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Tag Archives: pike

Letters from Lough Derg

01 Friday May 2020

Posted by The tuesday swim in General

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Tags

angler, del, Derg, fisherman, harding, Irish, letter, lough, pike, traditional, writing

One year on and who would have thought I’d be writing these words? Week six of lockdown, the weather has finally broken and we retreat back indoors. As a family we are lucky, we have a garden and the local marshes are close to our house in East London. For our daily interpretation of exercise I  run to break the cabin fever or walk with my daughter using a pair of binoculars to seek out birds and other flora or fauna. Often I get pangs of guilt as others are not so fortunate, key workers, single parents, while we sit it out. At the start of the pandemic I decided I was going to offer my services to deliver food, medicines and other essentials but then it appeared I also have fallen victim to the covid 19 virus, although not confirmed my lungs even now are running at reduced capacity, a timely reminder that this whole ordeal is far from over.

This time last year I was in Ireland on the shores of Lough Derg with self isolated recluse – Del Harding, in truth he is not a recluse, although wary of people he  loves the company of others and during our brief three day visit Del was very keen to share his stories once we had gained Dels trust. Our daily routine began in the woods with a fire to make tea,  by late morning Del would rise and join us, drink coffee and share his life through  memories, time had no business here, he talked and I filmed. I managed to get the shots before the sun fell so low that the camera could no longer record a clear image.  As night closed in, Del would light a candle and talk some more, ghost stories, tales of pike, monsters from the deep, and re-living heart stopping moments of the lives of other anglers who once fished Lough Derg.

Photo: Romy Rae

Del lives on his own terms, he has the luxury of space, space for himself and away from others, Del’s routine before lockdown involved a daily trip to the local village to buy a sandwich, a coffee and perhaps replenish his tobacco pouch, I know these little trips were important to Del.  Three months after we left Ireland Del was involved in an accident when a friend managed to fell a tree, unbeknown to Del who was standing too close, the tree came crashing down without warning, missing him by an inch, caught his arm and broke it in two. After several days in hospital Del returned to his wood, thankfully his daughter lives a twenty minute drive away and through his hospital care, family and neighbours Del recovered throughout the rest of 2019 but he was restricted to his own land, no more independent trips to the shops were made in 2019.

During the winter of 2019/2020 Del started to write to me on a more regular basis and I began to write back. I cheated though, my reliance on the computer is habitual, letters were typed and mistakes edited. Del on the other hand would capture thoughts, and talk about the woods and the Lough, then systematically write it all down on the page, Del composed page after page, no words crossed out, just beautifully written letters.  One letter which arrived in November explained he has moved into one of the cob houses where he could have an open fire burning at all times, November, christ! 

As the pandemic established itself Del wrote on the topic in his own pragmatic, often blunt manner, dismissing the coronavirus as a ‘storm in a tea cup’ but soon retracting this thought and reestablishing the situation as a ‘hurricane in a swimming pool,’ soon after he mirrored the updated situation with a  Sci-Fi book he read in the 1960’s, this time the outcome was more sobering, but like many of us he swallowed the current bitter pill with the hope of a new season,  the force of nature is strong, Del would write about the rebirth in his woods and reemergence of wildlife out on the lough.

Every few weeks a new letter arrived, I left it un-opened, got the home-schooling and other chores out of the way and then settled on the sofa in the kitchen with a coffee and loose myself in Del’s words away from the internet, the TV,  and transport myself to that fire pit next to Lough Derg, words flowing like the small stream that crosses his land.

John Richardson of Two Terriers Press – a film.

11 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by The tuesday swim in Fallon's Angler quarterly, Photography and video

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

angling, fenlans, fens, film, fishing, john, norfolk, pike, press, richardson, terriers, two, woodcuts

Art and the art of angling, I consider this to be a partnership that sits comfortably side by side, just like the landscape and the angler. Here is a new film where I find John Richardson a life-long angler and artist in his West Norfolk studio carving and then printing on his Victorian press, while the Fenland landscape dominates throughout.

Advent in spoons 2014

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

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Tags

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

 












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

 

The tuesday swim advent…

01 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in General, Tackle

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Tags

lures, pike, spoons, vintage

A glorious seasonal celebration of copper, bronze, tin, silver and some gimp wire as the tuesday swim photographer warms up for christmas with a collection of vintage spoons.

