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Capturing Sweets for Fallon’s Angler.

08 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in Fallon's Angler quarterly, General, General fishing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

3, angler, fallon's, issue, jean, of, Sweets, usk, williams

The Tuesday Swim has been a little quiet for a while and for good reason, I have taken on the role as picture editor for the newly formed publication Fallon’s Angler. For those who haven’t come across this quarterly may I point you in the direction of the website www.fallonsangler.net.

My task along with the editor, Garret is to bring to the reader, original, interesting, and thoughtful writing and photography, a tall order? Well,  certainly a challenge but as ‘Fangler’ grows in momentum more opportunities are coming our way to discover new and old writers who have an interesting tale or perspective to share. I have just heard that we may have an old angling legend to grace the pages of issue 4.

My assignment for issue 3 was to visit Jean Williams in Usk and her wonderful traditional tackle shop that is filled with atmosphere and local knowledge. My photo essay and interview in Sweets I hope captures this atmosphere, I think it does.

Sweets_TTSIf you are in the Usk area and curious about Sweets or our publication, Jean has a few copies under the counter which maybe thumbed or even purchased for the princely sum of a pair of pints!

Disconnected water.

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

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Tags

british, england, fishing, isles, isolated, scotland, wales, waters

I’ve had no time to fish recently but I have visited some interesting places that have a sense of disconnection. Disconnection from what you may ask? Phones, computers, roads, builders, politicians, the list could go on but I shall stop. Fishing is in fact my way of disconnecting from all of that and reconnecting with a natural, uncontrolled, un-sensored way of being, its why so many anglers fish. So with this in mind I have set myself a task to find a remote and disconnected water to fish, an un-managed and neglected place, the getting there will be paramount to the experience of disconnecting. I have a few ideas, from the west coast of Scotland, maybe high up in the Brecon Beacons, a remote bit of coastline or possibly a lowly fen in Cambridgeshire. Rucksack is ready with camera and tackle for my first trip which will most likely take place as the season starts in June, unless of course a trout beckons?

The search is on…

Diconnected

Tackle boxes part thirteen – The match man

07 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

box, fishing, tackle, traditional, wooden

In a moment of late night EBay bidding I found myself driving down to Brighton to pick up a job lot of fishing tackle. It was quite clear that the original owner of this gear was a fanatical match angler including some nice examples of early glass fibre match rods (all painted matt black) hand-made floats and centre pin reels. Overall the gear was well looked after with plenty of improvised DIY going on, but for me the clincher on the lot was the little two tiered tackle box with aluminium shot tins, there is something about these tackle boxes I find really quite personal…

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Pints, pies and flies.

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing, Tackle

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bruno, clerkenwell, fly, green, guy, kings, lessons, london, pub, super, three, tying, vincent

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Huddled around three Anglepoise lamps five students gathered under the guidance from Bruno Vincent AKA Super Fly Guy. The Three Kings pub is our meeting place, tucked away on Clerkenwell Green,  pleasantly quiet, the perfect setting for some focused concentration. In a room above the main bar we sat around a dinning table and discovered some of the techniques from master fly tyer Bruno, while supping a few pints and chomping through scotch eggs and pork pies. Considering three of us were complete beginners the results were quite astonishing, buzzers, cascades and broadswords patterns…

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If you want to see Bruno’s freestyle and traditional work or ask about these evenings please drop Super Fly Guy an email bruno@superflyguy.biz.

http://superflyguy.biz

London angling clubs, a directory by Charles Dickens (Jr)

04 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

angling, club, fishing, london, piscatorial, society, victorian

In 1881 Charles Dickens (Jr) put together a club listing for his book Dictionary of the Thames, in all there were over 110 clubs but I believe there were quite few more, for example the Brunswick Brothers of Limehouse. A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting one it its members, Barry  who showed his skills fishing for bream and roach under the shadow of Canary Wharf. Sadly now I believe most of these clubs have disbanded although the Brunswick Brother still angle.  Many doors have now closed and the piscators no longer seek refuge to swap stories and dodge the foul weather. The names deem to indicate their approach and attitude from the romantics of Foley street, the  ‘Golden Barbel’ to the more light hearted  ‘Good Intent’ brothers of the Crown in Bethnal Green Road. On Friday I shall be in the Captain Kidd in Wapping, not listed below but with the Thames lapping below the windows it will be the perfect opportunity to raise a glass to lost London Clubs and the echoes of the London anglers banter.

