Morale booster

[Philip]

Im surprised she didnt tell you to f### off,or punch you,not a softy is Sandra...

So I have heard ! … To be fair I wasn’t actually that rude…I was trying to take a snap and this big haired women kept sticking her head right in front of me so in the end I said can you get your head out of the way for a moment and then realized it was her.

I recall Alan catching a few small fish but was then beaten in the last few moments by the angler next to him who sat biteless the entire time fishing right in the edge but landed a single good fish right at the death. England still went on to win it.

 

[PH]

One from my travels......

 

[John Keane]

A Dunlin, photographed from a boat on a birdwatching trip on the Ria Formosa out of Tavira on the Algarve. I love wading birds, find them endlessly fascinating.

 

[mikench]

A type of lark, the name of which escapes me. It's from the Kruger.



An Arabian Oryx from Ras Al Khaimah.



Somewhere special closer to home.

 

[Aknib]

A type of lark, the name of which escapes me. It's from the Kruger.

Freddie?

 

[John Keane]

A type of lark, the name of which escapes me. It's from the Kruger.

View attachment 8829

An Arabian Oryx from Ras Al Khaimah.

View attachment 8830

Somewhere special closer to home.

View attachment 8831

Is it a pill lark?

Is that the Ribblehead Viaduct?

 

[mikench]

It's a cape longclaw and not a lark ; sorry losing the plot.

Yes it is the Ribblesdale viaduct complete with steam train.

 

[Aknib]

I know, I know, it's not a fish it's a rather large chicken tikka or rather it was until ten minutes ago but it's improved my morale no end...



Just need to sort something out for desert now

 

[mikench]

That's tickled my taste buds. It isn't right to tempt an addict you know. meat puris eh Steve

 

[Aknib]

A pleasant stretch of the Chesterfield Canal, I've not been on there for some time but going back there were some very good Chub nets coming out with the trick being to get as close to the far bank reeds as you could.

The pole lads had it sorted, they used heavy elastics and struck by shooting their poles back on their rollers to literally yank the fish away from the reeds sharpish as they were notoriously quick in getting in there.

Muggins here had no such luxuries but he still won a few battles...

 

[103841]

I know, I know, it's not a fish it's a rather large chicken tikka or rather it was until ten minutes ago but it's improved my morale no end...



Just need to sort something out for desert now

Oh my! You’re dead posh eating off a wicker basket.

 

[markcw]

Oh my! You’re dead posh eating off a wicker basket.

Look at the size of those chopsticks at left side of plate

 

[Aknib]

Oh my! You’re dead posh eating off a wicker basket.

When all this lockdown thing first came about John and there were long queues at supermarkets and empty shelves I had visions of garages being broken into and freezer contents ransacked which sent me into an apocalypse inspired panic.

I brought all of the food which is usually stored in the garage into the house, ten minutes later I was running back and forth with arms full of fishing tackle.

It's kind of become my comfort blanket and part of the furniture over the last few weeks

 

[ian g]

The canal chub picture reminded me of catching them in the Trent & Mersey outside Middlewich . I have around 60lb of chub one morning on the pole , fishing right across to the lock outflow . All was going well until I forgot to break down the pole as I shipped in , the main Sandbach to Middlewich road was just behind me and I managed to clip a lorry wing mirror with the end of my pole , bloody carbon matchsticks everywhere. I was gutted

 

[103841]

All’s that missing is the San Miguel Steve.

 

[Aknib]

All’s that missing is the San Miguel Steve.

 

[103841]

Cheers! :w

 

[Aknib]

A nice sleek Summer fish, definitely built for speed...



And just for contrast a frosty weather but very perfect small Winter skimmer.

There's more of a story behind the skimmer, I spent a day catching a fair few on a shallow mill pond in the depths of Winter with ice in the margins using not pole and pinkie or squats but 'wet bread' that I'd soaked and pressed overnight, most were caught on a size 14 with a tiny bomb and the ultralite bomb rod at very close range.

The tip barely sat still all day.

I'm thankful to the ever reliable town centre duck feeders that had been pre-baiting for me for weeks...

deathclaw meme

 

[Keith M]

Another slim barbel



and a slightly fatter one





Keith

 

[Steve Arnold]

Dug deep to find these two photos!

I fished out of Plymouth several times close on twenty years ago. We found some very good cod on Redgill lures. We lost a few that made it back to the wreck!

These provided some of the best cod dinners I have ever eaten! Prime summer cod!



Probably about a decade ago now and I was in my pollack catching prime! My fishing buddy Sandy invited me out on his boat at Ansthruther to fish the May Island reefs. I caught this near 10 lb pollack on a small rubber eel, we had to back the boat over the kelp to extract the fish. Pollack fight hard and dirty! Great fun on heavy spinning rods.



Although I like pollack to eat this one was returned. I felt I had stolen one of Sandy's personal stock! If you take too many from a small patch pollack can take years to return, they seem very territorial.