Spoon 1:12:14

Some pike, but more…

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in Pike

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Tags

dusk, fishing, photography, pike

The tuesday swim tries to steer away from the ‘catch report’ style of blogging and keep close to the perimeter fence when it comes to writing about angling. On the outskirts I tend to find something to write about or photograph, rather than attempting to hit the mainstream.

Yesterday was a long over-due fishing trip with a very old friend from my Shoreditch days back in the early nineties. To be fishing with Tony again was as ever good fun, a chance to catch up and to talk endlessly on the subject of fishing. The last time we fished together was six years ago for salmon on the Alness in the North-East of Scotland.  Today we were in search of pike and the outcome was quite successful, in fact it was probably one of our most prolific trips ever. Yes we took some mug shots holding some of the better pike (we caught nine in total) but the real joy was spending time with an old friend on a wind swept autumnal day in Sussex. Tony even thought he might snare a pike using his fly rod, perhaps he thought we were back on the Alness. By five the light was dropping as was the wind, so I picked up my camera when the lake took on a new and quiet personality…

 

Some pike 3
Some pike
Some pike 5
Some pike 4
Some pike 2

 

In search of another pike & the Epping forest ponds.

13 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in Pike

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Tags

epping, fishing, forest, golding, hollow, lake, pike, pond, valley, wake

I awoke Sunday morning to find a frost for the first time on the grass in the rear garden, the cars out the front of the house were frozen in a white cloak. It was 7.30 am and still dark so if I left fairly promptly I could be fishing in Epping forest by 8.30am. I only had three mackerel tails for bait in the freezer but I was eager to get out so I headed for Wake Valley Pond with my meagre bait supply. This Epping Pond is a water I have never fished but walked past many times before thinking it looked ‘fishey’.
In the end I was the only one there, no dog walkers, cylists or fishermen, it was a blissful cold and quiet morning and I was alone. Sometimes when the scene is this tranquil catching is not that high on the agenda so after an hour I left to look at some of the other Epping forest ponds. I drove around to Goldings but that pond was frozen over and clogged with weed so I headed home content but not before dropping in to look at Hollow Ponds which in hindsight was a mistake. The lake looked lifeless with its banks worn bare from the many visiting feet, not a place I shall try for a pike. Saying that, something suggested to me that lurking in this lake could be a forgotten soul, a lost thirty perhaps?









An opportunity for a Boxing day pike.

30 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Pike

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blackroot, boxing, day, fishing, park, pike, sutton, traditional

For the traditionalist angler a pike on Boxing day is a nice way to end the years fishing. This year I was in Sutton Coldfield so a good choice of venue for a pike was the rather sinister sounding water of Blackroot set in the grounds of Sutton Park. The lake is actually quite beautiful but as I was to find, quite a busy place on a Boxing day morning.

I fished from the dam end wall where just one other angler was fishing for carp and pike. The morning was very foggy but by the time I had arrived it was lifting which was a shame as the sun soon followed making my chance of a pike a little less likely. Behind my swim was the concrete footprint of the old changing rooms that would have accommodated the brave swimmers that took the cold Boxing day water in the past.

With just a few hours to fish esox did not pay a visit but it was worth the effort to get out in the crisp still air.

IMG_1433 IMG_1435 IMG_1439 IMG_1441

An opportunity for a pike.

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Pike

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

epping, fishing, forest, pike

This last Saturday afternoon I found myself passing a fishmongers on the Lower Clapton Road, on a whim I popped in and bought twelve sprats for a pound.

Today I put aside a couple of hours in Epping forest armed with my sprats and a rod. Autumn is still present in the forest, the leaves although fallen still lay golden orange on the ground. And after an hour a 7-8lber came my way from a suspended sprat under a Gazette float. Angling can be simple…sometimes.

IMG_1394

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In search of local knowledge.

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Pike

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

fishing, next, norfolk, pike, sea, stiffkey, to, wells

Two weeks ago I spent a few days with friends and family in Stiffkey, North Norfolk, about half a mile from the coast. We wanted to see off the last days of Autumn and escape London for the weekend. The thought of an unfamiliar place excites any anglers with the prospect of a new fishing opportunity. To me, Norfolk suggests one thing…pike, and with a little research I was sure I would be able to find some fishing close to Stiffkey on one of the numerous local rivers.

Pike fishing in Norfolk

My first port of call was the internet which took me around in circles and ended up (in the case of pike) at venues such as Blickling Hall, this was all fine but too far for me to travel, I wanted something local. Then I put a post up on a fishing forum, my quest for local knowledge must surely be answered? Well not really although I did receive a few helpful private messages but again all located too far away.

