chevin

One thing I notice when I see pictures of English countryside under water is that that to a great extent the flooded areas are old flood plains. When I look further into the picture, I notice that in many cases, on the piece of high ground above water stands a church of perhaps hundreds of years old. It seems that in those days, they knew about the flood plains that are so often ignored these days.

Not much of it going on here in Oz since the company pushing the idea went bankrupt due to irresponsible behavior by the management which left investors and the kayak suppliers seriously out of pocket. There really was a future for kayak fishing here and I did all I could to further it but along with others I saw the money we invested squandered on personal spending by a man we trusted. It was the end of the project!

Fenella Fielding 11th September at the age of 90. A lovely lady, a good actress and who had the sexiest of voices.

The baob tree is an unusual tree and is known here as the upside down tree because the branches look like a root sytem reaching into the air. Further north here in Western Australia we have one that is known as "The Prison Tree". It is hollow and there is a gap in the trunk. Loal miscreants were pushed through the gap and held inside of the tree for a day or two. I believe that it is in excess of 1500 years old.

Firstly, how could I have possibly called you a liar? I have been in constant defence of what I and my friends have said. Indeed, you have even suggested that they were liars. The evidence you give in support of you argument is from what you have found on the internet which will have come from un-named sources which you seem to find more acceptable than what I or my friends have said. Obviously, knowing that the evidence you have produced, has not been your own work, I could hardly suggest that you are a liar, the only thing of which I could accuse you is of accepting evidence that might be a flawed as you consider mine to be. To suggest that Dick removed the roach for the benefit of himself and his close friends is laughable. They had permission to fish for them in the Hiz but the fish were moved to Hitchin Angling Club’s water – Arlesey Lake. To be honest I couldn’t care less one way or the other whether you believe what I say or not. I know what I say is true and that that is quite enough, to expect me to produce the evidence you demand is unrealistic. It is quite possible the news was never reported because there was so much of the same going on in the country at that time. To suggest that I am simply doing this to make money out of work I have done is ludicrous! If you look at my first note you will see that it was supportive and added a further slant to your note, it was after that you attacked and ridiculed my support by suggesting I was repeating an urban myth and that the rest of my note had no relevance. I have not suggested that you reveal your name, I don’t need to know it, I know that from the numerous posts of yours that you have little to interest me. I do not envy those who have more posts than others I admire those who have a lot more to say in far fewer posts. It is not the numbers of posts that count but the content. Your obvious intention to discredit anything I say or offer as proof makes it quite pointless in continuing this discussion. While you claim to have experience you wish to pass on to others, you appear more than a little anxious to prevent others doing the same. Anyway, you just continue with your insults and your determination to disbelieve anything I say, but personally I won’t respond to any more of it, it is obviously a waste of my time.

Here is the AT report of Dick Walker's bag of roach from the Hiz. You will have to take my word on the fact that it was from the Hiz, Dick did not give the names of waters, especially private ones. However, my word has always been good enough in the angling world and so I would hope that it will be accepted in this instant.

Good to hear from someone who has his finger on the pulse of things in the Palace. Like most I only hear what the media says.

I know the problem, I live on the banks of a fair sized lake (6 miles long 3/4 mile wide) and at the start of winter, the millions of mice that live there decide that it would be a good idea to find a nice warm home for the poorer weather. Every home suddenly has a large number of unwelcome guests and, like others, I have to trap or poison them. Trouble is, they are such beautiful little critters I hate killing them. I have tried the live catch traps, but unfortunately they do not work as well as I would hope. Another invasion we get in the first rains is frogs! There are always a lot in the garden pond, but as soon as it rains we see hundreds hopping their way up from the lake to our front door. It is a dreadful thing to suddenly trap a cold moist slimy lump under a barefoot and hear it scream. You just can't believe how loudly a frog can scream! Steve, do I understand what you are saying, do your mice rest!

OK, I will give you the figures I mention fairly shortly. The roach were caught. The men I mention I have mentioned by name as being Richard Walker, Peter Thomas, Bob Rutland and Alan Brown, names that you will surely recognise and, as far as I know have never before been accused of the possibility that they lied. If you spent time in Hitchin, you would have met Alan Brown who ran the tackle shop in Nightingale Road - a popular venue for all keen anglers from quite a large area. You would have probably met Bob Rutland and possibly Dick Walker and Pete Thomas. We may have met too but even if we didn't. you would have known who chevin was even in those days. Keen specialist anglers were invited to stay in the shop after hours on Friday evenings where we relaxed and talked about fishing for all species of fish. My speciality was obviously the chub. Alan Brown continued to make the Chevin rod up until he died, and that rod was made to my requirements. Anyway, keeping warm here isn't a problem, we have 38c predicted for tomorrow, so it is a sea side Christmas for us. The nostalgia of having a white Christmas does get to me for a few seconds on occasions, but once I get into the Indian Ocean which is clearer than the Test on a good day and as warm as a luke warm bath, I feel that I really don't need snow and ice to keep me happy. Best wishes to all for Christmas and 2011.

