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A few hours out last October


Vagabond

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Reading Tigger’s thread re “a few Hours”, I was reminded of the last occasion I spent a few hours fishing – back in October 2016. This current lay-off is the longest break from fishing since I caught my first bullheads at the age of seven back in 1941 (Note that by “fishing” I mean going fishing on your own or with mates of a similar age – being allowed to wind in one of Daddy’s roach at the age of three doesn’t cut it) Why the lay-off ? Read on.

AN members at the last Wingham auction may remember Norma winning the “two days charter of Budgie’s boat” item, and in October we duly turned up at Horning to claim our prize. I had decided to concentrate on trotting maggots for roach, so came equipped with a Preston Trotter and Okuma Sheffield, leaving my split-bamboos and Aerials at home. I had no knowledge of the Bure below Wroxham either, as my previous experience of that river was confined to reaches above Aylsham, around 70 years ago. So first principles and pot luck would have to take the place of local knowledge.

Thus, we set off, with half a gallon of Budgie’s finest and a few red worms. motored about half a mile downstream, and anchored up at a good-looking swim. A dozen maggots a minute were trickled in whilst I was tackling up, and when ready, I was rewarded by a roach the very first trot down. Then began the usual pattern of roach trotting, a small roach a chuck ,with gradual increase of size as better roach were attracted in . The two ouncers became four ouncers, the four ouncers became half-pounders, all going to plan. The half-pounders became.......No they didn’t, the bloody tide had turned, my float was no longer trotting, and the fish had gone right off. There’s no substitute for local knowledge, we should have started in this swim two hours earlier.

Ah well, if the fish were not feeding, I knew two folk as would. Budgie had given us details of the best riverside pub in Horning (local knowledge again !) so we went there and got outside a large helping of Beef and Guinness pie, with chips, two veg, mustard an’ all

Back down river, it was more difficult to pick a good swim on the flood – the water was more turbid, and slower. Small roach were everywhere with the occasional perch and rudd thrown in for good measure. Eventually I settled for attracting a seething mass of small roach and fishing small red worms on the edge of the shoal. That way I did pick up a perch or two around the pound mark, but no monsters.

 

Did I say anything about the wind ? No, and I didn’t notice it until mid-afternoon. It was cold, and eventually I noticed breathing was painful ‘cos my bronchi were getting inflamed. So wisely we packed up.

 

Not a red letter day, but stacks of small and medium sized fish – very much an average day.

 

That evening, I learnt something about fishing into ones eighties. Four separate causes of chest discomfort. The inflamed broncihi afformentioned, heartburn from the beef and Guinness pie, and a repetitive strain injury to the intercostal muscles – due to several hours continuous trotting., winding in, and recasting. All three quite trivial and self-healing in a couple of days (or in twenty minutes via the ingestion of four Rennies in the case of the heartburn). The fourth, alas, was not trivial – my angina was much worse, and we had to abort the second day.

To cut a long story short, lots of investigations these last few months, culminating in an attempt to insert stents by the senior local cardiologist, which he wisely aborted as the local facilities were inadequate for the condition he discovered during the attempted stent implant. He referred me to King’s College, and their senior cardiologist will attempt what is in effect a rebore of some of my coronary arteries in three weeks time.

 

So my new season will start in effect as soon as I have recovered from that .

 

If I shouldn’t make it, then my affairs are in order, Norma and I have caught over 500 species between us, and produced a not inconsiderable self-supporting family. I thus would leave many heirs but no dependents.
Thank you all for an interesting forum, and for those I have met for being good fishing mates,

 

However, I am assuming that I shall recover, and have bought all the relevant tickets and applied for my new licence. So see you all some time in April. Good hunting !

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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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I am sure any bad luck you may have had was left with me in my living room ,some people claim they can absorb diseases from others i seem to absorb bad luck so your safe for a few years yet ,600 species seems a nice number

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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I was wondering where you'd got to Dave, I just thought that you'd gone on one of your over seas jaunts.

As for you going somewhere because of your operation, no way! You've still got to add a couple of ounces to that roach weight, as I've got to add three to mine.

My late mother-in-law had the op', and we had to put up with each other for another dozen years because of it. (She said she only did it to spite me :D).

Seriously, take care, and all the best for the op'.

 

John.

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

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Like Gozzer I too have been wondering where you've been Dave, I was actually gonn'a give Brian a ring to ask after you. Dave, I sincerely hope you get well and that your illness is sorted out asap. Blimey, i'm looking forward to seeing you again in the future so you'd better take good care of yourself!!

 

Great write up by the way Dave, oh and when the tide came in you should have stayed put and layed on ....remember that for next time :).

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Give over fretting man and just remember to slip a few pair of forceps in ya bag. Yav still plenty fish to catch.

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A tiger does not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep

 

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Give over fretting man and just remember to slip a few pair of forceps in ya bag. Yav still plenty fish to catch.

LOL, I already have done that, and keep finding other forceps faster than I lose my own,

 

The best was a "camouflaged" pair that I just happened to find by touch - they obviously had been invisible to the previous owner !

 

Scraped the paint off and polished them, and they are now very visible in Shiny Stainless Steel.

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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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If I shouldn’t make it, then my affairs are in order, Norma and I have caught over 500 species between us, and produced a not inconsiderable self-supporting family. I thus would leave many heirs but no dependents.

Thank you all for an interesting forum, and for those I have met for being good fishing mates,

 

It wouldn't surprise me if you were already planning where to fish on your 100th birthday.

 

Your body is just reminding you that are still mortal and just need to take a little more care of it as it gets older.

 

Best fishes.

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Hi Vagabond - I sport a stent, having suffered a near fatal Myocardial Infarction (Heart attack) about 4 years ago.

 

Lifetime Med's for me now!! (Ramipril, Aspirin, Bisoprolil fumerate, Atorvostatin, being the standard kit)

Edited by Martin56

Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

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I'm sorry to have to tell you this Dave but you simply must stay healthy enough to fish. You are about 10 years older than I am and reading about your continued outings always reminds me that I'm enough younger that I don't have any excuse to quit.

 

Speaking of which and if you'd like a change of pace, Bobbi & I will be doing our annual week of fishing the inshore waters of Florida's mosquito lagoon this November and the boat easily holds 4 anglers so there would be room for the pair of you. Mild weather, good fishing, and civilized surroundings with a great skipper.

 

This fellow is our guide/skipper.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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Hi Vagabond - I sport a stent,

Hi Martin. Glad to hear that, particularly if it keeps you fishing. However, cardiovascular diseases are a bit like roach swims, - superficially similar from a distance, bur differences in detail on closer examination. For example, I too am on a "lifetime medication cocktail" yet the only drug we share is the beta-blocker.

 

If a stent would solve my problem I would have had one inserted months ago. - but no, they need to bore out the plaques first. The speed with which I have been passed from registrar to senior consultant, then from him to a teaching hospital and their senior consultant seems a measure of the complexity of my problem. Or to put it another way, the upside is having the best man available, the downside is why it is thought necessary .....

Anyway, in just over a fortnight I will hopefully be recovering and planning my next fishing trip, so lets continue this discussion then.

  • Like 1

 

 

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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