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Old school angling pt2.
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petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#303 15 Mar 2012 at 10.46am

In reply to Post #302
I have a bit of time on my hands so i will carry on the bosses son had been fishing the lake behind my back he was now in charge of the fishery he said he had been fishing for the eels and had caught them to six pounds i must admit i wondered how many trout, he had hooked and put back i was not to happy about the situation but i went along with it are you going to have a go Pete, having thought about it i decided to give it a go on the following Friday night i contacted my mate Bern, who really was a eel, fanatic and arranged to meet him at the fishery on Friday evening so in the company of the bosses son, Graham, Bern, and myself, we made our way in the land rover to the top end of the lake. There was a sluice gate where we were going to fish and it had been running dirty water into the lake from the pool above which the environment agency used as a stock pool it was owned by the RSPB in fact there was some decent carp in the pool if you remember i had mentioned it in my earlier stories how i poached it years before.

We decided to fish with big bunches of lob worms on one rod and fish dead bait on the other which Bern had caught from the brook earlier today i had a feeling what was going to happen and i was right my first run produced a rainbow trout, around four pounds i watched as BERNS indicator flew up and he was in in fact it was the first eel of the night it weighted a tad over three pounds but it was a start it was returned the next fell to the bosses son going five pounds a lovely fish we lost a big fish which we suspected was a carp, we had seen some huge fish when fly fishing in fact i hooked one and lost it it looked a good thirty as it got tangled around the anchor rope and just lay there but it absolutely flew when we untangled the line from around the rope i am afraid it broke the leader but that's another story. I was not to happy nearly every run produced a trout god if we had been poachers we would have emptied the place enough was enough i called a Halt to the fishing one or two of the trout had died due to us hooking them the bosses son said it will be alright but i would have none of it we pack up your father would not be to happy seeing us catch his trout like this the time was 2 am after a cuppa in the lodge it was time for home they could sell the trout we had caught at the fishery tomorrow.

I was bailiff on the fishery for around six years and i caught some very nice fish the biggest a Rainbow weighing 18 pounds a friend who i fished with called john, even caught some huge perch, with feathered lures which he used for trout fishing the biggest going over five pounds the smallest four he had five perch in the session what beautiful fish it is no longer a trout fishery but owned by a private club i had some wonderfull years on the water and had some happy times but that was long ago . well a bit more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#302 14 Mar 2012 at 1.44pm

In reply to Post #301
I sat in the punt with my old dog SAM the sand martins skimmed the water taking the flies that had hatched it was a marvelous sight i stopped the motor and dropped the anchor i was after the rainbow trout or even the big brownies i was lucky i fished this lake for nothing as i was the bailiff. I flicked my fly towards a rising trout and the rod lurched over i could feel the power of this fish as it bored down in the deep water but i soon had him in the net i had been asked to catch a few for the fishery to sell. It was a wonderful day overcast but warm i was actually fishing for a feature for the magazine called trout fishing the photographer was in the punt to my right i could hear the click of his camera as i played a fish i had a friend fishing from the boat his name was Ron who helped me bailiff the lake he was a good fly fisherman and tied some excellent flies every cast was a fish by dinner time i had caught over thirty trout this was good publicity for the fishery Ron had also caught a good number of fish over dinner we were interviewed then out again i ended the day having caught over eighty fish the biggest around three pounds i was tired and ready for home.

I was back at midnight the lake was cloaked in darkness i stood and listened for any sound i scanned the lake with the night sights but i could see nothing i had Ron with me are we going to walk the bank Pete or we going to use the land rover and drive around not yet Ron lets give it an hour or two we will keep watch from the lodge we can make some tea but we never had time there was an almighty bang and flash from the fence that bordered the fishery some one had tried to get over and tripped the wire that i had run across the top of the fence what a noise it made i had left the pellets in the cartridge and had put a car hub cap under the tube that held the cartridge we reached the fence in minutes by using the land rover but the culprit had long gone he had dropped his tin of worms in his haste to get away, we heard a car start up on the road we both chuckled he wont be back for some time says Ron maybe not said i.