The huge catches of roach Dick and his mates caught from the Hiz in Priory Park were well reported both on the front page and centre pages of the angling times. Priory Park was privately owned and Dick only saw the roach in the river while setting up a stall for the annual fete that was held there. No one was allowed to fish the stretch but Dick knew the owner well and was able to get permission for himself and his friends to fish there. They caught big roach there regularly and 1962 quite a lot of them were transported to other waters, whethere or not it was legal I don't know, I never thought to ask Dick about that. The only one of the four I mentioned who is still alive is Peter Thomas but I am not going to trouble him with questions about the legalities. As far as suggesting that those four making up stories of that nature it is laughable. The fish were there, they caught them and reported them to the angling press. Dick also caught a lot of good roach from the River Beane, did you know about them? Somewhere I have some dates regarding a report and the apporoximate date of the centre page spread on the fish from the Hiz. While it has less bearing on the matter than you seem to think, I lived much closer to Hitchin than you did in those days and I do remember that winter. I also remember snow plows leaving mounds of snow at the sides of the roads. On country roads we just had to live with it. However some town roads could not be left that way and I can remember front end loaders loading snow onto trucks which took it away. I also remember pictures in the local papers of lines of the stuff where it had been dumped in -places where it would not be in the way. I confess that I did not know at that time that any was being dumped by or on the Hiz, but I was aware of the roach being killed after the event. As far as the Hiz running through parts of Hitchin is concerned, it is well documented and is hardly worth further discussion.

Fair enough, I wasn't impressed with his dismissal of my posting and so I made my feelings known. What I posted was based on knowledge not assumptions. I have no problem with being criticised if those who do so are as well informed on the subject as I am. I guess that many these days consider entertainment to be more important than trying to get down to the basic facts of a discussion.

What must be remembered is that while the salt run off in the '60s might not have been a big deal, every new square yard of concrete, asphalt etc is another square yard of instant run off. Run off from those covered areas must be channeled somewhere. If a river isn't too far away, where do you think it will go? I am sure that it would be possible to measure the salinity content of rivers and ponds but does anyone bother. Few council officials have any idea of what kills fish or how to combat it. In the 1970s the council officials at Milton Keynes were proudly telling us of their plans for a sewage water treatment plant and of how pure the water would be. Many of us knew and said that it would be a disater. At the opening we saw officials drinking this wonderfully pure water and a few days later we saw fish dying. It's OK to have pure water, but it needs to have oxygen in it if fish are to survive and they had taken everything out of it.

I don't think that many of us here have much interest in what Charles says or believes. I doubt very much if his thoughts influence our thinking in any way. I think that most of us here believe that we should make a break but, as I said earlier, we must be sure to get things right. It is likely that the Royal Family costs us nothing, but whetever we finish up with most certainly will cost us and so we must ensure that the position of Governer (or whatever) doesn't turn out to be a job for the political boys. In the referendum we had, I voted for us to retain the Queen as our head of state and I would do so if we had another referendum tomorrow if we weren't guaranteed a viable alternative. I think that there would be many the same as me. However, should Charles ascend to the throne, I think all support for an external head of state would vapourise. Why don't we want him? Well I think it's a common opinion that the man is an idiot, that he is too self serving and is cannot be trusted by those closest to him. A man in the position of the King of England should be a man who has earned and holds the respect of his subjects. He is not seen in that light in Australia.

Yeah, I have found pretty much the same especially with snow melt killing river fishing. I wondered for quite some time if the lower oxygen content in the water in shallow lakes had something to do with the poor fishing after the ice has melted. The darkess caused by the ice - especially when covered in snow - causes everything to go into shut down status and although the fish have slowed down and are breathing less oxygen, the plants cease to produce it too. All theoretical of course, I never had the means to test it but almost certainly, the lack of oxygen in the water appears to be the cause of winter kill.

Actually the name of Hitchin comes from the name of the river that runs through the town - the river Hiz, the pronunciation of which is actually Hitch. The river also runs through the Prory Park in Hitchin which is where there was a shoal of huge roach. Of course it completely slipped my mind that Richard Walker, Pete Thomas, Bob Rutland and Alan Brown were great perpetrators of urban myths and if that is what you say it is, then I guess you must be right. If you remember 1963 you will remember that there was so much snow in places a lot of it was picked up and dumped elsewhere. But I guess that if it sounds like to much effort and expense to you, I suppose that you must be right there too. I posted my note with the intention of adding interest to your thread, only to have it dismissed as being irrelevant and inaccurate. Perhaps you aren't realy interested in seeing constructive additions to your thread being more interested in just seeing your name in print.

