Wonderful old angler.

[flightliner]

I was on the river Trent yesterday fishing stik float for roach, about four pm I saw an angler approaching me whereupon he asked if I had caught anything. I replied that things had been pretty hard and had not had many fish but at the same time recognising him from times gone by (the seventies). I wasnt 100% sure as it had been so long so asked him about an event that would clarify if he was indeed the man.
He was , and he was still fishing after all this time. He regularly travells to the river and walks long distances to his chosen pitch. This september he is driving down to the royalty and will be camping on his own on a friendly farmers land.
He told me that this season he had taken several barbel--the best one of fourteen lbs .
He was full of hapiness and enthusiasm for his fishing and to say the least he made my day.
He told me how old he was and I was quite taken aback (well over eighty).
He first fished the Trent before the second world war and tackle then would have been cane rods, wooden centre pin, crow quill floats, gut and a wicker basket. The changes he,s seen in his lifetime as an angler are remarkable, transport, tackle, fish etx.
I could have talked much longer but he had to go.
Very modest and unassuming but I was really happy to see someone so passionate about his fishing. Lovely guy.

 

[redfin123]

I was on the river Trent yesterday fishing stik float for roach, about four pm I saw an angler approaching me whereupon he asked if I had caught anything. I replied that things had been pretty hard and had not had many fish but at the same time recognising him from times gone by (the seventies). I wasnt 100% sure as it had been so long so asked him about an event that would clarify if he was indeed the man.
He was , and he was still fishing after all this time. He regularly travells to the river and walks long distances to his chosen pitch. This september he is driving down to the royalty and will be camping on his own on a friendly farmers land.
He told me that this season he had taken several barbel--the best one of fourteen lbs .
He was full of hapiness and enthusiasm for his fishing and to say the least he made my day.
He told me how old he was and I was quite taken aback (well over eighty).
He first fished the Trent before the second world war and tackle then would have been cane rods, wooden centre pin, crow quill floats, gut and a wicker basket. The changes he,s seen in his lifetime as an angler are remarkable, transport, tackle, fish etx.
I could have talked much longer but he had to go.
Very modest and unassuming but I was really happy to see someone so passionate about his fishing. Lovely guy.

A realy lovely story flight, he,s probably forgotten more about fishing than we will ever know.

 

[chav professor]

Wasn't Ron was it?

 

[dannytaylor]

haha thats what i was thinking. Nice story that, amongst all the rubbish in angling theres still moments and meetings like this that remind us what its all about.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

It might have been Ron but I don't think he's that old

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Was it Dunky Liversage?

 

[Derek Gibson]

A great account Flight, warms the cockles of your heart. That old timer exemplifies everything that is good in angling.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Next time you see him ask him to join FM, sounds like we could all learn from him.
Was he an ATr member

 

[richiekelly]

So often all that is seen is an elderly person, they have a wealth of knowledge to pass on if only someone would listen to them. i used to fish a water for pike but spent more time with an old chap who told me of his time with bomber command during the war, i found him facinating, a lovely post flight thank you.

 

[flightliner]

Derek, (everybody) it was just so nice to meet a guy who was on the river eons before even I (and you )were.It was his generation that put in place all the things that pretty much inspired us as boy anglers, and to see such enthusiasm in one so old was far more inspiring than reading some much younger anglers accounts of their latest exploits.
It was a privalige to talk to the guy.
I just hope that I can enjoy the river as long as he has.
The day was actually a pleasure on two accounts , besides my "old" friend I also had fishing below me another not quite so old angler who like me was fishing the stic-- a rare sight on the Trent these days. I took time from my own meagre efforts at halftime and walked down to see if he was doing any good.
He was having it hard like me ,but it was evident that he knew how to use the stik tho-- his feeding and technique ware absolutely faultless, its the constant alterations to shot ,depth, taking account of flow, pace of deliverance that shouted I was looking at a class act.
later in the afternoon he finally began to take some quality roach that were reward for his skill, knowledge and patience, many would have quit well beforehand.
In all two guys that had stuck to their fishing, both probably never made any claim for anything that they had done in all their time on the riverbank yet both were such a credit to angling.
Derek, both you and I share a love for the old Trent Otter-- J Martin -- but that old timer made me think a bit, old JM was only on the river for about thirteen years, my old aqaintance has been on it for almost eighty and still going strong!!

 

[Derek Gibson]

Yes its a humbling experience, and one that can put our own efforts into perspective... No doubt about it that old gent should be an inspiration to anyone fortunate enough to meet him, that is given they have any soul..........

 

[beerweasel]

Congratulations Flight.
Nice story mate.