The job could be quite dangerous graham and myself had been recommended to the owner who wanted us to bailiff the lake he was quite keen for us to start as soon as posible graham could only do weekends because of pressure of work i had finished work early in life because of health problems mainly arthritis we were not paid but i had the freedom of the lake and free fishing so i asked RON if he wanted a bailiffs job he jumped at the chance it was a bit safer than just one person. we were really kept quite busy for the first few months one or two were taken to court but what was the point most got away lightly with a small fine. One way that did deter them was to let there tyres down, when the game keeper came down with the police he would break the head lights or slash the tyres that certainly stopped most of the poaching i had one or two near fights well i did nut the one he was asked by the police to hand over the rabbits he had poached from our ground surrounding the lake he stuck his face in mine i thought here it comes i was a bit faster than him he dropped like a log the police were not amused we cant do him now not after you doing that so he was sent on his way i never saw him again although he threatened he would see me again some time i apologized to the police they were alright they had a laugh but serously it could be a very dangerous job but it takes one to catch one well that's what they say and i caught my share other than trout being in the lake it also held some very big carp and some huge eels. I will tell you more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#301 12 Mar 2012 at 11.42am

In reply to Post #300
The morning was cold as i picked up graham it was 2 am we were going to meet a friend at the Dovey junction his name was George he knew the Dovey river well he knew her moods the quick sand the deep gullies that snaked across the estuary if you stumbled and fell, in one you would struggle to get out we were there to shoot the duck we made our way out through the deep mud the occasional snipe took to its wing it was only just breaking light we were to meet the bailiffs a bit further out i knew the head bailiff quite well as he had shot with us before on a shoot in Shropshire. It could be good shooting on this estuary but little did we know it nearly became our last we made our way out over the mud flats a building stood out like a ghost it was on a small island the owners had long gone, the walls had started to crumble we met the bailiffs on this island they had got a fire started the wood burned and throwing shadows on the ancient walls i wonder who lived out here no one seemed to know i suppose they had long gone only there ghosts haunted this derelict house, we left the bailiffs on the island and proceeded out towards the estuary we stood on a hight piece of ground that never got flooded by the tide, the duck came in there hundreds but so did the tide i think old George had got it wrong the tide rushed towards us it hailed and rained and the wind roared.

We had our waterproof trousers on and our waxed jackets god was it cold the hail stung our faces the water surrounded us i could see by Georges face, we could be in serous trouble the tide was higher than expected it was huge the piece of ground where we stood got smaller by the minute in fact the water was starting to swallow this small piece of ground up with us on it i hung onto my dog blaze the water rushed by taking empty cans and wood with it and then it stopped thank god George shouted now we wait for the tide to recede i watched as the water receded god we could have drowned it was that close we had shot, nothing the tide, was to big to let the dogs, retrieve they would have been washed away and drowned it was that bad we waited for two hours i could not feel my hands as we made our way towards the island the bailiffs were relieved to see us and said they were about to call for help i sat by the roaring fire we had our sandwiches and drank from our flasks it certainly helped to warm us up a bit i was not sorry to see the car i said to graham on our way home never again but we did and never saw a tide like that again poor old george admited that he had got it wrong i have not told this story before it is not related to any fishing story but it was part of my life i was young and fit then i have not walked on those mud flats for many years i now leave it to the youngsters althought i believe george still goes he must now be well into his seventies.
well theres a bit more for you all. ill tell you more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#300 11 Mar 2012 at 2.36pm