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ACORN, “Royal Oak,” Spencer-street, Goswell-road.

ALBERT, “The Crown Coffee House,” Crown-street, Old-street.

ALBAN’S, ST., “Royal George,” Great New-street, Kennington Park-road, SE.

ALLIANCE, “Old Red Lion,” Great Warner-street, Clerkenwvell.

ALEXANDRA, “Duke of Wellington,” 3, Colt-lane, Bethnal-green.

AMICABLE BROTHERS, “Bald- Faced Stag,” Worship-sq., Finsbury.

AMICABLE WALTONIANS, “George the Fourth,” Goswell-road.

ANGLER’S PRIDE, “Red Lion,” Dockhead.

ATLAS, 73, Newman-street, Oxford-street

BARNSBURY, “The Albion,” Caledonian-road, near King’s Cross.

BATTERSEA PISCATORIAL, Queen’s Hotel, Queen’s-road, Battersea.

BERESFORD, “Grove House Tavern,” Camberwell-grove.

BERMONDSEY BROTHERS, “General Garibaldi,” Southwark Park-road

BLACKFRIARS, “Ordnance Arms,” York-road, SE.

BLOOMSBURY BROTHERS, “Rose and Crown,” Broad-st., Bloomsbury

BOSTONIAN, “Dalby Tavern” Dalby-street, Prince of Wales-road Kentish Town.

BROTHERS WELL MET, “Berkeley Castle,” Rahere-st., Goswell-road

CAMBRIDGE FRIENDLY, “Rent Day,” Cambridge-street, Hyde Park-square.

CADOGAN, “Prince of Wales,” Exeter-street, Sloane-street, S.W.

CARLISLE, “Clarendon Club,” 80, High-street, Islington.

CANONBURY, “Crown and Anchor,” Cross-street, Islington.

CARNALY CASTLE, “The Carnaly Castle,” Carnaly-street, St. James’s.

CAVENDISH, “British Lion,” Cavendish-street, New North-road, Hoxton.

CITY OF LONDON, “Cogers’ Hall,” Bride-lane, E.C.

CLAPHAM JUNCTION, “Lord Ranelagh,” Verona-street.

CLERKENWELL AMATEURS, – “George and Dragon,” 240, St. John-street-road, Clerkenwell.

CLERKENWELL PISCATORIAL, “White Hart,” Aylesbury-street, Clerkenwell.

CONVIVIAL, “King’s Head,” Mitchell-street, St. Luke’s.

DALSTON, “Hope,” Holly-street, Dalston-lane.

DE BEAUVOIR, “Lord Raglan,” Southgate-road, N.

EAST LONDON, “Duke of Norfolk,” Norfolk-street, Globe-road.

EDMONTON AND TOTTENHAM, “Three Horse Shoes,” Silver-street, Edmonton.

EUSTONIAN, “The Wheatsheaf,” Kenton-street, Brunswick-square.

EXCELSIOR, “Two Eagles,” South-street, Lambeth

FRIENDLY ANGLERS, “Albion Tavern,” Albion-street, Hyde-park

FRIENDLY ANGLERS, “Jacob’s Well,” New Inn Yard, Shoreditch.

FREE AND EASY, “Jane Shore,” High-street, Shoreditch.

GLOBE, “Globe Tavern,” Blackstock-road, Highbury

GOLDEN BARBEL, “York Minster,” Foley-street, Portland road

GOLDEN TENCH, “Somers Arms,” Boston-road, King’s Cross.

GOOD INTENT, “Crown Inn,” Bethnal-green-road.

GREAT NORTHERN BROTHERS, “Robin Hood,” Southampton-street, Pentonville.

HAMMERSMITH UNITED, “Builders’ Arms,” Bridge-road.

HAVELOCK BROTHERS, “General Havelock,” West-street Triangle, Hackney.

HEARTS OF OAK, “Black Bull,” Thomas-st., Brick-lane, Spitalfields.

HIGHBURY, “George Hotel,” Foothill-road, Finsbury-park.

HOXTON BROTHERS, “Jane Shore,” High-street, Shoreditch.