He is certainly a danger to the monarchy as far as Australia is concerned. There is no doubt that Australia will eventually become a Republic but knowing that what ever we finish up with will be forever, many of us who want the change are content to allow things as they are until we can get what we want and not just something that the politicians want us have. However, while the Queen is seen to be acceptable in the mean time, I am afraid that as soon as Charles became King we would become a republic within a very short time. He is not a popular man here in Oz and even many of those who like him as a person feel that he would be a poor choice for a King, though of course choice does not come into it.

Salt was certainly a major problem during the '60's in a number of waters and especially the Hiz which was a brilliant roach water. During the big freeze one winter, Hitchin council scooped up tons of snow and dumped it on the ice over the River Hiz. Of course the snow was loaded with salt and grit. When the thaw began the salt went into the river and killed many of the roach, sadly the roach fishing never recovered from that. If the winter you are now experiencing continues for any length of time I would expect problems to come from the salt and also winter kill. Many anglers will be heart broken to go to their favourite lakes as the ice is melting and be confronted by the sight of most of the fish belly up and stinking to high heaven. It is bad for all, but it is particularly distressing for those anglers who have built up a fishery from nothing. It takes a lot of work to get where they were and it takes a whole lot more to get their fisheries back to that state.

Yeah one of the first predictions related to "Global Warming" would be that places like the UK would have colder winters. Whether or not the changes are due to natural climate change or so called global warming, but I do know that in the 33 years I have lived in Australia the record high temperature during the course of a summer has increased by over 4c. Last summer when I was holidaying about 500klm north of here, we had a day at 49c. Last winter was the driest on record and I believe that November was the hottest November on record. Something defintely seems to be happening, there is no doubt of that.

I fished with a group of very successful anglers for a number of years and many anglers considered us to be lucky. From time to time I would take out friends who where not so successful and some would call me lucky when I caught some good fish when they caught little or nothing. Others would ask me what I was doing and why I always seemed to catch fish. Those who considered my success to be luck never really progressed with their fishing. Those who asked questions frequently became more successful. Successful fishing is not a matter of rocket science, simply a matter of observation and attention to detail most of the time.

John, try to get out on a "Sambo" trip over Christmas while you are in Perth. It is claimed to be the best jig fishing in the world and while I can't say that that is true, it is incredible fishing. Fish are well cared for and returned. If you want to know more call me on 9405 1641 when you are in Perth and I will help where I can. The pictures are of fairly regular sized sambo and until you have felt one of them fight, you haven't fought a fish!

We had a Democratic Party once but they sold out to the Government to help though a major taxation change and were rewarded with a little more power. They infuriated their supporters and I don't know whether it exists today. Certainly we never hear anything of it. Perhaps the same will happen to the Lib-Dems.

OK, I will go along with the naked eye bit, but being a bit of a naked eye astronomer I do know that I have been able to see more stars from the west of Ireland than I can see from here. One thing that is impressive here though is the clarity of the skies and on some nights, especially up in the tropics, the stars and planets do seem to be dripping from the sky - especially the planets. Something else we see here, that I have never seen in the UK is the moon lit up by earth shine. It happens during the no moon period and the light reflected from the Pacific Ocean makes the disc clearly visible. It actually looks like a very dim full moon.

Winter kill is nothing to do with over stocking or poor management. It happens somewhere every time there is a prolonged freeze up. During the 1962/63 winter a lot of fisheries were completely wiped out, a fishery I had was one of them. Those most susceptable are the shallow waters the bottoms of which have a layer of dead leaves and other vegetation on them. Oxygen levels fall and the content of poisonous gases rises even though the decomposition of the detritous is retarded. Breaking ice can't hurt, but it is unlikely to do any good at all. I have no idea if an air pump pumping air into the water will help or not - it is not something that was tried, as far as I am aware, in 62/63. The sight and smell of a major winter kill after the thaw is distressing especially when you realise that unless the water is re-stocked, it will be many years before it is worth fishing again. Such tragedies do turn up some surprioses though. A Luton angler was claiming to catch numerous double figure carp from one small lake, and although Fred Taylor and Dick Walker had fished it on a number of occasions they had never seen any carp even approaching double figures. The winter kill wiped out all of the fish in the pond and not one double figure carp was seen when Fred went along to see it.

We have such clear skies here and very little light pollution but unfortunately the southern hemisphere does not get the best of those showers. We miss out on the normal night skies too. Only 20% of the stars visible from earth are visible in the southern hemisphere. So while you guys can't see them because of industrial pollution and light pollution we can't see them because they aren't there. I remember being totally awestruck during my first fishing holiday in Ireland (1961) when I saw the stars that were visible there. The milky way was so brilliant I could see the white line on the road by the light from it.

The white tip and the oceanic white tip are different sharks. The white tip is generally a reef frequenter and is terrified of people. However the oceanic white tip is a very dangerous shark and one that is not to be trusted. I have only ever seen one, but I got out of the water very quickly when I did see it. I am more concerned about them than I am about tiger sharks.