look the blues and pinks and reds a lovely flower, but it has now become a real pest it soon takes over the woods and block's the light out and stops every thing else growing a lot of estates are now taking action and are now dealing with the plants by injecting the stems with poison, and waiting for them to die off before they cut them down. I think we will be having a few sessions after the barbel this week or next although the rivers have been terribly low and really need a flush the severn did carry a bit of colour caused by the heavy rain that was experienced in parts of wales so with a bit of luck we may come up trumps. We will still fish for the carp but i think the pressure is far to high i mean the weather and we could do with some low with maybe a bit of wind on our lake which would help things out. I did notice we had a number of cormorants on the lake yesterday and they really want dealing with . the ravens are still about with their very deep call they certainly have a nest in the area maybe deep in the woods . we had the wood pecker banging away behind our swim most of the day she was looking for insects for her young we did catch a glimpse of her and it was the green variety. We packed up early yesterday somthing we rarly do i came home to watch the footie we were realy not catching and we felt we were not in with a chance. well there you go another, blank. so a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #629
Well i am back from a two week break in wales the weather was really quite good we did experience some rain but on the whole it was very good. What i did notice was the hedge rows ,they were spectacular ablaze with wild flowers the Red campion was every where a most beautiful flower, the dog rose white and the pink variety the wood scabious and the devil's bit scabious in its pinks and blues were also present the bulbous butter cup and the meadow butter cup put on a lovely show of yellow. The hog weed was also in flower and the cow parsley and of course the common dandelion. And the still flowering blue bell and the yellow iris was every where you looked on the marshy ground the fox glove in all its glory the pink and yellow The gorse and broom were out in flower i could go on for ever but don't want to bore you all to much but it was a great show which i never tire of. Right behind our caravan is an old stone wall and a blue tit had built her nest in one of the many holes she kept us quite entertained watching her feed the youngsters she certainly never got much rest she was on the go from early morning till dark. We got a visit from the local fox which got into the awning and made a real mess with the rubbish bag ripping it open and scoffing any morsels it could find. there is also an abundance of wild cats i mean moggies i was talking to the farmer and he said they were becoming quite a problem in the area and that some had been trapped and put to sleep as they had really done lots of damage to the local wild life. Well its back to fishing this week and i am going latter to put a bit of bait onto the plato and try to get the bigger fish interested i hope to have a couple of days this week and also have a couple of sessions after the barbel on the river severn i usually fish the evenings from five till about midnight we will have to see how it goes the river really needs a good flush as it is very low and i do love a bit of color in the water. my resident fox cubs seem to be still in my garden and have really made quite a mess but they have as much rights to be there as myself so i will leave them in piece. well a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #628
As from today i will be away for a while family commitments. more stories at a latter date thanks pete
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In reply to Post #627
What a day its been very sad for myself and my family my grandson who we love very much has come home from the army to say good bye he goes to afghanistan on wednesday he has been very close to me and i have taught him everything about the countryside. he would come with me down the woods when he was only three years old and would sit with me for hours, i taught him to shoot the first time he used a gun was the age of eight i will miss him terrible as he is not only my grandson but also a friend its funny really but he never got the fishing bug but has a great understanding about animals and bird life. Well the fox cubs i found are doing very well and are growing very fast i watched them the other day playing with a hedge hog it was like watching a game of football they would toss it up, in the air then between them fight over it. I have been asked to take a couple out to watch them in the evening when they are out playing, but i am a bit hesitant about doing it as i don't wont them to go on there own without me as they could disturb the earth and the vixen would then move the cubs to a different location. I notice there has been a big hatch of hawthorn fly and while watching the cubs they were everywhere in my hair and on my clothing but they are harmless and don't bite i have also noticed that there are lots of bumble bees around this year which is really good to see. and lots of those pesky wasps also but they all have a reason to be here and help the country side in different ways. I still have the cubs in the garden and they are very active at night turning on the security lighting you can watch them walking down the drive and as far as i can see there are five in total i have not looked in the corner where i think they are lying up as i don't want to disturb them the badgers have also been visiting and have dug a few holes looking for worms i will have to put some peanut butter on some bread out for them and maybe get a few photos of them feeding or some peanuts they can not resist them. the badger cull has started in parts of wales and is due to commence in shropshire in the coming months i am not sure if this is the way forward and would not want them inilated, although there is far to many of them. well thats it for now more to come at a latter date
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In reply to Post #626
another day after the carp it was still very hard. but we did manage a couple not very big only hight doubles but better than nothing. I also lost one and by the feel it was a good fish . Graham lost one big fish it straightened his hook either the hook had a fault being very weak i don't know but it certainly opened up The one i lost was down to a hook pull. two of the syndicate had a good nights fishing catching five fish the biggest 23 pounds plus and losing a big fish at the net due to a hook pull, so its really given us a bit more hope to carry on our quest. We may do a few nights in the next few weeks if my health holds up. I had a bit of a walk around and spotted some real biggies but they were still spawning but after seeing them we know they are there and are catch able. i put a bit more bait onto the plato to keep them interested but i wont be able to fish next week owing to family commitments so roll on the following week. The one brood of ducks has lost another two youngsters i am putting this down to mink and i have spotted signs that they are present they certainly want dealing with as they will devastate the wild life. I had a wood pecker banging away most of the day behind my swim wrap wrap it must of been looking for insects or grubs for its young i did catch a glimpse of the bird and it was a green wood pecker. the little wren was back and forth all day she is being kept quite busy feeding her chicks. we have also got a pair of ravens where they are nesting im not sure but it must be somewhere deep in the woods nice to see they are much bigger then the carrion crow, and really stand out ,and their call is much deeper and guttural than crows or rooks. The woods are full of grey squirrels and they don't seem to be afraid of anyone i really don't know what the forestry commission or the keepers are doing about them they certainly want sorting out as they can really damage the young trees and saplings. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #625
thanks taffi life soon goes by i cant believe i am 68 years old When i was younger i thought i had all the time in the world but you have not it goes so quickly but one thing i can honestly say is i have had a marvelous life and met some great friend along the way and i hope it continues for some time yet. Well back to fishing graham and i had another blank i cant believe im saying that but its true not one fish they are still spawning it was follow the leader all day they were all in the weed beds splashing around quite a sight really and we did see some very big fish. We should be going again tomorrow but i don't know if to change the venue for a short time until its all over but friends have told me its like it on most lakes around my area and they are struggling also The lake was covered in pollen it was yellow which had come off the trees quite a sight really but there was plenty of wild life around to watch the cuckoo was present most of the day and there was a big mayfly hatch they were every where two hours of frolicking and their dead but what a way to go but seriously it was a real show and there was hundreds of them. The little wren well the male sang behind my swim most of the day and the poor little female was kept busy feeding her young, i think the male did help her at times. There seems to be more and more young broods of duck every time i go so it seems to be a good year for the mallard. i wont be fishing next week as i have a few commitments. hospital appointments and such i think every day is taken. with something so my fishing will have to wait health is more important. Another bird that had a big brood was the moorhen she had eight youngsters nice to see. the dab chick still has all hers there just like little bumble bees. I heard the vixen in the woods calling her cubs. the flowers, of the woods are out every where you look a most beautiful sight and they smell gorgous well thats it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #624
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE.
Have a wonderful day Pete.
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In reply to Post #623
Its very hot here not really fishing weather but we will be giving it a go tomorrow . It is supposed to be a bit cooler so with a bit of luck we may catch we will fish right through until dark. but not all night until i feel i can once again do it. i must admit over the years i have caught as many in the day as i have at night and if i fish in the week i dont see any other anglers i think this is due to their work commitments so gray and myself mostly have the fishing all to our selves. i have noticed while i have been fishing that there are plenty of sand martins and swallows plus swifts. last year we did not have the numbers around why i dont know. i saw a pair of water voles the other day and watched them for some time quite rare now not like when i was a young boy. they were every where. but since the release of the mink they have been killed off. i went down to the bridge on the river Rea to have a look to see if i could spot the kingfishers as they have nested under the bridge for years but there was no sign so whether they have moved on it really looks as if they have and found another spot to there liking. another bird that i used to see was the dipper but seems to be quite rare in this area where they have gone is anyone's guess. I am going to have a look along the banks of the Rea to look for signs of otters as some of the locals have spotted them playing while they walked there dogs in the evening i know that there are at least eight pairs in the Rea up to its source at marton far to many and some sort of control will have to come at some stage. the foxs cubs i found are now playing out and my daughter spotted them while walking there dog the other evening and appear quite tame ,and not frightened one little bit i suppose its because its a right of way belonging to the council and english nature and they are used to people and noise. well ill write a bit more latter on when i have been fishing
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In reply to Post #622
It was so hot fishing yesterday we all blanked it was follow the leader the carp had started to spawn and had got their mind on other things but not to worry, it will be back to normal next week i hope i did put a bit of bait out on the plato so it will keep them on the bait. i told you all about the fox cubs in my garden. well my next door neighbour has seen the vixen in his garden and it has killed and eaten a white cat all that is left is the tail so the cubs are feeding well and by the looks quite healthy. by all the signs in my garden they are quite big as i said they have flattened the grass from their playing. The security lighting keeps coming on all night so they are quite active. Yesterday gave us the opportunity to do a bit of stalking not to catch but just to observe the fish and believe me there was some real biggies present so it has given us a lot of hope for the future. There are now three broods of greylag on the lake and what a noise they make falling out between themselves . It was quite nice to see a dap chic with a brood of young just like little bumble bees i do hope they survive. one thing we did see was some creature try to take a duck off the surface now there are no predators in the place or so the farmer says i made a point of asking him and he said no pike or cats but i think he could be wrong. the wren continued to feed her young for such a small bird she was kept busy all day. the cuckoo was active most of the day a lovely sound when you are deep in the woods. the smell of the blue bells was absolutely beautiful and it is one flower i never tire of. one thing i have noticed there are lots of leaches and not small in the lake drop in a bolie by the staging and they instantly wrap thier selves arround it i presume they like them a few hours latter it was all gone. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #621
while having a look around the garden this morning i spotted the grass had been rolled flat in the one corner that i leave to grow wild. on a closer inspection i realized fox cubs have been playing the vixen must of brought them down from the fields its not the first time as i said earlier on i have had them before and used to feed them on chicken legs and wings, she knows were she is safe and i welcome her and will probably start to leave a few chicken bits out for them at night. she may just be lying up under the branches and thick undergrowth for a while but i wont be having a look as that will disturb them. while fishing yesterday i was amazed at the number of tree creepers i saw usually you see one but i saw at least four funny little birds but lovely to watch. i also saw a pair of nut hatches running up and down the tree where i was sat obviously looking for food for her young the countryside is coming a live at last and the birds are well into their breeding season. just behind where i sit a tawny owl was also making a few nosies so she must have young to i went to have a look and found her staring down at me with those big eyes and really was not frightened at all. i have also heard the vixen call to her young so there is an earth some where in the woods which i will investigate some other time. i cant wait to get out again tomorrow with the rods and try and catch a few but its not just the fishing its being out and about and living with nature i suppose i have been lucky when i was young and my parents would let me wander the woods and fields i learned such a lot about animal behavior and its habitat and about the birds as well. Which i think is sadley missing for some of our youngsters today as you can not roam arround like i did its just not safe to do so. i am still called upon to dispose of the odd fox that been causing damage althought i love them you have to control to some extent. just look at the otters no control they will thrive, but at some stage , somthing will have to be done about them well more latter
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In reply to Post #618
As i have already said we are fishing a new water and i had mapped it out and found a small Plato at about sixty yards. Well we went again today and the Plato came up trumps i used a plain running rig with slack line the takes were absolutely storming and the fish all well hooked i was using 20ml spiced tuna boilies with small bags and they did the trick. funny really i had the fish all on the rod that was fished to the Plato the other two produced nothing although i was using the same bait. My mate graham really struggled as he blanked but as i said to him he caught the other day and i blanked. The fish were not huge i had four the biggest a mirror of sixteen eight oz and three commons between fifteen and sixteen pounds but very welcome there are some biggies in the place top thirties so i do hope its a matter of time before we catch one. at the moment we are not night fishing and not doing any long sessions this is mainly to do with my health and having a major operation a few weeks ago the specialist told me to take thing easy and don't go over the top so its a matter of pacing myself. I did a bit of wild life photography while i was there and took a few shots of the wrens nest i really think she has youngsters as she was back and fourth all day. One funny thing i watched to day was a crow mobbing a peregrine falcon i have watched them taking pigeon. but it struck out at the crow and hit it hard the crow tumbled over and over and just managed to recover before it hit the ground the falcon flew on i think it was fed up with being mobbed. and not after a meal. i was plagued with the young mallard all day i had two broods on my staging and i was kept busy all day feeding them but as i have said there is room for all and its their world more than mine its all part of nature witch
i love i had a black bird singing all day what a lovely sound i could fall asleep listening to it. well we are going again on Thursday so i will let you know how we get on well that's it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #619
hi pete thanks for your kind remarks about my stories. nature can be quite funny and i love watching it when i fish. its the only thing that is free to all and it needs to be treasured for the future generations all the best pete
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In reply to Post #618
Hi pete i used to abound round shrewsbury parts. in highford not far from shifnal an beckbury..
was out rabbiting the other day.
round one of the lakes i fish all the pink feet (grey lags) and canada goose have young.
But Pete it was weird one of the greylags seems to be paired up with a canada.
I'm not sure if the chicks have lost one of each parent and the remaining are fostering. all the other pairs are happy congregating with each other.
just these two are mimicking each other an when they go to roost the grey lag even chases of other canda intruders..
really good to watch...
Loving your storys i can associate with some of them..
Thanks again
Pete
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In reply to Post #617
I have spent some time today mapping out the water that i am fishing the average depth is only about six foot then shelves off in the middle to 16 foot it is very silty in places but i have found a Plato which is very hard and only 3foot deep and about a sixty yard cast i have seen fish showing on this spot so i will be putting a bit of bait out there before next week. and hopefully catch a few from it. Another thing that has come to my attention today and has been in the local press and also passed on by word of mouth by a friend is the killing of a pair of peregrine falcons at a local quarry not that far from my home they have been recovered by police the birds are now being examined by the department of food and rural affairs. i view this with despair as it looks as if they were poisoned. i have fished and run a shooting syndicate for many years and would never condone such behaviour the individual if caught wants putting in prison. they do kill young poults and such but that is up to the shoot and game keeper to take action and to cover the release pens with netting to stop the falcons taking the young birds. i am afraid there still exists some unscrupulous characters that will kill anything that moves. i love nature and its time we lived in harmony with it. I know there are gamekeepers on here that may not agree with my sentiments but that's the way i am i have lived and breathed the country side all my live and have lived with nature day and night and has been my hobby as much as fishing. and it really gets me going when this sort of thing happens. I took my wife today to, have a look at the fox earth i found a few weeks ago we veiwed it from afar and there is quite a lot of activity arround the holes so the cubs must be playing out quite a lot. I will be making an evening visit with my camera to see if i can get a few shots of them playing out and maybe get a shot of the vixon bringing food. well i hope i have not bored you with my rant more to come latter
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In reply to Post #616
Well myself and graham have just managed to get out fishing at last. although the fishing was hard i really enjoyed our time out on the bank. what really amazed me was how far the wild flowers are behind this spring the lake i fish is in the woods and they were awash with the blue bells. But i did notice the mallard ducks have done rather well and there was at least three broods of ducklings the largest brood was ten youngsters. just behind me where i fish a jenny wren kept up his song most of the day and with a closer inspection i found the little round nest in amongst some entwined honeysuckle branches whether she has eggs or young i dont know but i will be watching with keen interest in the coming days. The graylags have also got youngsters i saw at least eight and there was quite a bit off falling out with any others that came to near their brood. The farmer told me they had seen a otter on the water not long ago, but having a look found no evidence to support what he had said maybe it had been a dog traveling through looking for a mate. fishing we did catch but no real biggies myself i blanked graham caught the only two a mirror of sixteen pounds plus and a common of fifteen eight 0z never mind we will try again next week the common was full of spawn so with a bit of warm weather it will be follow the leader and they will have other things on there mind. the water we are fishing is very silty so i am going to have to fish with chodys or some sort of helicopter rig and will be working on that in the next few days maybe i will use the old cork ledger set up as i have already mentioned in my stories i would think it will work on this new water. the silt seems quite deep and really sticks when you pull the ledger back. we saw a few nice fish showing at around eighty yds and i cast to them but had no takes we have fished this mere before and have had some nice fish on zigs but that was a bit ago so i may try one rod with that set up. there are some upper thirties in the mere so we will keep our fingers crossed and hope. well thanks for reading my stories more latter
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In reply to Post #615
i will have to leave my stories for a couple of days due to family commitments. i am taking my grandson back to his army base in Yorkshire to day a 400 miles plus round trip he is going back off leave the last one till he comes back from Afghan where he is being deployed in a couple of weeks time. and with a bit of luck i am off fishing then for a couple of days so please bare with me . thanks for reading them i hope they don't bore you to much thanks again pete
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In reply to Post #614
Another season i love is august this is the time of year the farmer harvests the fields cuts the corn and barley. Which then leaves the stubble fields. in the margins off the fields the sycamore grows the oak as well. the lap wings or peewit as its known stand ever vigilant as they watch for movement to betray the presence of a worm or insect. the lapwing is in fact a wader of the plover family and is not as common as when i was a youngster. it is seldom seen near water and instead frequency low lying farm land the birds usually remain in a flock exept in the breeding season. when i was a lad we used to collect the eggs and they would pickled to eat at a latter date they were a good source of food. Another bird of the fields the crow it is a black menacing bird which has a strong a power full beak it is strong and powerful. the bird is cunning has earned the mans hatred also by the game keepers and farmers and are shot all year round. I have watched carrion crows at a local sand quarry they would run up the side of the sand and find a rabbit hole with young cock there head
and dive down the hole snatch a young rabbit take it up in the air then drop it from a great height the rabbit died instantly and would have three or four other carrion's on its back pulling it apart the kestrel is another bird of immense beauty he hovers in the air for long periods until its prey has been located he dives at a great speed killing with swift strike with his sharp tallons it is a usefull freind of the farmer as it kills many rodents rats and mice.A few years ago it went into a great decline which was mainly caused by the pesticides which contaminated the rodents it was eating it also made them infertile which eventualy killed the bird but they have made a remarkable recovery over the years this is some of the nature i have watched while fishing and i never tire watching it i will never get bored when we have such lovely creatures arround us while we fish. well a little more latter
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In reply to Post #613
I suppose i am an all rounder i will fish for anything. although i fish for carp i still like the tench roach barbel bream ect i read about so many carp anglers catching the latter and throwing them back without much respect and have witnessed it myself. i have witnessed huge fish not even weighed just chucked back. i find this very hard to swallow i would love to have caught similar fish. i do understand the bream can be a very greedy fish and will soon wipe your ground bait out. but i fish to catch and although i love to catch a carp i will take anything that comes my way big or small. with me its being out and being at one with nature and meeting friends irrespective off what size fish you catch or species. i love catching big bream on the right tackle but if one came around on carp gear i certainly would not turn my nose up at it. I have caught one or two big roach when fishing for carp. they don't give much of a scrap on heavy gear but what great fish they are im always pleased to catch such a fish whatever gear i am using.. I suppose the love of Bream came from me fishing for them years ago i fished mostly for the big bream in those far off days and i really was very successful they were much harder to find and fish for in those days Today they seem to be in most meres and lakes and have really grown on into some huge fish i think it is due to the boilie we bait up with when fishing for the carp as they are more nutritional and the bream pile on the weight and will feed on the boilie exclusive of any other bait. The only other bait that they really get preoccupied with is the blood worm and i have seen them absolutely so stuffed full that they would regurgitate loads when caught. Well thats It for now as i am getting my tackle ready for a couple of sessions next week and i really cant wait to be out on the bank again. so a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #612
I see there a thread on the forum back to basics i wander how many of us could i certainly could not as i like my comfort to much. In those days i mean the late forties early fifties tackle was very limited. rods were mostly made of bamboo cane the line was really crap silk was all i could get hooks not much better big old black eel hooks. indication was a piece 0f folded silver paper on the line just below the butt ring although i did use a small ball of bread paste pinched on the line which was called a doe bobbin. we sat on the ground no chairs i used a piece of sacking covered with plastic if i could get it. You did not sleep much as you watched the indicators all night you would get very tired and you eyes would play tricks with you. the reels were the old wooden variety but we managed to catch with them, well bait was very limit worm and maggots which i got myself from the local abitor small parboiled potatoes bread flake bread crust i have used slugs but really that was about it. i am afraid when i started carp, fishing at a very young age i was about eight years old it was chuck and chance it in those days and i caught only fish around three pounds but they made me very proud. WE soon learned to watch for signs of fish where they showed and congregated. and with a few small potatoes thrown in before we fished we managed to sort the bigger speicemens out. it was those lovely hot summers and misty mornings that i really liked. i woud would cycle to the pool rods strapped to the cross bar bag on my back fish all night and cycle back next morning. , mum would have breakfast ready and away to bed i would go then back the same night it was hard but we caught. if we needed takle we made it lead weights floats were made with balsa wood and i had them hanging all over the house while the paint drying rod rests were also made fom forked sticks out of the hedge row. in latter years i managed to aquire a pair of tank earial rods that really improved my fishing. the tackle started to really come on in leeps and bounds but that was the middle fifties. no i dont think i could fish like that again but we had a great time making tackle and loads of fun. more latter
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In reply to Post #611
Another season to cherish is the autumn when the leaves of the trees turn to beautiful rustic orange and yellow the sweet chestnut trees deep in the woods come ablaze with yellow and bronze foliage the chestnuts start to gently fall to the ground. the squirrel busily gathers the nuts nibbling at some burying others to keep him self in food for the winter. but alas the squirrel usually forgets the location he has buried them and plants future generations of chestnut trees The grey squirrel is a mischievous little creature and very nervous and erratic which shows the unease when he leaves the security of the branches of the trees to forage among the fallen leaves for the chestnut and is always alert for any danger and always has an escape route up the nearest tree
The grey squirrel is regarded as a pest the grey is held responsible for causing considerable damage to woodlands gnawing at the bark of the tree also eating the buds in spring. the forestry commission and government tried to eradicate them by poison and shooting but it does not seem to have been very successful Now is the time of the pheasant the male in his spectacular plumage of vibrant colour and handsomely marked with a white collar the pheasant has many predators the fox weasel stoat . This is the time of year the poacher would start his rounds and with rifle and good torch would fill his bag to make a few coppers for the family this is the way they lived. but today there is no call for poaching the pheasant is worth nowt 3 quid a brace if you are lucky from the local supermarket When i was a kid they would hang in the front of the butchers shop along with rabbits ducks the chickens and the geese. but those days have long gone never to return. why people do not eat the humble pheasent i really dont know its cheap and makes a good meal as i have said before we lived on pheasent and rabbit in the years following the war. well more latter
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In reply to Post #610
When the cold wind doth blow we shall have snow. How many have walked the woods in its winter wonderland. to wander woods and meadows covered in thick snow is an enchanted world where nature seems to be suspended and icicles hang from every damp and wet tree. . the only sound that you may hear, is the wood pecker rapping against a tree carried on the still air from the depth of the wood. January is the coldest month no leaves upon the trees only the ivy can be seen in the cold and dank of the woods. its the time to track the animals as their tracks stand out in the snow. You will see the rabbit in his thick winter coat forced to gnaw at tree bark to appease his hunger you will see the foxes track and may see the blood red snow where he has caught some poor unsuspecting rabbit. you may catch a glimpse of a badger in his bluish grey fur as he vanishes in the twilight. you will hear the jay give his shrill raucous call repeated two or three times or see a flash of his vibrent colour as he flits to another tree heavy clouds hang in the slate blue sky promising more sleet or snow the stream beside the wood is partly frozen which now blocks its gentle flow snow covers the branches of the alders. the lake in the wood is frozen solid no signs of life the only marks that can be seen, are where the water fowl have walked upon the snow. the carp beneath lie dormant waiting for signs of spring all is quite in this winter wonderland the long tailed tit flits tree to tree huge flocks maybe seen at this time of year. the pigeon comes in flocks to roast after feeding in the fields. The buzzard mews above the wood trying hard to hunt an unsuspecting rabbit for its meal. no poaching would be done by me as the keeper would soon know you were about as you would leave your tracks in the snow. but i think this is one of my favorite times of the year its a place of tranquilly and beauty almost like being suspended in time and you look to the hills promising the certainty of more snow and the roar of the wind with its icy blast its time for home and the heat of the fire. thanks for reading my tales they are all true and have been part of my life. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #609
Watching wild life while fishing is a great way to pass the time. years ago well before bite alarms we used night lights candles in a jam jar to light your doe bobbin up which acted as your indicator the problem was it attracted mozzies moths and all manner of little beasts. on numerous occasions i have had a frog sit all night by the jar and he would catch the flies or mozzies what ever came to the light of the candle out would shoot his tongue and another moth would disappear i found it fascinating and in those days you could not sleep as you watched the indicator all night so it past the time watching. i have had voles water rats sit by the rods and wait for me to put the doe bobbin on the line then very gently he would snatch it and eat it. this could be a bit of a pain but it was great to watch. On one mere i fished i had a nightingale sing all night long it was absolutely beautiful and he never stopped till morning. one thing i did have one night on a local lake which really did put the wind up me for a few moments i was half a sleep in the bivvie when some one or something tried to push by the ,side of the bivvie i was, to say the least a bit frightened it knocked my landing net down while trying to get by. all of a sudden it was in front of me it was a big old deer and not just one four i sat quite as i could they had come down to drink and i was in their regular watering hole whether it was because it was dark i dont know but they never even bothered about me and carried on with their business i was a bit worried about my rods and alarms but they were so gentle they never even touched them. eventually they moved and were away, why they never smelt i was there i dont know but its one night i will never forget. i have had foxes come right to the bivvie and even lie down out side waiting for me to throw a few scrapes for it to eat. one early morning i was woke up by some rustling in the in the back of the bivvie it was a family off mink looking for food i soon moved them on well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #608
Well here we go again when i fished bomere i few years ago the badger sow always brought down her cubs to feed on the peanut butter and bread we as anglers put out for them and over a period of time they became quite tame. just next door to bomere was a farm owned by a mr adkins a very religious and upstanding man of the community. he rang me up one particular day could i call and see him . i went the following day he told me he had a problem with magpies and he certainly did loads of them they were every where must of been a population explosion. well i was not to keen but managed to get hold of a couple of Larson traps which involved putting a live magpie in one half of the trap to use as a call bird i managed to acquire a couple of birds from a local keeper we caught loads but i began to think it was not working we were causing a vacuum catch one another would arrive there was literally hundreds of the things i went to check the traps one morning and there was a pure white magpie in it i just could not get rid of such a beautiful bird and took it home with me releasing it a bit latter in bomere woods. we saw that bird many times over the next couple of years and it was always a pleasure to see. Another time graham and i went to check the traps looking from afar he said that a cat was in one of them well going a bit closer we discovered it was a young fox. the farmer came down and wanted to shoot it i would not let him. and managed to grab the fox by the scruff of the neck and realise it in the adjoining wood to the disgust of the farmer. i explained it deserved a chance and he went along with it. the trap was in quite a mess but the maggie was still alive but a bit shacken up so i took it home and let it go on the village where i live. we packed the traping up as more and more kept turninig up and left it to nature over a period of time it all settled down. i just think it was a good breeding year . its back to normal now with just a couple of pairs being seen well hope i have not bored you more latter
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In reply to Post #607
I will now tell you the story of the badger and hope you don't become bored with my rambling it is a majestic animal. a few years ago when i fished bomere the sow used to bring her cubs down and feed off the peanut butter and bread we put out for them and they became quite tame over a period of time. They are powerful animals and usually excavate a home in a bank-side of a wood which is surrounded by good pasture land And off as late they, have been blamed for the spread of tuberculosis and are now being gassed in large numbers i am afraid i am not convinced that this is the right method. The badger is a very clean animal and regularly change their bedding using dry bracken grass leaves and even blue bell steams and their flowers. they have their own latrines away from the set. The set is amazing a labyrinth of holes and tunnels which can cover quite a large area . Mating takes place between february and October. but the fertilized ovule do not develop until early January usually 2- 4 cubs are born late winter by April the cubs may be seen playing just out side the set. the badger is a animal of the night and twilight hours and can be seen emerging from the set at dusk and will amble far and wide in search of food. they will eat most things worms frogs young rabbits snails even chicken eggs from the farm yard. they love to eat wasps nests as the sting of the wasp can not penetrate their thick coat. the badgers powerful legs and strong claws soon make short work of any wasps nest below ground. a friend called bern and myself have spent hours photographing these animals . and we have been so well concealed that the badgers have walked over our boots and have still not realized we were there. i have one big old boar that visits my garden most nights in the summer and frantically digs the lawn up looking for worms but apart from that he causes no harm and i really love to see him. well ive got lots more to tell if you can put up with my rambling more latter
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In reply to Post #606
Im going to tell you a bit more about my beloved red fox, the male becomes fertile between December and february although some of the older males may be fertile as early as November the female is only in season for about three weeks. some of the older vixens will come on heat before the younger ones, as i have said before that a fox has an extremely well developed sense of smell which it uses to locate its food and enemies. they have a foot gland which leaves scent on the ground which marks his trail it is important to the animal and it gives information to other foxes. But it does work against them at times as it can be followed by other animals i mean the hounds. so when its being hunted it produces a discharge from the anal gland. although hunting now has been banned which in my opinion is unworkable but that's only my thoughts and they do need controlling. The foxes litter can vary the biggest i have seen was eight cubs and they take some feeding this particular vixen was on the south Shropshire hills and was very unusual ill tell you the story i had a phone call this one particular day from a hill farmer at stretton he was very upset and told me he had lost a number of lambs to this fox which he could not afford He said some one had given him my name and i could follow foxes and as they could not find the earth so they rang me
so on the Saturday morning saw me away and over the hills. i did eventually find the fox or should i say foxes. i watched from a distance the earth was absolutly huge.
Lying down in the under growth i watched and could not believe my eyes there was 15 cubs and two vixens in the same earth. This was very unusual as it was the first time i had come across anything like this and have not seen it since i do wander if the vixens were litter sisters but that is only my thoughts. The fox will kill most things ground game chickens ducks anything that can not protect its self I followed a vixen a few years ago carrying a new born lamb and it was still alive as you could here it bleating i cut this fox off i got in front of it and it dropped the lamb in shock and was away through the hedge the lamb survived and was reunited with the farmer every thing i have told you are purely my own observations in my studies on the fox over the years . more to come latter
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In reply to Post #605
I love the woods where in spring the floor is covered in blue bells. the dark blue violets starts to bloom the silver birch with its silver white bark reflecting the months newly found brightness the pussy willow comes the most conspicuous of all the woodland trees during april showing its catkins of silver down covered with golden pollen
The oak begins slowly to open it leaves dogs mercury starts to cover the woodland floor the ladybirds come out of hibernation they clime the oak and birch to stretch there wings the woods are alive the Tawney owl is a real dweller of the woods the bird is about 15 inches long and lives off the abundance of small mammal prey . the woods provide seclusion that the owl requires. You rarely see the owl flying in the daylight hours. but they do hunt in march and april ,to find food for their young its sense of hearing and vision is fantastic and it will sit high up in the branches watching the woodland floor it is able to pinpoint any small mammals on the woodland floor such as wood mice rats voles and shrews which are then swallowed whole. nothing better to hear down the woods is the tu-wit-Tu-woo its plumage is a rich brownish grey and is marked with light brown streaks the female is larger than the male and lays two to four round white eggs and will be found in the hollow of a tree or can be found in an old crows nest Both of the parents aggressively protect their eggs and young attacking any intruders violently. i soon learned my lesson when i was a youngster when i was attacked trying to get to the nest there so much more to tell which i will continue at another time.
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In reply to Post #600
I have had a wonderful life and lived and breathed the country side and every thing in it from the animals to the flowers and the trees. I have walked the paths of shropshire over hills and fields and valleys iv slept upon the bracken deep within the woods. i have listened to the night sounds and have heard the vixen scream. calling to her mate and cubs this has been all part of my life. when morning breaks you come across the babbling waters just below the wood it slowly menders through the meadows, on the shore tussocks of rush point their stems skywards. over the months they have hidden a mallards nest and now she proudly displayed her young. the stream its is lined with alders casting shadows and shade over the glistening water. the brown trout lies below the bank awaiting any morsel that may come by. its now June you see the metallic blue flashes of the dragon fly his translucent bulging eyes looking out for some succulent insect it is a formidable hunter hawking to perfection as it hovers darts in search of prey. you hear a familiar plop its the water vole the largest member of the vole family when i was a kid we called them water rats when startled on the bank it dives into the water and heads for cover the water vole is mainly an early morning riser and it is at this time of day it is usually encountered busy cleaning his chestnut coat it often gets mixed up with the brown rat but is nothing like it both species can swim well but the brown rat swims on the surface and the vole has a tendency to submerge under the water the vole is a shy harmless creature but it will and does defend its territory and its Joice of mate. you will see the flash of the kingfisher its vibrant colour of blue as it dives for the minnows to take back to its young brood in the hole under the river bank the sand martins flit about they two have nests in the bank. i spin the little brook and catch a couple of the brown trout to take home for breakfast as i wander home across the fields the buzzard hovers in search of Rabbit a lovely sight to watch and is quickly joined by his mate and they both soar upon the wind high above the meadows more to come latter
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In reply to Post #603
thanks james and tom for your kind remarks very much appreciated. i have had such a wonderfull life but i worry that my story and nature snippits may bore some people thanks once again
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In reply to Post #600
Best thread on the forum...keep it coming Pete
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In reply to Post #600
believe me i wont get bored ready your stuff, i look forward to the next update
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In reply to Post #599
I will carry on a bit more about my life time of fox watching and hope not to bore you to much. i have in my life time shot a good many foxes but only when they have been a threat to the farmers live stock. i was asked a few years ago to clear some foxes by much wenlock in shops. when i eventually found them. they had cubs i just could not kill the vixen or her mate. why some will ask she had five cubs and two pure albinos snow white beautiful animals. in my 68 years it was the first i had come across and felt they should be given a chance to survive so i walked around the earth leaving my scent and hoped she would move them going back two days latter she had indeed moved them i never saw them again .
a bit more about foxes at birth the cubs weight on 100gm but they can and do vary in weight from the same litter. and they soon increase in weight at six weeks they can be about 1;160gm and will steadily increase till mid winter when they then become sexualy mature and breed. it is surprising how foxes varry in weight the biggest i have seen was over twenty pounds a monster one thing in recent years that has put my back up is the release of foxes caught in the cities and and then let go in the country side it does happen and on quite a big scale. a farmer friend caught two chaps releasing onto his land there were about twenty foxes they just can not look after thier selves and do not know how to hunt plus some are full of disease. my study of foxes has been a fasinating part of my life i could say so much more on then subject but i will not i do not want to bore you to much. a little bite more latter
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In reply to Post #598
Another part of my life and always will be is watching foxs. i could not count the times when some one has asked me to take them out to see a fox's in the wild
Success in watching foxes in the field depends on a number factors time of year and the patience of the observer. You must have a certain knowledge of the country side and some understanding of the foxes highways and a must is a good pair of binoculars. tracks are not so well defined as badgers and partly lightness of the fox's step have found that a fox keeps to the field margins and does not like to cross a ploughed field but that is my own observation. usually i can smell a fox before i even see him on a wet morning in the dew i can follow him for miles across a grass field this time of year is when i would take some one with me and i would show them fox cubs the earliest i have seen them was in january but that is rare i have watched them night and day a fox uses its acute sense of hearing when hunting small rodents and i have watched old foxy in a field you would think he was asleep lying down not a movement rabbits playing near by and magpies mobbing him im sure he was giving the rabbits a false sense of security then all of a sudden he would have one and away he would go to cover to eat his prey
i have watched the cubs out side the earth and they have not known i have even been there and have come that close i could of touched them. mum would bring their food mostly rabbit but i have seen hedge hog chickens all sorts. i had cubs in my garden the vixen brought them every night and i would feed them chicken legs they were quite tame and could feed them by hand. But the fox can do some damage and will take young lambs when they have young cubs to feed and this soon puts the farmers back up and he wants rid of the offending animal this is my life and and i would live it all again if i could more latter
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In reply to Post #597
Over the years i have got to know many keepers and most if not all are really clued up regarding nature. when i got to know old sam and old bell and lots more beside it was there job to clear any vermin that was a threat to the peasants and partridge. they would rear literally thousands of pheasants this was done on the rearing fields the keeper or keepers more or less lived there in a rearing hut they would put all the pheasant eggs under broody hens in wooden coops there would be rows of these coops. While the hens were sitting the rearing field had to be prepared by putting tunnel traps all around the hedge rows it was really a full time job at this time of year and i can remember well poor old sam's wife did not see much, of him while the rearing was going on I can remember all this but it was fast coming to an end and it would not be long before they started to use electric incubators some keepers and estates also bought them as chicks putting them in huge release pens.
one thing i did not like was the use of strychnine thank god those days have now gone they would inject eggs or a dead rabbit and leave on the many rides in the woods it was mostly put down to kill the crows but it killed most other things not good i am afraid but that's how things were done in my younger days The keepers killed most things Hawks owls jays magpies the rats were killed with arsenic which in those days you could buy from the chemist and mixed with barley flower would be spooned down the rat holes they would get a penny a rat and two pence for most other things owles jays magpies hawks. I have seen badgers foxes stoats weasels all killed and hung on the keepers the fence they did not earn big money about a couple of quid a week and worked really long hours. poaching was a big issue and could keep them really busy. ha ha. i know this has nothing to do with fishing but its what it was like when i was a boy and ite the history of our country side. more latter
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In reply to Post #596
As i have said i have been a bit of a jack the lad. Things we did when i was young you would be prosecuted for today.. it was anything to make money then . as i have said we lived on rabbit and i sold them for about sixpence in the 1950. it was good money and i could then buy tackle to continue my love of fishing. we used to take the fruit out of the many orchards and it was always very welcome by the family and neighbors.
I loved to go ferreting i had a couple of gills and a big old hob i would be away most Saturdays in the winter and i poached most of the land around home and in the middle fifties before the mixy you could literally catch hundreds i never did. 12 couple did us proud it fed the family and i could sell some to the local shops. another thing we did to make money was sell fire wood we made a grappling hook fixed to a long rope to it, and when the river was in flood we would stand on the foot bridge and catch any wood coming down on the flood, we made good money doing this and would stock pile it at home when it was dry cut it up and sell it for two shillings and sixpence a bag to our neighbours this is the way we lived it was hard and at times and we struggled but we got by.. as i have said we picked any coal we found by the railway lines and brought that back home it really helped mum and dad out. If you did that today you would be in serious trouble if caught. We made all our own fishing weights out of the seals from the many pigeon crates that came to the station every Saturday they let go thousands of the birds and i would be there picking the lead seals. i would melt it down and make the weights for my fishing cheaper than the shop all you could buy those days ,was the old round bullet lead or the coffin lead we made our own shapes and sizes. I also made the ammunition for my catapoult from the same lead wich i used for my rabbiting. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #594
i loved to watch the salmon jump the weir at shrewsbury. not any more i think last year seven fish were caught in the sixties and seventies if lucky you would catch them in a day
whether it's because of the netting at sea by the big Russian trawlers or the netting in the estuary or pollution i just dont know but they have certainly disappear to what they were years ago the environment agency still stock with parr so we will have to wait and see. when we fished for other species we always saw the odd salmon show not any more i certainly wont be spending thirty quid to find out i really hope the river recovers to its former glory but i very much doubt it.
Another thing i really like is sea fishing and love to be out on a boat when i worked at shrewsbury police station i formed the west mercia sea fishing club and had a very big membership. we fished a lot from Aber north wales with a chap called Vic haig he had three boats and was very well know and a respected skipper. i loved every minute we caught porbeagle shark to over two hundred pound tope dog fish Skate conger eels, we always tagged the tope and shark and returned them and it really amazed me how far they would travel we had Tags returned to us from as far away as Australia what a distance that fish had wandered amazing. A lot of my freinds never really learned they would be sea sick but never missed a trip i loved it ruffer the better
one funny incident that happened while fishing but not so funny at the time Vick always fished what they called the targets it was used by the Raf to test there misiles and this one day they never informed him they were testing the first thing we saw was a great big misile coming straight at the boat it missed us by ft you could have touched it very scarry it was out of control and crashed in some ones garden further down the coast good job it was not armed it could of been quite nasty But as Vick said if it had hit us armed or not it would have put a fair old hole in the boat more latter
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In reply to Post #593
As you already know i have a deep love of the country side although i fish and shoot i don't kill indiscriminately all that is shot is eaten.I hear so many people say you should kill this and shoot that yes you should control but not anilate every thing in sight we must learn to live in harmony with our wild life. Mink are fast becoming a problem in my area there is no control as the mink hounds have now been banned hunting with dogs. the mink have devastated some of the wild life on the severn killing ducklings moorhens and such they are vicious killers some say trapping is the answer but you cant in a built up area its quite a problem. one animal above all i certainly don't like that is the brown rat filthy creatures and disease ridden i have seen farms locally over run with them. i have seen the poison put down for them around the farms and hedge rows i really don't like the method as it kills other wild life. the rats seem to move onto the farms around November if not before its when the hedge rows Get to wet and food scarce. one method i have seen used with great success is shooting them at night around the farm buildings with an air rifle i have a friend that does it on a regular basis and does a good job for the farmers and regularly shoots up to 250 in a night the farmers are very grateful as i said in an earlier thread that how you can acquire some good fishing one good turn for the land owner and if he has some good waters he may let you fish them I have been watching the peregrines the last couple of weeks they nest in the quarry not far from my house lovely birds but alas they are not always safe two years ago some idiot stole there eggs they are now watched night and day and so they should be. As they were on the endangered species list for a number of years i really thing they have recovered well in the last few years well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #592
thanks pete great read mate i remember minnow traps!!! as a kid not many bullheads now adays brings back funny memorys there few years ago keep it up fella your right to many "instant carpers and anglers" nice to know some people still love our countrysides tight lines mate!!