IZAAK WALTON. “Old King John’s Head,” Mansfield-st., Kingsland-road.

JUNCTION BROTHERS, “Shakespeare’s Head,” Barnsley-street, Bethnal-green-road.

JUNIOR PISCATORIALS, “The Cock,” Clapham Common.

JOLLY PISCATORIALS, “Sugar Loaf,” Great Queen-street, W.C.

KENNINGTONIAN, “The Clayton Arms,” Kennington Oval

KENTISH BROTHERS, “George and Dragon,” Blackheath-hill.

KENTON, “Kenton Arms,” Kenton-road, South Hackney.

KING’S CROSS UNITED, “Albion,” Caledonian-road, N.

KENTISH PERSEVERANCE, “Corner Pin,” Cold Bath, Greenwich.

KNIGHTS OF KNIGHTSBRIDGE, “Grove Tavern,” Grove-place, Brompton-road. S.W.

LARKHALL, “The Larkhall,” Larkhall-lane, Clapham.

LIMEHOUSE BROTHERS, “Dunlop Lodge,”  70, Samuel-st., Limehouse.

LITTLE INDEPENDENT, “Russell Arms,” Bedford-street, Euston-sq.

MARYLEBONE, “Bank of England,” Cambridge-place, South Wharf-road.

METROPOLITAN, “Rose Inn,” Old Bailey.

NEVER FRETS, “Cronnard Shuttle,” High-Street, Shoreditch.

NAUTILUS, “British Lion,” Central-street, St. Luke’s.

NORFOLK, “Norfolk Arms,” Burwood-place, Edgware-road.

NORTH~EASTERN, “Shepherd and Flock,” Little Bell-alley, Moorgate-street.

NORTH LONDON, “Prince Albert,” Hollingsworth-street. Holloway.

NORTH-WESTERN, “Lord Southampton,” Southampton-road, Haverstock-hill.

NORTON FOLGATE, “Rose and Crown,” Fort-street, Spitalfields.

NEW GLOBE, “The New Globe,” Mile-end-road, E.

OLD BOWER, “Duke’s Arms,” Stangate-street, Westminster-bridge-road.

ODDS-AND-EVENS, “Monmouth Arms,” Singleton-st, Hoxton.

PENGE, “Lord Palmerston,” Maple-road, Penge.

PECKHAM BROTHERS, “Prince Albert,” East Surrey-grove, Peckham.

PHOENIX, “Tavistock Arms,” Werrington-street, Oakley-square.

PISCATORIAL, “Ashley’s Hotel,” Henrietta-street, Covent Garden.

PRINCE OF WALES, “Royal Standard,” Seymour-place, Edgware-road.

PERSEVERANCE, “The Perseverance,”  Pritchard’s-row, Hackney-road.

PUTNEY AND WANDSWORTH UNITED, “Coopers’ Arms,” High-street, Putney.

REFORM, “Jolly Coopers,” Clerkenwell-close.

RICHMOND PISCATORIAL, “Station Hotel,” Richmond, Surrey.

ROYAL GEORGE, “Royal George,” Crown-street, Soho.

ROYAL PISCATORIAL, “The Albion,” Rodney-road, Walworth.

SAVOY BROTHERS, “Black Prince,” Chandos-street, Strand.

SILVER TROUT, “Star and Garter,” St Martin’s-lane, Charing-cross.
   

SIR HUGH MYDDELTON, “Three Johns,” White Lion-street, Islington.

SOCIAL BROTHERS, “Prince Regent,” Dulwich-road, Herne Hill.

SONS OF THE THAMES, “Three Tuns,” Rupert-street

SOUTH BELGRAVIA, “Surprise,” Vauxhall Bridge-road.

SOUTH KENSINGTON PISCATORIAL “Coleherne Hotel,” South Kensington.

SOUTH LONDON, “George and Dragon,” 235, Camberwell-road.

SOUTH HACKNEY, “The Lamb,”  Wick-road, Sooth Hackney.

SOUTH ESSEX, “The Elms,” Leytonstone.

SOUTH ESSEX PISCATORIAL, “Victoria Dock Tavern,” Victoria Dock-road, E.

SPORTSMAN, “Lady Owen’s  Arms,” Goswell-road.

ST. ALBAN’S, “Walnut Tree,” St. Alban’s-rd., Kensington-rd., SE.

