goosequill

Richard - what's the original silk colour?? Old whipping silks are a bit difficult to get hold off - if you have the time it may be worth nipping over to states tackle as I have picked up some great old whipping threads for my float making. He may have some 'old specials' out the back. Most of the modern stuff is made from nylon thread - to be honest it's fine when it's been coated with lots of thin layers of varnish. Failing that try some of the 'vintage tackle sites' - they may have a stock of silks to match if you wan't to get an exact match??

It is grim at the moment, but the forecast looks dry for Saturday (a bit nippy though), so it will either be a spot of Perching or Chubbing.

Congratulations on a fine new pb Jigotai from the mercurial little stream!!

"SPECTRE" floats?? These sound deceptively evil to me if Blofeld has anything to do with them..........

I confirm I will be going Tony (have sent you a PM this morning and will put cheque in post today).

Rabbit - see the message I have sent you. Regards.

I normally settle for tea, which is freshly made for me by my butler on the bankside. No, I use flasks and go along the same lines as Mr.Burke recommends - make it weaker and it brews acceptably for drinking later. I like the idea of soups, etc but like to keep things to a minimum amount of gear during the colder months.

How big were these fish?? It sounds like a 'Ruffe' (or Pope or a whole host of other local names) - a rare fish nowadays. I used to catch a few on the canal as a boy but they have declined somewhat. If it is a Ruffe then you are a lucky boy! As long ago as the 1950's they were considered 'scarce', 'being found other than in certain lakes and sluggish rivers in the south and east of England and in the Midlands'.

A month or so ago I popped along to one of the 'Vintage Tackle Fairs' in Romsey, Hampshire. They have two shows a year, and I have over the years, picked up some good trinkets here and there. Last time, I stumbled over a video tucked away on a bookcase called 'Anglers Corner' - it aroused a certain degree of curiousity with me and I parted with a fiver to explore further. On returning home I put it in the video recorder expecting it be all 'grainy' and exhibiting dropouts on the audio but was greatly suprised with how it had survived! The video was issued in the mid 1980's and presents four 15 minute programmes produced by Bernard Veneables (who presents it) and film maker Maxwell Munden. The programmes were made for BBC2 in 1968 and the four on the tape are called Bream, Tench, Roach and Chub. It is a simply wonderfull thing, to see the styles, tackle and baits of the 1960s (in colour too) I was for an hour, in a timewarp. To see Bernard Venables trotting for Roach on the Kennet whilst smoking his pipe was a joy. My question - has anyone else seen these shows, or can some of our more 'mature' members remember the original series?? I would be most interested to hear your thoughts and recollections as there seems to be little information about the series or the maker, Max Munden. Best Regards.

Bl***y hell! That is a heck of a capture!!

That was worth getting wet for though, wasn't it??!! Superb looking fish - was it a complete leather carp?

Methinks a 'sub-thread' has developed in this topic, but it seems to be promoting some good debate!! To return to your original question Anderoo, are you the last of the generation of all rounders? Well, quite possibly so. So much more water is now there to be fished than there was in the 1940's and the world of angling has moved on....... As long as we still have access to the like of Mr. Bates' prose, the spirit, at least remains. If I may finish, you may like this extract from (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful books ever written on angling. It was published in 1949: From ' Be Quiet and Go a - Angling', by Michel Traherne (the only time 'BB' used a pseudonym): "Fishing is, on the whole, a summer sport, just as shooting is a winter one. True, I have met anglers who pursue their craft all through the year, a hardy race who will even go forth when ice is on the water and snow upon the banks. But to me, a summer fisherman, the idea of setting out with a rod on frosty morning seems slightly indecent. All the same, I must confess I am lost in admiration when I see a man, well muffled and overcoated, live-baiting for pike or roach fishing, on a January morning. He is of a more hardy stock than he who spins for pike or fly fishes for grayling. The latter can keep on the move, he can have change of scene, he is not anchored to one place, hunched on a seat-basket, a trembling drop striving to freeze on the tip of his nose. Your winter float-fisher is a man in whom the hunting instinct is very strong, he is akin to the Eskimo waiting by an ice hole, he should live in an igloo. I always maintain that to get full enjoyment out of fishing you must possess, in a certain measure, the hunting instinct...... I know very many who obtain complete enjoyment out of fishing and who have no interest whatever they catch once it is on the bank. This to me is inexplicable. I would go further and say that to me such angling is pointless: one might just as well chase a golf ball or play Bridge. .... Another point: one does not often find a man who is an "all-rounder". By that I mean, it is rarely one meets a man who takes as keen delight in watching a float as in casting a fly. Men like Arthur Ransome and the late Hugh Sherringham come into the "all-rounder" class. To get the most out of fishing you should belong to this order........................."