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In reply to Post #590
over the years ive done a fair bit of stalking the wily brown trout. a favorite method was free lining a little red worm especially on the one i would lie down on my belly in the under growth drop the worm in the side of the brook and let it trundle down. you would get two sharp taps and away it went you were in. i caught loads using that method i would leave home at first light and be back for breakfast long before the keepers and bailiff were about i would catch ten or twelve they all weighed about a pound or more and made good eating and my family neighbours and friends were always grateful . as i said in an earlier thread i only ever got caught once and that was because i had taken some one with me and he would not run he was petrified so i stayed with him. I never ever took any one with me again for many years quite was the order of the day and i always had my ears and my eyes were always open i would see the keeper long before he got anywhere near i have crawled under the brambles and nettles on quite a few occasions and would get very badly stung by the nettles mum was always rubbing calamine lotion on my arms hands and face and it did cool them down quite a bit. Condover brook was another it was stocked full of brownies and the keepers kept a very strict eye on it if you got caught there you certainly ended in court. condover was known for the big estates and it was a huge pheasant and partridge shoot and they employed lots of keepers as i have said old bell was the head keeper and not much got past him the locals were scared to death to even go on the property. so i did most of my poaching at night .i got chased a few times and hid up a few trees but i never ever got caught. The keepers dogs were a real worry as bell had alsations and they were really nasty, and would really bite well thats all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #589
I can just remember the bombers flying over my village of bayston hill i must of been about three years old. and sitting down looking out of the bedroom window the sky was red and grandad said that is Liverpool burning it seems such a long time ago. He started me fishing i was only about three years old we would walk down the road to what was called the prill and i would fish with a garden cane and cotton for line and match stick through cork for a float and a bent pin for a hook. What i did not know at the time there was no fish in the prill but it was grandads way at keeping me happy and i would stay there for hours watching that float in fact i loved every minute of it. We moved on from there and fished the rea brook we only caught minnows but they were great fish to a young un like me he taught me how to set a minnow trap which has served me well over the years. And identify the different animals and birds . It was 1947 when it came to an end it was a very big shock to me we went to feed the pig and my grandad collapsed one week latter he was dead it really affected me as he was only 52 years old and you did not think about death when you are that young i was devestated and it took some time to get over it. At the same time i lost my farther who got killed fighting in the war but i did not know him very much as he had been away for years, it was not like loosing grandad as i went everywhere with him. well you have to get on with life and my mother managed to get a house and we moved in we also had a lodger who was a land army girl. they were great days you could go anywhere i was only about five but i soon learned the way of the country side i would spend every hour i could down the fields watching the wild life. even at that age i would be off birds nesting no one would touch you . mum used to worry when i went fishing i only had a bambo cane rod and a wooden reel but soon manage to catch the odd chub or roach i could not swim but soon learned myself in the brook. The land girl would bring a horse home with her at times or a pony i would be on its back when no one was watching and would be away for a ride no sadle and i hung onto the horse main it was great fun. i would ride down to bomere and look at the pool. i would get a telling off from mum when i got back as she was frightened i would fall off but i never did i was fast becoming a jack the lad well more latter
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In reply to Post #587
well i have just came back from work party and i was rather surprised at the amount of volunteers a few years ago i have seen the time when graham and myself and a couple more were the only ones present which makes it very hard work. but today it was all done within three hours and i must say the lads that turned up were all great chaps and we all got on together and got the job done and dusted. myself and gray have not as yet wet a line but hope to start latter in the month but where i am not sure as we have such a lot of water to have a go at, and i also like to do a bit of prebaiting. when we fished for the big bream in the sixties and seventies we always baited up at least three times a week some times we traveled a fair distance but with the price of fuel today we may have to cut the number of times we bait up although we do share expenses it can cost a fair bit. when i was young i cycled every where Rods tied to the cross bar of the bike box on your shoulder you would be knakard before you even started fishing. i have a couple friends who still cycle to there chosen lake or swim on the river they pull a trailer behind there bikes with all the tackle loaded into it. not an easy task but not bad if you have a few miles to travel but certainly not for me with my legs but do it they do and are quite successful anglers and a lot fitter than myself or graham.
When you are young the world is your oyster you can do anything your fit you can run if you are seen poaching. i would think nothing about swimming the river to get away from some bailiff or keeper it was the norm but as you age things become more difficult getting the tackle to your chosen swim becomes a chore where once you push it on the barrow in two journeys it takes three or four journeys now. I was talking to an elderly chap this morning who had carp fished most of his life saying how awkward it had become to get his tackle to his swim. and he was thinking about a change off direction and was saying he may take fly fishing up not so much to carry but has he said he will really miss the carp fishing. i just can not see me packing it up travel lighter cut the equipment down as i think some times we take far to much. well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #587
Just been catching up with your stories Pete and I have to say, there's always something new and interesting to read.
Keep it up Pete, you'll have written that book soon mate
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In reply to Post #586
Rhododendrons english nature and the forestry commission have been removing all the bushes approx 5 acres as they have been slowly taking over and stopping any light getting through So other plants. would not grow. they have been at bomere years and years but it really has made me a little sad to see them go. i have poached the place for the fishing and pheasant and have been chased on many occasions and have hid in the roses they have been that thick you could crawl under them and hide for hours even dogs found it hard to get through the tangle of branches but it definitely needs to be done. and the amount of light now getting through will and has already made a big improvement to the woods and its wild life. old Gerry the keeper had his house at the end of the lake and he reared hundreds of pheasants i had a few of those from right under his very nose and he never once caught me i would fish bomere right under his bedroom window and got away with it but i was young then and loved the challenge . my fishing is all legal now and i pay just like the rest. things have changed that much over the years even the land that i poached gone are some of the woods cut down progress i suppose. the fields have been enlarged hedges took out to make it easier for the tractors and combine harvesters i think its criminal it effects the wild life. the english partridge have all but gone because of this and you dont see the lap wings like you used to even the curlew which was quite common here seems to have vanished. the rabbits are still here in big numbers and are back to the pre mixy years but you dont see the people eat them like when i was young we relied on them for food . they still sell them in the markets but i think its the older generation that buy them. well more latter
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In reply to Post #585
I have always fished for the love of the sport the tranquility and freedom. it has never really bothered me what size the fish are. i have been lucky and caught some nice specimens over the years. but a fifteen pound fish gives me as much pleasure as catching a real biggie. Its being being able to be out there and appreciating your surroundings making friends and watching nature Another thing i get as much pleasure catching a pound dace as i do a big carp i suppose i am an all rounder but don't get me wrong i do like carp fishing and with a bit of luck will be going very soon. This may stir a few up i read so much about what boile to use what size and flavour are they the only bait some anglers use not me or my pal graham On some waters i fish theres so many gone in over the years the fish must get fed up with eating them. i catch a good many on the humble paste maze. little red worms have caught me some real biggies over the years another one is the bread flake ive caught more on flake than on all other baits bar boiles some will laugh but its true and i think many of the old baits are ignored and most now fish with the boilie. maggot is another bait i have done very well with and have caught hundreds of good carp with them and they don't cost as much.. i have never caught a forty pound fish but have caught loads in the twenties and thirties and doubles to many to remember does it make you any worse of an angler i don't think so its being able to read the water you are fishing and catch the fish at your disposal. water craft but today you dont see it used by many. Today you can be an instant carp angler by just watching others this may get up some peoples backs but today you can buy all the tackle you need from the local shop and you are an instant carp angler and are out on the bank hoping for that biggie and with a bit of luck you catch and are an expert over night it happens im afraid and no water craft comes into it. not like my days you had to learn or you did not catch. more latter
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In reply to Post #584
I quite often hear that so and so has been poached and i think to myself why poach you can buy them cheep enough from the butchers or supermarket. at times when i have been bailiffing and have caught the culprits. ive asked the question why poach the answer every time has been for fun the chase they loved it. money did not really come into it. i poached for food it kept us going meat was very expensive so all the game i caught gratefully received by all. but most of the land when i was young belonged to big estates and were all heavenly keeper ed most were big pheasant shoots and partridge, and in the early middle fifties over run with rabbits they were closely watched as they made good money for the estates most had warreners working for them who caught all the rabbits and looked after the big warrens on the estates. so if you poached like i did and you were caught it was an offence and if you were old enough you could be sent to prison i was lucky i never did get caught it. i managed to elude the keepers and police but i had some near escapes and got a bit frightened on a number of occasions. i could always get a few rabbits the warriners would set hundreds of snares some times twice a day morning and night time they would be up early in the morning to collect the rabbits they had caught and believe me that could be hundreds. i would watch them set the snares and be back before them and take a few they had caught i would always set the snare again and tidy up any mess that the rabbit had made struggling to get away. it was easy but i would never over do it. as i have said i have been chased on many occasions and have even lay down in the river close to the bank under over hanging branches and under growth not nice its been that cold you could hear my teeth chatter. but i have managed to get away and hide the rabbits till latter in the day, when it had quietened down. the peasants were a different thing all together i liked a windy night i would shoot them with an old Bsa pellet gun and would use a torch to show them up at roast in the trees. i would only take a couple here and a couple there and never over do it in one place and always try and clear any feathers the bird made when it hit the ground so not to give my presence away to the keepers as next time they could be waiting for you. well more latter
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In reply to Post #583
Mink was another problem we started to get and it was not unusual for the phone to go and some fishery owner would ask if graham and myself would go have a look they were really killing machines and would not only kill the fish but the wild life as well small ducklings anything. we always used traps baited with fish or any thing really they would go into the trap but could not get out i would try and set the trap under a bridge or in some rocks by the side of the river. they were nasty things and would try and bite you through the bars of the trap. sorry mods but i would put the barrel of a air rifle through the bars of the trap and at times the mink would grab the end of the barrel i would shoot them all like that and they were instantly dead. the people that let these killers go have no idea about the country side and should have been made an example of. but we now have to live with them . i had them at the trout fishery where i was bailiff and they did quite a lot of damage before we got them under control we would get rid of one and another would move straight in i think i caught about twenty on there in about six months. another problem cormorant they would take hundreds of trout and could quite easily swallow fish of over two pounds i was issued with a permit to shoot them but was only allowed two per month they would collect the bodies that was defra and would then study the contents of the stomach , well they turned a blind eye to how many we shot we could not shoot them with a rifle it was at the time not lawful and most had to be shot with a shot gun i would wait for them to come into feed at first light and we got rid of a few over the months. in the end they seemed to learn the lesson and you did not see many on there so i think they do learn by association i would not want to eradicate them all i like to feel i am a conservationist but you must control when they are doing damage as fishing is to some a big business and they cant afford to loose that much money as it is there living. well more latter
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In reply to Post #582
Graham and myself carried on with the rabbit control for many years i suppose my arthritis put a stop to it as i was finding it difficult to walk. we did quite a bit with ferrets and some time use a long net. grahams brother came with us when we were ferreting, and i saw him actually get knocked out cold he had removed a net to the entrance on a big warren he was lying with his head nearly in the hole when a fox bolted and hit him head on. it knocked him out leaving his head with a nasty cut, i have never seen this before or since it was quite a big warren and the fox must have been lying in there its the first time i have seen a ferret bolt a fox. The farmer was a nice sort of chap and had about five miles of the river tern we had done quite a good job for him so i asked if we could fish his water no probs go when you want. we had some real good days on the tern float fishing and ledgering for the bream chub and roach it was also full of trout nice ones to up to round two pounds brownies if caught he said take a couple home we did not of course ha ha it was quit a fast flowing river,, and i liked it when it came up and had some colour in it the barbel would come up from the Severn i never caught the real biggies from there i suppose looking back six pounds was the biggest but would they go on light tackle. well the farmer came to me one day can you come have a look at this he said i could not believe my eyes he had over a hundred free range hens and they were all dead killed by a fox or fox's some had their heads bitten off. Can you do anything for me he said well we looked around and found a few birds he had dropped up the fields. One week latter he lost all his geese. he had four lovely peacocks as well and they even took them the chap was beside himself it was pure carnage the peacocks was the foxs mistake every fence he came to he tryed to pull them throught and left there feathers in the fence i followed for at least three miles and found him lying up in a wood or should i say them. i got the local fox shoot who were friends to come down and they shot eight foxs out of that little wood. The farmer was over the moon for what we had done for him and i could go fishing anywhere on his property. thats how i got lots of our fishing by doing the farmers a favour and helping out in any way we could but that was years ago and we are still freinds althought i dont see much of him now . know i could still fish his river moe latter
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In reply to Post #581
Poaching really not worth doing today. i see a thread on the forum about bailiffing as i have said before i have baliffed many lakes in shropshire it can be a thankless job but also very rewarding. you meet all sorts some real characters and some reaL hard cases that wont pay for a ticket and are very abusive towards your self. i always tired to be respectful to all i met and not rude but some were complete arsoles and knew they may get away without paying. they usually fished in threes and always threatened you or other bailiffs. i found the best way to deal with these characters go to the local police station with the registration number of the car if you had it or tell the police exactly where they are fishing. some times the police would say they had no police officers avail;able so i found the best way around this situation was to ask for a incident number and you could soon check next morning if the incident had been dealt with. it worked quite well for us. its no picnic being out at night with no back up so the police in shrewsbury ran a poacher watch scheme we would meet up once a month at the nick to discuss any poaching that had been going on in the area it worked very well and if you had a problem could call on any of the local bailiffs and game keepers to help you out and maybe catch the culprits with the aid of the police. i could never understand the local police i would have an incident on the trout lake maybe two or three poachers and i would watch them with night binoculars then ring the police but they always arrived with there lights flashing and horns blaring. i had a chat with the sgt about this and he said it was the best way as the more hassle they got the better it deterred them from coming thinking back it probably did. i think the best way was to let the dogs go i would laugh my tits of you could hear the poachers shouting and the dogs barking and would usually catch one or two but take them to court was a waste of time they were only told to be good boys. there was better ways than that which i will not discuss on here, ill leave you to guess but once it had happened to them they rarely came back. it was instant justice and cost them money well more latter
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In reply to Post #580
Another Easter gone and everyone back at work. i used to look forward to it but now i am retired its just like other days. a lot of the waters around my way are shut for the close season as most are ssi places of scientific interest. the shoot i run and some of the fishing come under English nature and we have a good relation ship with them. helping us in anyway they can they certainly help the wild life and and have improved our little shoot and some of the fishing dramatically. one thing i have is no shortage of fishing, plenty to go at and what with the carp and barbel it will keep me busy most of this year. i suppose i have about six lakes local and a few miles of river to fish. one i will certainly be fishing is lordys i went to have a look and saw a few nice fish showing so ill be putting a bit of bait and time in there. i was a bit worried as the depth is not that great average about five ft and thought being iced over for so long may kill a few but it does not seem to have done that much harm. there are some big old fish in this water that have been in it for years its strictly private and at one time i was the only one fishing its piece and quite i am also hoping to fish a bit on the river rea as i can walk down from my house not very far travel light there is some big gray-ling being caught some have been a pound plus what a way to spend a day standing in the water trotting maggots below a float and with a bit of luck catching the lady of the river great fishing, years ago i loved the upper reaches of the severn and used to travel up with a friend to llandrillo we would have some exellent days float fishing for the grayling catching fish to well over a pound they are very nice eating although i have not eaten one for years . George and i also fished for the salmon and the pike at llandrillo and caught some quite good fish from there. we had pike to just over twenty pounds mostly while fishing for the salmon. and a few good salmon mostley arround the ten pounds mark we also used worm for the latter and caught a few big bunces of lobs was the answer. the other bait we used was prawns they worked a treat and we had lots using this bait well a bit more latter
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In reply to Post #579
when i was a young kid i was always down the local brook with a net bucket or jam jar catching the bull heads or lampreys we would spend hours doing this great fun. but the bull heads have now seemed to have vanished and the lampreys are not as common as they used to be. i don't know what has caused the decline maybe pollution sprays etc its a real shame even the old minnow is not there in great numbers like it was when i started fishing with my grandad. i would catch them real easy when i wanted a few for eel fishing mainly with a bottle trap and would set it the night before i went fishing put some bread in it Tye it down the minnows would go in but could not get out i would go in the morning and could catch as many as fifty which would give you a couple of nights bait. a great bait for eels chub and perch and have also caught some nice trout with them. when i now walk the river bank the wild life also seems to have disappeared you don't see the old water rat like you used to the water voles are not there any more very scarce. and around my way you very rarely see the water dipper which were very common when i was young. the king fishers are still quite common and beautiful to see. the herons sill around in quite big numbers. but there is such a lot of our wild life vanished the sand martins still nest in the river bank and usually arrive about this time of year. when having a walk the other day with the wife i found a new fox earth and she had fox cubs already they had worn the earth smooth from playing out side, very early i have seen them in late jan but these must be quite big for the mess to be around the earth like it is i am surprised considering the bad winter we have had another bird i saw the other day was the red kite i watched it for some time a lovely specticle as there are not many pairs in this county but are slowly spreading from north wales. i heard there was only one breeding pair in shropshire or so english nature says. but it is a very big county and they could be anywhere well thats it bit more to come latter
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In reply to Post #578
Reading the local rag last night was an article by the environment agency about fish poaching in the shrewsbury area and are asking for any information that they can get to bring the culprits to court. Iam afraid i cant and never have condoned the removal of fish from any fishery it went on when i was younger but not on the scale as it does today. it has spoiled the one fishery and some of the syndicate are personal friends of mine and i really feel sorry for them i just hope they catch the culprits and make an example of them. when on the way to craven arms the other day i called in at stretford where i fished with my game keeper friend sam all those years ago its not changed one bit still the same we caught some lovely trout from there and would regularly catch as many as eighteen in a session i would give most away to the neighbours and locals the same as the rabbits i poached i would give most away even my school teacher liked her share as well as the odd brace of pheasant most people were very grateful as food was very scarce then. i also called at clungunford to have a look at a water, i used to poach it belonged to squire rock and was strictly private in those days i would cycle from craven arms hide my bike and spin for the pike it held they were not huge between 6- to ten pounds but very good eating i would take them, home mum would fillet them out then soak in salt for a couple of days then bake in the oven now before you go on this is how we lived as food was scarce then. it was away of life and i would be out at every opportunity i was a dab hand with a catapult and i accounted for lots of rabbits using it any left over i sold to the grocers jp woods who were well know for there chicken business i would poach all hours night and day especially when i got older i loved being out at night and loved to sit and listen to the noise of the night it would scare some friends to death and i would say theres nowt out here that will hurt you only another human. but i am now not to sure as we have seen on our shoot a big black cat and it has been seen by many people walking dogs on our village i was interviewed by the sunday papers and i know what i saw and a good few of my syndicate also had encounters with the animal i did have a thread on here called the black cats of shropshire but had the piss took a bit. but its all true and i strongly believe what we saw was a black leapord he has now moved on but has been seen by other game keepers in our area. well thats all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #577
would have given anything to be back in those days Pete, I take my hat off to you
You take care mate and get some good thermals to keep those bones warm
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In reply to Post #576
The weather is once again cold. when is it going to change nothing seems to be growing. i caught my first carp mid march last year and i have not ventured out as yet this year. when i was young the cold never really bothered me that much and i would trot down the rea or the severn float fishing and the line would freeze in the rod rings and i would still catch chub roach and such. but now it must be my age don't fancy those conditions one little bit. although i have been thinking about some winter fishing maybe next winter doing a bit after the barbel with maggot as bait. before then i must buy a good winter suit as keeping warm is a priority for me. gone are the days wading out to retrieve a shot duck when i have been poaching. thinking back we must of been mad, or lying in a wet ditch listing to the keepers talking and even had the dogs walk over me mind you i would do it all over again if i had the chance. they were great days. there was a thread the other day about eating carp we used to eat anything chub which was rather bonny really not for me we would eat pike perch they were very nice if done properly we also had roach but i cant remember eating carp, but i cant see why not if you fancy it they were brought in by the monks for food so they must have been good, we had no money when i was young so we would eat anything edible . i have eaten squirrel. hedgehog hairs rabbits pigeon geese nothing was wasted and was always greatly received by the family and neighbors. the number of pheasants i poached on a dark winters night was immense and they kept half the village in food and made a few bob for myself at the same time. not worth poaching today you can buy them for 3 pounds a brace and even cheeper i personly dont eat them any more as i had to many in my younger days but i still like the odd rabbit roasted or in a pie lovely . well more a bit latter
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In reply to Post #575
Hi Pete,
You should follow your own advice and not give up on our great sport.
It must be tough for you, but your mates sound a great set of guys.
From what you say, your mates would not mind one jot in taking you to
those out of the way spots to fish for your favourite barbel.
You must be great company on the bank, so it will also be their loss
come the day when you do come to the decision to give up fishing.
As you yourself say, dont give up, and dont give up on the articles either.
Your tales of the old days are particularly enjoyable to read, and i am
sure there are many in this forum who would agree with me.
Therefore, please, "DON'T GIVE UP"!!!!!!!!
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In reply to Post #574
Its now thirty one years since i was diagnosed with arthritis. i was only thirty nine when it first appeared its a most disabling illness but you can cope with it. i have and managed to carry on fishing most of the time, its the things that come with it sciatica now i have now been tested for Hemochromatosis i just hope i have not got this as well its not a good thing to have at my age i get the results tomorrow the last 18 months have been the worst time of my life one leg was straightened and a knee joint the other a knee joint and one right hip so i don't know where i go from here. maybe ill pack fishing in after a great life making many friends on the way i just don't know. i am having treatment for the sciatica at the present but my age is against me and the sciatica is really holding me back. i am now waiting for the weather to warm up so i can try and get after the carp and i really want a few sessions after the barbel they are such a hard fighting fish but its the walking to the swim and the river bank that causes the problem. i have some great palls that really help carry my tackle and such but i like to be independent and not rely on others to much. so hurry up the warmer weather and lets have a go i think it would break me if i could fish no more after all these years but i suppose it does happen at some stage in your life. i have quite a large garden which really takes some keeping up with. but one thing i see the birds are now nesting so spring must now be here a lot of the flowers are behind the daffs have only just appeared its been a very long and cold winter. i have a pet squirrel in the garden who comes to my call funny really no one else can get near to him he has been here for at least two years and although they are pests i would really miss him if he vanished. the badgers have not put in an appearance as yet but it wont be long before they are worming or eating the peanut butter i put out for them. i have had a family of fox cubs in the garden twice over the years and i still get a visit and feed them on chicken legs from the supermarket. although i shoot i like to think i am conservation minded and love the wild life its what i have done all my life and it goes with my fishing so if you have an illness dont pack in fight it carry on doing what you like dont give up
more to come pete
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In reply to Post #573
IT was in the early seventies i first met and fished with jack hilton i had the syndicate on berrington at the time. jack wrote to me and asked if he could join us and do some bream fishing as he had never caught big bream in his life he had read all about the big bream we had been catching on the big cheshire and shropshire meres and wanted to have a go so it was fixed up he brought his long term fishing partner bill quinlan with him. also present was myself graham and dennis kelly i have mentioned about this session in an earlier thread. i baited the swims for three weeks prior to us meeting him. i found him a very funny chap and an excellent fisherman as i said once before its the first time i had seen a bivi jack and bill had made their own out of thick plastic the stuff you used in a market garden but coloured black they were really brilliant and certainly did the job. he fished with us all week and we caught some real big fish.if any one can remember there was quite a big write up in the angling times. i know chris ball told me he had a piece about the session but whether it was in a book or paper i don't know. i think the biggest fish was about the ten pound mark and i think jack was a bit surprised how well they fought using light tackle. we only fished at night so we managed to get some sleep in the day gray and myself would go home as it was only three miles from our homes. we also caught was some big Rudd and roach which was an added bonus im not sure where they were fishing for the carp at the time but he told me about all the thirties they had caught it may have been Red mire but my memories not as good as it was and its a long time ago. but i really enjoyed their company and i was very privileged to have known and fished with them it was not long after that jack packed fishing in because of his religious convictions a real shame but that's life. we continued fishing betton mostly for the big eels it held and caught some really big specimens mostly on lob worms. we were also catching some good tench and roach from bomere the biggest tench was over the nine pound mark a good fish for those years we had some nice bream from bomere but nothing over eight pounds but could catch some good bags i mean 100 pound bags great fishing for the early seventys more latter
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In reply to Post #572
Another place we fished was whixall moss you cant fish it now but at the time it held some lovely fish. the bream went to around eleven pounds with some great big roach which were all of two pounds. We would wade through the shallows until you got to the deeper water i would actually fish sitting in the water on our chairs. i know i go on about bread flake but we used it to good effect on the moss catching some stonking roach. We did have a problem the bottom was very soft in the deeper water and when we used arsley bombs they would sink in to the silt dragging the bait with it. So we managed to get around the problem by making slow sinking ledgers out of the arsley Bombs we managed to get some big cork stoppers the ones you use in wine bottles hollow them out and glue a quarter 0z arsley into it then get some sand paper and round the cork till it was smooth it was trial and error and you would then test it in a bucket of water until it sank slowly and just rested on the bottom once you had got it right i would seal them with paint usually green then seal with a good varnish they worked a treat and really improved our fishing we used them with good effect on a good many of the meres we fished. They took a bit of time to get right but were well worth doing, i have never used them while fishing for carp in silt but i would think there is no reason why they should not work. The ledgers were so good i caught lots of fish on the drop while the ledger and bait were slowly sinking to the bottom. And usually it was the bigger fish we caught like this. . in those days we made most of our tackle and devised lots of different equipment some worked some did not but it was all part of the fun. i loved fishing whixall moss and it was not unusual to catch half a dozen roach that were over the magical two pounds mark in a session good roach even by today's standards. Another good bait was tares we had some magnifficant catches of roach using them on the severn and some of the meres and also caught some nice bream with them. it was funny really all the time we were using tares i hardly saw anyone else catching with them they were certainly a good bait. I started to use maze in the early seventys a fantastic bait and really hammerd some lakes and meres using it but thats another story more latter
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In reply to Post #571
Catching big bream in the late sixties early seventies. was not such an easy task. we fished the big cheshire and shropshire meres. and it took weeks of preparation. we would start to watch our chosen mere about three months before we actually fished it. watching for the roll of a bream or where they would show and would gradually over a period of weeks find where they patrolled and were they favoured to feed, we would be on the mere at first light with our binoculars and stay till about mid day watching for any movement that would betray there presence. depth was another thing that we always tried to get right. we did manage to acquire a fish finder not as good as today's models but good enough and coupled with a small boat it did the job as we did the depths it was all put on paper with a rough drawing of the mere with all the individual swims. i aways favoured fishing from a point where the land jutted out as we found the water at that point was not so deep. baiting up started approx a month before we actually fished putting a little bit often three times a week usually mondays wednesdays and fridays. or when you fished. We would step the amount up we put in as the the date came around that we were to fish which was june the 16th. it was a lot of work and cost a bit for fuel as we were not well paid in those days ,graham and myself would share the expenses. bait was another thing lucky we had a big bakery not far from my home and they let me have any loaves left over and i could also get the bread crumbs from the slicing machine so this helped in a big way i would go to the butchers and get a big bag of sausage rusk and mix with the bread when it had soaked and the bread crumbs which we would ball up and throw or take out with the boat and dropped into our swim it certainly worked we always used bread flake on the hook or maggot but we found we caught the bigger fish on flake. i think over the years flake has caught more big fish than most other bait and i really rate it and i suppose i still do for certain fish more to come latter
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In reply to Post #570
Graham and myself had got bream fever we could not leave the big bream fishing alone we were out at every opportunity maybe going on a friday night till sunday night and by the time we got home we were truly knackered. we had no buzzers only visual indicators which put quite a strain on your eyes and further to that got not much sleep. by the mid seventies we were becoming very disillusioned with our fishing we could not get away from other anglers we would be followed around all over the place the police even caught two chaps fishing acton burnell posing as us of course they were took to court and dealt with lucky we new the policemen involved as i worked at the local nick we had quite a laugh over it. but it was getting impossible we would bait a swim maybe catch a few fish but that was that we would not get in that swim again or we would turn up to fish and some one was in our swim fishing over our ground bait. not nice. i always thought fishing was a hobby and we went to relax and for piece and quite there was a lot of jealousy and we even had our swims soaped with carbolic al;thought the culprits were removed from the fishery after the event. It left a nasty taste in our mouths and graham was at the point of packing up, the other thing it was becoming more like a job than a hobby. you were always striving to catch bigger and bigger fish although our group broke the record three times it was only claimed once. by an eleven pounds plus bream we were becoming more secret about our catches. i think it was late seventys graham packed he had enought of all the this following arround, i found it very hard without him. but he is fishing again and really enjoying it no pressure to catch for papers and mags go when you want come back when you want and we have been catching some nice fish. but i have left offut for a bit due to my arthrities and operations but i hope to be going again before long more latter
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In reply to Post #568
seriously pete have you ever thought about putting pen to paper.all your comments well worth reading.take care.
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In reply to Post #568
It was the late sixties when dick walker contacted me. he wanted to know all about the big bream we were catching how and where what bait i was stunned. but from then on i had a real good relation ship with the great man and would go down to his factory on a regular basis. and as i said at the start of my stories stayed at his private fishing hut on more than one occasion. he was a big inspiration to myself the three counties specimen group and was always there to give us fresh ideas. he was going to come and fish with us on the meres but could not make it on the date that had been arranged so the editor of angling times came instead bringing Pete taylor and a few others with him it was not a bad week but we caught none of the biggies i think the biggest was around eight pounds but they were satisfied i think the editor at the time was pete collins angling times fished with our group quite a few times over the years and always enjoyed there visits. they fished on colmere white mere blakemere in fact all the meres. and we always managed a fish or two for them as i said earlier on dick tried to get me to write for angling times i was no writer so i ended up writing the stories out for dick and he would edit them. but i really had not got the time as work came first i had a young family which always came first with fishing a close second. by this time graham and i had got quite a reputation for our fishing exploits and appeared in angling times on quite a few occasions. we were known all over shropshire and were quite respected within the angling community. i suppose looking back we could have made a living from fishing but it was not that easy in those days although we had the backing of dick. we fished with dennis kelly of the big bream fame one of the best bream anglers i have seen there was only a few about then graham marsden pete stone and a few others dennis came out near the top he was also chairman for stoke angling society and we fished together on and off for years. it was a big shock when he died i went to his funeral. since then his wife and daughter have aproached me and asked if i could do some talks to clubs about old style bream fishing. with a heavy heart i refused as i did not have the confidence i did not think i could put it over and be good enought but thats me. at sixty eight years old it now seems like years ago all this happened ,but it did and i feel very privalidged to have had this life and met and fished with so many good anglers. and i hope to do a bit more before its my turn to go. more latter
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In reply to Post #567
Well i have just been reading the thread about otters and control. as i have mentioned in an earlier thread years ago they were controlled by dogs and men when i was a youngster it was not a pretty way and i was not very impressed with the method but it served the purpose at the time it was not the hunting that caused the decline in the otter population it was the lack of habitat and the use of pesticides in fact in the days they were hunted they were quite well looked after their Holt's were looked after and they were encouraged to breed. but then they brought the protection order in which in my opinion was very much needed at that time. But the situation has now got out of hand far to many a little bit like badgers. so what do fishery owners do the only thing is otter proof fencing very dear and on some waters out of the question the rivers i dont know the river rea had eight pairs from shrewsbury to its start which is only about 10 miles now they have released another four pairs this is a crazy situation the river will cease to exist the fish will all be gone. the environment agency must take a good long look at the situation and come up with some sort of control sooner than latter before its to late. and they must now stop introducing them into the wild. when i was young i would spend hours lying on the river bank out of sight watching this majestic animal but now you don't need to hide as they will quite happily play in front of you. its a terrible sight to see a number of carp dragged to the bank by there noses and have one bite took out of them and left to die its sport to the otter the natural thing to do especially a family as that's how they learn their cubs to hunt but not for the fishery owner i have found carp to over thirty pounds lying on the bank still alive . so some one has to take a stance the goverment english nature or enviroment agency and the more lobying we do as anglers the better sooner than latter some one going to sit up and take notice. more latter
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In reply to Post #566
Well as you can see by my stories i have been no angel and have done my share of poaching. not far from my home there is a small lake. and when i was young no one would go near the place it was strictly private but full off big rudd and roach. i was determined to have a go and would go down in the evening and float fish the place the rudd were massive i had them to three pounds on bread flake i also caught some nice hybrids going to round four pounds. on this particular one evening the owner must of spotted me and he fired a shot over my head it hit the branches above my head i was away i can tell you he chased me across the fields but i lost him when i got to the A49 and managed to get home it was not long till old sgt landers was at the house asking if it had been me he could not prove anything so once again i got away with it I fished that little lake many times after that incident and never once saw the owner again. i even poached his ducks well he should not have shot at me . i still caught the eels, from the honey meadow alas no longer there it was drained years ago and the eels were all put in bomere. how things have changed and not always for the better. i used to fish the dell in shrewsbury it was great fishing my self and a friend would float fish for the tench using worm or bread flake tipped with maggot we had some great days catching fish to four pounds plus also catching perch and roach they were lovely days we still fished my beloved rea brook and had some great days i always remember one morning ledgering cheese paste i caught 46 pounds of chub with some nice fish going four pounds plus you could walk that brook and hardly see a soul not today most is private and stocked with trout and grayling.I loved the place and still do. any where i could fish i did some time legally sometimes not but i enjoyed every minute of it and would do it all again if i had the chance. i poached acton burnell and would fish for the pike from the dam wall, i did get caught there by the keeper bert howlett but instead of throwing me off he let me fish when i wanted to and he became a good friend over the years introducing me to the owner who also became a friend and ended up giving me a ticket to fish anytime i wanted. it was great.. more latter
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In reply to Post #565
well yesterday i took the wife in the car to craven arms i had not been so well since my operation with a few complications so i few hours out did us a lot of good. i went to the old house where my game keeper friend sam lived it was not there its been knocked down the old apple trees have gone the price of progress i suppose but it really brought a tear to my eye as i have many happy memories of the house and the man himself. the river is just the same and would dearly like to fish it once again but legally next time apparently it still holds a few trout and gray ling but it is mostly a course river now the environment agency have now stocked it with salmon Parr aoi am interested how it fairs over the coming years. oh i do wish they had been there when i was young there would have been a few missing they would have given us a good meal. well i have lost my parents in the last eighteen months and it has took some getting used to as they were always there for me when i was younger and always encouraged me to fish i could not of asked for better parents. i went out to club and had a look at the brook where i caught all those lovely trout all those years ago i used to cycle there and hide my bike its not changed one bit and there's still some excellent trout in there no good me poaching it as i cant run any more getting to old for all that its nice to reminisce as it seems so long ago and was nice to have a look around. the carp lake is still there the owners told me it held some nice cats now as well as carp it looked nice but i don't think ill be having a go a bit expensive to fish and i have so much to have a go at in shrewsbury with a bit off luck that's just what i will be doing in the next few months graham and myself have got a bit planned with a few barbel sessions thrown in cant wait. my beloved bomere has been knocked around a bit for the better in the long run English nature has been working with the forestry commission and have took all the fir trees down and are now clearing the all the bushes out of the woods so all the natural flowers will grow primroses and blue bells and such it has been to over grown for years they have cleared all arround shomere you can see it from the road now which you have not been able to do for years. its an on going job and is going to take some time to complete but i have seen the improvment it has on the wild life already well all for now more latter
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In reply to Post #564
i was also bailiff for a big trout fishery not far from my home for around seven years it was real hard going and you had to be there all times m night and day and it could be a real dangerous job the poachers would mostly come after midnight and it was you against them lucky i had a good relation ship with the the police and they were a good and always willing to help out at any time. we even had sheep skinned and took from the adjacent field by the poachers over the years we caught many and it did eventually stop. they knew they were not going to get away with it and end up in court or worse. i loved my trout fishing and would regularly catch up to forty in a day my biggest was an eighteen plus rainbow but they don't fight as well as a three pound-er the brownies really went well i think my biggest was around fourteen pounds and fought like stink we always returned the brownies to be caught another day. i was on the punt one particular day when i hooked this fish on lure it certainly was not a trout i had it on for some time it went under the anchor rope managed to get the anchor up and managed to catch sight of the fish it was a huge carp probably in his thirtys but i lost it . we also caught some big old eels from there a freind had the biggest a 6 -80z speciemen but i had to call a halt to this as they were catching some big trout as well you would catch them on dead bait or worm it certainly was not good for the fishery, the son of the boss did not like me stopping him eel fishing as he made a few bob out of the trout he caught but stopped it was there was some big old perch in this fishery as well and a freind had them to just under five pounds on lures fished very deep while fly fishing for the trout. i was also fishing up at lordy quite a bit and had managed to catch some lovely looking chub to six pounds plus graham had them to seven pounds, all caught on bollie we had some nice tench and carp but the place was becoming so weedy it was fast becoming impossible to fish. so lordy decided to have it sprayed with some sort of weed killer what a good job it did it never hurt the fish one bit but certainl cleared the weed and made it a lot easier to fish we had some great days after catching some realy good carp more to follow
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In reply to Post #563
Another hobby of mine has been wild life photography. I have spent hours with my video camera lying in some very wet and unpleasant places. but have some real good footage of foxes and their cubs but it has took many long hours. i have also got some good footage off badgers and their cubs. i have even had old brock walk over my feet while i have been taking shots of their cubs it is surprising how tame they will get. and they really like peanut butter they go wild over it and if tame enough will take it out of your hand. when gray and myself used to go out with the rifles rabbiting the badgers got so used to seeing us that they would stay put worming out in the fields the only time they would run was if you got to close they were not frightened by the light at all and it was always a pleasure watching them. but there is a down side they are lovely animals but there are far to many at the moment a lot of the local farmers are not amused the one set not far from my home is absolutely huge and there is about ninety holes the problem is the ground is now getting under tunneled and the farmers tractors are going into the set up to there axles not good not long before some one gets seriously hurt. the badger society do and can move them to other locations but its a case of hours trapping them and then transporting them a big job all round but i love them and would not like to see them disappear. last year we had a pair of hen harriers breeding on the fringes of bomere a wonderful sight and the first i have seen for years we have the peregrines breeding at the quarry anther wonderfull sight they kill the pigeon in my garden hitting the pigeon in mid flight leaving feathers everwhere. In the last few years we have been visited by the osprey at bomere and to watch them fish is somthing else it soars and hovers above the water then dives and seizes the fish in its talons it looks a real awkward bird but it a big privalidge to see it now and again. this all works in with my fishing and love every minute of it more to come latter
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In reply to Post #560
IT was the early seventies when graham and myself started to use maze for a lot of our fishing what a bait not many were using it then so we had a bit of an advantage my brother inlaw worked at a mill so we would buy a couple of hundred weight from him. i would leave it soak for a few days before boiling i would also add a bit of salt. when boiled still leave to soak in its own juice it would really stink when we used to bait up for the bream with it i would also add some sausage rusk with it to stiffen it up so you could ball it out. but did it work we had some amazing catches of roach and big bream. the biggest ever catch we had was catching over two hundred weight of bream over a period of six weeks with lots between seven and nine pounds plus which were quite good fish for those years. the roach we caught using it always seem to be the bigger size mostly around one half pounds to two pounds lovely old fish. we used the maze on most of the meres in shropshire and did very well using the stuff i must admit i never once saw any one else using it which was really a surprise. by this time gray and myself were fishing everywhere acton burnell was a favorite place and we would be off on a friday night and ledger for the tench we had some great nights on there catching tench to seven pounds it was stuffed with them and our maze certainly worked we also caught some nice roach bot not as big as we had out of bomere i think it was about this time when we caught our first carp from there a nice fish of seventeen pounds i still have the photos not big by today's standards but good enough then and there was more to come and i mean more some very big fish caught over a period of time by myself gray and bernard but that's another story. we also caught well from betton catching bream by the bucket full not big fish only around four pounds but very good sport we would lose the occasional carp. but you could do nothing about as the tackle you used for the bream was to light. they were good years we lived for our fishing. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #560
i think i have some black and white photos somewhere
didnt even know they had cameras then
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In reply to Post #559
well after i have said once before in an earlier thread about my carp fishing when i was young. but yes i can remember my first ever carp i suppose i would be about eight years old and it was caught at a little pool where i lived in craven arms. it was only three pounds but a huge fish for me. i caught it out of a weed bed with floating crust. the problem was getting the crust out there as tackle in those days was very limited i used an old wooden centre pin line was silk i think mine was black and silver with the old tank aerial rods. The hooks were as i have said before the old black eel hook but they did the job. i would pull the line from the spool and put it in coils behind me on a piece of plastic put the crust on then give it the big heave ho with a bit of luck out it would go with the crust intact. then put it in to home made ,rests pull some line from the reel and wait i caught hundreds fishing like this and even surprised my self catching to 10 pounds in weight i think i have some black and white photos somewhere ill have to have a look. in those days you did not think very much about the significant of catching a ten pound common but it was a very good fish for that period. i also learned to use par boiled potatoes not very big like the small salad ones you buy today i would get mum to boil them up for me and would take a bag of them every time i went and throw a dozen or more in they soon got on to those and we really hammered the place. what i still cannot understand why no one else used them. we had great success with them. i also used maggot but it was a stinky job collecting them from the local abbitor i would get them from the discarded animal skins that had been dumped and were waiting to be collected by the rag and bone man. my mum would play hell i would stink like a poll cat. but they worked. Well i had my first carp out of that big weed bed on crust and did it go i managed to get it throught the weed and land it the gentelmen that was watching weighed it at three pounds i was well chuffed and my dad came and did the photos with a brownie box camera well there you are arfer my first carp and i have had many since that wonderfull day all those years ago more to follow
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In reply to Post #555
once again enjoyed the thread.have you a read about your first carp im sorry if you have allready done it keep them comeing take care.
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In reply to Post #556
going to docs now more latter
Hope everythings okay Pete
Looking forward to the next piece.