ST. JAMES AND SOHO, 30, Gerrard-street, Soho.

ST. JOHN, “White Bear,” St. John-street, West Smithfield.

ST. PANCRAS, 58, Burton-street, Burton-crescent.

STANLEY ANGLERS, “Lord Stanley,” Camden Park-road.

STAR, “Bird in Hand,” Northampton-street, Clerkenwell.

STOKE NEWINGTON, “Prince Albert,” Victoria-rd., Stoke Newington.

STEPNEY, “Beehive,” Rhodeswell-road, Stepney.

STRATFORD BROTHERS, “Coach and Horses,” Broadway, Stratford.

SURREY PISCATORIALS, “St. Paul’s,” Westmoreland-rd, Walworth.

SUSSEX, “Sussex Arms,” Grove-road, Holloway.

TRAFALGAR, “Star and Garter,” 13, Green-street, Leicester-square.

TRUE WALTONIANS, 100, Liverpool-road, Islington.

UNITED ESSEX, “Dorset Arms,” Ceylon-road, Stratford New Town.

UNITED MARLBOROUGH BROTHERS, “Red Lion,”  22 and 23, Portland-street, St. James’s.

UNITED SOCIETY OF ANGLERS, Wellington. Shoreditch
    UNITED BROTHERS, “Druid’s Head Tavern,” Broadway, Deptford.

WALTHAMSTOW, “Common Gate,” Wark House Common, Walthamstow

WALTON AND COTTON, “Crown and Woolpack,” St. John-street, Clerkenwell.

WALTONIAN,  “Jews Harp,” Red-hill-street, Regents-park.

WALWORTH WALTONIANS, “St. Paul’s,” Westmoreland-rd., Walworth.

WEST HAM BROTHERS, “Queen’s Head,” West Ham-lane, Stratford.

WEST CENTRAL, “Cross Keys,” Theobald’s-road, High Holborn.

WEST LONDON, “Windsor Castle,” King-street, Hammersmith.

WESTBOURNE PARK PISCATORIAL, Pelican, All Saints-road, Westbourne-park.

WOOLWICH BROTHERS, “Prince Regent,” King-street, Woolwich.

WOOLWICH INVICTA, “Golden Marine,” Francis-street, Woolwich.

WOOLWICH PISCATORIALS, “Cricketers Arms,” Sand-street, Woolwich

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The song of the paddle.

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in General

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bill, canadian, canoe, lea, mason, of, paddle, river, song, the

I believe the term ‘song of the paddle’ orginated from an american writer/artist called Bill Mason who wrote and produced a film of the same name in the post hippy era of the mid seventies, where he explores the ‘wilds’ with his family in two open canoes. In his film he states “the wilderness was only invented by the white men, for the native americans it was always know as home, now modern society has put a distance between man and his creator.” To take up the paddle or to cast a line must surely be part of the re-connection that drives  anglers and canoeist to venture out? So while paddle and rod cross swords in this country over their  fight for rights to our rivers,  it must be both parties that should tread carefully as we have no rights, if we are lucky we have the opportunity to experience, and then we leave, the ‘wilderness’ should not be plundered, nor exploited and certainly not owned.

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Click here to view.

A few years ago I bought a Canadian canoe, an ex-army friend borrowed it almost immediately and took it on some adventures, from source to sea along the Thames, and the following year the length of the Wye on the Welsh/English border. I was happy that the canoe was getting used but I was envious when his tales were re-told. One story that struck a chord was the night-time paddles (mainly to avoid the boat traffic during the day) on the Thames,  to be afloat on the river at night and experience the very first light while drifting with the flow must have been magical, no other soul, just the song of the paddle.

I eventually reclaimed the canoe from a frozen shipyard one January morning out on an estuary in Essex, but to be honest it was nearing the end, damp had got to it, boards were delaminating. So this year I have started to  build a new plywood Canadian canoe, twelve feet in length, that should carry two adults and some gear. In the summer  I want set out and paddle the length of the River Lea from it’s source in Hertfordshire  to Leamouth where it enters the Thames. Like Bill Mason I want this journey to be a connection and not just a recreation, exploring your place, your home and what comes around the corner is a journey that only ends, when it ends.

Don’t dismiss them carp!

