Bill Eborn

Thats what I love about this place, the way that the threads can shoot off on such interesting tangents, when you are occupied elsewhere. In my case rescuing my bike from where I had to leave it with a puncture when fishing on Sunday and then last night getting waylaid by my Son's copy of Artemis Fowl, one of those kids books that adults end up on the sofa with for hours after reading a bedtime chapter. Peter, I envy you your boat fishing for Carp. I'm sure there must be some very pleasant opportunities for close season spotting too. If I can just turn back your attention to the beginning though. Alan, bearing in mind that if I get a pin, I will be looking to use it for lighter line fishing as well as the Carp is there a size I should go for? The Leeds Classic (which you reviewed I remember) comes in 4" 4.75" and 5.5" which would you recommend?

Sounds really good to me too. What I'd also like to see is the BBC natural history unit do a programme following an ordinary British river, from the source to the sea looking at the different fish species and the other life in the river and the relationship between them all. [ 26. January 2003, 10:23 PM: Message edited by: Bill Eborn ]

OK, I know its only the end of January, but I am thinking about the tackle I am going to need for the Carp I am thinking of concentrating on next season. The river I have in mind is generally about twenty yards or so wide and moderately paced and for much of it I have access to both banks. Carp have been caught from the river this season to mid twenties. The stretch I am thinking of is less of a known quantity as it is less heavily fished than others, but I think this is because it is further away from any car parks than a reflection on the quality of the fishing available, I have certainly seen some very good carp there this season. The fact fewer people fish it is part of its attraction for me as it will mean I can prebait with the confidence that someone is less likely to jump in my swim and benefit from my efforts. Anyway on to tackle, bearing in mind that I am going to be fishing at close range I am thinking of a soft road and I was wondering whether I should get either a soft actioned Carp rod of either two or two and a quarter pound test curve or whether a stepped up Barbel rod might be a better idea. I was also thinking about the possibility of using a centrepin as distance isn't a problem and I thought it might be useful in terms of playing the fish (i'd rather be stirred into action by a ratchet click rather than a bleep as well). The Lewtham classic centrepins are in my price range, but I will be using 12lb line most probably, would they hold enough and would they be up to the job or is there another one anyone can think of that would do?

Brighton's got a fishing nun. I haven't mnet but have heard she's rather good, out on the end of the Marina in all weathers apparently.

Don't most illegally held guns start life as legally held ones and isnt that a good reason for restricting supply?

I had a 2.5lb Chub today come flying out of the water immediateley after hooking it. I have never come across a flying Chub before, have you?

Just nicked this from the Howard League for Penal Reform http://web.ukonline.co.uk/howard.league/ Overcrowding means that approximately 12,000 prisoners are being held two to a cell designed for one. Many of these cells have open toilets which fail to provide even the most basic of human dignity. In a desperate attempt to find empty beds, prisoners are being transported all over the country. In 2001, 37,000 prisoners were held over 50 miles away from home, for 5,000 of these the distance was more than 150 miles. This cost the taxpayer millions of pounds in transportation costs and in delays to the criminal justice system as a result of late arrivals for court appearances. It also jeopardizes family relationships and chances of successful re-integration back into the community on release; two of the most important factors in reducing re-offending. The huge prison population is undermining any good work the prison service is trying to do in terms of making the prison experience constructive for the majority of prisoners. In 2001-02 the prison service failed to meet its own target of providing prisoners with at least 24 hours of purposeful activity a week. Only 3 out of 40 of the male local prisons (those holding predominantly remand and short sentence prisoners) which suffer the worst overcrowding, managed to meet this target. Prisons costs £2.2bn a year. With re-offending rates after release still at about 60% (and over 75% for young offenders) prison is an expensive failure, which has no impact on crime levels or the fear of crime. Bill (Descendent of 17th century asylum seeker, by the way) [ 18. January 2003, 11:18 PM: Message edited by: Bill Eborn ]

This saturday I will mostly be wearing ESP Camo Drenchwear, matching Peter Storm thermal underwear, a Thinsulate hat I got for Xmas and a pair of German army surplus boots well and truly treated with some stuff I got in a tin from Millets. I hope the Chub appreciate the investment, although I have got a funny feeling they would rather not come into contact with me at all. They do seem to kick up a dreadful fuss trying to avoid meeting me, despite my peculiar habit of calling them sweetheart and sometimes if the are very special, taking their picture and giving them a kiss.

Just a thought and I dont know if it helps, but if -design student that you are- you have the use of Quark Xpress you could I would have thought produce a good composite picture out of some of the smaller images that you can purloin off some fishing websites. Quark being so much better than anything produced by that nasty hydra-headed monstrosity based in Seattle.

I liked the angling clothing catalogue I got which had a very tastefully modelled camouflage suit on the front accompanied by the words "the suit to be seen in this winter". So irony isn't dead after all.

