RED HILLBILLY

quote: Originally posted by Alan Fawcett: That would be like the americans telling us we can't name carp & we can only fish for them with bows & arrows like they do. [/QB] Trogg, at least the modern Americans just shoot carp with bows and arrows. The originals used to shoot humans! Hillbilly.

Interesting that, Newt. Seeing as I am an idle bugger I did the opposite and bought a rod pod when I was in England over the new year holiday. I've only used it once in the USA and I got a few strange looks. I get a lot of strange looks when I use my 13 feet match rods. I stopped off to check out the river on my way home from the flea market this morning (looking for Intrepids, Chesters) and saw this guy using long rods. Turned out they were the Predator and Eagle rods from Cabelas. Looked great for American carping and good quality for the price. Hillbilly.

Look out for the 'gators! Hillbilly

Never heard of them, Chesters, but I will keep my eyes open at the flea markets. Hillbilly.

You are right Chesters about the Intrepids being as expensive as reels today considering todays wages. I bought my first Intrepid f/spool reel about 1959 (I had a K.P. Morritt c/pin previously, you name it) and paid 32 shillings and something. That was about 5/6 hours pay for an adult male in the the midlands then. I was then given an almost new de-luxe by a friend who did not like it after using a c/pin for 30 years. My first "good" Intrepid was the Elite, not a bad reel which lasted me for years. I still have the red plastic box that came with it. It is now home to a Mitchell Match. Hillbilly.

On the subject of old cane rods...although I have lived in the US for 27 years I have managed to vacation in England about every 2 years. A good friend had a father-in-law who died about thirty years ago who was quite a good angler at club level. That was in the days when we fished the Trent using crow quill floats! His widow lived with her daughter and my friend and she always told me she had kept her husbands fishing tackle and it was stored in the loft. I said I would love to see it as it would be 50s-60s vintage. My friend said he would dig it out. He never did and I forgot about. I visited England over the recent Christmas holidays and went to see my friend again. Unfortunately both his wife and mother-in-law have now passed away. Whilst reminiscing I mentioned the old guys fishing tackle. My friend said if I visited the next week He would have it there for me to see. I did visit and he had an old cane rod for me to look at. To say it brought back old memories is and understatement. It was 12 ft. long, 3 piece Spanish reed with a spliced in split cane insert in the top piece. I can't remember when I last saw a rod like that. It did not have conventional brass ferrules, the joints were cane to cane with a brass strengthening ring on the outside of the cane where the pieces fitted together. It weighed a ton. It was in very poor condition and the rings had rusted. The remains of the rod bag had the name Martin James on it but I don't think that was who manufactured the rod because the bag was too small for the rod. I then remembered an old fellow who worked at the same pit as me made similar rods for his friends. He didn't make many. The rod had no name on it so I think it was one he had made. I lusted after one of these rods when I was young but could not afford one. I believe Tommy Watson's in Nottingham also sold similar rods but can't remember seeing rods like this in other areas. I hope I have not bored you too much but visiting this sight has made me realize that a lot of member's have never seen cane rods. How we managed to fish (long-trotting) with such heavy rod's is a mystery. It's just occured to me that maybe somewhere in my friends loft is lying a very good centrepin reel that has not been used for over thirty years....umm. I think I'll pay him another visit the next time I'm over Blighty way. Hillbilly

Newt, you only pay $1.37? I had to pay $1.45 yesterday in WV! We are being ripped off here in the north. I'ts all this damn tax the government is taking. I'm gonna write to my MP (oops, sorry...congressman). Hillbilly.

Way back in the 60s, fish in the Trent (mainly roach) were infested with a disease called UDN (ulcerative dermal necrosis). This was very nasty and the fish looked like they had a piece chewed out of them. The disease seemed to have died out after a few years. I have not fished in England for many years and wonder if this disease has ever come back. Recent posts have discussed fish being caught with bites out of them and posters have suggested otters or mink are responsible. Is UDM back? Bruno?

I saw in one of the news programs a shot of people selling fish in a local market in some Iraqi city. They had a tarp filled with water and it contained a lot of fish which looked like common carp. They were alive with some quite large ones (by my standards anyway). Hillbilly.