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In reply to Post #556
always a pleasure to read you little flashbacks, mate
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In reply to Post #555
what with fishing and rabbit clearance for the local farmers i don't know how we had time to work. we were out most nights with the rifles after the rabbits and would regularly shoot over fifty and we got a pound a rabbit not bad money for a few hours a night. it certainly paid for our fishing tackle and such we got on well with the farmers we were doing a good job for them and as i said in an earlier thread we acquired lots of fishing for doing the job for them. WE still did a bit of poaching on the local brooks after the trout and would really have some nice evenings free lining with a worm and catching some nice browns to round a pound really good eating size i always remember i was fishing the river rea and had a take on lob off it went and i had to run to keep up, i ended up in the river playing that fish i eventually got it to the net it was a Salmon weighting ten pounds that was the second i had from there how it got up that far i dont know as the were some big falls further down stream. it must of come up on the floods. i was away home fast i can tell you i soon sold that for a fair price to a local hotel. over the years i had some nice trout and gray-ling out of the Rea. but the chub fishing was brilliant and i caught many fish between 3 and 4 pounds . we carried on river fishing i did a bit of salmon fishing with another friend and we managed a few between us i think looking back twenty five pounds was the biggest but those days have long gone when younger you would see salmon show every where you looked on the severn your lucky to see any these days but a few still get caught. i have not caught one for years so i now don't take a licence out they seem to have disappeared i think mainly due to all the netting at sea and in the estuary . its a shame really its the same with wild life a lot of the birds that were around when i was a youngster have now gone due mostly to habitat changes and they went through a bad time when the farmers were using pesticide sprays the hair nearly died out in shropshire terrible really lovely animal but they are now making a steady come back well going to docs now more latter
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In reply to Post #554
looking back i think it was early seventies when i first took bomere on as a syndicate. the lads were mostly from the three county specimen group with a few locals as well. the fishing was brilliant especially the roach we would catch them to over two pounds. i always remember graham and myself catching eight in one night all over the magical two pounds there was some big old tench in there as well and i caught them to 9 lb 4oz big fish for those days . it also held some good bream not huge but fish around the eight pounds mark but if you could get them going you could catch some real good bags. There was one punt on the lake and gray and myself used to love going out and float fishing from it we had some good days using a slider and fishing in twenty ft of water using bread flake tipped with maggot. we had some real good bags of roach we would also live bait for the pike from the punt no sooner did your live bait hit the water and it would be away these pike would take off and tail walk across the water fantastic fishing and it was very rare to catch under twelve pounds using this method we would catch as many as 16 in a day we also took on shomere that was real good sport we had bags of bream to over 100 pounds lovely fish and really fought well on light float tackle we also caught some big old Rudd mostly on bread flake. but it was a dangerous place and you had to watch where you walked as you could vanish up top your neck. I got to know the place over the years from my poaching days so i knew what was safe and what was not. the other problem was the mozzies there was millions of the little buggers and you could end up with lumps all over your body. i used a lemon and used the juice rubbing it all over then put your clothes over the top it did seem to work. there was a pike problem in shomere only jacks but we had some good days using live baited small Rudd would they go on light tackle we could catch as many as twenty a days but great fishing. the other fish it held were great big eels a friend caught them to 6pound 80z on lob worm. a few years ago we electro fished it and had eels to 6 pounds plus so they are still there. perhaps one day i may have a go health permitting more to follow
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In reply to Post #551
I loved my barbel fishing as much as the carp and you would see me going at least three times a week being a bailiff for the shropshire federation really helped and would combine my fishing with my bailiff duties. although the bailiffing was a bit hairy at times i would be out all hours not really nice if you are by yourself in the dark you never knew who you would meet but i made some really good friends and could rely on them if i got into any trouble. i would usually fish from five in the evening till around 1 in the morning and caught some really big bags rarely catching under 20 barbel ,in an evening i also caught some wonderful chub some 6 pounds plus with many around the four pounds very good fishing. i have on the odd occasion hooked one of the big carp that are in the severn at shrewsbury but alas have always lost them in the fast water and believe me there are some very big carp present. the other fish i have hooked while barbel fishing is the salmon and have caught them on halibut pellet. but they have been returned unharmed i found over the years it was becoming more difficult to fish the river due to my arthritis and i decided that i could not cope with the walking any more untill my knees were operated on so this year i hope will be the first year back after those majestic hard fighting fish. you would also see me ledgering dead baits for the big pike and we have caught some very impressive fish using this method. i loved the grey friars stretch or the quarry as the water did not move much it was deep and slow i would watch the locals come and feed the ducks with bread. plus they would feed the roach as well and this would draw the pike in so you would always have a chance or two and rarley did we not catch mostley between 12 and twenty pounds in weight but well worth the effort i also liked trotting down a big dead bait and have caught some good fish on that method. more to come
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In reply to Post #548
sorry you not well mate.enjoyed your thread again looking forward to the next one take care.
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In reply to Post #551
Good to see you're feeling better Pete
When are you going to write a book
Regards
Mike
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In reply to Post #546
the day off the barbel
although i have not been able to fish for the barbel for the last three years now i have had my two knees joints done i hope to start again latter this year so this is the story of the last session i had at the sydney avenue stretch in shrewsbury.
it was approx three years ago and turned out to be one of the best sessions that i ever had after these hard fighting fish it had rained for a number of days with big falls in the upper reaches bringing plenty of colour the river rose dramatically and was very fast i decided i would fish just below shrewsbury weir, i must admit i did not fancy my chances very much but decided i would fish two rods with 10 line and three oz gripper leads. i was using a bait which was called chops in fact it was pieces of bolie and had found them very good and had been trying to keep it very quite as i had some very big hits using it.
i had soaked them over night in salmon oil and only intended to use two at a time on the hair i also made some paste up tp wrap around the boile which with a bit of luck would draw any barbel present up into my swim well from the very first cast i had the rod ripped right out of the one rest i ended making a dive for the rod and ended up on my back and with my arthritis i could not move or get to my feet a friend came running down and got me upright i was bloody shacking all over but still had the fish on the fish came in after some fight and weighted in at 12 pounds and three quarters a good first fish and my personal best a good fish for the severn but it never ended there it was fish after fish i think at the time the smallest was about six pounds plus. i hooked one fish and could do nothing it just swam upstream against the current i tryed all ways to get it under control but the line parted company this was crazy fishing and they just kept coming i ended the day and that was five hours latter with 32 fish catching three doubles i think with out looking back 12 and three quarter pounds 11 and a quarter pounds and 10 pounds plus what a day i was absolutly knakard and ready for home more to follow
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In reply to Post #548
Sorry to read you are poorly again Pete.
Get well soon and I look forward to the stories continuing.
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In reply to Post #548
Get well soon my mate,thinking of you..
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In reply to Post #546
thanks mike ive been poorly the last five days with the sickness bug so my stories will have to wait for now but will put some more on soon
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In reply to Post #546
Have not read anything so interesting and entertaining for a long time Pete. looking forward to your next installment mate.
Best regards
Mike
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In reply to Post #545
it took some time but eventually i got permission for myself and graham to fish bomere. we were the only ones fishing the place the locals could not believe that we had permission i have mentioned this in an earlier thread we would fish for the pike in the winter usually on a sunday morning it was i think the late sixties. we would use mackerel sprats or herrings the problem was casting out as the rods were only around ten ft so if we had a bit of wind i would sail the baits out on a polystyrene tile i would fix a balloon to it with a length of thick line so we could pull it back just put the mackerel onto the tile when it got to where we wanted it we just pulled it off it worked a treat as long as we had a wind. put the rod in the rests with the bail arm open we would clip a piece of polystyrene on the line so it floated on the water just below the tip ring this was our indicator when we got a run we would watch the indicator slowly move away and disappear under the water it worked and we would on occasions catch as many as ten good pike in a morning all on dead baits they weighted anything from twelve to eighteen pounds but it was real good fishing and the best thing was we had it all to our selves. old sam davies the owner would come down and watch us to make sure we got up to no good ha ha we did not. he used to say if you catch anyone fishing or in the woods cutting bean sticks go see the keeper or myself ill have them in court and he really did mean it. but some how we struck up this friendship i suppose we were not taking his pheasants and he knew where we were. well he thought he did we would still have a bird or two to make a bob that's how we lived. we tried catching the roach in the winter to use as live baits but it was impossible its like the lake turned off you could not catch anything but the pike. there were also some big perch present in those days and we caught them on small roach in the summer up to two and half pounds but there was some a lot bigger i had one come off i got it to the net and he let go of the small roach it was well over four pounds but then the lake had the big perch kill and it knocked them all on the head they were floating dead everywhere you looked and it took years to recover We would catch some very good roach in the summer float fishing with a good many going to over two pounds all on bread flake more to come latter
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In reply to Post #541
In reply to Post #539
Lovely tale, Pete. Wish I'd been there
you would have been a young chap then ken chasing them all over the lake
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In reply to Post #539
we fished betton quite a lot in the late sixties. we were really interested in then big eels that were supposed to be in there. you would see myself and gray out on a rainy night collecting the lobs from the lawn and from the grass out side peoples houses on the village we would be out all hours collecting these worms and has i have said in an earlier thread we have nearly been arrested on a few occasions by policemen patrolling in thier mini vans. i have even had them helping when they realized what you were doing, you could not get much better than that could you showing the bobbies how to snatch worms but its all very true they did and we would have a couple of hundred in a good night i used to put them in moss to harden up mixed with damp newspaper. we would fish on a friday night and a sat and would put big bunches off lobs on the hook. we used to fish two rods a piece on the shallows. we used ping pong balls as indicators i put a small bulb in them at a latter date with a very light twin cable to a six vault motorcycle battery they really worked well you would leave you bail arm open and the ping pong balls used to float on the surface under you butt ring, that's if you were sitting on your chair in the water they just looked like two small electric lights i would glue a hair grip into to top of the ball and would use this to clip onto the line they worked excellent up they would fly if you had a run as soon as they reached the butt ring they would fall off we had some big old eels using this set up the place in those days produced some real biggies as i said earlier on to six pounds plus we would also get broken on a few occasions and this certainly was not eels it was when for the first time i realized it held carp not many but a few but real biggies that really put a bend in your rod. you would mostly hook them when fishing for other species and you had no chance of landing them on light tackle. i was even broken using 10 pounds line when fishing for the eels but i think it was due to the weed and getting snagged in it. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #539
we fished betton quite a lot in the late sixties. we were really interested in then big eels that were supposed to be in there. you would see myself and gray out on a rainy night collecting the lobs from the lawn and from the grass out side peoples houses on the village we would be out all hours collecting these worms and has i have said in an earlier thread we have nearly been arrested on a few occasions by policemen patrolling in thier mini vans. i have even had them helping when they realized what you were doing, you could not get much better than that could you showing the bobbies how to snatch worms but its all very true they did and we would have a couple of hundred in a good night i used to put them in moss to harden up mixed with damp newspaper. we would fish on a friday night and a sat and would put big bunches off lobs on the hook. we used to fish two rods a piece on the shallows. we used ping pong balls as indicators i put a small bulb in them at a latter date with a very light twin cable to a six vault motorcycle battery they really worked well you would leave you bail arm open and the ping pong balls used to float on the surface under you butt ring, that's if you were sitting on your chair in the water they just looked like two small electric lights i would glue a hair grip into to top of the ball and would use this to clip onto the line they worked excellent up they would fly if you had a run as soon as they reached the butt ring they would fall off we had some big old eels using this set up the place in those days produced some real biggies as i said earlier on to six pounds plus we would also get broken on a few occasions and this certainly was not eels it was when for the first time i realized it held carp not many but a few but real biggies that really put a bend in your rod. you would mostly hook them when fishing for other species and you had no chance of landing them on light tackle. i was even broken using 10 pounds line when fishing for the eels but i think it was due to the weed and getting snagged in it. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #540
great story that pete...you must have had a little peak now and again
we kept away they were really a bit weired they worshiped the ground water and fire. i was telling ken a few years latter they opened a shop in shrewsbury selling health foods spices ect this was done as a joint venture for the commun i think they did very well from the revenue they made and i think it is still open. they also grew there own veg and sold that at the market.
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In reply to Post #539
Lovely tale, Pete. Wish I'd been there 
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In reply to Post #539
great story that pete...you must have had a little peak now and again
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In reply to Post #538
here's another you might like it certainly caused me some embarrassment at the time i dont think i mentioned it in an earlier thread it was in the early seventies and graham and myself had been fishing berrington there was an old oak tree as you walked down to the pool then a style which you got over to fish the one side of the pool. on this one occasion why i don't know i happened to look up in the tree and screwed to the trunk was a cross it was well made but it was up side down. i said to gray why a cross upside down the first thing that came to mind was the dark arts a witches coven a bit off putting when you are night fishing. by the way this is true every word i am saying to you. i would go down three times a week to bait up putting a little bit in often at the time we were after the big bream and the roach bream hybrids we had already caught the latter to four pounds and we had had bream to nine pounds plus. i had climbed the tree and got the cross with i said was very well made and had been stained a very professional job and threw it into the nettles and undergrowth. two days latter a friday night we went down to fish our chosen swim and as we got over the style we noticed the cross was back and screwed upside down once again we were rather cob smacked how on earth did they find it in the undergrowth it was really a bit spooky and we were looking over our shoulders all night but nothing happened. we left the cross up there. we really never gave it much thought after till one afternoon i went to bait up i got over the style and heard this noise like singing i went to my swim and what a sight greeted me there was about twenty women all in the nude singing and chanting it was a bloody coven i was away as quick as my feet would carry me. before i got to the style i heard a voice say are you embarrassed i turned around to see this women stark naked yes i am i said come with me i will explain well she took me back with her to meet her friends my face was burning i did not know what to say they all stood around me and told me they were witches and lived at berrington hall at a hippie commune they explained the cross was theirs and they were good witches i was bloody shaking some were absolutely gorgeous and they never batted an eye lid i could not get away fast enought some blokes would have been in there element not me i was away and could not wait to tell graham. well nothing more happened for a few weeks untill we went to bait up one evening i said to graham they are here go and have a look he did but we were away quick not wanting to disturb there chanting we saw them on a number of ocassions after that but we always gave them a wide birth more to come
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In reply to Post #536
here is one you might like, a mate came to see me at home an old gentleman from a small village in north shropshire asked him if he knew any one that would clear the rabbits on his property so he put my name and grahams forward. we went out to see the said gentlemen who lived at great bolas about eight miles from my home he lived in a most beautiful bungalow with extensive gardens he employed a full time gardener the gardens were full of shrubs and at the time all the daffs were in flower. he had one or two fields attached to the property and he was absolutely over run with rabbits in fact we had not seen so many for years. We made arrangements to go the following week end as due to work that's the only time we had available. we also took another friend from our village who was also quite well known for his rabbiting skills his name was dave and any locals reading this will know who i am talking about he died last year aged seventy two and it was a privilege knowing him. well we rolled up on the sat morning i had four ferrets and with daves we had a total of nine we netted all the road side hedge rabbits bolted all over the place i think out of that one hedge we had about twenty rabbits. well dave was one for a pint and dead on twelve it was retire to the pub gray and i did not want to drink but we tagged along when i mean drink dave really could and ten pints latter it was back to the rabbits. his job was driving a jcb on local building sites. i kid you not he was like a human jcb digging rabbits after a few pints i have never seen the like since if i had drunk that much i would have been bed for a couple of days but it did not seem to effect him in any way. We were out there for about three weekends and had caught lots of rabbits and i mean lots. well the old chap said could we clear them from his garden but please be careful of his flowers and such. well i had an old lab very strong headed but he certainly knew what a rabbit was. on the appointed day we put a big net around the garden and dave stood in the field with his whippet in-case any escaped. well i put my old lab blaze into the shrubs, i really have never seen anything like it rabbits flew every direction pheasants as well the old man stood in the middle waving his stick and shouting at the top of his voice he really was enjoying it graham was kept busy extracting the rabbits out of the net we had twenty five rabbits out of his garden the old man stood surveying his garden it just looked like somthing out of world war two complete devestation not a daff standing i was quite embarrased and to top it all my dog blaze walked over to him looked up as if to say havent we done a good job and piddled all over his front door. well he really took it all in good part and was very pleased with the rabbits we had caught althought his garden was in a mess he really did us a favour and got permission for us to clear the local farmers rabbits and fish the river roden well more to follow
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In reply to Post #536
great last line that pete ..about people being happy and leaving there doors open ...just wish people could do that today but it will never happen due to all the other aspects of life in this country now poverty drugs ect
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In reply to Post #535
i hope the younger generation after reading my stories don't get the idea its alright to poach and guest some lakes its not. i did years ago because it was a necessity for food and generally to survive. today its just not worth doing pheasants are ten a penny you can go and catch trout for a reasonable price or buy them from the supermarket. things have changed even the country side people have more access there are still the game keepers around but not the old buggers i came across .real hard characters who ruled there patch with a rod of iron.since those days i have done my share at catching the poacher not actually doing it as some one once said to me it takes one to know one and that is very true. i did quite a bit for the shropshire federation myself and friend mike would be out all hours. checking permits along the river severn in shrewsbury. the number that would try to fish without paying never ceased to amaze me the cost at the time was six pounds not a lot so our job was to collect the revenue you would meet some real hard characters but most would pay up those that would not and were awkward were banned we would take there car reg number and that would be circulated around the other bailiffs and given to the police and hopefully that was that. i suppose i have been privileged to live such a good life and meet some of the greats and some of the old characters long gone. those days will never return and i will never see the likes again. yes it was hard you took chances and lived life to the full i would live it all again if i could you would do anthing to make a shilling not much compared with todays money but it helped us survive the food was still being rationed for quite some time after the war and you would have to have petrol coupons but people were happy you could leave you front or back door open and would never get done you cant do that today and most lived in harmony and helped one another. more to come latter
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In reply to Post #534
we would still do, a bit of poaching things were still a bit hard and the money would come in handy we would be out at night rabbit shooting and also shoot a few pheasants that had gone up to roost we had no trouble getting rid as most of the locals would buy them off you. we had a red lamp gray or myself would shine it up into the trees pick a pheasant up in the beam i would then shoot it with the gun we used sub sonic ammunition so there was no noise. we would pick them up and away to the next tree we never over did it as the keeper or farmer would soon spot the tell tale feathers left on the ground and would know he had been poached. there was also a nice pool we used to guest it was and still is a most beautiful place to fish. it was in the grounds of a big house i am not going to mention the name as not to cause embarrassment to the owners. we fished on the lawns going down to the pool it had a garden house so if it rained you could sit in there it was magic lilies all over the pool i suppose it was no more than one acre maybe a bit more there was some good tench and eels in residence but it was very hard. we fished it on more than one occasion and graham i think had the first eel we had out of there, the ones we caught were mostly around three pounds mark and we returned them all. a friend we knew had one of six pounds plus which was a big fish it was kept very quite. but the big ones eluded us. we never ever did get caught fishing there. and i know today it is very private and never fished no good us two going we cant run any more but i would love one more chance it was like fishing in heaven more to come
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In reply to Post #531
we fished acton burnell quite a bit in those early years. we did a bit of night fishing we caught tench up to seven pounds with some beautiful roach i dont think we caught one under a pound and i know when the syndicate had it at a latter date they caught them to two pounds plus alas i dont think they are there anymore but that's the price of progress. i was quite interested in the salmon fishing on the severn. and would go with a work mate we would mostly fish the upper reaches we would spin using great big devon minnows i made my own out of wood then painted them they certainly worked as we also caught some great big pike i think at the time the biggest was twenty one pounds and was caught by welshpool. the first salmon i caught was twenty pounds and caught on the worm at monkmoor shrewsbury. and it was sold to a local hotel called the brooklands and we got thirteen pounds for that fish not bad money for the sixties it certainly helped out at home and bought a bit more fishing tackle. it was very expensive to fish the weir and monkmoor it was out of my pocket i could not afford the price they were asking. but a friend owned a private stretch at monkmoor and he let me go free of charge so i suppose i was very lucky. graham and myself got permission to fish another private lake not far from shrewsbury it was owned by a middle aged lady and she told us it was full of tench and also some big carp. it was about three acres very dirty no weed at all so we decided to float fish with our favourite bait bread flake ,and maggots we could not believe our eyes the fishing was fast a fish a cast lovely looking deep belled tench in fact the owner came and sat with us for most of the morning i think she was a bit gob smacked at the amount of fish we were catching. when we weighed them all together at the end of the mornings fishing, we had caught eighty five pounds of tench not bad for arround five hours fishing, she said we could go back any time we wished, we had some great days on that lake with some very big bags but we never did catch a carp, all things come to an end we went one day and she had started to let the fishing for three shillings a day. i think she saw what we were catching and thought maybe she could make a little bit of cash out of the fishing it started to get quite popular but we carried on fishing it for some time after and still caught some nice tench more latter
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I remember buying mags only to get the free swimfeeder they came with, scratching round for old shot on the ground so I didn't have to buy new ones, tying hooks with overhand knots, never being able even to imagine what it must be like to fish all night - would some magical thing happen after it got dark - would i be 'the same' in the morning?, 8ft spinning rods used as float rods whipped with thick thread and yacht varnish, jumping for joy at catching a 6oz crucian, dad scrambling madly for the camera when landing a 1lb bream, sleeping on the ground my first few nights etc...
I've been there man! I've got the 1000 yard stare 
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In reply to Post #529
thanks taffi there is more to come when dave has time thanks pete
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In reply to Post #528
i think it was about this time that i met lordy i mentioned him in my early threads. i nice chap who gave me permission to fish his private estate lake. it was a beautiful lake but the one problem it had was the weed full of the stuff, it held some big old chub carp tench and eels although i never did fish for the latter. the banks were very overgrown with trees so it was very awkward to fish. the first time i fished it was with a chap from work we had to get a rake and pull some of the weed out it was full of small snails and shrimps there was an abundance of natural food. it had not been fished seriously for years exept for a few estate workers who were not serious fishermen. Lordy had never let anyone fish the lake so really we had got it all to, our selves it was heaven piece and quite well it still is after all those years. at the beginning we mostly float fished it for the tench using maggot or bread flake the tench were not really that big but fought well on light tackle we had some really good chub catching them to five pounds plus which were big fish for those days, we did eventually have them over six pounds but that was to be in the future. we would get broken occasionally by the carp but on light tackle you could do nothing about it. we, decided to try for the carp we ledgered big pieces of bread flake worm par boiled potatoes baiting up a little bit often with maggots and big balls of bread crumbs mixed with layers mash . it certainly worked we would get cracking runs nearly taking the rods out of the rests you would hook them and loose the majority to hook pulls caused by the weed but we did land a few looking back they were mostly around twelve pounds the biggest sixteen but we did see fish a lot bigger the fish we landed were mostly commons but there were mirrors in the lake so it was a matter of time before we caught one. i did one summers day i remember it well really to hot for fishing we were sunning our selves on the bank and away it went it took a bit of landing due to the weed but we eventually got it in the net it weighted 19 pounds plus we were gob smacked as fish of that size were not that common in the sixties, so we certainly kept it very quite graham also caught some nice fish. we were also fishing acton burnell we got on quite well with the owner and the keepers and could fish the both lakes any time we liked we more or less had them all to our selves exept for a few locals he let fish the place. but we very rare saw anyone the tench fishing was excellent and would catch tench to five pounds plus. we would sit on our baskets and fish the dam end. mostley float fishing with bread flake we had some great days catching great nunmbers of tench with the ocassional roach. things were really looking up the farmers and some of the keepers were really tusting us. more to follow
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In reply to Post #529
i`ve just noticed this thread...phew this could take a while
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In reply to Post #528
Excellent reading pete, keep it up m8. love the old pictures.
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In reply to Post #524
we continued fishing at the blind school, another farmer a mr jones told gray and myself that we could fish for the trout on his land he had a good two mile stretch of the brook which i had already poached a few years ago so i certainly knew the lay of the land. he also wanted us to get rid of the rabbits it could not get much better we were gaining the farmers trust. we had some great times fishing that stretch of the brook we caught loads of trout we had to take chris the farmer some every time we went. we would hide a few, as he would take them all he really liked his trout for breakfast. we certainly were not going to put the effort in and catch a number of fish for him to take the lot. we had some good old brownies from down at crisis not big about three quarters of a pound but a good size for eating. we used to go out in the evening or weekends and shoot the rabbits with the rifles. we soon had them under control word was spreading we had more and more asking please get rid of our rabbits. it was becoming more like a job. i met an old chap called charlie patterson when i say old in his late fifties what he did not know about nature he was good very good he was employed by lord Forrester and worked in the woods he carved walking sticks they were absolutely beautiful he would carve badgers foxes then paint them today they would be worth a fortune. well charlie also had another side to him he ran a group of men who would clear the foxes for any farmers that had a problem ie taking lambs and chickens. the poor hill farmers had quite a few probs with foxes taking there young lambs charlie would put the guns around the wood or dingle he thought the foxes were in and drive it out with any men he had spare, out the foxes would come and would be shot dead instantly no dogs just guns he did a good job and was well known in shropshire and wales. the local hunts were none to pleased as it buggered there sport. Charlie got graham and myself a small pool on one particular farm it was about three acres and there's was some carp and tench in it. the carp were true oldies torpedo shaped we used to fish from the one end which was a dam wall you could not fish the sides as they were to steep and covered in fir trees. we had great sport catching the tench all on float fished maggot and bread we would catch a hundred pounds or more but the carp were very hard . we got permission to night fish it but the carp still evaded us i think looking back we did catch one about five pounds but that was at a latter date we were also fishing the river tern which we had gained for helping to clear the rabbits. it was a lovely river and we would ledger or float fish it was full of dace and chub and some very nice roach. also some big shoals of bream i we never ever caught the bream but had some good days chub fishing it was still only the mid sixties i would be about twenty three years old and had now got a daughter, so work was very important i had three to keep plus myself no time off work sick you just went no matter how you felt. so more to come latter
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In reply to Post #524
really enjoyed the post will save to read again.any more threads keep them coming. arfer
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In reply to Post #525
hi stephen these kids were amazing to the extent they could tell the difference between gray and myself. i dont no if it was by smell scent but they knew our names and could tell the difference maybe voice its something i have often wandered about could it be they had a sixth sense who knows. i often think about what happened to them all as it was in the sixties. the blind school shut down about three years ago i was a bit saddened by this as it employed a lot of local labour teachers included also my mum worked there many years ago in the forties but thats the price of progress i suppose but it did a great job helping the many youngsters that passed throught there pete
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In reply to Post #524
good reading this pete i know what your saying about the deaf and blind children, i worked in a school for a year with kids with these disabilities and they are amazing people and as you say they do have a sixth sense
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In reply to Post #519
i was still working in the building trade i had moved to wimpys who were building houses on my village i was earning quite good money for those years, and was the main pipe layer on site putting most of the sewer pipes into the houses. In between work and in the evenings graham and myself were either fishing or clearing rabbits for the local farmers. the rabbit population were becoming quite a problem and it was one way of making a few extra quid. we put in for firearm certificates from the the local police force to be honest i never really thought they would be granted but one morning they turned up in the post. we bought a couple of rim fire rifles and aided with a light at night would be out all hours we really did a good job and most nights would shoot thirty or forty rabbits the farmers were pleased, and we were gaining their trust. We were also gaining more land and farms as word soon spreads in the farming community. if we saw any pools or lakes on the property we would ask permission to fish and it was rarely refused. we even managed to fish a stretch of the condover brook which i have mentioned in an earlier thread and was looked after by old bell. i was talking to the head master of the condover blind school and he said come down and fish our stretch any time you wish but please bring some sweets for the youngsters when you come . it was great fishing and we would spin little Devon minnows in the pools or under the water falls there were two water falls and i caught my biggest brook brown trout from there. it was a pound and three quarters a real old fish . but was a very welcome meal. the children made me really wander they knew we were down fishing and would come down to see us we would give them sweets some were completely blind also deaf it made me realize just how well off we really were. one day we were down fishing and there was a pen full of tame rabbits. And they had all escaped i offered my help and was amazed how these young kids with no sight could tell you where the rabbits were. their earring must have been superb and would tell you where to look others as i said were blind and deaf but must of had a sixth sense i felt real humbled in their presence . we loved the place it was about half a mile long and spent some lovely sunday mornings fishing it in the summer, we would always go back home with four or five nice trout to eat. times were still hard and your work had to come before fishing. we would still fish the rea brook and you would see graham and myself fishing it on a winters day trotting down for the roach they were only about half a pound but it was good fishing and you may also catch a few chub and dace we have had the line freeze to the rod rings on more than one occasion and have been so cold we have had to pack up as the cloths we had in those days were not up to much. we would make all our own floats mostly out of balsa wood they would be hanging all over the house waiting for the paint to dry but it was cheaper than buying from the shop we would try all different shapes and sizes and it gave you something to do on a cold winters night i was still a bit of a jack the lad and graham was no better we would have the occasional pheasant with our rifles especially at xmas poaching was in our blood from a young age so it was hard thing to stop. but that's another story
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In reply to Post #517
we managed to get permission to fish betton in the mid sixties it was a lovely lake the one end completely covered in lilies and about twenty acres. we really did not know where to start the one end in those days was very shallow dropping of to about sixteen feet we had seen plenty of fish movement this end so gray and myself started to bait up with big balls of bread mixed with layers mash we also added a few drops of tincture of lemon grass which we bought from the local chemist it smelled absolutely beautiful. we both ledgered using eleven ft rods i had mine made or me by a friend. fiber glass was now all the rage Mitchell 300 reels loaded with three or four pounds line quarter 0z arsley bomb size eight hook completed the set up. night fishing was very tiring we used doe bobbins for bite indication. we fished two rods each and practically sat in the water on the old garden bed chairs which were about all you could buy in those days we used bread flake on the hooks we would cast out let it settle and gently tighten up the line and pull down about a ft of line behind the but ring then pinch a piece off doe for the indicators To make them visible at night we used the old candle night lights in a jam jar with a piece of string we hung this between the rods on an old rod rest which we mostly made our selves. the first night we fished the place it went absolutely mad we had to pack one rod in as we could not keep up with the bites they came thick and fast mostly bream from three to five pounds also catching a few roach these were stunning fish i said to graham at the time where can you catch roach like that i think we had around eight or nine all about two pounds beautiful big belled fish i think looking back we finished the night with over a hundred pounds. that was our first night on button but we had many more nights on this old lake catching some very big eels. and hooking the occasional carp which we lost. more to come
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In reply to Post #518
of course i do m8 it will all come right for you in the end. dont worry about things keep your head up hight it will be alright
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In reply to Post #517
Hi Pete keep at is sir.i`ll upload more of your pictures in a couple of days,just not feeling up to with whats happened over the weekend.hope you understand.
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In reply to Post #513
there was a little pool not far from my village. i never really thought there was any fish in it until one day i saw a lot of movement,i asked the farmer who i had known for some time for permission to fish we gained permission which was quite a shock really with my reputation. the pool was nothing to shout home about small average depth of about three ft and very dirty with a few farm yard ducks present. the road ran through the farm yard and graham and myself would sit on our baskets with big tractors lorries and cars driving past us. We did not know what to expect i asked the farmer what fish were in the pool he did not even know fish were in it. graham and myself were big fans of mashed bread mixed with layers mash we baited up with a few balls and started to float fish no sooner had the bait settled and away the float would go we started to catch beautiful little tench some were only about four oz but perfectly formed. the fish were of mixed sizes one minute you would catch a small one then away went the float and you would be into something a bit bigger we had them to four pounds plus it was great fishing and quite exiting and we had the pool to our selves. funny they were the only fish in there, but we carried on for a few weeks as it was free fishing we caught lots of tench from there until one morning we went and there were fish dead everywhere i went to see the farmer slurry had got into it and killed the lot in those days no one really cared so that was that. he also owned betton pool but did not like anyone fishing there i asked for permission for gray and myself he said that he would think about it. i was gaining the trust from the local farmers some had started to get trouble from the rabbits which had made quite a big come back since the mixy outbreak in the fifties. could i help out pete they would say so graham myself and his brother dick would be out ferreting on most winter days in beetween our fishing. we would net all the holes in the hedge rows both sides pop a couple of jills in and sit back quite was the order of the day out the rabbits would come into the waiting nets some hedge rows would produce up to as many as thirty rabbits. we made quite a lot of money between us they were fetching good money at some of the markets. and we would invest this into our fishing, or buy new nets for our rabbiting. but the main thing was we were gaining more trust with the farmers and the local game keepers, well some but not all certainly not old bell, but i got on well with old gerry at bomere i think he had forgiven me but i was still very young and if given the chance would still have one or two pheasents away. i had a family to keep and so did grayham so the money we made from the game came in very handy more to follow
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In reply to Post #515
He was indeed a great angler and a gentleman, RIP
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In reply to Post #514
anon i knew ivan marks we as a specimen group took on ivans team in a match guess what the specimen hunters won it was great fun many years ago i also met up with him in denmark when we fished the river guden he was a great fisherman kind regards pete
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You`re the spitting image of Ivan Marks in the top picture of post 508 Pete
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In reply to Post #506
gray and myself would be off to a place called atcham most sunday mornings to fish for the chub, as in those days you would see very few barbel we would ledger with cheese paste or great big lumps of cheese or float fish with maggot but maggot usually caught the smaller, fish such as dace and roach. on occasions we would go down in the evening and ledger for the eels staying till the early hours but this was mainly at the weekend because of work. we would fish great big lobs or dead minnow we had a great many eels but never rarely over three pounds. i had got to know a farmer who owned a small pool in north shropshire and although he never let anyone fish the place he gave me permission it backed onto his farm yard and was covered in lilies it was a lovely looking pool and we spent some very happy times fishing there. it was full of tench not very big probably around four pounds the biggest, but brilliant fishing. we also caught great big gold fish and golden orfe beautiful fish and fought liken stink we would float fish maggot Castor or bread flake through the holes in the lilies. i once said to the farmer where had the orfe come from he did not know all he knew they had been there for years we also caught crucian carp they really were pretty well formed fish but only a pound in weight. but it was free and we had piece and quite and had it all to our selves what more could you wish for. we also poached shomere we had some big bags of bream from there the average weight was only five pounds but great fishing with a few Rudd thrown in the problem was it was infested with movies, in the summer you would be covered in lumps by morning if fishing nights there was thousands of the little things and it really put us from fishing the place. we never did get caught as i said before the place was strictly private. i seriously wanted to fish bomere legally i played the farmer for permission but the answer was always no. little did i know in a few years i would run a syndicate on the place. we wanted to fish for the pike and it had a reputation for some very big ones over the years. but for now that would have to wait. gray had the same interest as my self and was not adept to a little poaching with rod or gun it was still hard and the wages still not that hight so a pheasent or the odd rabbit really helped out more to come latter
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In reply to Post #510
thanks dave i know theres a lot more to put up. i really cant seem to put photos up on this forum it must be me bloody thick there are hundreds of photos in albums all over the house and i will at some stage send you a few more thanks m8
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In reply to Post #510
thanks dave i know theres a lot more to put up when you can sort them
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In reply to Post #509
Angling publication Articles
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In reply to Post #508
thanks dave i know theres a lot more to come the picture of the lake with the rods out was acton burnell years ago
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In reply to Post #507
as requested by Pete,just a few of his pictures from the old days.no doubt he will put names to places.
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In reply to Post #506
It`s a pleasure knowing you and reading your storys,my old mate.keep at it and dont let anyone knock you down.
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In reply to Post #503
IT WENT FROM ONE EXTREME TO THE OTHER A LOVELY SUMMER, ONE FUNNY INCIDENT COMES TO MIND ALTHOUGHT AT THE TIME IT WAS QUITE SERIOUS. MY SELF AND MY BROTHER INLAW HAD BEEN UP THE HILLS SHOOTING A FEW RABBITS WHEN OUT THE BLUE THERE WAS AN ALMIGHTY EXPLOSION AND FLAMES SHOT UP IN THE AIR AT LEAST TWENTY FEET THE HILL WAS ALIGHT IN MINUTES BLOODY HELL DID WE RUN IT WAS JUMPING TO ONE TREE TO THE OTHER WE DID NOT THINK WE WOULD GET AWAY FROM THERE. IT WAS ALIGHT FOR THREE WEEKS WE WOULD GET UP IN THE MORNING AND THE SKY WOULD BE BLACK WITH SMOKE THE ARMY WERE THERE AND SO TO WAS THE FIRE BRIGADE THEY HAD NO WATER AND HAD TO PUT PUMPS IN STAGES UP THE MOUNTAIN AND PUMP WATER FROM THE BROOK, I REALLY FELT SORRY FOR THE ARMY CHAPS AS THE SGT WOULD SHOUT AT THEM AND MAKE THEM RUN UP THE MOUNTAIN HAVE A QUICK BEAT AT THE FLAMES THEN MAKE A HASTY RETREAT. AS I SAID IT WENT ON FOR THREE WEEKS THE CAUSE WAS SOME SILLY ARSE HAS PUT A CANDLE IN A JAR FILLED WITH PARIFIN WHEN IT BURNED DOWN IT JUST EGNITED. WELL MY WIFE AND MYSELF WERE OFFERED A FLAT BACK IN THE VILLAGE OF MY BIRTH AND MOVED BACK IN 1963 IT WAS REALLY THEN THAT MY ANGLING TOOK OFF I MET MY LIFE TIME FISHING PARTNER GRAHAM. WHO LIVED IN THE FLAT ARROUND THE CORNER FROM MINE I WAS TWENTY ONE YEARS OLD. I AM AFRAID GRAY AND MYSELF GOT OFF TO RATHER A BAD START HE CAME ARROUND ONE NIGHT AND SAID THAT I HAD A BAD REPUTATION AND HAD BEEN TOLD NOT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ME. WHAT COULD I SAY IT DOES FOLLOW YOU ARROUND. I SAID ITS UP TO YOU THEN MATE WE NEVER LOOKED BACK WE HAVE FISHED AND SHOT TOGETHER FOR 47 YEARS HE WAS A VERY LIKE MINDED PERSON AND I SOON FOUND OUT HE WOULD STAND NO MESSING AND COULD REALY STICK UP, FOR HIMSELF. WE WOULD BE UP EARLY MOST WEEK ENDS AND AWAY FISHING ON THE RIVER GRAY HAD AN A35 VAN WHICH WAS VERY HANDY AND WE COULD GET OUR TACKLE IN WITH EASE. WE WOULD TRY TO DIG WASPS NESTS OUT AND USE THE GRUBS FOR OUR CHUB FISHING I WELL REMBER ONE EVENING AT DARK GOING TO THIS WASPS NEST AND PUTTING A LITTLE BIT OFF SNUFF IN THE HOLE TO KILL THE WASPS THEN COVERING IT UP SO THEY COULD NOT GET OUT. GOING BACK THE NEXT MORNING TO COLLECT OUR PRIZE WE PUT OUR SPADES IN THE BLOODY THINGS WERE NOT DEAD THEY CAME OUT LIKE A CLOUD DID WE RUN STUNG ALL OVER WE WERE COVERED COR DID IT HURT I CAN SEE GRAHAMS WIFE NOW RUBBING CALOMINE LOCTION ALL OVER THESE STINGS WASP GRUBS WERE BRILL FOR CHUB FISHING BUT I CAN TELL YOU WE WERE VERY CARFULL HOW WE COLLECTED THEM FROM THEN ON MOE TO FOLLOW
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In reply to Post #503
hard work on the sites mate. ive done my bit and the old aches are like battle scars 
great stuff Pete... keep it up, fella
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Message Suppressed by Forum Moderator.
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In reply to Post #502
ill carry on as not much on today
i was only 20 years old and still working for boswells i worked with an old irish chap called george if any tunneling was wanted they sent for george and my self we would tunnel under main roads to put sewer pipes in we would be thirty ft down and used pneumatic air drills to cut our way through the clay or gravel what ever it may be. we would sh oar up the roof and sides as we went we put railway lines down and used a truck which we filled with the clay pushing it back out side were another labourer filled a bucket which was then pulled up with a crane some times it took weeks to make our way through you would work bare backed as it could become quite hot down there it was a dirty job you had no helmets to wear then to protect your head. old george was a very funny chap and we were sitting down there one day having our dinner when i asked him what he did in ireland before he came to our country a grave digger he said not very well paid thought i would dig the grave with another chap and fill it in latter, do you know pete we buried a solicitor and twelve moths latter his wife died so we had to dig the grave open again to put his wife in well we got to the coffin and my mate said do you think he would mind if we had a peep at him well we got the lid off and what a surprise we had when we put him ,in there he was clean shaven now he had a beard, half way down his chest. i fell about laughing i really did not no if to believe him but such was the Irish sense of humor you got working with this man he became a great friend and we worked together for many years it was good pay but still hard work, things were still hard but they were improving. we managed to buy a small tele a bush if i remember right i think we could only get BBC my father in law would watch it for hours i am sure he thought everything he watched was real bless him but we had a great relation ship and went every where together, by this time i was getting on well with the locals i had been accepted into the community and was made darts captain of the crown and sceptre pub team. we had some great times playing all the local teams around the area . you had got to see to believe the opposing team would come down from the hills wearing trousers tied up with binder twine for a belt and wearing wellington boots long hair and trilbys they were real ruff diamonds but had hearts as good as gold i got on real well with them more to follow
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In reply to Post #501
we were desperate for money and i was glad to go back to work it was the end of march, The frost had penerated two ft into the ground so it was quite hard going on the building site. my job at the time was banks man working with a digger we were running water mains to the new houses that had been built, i had only been back two days when i had a rather unpleasant experience we had to pull the copper main up a pipe into the house now for the laugh not funny at the time, i got my arm down the pipe to pull the half inch copper mains up into the kitchen area and got bloody stuck i could not get my arm out the more i tried the worse it got my mate tried to pull me but i was very stuck indeed my arm had started to swell and the top of the pipe was cutting into my arm by this time there was about twenty of the building staff all trying different methods to get me out. there was one big old labourer called bunny red dont worry pete ill get you out he gave my arm one big yank bloody hell did it hurt and still it would not come out. six hours latter ambulance fire brigade i was still stuck and in great pain. they but boards in front of my face and drilled away the concrete floor it took eight hours to get me out of that pipe my arm was black and blue there was no health and safety in those days you just got on with your job and said nowt no time off work sick, you could not afford to and i was back next day doing the same job but a bit more careful where i put my arm it was hard graft, i ended up that summer labouring on a gang of six brick layers it was a killer you had to carry all the bricks in a hod on your shoulder up the ladders i think if i remember right it was twelve bricks at a time. it was hot and thirsty work and to keep six brickies going, really took some doing. but i had a family to support a wife son and my inlaws by then my young brother inlaw was also working so that also helped the family income i am afraid there was no fishing only hard work six days a week . the money i earned with the brick layers was quite good so we managed to buy a few luxuries things had started to improve . by the time sunday came around i would be completely knackered but still had jobs to do arround the house i suppose you could say i worked seven days a week no fishing or shooting just boring work but to survive its what you did, more to follow
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In reply to Post #500
1962 was a real eye opener for myself it started to snow on boxing day and did it snow . we could not get out in the morning not even open the door it was at least six foot deep we had to get onto the porch roof from the bedroom window and myself and my young brother inlaw dropped into the snow and cleared it with our hands to get the door open it kept snowing for the next few days we were completely cut off there were drifts 20 ft deep and then it froze we could walk over five bar gates it was terrible, we managed to get to the coal shed the problem was how long it would last we did now have electricity but that was off for some time as the lines came down. food was another problem to give you some idea how long it lasted i never went back to work for ten weeks the main road was completely blocked. we did manage to get at last to the village shop with difficulty. but they only had limited stocks. in the end they flew food in to the shop by helicopter we managed to get to the village pub but that to soon run dry to. we started to get desperate for fuel for the fire as the coal was going down at an alarming rate so we had to cut a tree down the snow was to my waist we put brown, paper under our cloths to insulate us and keep us warm but the tree did keep us in fuel for the rest of the winter. we had no money as i was not earning and my father in law could not get to the post office for his pension so i managed to walk to minsterley which was around seven miles away and tried to get a job as a drivers mate at minsterley creamery helping the driver if he got stuck in the drifts while fetching the milk from the surrounding farms and this is how we survived in that awful weather of 1962 it was hard we were still getting the water from the well it did not freeze up that was another job we did dailey i did manage to go out with the gun and shoot a few rabbits but they were struggling as well for food it froze pigeon by the dozen to the ground killing them in the hundreds i used to go and pick them up no good to eat no meat on them they just starved to death it was pitifull to see. eventualy they got the big american snow blowers to us and made a way out but you still had to walk every where i have never seen a snow like that since. but things are different today more shops . but then you survived the best was you could i know this has nothing to do with fishing i am just trying to explain how it was all those years ago more to come
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In reply to Post #499
i well remember when we had electricity for the first time . it was absolutely marvelous they thought it was heaven another thing we had to do in summer was pick the whim berries there was a lot of money to be made out of this tiny fruit. i would go up the hill with a basket and pick 14 pounds a day , my mother in law made quite a lot of money selling them in the market no good taking the wife she would sit down and eat more than she picked, it was one way of making a bit extra money. the general foreman who was my boss had a bungalow not far from our house and employed myself and a plasterer to pebble dash the front of his bungalow and then paint it white well he had a little stream that went through the bottom of his garden it was full of trout around a pound. in the dinner hour i would be in that stream trousers rolled up and tickle the trout they would hide under the overhanging rocks at the side of the stream i would slide my hand under there belly's and slowly move my hand up and down its belly then with one swift movement out they came thrown up the bank. the plasterer loved them i would catch as many as ten a day doing this. we were there about two weeks when the boss said you like a bit of fishing don't you pete yes said i. bring the rod down and have a go he said well we nearly fell about laughing i really could not say i already had caught them. i would probably had the sack he realy loved those old trout but thats the way i was anything for a meal more to come latter
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In reply to Post #493
i was living in hill billy country one leg shorter then the other. i could not believe my inlaws had no water i really thought i had been hard done by but to live like they had was mega hard. we had to carry the water from a well daily which was a good quarter of a mile away no electricity only oil lamps ,all cooking done on the old fire stove. i had to get another job as i could not carry on with the engineering company as i had no way of traveling as the transport was not very good in those days i think looking back two buses a day to shrewsbury. i went to work for a building firm called Boswells they ran a bus picking up local labour to their building sites in shrewsbury and surrounding areas i had a six mile walk every morning to catch the buss all down hill i must say but hard going back at night. the money was not that good but it paid the bills it was hard work and by the time you got back at night you were completely buggered but you would then have other things to do like cutting fire wood fetching water they were certainly hard times, all their washing was done in a big old boiler in the shed every tuesday you would light the wood under the boiler which would heat the water it was a mega job making sure they had a stock of wood for the weekly wash. i was growing up and taking my responsibilities serious. there was one problem the locals would not except me that happened in those days it was a very close knit community and i was an outsider if i went to the pub they would not leave me alone on the way to work was the same i had got to get their respect some how it was xmas 1960 when my brother in law came to stay from his home in london what a man he was hard as nails and we got on like a house on fire hen took me to the local pub for a few drinks on xmas eve every time he brought me a pint the land lord would take it from me and say i dont want you in my pub, well my brother law twigged what was happening and splattered the landlord all over the bar cor what a fight just like out of the films a real hill billy fight bloody hell was he hard even the policeman who was in there went flying out of his seat that really did not bother me as he had been picking on me since i had arrived on the scene the pub was a wreck chairs broken glass everywhere i thought i was hard but not like them i think they actually enjoyed it more to come latter
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In reply to Post #1000
would just like say what a great post this is, spent best part of two hours reading it all an cant wait for more! Best thing i read in a long time an i too believe it would make a brilliant book.. i do hope pete finds someone to help him do this!!!