08 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by The tuesday swim in Carp, General

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Tags

55, cardinal, carp, catchers, chris, classic, climbers, hunters, kevin, maddocks, magazine, mohan, monkey, old, peter, school, society, wildie, yates

It’s easy to do when the current carp scene is so unappealing, all good things come to an end? Well not really they just get displaced and a little harder to find, just like special carp waters. When I started to get serious about fishing I got caught by the carp bug, this was just about the same time you could buy a shelf-life pack of boilies, and monkey climbers were all the rage. In truth my success was moderate but I did fish quite difficult waters, (commercial fisheries had yet to plague the country) and I did catch some good carp. Once I came within quarter of a pound of breaking the carp record set in 1952 for Haywards Heath and District Angling Society, if I had broken the record I would have kept it quiet, but that is another story.

Sadly carp fishing is now dismissed by many anglers because of the ugly commercial side, the ‘purists’ turn their noses up and instead talk of the benefits of catching roach, perch, chub and crucians which is all very good, but it is easy to over-look what is still one of the most powerful and magical fish in the British Isles, the common and mirror carp. Puffed up footballs bursting with halibut pellets is not what I am talking about, more the longer, leaner specimens that still swim in mill ponds, lost souls that lurk in canals and rivers or the occasional ‘wildie’ that can still be found all over England and Wales.

So why am I harping on about carping in the middle of winter? Well while I was defrosting from a pike trip the other day I was drawn to my old 1980’s copies of Carp Catcher magazine,  to help aid the thawing process. Articles range from interviews with the old establishment such as ‘BB,’ to new ideas discussed like the hair rig from Kevin Maddocks.  Carp Catcher always had a pioneering spirit that set a  precedent in carp fishing but in a way it was also feeding the end of a magical time,  the modern carp scene was gaining popularity and the mystery was being made more transparent and accessible to lazy fishermen.

Those who contributed to Carp Catcher went on to create some of the biggest tackle manufacturers today but equally many did it purely for the love in a manner that was personal and relatively discrete. The editorial content was honest with a real sense of  problem solving and watercraft, rather than re-inventing the invented that is now all too apparent in todays angling publications. A more recent read that I have acquired is Carp Hunters a book produced by the Carp Society which has contributions from Julian Cundiff, Jim Gibbinson,  Andy Little, Ritchie McDonald, Tim Paisley and Chris Yates, again this captures a real spirit of carp fishing from anglers who approached their fishing in an individual manner. It may be this individuality that made this era such fun to follow? Although many consider the Walker years to be the golden age of carp fishing, I love to read about this latter period simply because I remember it and feel in some way part of that wonderful time in fishing when I was as a teenager and dreamt of owning matching rods and Cardinal 55’s.

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Reading these articles again has prematurely ignited a yearning to carp fish, normally this arrives in late spring when the waters warm and the carp appear for another season. So  until the sun burns longer I will have to sit on my hands and wait and dream about a place where wildies reside not so far from London and some lonely spots on the Lea. When I eventually make it out with my carp rod there will be no bivvies in sight and it will be personal, I will use the simplest of tackle and possibly I shall write the odd post here on TTS but often not, sometimes just a snap on my phone and a memory. Carp fishing never really changes.

 

A year without numbers.

28 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

balance, fishing, scales, spring, traditional

Apart from my carp fishing days in the 1980’s I have never set any targets when it comes to fishing, yes I like catching big fish but the short time spent un-hooking the fish should be spent appreciating rather than recording, I learnt this while fishing for barbel on the Wye a few years ago. This last year (2014) my rucksack had been lightened by a pound or so by leaving the spring balance at home and in 2015 I shall continue without chasing the numbers game…

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Advent in spoons 2014

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

allcocks, fishing, Hardy, lure, mahseer, old, pike, salmon, spoons, tradition, vintage

 












Spoons 23:12:14Toby 24-12-14text

 

Winter solstice.

21 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in General

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Tags

2014, england, lea, solstice, Sweets, usk, winter

The dawn of a new day shall come tomorrow with a few more seconds of light. Tonight  glasses shall be raised, candles burnt and sacrifices made. I shall look back at the year, recalling old friends and new, and look forward to the new dawn…Some pike 3

Some pike 4

Mrs Williams & Nick

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