Charlie Bettell
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Posts posted by Charlie Bettell
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Then perhaps you need to look at the tone that comes across in your posts.
I was doing nothing but making what I thought was a nice suggestion and I can't help but feel somewhat shot down my your remarks.
But knowing what forums can be like I am quite used to picking myself up, brushing myself down and leaving it, which I will now do.
Lure forum or not, one thing he would want was this!
Thanks to those who sent me PMs, they were appreciated.
Simon
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I bet Gerry is looking down at this thread and thinking nowt's changed, all this fuss over nothing.
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Fair enough.
I was not a close friend of Gerry's, but I enjoyed his posts and had a lot of restpect for him indeed. All I was doing was suggesting what I thought would be a nice gesture.
Reading between the lines I can't help but think you would rather have written "get lost you sycophant, you didn't know Gerry so how dare you." If I read that wrong than I apologise, it sometimes happens with the written word.
All I can say is that upsetting people was the complete oposite of what I was trying to do. My dads old friend Tom was very keen on lawn bowls, and they named a green after him, which delighted his friends and family. I was just thinking of a similar thing.
Simon
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I was thinking about Gerry and a good way for us to remember him.
Perhaps we could start a lure fishing forum on here and name it after him? The Argyll Forum - Lure Fishing or something like that. At the top it could feature links to the many useful articles he wrote about lure fishing.
Just a thought.
What do you guys think?
Simon
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Probably one of the hardest areas on the Broads for pike at the present time.oh dear oh dear, my illusion is shattered....I was expecting rolling countryside, sleepy villages and bubbling brooks with fish a plenty
If it's any quieter than Wroxham I'll be happy
Anyway, whats the fishing like!
Good Luck! - you'll need it!!
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Your post shows a definite lack of understanding of the aquatic environment John.Hi Den.I'm not apathetic I assure you, I am just trying to put this in perspective.
I don't know the stretch of water, just what I've read, and, I don't claim to be an expert on otters, but I think I'm right in saying that if a water won't support a family, or food is short, then the young are chased off, and forced to move on to pastures new, or the young starve because the parents can't feed them. So they could never wipe out and entire stretch of water, because there must be enough fish to support them. This not the case with the pollution incident I mentioned, everything is wiped out in a case like that, even the plant life and the food that lives in it.
One thing that does puzzle me though, maybe you can enlighten me if you know the water. It appears from the reports that I've read that it's only the barbel that are being targeted. This seems strange to me. I would have thought that in a balanced fishery, that there would be easier food, that needed less energy to catch. Unless that is, the barbel in question were sick or old, and made easy pickings for the otters, if indeed it was otters that killed them.
John
Do you honestly think big fish are on the move all the time and have loads of energy to shoot off as soon as a predator larger than themselves comes into view?
Big fish are usually the most inactive of all fish present in a water - making them an easy target for an otter, mink, seal, etc.
To conserve energy, large fish will lay motionless on the bottom for hours on end - and often go into a deep state of torpor.
When large fish are in a deep state of torpor, they are fairly easy to catch - even with a landing net (!)
An otter would have no problem at all catching/grabbing a large lethargic/torpid fish.
Why chase loads of small fish to make one decent meal, using up loads of energy in the prosess, when you can grab one large fish and conserve energy.
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I agree with every word of what you have said Den.Fair enough John, but that has nothing to do with the topic. Once again I preceive apathy,"all this fuss over 3 or 4 fish"........John, if it were only 3 or 4 fish then no problem, but otters eat every day, they have young which need feeding, and these young will grow up and multiply...2 becomes 6 this year, assuming equal sexes, then the following year there will be 18, Imagine the carnage they will inflict on the river.
Surely it does not take much imagination to see that they could wipe out a fishery in the space of a couple of years.
Den
I have seen the dog otter three or four times in one day carrying/eating fish.
That one otter alone probably kills in the region of a dozen fish per day - if not more.
Otters use a lot of energy petrolling their range - that energy has to be replenished!!
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Otters have been around for very many years, as have pike anglers using live, or dead, baits and lures.
I have also been around for some long time and I can't recall hearing a single incident of a pike angler hooking an otter, so it can't have been a very common occurrence.
Methinks, this is another case of vested interests shouting before they are bitten.
The last time I did a thread on otters, I had people PMing me with regard to otters they had hooked, but did not want to go public about it - and who could blame them!!
If you don't think it's happening, that's your choice.
I live in the real world and see otters on a regular basis - believe me, if they continue to rise in numbers, they will become a real menace.
I'm glad to say that they have ceased the re-introduction program here in Norfolk.
Wake up to the truth - otters are regularly hooked by anglers.
By the way, that's a dog otter in the photos above - the pike it's eating is about 15+lb - most of which would have been dicarded after a couple of bites!!