Thanks Tim I know this one already but dont find it as useful from an angling point of view as streetmap which gives you an ordnance survey map via the web. I'll be travelling over as a foot passenger and getting around on a pushbike most probably and whilst my guess is that Brionne itself may provide the best options for cheap food and accommodation I may have to scoot along for a few miles to find the best fishing. According to one of the guidebooks I have seen, the area immediately around Brionne is fairly industrial and I wanted to know how far I would have to go to find a bit more tranquility. I have found some pictures of the river upstream at Beaumont le Roger though and it looks gorgeous in the extreme. [ 29. December 2002, 11:45 PM: Message edited by: Bill Eborn ]

Cheers Woppa I've been doing a bit of this myself recently. Go to http://www.unpf.fr/ and cliquez ici pour continuer, find Var(83) which is the Department containing Grimaud and you will find the contact details for the Department's angling authorities if you e-mail them in French using the facility available on the site (altavista/babelfish helps although keep it simple or it comes out sideways) they will send you contact details for the local fishing associations. You can then contact them for information. In case you don't know the french classify their waters as 1st and 2nd category. 1st category waters equate to what we think of as game rivers and have a similar season although generally there are no restrictions on what you can fish for and how, although I don't think you are allowed to use maggots. 2nd category waters are open all year round, with no restrictions.

Does anyone know if there is a French equivalent of www.streetmap.co.uk available. I am contemplating a bit of crafty extended back end river fishing in Normandy, most probably on the Risle in the vicinity of Brionne and this would greatly assist my planning. Cheers Bill

No David Brent got made redudant

Isn't the primary role of market research to provide findings which roughly coincide with those that the people commissioning the research want to hear and in the case of a periodical one feels reinforces the position of the editorial team vis a vis their advertisers. The result being, play it safe and aim to satisfy the lowest common denominator. After all isn't that why its so much of our media and not just the angling variety is such utter crap. Time was apparently when the Daily Mirror was a campaigning newspaper and the Angling Times was a good read. Back in the days before market research no doubt. As for the value judgement about the attention span of most anglers. If you cant concentrate, how can you catch fish? As for me I would like an angling press that takes risk is prepared to invest in serious investigative journalism about environmental issues and be prepared to ask awkward questions, not least about angling and anglers ourselves. Was that not a winged sow I saw overhead [ 26. December 2002, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: Bill Eborn ]

Coarse Angling Today for Roger Standen writing about Chubbing in Sussex and Steff Horak writing about anything. Coarse Fisherman for John Bailey and Tony Miles. Waterlog (bi-monthly but I hope it counts) for John Bailey again and lots of very beautiful writing. For having its tongue in its cheek and "Improve your Traditional Angling" having my non-angling colleagues at work in stitches.

How about some kids size Gore-Tex walking boots? I'm thinking of getting a pair myself (in a grown up size) for winter fishing. I am informed by the bloke in Millets that leather uppers are best to protect the Gore-Tex from getting punctured.

If anybody bought a Shakespeare Match International closed face reel from a jumble sale in Ottery St Mary circa 1985, can I have it back please. My mum got rid of all my gear after I'd given up to stop it cluttering up the attic. I am willing to swap it for a jar of home made Damson jam and a victoria sponge cake, although please note that these were also bought from a jumble sale in Ottery St Mary at roughly the same time. John, was this the Shakespeare model you found absolutely useless? I quite liked it I remember, but then I had no taste in those days. [ 21. December 2002, 08:19 PM: Message edited by: Bill Eborn ]

Sorry Fred it was a joke, I was thinking about how the Chub on my local river Adur might react if they caught a glimpse of white beard. Mind you the Adur's a tiny river in comparison to the Thames - good Chub though (for Sussex anyway), I had 4-7 last wednesday freelining breedflake into a small area of slack water under a bridge - conditions low, cold and about as clear as a Sussex river with their generally chalky clay river bed gets. I'm always hoping for a drop in pressure, slight rise in temperatures and a gentle south westerley after a long cold spell. The trouble is I find that whenever that happens I seem to be stuck in a boring old office rather than on the river bank. Cheers Bill [ 17. December 2002, 11:50 PM: Message edited by: Bill Eborn ]

Big lump of Mince pie crust on a size four hook anchored with a swan shot - cracking chub bait I reckon.

Whats this a new winter fishing suit without the obligatory designer label. Actually you dont look entirely disimilar to a white bearded Jan Porter in his red shimano outfit. May I also suggest with the greatest respect that it is probably as well that the river was "coming up and dirty" or you would probably have done even worse. Bill

Dear Nursejudy Do you have a sister?

No I think that's another weed that makes people 'think' they can breathe underwater. Actually I think wizarding anglers are generally more of the split cane and centrepin variety with the spell 'Caneo Reparum' coming in very useful from time to time as a means of keeping creaking vintage tackle in good nick. I did hear however that Ultrabite was originally developed by a member of the dark lord Voldemort's gang, can anyone confirm this?

Harry Potter fans will no doubt be aware that a Howler is a red envelope - delivered by owl of course - the opening of which results in a high pitched screaming rebuke directed at a wizarding miscreant. Ron Weasley received one in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for borrowing his Dad's illegally enchanted Ford Anglia. Much more useful from an angling point of view from the last book one feels, is a substance called Gilly Weed, consumption of which enables a human being to breathe underwater. There is however apparently no truth whatsoever in the rumour that a group of carp anglers fishing some syndicate waters somewhere in the West Midlands have been using it to great effect for baiting up purposes.

This is the link for Nick Hancock's programme on Radio 5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/fishonfive/ Doesn't appear to be archived on the site though which is a shame. Bill