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In reply to Post #496
ime sure a lot of people would oblige you pet..... sorry pete spelling mistake........ and would gladly give you a hand on getting started and on your way to getting something published
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In reply to Post #492
thanks both for the kind remarks. as you know i did not like school so thats the spelling out of the window but about a book i have had a few pm suggesting just that ken asked me if i had thought about putting it in book form, as i said to him i would not no where to start whether there is anyone on here that has experence of writing books or even how to do it i would like to know thanks pete
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In reply to Post #492
it would be a cracking read if he did dave
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In reply to Post #490
having been asked to carry on i will this part of my life i was not very proud off i was completely out of control causing mum and dad lots of problems. i would fight get drunk and was fast getting a bad reputation i really did not like myself and friends started giving me a wide birth i did not care a toss for anyone. i think it was when i met this girl who eventually i married that i really stood back and took a good look at myself i well remember meeting her father for the first time they lived in the hill country above the village of minsterley he threatened me and told me to bugger off as he did not want his daughter knocking around with me and threatened to shoot me with a ball of his own muck i kid you not. i carried on fishing mostly on berrington pool which in those days was called heart break pool it was hard ,mega hard. but i did have some success catching some of the big bream in there with fish up to 9 pounds this was really a shock to some that fished there as they had never caught a bream and had fished the place for years. i would get the stale bread from the bakery and soak it and add layers mash to it and make these big balls and bait up three times a week the reason i caught was my baiting up did the trick as no one else took the trouble and effort to do it there was some big old roach in there as well and i would float fish for them using a sliding float set up with bread flake as bait i had some crackers up to about two pounds and some good perch on maggot the perch all averaged around the two and half pounds you would have to be careful with these fish as some would get the bends if you brought them to the surface to quick, it was still the late fiftys and was about to meet my life long fishing pall graham, i got married in 1960 and lived with my in-laws they were not very well off as my father in law was an X miner and had a very bad illness from his profession my wife was pregnant so i became the main bread winner in the house i was only 18 years old,but i soon got to know the area and managed to shoot a few pheasants and rabbits which really helped out more to come latter
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In reply to Post #490
hi Pete. you must carry on...
i was laughing reading about Pete the Teddyboy going prize fighting and nutting the middleweight, fpmsl...
would be great to see this develop into a book of your memoirs! even if your not the most literate person in the world the most important thing for a book is content. im sure a writer could trawl through your posts and put it together in some sort of time order. it would be like a diary of your days, and also a fascinating look back in time.
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In reply to Post #489
as you know my first job after leaving school was a butcher boy it was in the fifties things were still quite hard it did not last long and i went to work for a civil engineering firm as tea boy they employed mainly Irish Navies i made there tea and cooked there breakfast and dinner i got on well with them and earned 16 pounds a week big money in those days more than my dad a lot more, i suppose it had got to happen i found my feet girls came into the equation it was the years of the teddy boy i still fished as i now had the money to buy better tackle. one thing i got into was going down the fair ground when in the area they had a boxing ring and had boxers who challenged all comers you got a fiver if you took up the challenge my mum used to go mad i would come, home black and blue but i would have that fiver in my pocket which would buy quite a lot in those days, i got myself in a spot of bother doing this as i took on one chap who i did not know was middle weight champion at the time, he knocked three s out of me really hurting me i did manage to get to my feet i had a broken nose i am afraid i lost it and head butted him he went down like a sack and i put the boot in hard it went crazy the fair ground workers were all over me and chucked me in the river i can tell you i went no where near that place for some time but that's how it was in those days and i never did get my fiver, i would go down by the weir at shrewsbury and trot for the dace it was fast fishing lovely looking fish around three quarters of a pound with the occasional chub thrown in i would keep feeding castor or maggot the float would glide down dip and you would be in great fishing and i have since done the same with the barbel with the right tackle its great fishing and a great way to spend a day. i used to night fish for the eels in the quarry stretch of the Severn i was picked up by the police looking for lob worms as it was the main park in shrewsbury but that's another story more to come
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In reply to Post #486
we moved back to the village of bayston hill i had six months more to do at school and ended up at condover it was around four miles from my home and i cycled there in hail wind or snow i was in my element the brook was down the road and pheasants everywhere you looked even in the school garden i was put in charge of the hives of bees that the school kept i would put on this big suit and and hat with a net over your face and the teacher would use a smoker which made them a bit dopey so he could have a good look to see how they were getting on and how much honey they were producing. it was interesting work and i quite enjoyed my time doing it. i would always have my catapult in my pocket and would have a few of the pheasant in the gardens and no one ever found out i would hide them the hedge till we went home mum was always grateful for the extra food but it was not just the poaching , it was also the love of nature i would be away all day at the weekends either birds nesting or just listening to the birds i would lie in the hay fields and listen to the sky larks watch it land and then find its nest also find the curlews nest it was great i was in heaven. i would walk the brook and watch the otters and find the ducks ,nest i would listen to the willow warbler find the pheasants nest and the grey partridge nest a true english bird and now in decline because the habitat has changed . i would go down to bomere pool and watch the bird life there were ducks every where in those days and some were quite rare i would also take a rod with me and have a spin for the pike. it was strictly private there were signs on trees saying you would be shot, on sight. it was heavily keeper ed as i have said in a earlier thread but it did not stop me they would shoot twice a week all dressed up in their tweeds i would lie in the fields and watch it all going on around me. watch the dog fox break cover to far away for them to shoot . more to come
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In reply to Post #486
i stand in the pretty church yard that over looks the water falls at halford i am among so many friends that have now passed on.
very touching, mate.
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In reply to Post #485
Although its many years since i left my child hood haunt at craven arms. i still return on the odd occasion. i stand in the pretty church yard that over looks the water falls at halford i am among so many friends that have now passed on. one in particular my friend raymond we went every where together he died at the age of 52 years from a heart attack. the falls are still there but not as i knew them they fell down years ago and are not as high. the island is still there where i collected the garlic for my mum and the river has now been stocked with salmon parr. oh oh i only wish they had been there years ago, there may have been a few missing when they came back to spawn. a few years ago i took my wife for a ride in the car to the old keepers cottage in the woods it still stands empty the apple trees are still there, and some of the old curtains looking like dusty old rags i walked in side and shed a tear remembering the happy times i had with old sam and his dear wife gone long long ago who also rest at halford. the woods have not changed one bit i remember every ride as thought it was yesterday the rocks where i got old jack from and are still being used by the jackdaws to nest. alas the fish at stokesay pool have long gone as i said in my earlier stories graham and myself had huge rudd from it with many going to three and nearly four pound. the lakes at onibury are still private and never fished and still heavily keepered no good me going today i cant run ha ha. there are still trout in the river but its mainly a mixed fishery now with the odd grayling still being caught. but they are all wonderful memories and will remain with me forever. i would love to take a rod and trot down with a float and see what i can catch maybe just maybe in the near future i may just do that only it will be legal this time. its nice to reminisce and rember the good times it is now 54 years since i moved from the arms and still have a few freinds still living there and if they ever read this i am sure they will have a laught about the good and hard times we all had . more to follow
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In reply to Post #484
hi baitman no mate ive been not to well today sitting in the computer chair but i am struggling very badly bruised still getting siatica its knocking me a bit
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In reply to Post #483
hi Pete. this operation has certainly got your creative juices flowing, mate.
is it cos your stuck in the big comfy armchair.
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In reply to Post #482
there was always a bob or two to be made when i was young living in a major railway town. every year they had some of the biggest sheep sales in this country the farmers would come for miles bringing their sheep with them mainly they were the club and kerry strain there would be hundreds and it went on for two days. us youngsters would help pen them up or drive them to the station to transport all over the country. it was quite exiting we usually got paid around five bob at the end of the day so it was worth doing. i also helped out at jp woods shop in the town they became quite well known many years latter for their chickens and turkeys and employed lots of labour from the surrounding areas. i helped in the shop also packing the chickens they killed in card board boxes christmas would come and they would kill thousands geese ducks you name it they killed it then it would all be sent by train to the cities all over the country i did this after school a couple of times a week it gave us a shilling or two to buy sweets and fishing tackle we were growing up and a few of us used to have a cig behind the school toilets until we got caught and brought before the head master and given a right telling off we learned by our mistakes, i really did not like school and was away at every opertunity down the river fishing or birds nesting i dont know how many times i had the cane but you soon got over it until the next time more to follow
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In reply to Post #481
one thing the old keeper taught me was never be afraid of the dark. he would sit me down under an old beech tree deep in his woods there's only one thing that will hurt you another human he would say there is no animal or bird that will touch you in these woods or any others. follow your instincts you have three things your eyes nose ears and your ears are the most important. sit listen he would say noise will travel on the wind and your eyes become used to the dark listen for the crack of a branch or twig no animal will do that only a fellow human. he taught me not to poach on a moonlight night as i would be seen, and the best times to long net for rabbits but above all use your ears good advice which has helped me through the years, never take pheasants from the woods on a frosty night as you would leave your prints in the frosty grass or undergrowth and the keeper would know you had been there . not that it matters today pheasants are two a penny not worth the trouble poaching is a dying art i we are a dying breed. i suppose it was the challenge when i was young a necessity for gathering food i always got the adrenaline rush no matter where i poached,i was competing against a willy old keeper and believe me some were very good at there job. i never did poach my friends land i did not need to as i he would always send a couple for mum and dad to eat. i went to school with a lad called john james he had lots of ferrets and we would go to the farm up into the granary where they stored the grain in sacks we would slip four or five ferrets into the spaces between the sacks and sit down and wait john had an old garden gun it was good enough to shoot any rat at close quarters bloody hell it would erupt the rats would run every where over the roof beams any where to get away john would shoot as many as he could, the ferrets would come out poor things covered in blood but it was mostly from the rats we would kill hundreds over a period of time using this method if you were lucky the farmer would give you a shilling or two as it was really doing him a favour there was literally thousands of the little furry thing on most farms when i was young more to come
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In reply to Post #480
i continued fishing stokesay pool and onibury court although it was strictly private i had some great days on that water i think it was where i caught my first tench although i had lots more they never got much over two pounds little black beauties and did they fight i caught them mostly on little red worms which i got from the farm muck heap. i well remember going one day and setting up in the reeds using a porcupine quill as a float and a small hook with worm i had caught a few between a pound and two pound when away the float went and i was into something a little bit bigger than the norm into the weeds it went me hanging on as much as i could in the cramped position i was in, i could not stand up in case i was seen so i had to extract the fish as quick as possible no landing net in those days all done by hand. when i last got it to the side i could not believe my eyes it was a tench but what a tench i thought around four pounds but massive to a young boy like myself. i had no camera in those days my dad had one an old box jobbie but i was around five miles from my home to far to go and get it. i well remember letting this fish go and watching it swim away none of my mates would believe me they did not. but it stayed with me for quite some time etched into my memory, there where two lakes the other one contained mostly rudd and roach as i have stated in an earlier thread but great fun to catch but i always felt uncomfortable fishing it as it was a bit in the open the estate was heavily keeper ed as they shot on a regular basis i used to watch from afar ladys and gents dressed up to the nines if i had the chance i would be away with the odd pheasent and duck before it could be picked by the dogs and onto the road home . will continue
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In reply to Post #477
over the years i have met some great character's one such man was an old gamekeeper. i met him pure by chance, i was up the fields one ,morning when i heard a broad Shropshire voice dun st e know this is private property, i looked around and standing right behind me was the ruff est old chap i had ever seen. whats e doing then he asked. birds nesting says i y like birds nesting i do, i said in a very shaky voice. you better come with me then he said so off i went on a real route march ending up at this little cottage deep in the woods. he had dogs everywhere and introduced me to his wife who was a kind old soul and believe it or not really spoiled me with cake and pop. i suppose i ended up like a son to them as they lost there's in the war, and would visit them on a regular basis after asking my mum and dad if it would be alright. he collected birds eggs and had draws full of them hundreds he had collected all his life some were from other parts of the world i think when he died they went to a British museum. he would take me every where out with the gun to shoot the vermin and a few rabbits to eat, he taught me to trap animals ,vermin rats and such the different species of crows that was abundant how to trap the humble magpie but he also had a great love of the country side and an understanding of all the animals and birds it held. he soon realized that i had caught a few rabbits and and shot a few pheasants myself and had learned from an early age. but that did not put him off and i soon found he would give me the odd pheasant and rabbit to take home with me for mum and dad, i would sit in that cottage a roaring fire in the grate with oil lights to see with and listen to him for hours he would tell me about the old gamekeepers and about the way of the woods and the animals that lived there. he knew i liked the odd trout and we would be away to a place called strefford and both catch the Wiley trout that it held he showed me the Eal traps his wife would cook the eals she would batter and fry them and we would sit and eat them for our tea with great big slabs of home made bread and butter it was some of the happest memories i have of my earlier life. he once took me to a little pool in the middle of the woods miles from anywhere and we fished for the rudd how they got in there is any ones guess it was cramed full not big but we would catch hundreds they were pretty little things i often wander if it is still there. but there was a down side to his job he would shoot the badger fox owls hawks to protect the vast stocks of pheasents and partridge the estate put down but thats how it was in my younger days i will always be gratfull i met that old man and he will remain in my memory for ever. he never came home one night and he was found lying in the woods with his gun by his side at piece with nature i think it was a heart attack i visited his wife on many occastions after his death but it was never the same. to be continued
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In reply to Post #478
thanks ken not to well this morning black and blue very badly swelled had quite a bad night but it will get better as time moves on yes i have had a few hooks in myself very painfull thanks again for your kind remarks pete
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In reply to Post #477
Excellent reading Pete as is usual with your stories.
You certainly take me back to my childhood days, and what great days they were.
I lived on the edge of countryside near Stoke in my childhood, and can relate to the old
guys mixing their "special" lime based solution to paint onto trees to catch wild birds..
It was great in those days to hear the song of the linnet, and my Dad used to buy
them off the so called "local specialist bird catchers", as he rated their song highly.
I had a paper round just like yourself and saved up my wage and tips to buy my fishing gear bit by bit. It took some time, but I used to love my fishing for roach, perch & bream.
Your tale of the lad being attacked by the owl made me think back to my earlier days.
I was in the so called "Back Fields" one day having a kick about with a football when I spotted one of my mates returning from fishing with another local lad walking very closely behind him. I ran over to ask whether he had had any luck, but as I got closer, I thought something looked very strange. My mate was in the front holding his rod over his shoulder like a rifle, and the other lad was walking directly behind him.
Then I spotted why. My mate had been casting out and the hook had caught into the local lads nose. It looked very funny but it must have been very painful for the lad.
They had walked about three miles from where they were fishing, avoiding as many roads as they could, and all they got from all of us playing football was a load of laughter on their arrival home. They walked all the way with the lad hooked up to the rod and reel, never thinking once about cutting the line near the hook.
The lads mother got the hook out, but he also had a belt because he had been told not to go fishing earlier that day. Should have stayed local and had a kick about with me and the other local lads instead I think. Even my mate and the other lad had a good laugh about it afterwards, a few days after they had served out their "grounding".
As I said before, your stories really are very interesting and you can express yourself really well, so please continue writing and above all, get back to full fitness very soon.
Best wishes for a quick return to good health.
Ken
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In reply to Post #476
i had a friend i went to school with, called Pete bowen. he wanted an owl as a pet . i knew where there was a nest in a hole in an old oak tree. it was a tawny owl, so up the tree we both got i wish we had not , he managed to get one of the young owls out a ball of fluff it did a bit of hissing and then from no where the adult attacked it caught pete right across the cheek with its talons what a mess we both fell out of the tree from about twenty ft up into a load of brambles i was scratched all over pete's face was covered in blood what a mess i was up and away as fast as my legs would go and the owl still was having a go all the way home which was only about half a mile. his grandad went mad and called the local nurse who cleaned him up some of the scratches were quite deep. i had to take his grandad back to the nest to put the chick back. i certainly did not go back up the tree i left that to his grandad but all ended well i never did that trick again, but we were kids thats what we did and i suppose she was protecting her young but i must admit i have never heard of that happening since. i used to find the door mouse nest in winter i have found them in all places even in old long tailed tits nests they were lovely little things i would take them out and tikle there bellys they would not even wake up sleep throught it all not many arround now its a real shame it just showes how our world is changing there was an abundane of all wild life althought the local game keepers killed a lot classing it as vermin but thats another story . packing now a bit tired
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In reply to Post #473
i was no angel and was always in trouble at school. we would go on cross country runs i would get lost not really i would be down by the river or in the woods get back late another hiding stick or slipper and it still sticks today with those with long memories, we had at school in those days some very strict teachers and would give you the cane for nearly anything. well this one teacher Evans was his name every one was frightened of him he was Always picking on me so i decided i would teach him a lesson one maybe i would regret. in those days i would go looking for snakes slow worms frogs anything to do with nature and so it was to be I found a good grassey arround five ft long old evans would sit at a desk in front of the class it had a lift up lid he would always have his cane on the top of the desk. so i crept in one morning and slipped the snake in his desk. well after assembly lessons started i was two seats from the front i could hardly keep a straight face i thought he would never open the bloody top but when he did it exploded there was an almighty shout over went the desk he put his hand in the snake actually bit him we all fell around laughing he was not a serious bite but it certainly frightened him he was red in the face have you ever been expelled from a church of England school i nearly did. i managed to catch the snake and take it out side and go before the head master his face was bloody red im sure he had been laughting as well i had two on each hand for that prank , but it still sticks in my memory and some times get a reminder of a dear freinds i went to school with
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In reply to Post #474
hi mate they made real mole skin trousers in those days alas indian cotton now i think
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In reply to Post #473
what did they do with the mole skins. maybe a bit small to sew up, and not much meat on one of them critters.
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In reply to Post #471
ops its come up twice. I have a little time on my hands so i will carry on one thing i will say and i hope it does not bore you all. nature and fishing go hand in hand that i am convinced at one with nature. how many on here have sat by the side of a lake in the dead of night with no rods and have just listened to the sounds around you they tell you an awful lot the splash of a fish the call of the coot the fin above the surface a slight movement of water .these are things that have helped me through my life. But i don't want you to think i am trying to teach things you already know. collecting fruit was another task that we as youngsters had to help with. all the women would meet at the local hall and would prepare apples pears, any fruit they could get there hands on, and it would be put in big glass jars with sealed tops and kept to eat for another day they would also make jam by the jar full as food was scarce in the war years so nothing was wasted` i would be sent to the local the farm who had an orchard to pick the damsons and plums and would be paid about two pence for every pound picked you never had an option it was your part to play if lucky you would be given a bag full at the end of the day. i got to know the local mole catcher who in those days made a living by catching the little critters and sold their skins it was very interesting he took me with him and showed me how it was done finding their the run with a stick or pointed rod digging it out with his trowel or spade then putting a trap in he had a big line of traps and caught hundreds for the local farming community plus making money out of the skins. i managed to buy a few traps out of my pocket money and paper round and managed to make a few bob or pence i used to skin them out and nail the skins to a board then salt them till they cured and take them to the mole catcher and he would pay you. it was money every bit helped and i could buy a float or a few hooks for my fishing well im a bit tired more latter
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In reply to Post #471
fantastic, mate. its like im there in the woods with you
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In reply to Post #451
most of the residents that lived in the terraces in those days had birds either pigeon canary's buggies or the wild variety which was not frowned on so much or illegal as today, i got to know an old gentleman who lived not far from us he had an immense knowledge of the country side and took me under his wing, he would catch wild birds and breed with them, he would make this connoction up using boiled linseed oil adding other things until it was a very sticky nature i would go with him up the fields where he would smear this paste onto thistle tops and such when the birds came to feed they would stick to the tops, job done he would place them in small gages then take them home where he would clean them up and put in a big aviary to breed with at a latter date. he had a great knowledge of birds and all nature most of the birds he breed where released back into the wilds but he would keep one or two. i think the Linnet was his favorite and would breed this bird with his Canaries it was called a mule and was breed for the lovely bird song it produced, well i got very interested in this and dad made me an aviary but i could not make this paste and the old gent would not tell me how of course it was bird lime a dying art but still known by some today. so i would catch them by using a trap it was easy using a call bird which i loaned i would catch dozens, but i could not take them home and put in an aviary, i would lift them out very carefully and just look at them they were lovely the gold finch with his red head and black crown the bull finch with his red breast and black crown the linnet i would study them and let them go entering every bird in a small book, i would clime the trees to a buzzards nest and hold the young in my hand while its parents mewed above, i would seek the kestrels nest the sparrowhawks the owl and many more it was away of life my life which it is to this very day, i would spend hours in the woods in daylight and dark dad got me an old air rifle you would take a tube out of the end to put the pellet in break the gun then it was set to fire i got quite good with this old weapon and it would come every where with me i fixed a small bike light underneath the barrel and would be up the woods in the dark looking for roosting pheasants although the gun was not very powerful it was very accurate and accounted for a few birds with head shots which kept us in meat so we did not starve. i would love to sit in the woods at night and listen to the different sounds the dog fox or the screaming vixen calling her mate the owl. i learned to track the different animals especially in snow badger fox the stoat in his winter colour of white most beautiful , once while lying down out side a wood in broad daylight i had a family of weasels playing right next to me they took no notice it was a wonderful life to see the barn owl on dusk drift across the fields looking for prey like a silent ghost this is how i entertained myself alas today a lot of the habitats have gone and will never return, more to follow
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In reply to Post #451
most of the residents that lived in the terraces in those days had birds either pigeon canary's buggies or the wild variety which was not frowned on so much or illegal as today, i got to know an old gentleman who lived not far from us he had an immense knowledge of the country side and took me under his wing, he would catch wild birds and breed with them, he would make this connection up using boiled linseed oil adding other things until it was a very sticky nature i would go with him up the fields where he would smear this paste onto thistle tops and such when the birds came to feed they would stick to the tops, job done he would place them in small gages then take them home where he would clean them up and put in a big aviary to breed with at a latter date. he had a great knowledge of birds and all nature most of the birds he breed where released back into the wilds but he would keep one or two. i think the Linnet was his favorite and would breed this bird with his Canaries it was called a mule and was breed for the lovely bird song it produced, well i got very interested in this and dad made me an aviary but i could not make this paste and the old gent would not tell me how of course it was bird lime a dying art but still known by some today. so i would catch them by using a trap it was easy using a call bird which i loaned i would catch dozens, but i could not take them home and put in an aviary i would lift them out very carefully and just look at them they were lovely the gold finch with his red head and black crown the bull finch with his red breast and black crown the linnet i would study them and let them go entering every bird in a small book, i would clime the trees to a buzzards nest and hold the young in my hand while its parents mewed above, i would seek the kestrels nest the sparrowhawks the owl and many more it was away of life my life with it is to this very day, i would spend hours in the woods in daylight and dark dad got me an old air rifle you would take a tube out of the end to put the pellet in break the gun then it was set to fire i got quite good with this old weapon and it would come every where with me i fixed a small bike light underneath the barrel and would be up the woods in the dark looking for roosting pheasants although the gun was not very powerful it was very accurate and accounted for a few birds with head shots which kept us in meat so we did not starve. i would love to sit in the woods at night and listen to the different sounds the dog fox or the screaming vixen calling her mate the owl. i learned to track the different animals especially in snow badger fox the stoat in his winter colour of white most beautiful , once while lying down out side a wood in broad daylight i had a family of weasels playing right next to me they took no notice it was a wonderful life to see the barn owl on dusk drift across them field looking for prey like a silent ghost this is how i entertaind myself alas today a lot of the habitats have gone and will never return, more to follow
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In reply to Post #468
Glad everything went well Pete wish you speedy recovery matey
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In reply to Post #467
thanks baitman
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In reply to Post #466
good to see you back at it and recovering. take it easy, fella. looking forward to the next instalments of tales of the young Shroppy Pete
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In reply to Post #465
hi taffi and everyone that has wished me well . i am now out although a little bruised and battered and i must say very tired i cant thank you all enough for your kind remarks and support and believe me the phone never stopped with texts the morning after the operation. i will endeavour to carry on my stories when i can so please bear with me god bless pete
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In reply to Post #464
good to hear all went well with the opp, pete. Look forward to more reading when your back on line m8
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In reply to Post #463
i`ve just had a phone call of Pete,as he is now home from Hospital and is now on the road to recovery.He also passed on his Thanks to all his well wishers and hopes he may get back on the Forum in a couple of Days"Thats if the Boss Dot allows him"
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In reply to Post #452
Hope everything gone right pete.
Plesed to read your stories.
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In reply to Post #461
great reading pete you have been tickleing my tockers,and get well soon.
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In reply to Post #1000
Absolutely brilliant reading these pieces, pete your a legend
My favourite memory in 30odd years of years of fishing was when me and my best mate (then age 10) used to fish some ponds about 5 miles outside blackpool. I would climb over his back gate and throw stones at his bedroom window at 5am to wake him up then he would borrow his dads pushbike tie his fibre glass rod to the frame and fill his spar carrier bag with his intrepid black prince reel (legendary) a couple of floats,jam butties, maggots etc and then we were off. About 2 miles down the road my swinging carrier bag got caught in the front wheel of my bike and i went flying over the handlebar my maggot box had opened and maggots were all over the place so we were tryting gather the little wrigglys back into the tub although all my mate could do was  at me flying off my bike as he was behind. Anyway eventually we got to the pond which in them days most could be fished by anyone and got fishing. After an hour or so of catching lots of tiny roach and perch we went over to another pond in the same field that had some decent crewies and tench in we both left our bikes at the other pond which wasnt far away. When we returned after a while my mates dads bike had been run over by a tractor or something and the front wheel was proper buckled and all i can remember him saying over & over was " my dads gonna kick **** out of me, he needs it to get to work" Well i was in bits all the way home and fair play to his dad (god bless ya ) he saw the funny side too after a lot of explaining. We are still best mates and still fish together now.
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In reply to Post #459
Thats great news dave. looking forward to more stories pete.
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In reply to Post #457
Pleased to hear you have had your op and I wish you a very speedy recovery.
I hope you can get the rods out soon and get on the bankside.
I am also looking fortward to reading your next articles on this forum very soon.
Good luck mate
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In reply to Post #457
Glad to hear you are out of hospital Pete. Have a steady but successful recovery and maybe do some fishing sometime. Many thanks for all your posts!
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In reply to Post #456
Just to let everyone know,Pete has had his op and is up and about doing well.hopefully be out of hospital tomorrow
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In reply to Post #455
Agreed. though I stll chase rabbits and pick and eat whatever the land offers.
Take my nephews sliding down the grassy hill and black berry picking
for thelast few years they love it.
got some Dansom jam made from this year
sad seeing wind blown fruit on the ground.
hope your getting better Peter.
your story is a real vision from the past
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In reply to Post #451
great writing really enjoying it....although not as old as your goodself, it takes me back to my younger years, running around, fishing small rivers and catching rabbits with the most basic of tackle / gear and oh how I wish we could turn the clock back....it really does not compare to society today.....
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In reply to Post #453
Really enjoy reading your storys pete, You really should look into the making of a book of some kind. Hope your opperation went well yesturday was thinking of you m8. regards Eifion.
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In reply to Post #452
Good luck with the op
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In reply to Post #451
sorry all none tonight in hospital early in the morning ill do some more after my operation god bless you all pete
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In reply to Post #450
i used to go up the woods and find the pheasant eggs i could come back with dozens but really did not like them that much we would use them to cook but not boiled. peasants were two a penny most shoots reared hundreds for the local gentry to shoot . i would shoot them with the Caty we were rarely without meat to eat. being a big railway town most were employed by them. we would trespass on the lines and pick up any loose coal we found we would carry bags of the stuff back home we did get found out and had a right going over by the railway staff saying how foolish we had been looking back i suppose we were but it kept us in coal. it was all steam engines in those days i loved the smell of the smoke and steam alas never to return. i had never seen a television in my life but in 1953 a chap rolled up at our house with a tele and put the aerial on the roof and away to go dad had bought one where he got the money from i do not know we had all the kids in the railway terrace watching it. i remember the coronation we had all that lived there watching it there was no room to stand let alone sit down. it was a wonderful thing other than that we used the radio an old valve set. but they were good days we always had an xmas and a few presents. one day my teacher miss owen called me out back and could not believe my ears peter she said i hear your good with the catapult and you get a few pheasant can you please get me two i was speechless. so miss own had her pheasants on a regular basis and in return she always encouraged me to learn about the country side she was a lovely old lady and lived to a fair old age ill put a bit more tomorrow but will be the last for a few days as i am going for my operation thurs morning
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In reply to Post #449
there was not much transport around in those days so it was a bike or nothing you used that for school fishing every thing .We made our own entertainment we would swim in the onny in the summer we even made our own boats with timber given to us from the timber yard opposite our house, we covered them in tarpoleon then they were black jacked i in pitch. it made a difference to my fishing i had a cheep fixed spool reel given me that actually had nylon on it. . i would glide along the river and cast to likely looking places i could get to places i had never fished before it was brilliant i had some good days at the trout and grayling but if spinning with minnow mostly all trout i had them to over two pounds and they would make a good meal, not far down stream was an island no one ever went on that place as it was quite near the water fall at halford and was quite dangerous because of the fast water. but i would it was overgrown with garlic i would dig the tumors up and some time the whole plant and take it home mum would make proper garlic from the tumors it was great to eat. we would make wine from alderbury oak bark nettles carrots you name it we made it. but that's how you survived. we as lads played football cricket one little bit stayed in my mind for life we had all been swimming and it was a very hot summer and we all sat on this height wall behind our house with only swimming trunks on there was about twelve of us some one got pushed and we all fell in the nettles behind the wall what a state we were in nettle rash all over back legs face every where even down below it was bloody horrible everyone crying the doc was called as no one knew what to do we had pink cream rubbed all over our body but i was in pain for days it never really helped that's one piece of my life i would rather forget. we also waited for the potatoes to grow on the local farms and would take a small fork and dig a few the farmers never really knew we would take them from the middle of the field so they would not notice i remember one day there was about five no us when the local farmer came down to the field we were in we lay down in the furrows between the potato tops he never realized how near he came to catching us a cats whisker he actually walked right past us no more than a ft from where we lay talk about panic because if we had been caught we would of got a good hiding from him and maybe at school as well it was stealing and would not be tolerated a little bit more latter
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In reply to Post #447
before i start rambling on thanks for the kind remarks.
it was hard in those days dad used to have some railway sleepers delivered i think he got them free. my job was to saw them up into logs then split them for fire wood to get the fire started in the mornings i did this in all weathers . that was my job once a week, i got one shilling pocket money or a good hiding if i failed to do it. My other job was to take the buckets and fill them with water from the tap whenever it was wanted, the tap would freeze in the winter and they would build a small fire around the tap to thaw it it was bloody cold i can tell you you had a bath in a big old mettle thing filling it up with boiling water from a saucepan on the gas cooker you would be absolutely freezing a times, but you had to keep clean and tidy even then i was made to have a bath once a week. i managed to get a paper round mostly delivering to the surrounding farms i would bike eight miles every day before school and in all weather i can tell you it was hard i have been in snow up to my knees and dumped the bike as it was to deep to ride through. i got seven shillings and six pence for this and it was seven days a week. but it was money that i could spend on fishing tackle . makes me laugh when i hear about schools closing because of a bit of snow we went in all weathers i have gone with snow up to my knees we put brown paper around our legs to keep the wet out with long trousers over the top some went in short trousers ererererer cold and if you did not go you would be caned or given the slipper in front of the whole school not nice but that was the way it was in those days. you would be also made to run cross country races in all weather fowl or fair and swim the onny in flood you had no option you did it you respected your teachers and elders. but the old paper round really did help would take the Caty with me no one around at that time i would have the occasional pheasant and rabbit well i suppose a few more i kept the paper shop in meat as well. well thjats another story.
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In reply to Post #447
spot on Steve...
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In reply to Post #446
This thread is essential reading for all youngsters, not only is it a history of Angling but also a glimpse via Pete's personal recollections of working class history of our country but it shows how hard life was for people in the 40's 50;s and even 60's , worse for the poor living in the cities as they had no rabbits or other food sources to fall back on. No tv no playstation no internet and no getting everything you want off your parents - they had no money no access to proper credit (the tally man was the only source) the only way out of poverty was education and hard work , education manners and culture were things which were respected then, keeping your job (if you had one) no matter what was also of the utmost importance. the most amazing thing was despite being skint and living in not too nice houses/flats on meagre budgets, hiding from the tally man and milkman and managing somehow to get by people were courteous and cheerful . Even those who sought solace in the bottle were funny and kept their manners .
There was a community then, people helped each other and looked out for each other too, I guess a lot of you youngsters think the old gits are whittering on about the old days again , well I am only 48 and have lived outside the UK for 15 years I can remember the late 60's and 70's 3 day week no electricity no school (fishing 4 days a week  ) but the way the uk changed in 15 years so qualitatively makes it almost a country I don't recognise, values and identity we lost through our own neglect in teaching our own history to our kids, the history of real people not politicians or the rich I mean, think it would do a lot of good for todays youngsters to see what Gran and Grandad had to live through and experience and how they managed so please read the thread ask Pete questions and keep it bumped near the top
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In reply to Post #445
my self and a friend called ray evans would cycle about five miles to fish a small pool a couple of acres in size it contained some nice carp well big to us as youngsters we only had crude tackle i had the tank aerials but you could only get silk line it was black and white but very strong and not to thick we used the big black hooks which i mentioned before they were all we could get in the late forties. They were easy to tie on with the big eye weights were a bit of a problem we some time managed to get the old round ones ,you know what i mean the old ball shot but we did make our own, being a major railway town they used to have trains full of racing pigeon the cages had lead seals so i would collect these melt them down make a mould around one of mums thimbles a wire loop in the end job done. They worked after watching another angler using par boiled, potato we started to give them ago also big bunches of lob worm and bread crust or flake. we managed to night fish the place it was very exiting we had no chairs only a sack or blanket to sit or lie on two forked sticks for our rod rests and a piece of silver paper as indicators my bike light to illuminate the silver paper. well it worked although we got very cold on more than one occasion we had no landing net i never even saw one in those days we managed if hooked to land the fish by hand often getting very wet trying but we caught we did the impossible and out fished some of the adults that fished there. i suppose it was luck we never had any pressure on us to catch it was pure enjoyment when you hooked one in the night you would shake with pleasure although when landed it would rarely be above three pounds but they were lovely little commons we would float fish in the day with a big porcupine quill and a big piece of crust as bait you would sit for hours before it was away .then every one on the pool would come over and have a look to see how big it was it was lazy hazy days two lads learning together , alas ray has now past away but i often think about our time together and the fish we caught well ill, put a bit on tomorrow before i go in hospital thurs
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In reply to Post #444
as i have said you would eat anything in those days. in the spring i would go looking for ducks eggs the mallard would lay anywhere it was safe from predators humans included, they would lay a clutch up in an old withy tree. i would take three or four eggs and return a few days latter for a couple more she would keep laying as long as not frightened they were delicious boiled or fried another one which is worth a mention was the peewit i would spend hours looking for his nest there were hundreds around when i was young and although the eggs were small they were delicious I would watch them for hours they would land but would not go straight to their nest until they were sure no one was watching her. i would take only two eggs per nest but when i had got half a doz that was enough and would take them home mum would pickle them for a latter date we ate moorhens coots you name it we ate it that's how we survived. I think i mentioned most people kept a pig in the back garden it was fed on scraps left over when it was killed all the neighborhood came around to help it was like a party they would scrap the hairs off its body then it was cut up into the different joints and salted great big filches of bacon hung on hooks from the beams in the house it would go rather black from the coal fire nothing was wasted the head brains the heart liver even the testicles it would keep us in meat for months to be continued
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In reply to Post #443
i soon found out how to get a rabbit or two for free. this was pre mixey years i would be away up the fields . The rabbit catcher would set hundreds of snares up by the side of the woods or hedge rows he would literally catch hundreds of rabbits they would be sent all over the uk Liverpool Birmingham London they were a valuable commodity. week ends would come and i would be away as early as permitted and with a bit of luck would pinch a couple out of the his snares did i say a couple well it looks good maybe a few more. i would take a couple home for mum and sell the rest to our neighbors for whatever they could afford. I soon learned how to reset the snares firstly tyding up any mess the struggling rabbits had made i would reset them he never ever did realize he had been done
. Just up the river was a place called the grove in spring it was covered in daffodils as youngsters we would pick big bunches and sell them around the town anything to make a few pence. the place at the time was strictly private something to do with the war. the local farmer who owned part of the property put a big old bull in there to stop us lads going any where near the place it was a big black and white bull and was really nasty. It chased us through the woods one day and i ended diving in the river to get away from him, put me off bulls for life i can tell you. It was also a great fishing spot i would love to get under the grove bridge no one knew you were there i would cast a big old worm to the far arch and let it glide down away it would go i had some big old trout from that spot grayling as well. i used to fish sibdon castle lake it did hold carp . although i never caught one. i mainly fished for the perch and roach i would hide in the reeds and float fish i never did get discovered. They used to hold some very big shoots on that estate in the late forties early fifties i would love to go along and hide in the hedge and watch the gents and ladies shoot. if the opportunity arrived i would watch were a shot bird came down and would have it before it was picked up by the keepers, i had a good many like that. you could see the expression on the guns face when he was trying to tell the keeper where the bird had come down but it had long gone in my bag i would titter away to myself i suppose i was lucky not to get caught but i really was learning the ways of the country side and getting a bit to eat for the family, and friends. will continue
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In reply to Post #438
as i said my dad was a signal man and we moved to craven arms in 1949 we lived in a railway terrace no electricity only gas we would light the gas mantles at night but mum did have a gas cooker i would go to bed at night with a oil lamp it was very cold in the winter and the bedroom walls would glisten with the frost on them if you were cold on with another blanket or a coat usually an x army one. But we managed i think if i remember right butter and sugar and tea were still rationed . so as you can see there was not much money around. another point worth mentioning every person born in this country had a registration card stating his date of birth and saying he was English i still have mine somewhere. they were hard times, you could leave your front or back door open at all times no fear of burglars and such the only Peron that came was a neighbour who would drop you a piece of pork from a recently killed pig or a peasant or rabbit, every one looked after one another in those days. i know this has nothing to do with fishing but i am really trying to tell you how we lived. when the potato harvest came the women mum included would go potato picking to earn extra money The farmer would give every body a bucket of potatoes every night to take home at times if not at school i was made to go and also helped out but i never got payed but did get a few potatoes i would fill a bucket also all my pockets with the little round things. we would put them on the fire at home and bake them they were delicious with a knob of margarine or butter if you had some. in august you were made to go mushrooming i would come home with a basket full also the women would go blackberrying and would fill there baskets to bring home to make jam i hated this and would eat more than i picked. we were also made to pick the hazel nuts i did not mind this so much because they were nice to eat. i would fill a small basket and mum would salt them and put them away for the future this is how people lived and nothing was wasted its a shame it does not happen today more to come latter 
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In reply to Post #437
I spent many happy hours watching the otters that inhabited the river onny i would lie in reeds or brambles along the side of the river and watch them play and catch fish they never ever knew i was there the wild life at the time was immense far greater than it is today. i would love to be out on a summers night fishing and hear the nightingale sing it was most beautiful or lie in the hay field and listen to the skylark, no not with a girl . I was up the river fishing this one day and heard all this shouting hiding my rod i went to have a look the other side of the bridge were a number of men wading in the water with dogs everywhere the men all had green or red coats on and were thrashing the water with sticks then i saw an otter the dogs were on him in a flash, and they disappeared under the bridge in deeper water it was coloured red with blood from the otter or the dogs it never appeared the other side the dogs searched the adjacent fields also the undergrowth along the bank but he was never found, this is how they controlled the otter years ago and it had quite a following from ladies to gentry but i did not really like it but that's how it was.