In reply to Post #299
How easy it is to travel to your fishing with the car, when i first started it was walk or on your bike i traveled miles on my old bike rods tied to the cross bar bag or basket on your shoulder infact it was the only way when i was a young chap. Most lakes and pools were private as i have stated before you could not get permission it was unheard of most lakes on the big estates were used for shooting you would see big rafts of ducks and on shoot days they would shoot hundreds of pheasants, and ducks, most of the estates shot twice or even three times a week they had some very rich people in the syndicates, i got caught out a few times i had gone down to the lake to fish well poach only for it to be shoot, day i must admit it could be a bit frightening as you did not want to be caught i liked seeing the gents, and ladies, dressed up to the nines the ladies dressed in long skirts and brogue shoes they were really posh and spoke like they had got a plum in there mouth, there were a few keepers there as well you would get them coming from other estates to help out on shoot days the one lake i fished had lots of rhododendron bushes around the edge of the lake hiding my bike i would clime the stone wall from the road side onto the estate i loved to fish this old water it had tench Rudd and carp i think the carp had been put in years before maybe for eating it was a long and wide lake i had the old tank aerial rods i would only take one and float fish using worm, bread, or maggots, that i had collected from the local abattoir i must admit they were wonderful days and in the autumn and winter i caught some beautiful Rudd.

On shoot days i would hide in the under growth until they had finished shooting or even up a tree they certainly shot some birds the ducks, and pheasants, would come crashing down in a ball of feathers if i was near enough i would have them before the keeper arrived with his dogs, to pick them up there was that many shot they would not miss a few you would hear the gun shouting to the keeper telling him where his birds, had fallen but i had already picked them up this was early fifties, five or six years after the war, my parents and neighbors were always grateful if i brought back a few birds, it was a very easy way to poach but you could get to greedy and pick up to many birds then find you had to many to carry home on your bike, in those days i had an old duffel coat i would tie two or three birds together then hang then around my neck hiding them under my coat the others would go in my bag or basket the ones i could not take i would hang up a tree which i would fetch latter . If the shooting did not last very long i would continue to fish i caught some huge Rudd on bread paste i wonder why they are not in the lake today i did catch the occasional carp which really put up a good scrape but they were long and thin not deep belled they were all common carp, the ones i caught were only about five pounds at the most but to me they were big i caught the tench as well a lovely green colour they were small the biggest only about a pound but they certainly scraped well i fished this lake for many years and never got caught, or chased once i was lucky because i heard stories about two poachers being caught on the estate and being sent to prison funny how things have changed people seem to roam where the want today no such thing as trespass now but in those days if you got caught you would be in serous trouble. well a bit more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#299 9 Mar 2012 at 1.48pm

In reply to Post #296
Getting away from fishing for a few moments i see an article in one of the national news paper complaining about foxes, in the cities and about them going into peoples houses they have one thing on there mind when doing this its called food they are not there to attack humans, but to scavenge and get them selves food, as you all know i love old charlie, and have studied him for many years they are a most beautiful animal but can cause the farmers a few problems where the damage is severe, like taking lambs or killing large amounts of chickens geese and such he is dealt with found and shot. One of the worst things humans living in cities can do is leave out bags full of rubbish they are inquisitive and will rip the bag open in there search for food. Foxes are not a threat to humans no more than the badger i am afraid its time to live in harmony with these beautiful animals after all they have been here since the ice age and have just as much rights as us to live here. I see a chap from Scotland has shot a huge fox weighing 32 pounds that is a big animal as he was nearly five feet long i have seen one of 28 pounds, and i thought that was big unfortunately this big fox, was caught in the act attacking a lambs when it was shot, i am afraid then it is a necessity to control the animal.

