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An old angle on Angling Aids


Vagabond

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Rather than hi-jack Gozzers thread here is an off-topic slant on "Angling Aids - ie where and when I first heard the term.

 

During WWII some Canadian soldiers were billeted at one of the stately homes that grace our part of the High Weald. War over, Canadians gone home, said stately homes empty, unguarded estate lakes to fish – heaven on earth for us schoolboys.

 

There were numerous lakes and ponds, some yielding better fish than others. We were assisted in our choice of which lake to fish by a conversation with Shep – a nice enough lad, but only about ninepence in the shilling in general awareness. Shep’s mother had worked as cook for the Canadians (also she put in voluntary overtime, said the more malicious of the village gossips) and had from time to time brought a big perch home for the family supper.

 

Shep, prompted by us, had gleaned from his mother the information as to which lake the perch came from, and the method employed. “Littleshaw, and they used angling aids” he said,

 

Angling aids ? Well yes, but what ? Electrofishing ? Seine nets ? Some sort of Asdic?. A secret ingredient in their groundait ? Never mind, we now knew which lake to fish, and standard perch tactics yielded numbers of fish up to two pounds.

 

It was some years before the explanation dawned. Examining the lake’s sediments during a new-found interest in Limnology, food chains, lake substrates and the like, some small pieces of shrapnel were found. Not from a bomb, but from something smaller.

“Angling aids” was simply Shep-talk for hand grenades.

 

Boom boom !

 

Readers of "Angling Vagabond" will have seen the story before..

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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Do they do them in realtree?

Lots of canadians around here in the war as well building the atlantic wall.

Their "temporary" bridge over the wey (theres fish its a river so just on topic) lasted 65 years and had a bigger weight limit than its replacement.

I find lots of 'angling aid' parts so i guess they practiced on terra firma before trying their luck in stockbridge pond ,i never thought to detect it when it partially dried up some years ago

 

And talking of your book have you fallen out with Leon LOL

https://www.riverreads.co.uk/p-26221-angling-vagabond-signed.aspx

Edited by chesters1

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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And talking of your book have you fallen out with Leon LOL

 

Not heard from him for ages -but it looks like he has fallen out with my views on the status of eels (very common where I fish - whether we are talking about elvers, bootlaces, eel-pie size, smoked eel size or "thicker than your arm" size)

 

I note he is selling for a higher price than he paid me !

 

 

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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