As i have said in a recent thread we relied on rabbit for a good many of our meals sunday dinner included roast stewed or pie with potatoes and peas lots of revenue was made from rabbit the local butcher would have them hanging out side his shop and would sell them sixpence each or two for a shilling. then it happened myxomatosis mixy as we called it myself and the lads would go up the fields there would be hundreds dying heads as big as footballs we would put them out of his misery and by 1955 ninety five per cent off all rabbits were dead it was horrendous it was introduced in Australia in ,1950 then in the uk 1952 it had far greater implication's on the other wild life buzzards owls foxes and such also putting a lot out of work the likes of warreners even some of the farmers relied on the income generated from the humble rabbit its been [part of my life so we then had to rely on other thing to eat ie pheasant duck and such. more to come
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In reply to Post #435
ill keep adding a bit but its been along time since school spelling not always as it should thanks baitman ill certainly will carry on
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In reply to Post #435
all the best with your operation, Pete...
get well soon, you little ruffian
hope you add to your great thread with more of your interesting tales while your recovering. its a fantastic read, mate. i look forward to it more than anything else on the forum
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In reply to Post #434
In reply to Post #433
Hi Pete was reading today in the paper about rationing and that it only really affected those without money and no black market access, reading your stories reminds me how hard up all working people were in the 40 50 and even 60's. Still no obese kids or people then though keep writing pete really enjoy these little bites of your past . no playstations phones sms or chat ,entertain yourself and we did too, whether playing footy on hackney marshes or fishing in the lea till it got dark
hi ex pat it was a good life hard at times but also good we were out from dawn to dusk fishing in the summer swiming in the river oh to much to mention people were hard up and would eat things that people today would not. as you say no tv no playstations only the fields and wide open spaces. i was lucky i loved nature and would spend hours in the woods and feilds birds nesting making camps plenty to do , and if allowed i would do it all again one thing a failed to mention most kept a pig in the back garden. and when killed would keep a family and freinds in meat ie bacon for at least 12 months or more pete
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In reply to Post #433
Hi Pete was reading today in the paper about rationing and that it only really affected those without money and no black market access, reading your stories reminds me how hard up all working people were in the 40 50 and even 60's. Still no obese kids or people then though keep writing pete really enjoy these little bites of your past . no playstations phones sms or chat ,entertain yourself and we did too, whether playing footy on hackney marshes or fishing in the lea till it got dark
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In reply to Post #432
i used to love harvest time. the farmer would cut the corn with a binder and the sheaves would be collected and stacked upon a dray to take to the farm, all the adults and youngsters would be there with our sticks, the rabbits would run out of the corn by the dozen and we would chase them giving them a good smack on the head i have seen at least a couple of hundred rabbits killed this way and some times the farmer would put a long net at the point he thought most would run they would get tangled in the net then dispatched, i suppose it was extra income and they were hard times. At the end of the day you would get a couple each if you were lucky depending how many rabbits you killed some farmers were miserable old buggers and would only give you one. i soon got around that and would hide three or four in the hedge and when all was quite pick them up latter two for mum and four for me i would sell them for sixpence apiece giving me a bit of pocket money. i would play truant from school and follow the harvest around at different farms, it was great till i got caught and had the stick again, in front of all the school The farmer labourers would stack all the sheaves back at the farm and at a latter date would get the thrashing machine out which separates the wheat from the chaff it was fascinating as they came to the bottom of the stack it would be full of rats the men would tie their trousers at the bottoms to stop the rats running up the inside of their legs. there would be hundreds of the little critters, In would go the farm dogs and would get in a real frenzy and would get bitten lots of times what with pikeland sticks being used by the men and dog barking and squealing they would literally kill hundreds i suppose thinking back it was j a job well done ridding the farm of quite a menace. most of the farms had chickens and i suppose you could call them free range no battery houses in those days they would roam where they liked and so would i collecting a couple here and a couple there i dont think mum ever paid for eggs i used to get told off by the old man but i never did get caught i was just plain lucky i suppose All though this has nothing to do with fishing it was part of my life And it is slowly being forgotten how people managed to get by in the early fortys and fiftys more to come
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In reply to Post #429
Well done Peter speedy recovery matey
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In reply to Post #429
Best wishes for a speedy recovery from the op Pete.
Looking forward already to your next article.
Good Luck
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In reply to Post #429
i hope the operation go's smoothly and you have a speedy recovery look forward to hearing more about your life i, its very entertaining and has been a great read so good luck for next week
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In reply to Post #428
well all my stories are mostly from memory alas i will not be putting on many next week as i am going in hospital for a knee operation to replace my right knee joint but hope to carry on when i return and feel a little better, to all those on the forum that asked me to contiue and those that read my stories thanks god bless pete
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In reply to Post #427
in those days i was as i said a bit of a jack the lad, i loved the country side and all that was in it. i would go birds nesting. which was allowed in those days. i would only take one egg out of a nest and had a fair collection. my Caty was always in my pocket and if i had the chance off a rabbit or pheasant i would certainly take it which was most welcome at home i would go any where private or not and had some narrow escapes when chased by the game keepers. not far from my home was a place called jackdoor rocks and i would clime the rocks to get their eggs, well i took home a young jackdoor and reared him he became a marvelous pet and would come every where with me. he would follow me to school and meet me when i left sitting mostly on my head or shoulder, but there was one problem he used to take all mums spoons out of the house into his gage she was not impressed and i got a good many telling off he would take anything silver. he also came when i went fishing for the trout and the grayling he would let you know if anyone was around i had old jack for a good many years i went to feed him one morning and he had fell off his perch and was dead i was heartbroken we had been companions for years. but life must go on i still fished stokesay pool and one day i was there i caught my first pike what a fish it took a small rudd as i played him it was only around eight pounds but massive to me. i learned very quickly that there teeth are sharp as trying to get the fish and hook out it closed its mouth on my hand it really hurt and had trouble getting it out it made quite a mess and brought the tears to my eyes, well the farmer came around and killed it saying he was going to eat it but not before my dad took some photos. not far from stokesay was onibury court there was some nice pools on the property none of the locals would go near the place. as it was heavily keeper I would be away on my bike and fish these pools they held big roach rudd and pike. and as i have said strictly private. i would hide my bike get to the pools hide in the reeds and float fish with worms or bread i had some nice roach going a pound or more , the rudd where most beautiful. colour but caught nothing over half a pound no one ever knew i had been there and i was never discovered i had to move quickly one day when they shot it for duck and hid up the nearest tree more to follow
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In reply to Post #426
I loved my life and the nature all around me. we continued fishing from the pontoon you would soon get the pike going, you would trot down for the roach and bang you got a take out came the pike gear one method that i used was live baiting. i used ten pound line with a big old cork float or a plastic one with a drilled bullet a swivel and trace below you could adjust the cork float as it had a piece of dowling the middle i would attach a small roach and could fish it at different depths i found this method caught as it was a free roaming set up. but never really caught the bigger fish but we caught lots using it, I was only young but learning all the time another method that worked well in winter was float fished dead bait i would fish the the float well over depth with a split it on the trace then a small drilled bullet next a swivel line through the float and and then a split shot to stop the float. beads were not around in those days we had a few good days using this method but it was a waiting game. But you could still fish for the roach and chub While you waited for a take. today when i go i just ledger dead baits and it has accounted for some good fish i still did a bit of poaching and would be up the fields with my gun. i, met a chap by the name of blunt and would both shoot together it was the partridge we were after and would walk the local fields and accounted for a quite a number the were great to eat and mum and dad loved them we got chased a few times by the police and keepers but never got caught it was sgt landers he knew what we were up to but could not prove a thing. over the years i got to know a local gypsy his knowledge of the country side was immense and he taught me how to tickle trout and i had a few from local brooks doing it but that's another story spinning for the pike was another method big old spoons i would make my own i would pinch mums spoons cut the handle off and drill both ends to attach the swivels they worked but were not as good as the ones you bought from the shops i used to buy one called the kidney spoon i would walk the severn and cast to any likely spot i caught lots not really big but they would scrap well. i would never kill one in those days and would put them back no matter what size they were and conservation was on my mind even in those days to be continued
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In reply to Post #425
thanks for the kind remarks ozzone
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In reply to Post #424
Great reading Pete Thanks very enjoyable
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In reply to Post #423
As i have said i left school at fifteen and had a bit of money in my pocket to buy tackle i already owned a hardy built cane combination rod that my parents bought also a Mitchell 300 reel so i was well equipped i also still had the old tank aerials but managed to buy another mitchell and also a 12 ft cane rod with a green heart top which had a very fast action. hooks and line were coming on in leaps and bounds the year was 1957 i still had my old center pin which i used for trotting down the severn for the dace my Michell's were loaded with five pound line it was a bit springy but did the job, a bit latter i did manage to buy an apollo taper flash it was a great rod but the only fault was it corroded from the inside over a period of years but it served me well. i had an assortment of floats mainly the avon type but also made my own out of balsa wood and cork which were hung all over the house while the paint dried it drove my mum scaty. carp tackle was very limited as only a few fished for them. the likes of dick and the carp club. I loved to go chub fishing on my beloved rea brook ,i would feed them with great big pieces of bread from a fresh loaf and catch them off the top you would miss a few i had them to four pounds on this method and had some great evenings after work, there was also some nice roach present. There was one stretch i really liked it was very fast that ran into some slower water i would sit behind the reeds and feed maggots then trot down with bread flake and maggot as soon as the float reached the deeper water it dipped and i was in i had some great mornings catching loads to three quarters of a pound. it was fantstic fishing it was the best days of my life. i would also by make bread paste and mix it with blue if you could get it let it stand a couple of days did it stink but deadly for ledgering for the chub looking back i think i caught my biggest chub from there on that paste 4ib 80z but a good chub in those days it also held some good eels and i caught loads ledgering lobs to about three pound for a small brook it held some fantastic fish to be continued
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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
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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. 
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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
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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
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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
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In reply to Post #1000
essential forum reading
never mind essential reading, i cant wait for the film to come out
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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
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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
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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
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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
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In reply to Post #406
great stuff, Pete, you old scally
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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
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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
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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
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In reply to Post #388
great reading
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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
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In reply to Post #398
Thanks for all your wonderful reminiscences, Pete...Keep 'em coming
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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
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In reply to Post #396
keep it coming pete , fantastic reading
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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
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In reply to Post #394
thanks old geezer
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In reply to Post #393
Brilliant pete keep up the good work happy new year 
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In reply to Post #391
thanks for the kind remarks sid
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Some old school pics from other members are allowed in this thread as well i asume?
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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
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In reply to Post #1000
In reply to Post #384
Great thread and essential forum reading .I shall sticky the thread for a while,to encourage Pete to continue to add to the thread
i will put some more stories up at a latter date at the preasent i am waiting for big maz acker dave to put some photos up of me to make the thread a little better, he has a good many on his hard drive so i am keeping my fingers crossed that they will soon be on
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In reply to Post #388
thanks foxy
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Cant believe ive never seen or read this thread brefore. only read some of it as the working day is nearly over.
will read the rest later. top writing
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In reply to Post #386
Bill was fine when we fished with him at Redmire in August
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In reply to Post #380
Last time we spoke was after Redmire Jan 09.....he was "tied up" with a young sort!
God only knows what She's done to him!
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In reply to Post #383
Your welcome Pete
There's not many anglers who can say they have had as illustrious a career in the sport as you have mate
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In reply to Post #382
your both welcome m8 i dont think it will get that far, thanks for the kind remark greg
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In reply to Post #381
Minus the editing fee Dave
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In reply to Post #377
i`ve still got all the photos and articles,be worth a pretty penny soon for me Sir Pete
ohh and a nominal amount put aside for Greg.
i`ll have a few more stories,when i finally get to fish with Pete in Shropshire next year
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In reply to Post #378
For a minute then I thought Bill had returned.....Happy Christmas Bill......hoping to get back down to the pool for another January stunne
What happened with Bill 
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In reply to Post #378
Great to see these stories of yours back up Pete
As Ken said, should be required reading for CF members
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For a minute then I thought Bill had returned.....Happy Christmas Bill......hoping to get back down to the pool for another January stunner
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In reply to Post #376
thanks robbie and ken there are loads of photos to go with it. since writing on here it has been edit . big maz did have a load of photos on his computer and so did taffi i think taffi still has them some where on his hard drive. there was also a tele proghram with me fishing on the river guden in denmark with angling times trotting for the big roach and bream that it held but that was in the seventys, at the time billy lane was there. we had many tot of wiskey together, the locals used to come down with baskets and try and buy the roach and bream off you.also there at the time was the world match team keven ashhurst and his fathe beney and many more a good time was had by all
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In reply to Post #375
Indeed Ken!
It took me hours to read the stuff when i bumped on this thread nearly a year ago, but it was top class reading!
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In reply to Post #374
Dave: Well done for bumping this thread...Great stuff from Pete, material that should be required reading for everyone who visits this forum.
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In reply to Post #373
Pete, ive only just found this thread. i have sat and read it right through. i can honestly say its been a privilege sharing some of your memories.
heres hoping you enjoy many more days out and have a few other stories to tell us all.
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In reply to Post #372
good enought thanks
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In reply to Post #371
Well I've given it ago, I'm in no way a writer, but thought I'd give it quick go.
Where do I start? It’s such a long time ago. It was the late sixties/seventies when I saw an advert in the local paper about starting a specimen group to fish the big Shropshire and Cheshire meres. The group, called the “three county’s specimen group” (Also known as “Kelly Commandos”), was founded with the intention of catching the large bream that subsided within the large waters around that area. In those days, a bream of eight pounds was considered a large fish. We started on Coalmere, Ellesmere and the meres in the Shropshire. It did not take long to get among the fish. The first night I had a fish of nine pounds 15 oz, which was massive for the time, and we continued catching throughout that season, ending with the group breaking the British record. It was about this time I received a letter from the man himself, Dick Walker. He wanted to know all about our fishing experience, regarding big bream. He invited Dennis Kelly, two others and myself down to stay in his fishing hut on his private stretch of river near Letchworth. The idea was to catch the big chub and bream that inhabited it. We did not do much fishing. The great man arrived, he walked over the fields towards me, his trade mark hat on his head, my heart missed a beat, my boyhood hero at last, “Hello Pete, caught anything?” He said, clutching two fishing rods in his hand, “I’ve brought you these, they may be of some use to you.” I was dumb struck, shocked. We all went back to the hut. A fire was quickly made, bacon and egg was the order of the day. Dick brought a couple of bottles of whiskey jocking and stayed with us most of the evening and part of the night. He was a most funny man, he could take on any accent, he was brilliant. We were all slightly drunk by the time he went. He took my telephone number and said he would be in touch. That’s the first meeting with Dick, the first of many.
If you think that's good enough for you, I'll do the rest of them in abit, and get them send to Bill.
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In reply to Post #370
stu ill send full story to you on sunday away all day tomorrow thanks
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In reply to Post #369
Please, can you put this into a downloadable format, so I can read it whilst I'm fishing. It would be a top read!
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In reply to Post #368
thanks martin for you kind remarks
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In reply to Post #365
That is so very well put Steve, great appreciative post aimed at someone who has dedicated his life to angling and is now passing on his knowledge and experience to young people. Well done Pete, you're one in a million mate
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In reply to Post #366
Pete what a great wrighter your stories are top stuff long may you keep fishing all the best in the future
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In reply to Post #365
this is the best thread i have ever read on this or any other forum, displays a real passion for angling
expat thanks for your kind remarks about my stories
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In reply to Post #364
this is the best thread i have ever read on this or any other forum, displays a real passion for angling.
Really great kept me spellbound for over an hour, thanks Pete filled my head full of images of the places you fished with your mates. Reminded me of my early days in the 70's too with our home made solutions bivvy covers (tea strainers as they let water in)
This is the history of our sport, how our tackle and baits rigs were developed and written by someone who took part, designed thought and mixed with his fellow anglers to do so.
the comradeship amongst Pete and his mates is also heartwarming, and the enthusiasm they showed.
how anyone can find it boring or thinks it shouldn't be shared or confined to a book escapes me .
But then given the lack of interest in reading, education and history etc in the UK today perhaps it shouldn't.
All i can say is if it wasn't for people like Pete and his mates, the likes of Cliff Fox , Nash etc ie todays tackle manufacturers and designers would never have learned enough to make the money they have providing todays young generation of carpers with all their high end tech gear and home comforts .
it may take time to read but do so its worth every syllable , we used our brains to work out solutions and made them at home , there wasn't a ready made solution available on line .
Pete please keep writing your memories mate , they are wonderful from a historical point of view , great entertainment and a tribute to your mates who have past.
those moaning about waters being mentioned ffs do you seriously think those thinking of guesting don't know where they are anyway ? Pete's writing should tell you that if he found em all that time ago without a mobile, gps etc I am sure todays guesters can
fantastic effort as well cheers 
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In reply to Post #362
thankyou....
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In reply to Post #361
gentle hairy old farts prehaps???
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In reply to Post #361
get hooked on fishing
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In reply to Post #360
whats ghof?
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In reply to Post #359
for all those that supported me ie bill livingstone gregrot stu and many more to write my stories about the late dick walker and my lifes fishing, the article has now been sent to a publisher . and a leeding editor of some mag it was sent by the coordinator for ghof mr karl humpreys and we are now awaiting results, i may find out more on sat at the fishing show at the nec where we have been invited as guests of ghof thanks again pete
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In reply to Post #358
thank for the offer stu i would be most gratful for your help as bill is far to busy to do the editing thanks again
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In reply to Post #356
its up for youon general discussion
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In reply to Post #355
well i am coming to the end of my story, im still fishing with mike and my old pal graham, i have not done as much this year because of health issues, but i am hopping to get a few trips in and maybe catch a few lumps. there are maney waters that i have not mentiond one such water is the now famous birch grove i fished that water for years long before any syndicate fished there you were lucky if you saw any more anglers on the place . i mostly fished it with a pal and caught some very big eels and carp from the pool. i have been very lucky to have fished some of these waters. although now private they will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. i would like to thank all the members on this forum for there pms who encouraged me to continue writing my stories. and all the kind things they have said. thanks to you all,i would like to thank mike for his understanding and compasion he has shown me erecting my bivie and at other times getting my tackle to my swim a top man and freind and all the other pals you know who you are without m e saying and lastly my dear pal graham for putting up with my passion all those years ago, i am so privalidged to have met so maney of the old greats . dick who has been a big inspiration throught out my years of angling and a great freind and lots more to maney to mention. and lastly i would like to thank bill livingstone and gregrot for the task of editing my stories . a lot of work and i will always be gratfull i owe you both one..well i do hope you have enjoyed my stories. and a big thank you to you all. i now hope to get a bit more fishing done god willing thanks again pete
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In reply to Post #354
we returned to our south shropshire mere pike fishing this time takiing my old mate graham, we decided once again to troll behind the boat, hoping to catch one of the bigger rezidents that inhabited the mere this time we used the big plugs that rattle when moved throught the water. on the first circuit arround graham was in and the way it was fighting i thought we had got our first big one. but getting it two the net it was only twelve pounds when weighted but still not a bad start it was mikes turn next god did they hit these plugs nearly taking the rod out of your hands realy vicous takes. his fish was another simalar size fish as grahams we ended the day with fifteen fish with none over twelve pounnds, we still live in hope as over the last couple of years there has been two over thirty caught. well the winter came and went , by this time mike and i had packed the south shropshire syndicate in althought we had caught some good fish from the lake ie eels and big perch we felt the larger carp were no longer in there and had caught nothing larger than sixteen pounds over the few seasons we were in it. we did do some early spring days at ellesmere we had the lake more or less to our selves exept for two of our mates it was hard fishing and very cold in two months i managed to catch twelve fish the biggest just under twenty mike and nick managed four or five between them so in the end it was quite sucsesfull, unfortunatly the north shropshire syndicate we were in sufferd a big otter kill so most members packed the syndicate in. my health was getting a lot worse and i was suffering with this syatica nerve it would go then return, but i managed to continue my fishing and i am very greatfull for the help my freinds give me in times of need getting my tackle to my swim and erecting my bivie i owe them so much more to come
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In reply to Post #353
it was about this time we joined another syndicate in north shropshire it was a pretty water and had a reputation for producing big fish. at one time it had produced some very big grass carp but not in the last few years but carp in the upper thirtys had been caught . after seening the owner and having a look arround and seeing some resonable fish we paid our money and decided to give it a go. we did a couple of day sessions to start with. there was two lakes with a dam wall spliting them in half to top lake had an island but was very silty . i decided to fish from the corner of the dam wall one rod in front of the dam and two rods to the island. i used chod rigs on the rods fished to the island. i did not have to wait long the rod by the dam shot of and i had soon landed a nice commen of ninteen pounds i was quite pleased as it was my first atempt on the water. then away went one of the rods fishing to the island and another nice commen was landed. one of the other lads managed another little mirror of fifteen pounds. i was quite looking forward to our next session but arriving at the water the fish had got there minds on other things spwning all over the lake we did give it a go but it was usless and decided to give it a miss for a couple of weeks. we started to fish the lake in south shropshire having a few short seesions i was fishing my three rods to a island and m ike fished to open water. it did not take long and iwas away on my right hand rod landing a mirror just under fifteen pounds. mike was next catching a simalar fish to be honest it went a bit crazy with a fish a cast for the first hour but none over fifteen pounds but good sport all the same. at the end of the day mike and myself had caught fifteen carp a mixture of mirrors and commens. and decided to do a night session on the water at a later date . more toio come later
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In reply to Post #352
mick and i continued fishing ellesmere and had some really good days we fished from febuary to may catching one hundred and fiftyy carp maney over the twenty pound mark. one such day which will remain with me forever was the day we fished on my sixty third birthday we fished in the company of another freind called nick the day started so well for me . on my first cast catcing a superb twenty plus commen to follow it with another twenty commen i was really on a hight . nick managed one of fifteen pounds not long after well to continue my story i managed another three fish between fifteen and seventeen pounds. i was quite satisfied witrh my day and looking forward to going home to a party my family had prepared. following mike home a car came arround a corner completly out of control he had lost it and yours truly was hit head on i dont rember much after only coming arround stuck on top of this hedge. mick was shouting he thought i was dead. the fire service were called and eventua;ly they cut me out. my new car was a complete write off. but i was still alive. it serously effected my fishing for the next couple of months and i suppose i have not really recovered even to this day. but there you go thats life well mick ran me every were even fishing we ended fishing in south shroshire on our syndicate lake i found it terribly difficult as the crash had effected my spine and the syatica nerve. but we continued catching some nice perch and eels the carp had turned off completly and other members had not been catching. well i did get a screamer on my right hand rod only to lose it to a hook pull. i did manage one other fish a small ten pound commen so mick and i decided to give the lake a rest and fish another venue. more of that later
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In reply to Post #341
well as i said in a earlier thread mike and i found this other small pool just outside shrewsbury. we had reports of match anglers getting broke so we joined the club and decided to give it a go , the only problem was the hight banks and the small stages thaqt the club had made, i was a little bit concerned about getting down to them with my bad legs. on our first visit on looking arround we found the fish were spawning at the bottom end of the lake but did see some good fish preasent and quite a few upper twentys . on the next visit we started to use feeders. the first four hours passed without a bleep on the alarms and quite honestly though we were going to blank, i dont think the fish had ever seen a bollie, but out of the blue my right hand rod shot off. it was a night mare playing this fish partly because of the hight banks and the dence vegetation which was growing along the bank. but after some time it was netted. well i was quite shocked when looking in the net the fish was a cross cruscian commen i had never seen such funny looking fish after weighing it and photos took it was returned. the next take nearly pulled my rod from the rests and was a bit of a scramble to get to it, this fish turned out to be a mirror weighing in at eighteen pounds. and a very deep belled fish. not long after i was away again this time i was completly smashed i could do nothing with the fish and was broken in the margins further to my right. mike managed one fish arround twelve pounds. we made arrangments to fish the pool at a later date. unfortuntly we did not get back for some two months owing to other commitments on arriving we were told that the pool had suffeed from a big otter kill so that was that. we have returned to have a look in the last twelve months but have spotted no big carp it appears to be empty. but then thats nature . mor to follow
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In reply to Post #348
whilst not wanting to take anything away from petes recollections,
some sort of time line would be nice.
when did all this take place? over what sort of time scale?
are we looking at a couple of seasons here, or a couple of decades?
not having a dig, just interested.......
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In reply to Post #348
Well said Martin. What Pete's written has been the best thing I've read for a long time. I hope he keeps it coming and that the killjoys retreat into their shells - and stay there.
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In reply to Post #347
I just happen to know that the water Pete is referring to as Ellesmere, is a day ticket water so he's not breaking any code of silence there. As for the other folk who want Pete to stop writing, shame on you.
The bloke has been specimen angling longer than most folk on here have been alive. So what if you fish the waters that he has, you can't take away the fact that he has fished them in the past. This whole thing is a little piece of angling history, Pete's history and good on him for sharing it I say
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In reply to Post #346
there are a few who dont like you mention places on here you no longer fish pete
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In reply to Post #342
and what are you on about tom i am suprised at you considering your a mate and in my syndicate
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In reply to Post #343
its not were i go mate so i would not worry to much
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In reply to Post #337
Oi Oi little v  Loads aint there,, 
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In reply to Post #342
ellesmeres a syndicate m8! us members try to keep it hush hush!
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In reply to Post #340
graham had started fishing once again and we decided to have a day on shomere the rudd fishing on there could be quite superb if you could get amongst the bigger fish the only problem was the mozzies it was infested with the little blighters . we arrived quite early just taking ouur float rods with us we fished into eight foot of water using maggot and bread flake it did not take long to get amongst them catching fish from a qauter to half pound in weight but none of the bigges that we knew were preasent but it was good sport catching the odd bream in between.. there was also the old problem with the pike as soon as you get the rudd feeding in come the pike. they are not huge fish but fished on the right tackle can be great fun. i think we caught arround five that morning with the biggest only going to eight pounds. we did catch a few of the bigger rudd as the day came to an end but nothing over a pound and a half . the next day saw me once again at berrington hopping to catch the carp. on setting up on the boards, my right hand rod shot off and i was connected to one angry carp on netting and weighing it turned the scales to twenty two pounds not a bad start to the day. the next fish was a nice tench of arround five pounds followed by one of six pounds i stuck it out for the rest of the day but that was it the place went absolutly dead. i decided next time i fished there .i would use the feeder rod for the bream i returned the next day armed with my feeder rod and had quite a good day catching half a dozen tench to six pounds and a few bream to four pounds. although other members of the syndicate say . the big bream are still in the water i am not that certain as years ago you would see them rolling all over the pool.. more to follow
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In reply to Post #339
it was to martin mere next to fish for the pike once again trolling from mikes boat. i decided to use the jelly lures yet again and on the first trip arround the lake i had the lure completly bit in half the way the pike took the lure it must of been a very large fish. we continued all morning catching pike the heavest arround twelve pounds not big but we were happy they were fish and we were not blanking after some food and a cupa we continued our fishing and ended the day with fifteen fish not large by standards but very welcome. two days later saw us fishing the river once again for the pike we were dead baiting once again with sprats and herrings and in the first half hour had two runs resulting at one of fifteen pounds and one of twelve, mike managed one at ten pounds and two jacks we fished the rest of the day without another take. i returned on my own the following day and managed to catch another two with the biggest going sixteen pounds not a bad result i was quite happy..to continue after holls
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In reply to Post #338
well it was back to ellesmere we had fished on and of all year . i really wanted to catch one of the cat fish that inahabited the lake there was only two in the water but both big fish last time one had been caught it weighted forty nine pounds. well it was to be on this particular day in the company of mike i managed to hook one it took a fish meal bollie and nearly dragged my rod from the rests. it led me a merry dance the lake has an arm coming of it and goes arround like a cannal and back in the other side. well up this cannal it went with me in full cry i managed after some time to get him back in the main lake well i must of had this fish on for at least half an hour and could not gain line at all. into the middle it went full steam a head with me just hanging on for crim death.in the end all went solid snagged but on what as far as i knew there were no snagges in the lake well it happend i pulled and i was broke on retreving the end tackle it was absolutly shreeded i was guttted. but thats fishing. i have never had anything on like that in my live. but i live in hope that it may happen once again. but the day was not so bad mike managed five carp to twenty pounds. and i managed three mirrors to ninteen and one commen of twenty pounds. well thats it for now more later
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In reply to Post #332
well mick and i joined forces with tom and nick and its funny really tom was one of the said poachers i chased all those years ago but really he is a gentle ghiant a big man weighing 22 stone. we all started fishing a water in swouth shropshire it was a bit of a runs water a more or less fished it in the winter. the fish never really got much above fifteen pounds , but it was good sport i fished it on the feeder when i first started there and caught from the start on light tackle did they go mike and i were averaging twenty fish per sessoin the farmer gave a prize in money for the largest fish caught in that particular year. its about this time my mate graham came arround to my house and said he had got cancer. i was stuck for words my mate i had fished with all yhose years ago having that he had got it in the prostrate wich they had found it when they operated. i took him every morning for 18 weeks for radio therapy.. and after maney tests since he has been given the all clear. and guess what after all these years he is fishing with us once again, i thing he found it a bit hard methods had changed there was the hair rig i ended arround at his home showing him how to tye them. he bought new rods reels but he had in our earlier days never fished with heavy leads as we do today and it was like a learning proces all over again he is now seventy one but at least fishing and catching some resonable fish well one day talkingto the farmer he told us a thirty plus had come out and he had photos and had paid the chap that caught it the annual cash prize. so it ended up doing a night session on the place mike and my self both used light weight carp rods using feeders and bolies on the busnesss end, well never again from the start i caught and by morning i was a complete wreck i caught thirty eight fish all between ten and fifteen pounds, mike was more sensable and packed up and got some sleep, but not a ll on the lake caught the lads below myself only had one fish, and wanted to know what i wAs using i soon but them right. and should really of got some sleep but i carried on a ll day..and i think the final total was over fifty carp, i never fished the next night i was completly exusted and with my health problems it did not help so i left it to mike and i forgot graham who had also come. they fished that night while i slept. and caught quite a nuber of fish, i would never night that water again. we have been back but more as a winter water just to get a few runs, but last time i went the water was getting over run with anglers from all over as far away as liverpool. the farmer was on about netting the place and removing some of yhe smaller fish we will have to see. ive now got to be off to teach some young lads to hoppfully fish till mid day. then go on holls for a few days if the weather improves more to come later on my return
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In reply to Post #336
Then let the replies commence......... 
I for one will not be removing any of the more explicit ones, just for you !
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In reply to Post #335
why should he be lynched ??
if he finds it a boring read ,nothing wrong in voiceing an opinion,,
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In reply to Post #334
I think the Pete fan club will lynch you for the yawning sign !
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In reply to Post #333
 quite agree haha
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you need to write a book or something
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In reply to Post #331
well of we go again we started to fish a lake in north shropshire lets call it the secret lake, a freind of ours took us there his name is tom and had fished the lake maney years ago now before we get any further i have never caught from there. it was mainly a bream an roach water next to it is two small pools wich were orginaly used as stock pools for carp and a few got into the bigger water. the bream run up to arround ten pounds and might even grow bigger some good roach and some very big carp and i mean big. up to now i have only seen one fish come out and that was caught by another freind called nick he was lucky enought to catch it off the top on dog biscuit i my self have only fished it twice. but mike has managed a lovely bream eight pounds plus the carp nick caught was a lovely twenty one pound commen with not mark on him there are not many and it is megga hard the owner does not like night fishing althought he may relent but quite honestly i think they can be caught in the day as it has seen no pressure. the farmer found one dead a few years ago and that was a top thirty. i have peronaly seen two fish together and the one was at least 25 pounds and was dwarfed by the one with him its unusual to find a lake not fished so watch this space. mike and i had been fishing another water just up the road fom the water ive told you about the owner had told us there was some good carp in there but could tell us nothing about the size of the fish, it had been and still was used by a club for match fishing. and some anglers had broken there poles on large fish. more to tell of the pool later
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In reply to Post #330
well the next week so myself in north shropshire arriving quite early we both decided to fish towards the island i was quite confident on catching how wrong i could be i could not buy a bite, it was all mike we had been there approx four hours and mike had a screamer on his middle rod and after landing it and weighing it turned the scales to eighteen pounds a. lovely looking mirror .and believe me it did not stop there within the next hour he was in again another good looking mirror of ninteen pounds. and by evening he was once again attached to another angry mirror this time sixteen pounds. we were fishing exactly the same i could not believe i was about to blank and thats just what did happpen. he managed two more before we left the biggest just nudging twenty pounds.. i was well pleased for mike.funny old thing this fishing but then there will always be a next time. more stories to come will be away on holidays the rest of the week so no more till sat
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In reply to Post #329
it was once again back to the barbel andy came once again also mikes young son jaclk. setting up on the fast water we caught from the start young jack had a very impressive chub and on weighing turned the scales to just under four pounds. mike and i went off checking tickets on the bank living andy in charge removing our rods before we went . when arriving back andy had caught a couple of nice fish and jack had caught his personal best a fish of nine pounds. i think that paticular night mike and i caught about twenty fish between use the biggest just over nine pounds mike had also had one or two nice chub andy and jack had also done quite well catching fifteen fish betweeen them. now here comes the funny bit, andy and jack were fishing above myself and mike. andy came down to see me saying some one or thing was on the far bank watching them could i come and have a look its got big eyes he said and quite big mike and i went to have a look on getting the torches out all i could see was a fox looking back as he went up the bank the far side of the river. its only a fox i say and theres a house just up the bank. carry on with your fishing . and a away went mike and my self. we had just got comfortabale when there was a shout and jack and andy came running down towards us you would of thought old nick was after them. were not fishing there they say we have just seen an alien it got up from behind the stile its big watched us a ran down the side of the river, well i was killing myself laughing they would not even fetch their tackle unless we were with them, so getting out our torches once again mike and i had another look nothing they were asolutly spooked and would not fish that spot, so mike and i lugged there tackle back to our swim, but no way would they fish any longer. well i had forgot that the house oppisite was a donkey sanctry and id took some photos earlyer on and looking at them next day lying behind this fence was a donkey that was there alien mike and i did have a laught about that and they never really lived it down for some time every time we go now we say rember the alien ha ha well there you go more later
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In reply to Post #327
well it was back to south shropshire the weather had been quite good so mike and i fanced our chances, i set up by the dam wall opposite the lillie bed and mike was to my right fishing to island we got the rods out two to the lillies and one to th dam the far side . we decided to also fish with a feeder rod till dark hopping to catch some the big perch . it did not take long mike had a couple arround two pounds plus and i followed with simaler fish. on dark we planned to put an extra rod out for the eels once again using lob worm mike was the first to catch a nice eel of arround three pounds. followed by another of four pounds . i was awoken at three am to a run on the eel rod and on stricking every thing went tight it had snagged me in the lillies the only thing i could do was pull for a break hopping that would get it moving it certainly did but not for long it broke me by the dam wall bloody hell it felt a goog fish. i could not be botherd to tackle up again so got my head down. morning came without another bleep on our alarms, we caught bits and pieces throught out the day, hopping for some action in the night, if we only knew what was coming i think we would have gone home. i was bivied up under a big lime tree well the wind got up and did it rain it was absolutly blowing a gale. i can tell you we did hang on to those bivies i was bloody scared stiff thinking that old lime tree would come down on top of me. i think it nwas one of the worst nights i have ever experienced fishing and could not wait till morning. iu was so relieved when i got home and by the way we blanked more to follow
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In reply to Post #327
Keep it coming pete , your memories are very special and should be saved for future anglers to enjoy.
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In reply to Post #326
we started to fish below shrewsbury once again mike fanced fishing some slower water and we went on one of our short sessions once again the only trouble was getting down the hight bank onto this ledge i was a bit worried about falling in due to me not bieng so good on my legs. but with the help of mike i was soon fishing . sport was a bit slow if i rember right i caught a couple of chub to five pounds. the wind got up and weather started to get worse with some quite heavy rain , but we stuck it out my rod tip flew arround and landed a nice chub weighing in it at just over six pounds followed by another two arround four pound mike had also caught some good fish to four pounds. by this time it was asolutly pooring on landing a barbel of eight pounds we called it a night two days later saw mike and myself in the company of andy who fanceyd coming for the night it was to be a short season from eight pm till one am we fished the fast water and was catching from the start andy had a big fish just under ten pounds. so i was quite hopfull of bigger to follow mike had caught a couple to just over eight pounds when once again my rod was nearly pulled from the rests now this was a good fish i could not gain line on him as he made his way down stream eventualy snagging me in some weed so in went mike and andy torches on and net in hand. as they got to the weed they shouted it was a great big carp on trying to get the net under it away it went using the current it eventualy broke me. we eventualy ended the night with at least twenty eight fish between us, i was quite happy but would of dearly loved to have landed that carp but thats fishing. more to follow
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In reply to Post #325
well it was back to our barbel fishing the weather had broken and we had severe rain for most of the next two weeks, the river had come up quite dramaticaly, so we headed down just below the weir at shrewsbury. fishing from a concrete walk way, the water was moving quite fast and about two foot from the top of the concrete, we managed to get our rod rests in by pushing them in a large crack in the concrete., we both decided to use hallibet pellet , the problem was holding bottom in the current i did not fancy our chances, but how wrong i was, from the very first cast i was in a nice fish of nine pounds, it was then mikes turn catching a simalar fish of arround nine pounds . it was then i hooked somthing really special i could do nothing with this fish it swam up stream against the current it was a most powfful fish i could do absolutly nothing with it, and it snapped me like a carrot. the next bite was so savage it actualy pulled the rod from the rests i made a crab for it and found myself on my back on the concrete path with this big fish still on mike came running and also some spectators who had been watching us and helped to get me on my feet as i could not get up myself owing to my affliction, well i played this fish for some time and on landing could see it was a good one it turned the scales to twelve and a qauter pounds, i was over the moon id got my double and a good fish for the severn,, bloody hell mike we just cant go wrong it was fish atter fish, i boke my peronal best three times that morning also catching an eleven pounder plus one at ten and three qauter pounds . i was defnetly on a hight we had a number of spectaters by now and it was becoming a bit crowded, mike also had many fish to nine and tree qauter pounds. we ended the morning by catching thirty two fish between us and went home very happy chappys word soon got arround and we could not fish that spot again for many weeks. more to follow
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In reply to Post #324
the next week saw myself and mike back on betton the weather was still hot but on arriving i had seen some nice fish showing , in the swim we were about to fish, i had managed to put some bait out a few times in the week mainly bolies fish meal based. after setting up and a meal and being rather tired it was into the bag , we had planned a two nighter and i was quite confident, well the night passed without even a blip on the alarms. and i was begining to wander if we were about to blank. the day passed by i went out in the boat with mike and saw some real good carp at the top end of the lake in the lillies. a couple were asolutly huge, mike recond maybe top thirtys or even a forty on arriving back on the bank, mike was away again to try and catch a few pike by spinning from the boat, he managed two or three but nothing big but at least they were fish bloody hell was it hot to hot to lie in your bivie my confidence was slowly dwindeling, night came but nothing i was up first light but saw no sighn of any carp showing the ony thing was loads of roach dimpling the surfice, well back in the bag, i was awoken at eight am to a screamer on the middle rod, mike came running to do the honers and we eventualy netted this big dark mirror wieghing in at twenty eight and three quater pounds photos took it was returned, mike went for a walk with his stalking rod an arrived back whithin half an hour carrying tanother good carp in his net caught on red worm from between the lillies weighing in at twenty two pounds, well as i said to mike quite a sucseess although it had taken some time at least we had not blanked , more to follow
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In reply to Post #319
when i was first asked to write about dick and some of the greats i had fished with i really did not know were to start, i had never been a writer, and still dont profese to be but i have really enjoyed putting these articels together, there was only so much i could say about dick jack and some of the other greats, i never ever professed to have fished with the great man as when i knew him he was mainly into trout fishing, although he was a big freind for many years and was a big insperation to my fishing wich has remained with me throuthout these years. yes i did fish with jack hilton bill quinlon , pete collins , pete taylor, and many more in the early years to many to rember, at the time dick asked me to write for angling times about our big bream exploits, but did not have the time or the know how i was to busy working to support a young family, all i have written is a true account of myself and a few good freinds struggeling to catch through the years, i have never caught a forty but have caught many many carp of alall sizes up into the thirtys, and many specemins of other speices. and probably if it was not for dick i would not be fishing today because he was a mager influnce in my life, when i finished the article on dick i i was asked to carry on my stories wich i have done to the best of nymy ability,, and they are kindly being eddited by bill and gregrot from wrexham who is a lot more educated than myself as you know bill is fishing redmere this next week and has other comitments the week after, so is now having a helping hand in the form of greg. hoppfuly they will appear in the forum story section in due course, i have recieved many pms asking me to carry on with my stories wich hopefully intend to do some members have mentiond a book. but that is for the future we will have to see, up to now there is twenty eight thousand words actualy in print and will take some time to edit when it appears in its alterd state i would like to dedicate it to my freinnd dick walker and the many greats i knew, i hope this makes sence to some. more to follow
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In reply to Post #319
thanks for your pm and your kind remarks point taken but i have been asked to carry on ive had so many pms it unreal asking me to carry on the series all the best pete
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In reply to Post #319
They would make a brilliant book - but until that happens Pete, I'm enjoying reading of your exploits via this forum, so keep 'em coming mate!
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In reply to Post #317
Dont mean to disrepect you Pete,,was interesting reading in the early stages about D Walker etc,the stories many of us could relate to!!