Well back to fishing besides fishing the river Severn, i spent many happy hours fishing my beloved river Rea, it was Rea where i first went fishing i was only a fledgling and went with my grandad the rod was a cane and a bent pin for a hook, plus a jam jar and piece of string putting the bread in the jar and catching minnows this was the start of my obsession with fishing and my love of all wild things. I found i could catch the chub from the surface by feeding big lumps of bread and watching the fish take it greedily from the surface with a big splash it was a lovely way to fish just like we fish for carp today i only found out by accident after throwing what bread i had left at the end of the day into the water the chub were on it instantly so the next time i went i took a big loaf with me and let pieces of bread drift on the current it would vanish in a silver spray, of water as the chub, competed for the food i caught hundreds using this method . I would also trot a maggot down with a float to catch the little roach they never grew that big most were around a pound but i did catch the occasional one bigger i would trundle a worm under the far bank for the trout or chub i always returned the chub, but the trout, went home, if big enough i have said once before how i had this gentle tug when i was fishing worm i struck only to feel a most powerful fish on the other end it shot down stream i had to run to catch the fish up before i could control it. the nettles stung my legs as i ran through the undergrowth, and the brambles, drew blood i was determined to land this fish, and when i did it was a bit of a shock as looked down at this bar of silver lying at the side of the river, my net was not big enought to land him so i lifted him out it was salmon around eight pounds i made sure no one was around before knocking him on the head i put him in my old post office bag and made my way home it was cooked and served with boiled potatoes and peas it was woderfull eating and my parents were well pleased it was not the last salmon i caught from that small river. Ill tell you more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#298 8 Mar 2012 at 11.21am

In reply to Post #297
Once again thanks paddy i very much apprecate your kind words it makes it all worth while

carppad

Posts: 528

#297 8 Mar 2012 at 4.56am

In reply to Post #296
Hi Pete,
Another great read ,
it really does take me back to my youth reading these stories. i was lucky enough to have a bailiff ( family friend) teach me the right and wrongs, he used to take me in his big cortina estate over to woodstock ponds in newport, teach me the basics , watercraft, how to set up correctly , play fish, he always kept an eye on me while i was there and would take me back home.
i probably drove him mad with the questions i asked . Close season we would clear the swims , cut the trees back , put down grass seed ,we laid foundations for the new bridge to our new lake ( morgans pool ) made all the bailiffs tea !! spent many happy years on those waters , i got to seventeen and chose the armed forces as my career, and always whilst on leave i would always go over to see Rex and the other bailiffs and they still made me brew their tea !!.
All of them have sadly passed away now but i have never forgot what they did for me. Great times.
Paddy.

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#296 5 Mar 2012 at 4.14pm

In reply to Post #294
From the age of fifteen i spent a lot of my time fishing the river Severn there were no Barbel then only Roach chub perch pike eels and salmon i did my fair share of salmon fishing i went with an old gentleman call George Taylor he had fished for salmon most of his life he had Morris car so we would be away most of our fishing was done on the upper reaches of the Severn George was also very good with the fly rod and would also catch a few brown trout, on our travels but most of our fishing was done spinning the biggest salmon i caught was twenty five pounds a good fish by any ones standard we also caught our fair share of pike catching them to over twenty pounds mostly caught on wooden Devon minnows we made our own in those days out of wood dowel, when finished they would be painted silver, or gold, i had them hanging all over the house, we also made our own floats, what we could not afford we made i would make them from balsa wood i also used goose, quills corks, from bottles, even drinking straws, i had them hanging all over the house even in my bedroom but they were cheaper than buying ready made ones. If i went spinning for the trout or perch i would be away down the river Rea with a minnow trap i would put some bread in it and leave it over night there would be plenty 0f minnows in the trap by morning i would use a minnow mounted in a flight for trout fishing i had many a night out poaching the local rivers using the humble minnow but as i have said before it was a necessity then i would catch as many as twenty or even more on the right night sharing them out between us and our neighbours the rivers were stocked by the owners of the estates for there own use and for there friends sport.

I also caught many eels from the Severn on dead minnow they were mostly around two to three pounds it was good sport i tried them on the estate lakes but for some reason i did no good i found they would take small roach, or Rudd, but i seemed to catch the bigger eels, on big buches of lob worms. One fish i really liked to catch was the roach, i made all my own bait mostly bread paste flavoured with honey, i even used custard, powder mixed in. The one bait that did excel was bread paste and Danish blue, i would buy two shillings worth from the coop shop on our village good job my parents never saw me make it as times were still very hard, i would be off down to the grey friars bridge in shrewsbury the locals came down and fed the ducks, and swans, with any scraps left over from the week the roach, would shoal under this bridge i would sit on my old fishing creel and rest the rod on the railings beside the bridge i would hold the rod the top would flicker you would strike some times you missed but you learned by your mistakes i caught some beautiful roach, from under that bridge most were around a pound but i did have them a lot bigger.