 

[sumtime]

It would do one of the angling mags well to take a gentleman like him on board, great tales.

 

[flightliner]

Yes its a humbling experience, and one that can put our own efforts into perspective... No doubt about it that old gent should be an inspiration to anyone fortunate enough to meet him, that is given they have any soul..........

True Derek, true.

---------- Post added at 16:15 ---------- Previous post was at 16:12 ----------

It would do one of the angling mags well to take a gentleman like him on board, great tales.

The very same thought crossed my mind as I saw him walking off to his car.
Hopefully I may see him again tomorrow!

 

[dezza]

No it wasn't me, but I appreciate where you guys are coming from.

I met a similar angler on the Trent one day last year, who really knew what he was doing. He had the same centrepin as myself, a Youngs Wilson Heritage, coupled with a top class Drennan float rod. He fished the stick float for a while and then changed to a straight waggler with a small Shimano reel (no ancient stuff for him).

His catch was enormous; he took a fish with every trot down, first a skimmer of a pound, then a dace of 1/2 a pound and then a roach of 12 oz or so, and finally some nice perch and chub.

A week ago I met Pete at a still water complex I fish a lot. Pete is from Sunny Scunny and a more enthusiastic bream angler you will never meet. He drives the latest compact Fiat and has a set of the latest gear, including rod pod and alarms.

He is well over 80.

What gets me about many of these angling veterans is the way they welcome modern tackle. Traditional angling is not for them. OK they may use centrepin reels and stick floats, but there is nothing outdated with that sort of tackle. They certainly do not mess around with wickerwork creels or Spanish reed rods.

It's only youngsters who seem to do that.

 

[redfin123]

What gets me about many of these angling veterans is the way they welcome modern tackle. Traditional angling is not for them. OK they may use centrepin reels and stick floats, but there is nothing outdated with that sort of tackle. They certainly do not mess around with wickerwork creels or Spanish reed rods.

Your at it again ron, you just spoiled a nice thread by having another dig at traditional tackle. you are just trying to start another mud slinging debate, you are a s**t stirrer of the highest order sir.

 

[dezza]

Your at it again ron, you just spoiled a nice thread by having another dig at traditional tackle. you are just trying to start another mud slinging debate, you are a s**t stirrer of the highest order sir.

I'm not stirring ****, I'm just stating what appears to be true.

I was quite frankly astonished to find out that a website dedicated to "traditional angling", is composed mainly of anglers much younger than myself, in fact some of them look half my age.

How strange, how really awfully strange!

I have nothing against old tackle, in fact I own a few items that are very old indeed. But use them for fishing?

You must be bloody joking!

 

[redfin123]

****, I'm just stating what appears to be true.

I was quite frankly astonished to find out that a website dedicated to "traditional angling", is composed mainly of anglers much younger than myself, in fact some of them look half my age.

How strange, how really awfully strange!

I have nothing against old tackle, in fact I own a few items that are very old indeed. But use them for fishing?

You must be bloody joking!

What a load of c**p, you,re so up your own arse you think that every body has to agree with you, and because they dont you go on one of your tantrams and have a go. You,re an arrogant opinionated old fart.

 

[dezza]

Whoo!! look at him, getting so upset.

I'll bet you are one of those twits with a knotty keepnet, a bum numbing basket and a creaky old Spanish reed rod.

And dressed up looking like a second in a Sherlock Holmes movie!

But most traditionalists certainly don't do it properly, they use nylon and chemically sharpened hooks when they should be using plaited silk, gut and rusty old Allcocks Model Perfects.



---------- Post added at 14:41 ---------- Previous post was at 14:29 ----------

Another thing I cannot understand about traditionalists is that they have no respect whatsoever for the history of angling.

They ****** around using old **** tackle, pretending to drink "real ale" and reading articles in quaint magazines written by strange characters rejoicing in names as silly as Gainsborough!

What these idiots do not realise is that so called "traditional angling" is quite new. Some of the stuff they use to fish with, people like myself burned on bonfire day 60 years ago. We moved on and innovated better tackle from superior materials. What you see in a tackle shop of today is the result of many years of evolution in angling thought.

And in these weird magazines, I read of people much younger than myself, actually running down carbon fibre and reels where the roller actually rolls. I was one of those who had to fish with such ***** in the 50s and early 60s. I remember it well.

Was is any good? Compared with modern tackle it was bloody awful, and I will defend modern innovation in fishing tackle to my dying day.

 

[bennygesserit]

I am a great believer in the truth , tell the truth and shame the devil my old mam used to say , its stood me in good stead in. My personal and business life.

Its an ethic that can be applied to so many situations , Ron if you really truly believe you are telling the truth then Fair play to you.