In my opinon these stories have run there course in forum form,,better put down in book form,,,hope this makes sense,,bye for now,
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In reply to Post #317
the next week saw us once again at ellesmere i fished once again from the grassey bank putting one rod into the very coner of the lake under an old willow bush i was using monster crab pop ups fifteen ml the other two rods sraight out in front mike was doing a bit of floater fishing hoping to stalk a few arround the lake. i did not have to wait long the rod in the corner absolutly shot off i eventualy landed this lovely big tench on weighing it was eight and three quter pounds the warden came arround later and on telling him he said there was no tench in the lake as they had all been taken out i showed him the photo on my didge camera and he was most impressed they now have an a four framed copy on the office wall. well placing the pop to the same place under the willow it was away again this time a fifteen pound commen. mike had also caught off the top three fish the biggest a seventeen pound ghosty the smallest was a forteen pound mirror. we were on a bit of an hight the rod under the bush was off once again resulting in a nice mirror of eighteen pounds. god this was turning into some session six fish and it was not even dinner time yet well one off the other rods flew off i new straight away this was a bigger fish and on landing it was a lovely big commen turning the scales to twenty plus. mike was still also catching and kept bringing fish back to be weighted and have photos taken i was just having a cupa and the rod under the bush was away again the tea went all over me in a rush to get to the rod after a short scrap another mirror was retururned after some photos this was becoming crazy you just could not go wrong at the end of the day the total count was fifteen carp and one tench between us what a day and we had not touched the bigges that inhabited the place and believe me it did not stop there we had some great catches from that pool more of that later
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In reply to Post #316
the next week saw us off to fish for the barbel on one of our short sessions mike took his daughter along she wanted to see what went on it was a warm sulatry night and i decided to fish with some small pellets i had got hold of. we caught a couple arround eight pounds when we were disturbed by some one shouting it turned ouy the cattle had got into the car park making a mess of some cars parked in there some chump had leftthe gate open. i left my rods still out and in charge of mikes daughter wich really was a mistake and should have took them out. we got to the car park what a bloody mess mikes mirrors all broken off my car was badly scratched due to them rubbing agsainst it and two other cars quite severly damaged we were not to happy to say the least. on arriving back we could not see mikes daughter any where by the bank on shining our torches there she was up to her knees in water practicly in the midle of the river with my rod in her hand saying she had a huge fish on and it had jumped out of the water and was going up stream mike rushedn to herm side giving me the rod on tightning up i could feel it was a good fish and saying to mike this is a carp or a big samon. it was unstopable on the tackle i was using ang snagged me further up stream i had no waders with me so mike waded in with the net. hopping to get some wear near it but it was just to deep, saying to mike not to take any risks i pulled for a break the fish did move ony slightly then the line parted company. on asking her what exactly happend she said the rod was nearl dragged from the rests and she made a grab for it and saw this big fish break surfice in the moon light well we did manage a couple more but not big fish realy it was a bit of a disaster and packed in at twelve thirty. the cars were in quite a mess and i was not in the best of moods on getting home next day saw me trying to remove the scratches with t cut, well more storys to follow later
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In reply to Post #312
we carried on pike fishing down the river and on the south shropshire mere as i said before the jelly lures were not to good after catching a few on them they would fall to pieces, we caught some good fish on the big plugs but never caught over the seventeen pounds mark they were lovely fish with deep bellys .we moved back on the town waters fishing dead bait the season was nearly at an end and being in shropshire there was not many waters that open and abide by the old close season and most still waters are ssi as i have said before . this story should have come a bit earlyer on im getting a bit lost. never the less we ended the season on a hight catching in all about fifty pike since we started so i waswell pleased. the new season came and saw mike and myself set up on our syndicate water in souh shropshire looking arround we saw quite a few fish showing i decided to fish to some lillies the other side adjacent to the dam wall' also putting the extra rod out for the eels mike was just above myself fishing to the end of the island. we started to catch the eels not long after dark mike hooked into a large fish on lob worm it put a good bend in the rod and would not give ground no/ matter what pressure he put it under i could see this was a huge eel and did not fancy his chances of getting it to the net, i was right minutes latwer he parted company mike was gutted to say the least. talking later on i said i would not be suprised if some of the eels the lake contained were over the british record it was stuffed with them. the next one out was just over five pounds i think that night we had about eight between us and not one under three pounds. i tried to sleep for an hour or two and had just dozed when i was awoken with a screamer on the middle rod i had been using a small pinapple pop up on the busness end after landing it i was a little bit disapointed as it only weighted in at twelve pounds. but still on this hard water it was a result. well we ended the session with some real good ells and four carp between us the biggest sixteen pounds. i was quite happy although would have liked to have caught one of the older rezidents that inhabited the lake but still i suppose theres always again well thats all for now more to come later
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In reply to Post #314
Its all good Pete
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In reply to Post #313
Brilliant reading Pete - am looking forward to more!
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In reply to Post #312
Is that the longest post's in succession ever?
Got to be some sort of record!
Good reading Pete.
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In reply to Post #311
well i told you we had permisoin to fish this pool for the carp i was not that confident the weather had turned very cold and the pool had seen quite a lot of pressure in the summer but we decided to have a go electing to fish with feeder rods coupled with eight pound line the day arrived on setting up the baliff arrived and said he would see us later fishing with maggot and bread flake the first hour saw nothing not even a twitch on the rod top i was saying to mike it was no more than i expected in this sort of weather when out of the blue my rod nearly got dragged from the rests playing the fish wich was soon in the net it turned the scales at just over ten pounds it was mikes turn next landing a simaler fish it went asolutly crazy mike then myself at the end of the day we had caught forty five fish realy good considering the tempreture at the time the baliff could not realy believe it on his return as they had a match on there two days before and most blanked we returned the following week doing very much the very same thing in two outings we had caught eighty five carp giving us some good sport on light tackle. . i think why we caught was that many of the other anglers who fished the place used mostly bollies or pellets but with us using just flake and maggot we had rung the change and it was somthing different. and do you know we have not fished that pool since. we have been asked you never know perhaps one day. more to come later
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In reply to Post #310
by this time mike had bought a bigger boat and after a discusion we made up our mind to fish some of the bigger wates trolling hoping to pick some of the bigger pike that inahabited the said waters. one water in south shrophire so we had been told had thrown up some good pike to thirty pounds so asking permision we were away arriving one cold frosty morning boat launched we were on the said lake. we managed to get hold of some of these new jelly lures that had just come onto the market. they were brillant and we caught from the start we would go arround that lake using the out board fishing mostly near the bottom but also catching at all depths the rod tip would fly arround and we nearly lost our rods on a couple of ocasions by leaving them to look after them selves while having a cupa we soon learned to hold them all the time and wind in when eating and drinking. we caught some great specimens and were averaging ten fish per session the only trouble with the jellys was after caching two or three on them they usualy fell apart and on some ocasionns you would get a take and they would have there tail bitten off it was proving to costly to use all the while. the first season we fished this method the biggest we caught was arround fifteen pounds but still very exeptable. the season soon came to an end as most lakes in my area are ssi and have an enforced close season , a freind had a small lake he said mike and i could fish for the carp but did not fancy our chances in the cold weather the fish were not that big probably the biggest going twenty but it was decided to give it a go fishing in the day. more of that to follow
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In reply to Post #309
i continued fishing that spot and on getting better mike joined me it was great sport catching mostly every time we went the best bait i found was either sprat or herring and caught mostly the bigger fish on the later, we were averaging up to six fish per session, and were still joined by my freinds the down and outs i think mike found this a little bit hard to exept. as more and more would turn up every morning to sit and watch. some having dogs and if you did not watch your baits they would bloody eat them, well on arriving one cold morning about eight am we had just set up when there was a big crash behind us and loads of dust. a building firm had moved in and started to demolish the buildings they could not of checked the premises very well because these people the down and outs came flying out like they had been attacked by a swarm of hornets grabing what they could in there panicked state calling the athoritys all the names under the sun i should not of laughed but i could not contain my self it was all to funny there was some runnning up the path dragging ther sleeping bags behind them. well that was that the noise became terrible and every time that big ball hit the building it would shake the tow path were we were . fishing, so a move was on the cards again so on the next session saw us futher along the river. it proved quite sucsessful but could not break the twenty pound barrier , bloody hell my scotch freind found use and kept oiffering me his plonk we just had to get away from these people and moived the other side of town . these were not very sucsessfull and it was not long before the winter floods came and that put an end to the river fiswhing for the time being more to follow
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In reply to Post #308
at the time some big pike had been caught just below the weir on loat fished dead bait and decided to have a go, i kept in touch with mike who was slowly getting better. i started fishing the weir with float fished sprat but realy di not do much good although i did manage a couple arround eight pounds but that was over a two week period so a move was on the cards. i moved up stream into much quiter waters were i caught the pike all those years ago, and thats were i fished for the next two months. i was using three rods alternating between herrin sprats and macrel. i did not have to wait long i had a slow take on my left hand rod landing a nice fish of seventeen pounds. just behind were i was fishing was a derlect building and on hearing this clappind behind and on turning arround there was half a dozen down and outs that used the place to live and sleep. this big scots man stepped forward sayind da ya want a drink to celebrate. no thanks mate as he handed me this bottle for christ sake it was only seven thirty in the morning and it certainly lookred like meths in that bottle they came out of that building like a swarm of wasps women as well some looking as pissed as rats there was some public toilets a bit further along and most used it to wash there selves. i could not get rid of some they just sat down by me and watched it was a bit off putting i can tell you with watching my rods in front and kepping an eye on my tackle just in case some were light fingerd.there i was being offered drink fags and generly listining to there life storys, and do you know in the end i realy did feel sorry for some and the predicament some were in and over the next few months i got to know some quite well and some of there storys were quite sad , but back to fishing i managed five fish that morning all between twelve and seventeen pounds getting some help to land them from my new found freinds more to follow
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In reply to Post #307
well we decided to fish mikes brothers pool once again i was not that keen because of the distance you had to go to get your tackle to the swim. it was a bit of a disaster wich i will explain. we fished a two nighter fishing from the dam wich realy was a walk way between two pools it was getting towards the back end althought the weather was quite warm. i managed a couple of carp nothing very big . mike ca tching .the biggest a nice commen of twenty plus. i also managed a couple of tench but that was about it. on packing up it started to rain. and making a rush for the car barrows loaqded mike twisted his back and could hardly walk we did manage to get it into the car with a struggle. it was quite a serious situation as mike a few years before had lay on his back for eighteen months with a fractured spine and at the time he was told he would never walk again but he proved them all wrong, and slowly started to recover but had been told not to do any lifting or anthing that would put pressure on his back. for the next couple of months he was layed up in bed so i was on my own once again. i decided i would fish down by the weir in shrewsbury for the barbel , on my first early morning session i caught six the biggest of them just under ten pounds i was getting nearer to my first double. i continued fishing for the barbel but could not break the ten pound mark. i did a bit of float fishing trotting the fast water and managed some nice dace and chub with a good many going to the four pound mark so i was quite happy with my results in six weeks i had managed catching thirty odd barbel in these short sessions my thoughts started to turn to pike more of that later
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In reply to Post #306
well i took mike to the lake in north shrposhire he had never been there before and was quite looking forward to it we arrived about seven am and did not take long to get the rods out i fished three to the island, mike was fishing to the left of myself we sat there for some time not even a bleep on our alarms it was one of those hot suletry days and i did not have much confidence. but mikes alarms let out a one toner and he was away it was a screamer nearly ripping his rods from the rests. he played it for some time and on landing it turned out to be a big ghosty weighing in at twenty one pounds photos done it was returned. it was my turn next but not for long i lost it a hook pull i was a bit browned of to say the least well to cut a long story short that was it for that day no more fish. so two days latter saw us on a lake near ellemere we both had not fished this water before so it was a new experence i know some members on this forum .know this lake is that not so gregret well chose a swim on a grassey bank fishing out into the pool mike did the same i did not have to wait long i had an absolute screamer landing a nice commen at eighteen pounds followed with one at sixteen pounds mike also caught of the top catching three up to seventeen pounds we ended the day with six fish not bad for our first session on there and vowed to return at a later date. more to follow at a later date no storys tomorrow out for the day
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In reply to Post #305
sorry ive posted twice the next seession was on betton mikes brother john came along and it was a quite sucssefull session john chose to fish in the top bay the other side of the lake . i realy wanted to fish towards the lillies my side it was a bit of an awkward place to fish from there was an old stage to my right not very safe but could get on it to cast towards the snagges i realy wanted to place two baits by the lillies but it was just to far to cast about two hundred yrds away. so i made do by fishing towards the bushes to my right mike was in a swim to my left in quite deep water i realy did not fancy his chances althought fish had been caught from there in the past it was a two night session and we did have a problem in the day because of the warm weather skiers were on most days. but i had managed to catch in the day when they had been on in the past the first night past without incident i did get a couple of bleeps on my alarms in the night looking i put it down to liners fish crossing the line mybe bream. mike went out in his boat in the morning spinning for pike before the skiers arrived and did quite well extracting a couple of nice fish. having blanked all day i decided that night and to take my baits out with the boat and drop them by the lillies with a scatering orf bolies arround each one. i was using a small pinapple pop up on the middle rod bottom baits on the other two. john had also blanked in the bay. wich i was quite suprised at. i was awoken at one am my middle rod had shot of and iwas attached to one angry carp mike came running to do the honours but all of a sudden every thing went slack mike ive lost it bloody hell but on winding in he was still attached he must have run towards me causing the line to become slack there was a big old fir tree in front i needed to get arround to play this fish with my legs not so good i tripped over the roots and sprawled to the ground still holding the rod mike came to my aid i was hurting all over but he managed to get me on my feet so i could continue playing the fish. eventualy we netted it a lovely black mirror of twenty two pounds the photos took it was returned straight away as i do not like sacking them till next morning it turned out quite a good night catching six fish between us the biggest going twenty three pounds. it took me a few days to get over falling down i certainly hurt all over but it did not put me off more tales to come
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In reply to Post #303
we returned the following week for another forty eight hour session i fished the same swim again but this time brought two extra rods one for the eels and a feeder for the perch. after getting the end tackle out and some crup it was time to chill out and try and catch on our feeder rods it was a most beautiful locatoin and absolutly teamed with wild life. the water was full of natural food and if you filled a jar with water it would be so cloudy with daffni and water insects you would have diffaculty seening through it. but there was a problem just down the fields at a farm was a big gipsy encampment and the burser at the school told us that in the past they had quite a few problems with them poaching the property and making a general nuisance of there selves. this was to be one of those nights well i got the feeder out and managed a number of perch i dont think i had one under two pounds and a few a lot biggger and believe it or not one eel on the feeder weighing three pounds mike was also catching getting simliar fish. i was convinced we could realy catch fish a lot bigger. well at midnight it started bloody music from the gipsy camp it was so loud it would have awoken every one for miles away it went on till three in the morning with shouting and swearing there must have been a clan meeting and they were also .fighting between there selves. mike came to my bivie saying some one was talking in the wood .behind his swim. he was becoming quite concerned it was very frightning i went to have a look and you could certainly hear them i said to mike what are they doing in there at this hour. we had a very bad night and by morning completly exusted from having .no sleep to cut a story short it was a bit of a disaster and we slept most of the following day the next night was a little bit better and i was awoken to a screamer to the rod placed in the weeds i played him for some time only to have a hook pull in some snagges bloody hell nothings going right i did manage a couple of eels to three pounds . we were quite glad to pack up next day it had been a ouite frightning experince we learned later the police had been called and some may have been arrested. more to tell about this water later
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In reply to Post #303
we returned the following week for another forty eight hour session i fished the same swim again but this time brought two extra rods one for the eels and a feeder for the perch. after getting the end tackle out and some crup it was time to chill out and try and catch on our feeder rods it was a most beautiful locatoin and absolutly teamed with wild life. the water was full of natural food and if you filled a jar with water it would be so cloudy with daffni and water insects you would have diffaculty seening through it. but there was a problem just down the fields at a farm was a big gipsy encampment and the burser at the school told us that in the past they had quite a few problems with them poaching the property and making a general nuisance of there selves. this was to be one of those nights well i got the feeder out and managed a number of perch i dont think i had one under two pounds and a few a lot biggger and believe it or not one eel on the feeder weighing three pounds mike was also catching getting simliar fish. i was convinced we could realy catch fish a lot bigger. well at midnight it started bloody music from the gipsy camp it was so loud it would have awoken every one for miles away it went on till three in the morning with shouting and swearing there must have been a clan meeting and they were also .fighting between there selves. mike came to my bivie saying some one was talking in the wood .behind his swim. he was becoming quite concerned it was very frightning i went to have a look and you could certainly hear them i said to mike what are they doing in there at this hour. we had a very bad night and by morning completly exusted from having .no sleep to cut a story short it was a bit of a disaster and we slept most of the following day the next night was a little bit better and i was awoken to a screamer to the rod placed in the weeds i played him for some time only to have a hook pull in some snagges bloody hell nothings going right i did manage a couple of eels to three pounds . we were quite glad to pack up next day it had been a ouite frightning experince we learned later the police had been called and some may have been arrested. more to tell about this water later
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In reply to Post #299
if you remember i told you about the syndicate in south shropshire . well i was offered a place after attending work partys mick and i were realy looking forward to fishing the place. because it was a school we all had to have police checks to make shore we did not have criminal records and such like. what a place at times the children were brought to school in helecopters very posh . well as i said before it certainly was not an easy pool. other than carp the other fish preasent were perch and eels. we intended to fish for forty eight hours on the first session i set up oppisite the island once again fishing my right hand rod into the hole in the weeds were i was lucky enought to catch when i was invited last season. the other two rods to the island. it was very hot and humid with a slight breeze on the water and i felt quite confident. mike was also fishing with a feeder rod until dark and sterted to catch perch not ordinary perch but the biggest i had seen for some years i can honestly say i dont think he caught one under two and half pounds with some a bit bigger before dark he had accounted for at least twenty fish and have some great photos of him holding these fish. i must of dozed of i was awoken with shout from mike on reaching his swim he was playing this fish and it certainly was not a carp. mike had been fishing with lob worm on a spare rod to try for the eels, and on his first attempt had hooked one. landing it weighted in at just over five pounds pohots done it was returned. having got his rod back into position we had a chat and a cuppa i was just having a pipe of bacca and he was away again now this fish was big . it was the same rod again the one with the lobs. after playing it for some time he lost it he. was a little bit gutted. well to cut a story short i never had much sleep that night with mike catching eels most of the night i think he caught about nine in all and not one under three pounds. we both blanked on the carp. after a chat with mike next day over breakfast i was convinced we could catch some thing very special either a very big perch or eel. i had never seen so many big eels or perch in one place before and was determined on my next visit i would bring some extra rods and bait to fish for them. over the next day and night i spotted a number of carp moving about but could not but buy a run. and so i blanked mike did no better after the carp. but had caught some brill perch and eels. to be continued
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In reply to Post #300
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In reply to Post #299
Keep them coming m8.
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In reply to Post #299
Still at it Pete I'll have to have another word with you about these Shropshire waters mate
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In reply to Post #298
these chinese became quite a problem not only on the river but on private fisherys as well they were paid a visit at there shop and it .was nipped in the bud by the owner of one such fishery. mike and andy wanted to visit a local comercial fishery i was not that keen but went along as well it was stuffed full of carp and tench i only took a feeder rod the was also a bollie ban so decided to fish lunchen meat using a cadge feeder. it was more of a match water and iwas not used to that sort of water, never the less we had great sport did those carp go on light gear i think the biggest i had was forteen pounds but did lose much bigger fish andy was on the pole and caught some nice looking fish and some nice tench to at least four pounds mike had a few biggies. the bloke in the next swim up must of been a regular and was pulling quite a face because we were catching and the silly sod shouted to me mind you dont break you rod the next thing i see him doing was hand lining this carp back to his net the hook came out and the float flew back past him nearly hitting him in the face i thought what a fool and it did not stop there he had another on his pole and did the very same thing this one he landed. having a word with him he said it was the done thing with most of the matchmen who fished there. i had seen enought and told mike i was going i vowed i would not return. but i did at a later date. i could not abide seeing all those big carp stuffed into keep nets and thought if this is comercial fishing then they can stuff it mike and myself did return but thats another story.
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In reply to Post #297
just a little about mike and myself it did not all revolve about fishing our selves we were baliffs for the federation wich took up some of our time. in the summer months we always gave our time to help to teach youngsters how to fish and handel the fish they caught this was run by a local fishing shop owner called kieth bless him he always supplied free bait. these kids wou;ld turn up sme times with rods more sutable for sea fishing. we tried to start them with a wip and think some times we were used as baby sitters for there parents. but we got quite of enjoyment watching these youngsters cating small roach perch and skimers on there wips i carried plenty of shot and hooks with me in case they got broken and did buy a couple of wips just in case some came with no eqipment at all and believe me it did happen. once a year there was a big compition on the river for the youngssters with some real good prizes there was three sections under elevens under thirteens under fifteens we were allocated sections as stewarts wich i realy enjoyed it took up quite a lot of our time but was well worth it in the long run there was as many youngsters as sixty a lot to keep your eye on. and beileve me there was some good anglers amongst them another problem that reared it ugly head was the chinese started putting night lines down mostly for the pike setting them at night and collecting there catch in the early morning they were in gangs of up to six and were disturbed one. morning leaving a twevnty five pound pike on the bank deadmore of that later
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In reply to Post #296
the only reason i can write this is because i am recovering from a trapped syatica nerve and i have a bit of time on my hands. well andy new of another pool he had fished in south shropshire and asked if i would like ago it was day ticket but not many fished it. there was some big carp in the water so i was up for it the only problem was it had a bollie ban. so i made up some paste adding flaver and took this with us. it was a nice looking pool in a lovely setting in hill country after having a word with the owner who told us carp had come out to over twenty three pounds. and there were some big golden orfe preasent i was quite exited. i felt a bit sorry for the chap as he had recently had poachers who netted the place one night taking at least one shoal of orfe and some carp as well. on finding out from andy i used to ballif a fishery he wanted to know ways of stopping them as the pool was quite a distance from the house. and said he would have a chat later about the matter. well we set up andy once again with his pole me with my carp rods i used one of those little springs you know the ones you mold your paste arround, well idid not wait long and had a screamer on the left hand rod. it was a big fish it went down that pool like a speed boat just taking line i went onto back wind and had a job to stop giving line. i did manage at last to get it towards the net only to loose it to a hook pull. andy was fishing the other side and shouted over asking what i had lost i just did not know but said it was big i was shaking all over and gutted i had lost it. the next one i did land a lovely cross orfe mirror it was one of the most lovely fish i have ever seen and weighted in at 15 pounds andy caught one on the pole giving him quite a scrap which was arround ten pounds. also a cross orfe mirror. we continued till dark i managed two others but not that large but realy enjoyed the day. i had also seen a shoal of orf and some were massive. i did have a word with the owner about poaching and sujested he put some trip wires by all the acsses gates to the pool only setting them up at night he should be able to hear them go off from his house and with a bit of luck catch the culprits an it was not the last time i fished this pool . and in the next few weeks caught some quite good fish until he had a massive otter kill more of that later
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In reply to Post #295
well andy fished a club water in south shropshire and said it held some good crucian carp did i fancy ago it had also got some good tench and a few big carp in i jumped at the chance takind my feeder rod and a thirteen foot float rod we were on our way. it was only about eight miles from my home so it only took about half an hour what a pretty lake lillie fringed with a small island. the fishing was done from plat forms wich were quite well constructed. i decided to float fish between the lillies it was only arround five ft at the most once again andy was on the pole and was soon catching lovely looking crucians arround a couple of pounds. i was soon catching what great little fish one a cast most between a pound and two pounds in weight with a few a bit bigger i caught mine mostly on castor or maggot but great sport on light tacklei . i decided to put the feeder rod out and cast to the island. id only just put it in the rests and the tip absolutly flew arround nearly pulling the rod in it turned out to be a nice tench of four pounds and it did not stop there i had seven on the run all very much the same size this was great sport. i continued to catch crucians most of the day and realy enjoyed myself. it was some time before i had the next bite on the feeder but the tip flew arround and this was no tench it flew arround the island i called andy i new i had hooked a big carp it snagged me in the lillies by the island there was a small boat on the lake and it was decided we would go out and try a net the fish. but before we could launch the boat it broke me. never mind i was fishing rather light and would have been a miracle if we had landed it. andy had got a net full not sure how many but a lot of fish mostly crucians and roach i dont know how many i had because i dont like using keep nets but thats me but it certainly turned out a good day. more to follow
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In reply to Post #294
well andy wanted to tag along and wanted to try carp fishing he had no rods or tackle, having a old set of rods and reels plus alarms i gave them to him . i picked him up arround six thirty and was on the lake by seven fifteen i chose a swim opposite the island fishing onto a gravel bar.. bearing in mind it took some time to set up as i had to sort andy out. but eventualy got the baits out. for the next two hours nothing i think andy was getting a little bit bored being a matchman and always being on the move it did not take long before his pole came out and he started to catch bits and pieces i sat watching him he sat like a bloody heron not moving a muscle he was that focust on his fishing. it certainly was not for me i liked to relax it looked to much like hard work. out of the blue the left hand rod shot off and after a short fight i landed a nice looking mirror of sixteen pounds photos done it was returned. it certainly cheered me up no end and it was not that long till i had a screemer on the middle rod another mirror ninteen pounds it was getting better. by dinner time i had added another of seventeen pounds, andy was still sticking wtth his pole and had a few nice tench it quitened down after dinner and was not till five pm till i got more action the right hand rod absolutly shot off this realy felt a bigger fish and on landing it was just over twenty pounds another mirror they were pretty looking fish and was not quite what strain they were. at last andy had a run and landed a mirror of fifteen pound i was over the moon for him and thought it may convert him to carp fihing no chance his still on that pole today well to cut a story short i ended the day with two more mirrors between seventeen and ninteen pounds six between us quite a good day and vowed to return at a later date. more to come
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In reply to Post #293
at the same time i was fishing with mike there was another young chap called andy who lived on my village who wanted to take me to fish a water in north shropshire he said there was some real good fish in the lake. i had never heard of it before and was looking forward to fishing it, andy and his friend were realy matchmen and usualy fished with poles , so i decided to fish with my feeder rod on arriving , the pool was about two acres wihh quite a nice island. the owner told me there was some nice tench roach bream and even barbel. and some big carp going to top thirty blast i wish i had known it would of been the carp rods never the less i. set up opposite the island fishing with a cadge feeder and maggots and flake on the hook . it was a bit slow to start andy and his mate were catching on the pole and by the look some nice tench. after an hour i was wandering if i had made the right choice of swim and really was thinking of moving, when the tip of the rod flew arround i was in playing the fish and landing it turned out to be a nice looking tench of arround four pounds not using a keep net it was returned. well it was action all the way tench after tench and some nice looking roach to be honest it was that fast and furious i had to pack up for a rest. i decided to have a look arround and saw some good looking carp close to the island i made up my mind i certainly would be back the owner recond the biggest out was 35 pounds plus mirror also there was some large cats in this realy wetted my appetite well ending the day i must of caught a least eighty fish sorry andy if your reading this its the day i beat the matchmen and it gave me great pleasure as they were both good anglers , well more on that lake later
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In reply to Post #292
Well done Pete, buzzing,(sorry Mike) stories
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In reply to Post #291
as ive said we went to lordys it was a bit of a disaster not the fishing ill explain.i chose to fish the top end of the lake again next to the island and mike set up to my left i positioned my rods once again fishing to the far side under the bushes, i did not wait long i had a screamer on my left hand rod there was a great big bow wave and we parted company bloody hell lost it i shouted to mike. not long after i had another take landing a nice commen just under twenty pounds not a bad start , it was then mikes turn he had hooked this fish from under some staging the far side. once again this was no small fish and he played it for some time off it went down the middle of the lake ii could not beilive it when he parted company another hook pull thats twice he had lost a big fish from there he was asolutly gutted but still thats fishing. he decided to go an have a look arround the lake taking some dog biscuits with him hoping to get some to feed off the top. not long after i had another screamer on my right hand rod wich i had positioned by the island i could not believe this losing yet another good fish this just was not my day, next thing i see is mike running through the corn ive never seen anything like sorry mike if your reading this as i know you do and ive just got to tell the tale. mike was watching some big carp from the island puting out a few dog biscuits when hearing this noise turned arround to be confronted by a swarm of wasps he had almost certainly trod on there nest having been stung he jumped in the pool dropping his glasses on the bank going back and grabing them the bloody things followed him even in .the water by the time he arrived by me he was a complete mess he was stung all over and fealing quite poorly well as i said it ended in complete disaster poor old mike was quite bad for some days .and on top of that we lost three fish some days just do not go right. more later
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In reply to Post #290
the following week mick and i arrived at the pool i was going to fish for the carp once again but mick was quite content to fish for the bream and other speices it was a very hot day and i was not that confident but never the less we would give it a go we both elected to fish from the bank by nine oclock it was asolutly boiling mike had managed a few odds and sods but nothing realy big and i was not doing any better , by eleven we really should have called it a day. mike had seen one or two carp in the shallows . i had seen no movment at all no carp showing in the lillies or further out it was realy hot and i was on the verge of packing up in the past i really have not done much good in this sort of weather there was not even a breeze on the water and my confidence was slowly ebing away i had just sujjested to mike we pack up when i had a screamer on my right hand rod . i played the fish for some time it did not want to give in it snagged me twice but managed to get it out of the lillies in the end we got it to the net it was a mirror not as big as i thought only weighing in at 18 pounds the way it fought i was expecting a fish a lot bigger i was a little bit disapointed to say the least. but looking back it was a fish in the most hottest part of the day so job done and photos taken it was put back. the both of us agreed it was to hot to carry on . by the time we got up that bank we totaly exusted and ready for home. we made arrangments to fish lordys pool later that week and what a disater that turned into . tell you more later
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In reply to Post #288
well after getting home i decided on another session this time after the carp i wanted to fish from a big stage the far side on arriving there was other anglers fishing one being berns brother charlie who kindly took my tackle arround for me. after setting up i positioned one rod to my left tight to the lake fringed lillies and the other two to my right scattering a few free offering arround the hook baits. setteling down in my chair i must of dozed off and was awoken to a screamer on my right hand rod ater getting it out of the lillies i netted a mirror of twenty three pounds , i certainly was not going to remove it and returned it to its home i had left my camera at home and no one on the pool had one i repositioned my rod and just sat down and it was away again this turned out to be a forteen pound mirror i was certainly on a hight . i had just sat down and the left hand rod flew off it turned out to be a five pound tench, i caught another four tench to six pounds when the right hand rod absolutly screamed away this was no small fish out into the pool it went staying deep when idid manage to gain line i could see it was a big commen i was just at the net when the hook pulled i was gutted. by the time i went every one else had gone and once again i struggeld up that bank but i left for home a very happy chap not a bad morning i aranged to take mike the following week on a guest ticket more later
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In reply to Post #287
berrington had now gone syndicate once again bern was on the commite and managed to get me membership. there was now some good carp in the lake wich had mysterhously appeard and . had caused quite a stir being ssi and some rare dragon flys in the water english nature wanted them removed a chap called andy came from the enviroment agency and said all carp caught must be put in this cadge they supplied and would be collected and taken away. i had a bit of a laught over this how can all these big carp appear over night. even when graham and i fished it all those years ago we had some times been broke by lardge fish so i was not convinced they had been put in. to get to the pool you had to go down a very steep bank that was not to bad but coming back was my problem with my bad knees and legs ,but i was determined to give it a go since i had fished the lake it had been stocked with tench and these fish were quite big but really it was the bream i wanted i was told they were still there and some big fish had come out but nothing like we caught all those years ago.the syndicate had built stages arround the pool but i did not want to fish from some of these as some were quite small and not that safe i did not fancy falling in . also the pool was very deep in places and i wanted sonme were it was not that deep knowing the pool as i did i chose a swim in a corner of the pool fishing into twelve foot of water. baiting up with bread crums laced with maggots and using a feeder rod i struggeld for the first hour, the tip then flew arround and i was in this certainly was not a bream and on landing the fish it turned out to be a nice six pounds tench in fact i caught eight in all . between five and six pounds. i also started to catch some nice roach proabley the biggest going just over the pound. the bream eventualy came but not big all arround four pounds i was a little bit disapointed as the average size used to be arround seven pounds. i saw some nice carp showing and made up my mind the next session would be after these as some looked ouite big. carrying on i did not have to wait long i was in it w3as a carp there was know way on my light tackle and it was lost. i dont know what the total weight was i dont now use a keep net but probably arround eigjhty pound not a bad mornining there was no one else fishing that morning so i struggeld up that bank to the car on arriving i was quite exusted and atter loading the car i just sat there getting my breath back but i did go home a happy chappey and looked forward to my next session well thats all for npw
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In reply to Post #286
thanks dave your remarks are appreciated
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In reply to Post #285
Keep em coming Pete, you're doing a blinder there mate.
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In reply to Post #284
this ballif lark was not to bad you only went out to check if they had tickets no chasing poachers although you did get the awkward one that did not want to pay. you went mostly weekends friday night or sat night thats when it became quite busy.but in. the week you did not see to many anglers arround as far as the barbel we used to go for short sessions from eight pm to one thirty we had some exelent sport catching some real good fish espeacialy after dark catching at times up to twenty barbell mostley caught on halibet pellet, one method we used frequently was to fill the big heavy flat feeders with maggot and using a short link with a hair with hallibet pellet we had our rods nearly pulled from the rests on many ocassions. we also caught some real good chub using this method on one paticular night we caught five chub between us from four pound s and the biggest just over six. the barbel mostly weighted between six and nine pounds giving exelent sport in fast moving water. the double figure fish kept aluding us but it did eventualy come not one but three in one session but thats another story. i always found the best condions were when the river was rising and there was a bit of colour in the water they would asolutly go mad. thats all for now more later
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In reply to Post #283
i was invited to johns other syndicate water mike was a member so managed to get me an invite there was some good fish preasent the problem was the distance from the cars. with my health there was no way but mike insisted and got my tackle to the water.. the waters were three in all mick and i fished the middle one they were very small but contained some good lumps the average depth about four feet we intended to fish for forty eight hours, the first night i had a couple of runs but the fish were not that big mike managed a twenty pound commen quite a nice looking fish.but i was struggiling badly i did manage a couple more the second night but they were not that big. the end of the session came i had quite enjoyed it and had seen some decent fish. it was dicided to do a two nighter on betton the following week mike and i fished in a double swim fishing into about twelve foot of water on a very firm bottom we baited with a few bollies not over doing it the water was very low stocked and was not that confident we blanked the first night but on the second i was awoken at one am to a screamer and managed to land a big black mirror of twenty plus it wasent long before mike was in with a simaler fish i was quite pleased with the results and planned another session at a later date. we were also members of the shrewsbury federation and wanted to have ago at the barbel and had also been made baliffs more to come later
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In reply to Post #282
mikes brother john had took on another syndicate lake in south shropshire mike told me it was a very hard water to fish as no carp had been caught from the water for at least seven years althought it was a no guest water john invited me for a two night session we arrived at the water on a monday evening at about five pm. what a site it was set in the grounds of a big private school you could take your car to the waters edge it was most pretty about the same size as redmere with a dam at the one end with an island in the middle i fell in love with it as soon as i saw it. there was quite a few fish moving arround in thee weed the far side, but john also said no one had caught for years the problem being the amount of natural food. well after getting our biviees up and having some tea i decided to fish two rods to the island and one into a hole the far in the weed. well the first night we blanked wich i realy expected on the informatoin i had been given. john said the british carp study group used to fish the water some years before and had caught some cracking fish when they had it. i looked arround most of the next day and saw some nice fish although not that big but it wet my appite out went the rods again the same as the night before with a few free offering. i was awoken at three in the morning with a couple of bleebs on my alarm the rod wich was fished into the weed on looking at the rod tip it was bent right round so picking up the rod no need to tighten down ii was in shouting mike he came at a run im in mate he shouted john who arrived seconds after i played the fish not bieng to ruff i did not want to loose it being the first one caught for all those years. when landed in a ball of weed we all took a look it looks to be a twenty said john it was asuperb looking commen deep belled . when weighed and photos had been taken it was returned at a weight of fifteen plus smaller than what they had thought but i did not care i had caught the first carp out of there for seven years john kept saying its a feather in your cap and was so exited saying once again how hard the water was and let me say this was not the last i had from this pretty i went home a very happy angler more to follow
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In reply to Post #280
it was well into the nintys then when i met a man called mike hinton who has been a true friend althought disabled himself he always puts others first. he had just started fishing and was in his brothers carp syndicate in south shropshire. so i invited his brother and mike to fish lordys lake, ii was not that confident as the lake had not been fished for some considrable time i had not been myself because of my affliction. it was rather over grown but we managed to clear some swims and set up i dicided to use some 12 ml bolies with shrimp paste wraped arround it. i placed my baits under the far bank under some bushes i did not wait long i had a screamer on the left hand rod landing a lovely looking commen at ninteen pounds it was johns turn next lading a sixteen pounds mirror, i was away again on the middle rod another commen seventeen pounds. hearing a shout from mike i found him up to his knees in water i dont know what ive got on here i cant do anthing with it he had been taken right down the middle of the lake i could see it was a big fish there was a big bow wave he could do nothing it just parted company what ever was that i had no idea after winding in his end tackle was absolutly shreaded i now had my suspisions was it a cat but i had never heard of one in there well i was in again and what a fish a liner of twenty one pounds twelve oz. mikes wife has since kindly printed this fish on a tea shirt for me as it was so pretty mike hads a commen of eighteen pounds. ithen caught a tench of four pounds with pad marks on both sides of his body was i right about a cat . it ended with six carp for me and one tench not one fish below sixteen pounds one to mike and one to john not a bad day i was on a hight. john had a look arround and said he had seen some very big fish probably upper thirtys this did not suprise me as the lake had not been netted for years and no one fished it only myself and had found that dificult due to my bad knees, well more to come later
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In reply to Post #279
with my arthrities getting worse i left the fishery i had some great years there seven years in total my right hip was getting worse and i was finding it dificult chasing poachers arround. graham and ron left with me the owner asked me to stay on but i refused as i was also expecting to go in hospital for the new hip wich i had with in the next couple of weeks it was a complete success and gave me my mobilty back. i started to fish the river again taking old ron along when i went we had some great times fishing the shrewsbury federations water i realy wanted to fish for the barbel and maybe catch my first double wich i did at a later date dick had now passed away so there were no more trips to see him wich i really missed but as i say i started to catch some nice specimens never going over nine pounds but most welcome i would go for an evening session catching as many as eighteen in one evening the chub fishing was also good catching many to five pounds while fishing for barbel they did seem to go hand in hand you would catch them out of the same swim it was pure heaven just me ron and the rods no pressure at all i did not relize how much i had missed it we also caught some nice roach not big may be arround the pound but good fishinjg it certainly was good to be back catching .the federation also had a small pool with a few good carp although i never caught any huge fish i had lots to just under twenty pounds bigger fish had come out much bigger but i was not that lucky but others struggled so i must of been doing somthing right bomere was about to go syndicate once again leased by some lads who carp fished two of them are now well known but then youngsters ellis brazer and young alex perrin who have turned out real good anglers, bern and i had a couple of sessions on there before it went and caught some good fish to 27 pounds and others to twenty plus even though it went syndicate i could still fish owing to being baliff for the owners bern and i always kept are captures close to our chest never telling any one else little did the syndicate know how maney fish bern and i caught out of bomere at that time. more to follow
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In reply to Post #278
well there was some big old carp in that fishery i can rember bieng out on a punt with the bosses son we had caught quite a few good trout and we were using deep sunk lures i had a tremendous take the fish went strait under the punt with two ankers down i could not move arround to play it up came the ankers and the fish was away up the lake we followed with my mate using the electric motor i said to him this is no trout unless a big brown we followed this fish half way along the lake the fish keeping very deep it never came to the top for at least half an hour i managed to gain line on it what a fish surfaced the biggest carp i have ever seen a big commen he had took the lure fished beep we tried to net him but he was away again my heart was thumping i said to my mate we must not loose this fish so of we went again i played that fish for at least one hour on that fly rod then all went slack he had gone i could of cried what a fish i never did hook another one in the seven years i was there but saw quite a few others when walking arrounnd but none as big as that commen i lost that day. i would love to fish that water for its carp but alas its still a trout fishery . that big fish must still be in there waiting for some luckey fisherman to hook it once again more tales to follow
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In reply to Post #276
well it could be a quite dangerous job and was called out many times by the locals one such night i was called out to some people with dogs i called the police and they attended the poachers were caught and were aqsked to hand the game over to me they refused and before i new it this one came at me like a raving bull hitting me with a right hook did it hurt the police were quick of the mark but not before i head butted him the police were not happy with my actions but they were took away to the local nick with this chap saying he would see me again and would have me for assult i never did see him again but they did get done in court, another time we caught two men shooting in the day they had 22 caliber rifels and we eventualy caught them the one wanted trouble and kept pushing me with his hands luckley dennis had called the police and they were arrested we learned latter the one had just come out of prison and should not of had a gun in his possesion let alone a fire arm it came to court and he was sent back to prison the other was done for being in gharge of a firearm without a licence the job could be quite stressfull and not being in good healh my wife always worried when i went out at night more tales to follow
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In reply to Post #274
ill carry on here is another funny one night iwas called out to the fishery by the local black smith aparently all the neighbours had heard a girl screaming at the fishery so away i went picking mr cookson up on the way it was only three miles from my house so i was there pretty quiclkley on arriving there was the bosses son with this girl across an old picknick table going at it like two rabbits im sorry but i just had to spoil his fun and explain it was not the done thing to disturb the neighbours at one in the morning especially when he had a caravan on site i had to explain to the the residents that a a party had been going on they were not to pleased more later
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In reply to Post #274
You've nearly got enough for that book now Pete, good stuff mate
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In reply to Post #273
well here we go the funny side know there was a father and son that visited the fishery on a regular basis no names mentiond as he was a local biusnesss man althought i got on with him he always gave the impresion of a bit of a know all, well on this one day dennis and i were in the lodge looking out of the window where they were fishing was a fence just behind them and across this fence was a trip wire set to catch any poachers that got over it, well the young son must have gone up to it seen the wire and called his dad of course dad bieng dad touched the wire there was an almighty bang the rice i had loaded into the cartridge spraying the tin under it. well dennis and i nearly died laughing they took off down that field like if a swarm of wasps were after them eventualy arriving at the lodge saying that they had nearly got shot i had ajob keeping a straight face it was explained to them what it was and they should not have been any were near it they were not impressed now to the eel fishing we had had a dabble this one night which proved quite sucsessful catching four the biggest five pounds also losing a much bigger fish so another session was aranged for a friday night bern graham myself and the bosses son, we fished dead baits we did catch eels but we mostly caught trout and not small four and five pounders i said to the son look we cant carry on like this we were absolutly caning the trout i felt like a bloody poacher so under protest from the son i called a holt to it we never did fish for those eels again if his dad had found out he would of blown his top well more later
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In reply to Post #271
well let me tell you some funny stories and not so funny that happend to me at the fishery before i go on about eels i was in the lodge one day when three large men came to fish one in a wheel chair it was explained to them they would need two punts sa they would be to heavy for one but out they went all in one punt the water was nearly at the top only about three inches below dennis was mad out went the big rubber motor boat with the bosses son and he explained the situation and i took another punt telling them to go to the side and get two in one the other was to fish in the other but know these two big chaps jumped into my punt sinking it instantley the poor disabled man had not put on his brake and down the punt he went hitting the end and over he went upside down in forty foot of water he was sinking slowly i was already in the water was it cold and i had all my fishing gear on but managed to turn this chap up the right way annd get his head above water the other two had managed to get on the boat and dragged him aboard leaving me in the water i grabed a piece of rope and was pulled to the side i was asolutly exusted the ambulance came knoking it s blue light off on a cross bar above the gate they took this disabled chap to hospital we gave them there money and told them not to come back more to follow
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In reply to Post #271
well let me tell you some funny stories and not so funny that happend to me at the fishery before i go on about eels i was in the lodge one day when three large men came to fish one in a wheel chair it was explained to them they would need two punts sa they would be to heavy for one but out they went all in one punt the water was nearly at the top only about three inches below dennis was mad out went the big rubber motor boat with the bosses son and he explained the situation and i took another punt telling them to go to the side and get two in one the other was to fish in the other but know these two big chaps jumped into my punt sinking it instantley the poor disabled man had not put on his brake and down the punt he went hitting the end and over he went upside down in forty foot of water he was sinking slowly i was already in the water was it cold and i had all my fishing gear on but managed to turn this chap up the right way annd get his head above water the other two had managed to get on the boat and dragged him aboard leaving me in the water i grabed a piece of rope and was pulled to the side i was asolutly exusted the ambulance came knoking it s blue light off on a cross bar above the gate they took this disabled chap to hospital we gave them there money and told them not to come back more to follow
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In reply to Post #270
well more about my dog sam i was in the lodge one day and in he came with this big trout firmley in his mouth still alive. taking it from him it weighted four and a half pounds we asked every one had they lost a fish no one had, it became a regular thing up he would trot with another trout till one day we caught him talking about poaching there he was in the water his one leg raised standing as still as a heron bang in went his head and out came a trout bloody hell i said to dennis tristain that helped run the fishery his catching them him self doing better than some of the anglers on the lake i certainly had to keep an eye on him turn your back and he was at it again always bringing them back live he also would do the same at bomere with swan muscles he would stand in the water for half a hour soon as they moved he would have them quite a dog. the son of the owner wanted ago at the eels i wasent sure if it was a good idea because of the trout but he was adiment so who was i to tell him it was his fishery so it was to be iwill tell you what happend in my next story
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In reply to Post #269
at the same time i was still baliff for the owners at bomere and had rather a full life baliffing two lakes was no mean task. the owners son had now come to run the fishery and was also a good fly fisherman we had some real good days together fishing from those punts. catching as maney as sixty trout in a day returning most. it was not long when i was asked would i like to take part in a do with trout world to promote the fishery wich i exepted the day arrived and out on the lake i went taking my springer dog sam and my other ballif mr cookson also a good fly fisherman the cameras stayed with us most of the day they were fasinated with my dog sam he always came fishing with me wenever i went and was quite a charictor to all that new him. when you had a fish on he would always try and land it with his teeth i have some great pictures of him on the front page of trout world althought now dead he caught weils disease a terrible death but i live with my memorys. we caught maney fish that day and it was enjoyed by all who took part more to follow
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In reply to Post #268
on one paticular night i was in the company of graham when we saw a light in the top car park it was used by bird watchers who used another pool next to the fishery this was a nature conservation area. it certainly would not have been them at 12-30 am so of we4 went in the car shore enough it was a car and was certainly poachers they had left thier light on in the car silly sods well we called the police they arrived with sirens going enought to frigthen any poacher for miles away a dog van also appeard off went the dogs with thier handler in hot pursuit i said to graham no way thier long gone but we did have thier car. what happend next well i could not beileve my eyes got your knife this big sgt said yes mate no more to do he cut thier tyers they wont come back again he said with a grin on his face. next morning the said car was on a pub car park up from the fishery having new tyers put on they had managed . to drive from that park on flat tyers for about half a mile looking at the car park they had knocked the fence down in there rush to get away . later that day i recieved a phone call thretning me with all kind of violence ringing 1471 the silly sod had left his number on the phone so ringing the police he was caught and charged with thretning phone calls and poaching job done we had a lot less trouble for some time after. i had never done much fly fishing but after some free leasons and buying rods i became quite good the fishery used to sell fish and out i would go in a punt with electric motor and catch for there orders it was on such a sessoin i hooked and played my biggest rainbow trout weighing in at 18 pounds what a fish you had to kill all large fish caught as if put back they would possibly die from stress. this paticular fish was donated to the condover blind school and was very welcome. i suppose it takes a poacher to catch a poacher and we were also in big demand from other fisherys in the erea one such fishery was owned by a local gun smith and he had formed a syndicate on it can you help pete i am having terrible trouble this fishery was in a valley with three pools all joined with water falls very pretty with heavely conifers either side graham and i new the place quite well as we had shot ducks there many times. so it was to be one dark night off i set meeting the owner there and some of his members there here he says you could see there lights shining in the trees graham was not with me at the time , although id got my other baliff with me have you rung the police i say no one available he says after some discussion with him i new it was impossible to catch them to much cover in the car i had my semi automatic shot gun so off i went into the darkness creeping down i let off three shots into the darkness above the wood what a racket off went the lights with a load off shouting they departed quickley also leaving behind two rods and there flaskes of tea you know he never did have any more trouble job well done more to follow
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In reply to Post #267
asi said poachers were a problem and i was there day and night it does not take long to find wich directoin they were entering the fishery so graham and i set some trip wires up these were attached to a pin wich went through a hole in a tube inside was a black powder cartridge with a bolt above when some one tripped the wire out would pop the pin and down would come the bolt setting off the cartridge with an almighty bang. some times i would use a real cartridge taking out the lead and replacing it with rice then put a piece of tin under it what a racket when it went off i would of liked to have seen thre faces when they walked into one in the dark. well i had five of these in a row all waist hight on the far side of the lake one night graham and i was there about 1am there was an almighty bang bang bang bang bang and a load of shouting we took round the far side with the car trying to cut them off but they got away but had dropped there rods and worms on getting back to the fishing lodge and ringing the police we rolled arround laughing i bet they had dirty under pants this trip wires proved quite a sucssesfull deterent but did not stop all more to come later
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In reply to Post #266
in 1988 i started to have problems with my health on visiting a specalist i was told i had severe on giong ostioarthrites and really should retire from work bloody hell im only 48 i cant retire yet so i carried on the best i could . in 1989 we were privatized it went in house, having a interview i waqs told i would not get the job owing to my affliction , so into private industry i went fitting alarms for a friiend but it did not last long at the age of fifty i was forced to retire by my doctor i thought it was the end of my life but the doctors told me it was to give me a better qulitey of life. i must have been quite hard to live with i those early months dut my daughter had a little boy and he proved to be my salvation. his now 16 years old ive taught him all i know and thats not much his not intrested in fishing, but i took him shooting from the age of four and is a brillant shot and the apple of my eye. it was in those early months i received a phone call from a freind asking me if i could go to a meeting and talk to a bloke who was setting up a trout fishery wich i did it was a bit of a set up he wanted me to become baliff un paid of course but could have as much fishing as i liked i new the said water it also held a number of big carp and some huge eels although private i had poached it a few years before and done quite well. so i took on the job i got graham as a second and one other freind as well and i was head baliff the lake was stocked it was about five acres and very deep in parts they put in absolutly thousands of fish from there own fish farm . thats when my work realy began with some quite funny stories and some not, we had trouble from the start poachers and i mean poachers more of that later
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In reply to Post #261
i was absulutly gutted a freind i trusted taking fish i just could not believe he would do such a thing , but aparently there was two members so they were asked to leave no names mentiond on here as they still fish. well we carried on for the rest of the season catching some superb fish the season came to a close and gave me time to have a bit of a rest, i went to see lordy about next season and he politley told me he was going to net the pool and sell the fish he wanted more income for the estate and one of the members had told him about the fish thefts , i was devestated that was the end of my syndicate caused by to bloody fools. but on reflection it was the best thing since sliced cheese. in latter years the fish left are now huge and i am the only one allowed to fish the water i can take a couple of freinds and i can tell you its pure heaven having the water all to mmy self but thats for another story.
