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A trip to the borders and beyond.


Vagabond

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Although Norma has racked up 209 species of fish, few of them come from freshwaters in the UK.

 

Tropical seas game fish from blue marlin to bonefish, UK sea fish from tope to turbot, and sundry freshwater exotics like mahseer, barramundi and tigerfish, but little from home freshwaters save the odd ferox trout and a perch or two.

 

"Time to add to your species list" said I, and enrolled her in one of my local clubs. First outing to a local pond brought the first tench, so now time to be more adventurous.

 

A circular tour in our campervan was planned, the outward leg to include a large river, the apex some hill trout fishing on the upper Wye above Rhayader, and the return leg to come through Oxford to witness number two grand-daughter receiving her degree from Magdalen.

 

First venue on the tour produced Norma's first chub, her first dace, and first barbel.

 

post-812-0-38951400-1379853647_thumb.jpg

 

Note the very nice colouring (our local barbel from the clay-carrying turbid waters of the Weald, are quite anaemic by comparison)

 

...and just to show the old man can still fish a bit, I got one also.

 

post-812-0-02797300-1379853820_thumb.jpg

 

Then on into Wales, and up to my favourite Welsh hill stream, the Upper Wye

 

BTW ....did you know the Welsh name for the Wye is Yr Vag ? (= "the wanderer" - the same root as Vagabond)

 

....anyway, our arrival by the Wye coincided with a deluge, and down the river came a dry summers-worth of twigs and debris, accompanied by the first leaves of autumn, torn prematurely off the trees by a north-westerly gale. Nothing for it but to go for a few exploratory walks - up the old Wye Valley railway line, through the woods and up onto the hill tops, whilst waiting for the spate to go through.

 

Sure enough, the next morning saw the torrent of debris through, the river level dropping an inch or two, and the colour clearing to the hue of Foster's rather than Guinness. At last a chance for the trout to see what the angler was offering ! Had to work quite hard for the few trout I got, but this one was decidedly noshable.

 

post-812-0-02805500-1379854585_thumb.jpg

 

Two large fillets, grilled with field mushrooms, dry-cured bacon, our own home-grown tomatoes, carrots and green peas , washed down with chilled Chenin Blanc - superb. Eaten in our (temporary) riverside home beside the Wye.

 

Another superb meal was eaten in Oxford on the way home, a champagne lunch to celebrate grand-daughter's graduation.

 

A nice little round trip.

 

Spelling corrected, courtesy of Mark Wintle :bangin:

Edited by Vagabond
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RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

Certhia's world species - 215

Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

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Great report. Well done, Norma!

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

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Smashing report but must be a first to get a degree from a Cambridge college in Oxford (It's Magdalen in Oxford, Magdalene in Cambridge!).

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Smashing report but must be a first to get a degree from a Cambridge college in Oxford (It's Magdalen in Oxford, Magdalene in Cambridge!).

LOL Do you know I put Magdalen at first, then added the "e" 'cos it looked "wrong"

 

 

RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

Certhia's world species - 215

Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

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Nice report.

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

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Nice one Dave and tell her well done from me.

Thanks for bumping this up Brian, I missed it before.

 

Nice write up Dave, and congratulations and well done to your better half.

 

I must admit I thought it might be that trip up to Coldstream you'd mentioned, when I saw the "border" bit. Mind you it would be a bit of a sickner if you found the roach, and Norma had got a 2lb+, and you got another at 1lb 14oz. :fishing:

 

John.

Edited by gozzer

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Great stuff Dave but it doesn't seem right that your not posting about fishing in foreign climbs catching exotic species and risking life and limb doing it....indiana Dave :punk:

Pleased that you liked the barbel, but it was me that risked life and limb descending with the help of a rope down a 12 ft bank to net the barbel and then release it. ;) Vagabond just watched and gave advice - he believes wives should catch and land their own fish.

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