At the same time you could have a bit of fun catching the pike, i always carried another rod made up for the pike, where you caught roach the pike, would be you would see them strike at your fish as you played it in i would soon put on a live bait with trebles and a big cork float i would cast it out it would look after its self it would bob about then slowly vanish beneath the surface i had them to fifteen plus from under that old bridge the trouble was if the locals were around they would try and cadge it for eating but i would put it back they were a beautiful colour especially in winter, i had some great days trotting for the dace, but those days have gone and so have the fish to many predators mergansers are terrible they hunt in a line across the river i have seen at least thirty doing this then we have the cormorant and now the otter when i was young you never saw these birds you never saw the otter very often as they were kept in check by hunting and game keepers. well thats it for now more latter

qashqai

Posts: 1015

#295 3 Mar 2012 at 2.38pm

In reply to Post #294
Another wonderful read.
I remember when I tagged along with my grandfather in the 1950s on the river Lea he used a rod that was made from a tank ariel.
When I was older about 14 I used to go poaching with my schoolmate Dave to some gravel pits.
The company were still excavating some newer pits nearby but a foreman used to come around occaisionly and used to chase us off.
On one occaision we got caught but were let off with a cuff around the ear.
We still went back as the lake contained a huge head of beautiful Rudd to well over 3lb and every cast was another beautiful Rudd
Happy memories

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#294 3 Mar 2012 at 1.43pm

In reply to Post #291
Most of my early life fishing was done with an old bamboo rod given to me by a neighbour it had seen better days but it got me by it was coupled with a wooden reel loaded with silk line i would catch the minnows on the river Rea and one or two gudgeon i really had no idea how to fish as my father was killed in the war and my grandad died in 1947 so i was on my own but i got over some of the difficulties and started to catch roach and chub in fact i broke the rod landing a chub the top broke off i was absolutely broken hearted mum could not afford the money for another as times were very hard. Not long after she had met a man that she eventually married although he knew nothing about fishing he encouraged me to go and had two rods made for me they were made out of tank aerials why two i don't know but i did most of my fishing using them from trout to carp i still used the wooden reels until one Christmas morning when i awoke to a mitchell reel loaded with nylon line it took a bit of getting used to but it was a god send i also acquired an Ambidex it was given to me by an old gentleman but in my opinion it was never as good as the mitchell but it got me by and caught some good fish using it how my step father afforded the tackle i never found out as wages were not that good in the late forties and early fifties, although he has now passed away i will always be grateful for all he did for me, i soon learned to trot a float and caught trout grayling and the odd chub i also caught one or two beautiful perch as i have said before i spent most of my spare time fishing even playing truant from school ill say no more about that but i was learning all the while i poached nearly every lake i knew in south Shropshire using my bike to travel arround and i caught some really big Rudd not realizing the significance of there size they were big you could not get your had around them it was years latter when graham and i fished for them did we realize how big they were three pounds plus huge specimens.

My fishing really got me in a few scrapes with keeper and river bailiffs as it was quite an offence in those days if you got caught, i was lucky and only got caught once and that was not my fault the lad i took with me his name was Allen Barker would not run and was frozen to the spot with fear i stayed with him and had my tackle seized god i thought i am in trouble now as it was hardy's built cane rod which my father had bought me for Christmas it was a combination rod it was only after his death that we found the receipt it cost him seventy pounds how on earth he afforded that i don't know but he did we had a knock on the door that night it was the police returning my rod with a bit of a telling off don't poach the river again mum and dad said nothing it went in one ear and out the other and i can honestly say i never got caught again i got chased a few time, i hid up trees and swam the river even crawled into a ditch and the keepers dog actualy stood on me and they still did not relize i was there i listened to them talking untill they moved away, well that how i started fishing i learned such a lot not just about catching fish but about the wild life as well even the trees and flowers that grew in the hedgerows. well a bit more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#293 1 Mar 2012 at 3.29pm