I am getting concerned that members know the lyrics to such haunting songs...... Was it invented by him?? (Zyg) from the south western elderado? Surely it would have incorporated a demijon in the rig somewhere??

Alas, I have no bivouac for my long sessions (3 - 4 years) and have to resort to the local foliage to construct a suitable shelter. However, following a recommendation, I am now considering the procurement of such a device and have been very interested in the 'Hustler Thuggus', which is described as "all season, absoloute zero rated, triple - ply, twin-groundsheet, quick 'erect', tartan-camo ballon windows". It also has a pouch to stash your liquor, some very tastefull orange curtains at the front and a free pair of fluffy dice are thrown in to boot! Perhaps my catch rate will increase then?

I have never used one of these 'spod' things (why are they called 'spod'?). I prefer to use a 'spode' for long-range baiting (2 - 3 miles) however it can become costly due to their fragility.

Did it also incorporate crab paste as the bait?

I once saw the above happen - it was a bit disturbing to witness - a female was being royally harrassed by about ten males and often one male attempted to copulate and they both disappeared beneath the waters surface. After about 10 minutes or so of this, I think the female had drowned.

Why is it called 'zig'? Is there a 'zag' rig out there as well?

The series 7 I am trying out (not series 8 as I stated above!) is a standard 6 ft butt section with the choice of two 6 ft top sections - one quiver tip (with choice of 3 push in tips) and a standard avon top section. Therfore , it breaks down into two 6ft sections as an assembled rod if you wish to keep it 'ready' in your quiver. The series 7 I am trying out (not series 8 as I stated above!) is a standard 6 ft butt section with the choice of two 6 ft top sections - one quiver tip (with choice of 3 push in tips) and a standard avon top section. Therfore , it breaks down into two 6ft sections as an assembled rod if you wish to keep it 'ready' in your quiver.

I would like to add my 'twopennethworth' based on my own observations of using the JW Avon Quiver System which I procured a few years ago..... (i) I do not like using it all all for float fishing (ii) At 13 ft (it has a two foot insert you can add to the 11ft set up) it takes on a completely different feel. I do not use the insert much, it's only use is when I have heavy bankside vegetation and the extra couple of foot helps when playing a fish over an 11 ft rod. (iii) As an 11 foot quiver tip rod it has been very good. Very little complaints in this department. This autumn and winter I am trying a Drennan series 8 12ft 1 and a quarter pound test curve avon/quiver rod to see how that goes. So far, it seems fine. My favourite rods which I still use now and again are my 10ft Bruce and Walker MK IV Avons. Thier action is superb and you can use a screw-in tip for quiver tipping. After trying lots of rods I will probably end up going back to these in the end!!

I remember seeing the article a week or so ago and just flicked the page over thinking 'stop being silly'.

what a conincidence! I saw something strange yesterday on the Thames which looked like a section of green nylon washing line tied to a bush and trailing into the water to what looked like a stick. On closer inspection, I saw a tiny sign which I couldn't read fully but it said something about an Oxford University and the words 'experiment - please do not remove'. I saw two of these lines, about 100 yards apart along the bankside, I had never seen these before. Maybe a similar experiment is going on along your river?

I like your analogy with the monkeys!!

I echo what Barry_C said above.....don't be worried by any angling onlookers. As he said, you will probably raise a few eyebrows.....

Just a quick point on your own safety (just in case!). Unless you know the bottom well, may be advisable to use a long bank stick as a 'wading stick' until you get to know the contours and depths etc. I made the mistake of stepping onto what I thought was a rocky bottom once (the water was only about 6 inches deep and clear and covered in small stones) and was up to my waist in silt and I am lucky to be hear to tell the tale. If ever I consider going in the water now (and I am not totally familiar with it) I have a firm prod around with a heavy bank stick to avoid the same happening again! Hope you have a cracking time on the Dove!