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In reply to Post #261
Pete - your'e on fire mate
As has been mentioned ,this is going to make one hell of an article!
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In reply to Post #260
well we were getting more and more pressure to produce i could see graham getting more fed up all the time it was becoming more like a job than a hobby. and then it happend im packing up said graham it was the late eightys by now i was asulutly devistated my angling companion gone after all those years no. matter what i said or did he would not change his mind he quitely slipped from the angling scene leaving me on my own. where do i go from here bomere was day ticket still and i was still baliff i managed a few nights with bernard catching a few nice carp up to mid twentys but my heart really was not really in it i then decided i would do a bit of samon fishing bought a permit and fished a stretch of river at moonkmoor shrewsbury i did not have much luck but caught maney pike up to twenty pounds. were do i go from here i gave it a rest for a few months consentrating on shooting forming a syndidcate with graham which runs to this day, fishing was always on my mind dennis had driffted away back up to stoke fishing reeds mere so i was told. i met a chap called george kimberly at work we hit it of from the start and started fishing lordys pool lordy asked if i would like a small syndicate on the lake only fishing in the day no nights i snaped his hand off and formed the syndicate graham did join but his heart really was not in it we had some great times catching some lovely commen and mirror carp on peanuts and boiles with some exellent chub to seven pounds plus. it was then i found out a member had been removing carp to stock another lake this i had to deal with fast if lordy found out we would be finished more to come later
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In reply to Post #259
im sorry about spelling mistakes i keep forgetting spell check well graham and i continued sea fishing we started going on holiday with our familys to angelsey always tacking light carp rods with us we found a little place called cemis bay and had some great catches of pollack float fishing using lug worm from the rocks a good eating fish also catching some really good wrase going up to five pounds these we always returned also spinning for macrel did they go on light gear we caught as many as twenty in a session i think keeping many at the caravan park supplied for there tea i was on a hight i could not go wrong either fishing for bream or sea fish i caught, we were getting more frightend of publizing our catches it was coming quite impossible to fish we had quite a name localy and were ever we went anglers followed us round it came to a head when the local policman on our patch came to see me at work ive just caught two anglers at acton burnell fishing in your name aparently the gamkeeper caught them a man called peter jackson who asking who they were answerd gramam wakley and pete pemberton the keeper knowing myself and graham called the police i kid you not they were took to court and paid a heafty fine there was a law then called trespass then which was strictley adered to we carried on throghout the seventys wich you already know about now comes the eighties more later
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In reply to Post #258
i want to tell you this because its all part of my angling history in those days graham and i were quite deeply involved in see fishing we formed a club with a few freinds and fished from the sea lord from angelsey mainly wreck fishing mostly going once a month it was exiting fishing drifting over the wreck and fishing back onto it we caught pollack and some going to nearly eight pounds skate conger dog fish and tope and macrel it was heady days and somthing i really loved to do a big change from course fishing. well i was getting quite well known at the local nick where i worked and was approached to see if i would consider forming a club at the nick which i certainly did we continued on the sea lord but graham and i wanted bigger things so i contacted vic haig owner of the endever fame at aber north wales he had been catching some good shark and tope which really wetted my appite ..he owned three boats endever 1 2 and 3 we always went out with vic i well rember catching my first tope weighing in at 45 pounds earning me a place in the british tope club he never killed them always tagging them and letting them go . he had tagges back as far away as australia amazing how far they would travel. i and graham and our motley crew caught some really big fish on that boat with shark up to 150 pounds he used to go about 20 miles out to the fishing ground we were on the boat one day and i kid you not this great big missile came by about thirty yds from the boat bloody hell we were in the firing range used by the air force and navy he was soon on the radio we had to move he had quite a severe telling off from the top brass but for all that he was a great skipper i rember once catching a four pound lobster no more to do into a bucket and he cooked the poor thing on the baot graham and i were staying down there on holiday with the family and i well rember eating it for our tea. graham broke the lessor spotted dog fish record i remained freinds with vic for maney years another time this chap had a heart attack and died on our boat poor man they got the helle copter to pick him up and fly him out it really spoiled the day no ones heart was realy in it after that. then another time a tanker came to near and nearly tipped us over very scary indeedi well rember a storm getting up and vic made for home it was a force eight i loved it up the boat went and down into the waves most others were sea sick but not graham and myself to us it was a great experience we carried on fishing for maney years and will always be gratfull to his kindness shown to all well more to follow
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In reply to Post #257
my time at sankys was drawing to an abrupt end we worked with a forman on nights who was a right bugger he used to intererdate people ive seen grown men reduced to tears by this gentelman he would not have got away with it today. well to cut a story short i lost my father inlaw and had a couple of days off with per mission from personal and the shop manager. on going back to work on nights i was abused with so much venom i could not believe what he said somthing like bugger your father in law your place is here after more words i was threatend with violence and offered out side he was nothing but a bully so like a fool i exepted his invitation he was asolutly ranting out throught the side door i went with him following i never waited for him to get through with all my migjht i slamed the door on his head down he went and thats whrere he stayed for some time coverd in blood the lads were all arround me saying well done hed been asking for it for a long time. it did not help me i needed that job when he eventualy came arround i was suspended i need not of worried next day i was back to personal he was suspended i got quite a telling off they did not whant to loose me as i was a hard worker i stayed on days and as far as i know he never abused any one again but it was never the same and eventualy offerd a job with the home office to train as a radio mechanic thats where my fishing really took off i had lots more time althought the money was not big it gradualy improvedthis is the time i met dick and helped form the three countys more to follow
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In reply to Post #253
thank you all for the kind remarks ive had loads of pms and gives you the heart to carry on. i suppose it was the early or mid seventys the job i was doing came to an end, i was desparate for money as i had a young family graham was working for gkn sankeys as a paint sprayer i put in for a job and ended up in their welding school, not really the job i wanted but it was good money that came to an end and was transferd on to a press e as an operator having a crew of five with me pressing A60 cross members it was then i met a man called george taylor who also lived on my village he was into fishing mainly for trout and samon he worked nights as a tool maker giving him time to fish a few hours in the day. onr night he said pete have you trled samon fishing good god no to expensive. not the way i do it was was the reply i fish the upper reaches of the severn and so it was to be buying a good spinning rod and reel i acompaned george on many outings he was a great fisherman and from the start of our freindship caught the biggest i can remember was twenty thee pounds, the fish eluded me i just could not catch one but i enjoyed his company i caught maney pike on those outings and rember hooking this fish one morning it put up quite a fight george thought it was a samon until we got it into clear water it was a big pike but i kid you not another pike had attacked it and was firmly atached with its teeth it was asolutly huge so there i was playing two fish, on getting it to the bank georgre tried to net the both no way the bigger one let go bloody hell the one we did land weighted 19 pounds i was shaking how big was the other one george recond hight thirtys well thats how it goes i still struggeld to catch my first samon till one morning i thought i had become snagged untill it started to move i played the fish wich moved up stream with me following it george eventualy landed it i just stood thre what a magnificent fish 22 pounds of shear mucsle we despatched it and i sold it to a local hotel for forteen pounds i had maney trips with george and remaind freinds untill his death in the middle eights he will always remain in my heart for all the help he gave me all those years ago more to come
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In reply to Post #255
im hoping bill is well on with compiling all this into an article, im waiting till its finished now, looking forward to reading it in one go
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In reply to Post #254
my god
i get writers cramp signing my name this bloke is writing a book!
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In reply to Post #253
This is going to be some article Pete, keep it coming mate
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In reply to Post #252
i suppose it would happen some time i met this lovely girl who i eventualy married who has supported me whatever i have done throught my years of fishing and shooting it was not long before i met graham my life long companoin when fishing graham had a a35 van and my fishing really took off we fished the severn at atchem for the chub roach and dace catching maney good bags of chub and dace mostly float fishing tackle had come on in leeps and bounds and having good jobs we could afford it, one thing i used to love was eel fishing on the severn at night we had some spectacular catches maney eels going to four pounds it was heaven in those days no pressure from other aqnglers. we gained permision to fish a lake just out side shrewsbury we had heard it contained a few big eels and decided to give it a go at the ffirst opertunity we arrived to the most beautiful lake i have ever seen lawns all around and a garden house beside it we started by using lob worm and had some sucsess with eels to three pounds i kid you not it was like sitting on your front lawn we returned a few times but could not catch anything bigger but a freind a lad called terry screen did have one at six and a half pounds. from there a farmer gave us permision to fish his pool at a place called hadnell. we float fished this pool using maggot and bread bloody hell we caught gold fish not small up to three pounds in weight and superb tench with loads going to four pounds also crusion carp not big but very welcome we were the only ones allowed to fish this pool it was so peacfull we had maney happy hours fishing there more to follow
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In reply to Post #250
well i was fishing mad and went at every opertunity i had i fished the river severn there was no barbel in those days only roach chub dace and pike the samon fishing was out of my reach. i would be off on my bike tackle on my back rods tyed to my cross bar i used to fish a stretch called sydney avenue by the shrewsbury wier i would trot a float down with maggot or castor and catch dace by the score they were lovely fish and on light tackle put up a good scrap none were much over half a pound but good fish all the same also catching some good chub to arround four pound there was a place called grey friars bridge a bit futher up stream this was a favorite place place used by the local anglers to catch roach i loved it and still do i caught maney nets of roach from that place ledgering with bread paste with lots going to over the pound. the locals would come down to feed the swans with scraps of bread im sure those roach new it was a free feed. also there was an abundance of pike there out would come my rod and out with a live bait i caught lots of pike from that swim lots going into the hight doubles i still fish there acasonaly with a freind called mike and have accounted for some really good pike in the winter must send some photos to bill i carried on fishing my beloved river rea and caught some very impresive bags of chub and roach with a few trout as well not far from my home was another small water called betton alkmere not maney new of its existance i dont think there is any fish in it today but there certainly was then i would float fish that water catching loads of roach some good fish going to a pound and a half it was stuffed full and would be fish after fish i never did ask permision and althought near the farm i never did get caugh then there was the farm pool at betton still there to this day i asked permision and it was granted it was not deep but what sport i had catching bags of tench on float tackle specimens to four and half pounds if i can rember right one day catching over one hundred pounds absolutly brillant for that time, well more later got to take the wife shopping
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In reply to Post #250
Pete, This has to be the best thread I've read on here in a long time, your stories have been bloody excellent, thanks for spending the time in writing them down for us to share.
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In reply to Post #244
well i soon got another job and managed to buy some more tackle i was a bit of a jack the lad in those days but never got in any serious trouble .you might remember in an earlier thread i told you about bomere being strictly private it was owned by a local farmer called sam davies and was part of a big shoot covering maney acres at the end of the lake was a house where the local game keeper lived his name was jerry haiz none of the locals would go any were near the place always fearing the said keeper but myself and a freind a lad called gerald harris would fish it illegaly mostly spinning or live baiting and caught some really big pike until one day we wer spotted from the far side i reconized the chap instantly as sgt landers from our local police station who was a member of the shoot we were off i can tell you up the bank behind us poor gerald running through the bushes run straight into a hornets nest hanging from a branch and was stung all over he was crying in pain, over the fence we went and onto the railway line you could hear the keepers in distance but we had agood start on them under the railway bridge we went to the left of the bridge was a small stream which was piped across the field just big enough to crawl through in we went and there we stayed for quite some time you could hear the keepers talking to the police wandering where we had gone not once did they think to look up this pipe, we eventualy came out the other side wet throught poor old geralds face had swelled terrible he looked like the mitchaleen man and was still crying. i beileve he had to go for treatment latter to the local hospital, it was not long before threre was a knock on the door it was this sgt landers i used to call him old white eyes when he told you off his eyes would go white in temper well he thought he had reconized me but i told him he must have been mistaken so that was that that finished me poaching bomere as you know i took on the lease maney years later and it was from the very same farmer sam davies he never did find out that i was the one that poached his pool all those years ago. just another snippet and i kid you not all true old sgt landers reared a few pheasents on his back lawn they used to wander down behind his house a freind and i did a bit of shooting at the time and had a good maney of his birds. he used to come to my house and acuse me but could never prove anything but thats not for this fofum . just down from bomere was the honey medow quite a big water about two acres not deep and full of eels we had great sport on there with lob worm catching lots of specimens to arround three pounds but to us youngsters they were big fish. unfortunatly that water has now gone filled in . but it lives on in my memory we had some great times there more to come later
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In reply to Post #247
You should write a book.
END OF
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In reply to Post #247
I agree ned, top posts from a top bloke - the best read I've had in a long time.
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In reply to Post #246
excellent posts pete
a real top read,these are the type of posts that put this forum above others and makes it more interesting than any mag
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In reply to Post #245
Still at it Pete Good man, keep em coming mate
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In reply to Post #244
Thanks Pete, your posts are a really good read
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In reply to Post #242
well on leaving school i went to the cooparative shop to train to be a butcher the boss was a right old bugger he would give you a smack if you did not do as you were told. next door was the cobblers run by a man called george he was a fisherman and loved roach fishing which he did mostly on the severn do you want to come pete i jumped at the chance he had got a motor bike and side car and always went on a sunday morning so it was to be tackle in the side car rods on our backs and away we went we fished the shrewsbury waters and used bread paste as bait and sat watching the rod top for a bite i learnd so much of george in those early days and will always be gratefull for all he taught me we caught some lovely roach always arround the pound mark some much larger he also introduced me to pike fishing. i can well rember catching my first big pike from the severn with george encouriging me how to play it and showing how to unhook it when weighted it was only fourteen pounds it looked asolutly huge i fished with him many times and learned so much catching lots of roach and pike alas he now passed on like so maney others a great man who we live on in my memory for ever. my job at the coop did not last long i got my own back on that old bugger one morning i went in there was a gas heater on the wall and i accidently blew it up the fire service was called and that was the end for me ha ha well more stories later
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In reply to Post #241
well it had got happen some time there was a water fall at a place called halford on the onny not far from our house i used to fish it on a regular basis using lip hooked minnows i would catch perch and the odd trout before i knew it i was surrounded by baliffs and the farmer and police man i had a mate with me a lad called allan barker he was asolutly petrified, to cut a story short the policman cuffed me across my head and conficated my rod and the trout id caught. on getting home i had to tell mum and dad i thought i would get another hiding but as it happend i did not, we were visited by the police that evening and had another telling off he also returned my rod so all ended well. but that did not stop me i carried on catching those trout for the next few years and never got caught again. i suppose i was forteen when dad mum moved back to bayston hill not long before i left school, now there was a little brook not far from my home known as condover brook i was determind i was goiing to fish it all my mates said it was ballifed by a game keeper called mr bell and his under keeper well of i went on my bike hiding it in the nettles i caught many trout out of that brook on spinner and worm i was chased by mr bell on many ocasion but was never caught, i rember once lying in this ditch coverd by weed and wet throught while old bell talked to the local policman a man called stan sharp even the dogs were sniffing round little did they know if they had only looked down at that ditch they would have found me well there you go more tales later
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In reply to Post #240
well as i said id like to tell you about my early life in craven arms and how it effected my angling life, as i said i lost my father in the war and mother got married again my step father was a signal man on the railway and we moved to craven arms i think this was the happest time of my life. right behind our house was a brook called the onny it was stuffed full of brown trout it was mostly a syndicate water and very private patroled by baliffs most of the time, i atarted off with a old tank earial rod. id poach that water day and night, so much so i would play truant from school wich i was soon found out and had the cane three on each hand i soon learned that was not the thing to do. we lived in a railway terrace and food and money was short in those days so most saturdays in the summer i would be up at 5 am and would be on the brook half an hour latter i think i supplied most people in that terrace with trout fishing with worm id catch as many as seventeen fish in a morning some quite big a couple of pounds i would usualy be back for eight silly buggers were easy to catch. although my step father managed to save up and one christmas mornining i woke up to a hardy built cane combination rod bless him he is now in his eights and that rod cost sixty pounds then a lot of money well my fishing realy took of i started to travel on my bike to some of the local lakes some legal and some not i rember sitting behind my rod with a guy called ray evans now sadley dead fishing this private lake catching carp and roach not big only a about a pound wiht the owners having a garden party just in front of us on the lawns they never did discover we were there i wont mention there name as they are related to royalty not that it makes much difference after all these years you rember i mentiond the bach in a earlier thread well ray and myself would fish that with floating bread catching many carp arround three pounds a can rember catching one weighting 10 pounds absolutly enormous for two young lads we used to get quite an audience catching these carp off the top and well rember this chap weighting that 10 pounder not believing his own eyes the pool was owned by a farmer called syd evans and used to gharge two shillings and six pence to fish the lake. but always let us youngster go for nothing well thats all for now got to go and meet my syndicate members to get corn to feed my pheasents more later
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In reply to Post #238
it was not all bream fishing in those early days i would like to tell you the story of my beloved rea brook about half a mile from my house. i fished this brook long before i met graham it was my grandad that first took me there the year probably arround 1946 so i would only be about four years old i well remember those old cane rods he used i suppose thats how i got the bug for fishing i got married at the young age of eighteen. and lived in the village of bayston hill my place of birth. not having transport in those far off days i spent many hours fishing the rea, it was full of chub roach dace and a few nice trout, i would walk from my house rod in hand half a loaf and a few worms in a tin . one method i found worked well was floating bread crust the chub loved it and i took many specemens to four pounds or i trundle a free lined lob i remember one such mornining i had a tremendus pull on the rod top i lifed the rod and struck, away it went, down the brook this fish went with me in full cry behind i could not keep up through the brambles i went eventualy ending up above this deep pool after a bit of a scrap i managed to land this fish i had trouble getting it in the net i just could not believe what i had caught it was a salmon of nine pounds i was up those feilds i can tell you and home .i caught many brown trout from there usualy arround the pound mark but they made good eating. one method that realy worked was danish blue mixed with bread and made into a paste looking back at records i caught my biggest chub from that brook on that paste wieghing in at four and half pounds not a bad fish for those days, the brook and surrounding area abunded in wild life i rember crouching behind these reeds one morning with the rod resting on the top and two young kingfishers perched on the end of the rod absolutly brill i could of reached out and touched them. the roach fishing was also good i spent many mornings trotting a quill float and a couple of maggots on the hook catching good bags of roach not big arround half a pound i think the largest i ever had was about a pound and a half but great fishing. i eventualy meet graham and we spent many winters trotting for those roach with the line at times freezing to the rod rings i would not have missed it for the world. the brook has now been dredged and i suppose spoiled it is now full of grayling there are still chub preasent but with my aflictoin i can not walk to fish it so i live with my memorys. i would like to tell you next about life and fishing in a little village in south shropshire called craven arms i lost my father in the war mum married again and we moved there for a number of years. well more later
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In reply to Post #238
Good stuff Pete, loving it
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In reply to Post #233
we started to fish a pool called brazingtons i met the owner on a local shoot he mentioned his pool and kindly gave us permision to fish it after a chat it was decided two do a two nighter at the far end was a dam which we could get are bivies onto having a look arround there was carp every where the pool was asulutly stuffed with them the pool had been strictley private so no angling presure not many had serusley fished the place after a cupa and a meal out went the end tackle it did not take long to get a run but not from carp but tench not much of a fight on carp tackle. so out with the float tackle they must of been quing up for the bait it was fish after fish all from three to four pounds. on closer inspection the carp looked very much like wildes. we fished the two nights without acarp we ended up with about 200 pound of tench maybe more i got bored with catching them we returned many times to that pool and never ever caught a carp out of it we were beat. i have returned since although harold has now died and the little buggers are still in there and thats where they will stay i dont think ill be back i am getting to old but you never know more tales later
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In reply to Post #234
no mark its a lot in my memory its a plain as yesterday and i have lots of cuttings from angling times from years ago
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In reply to Post #234
no mark its a lot in my memory its a plain as yesterday and i have lots of cuttings from angling times from years ago
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In reply to Post #234
no mark its a lot in my memory its a plain as yesterday and i have lots of cuttings from angling times from years ago
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In reply to Post #232
Brilliant stuff Pete - do you have a diary recording all these tales- if not I think we should be calling you memory man.
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In reply to Post #232
right behind bomere is another pool called shomere no one fished it in those early days long before i took the lease on bomere after approaching the owner graham and myself decided to have a go there ,.the only problem was acsess . it was very bogey the ground actually moved under your feet the owner warned us of the dangers of fishing there. but we went a head , in the following days we managed to cut a swim and put a few small buckets of ground bait in, after chatting we made up our mind to float fish the pool it was like a basin completly round fringed with liles with an average depth of 10ft the day arrived we eventualy got set up and both fishing with maggot and bread flake. from the start we caught rudd not big but there colour was magnificent owing to the peaty water i suppose the biggest no more than a pound in weight, it was then the bream moved in it was a fish a cast getting broke many times the fish were not that big by todays standards averaging four to five pounds but great fishing on light tackle. at the time i did not know it even contained bream. we were also getting plagued by the resident pike so out went the live baits we caught eight in all the biggest no more than ten pounds but the most striking fish i had ever seen again all most certainly due to the peaty water we ended the day with over a hundred pound of bream. and great many rudd to a pound and a half. the only trouble we had been the mozzies we were practicaly eaten alive. we returned many times in those early days always catching consistently. a freind at the time got permisoin and did a night on the water with some diffaculty but did manage to catch a six and half pound eel a big fish at the time but never puplicized. in recent times approx seven years ago i came out of hospital having had a new hip and recieved a phone call from the owners of shomere saying they were having it netted and could i come along i new this would be an impossible venture but i struggled down on crutches i was right they could not because of the depth. but decided they would electro fish the margins. i was gop smacked with the results, six eels smallest four pounds biggest six in fact they took a photo of myself holding this specemen i must get a copy but the biggest suppprise was crusion carp to over three pounds and a number ot tench to five pounds we did not know they were even in there a freind walking arround also found a dead commen weighing arround twenty pounds . but i suppose no one fishes it these days because of the mozzies you get eaten alive so who knows what will come out in the future if some one is brave enought to face the elements. so ends another story more to come
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In reply to Post #229
graham and i still fished with dennis fishing colmere we managed a few big fish myself catching a 10pounds 4 oz fish i was over the moon. one thing worth a mention were the big raoch that inhabited the mere superb fish we used to catch them when we were bream fishing. graham had a lot of sucsses float fishing for them using long floats partial self cocking you needed weight to get the distance. one night wich sticks in my mind i dont think i mentioned it early on. we set out one night to fish colmere it had been a very hot day getting there at 7 pm and setting up we started to catch some roach arround a pound no one else from the goup was on that night. well about midnight it started to thunder and the lihgtning was quite spectacular you could see the geese the other side the mere up went the brollie well did it rain. behind us was a bog which we had to cross to get to our swim the wind got up and the storm continued i had never expeirenced anthing like it we were getting quite frightend i got of my bed chair to speak to graham and there was one big flash of lightning and this silver birch was hit and crashed down on my brollie and bed chair enought was enought we started to pack up the bed chair was absolutly ruined trying to get through the bog was another thing the water a come up that quick it was un true with only a small torch we made our way out the muck and water was above our knees christ i thought we had had it if you did stop moving the more you sank into this fowl smelling stuff eventualy we made it to the van we were totaly can i say buggard and coverd in mud. poor graham was saying never again, the storm was still raging. , well of we went towards home which usualy takes half an hour i kid you not it took two hours there was graham and i removing branches of the main road it was asolutly terrible the roads were flooded as well but the old a35 van managed to get throught by the time we got home we were soaked throught, as graham said never again, i have never been out in a storm like that since . more tales of the old days latter
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In reply to Post #229
Real quality Peter!! Keep those diary accounts coming mate!!
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In reply to Post #227
jumping a head a bit we were still fishing lordys lake he had started to let others fish it the bolie had come and the hair the fish soon wised up to these little round baits i heard on the circuit about peanuts . i managed to get some . and every time i left the lake i put a handfull in by the way they were prepared by boiling ..i did this for two weeks, when we eventualy used them the fish went barmy every one on the lake was sruggling but we were catching i thing we were catching anything up to ten a day with fish up to twenty pounds. others were asking what we were using bolie we would say i never did tell any one not even to thisday. we moved back onto bomere i was determined to catch the tench and carp. we started to catch bream not big four or five pounds in weight but very welcome. then one morning while using lob worm i caught one of my biggest tench a 9 pounds 12oz specemen followed by one of six pounds. i new there was carp in there but not many but no one believed us so i started to introduce some bait bolies not many a few often we did this for about five weeks. the first night we fished bern and myself we came up trumps bern had a screamer and landed a 27 pounds 12 oz mirror . the next week i was away on holiday bern and graham fished the same swim poor old graham got badley bit all over by mozzies when i got back he was coverd back legs even his chest i believe berns mum had to rub calomine lotion all over him, well the next week i blanked but three weeks latter i had two a 23 pounds eightoz and a 20pound four oz boyh mirrors i was over the moon we had done it and proved a point the trouble was word soon got arround and anglers started to appear from far and wide the lake had been sold to new owners who let it on a day ticket basis i was made baliff once again so had my work cut out checking tickets more on bomere latter
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In reply to Post #227
Well done Pete, you'll just have to carry on now mate No stopping there old lad
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In reply to Post #226
Tremendous read Pete, keep it coming
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In reply to Post #225
well of to acton we go i met bern there at seven pm i set up on a large boarded swim with graham bern to my right and what a night it was to be after a chat and a bite to eat and a cupa in went the end tackle it was very weedy i was not to confident but graham was soon in a lovely tench of seven pounds if i rember right we took seven tench in the first hour between five and seven pounds. it then turned off till after dark. graham continued to catch tench. some good fish arround 6 pounds i fell asleep and was awoken to a screaming run the mitchell absolutly spinning on the back wind i bloody rapped my knukles and hit hurt well i had this fish on graham was by my side in a flash i played this fish for a long time i new it was big god did it put a bend in the rod up and down it went at last getting it over the net its tail in the light of the torches was massive its a good fish graham says we just get it over the net and the hook pulled. i just sat there i could not believe it graham was apologizing it was not his fault no ones just one of those things that happens. we heard a shout from bern who was playing a good fish wich was netted 33pound mirror a good fish it was not long before i was in again landing a lovely commen of 18 pounds and then followed with a mirror of 20 npounds 8oz i was on a roll in between graham and i continued to catch tench. bern was in again this time a lovely conditiond mirror of 25 pounds what a night morning came but no more carp poor old graham never caught one but did manage some great tench we finished the night with 16 tench to seven pounds and four carp to 33 pounds we went home happy chappys. well here ends another tale from my life of fishing more to come
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In reply to Post #222
well we continued on this lake for the next two days catching some great fish none large the heavest seven pounds but good fishing, we could not get a take in the day only at night. we float fished in the day catching tench, lots not big but great sport average weight from half a pound to two pounds i think at the end we had caught arround 100 pounds of tench between the three of us. at the time the carp study group were holding there annual bash at a place called landridnod wells. bern and graham fancied a go so the next week saw us on our way it was a bit of a long way but we were keen so off we went for a three day session i had never seen the lake before and was quite suprised on arival it was in the middle of the town, after paying our tickets we decided to fish the far side by the road next to the cars to save lugging our tackle to far we all fished opposite this man made island all fishing with two rods after tea out went the end tackle we did not get a take till dark it went mental fish after fish from 10 to 15 pounds i had to fish with one rod as i was catching two at once and the others did as well we slept throught the day only fishing at night i kid you not we caught eighty carp in three days we were completly tired out no large fish the biggest about 16 pounds, we got home id only been in the house minutes and the phone went it was bern lets go to acton burnell to night good job i had an understanding wife i rang graham who was up for it but thats another story to continue. i havent heard from you bill so ill keep at it but i must do some fishing next week
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In reply to Post #222
Keep it coming Pete, this is the most enjoyable read I've had since 'Redmire Pool' was published.
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In reply to Post #222
on and on and on only playing good post
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In reply to Post #221
i lost some of the last story let me explain this was a lake deep in south shropshire in hill country out on the moors i approached the farmer who gave us permision we had now paired up with bern who i mentiond in an earler story craham had bought an old land rover and trailor so we were off after seenging the farmer and getting directions the mist came down and we got lost after stopping for a chat we left graham with the land rover and bern and i set off on foot atter stumbling arround for about an hour we eventualy found the lake after a bit of shouting we managed to get graham down to the pool we had now got bivies covers for our uuberellas and a pair of the early optonics so we should be more comfortable bern was bad suffering with a bad head asking graham if we had asprins we said no. i was now in the early stages of osteoarthrites and was on pain killers called salopadol they disolved in water i could take them like sweets i gave bern two he said he would not fish till morning poor chap they knoked him out not waking till the afternoon next day . not being able to see we cast out blind and retired to our bivies the rest you have already read
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In reply to Post #220
eventualy we got graham to the lake, and uloaded the tackle and up went the bivies rods made up on went the frying pan bacon and egg cup of tea wich was quite welcomeyou could not see the lake for mist berne had a severe head ache so was not going to fish till in the morning had anyone got any asprin he asked no said graham. i was in the early stages of osteoarthrties and had some pain killers called salopadol i could take them like sweets they disolved in water so bern took a couple poor chap thats the last we saw of bern till the next afternoon it completly knocked him out. not knowing where to cast because of the mist i put two rods out blind so did graham we had now bought bite alarms some optonicis some of the first on the market so no more staying awake all night so it was into the bag. i realy did not expect much to happen that night but in the early hours i was awoken by a screamer it was that bad i could hardly see the rods only the light from the buzzer graham came running bloody hell what have i got on up and down the lake it went after eventualy landing it we looked into the net with a torch, it was not big but all mucsle with with a deep gold colour probably because of the peat bogs arround there we sacked it till morning i had not been in the bag long before i had another one this was great cor did they scrap i ended the night with seven six to graham we awoke to brillant sun shine what a picture the lake was, about five acres reed fringed whith an old house at the end, after looking at the fish and wieghting them the biggest seven pounds we relized they were true wildies torpedo shaped and all mucsle photos took they were returned to be continued
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In reply to Post #219
thanks for your kind remarks. well my life was becoming quite full. it was coming up to winter, and dennis wanted ago at wixal moss which you now cant fish ,graham and myself were also quite heavly involved in shooting running a local pheasent syndicate. i was still in touch with dick and still sending down his woodys he asked for. well of we went to wixal moss dennis recond it containd some nice bream to double figures also some very good roach i was not convinced we would catch the bream the weather was now quite frosty so it was the roach we decided to fish for the lake was not over deep and the water was rather dark owing the surrunding peat bogs, we fished it from first light for a number of weeks mainly on sundays catching some quite good roach never going much above 1 pound 8oz but very welcome in the conditions we were fishing in. the weather started to close in and froze over so that was that for another season .i was working for the home office at the shrewsbury police station as a radio mecanic so idid manage to get down to see dick on a number of ocasions with kieth wilkinson that winter he was always encouraging me to write for angling times but with work and not bieng much of a writer i never got arround to it come on pete ill edit it but it never really happend. well the new season came along it was now just about the early eightys you may rember i mentiond a lad called berne weaver in an earlyer story i had come quite impressed with some of the eals and carp he had been catching, so he paired up with graham and myself a freind ship wich has lasted to this very day .i new a lake right out in the country side right in the middle of the moors in south shropshire talking to the farmer he told me we could have ago and it contained some carp but no one really fished the place as it was to remote. graham had just bought an old land rover so it was the off the tackle was loaded into a trailor picked up bern it was to be a three day session we had now got bivies covers to go over our umerellas so things should be a bit more comfortable. on arriving at the farm i had a word with the farmer who pointed out directoins. and off we set bloody hell bieng so hight up in hill country and on the moors the mist came down and we were completly lost could not see your hand in front of you. so after stopping and having a chat we left the land rover leaving graham behind bern and i set off on foot to look for the lake after stumbling arround for about an hour and complely knakerd we eventualy came across it. more about this lovely lake latter
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In reply to Post #218
Great stories Pete. Surprised the Labrador didn't choke to death eating live perch that size!!  I must admit - after getting over the shock of seeing something like that happen - I'd have rolled around laughing had I witnessed something like that!1 Some dogs eat almost anything - especially labs, beagles and spaniels. Remember a time when I was a nipper on hols in IOW - myself and my brother took our pet springer and lab for a country walk. We came across a flock of sheep that had left a trail of crap along a road. The dogs started sniffing this trail of droppings and began gorging themselves on it!! Laugh - I nearly wet myself!! Mind you - after dragging them away from the stuff and getting home - we didn't half get some grief from the parents!! Those dogs bloody stunk for days after that and banned from the house!!
More of the same Pete!!
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In reply to Post #217
as i said graham and i fished this lake it was heaven just us, it was very weedy so we had to fish through the holes in the weed the hair had not been invented then so things were a little bit harder but with a little bit of thought started to catch fish but not the carp but chub big fish graham and i caught six in one day i could not believe the size all between six and seven pounds, one particular day i managed to hook my first carp and got snaged along came lordy with his then girl freind whats up pete ive got snaged i say no problem he says and starts to strip off, i did not know weather to laught or cry there he was in his union jack under pants and in he went . i stood there gop smacked out he went and vanished under the water up he came gasping for breath ive got it he shouts. reel in pete and sure enought i was again in contact with this fish eventualy landing a lovely commen of ninteen pounds while this was going on his girl freind never spoke a word till he emerged from the water without his under pants he had lost them in the weed. in very posh voice she shouts bloody hell and stalkes of up the field well i was nearly on the ground laughing. i tried to keep a straight face thre he was standing in the nody more intrested in the fish than putting his clothes back on graham was not with me that day but another freind he just walked away i could hear him in the distance rolling about on the ground trying his best not to laugh. i wont mention lords name in case it causes him some enbarisment the girl freind his now his wife so enough said , we continued to fish the lake catching some really good carp but none over twenty pounds although there was plenty there a lot bigger; lordy i kid you not used to treat the fish like pets. one day his mother came down when i was fishing she had been training her gun dogs in the feild she had two labs and a springer she sat down and in a very posh voice can you please catch me a perch so out went the float tackle and and after a few minutes i had one arround a pound after un hooking it she took it from me and fed it live to this black lab i could not believe what i was seeing this bloody lab ate six or seven perch i said to her id never seen that before all she said the dog had always liked perch. do you know what i tried him with a small roach he would not touch it only perch i was amazed but there you go you live and learn. well thats enough for know more to follow
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In reply to Post #214
i suppose it was the mid seventys i decided to fish berrington once again graham i and dennis did a few weeks catching some big fish bream to nine pounds roach to two pounds. we also had some rud bream hybreds big fish four pounds eight pounds it was on one of these trips that led to a chance meeting with a real posh gent who has remaind a freind all these years. i fished berrington on my own one night the next day was boiling hot id caught in the night a couple of fish arround eight pounds and decided to call it a day about mid day, calling at my local for a couple ot pints, the local anglers always made a bit of fuss over me and were congratulating me i had appeared on tv fishing with billie lane in denmark i had not even seen it. when a voice from behind realy posh said have you been fishing and would you like a pint, well i was quite took back he told me he owned an estate lake which held big carp and would i like to fish it, and i could take a freind. i did not need to be asked twice so next week end saw myself and graham fishing this lovely water it was about five acres and about five ft deep at the most but very weeedy, we so some realy good carp moving which realy wet are appeti ,. ill tell you more latter as im a bit busy today so more to tell of myself and the lord of the manor and his estate lake
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In reply to Post #215
Absolutely terrific Pete - looking forward to reading more.