Finally I phoned some tackle shops in Norfolk and again the same few venues were mentioned, surely North Norfolk has a network of drains and small rivers with a head of pike? One tackle shop owner was surprised I didn’t want to try for the carp on one of the local commercials.

On my arrival in Norfolk (with some tackle in the boot of the car) I did make some enquiries at the local fishmongers who guided me towards a couple of promising spots and put onto a lad who worked in the greengrocer who was a keen piker and knew all about the local area. With haste to my stride I crossed the High Street to the greengrocer and asked for “Mark”, only to discover he was on holiday in Romania hunting wild boar!

What is the moral of this tale? Local knowledge still reigns supreme whenever you want to un-cover the unusual, the surprising or discover the un-publishable. The internet has a habit of regurgitating the same information time and time again but written from slightly different perspectives. If you require ‘local knowledge’ make sure he hasn’t buggered off to Romania for the weeks holiday!

I shall return though, for one it is a beautiful part of Britain and I have since heard of a story about some pike on a certain small river in North Norfolk, quite remote and the pike are mainly un-fished for. Now that is exciting and for now a secret.

Boredom, boys & pike!

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Pike

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

1960's, boys, fishing, own, paper, pike, vintage

The theme of pike in October continues although with all of this mild weather I personally don’t consider the pike season has really started for 2013. There’s a pile of seasoned logs awaiting the first cold snap but mother natures seems to be un-hurried this year. I tend to have the date of November 5th as a traditional starting point for me, it is a time when I often go down to Sussex for Bonfire night and grab a few hours for pike before the fireworks begin.

A recent visit to Spitalfields Antique market found me rifling through some old copies of BOP (Boys Own Paper) and the copy below which caught my eye for obvious reasons…pike! BOP really conjures up the past from my childhood although I think the BOP stopped being published by the time I was looking for advice on fishing, camping, astronomy, which first motorbike to buy or improving your slot car performance!

IMG_1270

Inside BOP is a picture of a monster pike that would inspire boys to dream of large pike and their potential capture. In reality a capture very rarely happened because these creatures are quite scarce. And secondly, pike tackle in the 1960’s and 70’s was generally fairly crude and an added expense to a young boys fishing armoury, so short cuts were made. If such a pike was hooked it was inevitably never landed. This led way to many boy’s pike stories that ended in lost giants due to snapped lines, un-twisted traces, jamming reels, broken rods, straightened trebles or landing nets that were simply too small.

IMG_1271

Boredom would get boys out on their bikes in the middle of winter in search of their dreams sparked by publication such as the BOP, with a collection of botched together pike gear, some hope and a sprinkling of patience.

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Off to the marshes #hackneymarshes
I’ve been here before but this is reassuringly familiar, an antidote to the boutique homogenous lifestyle that is rife in our city. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Watersmeet- Our current winter film set on the Hampshire Avon with @adamchetwood @kgparr link in my bio. Where to next? #anglingfilms #chubfishing
Watersmeet - Chub fishing on the Hampshire Avon, our new film for winter #hampshireavon #hampshireavonfishing #chub #fallonsangler #fishingfilms #winterfishing link in bio
A reunion on the Hampshire Avon. Our new film for Fallons Angler ready to view in time for Christmas. Friends, pints, and fishing #chubfishing #chub #fishingfilms #fallonsangler #hampshireavon
Surely it’s time for a perch?
Epping forest #eppingforest
The fading light plays a strong roll on us at this time of year. The Witching Hour film available to view, link in bio. #embracethedarkness
Next week I travel to France and begin filming a life in Normandy over one year. A man whos footprint on the planet has the lightest touch, where his life and the natural world sit side by side. #dustthefilm …
The Witching Hour our new film launching at midday today 15th October link in bio #fishingfilms #fallonsangler
Last week we spread my parents ashes on the South Downs. In life they were inseparable, so we did the honourable thing and mixed their ashes with our own hands, returned them to the chalk on the Sussex Downs at a geographical point between birth, life and death.
The Prince of Peace is dead, thank you for the musical and spiritual journey of my life. 1940-2022 #pharoahsanders
A quick over nighter by the river and under the stars with @fallonsangler_magazine for a new film. Packing light - bedroll, camera, drone and a Katsu Curry Pot Noodle or two. Film out in a fortnight. In the meantime please order our new issue of Fallons Angler capturing the bewitching hour. #autumnequinox #fallonsangler #fishingfilms #canonuk
Norway, reassuringly boring with some hidden surprises #norway #oslo #snorway

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