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The difference between otter, heron, kingfisher, grebe, osprey, stoat, weasel, mink, etc, is the otter is the more likely of all the creatures mentioned to take a bait intended for pike.
There is nothing selfish about my argument - I simply don't want to be put in a position where I will inevitably have to deal with a hooked otter - and possibly end up killing one due to deep hooking.
Should the above happen, I would be absolutely gutted!!
Q: What are the chances of the above happening?
A: Quite high where otters have been re-introduced to areas of water where pike anglers have fished for some years - otter free!!
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Vagabond, I watched a TV programme a short while ago, it was mainly about a particular stretch of river where the film maker had filmed Otters several years ago.
He had returned to see if they were still present, and after a long search he found what turned out to be a pair, and they subsequently had 3 or 4 young. The dog was filmed eating a variety of creatures, in fact almost anything that moved, and was also filmed attacking a moorhen.
A couple of days later, the moorhen was found partially eaten. Ok so no actual witness to the actual death of the moorhen, but on the previous evidence of being attacked by the otter, I think it fair to assume it was the otter responsible.
I have NEVER seen a partially eaten moorhen in all my nearly 60 years fishing, but then I have only ever seen one wild otter, and that was about 55 years ago.
I would prefer to have rats and voles on our rivers and lakes, in the present situation of anglers wanting big fish/well stocked fisheries, then the otter has no place I'm afraid, they are like wasps, serving no purpose except to kill and eat, actually not fair to the wasp really, at least they recycle wood!
I also find that the often portrayed image of otters is not one of a charming cuddly creature, but of a vicious killer, the "classic" image of an otter grinning at the camera, often with a fish in it's jaws is not a pretty sight if you are a lover of fish, but as long as it takes place in a truly wild situation, then I accept the otters right to be part of that situation.
When they are released into a situation that has evolved since they were extinct, then that is not acceptable, any more than releasing wolves onto the South Downs would be.
Den
My point exactly.
Otters and pike anglers are a recipe for disaster.
There are miles of water-way/river out in the countryside that pike anglers rarely, or ever, tread the banks.
Reintroduce otters in those areas - 'not areas' which are regularly fished by pike anglers.
Why should pike anglers be made to suffer, or feel guilty, when they hook a creature that they genuinely do adore.
Without doubt, there is a place for otters in our water ways - preferably well away from pike anglers and their very tempting fish baits - with treble hooks sprouting from them!!
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As much as I like otters, they're a pain in the butt in my opinion.
Before otters were re-introduced to the rivers I fish, I never had to worry, or feel guilty about hooking such an adorable creature - now I live in fear of hooking one and am not sure what I would do if I did!
They've been hooked by local pike anglers, will be again, and will inevitably end up suffering - what with treble hooks stuck in their mouths and yards of line trailing behind them.
If otters were meant to be in our local waters, they would not have had to be re-introduced when fish stocks were at a high.
Let nature run its course I say!
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I'm sure this is how Gerry would like to be remembered by us - i.e. holding the very thing that gave him so much pleasure and enjoyment!!
He'll be greatly missed.
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Has anyone heard how Gerry is getting on? and has anyone got a contact for him so I can send my regards?Last I heard he was in hospital/just come out after having an operation on a perforated bowel?
Been strange not seeing his posts.He had internet acsess for a while but havnt heard from him in some time.
I tried phoning him in hospital - but got the answer phone of what sounded like an Indian.
If anybody manages to contact him , please wish him well from me.
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Two good locations for lure fishing, are where the backwater meets the river.I am meeting a friend for s day's pleasure fishing in Sudbury next week.Has anyone any venue suggestions, please?Where the row club dyke meets the river is probably the best spot of all - especially on top-water lures.
The stretch up from the row club dyke to the bridge is also a very good - for pike and chub.
I used to live in Sudbury Jim
I still visit Sudbury - as my mother and sister live there.
P.S. The Cornard stretch is also worth a look - by the weir.
If you drive round to Ballingdon and turn left just before the hill, and travel down river on the opposite bank to Sudbury, you will come to some farm land where you can park up.
A short walk and you will be on the lower side of the Cornard weir - a very good spot for pike and zander - it may be a club stretch now though!
P.P.S. I served my pike fishing apprenicship on the Suffolk Stour - mainly around Sudbury and Cornard - and down river to Bures.
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Never heard of, or ever seen, bream of that size in the Yare.I was more interested in the 16lb Bream from the Yare?Boated 30 bream today - biggest was 6lb - plus quite a few 5lbers.
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Absolutely brilliant photos Jaybee - I adore Kingfishers, but never seem to have the time to get out their and get some shots like yours.Charlie I got some far better shots the day after when the sun actually came out. ( all the shots not on a plain blank background - would have worked better if there had been any clouds in the sky to reflect in the pond
)Take a look at
http://northeastwildlife.co.uk/gallery/thu...s.php?album=279
Select whatever you want and email me the reference numbers - I'll then put full sized 300dpi shots up for you to download.
