Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}
Well-known member
Apologies if you’ve already seen this on another forum, but I thought the tale worth adding to FM.
I'd just had a cracking forty five minute first light perch session on Sunday morning when my morning took a direction I could never have believed possible when I left the house in darkness earlier that day! I had eight upper two's retained and was thinking I'd better grab a quick shot of the biggest and let them go. The logistics of a group shot when self-taking is a bridge too far for me and I’ve often released a decent bag of perch without getting a snap.
Anyway this fellow suddenly appeared and looked over the fence at me.
"ah, a spot of fishing eh?"
He remarked.
“Yes there's some nice perch here.”
I admitted a little reluctantly.
Seeing the dark glasses atop his head I asked him,
"Are those polarising lenses you're wearing?"
He confirmed that they were. So I said to him confidently,
"Put them on and watch this then."
I popped a gudgeon on the waggler set-up and dropped the baited rig into the river below me.
Bosh!! A big perch rose from below in the clear water and nailed it on the drop, close to the surface, and in full spectacular view.
"Wow!"
The fella said.
"What a perch!"
I agreed and told him.
"Yes, and I've got a few more in the net over there."
Then I uttered the immortal line.
"Can you use a camera?"
The chap smiled a little wryly and said yes. I asked him in that case would he'd mind taking a quick few snaps for me before I let them go and he agreed.
I rushed off to get my camera from my nearby car. When I got back puffing and panting from running while readying my kit for a picture I asked him if he fished himself.
"Yes quite a bit."
He told me..
"You might have heard of one or two of my little projects. Have you heard of the programmes 'A Passion for Angling' or 'Catching the Impossible?
The moment he uttered those words I recognised him.
"Bloody Hell! You're Hugh Miles aren't you?"
I blurted out. He laughed and affirmed it.
So I'd just asked possibly the greatest angling photographer and wildlife film maker of all time if he could use a camera! Bloody priceless!
After taking a few quick snaps he invited me over to his nearby camper van for a brew up and a choccy biccy. That’s the camper van! And we chatted for an hour or so about subjects as diverse as 'Fenland rudd' my offering to 'Filming Snow Leopards', and fishing with Yatesey for crucians a couple of Hugh's topics. Not only a photographic genius, but a proper bloke too and one of us.
Seriously, alongside a nice quick-hit perch bag of at least eight upper twos it has to rank as probably my greatest moment as an angler. Just surreal. Tea with one of the greatest angling and film makers of my generation! What a morning!
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28097764@N04/5872323100/"]Perch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/5872323100_f6d7917bf3_m.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@5872323100@@AMEPARAM@@f6d7917bf3[/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28097764@N04/5872323100/"]Perch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/5872323100_f6d7917bf3_m.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@5872323100@@AMEPARAM@@f6d7917bf3[/ame] by Chris Hammond2008, on Flickr
I'd just had a cracking forty five minute first light perch session on Sunday morning when my morning took a direction I could never have believed possible when I left the house in darkness earlier that day! I had eight upper two's retained and was thinking I'd better grab a quick shot of the biggest and let them go. The logistics of a group shot when self-taking is a bridge too far for me and I’ve often released a decent bag of perch without getting a snap.
Anyway this fellow suddenly appeared and looked over the fence at me.
"ah, a spot of fishing eh?"
He remarked.
“Yes there's some nice perch here.”
I admitted a little reluctantly.
Seeing the dark glasses atop his head I asked him,
"Are those polarising lenses you're wearing?"
He confirmed that they were. So I said to him confidently,
"Put them on and watch this then."
I popped a gudgeon on the waggler set-up and dropped the baited rig into the river below me.
Bosh!! A big perch rose from below in the clear water and nailed it on the drop, close to the surface, and in full spectacular view.
"Wow!"
The fella said.
"What a perch!"
I agreed and told him.
"Yes, and I've got a few more in the net over there."
Then I uttered the immortal line.
"Can you use a camera?"
The chap smiled a little wryly and said yes. I asked him in that case would he'd mind taking a quick few snaps for me before I let them go and he agreed.
I rushed off to get my camera from my nearby car. When I got back puffing and panting from running while readying my kit for a picture I asked him if he fished himself.
"Yes quite a bit."
He told me..
"You might have heard of one or two of my little projects. Have you heard of the programmes 'A Passion for Angling' or 'Catching the Impossible?
The moment he uttered those words I recognised him.
"Bloody Hell! You're Hugh Miles aren't you?"
I blurted out. He laughed and affirmed it.
So I'd just asked possibly the greatest angling photographer and wildlife film maker of all time if he could use a camera! Bloody priceless!
After taking a few quick snaps he invited me over to his nearby camper van for a brew up and a choccy biccy. That’s the camper van! And we chatted for an hour or so about subjects as diverse as 'Fenland rudd' my offering to 'Filming Snow Leopards', and fishing with Yatesey for crucians a couple of Hugh's topics. Not only a photographic genius, but a proper bloke too and one of us.
Seriously, alongside a nice quick-hit perch bag of at least eight upper twos it has to rank as probably my greatest moment as an angler. Just surreal. Tea with one of the greatest angling and film makers of my generation! What a morning!
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28097764@N04/5872323100/"]Perch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/5872323100_f6d7917bf3_m.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@5872323100@@AMEPARAM@@f6d7917bf3[/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28097764@N04/5872323100/"]Perch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/5872323100_f6d7917bf3_m.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@5872323100@@AMEPARAM@@f6d7917bf3[/ame] by Chris Hammond2008, on Flickr
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