In reply to Post #292
hi peter i am glad you like the stories thanks for the kind words i have not read the book yet but every one tells me its great getting my copy in a couple of weeks thanks again pete

qashqai

Posts: 1015

#292 1 Mar 2012 at 3.00pm

In reply to Post #291
Hi Peter
I received my copy of " the only way is carp " and just finished the 1st chapter.
I really enjoyed your stories which brought back many memories for me with my grandfather when he introduced me to fishing in the late 1950s for which I am grateful.
I discovered your thread on here this morning and have been reading ever since.
I must tell you that they are truly wonderful nostalgic stories and make a fasinating read.
Thankyou,and I hope you continue writing
Regards
Peter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#291 1 Mar 2012 at 10.57am

In reply to Post #290
I suppose i was about thirteen when dick started writing for angling times i remember buying the paper from our local news agents it must have been about 1952 or there abouts it was approximately 5am on September the 13Th that Dick caught his record carp which we all know was 44lb what a catch but he said to me many times that it could of been his mate Petes fish as there baits were only yds apart it was wonderful for me to hear the story from the big man himself, can you imagine what this was like for us youngsters he was our hero i also had one of the first copies of Mr crabtree goes fishing which also inspired us youngsters to go out and catch fish. so it was to be two young lads sitting beside a carp lake in south Shropshire ,it belonged to a local farmer Sid Evans i would knock on his door to pay our money come on in young un where is your mate he would say his old table in the front room would be covered in food he would get two glasses and fill them full with home made ginger beer does your mum know where you are we would answer yes he would not except any money from us young lads and always kept an eye on us.

We learned a lot watching other anglers to us some where mysterious chaps who crept around the lake fishing here and there, i never really saw them catch that much we tried night fishing at first we had no luck we used silver paper as our indicator or a piece of doe pinched on the line between reel and butt ring and used a old flash light from our bikes to show our indicators up i forgot where i had the information from but i was told about par boiled potatoes the small ones they worked really well my mother would boil them for us i would take a few up and scatter them around we certainly had runs but could not hit them a freind called peter finch said we needed bigger hooks after getting the bigger hooks we caught a few not big fish by today's standard but to myself and my mate Raymond they were huge we could not weight them as we had no scales some of the other anglers would kindly weight them for us with there sprung salter scales most were between three or four pounds but we did not care they were fish carp and we had caught them.

The best fish came out of the weed beds we would watch the carp moving around pushing the big pieces of crust that we had thrown in they would break it up, we would watch as a big pair of lips would appear and with a slurp the crust would disappear we decided we would have a go at these carp Raymond was not with me but a chap called Chris dodd was, we would put a piece of crust on a big hook dunk the bread in the water then we coiled the line behind us then we gave it the big chuck some times your line would catch in the grass getting in a tangle but we managed most of the time it would fly out into the weed bed we would be full of adrenaline as a fish approached our crust it would knock it around then a big pair of lips would suck the bread in your line would streak through the weeds as you struck some time you connected others you did not but most of the time we caught. The biggest we had from the lake was just ten pounds we did not know the significance of this fish we were told it was a big fish for those years but to us young uns it was huge we had no cameras to record our catch but we did not care we were just happy to sit and watch the wild life as we waited for another run it was just a pleasure to be there. well a bit more latter

petethecrip

Posts: 2831

Honorary member

#290 29 Feb 2012 at 5.25pm

In reply to Post #289
Hope you like it pete

tinofmaggots

Posts: 5835

#289 29 Feb 2012 at 5.21pm

In reply to Post #285
My copy arrived monday

Got my self a bedside lamp, and have a little read before sleep.


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