I purchased a Canon 100-400mm L lens last year specifically for Kingfisher shots - but they all come out rubbish due to my boat rocking.
I would dearly love numbers 43/48 45/48 47/48 - would it be possible to e-mail the original photos. I can do whatever needs to be done croping, sharpening, or editing wise.
What I would like to do, is have all three photos in one frame.
I know a really good picture framer in Norwich.
Your shots would take pride of place Jaybee.
I collect all types of Kingfisher Jaybee.
Sorry about photo quality, they were taken on the quick!
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Any chance of the full size photo of the following Kingfisher Jaybee?
I would love to have it framed!
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Can't agree with the comments about another ignorant Labour politician, seems more like a political slight aimed at the individual than anything else as Ian Gibson is a qualified doctor who went on to specialise in scientific medical research.
If the A11 and A47 was to be blocked at both ends would peoples health improve?
No - due to all the junction off the A11 and A47 (!)
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Good info re. 5D MKll Cameraman - I'll wait to see the changes/modifications before making up my mind about buying one - if I'm not impressed with the changes/modifications, I'll wait for the 3D.Well, what a waste of a morning! Arrived just before 1000 to find quite a few there already, chatted to fellow enthusiats for around 1 hour waiting for the Canon rep. When he eventually bothered to show, he said he wasn't there to demonstrate cameras, shop staff could do that. He was there to 'show' things to people, then tried to sell us small pocket sized digitals, and printers. Although willing to show off the pictures he had taken himself he wasn't willing to demonstrate this with the 5D or even 30D. He dissmissed the 20D as being "out of date now". Amazingly we were offered up to £25 off if we bought today, not bad when several people(3 actually) had said they were seriously thinking of purchasing on the day a 5D current retail £1900. He also mentioned that the 5D could be replaced as early as Xmas with a Mk 2, so no encouragement to buy now then. I didn't mention that I use the 300D, that would probably have been classed as an antique.Lovely sunny day, and I could have been out side, fishing, taking pictures or even washing the car, and I never even got to see the 5D close up, they (it) was locked behind glass. No 30D on display, to even drool over.
If you havn't guessed, I still have my money and will part with it another time
Oh well I've had my moan now, thats life, better luck next time. At least he wasn't pushy. LOL
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Good advice by Ian.hi stevei use a nikon d50 with a sigma 70-300mm apo and they are pretty damm good for the money.
i for one cannot afford the nikon range.
i do sports photography (mainly bikes ) and over the moon with the results.
lets face facts not all of us can afford the prices for the hot lenses ,so go here and have a look.www.eyepics.net
hope this helps go do it!.
failing that take your camera to the shop and pop the lense on and play
regards
ian
Take a good few shots - long and short distance.
Within a couple of hours you will be able to see for yourself just how good the lens is - i.e. via your PC screen!
Note: Make sure you view at 100%
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What lens did you use for the following shot:-The sigma is pretty average but then again most cheap lenses are. The Canon 70-300 will be crap that is for sure, cheap Canon lenses are terrible and the 18-55mm kit lens wants a drop kick. The Sigma should be better but don’t expect miracles, go for the APO version as it is supposed to be better.Some chat about it here mate http://www.photo.net/ezshop/product?product_id=1307
If you could save for a Canon 70-300mm IS (aroun £360) then you are going to be very happy, it is opticaly up with some of the Canon L series lenses, just the build is a bit crapper.
http://alnath.fotopic.net/p28417365.html
Not any better than the shots I have taken with the Canon 18-55mm EFS - in my opinion.
I would be very interested to know what lenes you used for the Chester Zoo shots.
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The only Sigma lens that I own is the 12-24mm wide angle - which many rate as being better than the Canon 10-20mm EFS.
Personally, I would not waste my money on buying an EFS lens - as the high end Canon cameras don't take them - of which I will be aiming to buy one in due course.
A 5D perhaps?
I've heard a 3D is on the way?
Personally, I think that my Canon 18-55mm EFS lens (which came in a package deal) takes good photos - i.e. portrait shots - and half decent macro shots. It would appear that some of the Canon 18-55 EFS lens were better than others.
My Cameras/Lenses:-
Canon 20D/300D
Canon 75-300mm Ultrasonic IS
Canon 100-400mm Ultrasonic IS L
Canon 28-135 Ultrasonic IS
Canon 18-55mm EFS
Sigma 12-24mm
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I think it was Trimmingham - so it's a radar station is is.is that Trimingham Radar what fries cars Charlie,Weird looking thing!!
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Up on the Norfolk coast today - anybody know what this is...
Quality technique
in Coarse Fishing
Posted
I think you have just about flogged this one to death Peter.