Newt, you sure know your sh!t. Hillbilly

Newt, didn't offend me one bit, in fact I think that describes most Brits opinion of the Frogs and Gerries. Well, the older ones. WW2 happened so long ago the young'uns can't relate to it. Thats the same all over, human nature, I suppose. That's why we have wars every generation or so. I have visited war cemeteries in the USA and the UK and given thanks for the ultimate sacrifice that the ones lying there gave. Sentimetal slush? Maybe, but I'm not ashamed. Hillbilly.

Able was I ere I saw elba. These words were supposedly spoken by Napoleon. I think that is bullsh!t. Maybe wottawoppa can clear that up for us. Hillbilly. [ 24. February 2003, 03:17 AM: Message edited by: RED HILLBILLY ]

quote: Originally posted by payara: we will have to hook up and tackle a water sometime,it would be great.[/QB] Payara, sound's great. We'll have to arrange a fish in with other carpers at a central location. I used to go to Pymatuming if I'd had a slow period or just felt like a bit of fun. It's like you said, loads of fish to 15lbs or so but big ones hard to catch but can be seen. The "tiddlers" get your bait first! I now live in Morgantown, WV, and don't fish as much as I used to due to working away but I'm now retired and intend to make up for it. I've got some camping gear so overnighters can be arranged. My e-mail address is in my profile, contact me if you like. Hillbilly.

Through tears of laughter Bush says, "What Baghdad?" [/QB] That would be the Baghdad with be the Hebrew banners, Newt. ROFLMAO. Hillbilly.

Had to shovel away 6 more inches of that white stuff this morning. That's more than 20" over the weekend. A few miles east of here in Garrett County, MD, they recorded 49". Oh hum, just another northern winter. We still have electricity and cable so I watched Wolves v Rochdale and C. Palace V Lucky Leeds. Bit of a football overload but after more than 20 years of football starvation I can handle it. Hillbilly.

Woke up this morning to find 10" of fresh snow on the ground. This was in addition to the 6" already there from the last storm. I shovelled this away but it snowed steady for the rest of the day, although not heavy. Went out to shovel away 5" of new snow at 6 PM. While doing this the snow changed to rain. I can't understand this because the thermometer on my deck indicates it is 20 Degrees F! If this lot freezes it will be fun driving in the morning. Still, I am now retired so I can sit at home and watch the FA cup matches on the box. The worst snow we've had in West Virginia while I've lived here in 1 night was 28", that was the day I returned back from a holiday in the UK. Had to shovel it away to get to work. I made sure it took me 2 days. The roads were closed anyway. Hillbilly.

Chesters, 12p is about 29 old pennies so it is almost 400% gain. By the way, did you have them from new? Hillbilly

Glad to see there's another classic Brit bike enthusiast on this forum. I have a 69 BSA Rocket 3, A 64 BSA Lighting/Rocket, A 68 BSA Royal Star, a 69 BSA Starfire and a 75 Triumph Trident gathering dust in my garage. I haven't had time to work on them yet, but, one of these days..... Hillbilly.

Exactly as you said, davidP. A few years ago three friends and I went on a charter on Lake Ontario out of Olcott, NY. We trolled up and down all day in rough water with lures about 200 foot deep. We were so far out we could not see the shore, much more like sea fishing than a lake. Eventually the lure on my rod was hit and the rod tip straightened up. The skipper grabbed the rod and struck hard several times to set the hook. He then handed the rod to me and I played the fish out, a 28lb Atlantic salmon. It was only the second fish caught out of Olcott that day, although a second fish hit my lure later in the day but I told the skipper to give the rod to one of the other guys because I had allready caught a fish. He did and the pratt lost it! Although that fish is my personal best I don't claim to have had much input into catching it because I only reeled the thing in, although I did choose the lure used after the skipper's choices all failed. Hillbilly. [ 18. October 2002, 03:59 AM: Message edited by: Newt ]

Of course they can, haven't you seen the bubbles? Hillbilly.