Hello and welcome to me

[Del_R]

Here's me saying a quick hello to all of you. I've been lurking a while and benefiting from lots of good advice (some of it pretty old thanks to the Search facility) and finally figured I ought to pop up out of the weeds and expose myself, sotospeak.

 

I've just returned to this angling lark after twenty-five years or so. Back then I always borrowed my old man's cane rods and Mitchell reels, and so far this autumn that same old kit (which must be forty years old by now) has served me well. I have, however, just invested in a s/h carp rod (despite the old man - who's also getting interested again - saying "You don't need a carp rod, you can borrow the Mark IV if you're careful), a cheap Leeda waggler, and another reel. I can't believe how light the carbon rods are and how smooth the reel is. Times have changed.

 

Seems like many other things have changed, too. There wasn't a single kid on the old stretch of the Severn that I used to fish most weekends all those years ago when I walked by last Saturday morning. Maybe it's no longer free (see Del's first question in the next post). The huge amount of Commercial lakes and ponds is new too - as is the amount of big carp being caught. Back in the old days it was a rare and wondrous occasion. Then there's the amount of bait used these days - I've read of ten pints of maggots being used in a day on some swims, and kilos and kilos of ground bait being put in. Maybe this is where I went wrong all those years ago when a half-pint of maggots and a couple of worms lasted us all day long.

 

Anyway, I'm wafffling. So apologies for that. What happened was my girlfriend's son (hereafter known as "the lad") was keen to go fishing and I got the gig and darn if I didn't hook myself, figuratively, of course. I'm keen to have a go at some carp next year or even this winter if it global warming means it's really just a long autumn followed by a spring, and I'm keen to have a crack at some pike and perch (which have long been my favourite ever since my first ever fish as a sleepy eight year old was a two pounder from a lake which may or may not still exist but it was out at Newnham On Severn and belonged to the Rodbenders).

 

That’s it really. I have tons of questions. Books and web-searches and my local dealer answer a lot of them, some of the others I’ll post here. I’m lucky enough to have a lot of decent waters close by and I’ve already pencilled in about six venues that I want to have a crack at sooner rather than later.

 

That’s it! Apologies for being somewhat loquacious, I’ll try and keep the word count down in future.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Del

[Alan Taylor]

Del_R:

Here's me saying a quick hello to all of you.

Welcome to AN Del, dont worry about rabbiting on, we usually have to ring information out of new faces

Watch out for Chesters1, when he reads about those old reels of yours he will turn green (when he gets better )

Tight lines

 

Alan(nl)

[Apache]

Welcome to AN Del.

[Newt]

Welcome to you.

 

Always feel free to use as many words as you need to say what you want.