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In reply to Post #214
Well done again Pete, keep em coming bud
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In reply to Post #212
staying in south shropshire we fished the bach pool catching carp to sixteen pounds a very intresting and peacfull place after turnining up one day finding it packed we moved to a place called stoksay castle the pool was coverd in weed with a few holes between after getting permision we float fished between the weeds this was one off the best days fishing we ever had using bread flake we caught rudd from the start big fish none under two pounds at the end of the day we had caught arround forty fish eighteen of those caught were between three and four pounds we may have broken the record i dont know we were to exited . we fished it many times after catching many specimens but never equald that day not long after the lease was took on by so valintine of the angling times fame he did a story about it in the angling press in th late seventys not long after the sluce gate broke and many fish died the locals removed lots and put them in the river onny ,dennis continued fishing white mere eventualy catching the british record bream this was never claimed another member a chap called john price also caught a similar fish wich also was kept in the dark we were becoming more puplicity shy .. thats it for now more latter
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In reply to Post #211
still traveling down to see dick with kieth wilkinson when i could get a day of from work it was always nice to see him he had a great sence of umer, one day sitting in his office i plucked up enought courage and said straight out dick some of what you write is a bit way out he smiled and said if it was not i would be out of businesss i have to be controversial for people to write back to me he never took offence at all what a great man. now back to fishing dennis started fishing on white mere graham and i fanced a ghange a freind told me about a small pool in south shropshire you wont get permission he said its never fished its in a wood you get to it by walking through a deep wooded gully after some directions one sat morning of we went , on finding the location away we went tackle on back well this gully was full of fern it was a hot sunny day we did sweat the ferns were nearly up to our head are you sure this the place graham said lets press on and see said i eventualy we came out in this clearing what a site the most beautiful pool i have ever seen it had a boat house in need of repair and an island the water was nearly blue we learned that it used to be a marl pit , out came the rods poaching or not we certainly were going to have a go thre was a big hall behind up the bank you would hear the dogs bark at times but it never once put us off out went our floats and baited hooks maggot and bread flake from the start rudd big fish from a pound to two pounds we also got broke on a number of times then realized there were carp preasent as well and not small by standards big fish we ended the day with about sixty pound of prime rudd some realy big for five weeks we poached that pool having great sport breaking our personal best for rudd many times with fish to 3 pounds it was to far to take our carp tackle so we never fished for the carp but did get broke on float tackle many times, i said to graham its time we asked permision as we were always on edge. so after finishing one day it was off to the hall. we were met by a very well spoken gent enquiring what we wanted can we fish your pool in the woods i say he looked amazed how do you know about them a freind told me and i would like to fish it. quite abrubtly he said no one goes down there no one do you hear its private sorry. then out of the blue he said do you samon fish, after saying no he said we could fish it for the chub and dace he explained were it was and said we were most welcome to fish ther any time. but the pool was a no little did he relize we had already fished it and i have never returned to this day more to come
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In reply to Post #207
althought money was short in those days i managed to buy a pair of coniflex blanks and had them made to my own specifcation they were absolutely brill and coupled with the but indercators i had made i caught maney good roach and bream. as i said the winter came and we started to fish crows mere and newton mere for the roach they held. it was hard and cold arriving on frosty mornings but we stuck it out catching some good specimens to about 2 pound using bread crum as ground bait and fishing bread flake we absolutly caned crowsmere catching good bags of roach every session the close season arrived and i think we were all glad for a rest. at the time dennis was also chairman of stoke angling club and was quite involved in netting certain waters and buying fish for the club graham and i used to go along and help it helped in the boredom in the close season. one session that sticks in my memory was netting combermere cheshire in the first drag of the net we caught 12 bream all big fish with three over the british record i will always rember dennis standing there with this one bream for a photo 14 pounds in weight huge for that time so they did grow it realy wet our appetite i said to dennis cant we fish here the answer was no it was strictly private at the time dennis myself and graham were also on the commite of the ellesmere angling club wich also took up some of our time. the new season came it was all exitment we decided to start at acton burnell fishing for the tench i was a freind of the owner so there was no problem getting permission we arrived first light on setting up we caught from the start big tench the biggest seven pounds also catching some good roach the night was a disaster we fished throught one of the worst thunder storms i have ever seen i retired to the car and left them to it they blanked not a good start to the season but it happens to continue
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In reply to Post #209
Absolutely brilliant Pete, keep it coming mate.
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In reply to Post #208
Keep at it Pete
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In reply to Post #207
Keep them coming matey
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In reply to Post #206
by this time id got to know dick quite well the and the advice he had given me was quite welcome on all aspects of fishing . he certainly was a very educated man very kind and considert. id made up my mind to fish betton for the big eals and decided to fish every friday or sat night using dead baits or lob worms i knew it held big ones as bern had caught them to six pounds also there was quite a few big carp , i was using richard walker 10ft built cane carp rods and mitchel reals , for indercation my ping pong ball with low voltage bulbs inside.my first take came in the early hours draging my rod off the rests id forgot to put my real on back wind. what ever i had hooked was big i played that fish for a good half hour only to have the hook pull. i was gutted so was graham and dennis . half hour latter the other rod shot off the back wind buzzing id got another big fish on i played that for some time only to loose it nearly at the net another hook pull i was devestated, the night ended with one to graham only 3pounds but very welcome graham and dennis thought the fish i lost were carp we carried on fishing betton every week end catching some very big eals between 3 and 6 pounds in weight but the bream were always on our mind so back it was to colmere we fished the rest of the season but it was hard going the weather was horible rain and rain a bit like now think dennis had two arround eight poundsi ended up with one fish of 9 pounds 12oz but we struggeld and pulled of in october it was then to crows mere to fish for roach weather permiting but thats another story
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In reply to Post #203
lets start again dennis rang me to say angling times wanted a feature on bomere don bridgwood was the reporter don was also free lance but did a lot of features for angling times, it was to be a thirty six hour session ledgering at night and float fishing in the day , the feature was mainly to catch the big roach that inhabited the lake, the problem with float fishing was the extreme depth so sliding floats would be used, knowing the lake as i did i was not very confident fishing all night it usualy turned of arround midnight to comence again early morning, graham and i manged a few good roach the first night on bread flake still one of the best baits even today, dennis also caught but none of the bigger fish showed up the ones caught werre mostly arround the pound mark but all the same quite welcome, the float fishing produced a great many roach but all about the same weight, because of the ground bait going in and the amount of roach we started getting trouble from the pike so out went the pike gear float fishing live baits it went abslutly mad catching from the start i think the final count was about 12 pike between 10 and sixteen pounds quite welciome for the feature. if you have watched a float for 12 hours in the sun with a ripple on the water you know how tiring it can be i ended up with a severe migrane so i retired to my bedchair and slept it off, feeling a lot better graham and i dicided to fish from the only punt on the water it might give us the chance of some better fish, but we did no better catching fish in the pound bracket,i did manage to catch a six pounds eight oz tench on lob worm all the other members managed to catch and i think the final tally was arround ioo pounds of roach with some good pike thrown in oh and my tench, i was completly drained but it made a good feature but was not sorry to get home, two days latter we were off again this time betton, dennis fanced having a go at the bream although not big by standards thre were plenty of them graham and i set up in a big bay at the top end of the lake we had ground baited the swim a couple of times i think it was the most exiting fishing ive ever experenced fishing two rods each using bread flake we caught from the start ending the night with 180 pounds of bream plus half a dozen roach to 2 pounds in weight and one eal to graham on bread flake dennis also caught with many bream to six pounds. it was about this time we met a lad called berny weaver who fished for the eals on betton who has remained a good freind to this very day and a great fisherman more stories to tell of bern graham and myself latter
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In reply to Post #197
it was early seventys when i first got permision to fish bomere a big water for us approx 25 acers it had been stricticly private for many years with no one fishing it the problem was it was very badly over grown it had a reputation for its big pike it was quite deep going from 20 ft to 45ft we cleared a couple of swims and prepared to give it a go, using sprats and mackerel the problem was the rods we used were only 10 ft built cane more sea rods than pike rods we could not get the distance we needed so with a little bit of thought we floated the baits out by using polestirine tiles with a balloon fixed to it we sailed the bait out the first time we used this method we caught six pike biggest sixteen pounds we44 continued to use this method for quite some time catching many pike to 20 plus . we also fished for the roach and caught many big specimens the best night catching eight over the two pound mark fantastic fishing one funny storey was the night graham and i fished the place was supposed to have been haunted the lake used to turn of at midnight and start again early morning we had got are heads down i had my umberela down over me and was fast asleep when i felt some thing breath on my face i woke with a start to see a big white face under my broly i shouted graham and fell off my bed chair up went the brolly and disaperd in the dark what the hell was that graham said we got our torches out i was swtill shaking looking up the bank behind us was the farmers horse with my umberella firmly on his head we rolled about laughing not long after the owner died and his son took over it went day ticket i became bailiff thats the first time i met dez taylor he was pike fishing tryed to sell me a one piece suit it was not long after that itook on the lease and formed a syndicate by this time we had formed the thee countys specemen group and the syndicate was mostley members of the group thats all for now more to come
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In reply to Post #199
Have you posted anymore to Bill yet Pete??
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In reply to Post #198
No i have just been around alot longer than u and have more experience, we used meat hooks
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In reply to Post #2
do u use a antique hook
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In reply to Post #196
this was long before i met dick its the story of two young men struggling to catch in the mid sixtys. ithink it was 1967 when myself and graham obtained permission to fish a small pool about two acres the owner told us it held big carp and tench atter a look arround we decided to fish from a staging which was out in the pool access was repaired and we were like two exited youngsters , what we using for ground bait says graham blood says i so off to the local abitor the foreman was quite amazed when i told him it was for fishing after filling my bucket from a tap i arrived home and mixed layers mash and bread crums it absolutely stank we decided to fish from firs light the day arrived getting there at one am getting most of the tackle onto the stage i went back for the rods guess what yours truly slipped and went head first into the pool bloody soaked through and to far to go home i decided to stick it out i was froze in went the ground bait cor did it stink we were using floats id made out of drinking straws whith a brass insert in the end with a whipped eye to it practicaly self cocking a small shot above the float and bb above the hook first light arrived and we caught from the start they went absolutly mad tench after tench all regurgitating the blood and mash the sun came up and i steamed like a kettle what a morning id never seen anything like it at mid day we struggled to lift our nets in all we caught 200 pounds of tench with many fish going to 5 half pounds also perch over 2pounds we returned the next week to catch another eighty pounds the carp eluded us but as i said to graham there is always another day
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In reply to Post #191
thats what friends are for!
i buggered off down the lake, came home sunday & the room was painted!
came home from work yesterday, & the new carpets down!
i just have to pay everyone..... 
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In reply to Post #190
Decorating didn't take long Brian.....
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In reply to Post #186
this is my favourite `pin. its not famous or made by anyone that is, but it is as good as those that are.
made by a friends friend, its a copy, but by god its good!!
i use it for trotting mostly, but have landed carp to mid-twenties on it.
& yes, this one has handles, but my other one doesn`t!
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In reply to Post #186
Does he want to do another?
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In reply to Post #186
very tasty mate lovely bit of work there
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In reply to Post #186
i like it!!
ive never timed mine, normally get bored & stop it!
will have to put up a picture once our living rooms sorted, having it decorated, new carpets, 3 piece, everything!
typing this sat on the floor.........
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In reply to Post #185
It just has a narrow strip of material to connect it to the reel seat. Spins for nearly 2 minutes
I was given it as a leaving present from my last job. I did the drawings and the Engineer did the machining.
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In reply to Post #182
Andy, if the new reel has no back plate what does the spool rotate on?
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In reply to Post #176
Line off the bottom is far more common than having it coming off the top, although I have seen the odd person using it with the line coming off the top.
Many pins have a line guard which makes it impossible to fish with the line coming off the top, and it feels unnatural to anyone who has used a fixed spool.
My new 'pin is custom made in aircraft aluminium, just a spool and bearings, no backplate, no handles, no line guard, nothing - a proper 'back to basics' reel, although I'm sure the traditionalist wouldn't approve! Only had a quick go on the lake so far, the river awaits!
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In reply to Post #176
the reason i was told to have it coming off the top, was to make control of the line easier in windy conditions. you get far fewer wraprounds, & its harder for the line to get caught on any vegetation in front of you. because no true river angler would have a line guard!!!
how free running is your pin, bill? mine takes 4 no.6 to pull line off the reel when fitted to the rod with 3.2lb bayer on it.
also, out of interest, is yours a true `pin or does it run on a bearing?
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In reply to Post #175
Ah well... we'll just have to continue doing if the way we choose... But try it my way ... you never know... you might prefer it...
(Jeez... I'm doing it now...   )
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In reply to Post #165
I think you had better check again Birchman....
perhaps i was shown different to you, bill. but its definately from the bottom for fly reels, & off the top for using a `pin properly.....
when casting & retrieving i was always shown that way, makes it easier to bat the reel.
i was also taught to remove the handles & play fish with either a finger in the hole or by gripping the rim with the whole hand.
oh dear, after reading the last few posts, i regret using terms like "from the bottom", "easier to bat","finger in the hole" & "gripping the rim".......
ahem, anyone watch the boxing?
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In reply to Post #173
that could mean practically everyone in the South of England is gay
True
Daz
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In reply to Post #172
I didn't tell you anything of the sort....
I merely wrote an article in a magazine telling of when the bailiff at Redmire thought I must be gay because of the way I spoke...
Jeez... that could mean practically everyone in the South of England is gay....
(actually, not the best defence I have ever thought of.... Incoming from the Northerners no doubt... )
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In reply to Post #171
you were the one who told us.
School boy error, you know what we are like
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In reply to Post #170
Brilliant....
Single now, for the first time since I was about twenty since the 'bitch from hell' and I seperated and my chances are ****ed because everyone round here will think 'I bat for the other side'... great...
Thanks guys... 
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In reply to Post #169
Ah the "Grey Gay" lol that is now what he is known around these parts
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In reply to Post #168
Won't Andy get jealous...
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In reply to Post #157
you will always be 'the grey, gay'
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In reply to Post #166
Not exactly rare but very collectable. Earlier version. Sell for around £250 or more than twice that through a dealer.
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In reply to Post #165
In an earlier post you mentioned allcocks aerial with 8 vents and white handles are they very rare then? as mine has 8 vents with light brown / bone coloured handles
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In reply to Post #163
I don't do any trotting with it. I am using it as a stalking / margin reel.... or general float fishing. But looking at my books on Wallis casting... well... put it this way....
I think you had better check again Birchman....
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In reply to Post #160
you`ve obviously not done much trotting with that centre pin!
i can assure you line off the top is the way forward.....
you`ll find casting easier with the line this way, especially the wallis cast.
either way, nice reel.
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In reply to Post #158
You are confusing it with fly fishing again Brian... It's not quite the same...
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In reply to Post #158
No its not Brian , its spot on , you wind forward to reel in . 
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what a refreshing thread this has turned into! excellent read to all concerned!
bill, the lines coming off your centrepin the wrong way........
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In reply to Post #150
OK... I now have a couple of pictures from Pete and I will try to edit his posts into an article for publication into the articles section. Thanks Pete
Very interesting series of stories and the photo's are excellent... Will really set the mood. Thanks.
On aslightly more modern note, I went out this evening for a final night of traditional fishing before I try and bag the 36 from a local water tomorrow... although I am fishing with Andy (Moley) and if things go the way they usually do he will get ill and then get the big mirror in the morning... still, we can hope he falls in..
Anyway... some suitably messed about with photo's of a 16lb 10oz Mirror I landed this evening, on a MkIV with Aerial centre pin... also pictured. Sorry about the expression... I was explaining to the guy walking past how to use my camera at the time... He tried to take about four pictures. Once the fish went back and I checked the camera, there was only one...
Note the blonde look.... I should have thought about black and white photo's years ago...
I suppose the Neville spoils the dating of it... but its reasonably close to the spirit of the thing and it wasn't switched on anyway... and there were no indicators... watching the line for bites... with side hooked sweetcorn... basic stuff. Had another of about 11lbs as well... Good fun in the dark on a centrepin... Bit hairy though... 
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In reply to Post #149
Good on you Pete, I was totally absorbed mate.
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In reply to Post #147
Hmmm... Intrigued by the Ardsley bomb/cork ledgers....
I'm going to have to think about that one.... Casting weight would be fine...then trimming either the cork or the lead so it was critically balanced to settle on silt..? Hmmmm... Interesting.... 
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In reply to Post #145
one thing i not tell you about was the use of cork ledgers and the use in silt i very much think they would work today we made them in the late sixtys to use on some meres with silt it was critically balanced arsley bomb inserted in to a piece of cork and shaped then painted and varnished they were made to sink slowly and just rest on the silt this would stop the bait pulling into the silt ill have to tell the story about graham and myself catching some of the biggest rudd ive ever seen from a farm pond all between 2 pounds and 3pounds 80z in all we caught 28 fish all on float and bread flake that will have to wait till i am back of my holls
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| | | Muzza | | Posts: 7913 |  | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #145
superb Pete
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In reply to Post #135
skipping a few seasons i rang dick i think it was his wife who answerd you cant talk his very ill but he insisted he spoke to me ive got cancer pete i was completly knoked off balance we talked a bit but that was the last time i spoke to the great man he past away not long after. i could not attend the funeral due to work comitments . but i am truly grateful to him and it was a privalidge to have known him he will remain in my heart for ever as for the three countys group dennis past away two years ago i attended his funeral he probably was the greatest bream man ever there myself graham bob barlow who live on my village there both in there seventys and still fishing i think a few live in stoke dennis daughter rang and asked if i could give a talk on the old stile fishing for bream to a group of anglers but i said no i dont think i could put it over well enough were now old timers but i beleive the group is still going i would love to hear from any one in it i do hope you have ennjoyed my explots i have a lot more i could say about my life fishing and have been very privalidged to have known and fished with so many great anglers i would need a bit of help if you want more i could tell my life story from the early years
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In reply to Post #138
Yes, Soham ByPass Lake.
The lake is very pretty, the fish are too.
Its basically a very easy runs water which is a bit overstocked with carp... One rod, days only. Not exactly a challenge and you don't really learn much from it if you chose to use it for testing rigs or anything, the carp practically climb up your line. (Well, some people blank there... But you should see them ).
I'll go there for an hour after work as you can drive round to your swim, set up and I'm fishing within five minutes of locking the house door. Ideal to unwind after a day at work or a row with the Ex... Its one of the reasons I like to use my vinatge stuff there... completely different experience. If I fished my normal rods in my normal way it would be too simple for words and would put me off carp fishing completely.. Mind you, there are 18 different twenties in there and I have caught none of them.... so perhaps I should give it a more serious go
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In reply to Post #137
BTW Bill - that's a lovely looking fish - its tail is massive! Is that from somewhere local?
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In reply to Post #136
I could do that...
Pete, PM me... But I can cut and paste this all into a single document and email you a copy for your approval. If you have any photo's of this period then could you email them to me or get them copied at Boots, or somewhere similar, onto a disc and we could add them to the article too... I could then send it to Shrop for inclusion on the Carp Forum Articles section...
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In reply to Post #135
Absolutely brilliant Pete - keep them coming.
Perhaps one of the mods could collate it all into one article and post it up - with your approval of course.
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In reply to Post #134
we were still catching we made up our minds to fish berrington once again i was convinced we would catch the big bream in the close season i made some but indercators wich clipped onto the rod for graham and myself boy did they work very sensitive i formed a blob on the end painted pink and used a red light on them at night in fact ive still got one its over thirty years old at the time my brotherinlaw worked at a mill so i asked him if he stocked maize it was not realy heard of in those days so we boiled it up and left it to stand for up to three days we started to introduce the maize three times a week till the season started i could not believe what happend i think it was the season of 1976 a very hot summer between june and september we caught and i kid you not six and half hundred weight of bream many in the eight pounds bracket and a few a lot bigger what a season i rang dick and told him he was so pleased for us the proplem was we were to frightend to take our nets out of the water with other people preasent we would never of got in the swim again, it was arranged for johhn wilson who was then editor of angling times to come down in september to fish with dennis myself and graham but the weather broke and that was that no more bream they switched off so it was canceled it was then back to bomere trying to catch the big pike . graham and i caught many to 20 pounds dick and i kept in touch he always showed intrest in what we caught but it was slowly coming to an end ill tell you more next
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In reply to Post #133
well here we go again graham and i took the lease on bomere lake now known as the bomere archer syndicate it containd big roach massive pike big tench and some bream so we formed the syndicate mostly the three countys group we float fished in the day with large floats catching many roach to two pounds it was a change from bream fishing but they were always on my mind. the best night gramham and i caught eight roach over two pounds. dennis had seen some large tench so i was determined to catch one and so i did using lob worm managed two 9pounds 12oz and 7 pounds big fish for that time we also caught pike to 26 pounds. we divided our time between berrington bomere and betton catching some great fish .dick would ring t to see how we were getting and i think was quite impresed with the fish we were catching. and now back to bream as i said a session was arranged with angling times in october there had been some frost we made up our minds to fish blake mere everyone arrived dennis fished on the boat graham and myself chose a nice swim on the canal bank it was a complete disaster it froze so hard i woke up in the morning covered in frost we only had lufumo bed chairs no sleeping bag only blankets and some canves to cover us up it was hard in those days i looked at graham he was white with hore we nearly froze to death dennis had trouble getting the boat back that ended winter night fishing. we continued fishing trotting on the severn and local brookes for chub roach and dace catching good chub to four pounds the winter was bad it just froze the line to the rod rings but we still caught good fish. i still kept in touch with dick and still sent his woodys wed chat on the phone at the time he was well into trout fishing the season came to the end could not wait for june 16th so we turned our attentions to eals did we do well catching them to 6 pound 8oz thats when im hooked my first carp in betton on lob a big fish wich was lost at the net it was then back to m the bream but thats another story
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In reply to Post #130
the phone went hello pete it was dick again you do a bit of shooting dont you yes mate any chance you can send me some wood pigeon what , how many about four a month put them in the post, i kid you not so of down the woods shot four sent them in a shoe box . i dont know to this day if they were eating or fly tying or for some one else, as i said to martin ford in my letter in carp world about fishing with greats i often wander what they were like when they reached the other end but dick never anything so i presume they were ok. life went on we were still catching, in 1973 we the three countys group fished for a week with angling times on colmere the editor at the time was pete collins if i rember also pete taylor and a few more big names came it was a dead loss we only caught two fish all week not big but it made a story . another was arranged for october in the mean time graham and myself took the lease on berrington pool shropshire known to contain some very big bream and roach. it was known to the local lads as heart break pool mega hard .istill kept in touch with dick on the phone or traveling down to see him with kieth wilkinson he always showed intrest in what we were doing . well dennis kelly graham myself started fishing berrington saw plenty of fish caught good roach but the bream kept eluding us. until one day i took a afternoon of work went home got my rods and bait and was of. arriving at the pool i set up then found id left my ground bait at home with two loaves of bread i mixed one with soil of the bank out it went bread flake on the hook and sat back well bingo up went the bobbin by this time the fish were rolling all over the swim i took four fish in half an hour 9pounds 12oz 8 pounds eight oz 7pounds 12 oz and one of 7 pounds then realized id left my camera at home. ringing graham and dennis when i got home they were as exited as me id cracked that pool or had i its all down in angling times if you can find in ther old records. i was on holiday the next week with the family, so it was a week before i could fish the water again. getting back i was to learn dennis and graham had caught some good fish to eight pounds. we lived and breathed bream fishing it was our life i said to graham bloody hell weve got bream fever it was about that time dennis rang pete angling times want a session wiyh jack hilton and bill quinlon jack wants to try bream fishing can we use our pool no problem so it was arranged to fish for a week in the company of two more of my heros it was getting better all the time my head was in the clouds. i baited four swims three times a week until the day arrived graham and i arrived at mid day to find the great men already there don bridgewood was the reporter and took all photos what a week we caught bream to nearly 10 pounds jack and bill could not believe how they fought on light tackle. its the first time id seen a bivie jack had made two out of black polythene well all good things come to an end we said good bye on the friday night. it was no long after jack packed fishing up for his religious convictions this i could not believe after all the jokes he told us. to be continued
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In reply to Post #126
Excellent read Pete, you really should consider writing an article, It would be a shame if as many stories as possible of the great Dick Walker were not laid down in type for all to enjoy. I for one would consider it a honour to help you in this.
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In reply to Post #130
i bet that fish gave you a good scrap didnt it, its shaped like a torpedo
nice fish
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Another bit of Old School tonight...
Exactly 14lb on a MkIV with 4 1/2" Aerial Match Centrepin...
OK... I'm now going to read the latest parts of Pete's Richard Walker story...
Ahhhh.... this is so much better than chasing banned users all day!
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In reply to Post #126
Looking forward to it Pete.
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In reply to Post #125
lot more to come tomorrow getting a bit tired now
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In reply to Post #119
Wonderful stories of your memories Pete. Top reading ,Thanks for sharing them with us
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In reply to Post #123
If you need any help Pete just shout, I'll bet there are more than a few on the forum who would be privileged to help get your stories down for posterity
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In reply to Post #122
will look forward to it pete
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In reply to Post #121
i was asked to write a book but not sure if i could not to good at writing bill wants me to put a write up in the story section going on holls next week so it will have to be latter will continue story tomorrow
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In reply to Post #120
wont you consider doing that full length article pete?
or a full length book...
i dont mind
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In reply to Post #119
Great read Pete, you never told me all this last time I saw you at Tudors, dark horse you are
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In reply to Post #117
well here we go again i met up with this young lad at acton burnel lakes has it happend it was keith wilkinsons son i took float rods with us, but had no need dick suplied the lot what generosity two hardy float rods mitchel reels all the floats he could ask for weights plus line loaded on reels. we got started what a game he had no coordination between his arm and brain it took graham and myself all day to get him casting we aranged to meet the following week we took him to shomere hoping he would catch a few i worried all week. i should not of shown concern he caught from the start roach rudd and small skimers his dad was over the moon and so was dick when he rang to thank myself and graham the lad never looked back. it was heady days i just could not stop catching. and started to win many awards for my captures from angling times and mail also news of the world dick would ring and kept encouraging me, he introduced me to the heron bite indicator , using that i caught one of my biggest bream 10 pounds 120z it won a great award with angling times a week in denmark fishing the guden dick rang and wished me well . we got of the bus and was met by the great billie lane who was with us all week also preasent was benny ashurst and son keven ivan marks all were in practice for the world championship , i had the time of my life catching big roach and bream the locals used to come down and try buy the fish to eat what a time i had brill fishing and good company but was glad to get home one more week of that i think would of seen me of enought said it was not long when i heard from dick again but thats another story
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In reply to Post #117
bill got to go out now do some more latter
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In reply to Post #116
Great stuff Pete...
I am beginning to see why Dick Walker got on with you.... The thinking out of solutions to overcome fishing problems doesn't seem to happen so often these days... And it is also very informative to the younger anglers on here who may well look on the older carpers with a little more respect now..
Excellent update... Looking forward to the next one...
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In reply to Post #115
having appeard in angling times and mail quite a few times our group were becoming quite famous for our successs at catching big bream i am sure if you look at angling times site you will probably find out all about us .at the time my mate graham and myself were fishing a local lake for the bream it held, we were experiencing difficultys hitting runs , so on the phone to dick he suggested float fishing at night. after giving it some serious thought , we designed some large floats approx 15 inchs long with a big bob on the end painted pink partly weighted using a small ledger we fished these at 40 yrd range using a large lamp with a pencil beam fishing over depth and tightning down so the sight bob showed when you had a bite the float rose up and layed flat we absolutley slaughterd the place taking over 150 pounds of bream in one night with many fish going to eight pounds. to say the least dick was over the moon and asked me to take a float to him next time down. because of the difficultys watching doe bobbins at night i also made some indicators with ping pong balls putting a low voltage bulb inside with a lenghth of flex to a six volt battery in windy conditions you just added swan shot to the flex it lit up all night using a paper clip glued in the ping pong ball to use as a line clip it worked a treat , i took them down to dick he was most intrested in the way they worked i never did find out if he used them , thought i expect he did it was about that time he rang and asked me to do him a favour could i take a young lad fishing who was autistic but thats another story wich ill tell in part three
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In reply to Post #114
Superb Pete, keep it coming
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In reply to Post #111
part two dick had now finished carp fishing after catching the record and was putting all his effort into trout fishing and i think broke the rainbow record . it was not long before i recieved a telphone call from dick. asking me to get in touch with a mr wikinson head of shropshire council, who went on regular visits to buy mowers wich dick produced the name of his company was loyds of letchworth i found it quite amusing there was a sighn stating to work at this factory you must be a fishermen or play foot ball i kid you not. he took me arround the factory he knew every one by name quite amazing considering the ammount in his employment. i well rember sitting in his office and his secetary came in gave him a big roll of bank notes id never seen so much. thats my wages pete sticking it in his pocket saying i dont need this i make more out of fishing. he then took me out to dinner to the letchworth hotel i had a great time. come on pete were going out he always drove bmw of we went to differnt waters he had fiished ending up at his mothers house she was a lovely lady and had recently been on tv called successfull women of today , after tea and cake he took me to his home it was amazing pictures and tackle every were . he asked me to consider writing an article for angling times and said he would edit it but at the time i had work comitments and fishing and with a young family i never got arround to it what a man and so generous when i got home that night my head was in a spin a whole day with my hero , more to come going tom have a rest
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In reply to Post #111
Great read pete,look forward to next part.
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In reply to Post #111
Thanks... Keep it coming Pete...
There are a lot more people out there other than me that want to see more... I think we need a full size article to go in the articles section if you are up for it Pete..
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In reply to Post #110
where do i start its such a long time ago, it was the late sixtys or seventys when i saw an advert in the local paper about starting a specimen group to fish the big shropshire and cheshire meres, the group was formed we called it the three countys specimen group, also known as kellys comandos the idea was to catch the large bream that inhabited the big waters, in those days a bream of eight pounds was a big fish we started on coalmere ellesmere shrophire, it did not take long to get among the fish , the first night i had a nine pounds 15 oz fish massive for that time and we continued catching through out that season ending with the group breaking the british record. it was about this time i recieved a letter from the man himself dick walker wanting to know all about our fishing experience regarding big bream. he invited myself dennis kelly and two others down to stay in his fishing hut on his private stretch of river near letchworth, the idea was to catch the big chub and bream that inhabited it. we did not do much fishing the great man arrived he walked over the fields towards me his trade mark hat on his head my heart missed a beat my boyhood hero at last, hello pete caught anything he was holding two rods ive brought you these they may be of some use to you i was dumb struck. shocked . we all went back to the hut with a good fire going and bacon and egg. dick brought a couple of bottles of whiskeyjocking and stayed with us most of the evening and part of the night, he was a most funny man joking he could take on any accent he was brillant we were all slightly drunk by the time he went. he had my telephone number and said he would be in touch, thats the first meeting with dick one of many hope you enjoy this bill dont think thread will take much more having proplem posting part two to come
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In reply to Post #108
I think there are a few of us who would be very interested to read them.
A massive understatement there Bill, at least as far as I'm concerened.
Come on Pete, start typing
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In reply to Post #99
Pete have you considered doing a thread covering stories about the carping escapades of the late great Mr Walker.... I for one would look forward to logging on in the evening after a day at work to see if there is a new one added...I'd have loved to have drank a pint with him and listened....
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In reply to Post #99
Interesting chat via PM Pete. You should write some of your stories and post them on here sometime... I think there are a few of us who would be very interested to read them. All the best, Bill
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In reply to Post #97
one other he gave me was 11foot float rod built cane was made for fred j taylor for bream fishing he told me it was the first of the line made for fred i used it for float fishing on the big meres for the bream. the two rods were sold at the time for 450 pounds way back in the seventys to a local gun smith dealer who i think has since died he also gave my mate a 10 ft avon also built cane they were all palicona cane well thats what he told me i also had an original heron bite indcator i must say the rods in the photo do look similar to the ones i had i must say dick was very good to me and we became good friends till his death
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In reply to Post #95
Nope... we would only suggest IMPROVEMENTS in tackle... 
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In reply to Post #94
If they were one of the few rods that Dick Walker built himself then they absolutely would... you are talking thousands, literally...
There were only about 13 rods known from Dick Walker, Chris Yates has one, Chris Ball has another (the one Clarissa was landed on) Bernard Venables had one I think and there were a few others... I have a full list somewhere...
If you had one Dick gave you from the first batch built by B James and Sons then you would still be able to sell each for a thousand or thereabouts... probably more now there is more interest (and money) in rods of this vintage.
The original B James rods looked like this...
Do you know who has them now?
Maybe worth getting in touch with them...
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In reply to Post #95
Maybe cane is the new carbon? Tarting comes full-circle?
Some may be surprised, even a little disappointed when they see the new Defiant pod .... The Bambooshka!
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In reply to Post #92
Then when you hook a carp you will understand the difference.
yeah right......after spending nearly a grand this year on a set of FS`s & a pair of Torrixs i`ll stick with modern carbon thankyou very much!
blimey, you guys will be suggesting i ditch my pioneer for a wavelock brolly with a canvas sheet thrown over it next.........
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In reply to Post #93
bill i had two originals which dick gave me i wish i had kept them . but with a family in those days money was short i also had ann avon 10 ft they would have been worth a fortune now
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In reply to Post #91
BFC...
If you have the same rod as me you will have the better cane, the later ones were much heavier and a long way from the original tapers designed by Richard Walker. The one you have, once fully refurbished, will look stunning. I saw the MkIV that Paul had built for Waterlog readers as a special and the quality of finish was far better than the standard B James built rods...
I will have to see yours when you get it done... It will be something else... At the very least you will have to post some pictures...
GG... I think we are on a losing wicket with Birchman... But we can try!
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In reply to Post #46
Birch
As Bill said - you have no soul - lol.
I dont think I would fancy a days fly fishing with a cane rod either. Teasing a bait in front of a feeding carp with a cane rod - now thats more like it.
Why not try cane for a bit of stalking? Then when you hook a carp you will understand the difference.
Cheers
GG
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In reply to Post #90
Mine's the same as yours, London, England, still keeping an eye out for an Ealing one if one ever crops up at a sensible price! £300 is the top end of the cost for the work needed on mine, probably a bit less, I think it's worth getting done, I'll never sell it anyway so the finished value is a bit irrelevant (obviously don't want to pay more than I would for a tip top one though!).
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In reply to Post #70
He re-whipped the top ring and did a bit of a clean up and repair to the whipping near the butt. The rest was how I bought it.
Before you spend an absolute fortune on yours, what does it say on the label...? It will either be 'Ealing, London' London, England' or just 'England'. Let me know.
If it is an Ealing rod then I will be very jealous... If it is London England then it is the same as mine and will be worth upgrading... If it is England only, then I would think twice about it and maybe check with Paul... It will be a later one and may not be worth spending the money... Unless you want to of course.
The earlier rods will already show a profit if refurbished, the later ones will not. Up tp you though... Whatever you do, it will be unrecognisable once Paul has finished with it...
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In reply to Post #50
You git Bill! I think I've got to get my MK IV refurbed now I've seen the finish on yours, did Paul do your MK IV? He's getting some prices for me for a new tip section from Chapmans (spoke to him today). I think I'm going to go the whole hog, new tip section and full refurb with new rings throughout. Only downsides will be not having the rod for 2 months while Paul works his magic and my wallet being about £300 lighter at the end of it That's got to put me in favour with the fishing gods, they'll owe me a 30 on it first trip out (please!)
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In reply to Post #65
What can I say................?
(BTW....And you'll approve of this Slash... Get my FBS Colormatic tomorrow and have the Entoh in the cupboard ready... so my new tarty floater rod will be ready to go by tomorrow afternoon... Wonder if this one will last longer than the last one... )
I hope your baitboat will be steam powered, cant have anything as crude and hi-tech as battery power...... I'm sure you will get round the obvious problems... Perhaps a converted Kelly Kettle as the boiler...?
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| | | slash | | Posts: 8317 |  | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #50
Load of old tat .....seriously though........those rods would look pukka with stainless steel reelseats ....they would compliment my bamboo baitboat im building
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In reply to Post #48
I agree BFC
The pleasure is seeing an old and tatty rod brought back to new, or better than new condition. The sort of work done by people like Paul Cook is a far higher standard than many of them were when they were first made...
Here is a 1932 Allcocks Wizard. It was a right state when I got it and had the standard bright red whippings. Paul changed it to dark green and finished it in the standard pattern as I requested... It looks superb now...
Here is another photo of it, with the quill and cork vintage float I used for the Mirror last night, my arms still hurt from the half hour battle with it...!
The picture below is my MkIV. It is from 1957, the year I was born!!! , and I also have a 1957 MkIV Avon as well... both are in the same mint condition. I have used this at Redmire as well as a number of other places and had quite a few carp on it. The rings are silver plated and lined with real agate! I normally use this with a 1950's Mitchell 300...
And another shot... this time of the butt ring and the tip... The tip ring has been re-whipped recently, again by Paul Cook... He has some of the original dark red whipping thread used by B James and Son... so is as authentic as you can get... And why the colour is a perfect match...
Hope you enjoy some of these. I do have one or two more, but these are my favourites and I use them whenever I fancy a change from bivvying up
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In reply to Post #39
The reality is that if you replace the tip section nobody would know! No different to replacing the tip section on a modern rod, the rod would look and perform the same as when new. Like Bill has already mentioned, it's the butt section that really matters on the old rods. PS, keep looking for a pin, one will crop up at the right price eventually, I had the same dilema with the MK IV, was looking for ages before this one came up (at £50). I know once I've paid for the refurb I could have bought one already in great condition, part of the fun of it for me is giving a tatty old rod a new lease of life!
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In reply to Post #46
Birchman...You have no soul....
(For thise asking, I would have posted some pictures by now... but it is pouring out there and I'm not getting wet on the run to the tackle shed...
I'll try later... )
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In reply to Post #41
For you carbon fiends out there - try a split cane rod. I promise you a different experience and one you wont forget.
tried one for flyfishing, lent to me by a good friend who swore that after trying it i would sell a kidney to raise the money to buy one........
one mornings fishing on the Test, dozens of missed grayling & a severe case of tennis elbow, i had to concede.........that the best thing about split cane was the day they invented glass fibre rods!
too heavy, too soft & too much effort to look after them!
i certainly wont forget that experience, neither will i repeat it!
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In reply to Post #42
Read my mind Brian..
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In reply to Post #39
Surely though if it's repaired to the extent of replacing sections then its not the same any more?
in the words of trigger "ive had this broom for 12 years.........6 new heads & 5 handles....."
or words to that effect......
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In reply to Post #40
I use a Chapman 500 and old Mitchell for a majority of my surface fishing. Nothing like using split cane as you can feel the rod bending right through the handle.
for close range stalking I use a G L Brandreth rod and Trudex pin - again great fun and your first decent fish on a pin is one you'll always remember.
I have found that using such responsive tackle only enhances my overall carp fishing experience.
For you carbon fiends out there - try a split cane rod. I promise you a different experience and one you wont forget.
GG
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In reply to Post #39
You can get a decent centrepin on eBay for a reasonable amount.
Look out for any of the Allcocks Aerials if you want something a little bit special (white handles and eight vent holes in good nick will cost a bit though!).
You can get an Aerial Match centrepin for around £100 and as long as it is in good condition will be fine to use for a few years and if you ever sell it, it WILL go up in price....
The 'Flick 'em' reels, also from Allcocks are worth looking at and then there are the Aerial Populars and so on which go for much less. All are investments to some degree or another and you will be very unlucky if you losre money if/when you sell it a few years later.
Compared to modern tackle which is worth half what you paid fo it a day later, antique tackle is a real investment and such a pleasure as well.
As far as replacing top sections is concerned... don't worry about it. They were often replaced during their active fishing life anyway... Don't replace a butt section though... Thats the 'real' rod and the bit that gives it its value...
If ou are looking at re-furbishing a MkIV, let me know what you have written on the label for the address after the B James and Son bit... That will help age it and give a better idea of it's real value. I can then say whether it is worth spending the money...
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In reply to Post #38
Surely though if it's repaired to the extent of replacing sections then its not the same any more?
What I mean is over time you 'could' end up with very little of the original piece left? That's what would worry me - not that am in a postion to own anything like that at the moment.
I've looked at the Sheffield but to be honest I was hioping to pick up an old midland or similar - however I'm coming to the conclusion that they dont exist at what I consider to be a sensible price!!
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In reply to Post #36
Have a look at the Okuma range of pins, their Sheffield is a lovely looking smooth running reel, costs about £100 new. I'd say you'd have to pay around £300 for a new English reel of equivalent quality. I don't worry about using old gear, you can get it repaired if the unthinkable happens! Like I mentioned in my previous post, my MKIV Richard Walker could well be going in for a refurb (including a new tip section), only other option is to hang it on a wall and look at it, doesn't seem right to me, should be bending into fish!
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In reply to Post #36
like to fish the canals useing my old grice&young and mk4,landed some lumps too! great fun!
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In reply to Post #35
Sound excellent Bill - I've been on the lookout for a sensibly priced pin for quite a while. I love float fishing regardless of tackle but even more on a soft through action rod. I'd love to have a go with yours if the offers still open at the social?
Do you guys who use them not worry about damaging them , after all it's not like you can walk into a shop and just buy another? I'd be terrified.
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In reply to Post #2
Top stuff! I rarely use anything else these days. Picked up a Richard Walker MKIV off Ebay recently and have been using it with a pin, took 2 out of the margins yesterday evening, 14.2 and 17.4, under a float with a lump of luncheon meat. Bill put me onto a chap Paul Cook who specialises in refurbishing cane rods (thanks Bill), looking at getting mine done to get it back to original (needs a new tip section and some eyes replacing, etc.) wont be cheap (somewhere in the region of £250-£300) but if looked after should outlive me, like it did the last owner! 
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In reply to Post #2
Did you wear your deerstalker Bill Seriously I have used my palacona cane 9ft 6" hardy halford knockabout fly rod this year for carp off the top and when they're cruising just unde the surface on the runs water . Great fun these 4 to 10lbers on the fly .
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In reply to Post #2
i would love to have a go sounds really good fun
any pictures of your old school tackle would love to have a look
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Well, that was a bit 'Old School'... I fish occasionally with antique tackle just for the break from the norm...
Went fishing this evening for Crucians with my recently refurbished 1932 Allcocks Wizard 11ft cane rod, Aerial Centrepin reel and 4lb line, a cork bodied quill float and size 14 hook with sidehooked sweetcorn... Had Crucians, which was nice... But just spent half an hour landing a 13lb Mirror carp.... It must have made about six or seven decent runs.. and using my finger on the rim of the 'pin as a clutch was a bit dicey...
Not exactly a fish to write home about, but great fun on that tackle....arms hurt a bit though...
Does anyone else fish 'Chris Yates style' for a change from the normal carp tackle....? Its really worth a go sometime.... I'll bring some vintage stuff to the Social if anyone fancies a go.. Its not easy though...
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