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Tag Archives: sea

I dream of black bream.

12 Monday Jul 2021

Posted by The tuesday swim in General

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

anglers, black, bream, deep, Hove, sea

I’m not one to share my personal life online unless it is specifically threaded around fishing and related matters. But in the current issue of Fallon’s Angler which came out in June 2021, I wrote about the passing of my father. We never fished together, he hung up his rods back in the fifties after spending time in Hove fishing for black bream in his boat, The Vulcher. It’s a tender piece about a time that I often think about, a period when pleasures were simple, my father would tinker on his boat, light driftwood fires and fish.

Please support Fallon’s Angler and order issue 22 or better still take a subscription http://www.fallonsangler.net/shop.

One final thing, if anyone can help me catch a black bream I would be very interested in hearing from you.

So long dad.

Ian Fallowfield-Cooper – 1st Nov 1930 to 30th March 2021

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.

Mackerel on the washing line.

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

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Tags

bannatyne, Bute, fishing, Isle, mackerel, mullet, of, port, sea

Last week saw the rod box packed once again on the sleeper as we set sights on Port Bannatyne  on the Isle of Bute. This time pike fishing was out of the question as fish lice have become a major issue on Loch Ascog, Quien and Fad, limiting the fishing or completely closing it down as in the case of Loch Fad.

After visiting Bute Angling for some local advice (far more useful than using the mighty internet) my sights were set on mackerel and if I had the time and patience some mullet. With sixteen of us gathered on the isle, time spent fishing was limited but I still managed a few quick trips off the breakwater in Port Bannatyne, where after a failed first attempt I managed a mackerel and two pollock, the pollock were small and returned but the mackerel was taken back and sliced into sashimi.

Abu mackerel

On the penultimate day we took the boat out across the bay and into thirty foot of water, where each drop of the line took hold of three or four mackerel.

Bute 2013

Bute ii 2013… that night we fed all sixteen, including an additional harvest of langoustines bought on the quayside from two local teenage lads.

mackerel 2013
mackerel mealWhile returning to the marina that evening I noticed a group of lurking mullet swirling on the surface…next time perhaps?

Behind the boats.

23 Thursday May 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

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Tags

angling, bass, dungeones, fishing, kent, sea, seagull

A few weeks back I was camping with a group of friends in Sussex, my main responsibility that weekend was to organise a little fishing trip for some of the youngsters, so I booked six of us in to a commercial day ticket water for some assured bagging action! Well we succeeded in the sense of catching some fish but my heart sank from the moment we arrived with the usual carp brigade all bivvyed and brewed up. Commercials have no place in the Tuesday swim, an antidote was needed well away from these piscatorial dogging ponds.

A trip to the sea was needed and a search for a spring bass on the prowl.

Dungeoness is a place I have know for thirty years or more since I was a teenager and each time I visit this place it greets me un-changed, a reassuring feeling that puts you at ease from the start, just like sliding on an old pair of jeans. On the way into Dungeoness via the Romney Marsh a visit to Seagull Angling for some last-minute advice, some rag worms and a few spare weights is a must. Just like Dungeoness, Seagull Angling has changed little, stuffed with plenty of terminal gear and a few rods and reels, tackle shops that deal primarily in sea tackle by nature have not been affected quite so much by the carp epidemic, the smell is not of Scopex squid more but more earthy worm and tobacco smoke, believe it or not this is my favoured smell.

After some sound advice we set off to the point named ‘Behind the boats’ just down from the Dungeoness point where Derek Jarman famously had his shack with the flotsam and jetsam garden at the front. The shack is still there along with other wooden houses that gives the impression of a Mississippi delta rather than the garden of England.

On the beach we cast out three ounce wired leads on rather under powered carp rods but just managed to get the lugworm out far enough and hold for an incoming bass on the hunt. We were fishing an hour before low tide and then planned to fish on for another three or four hours on the rising tide. Prime time would have been an hour after high at around 7.00pm as the light levels were starting to drop but we didn’t have that luxury of time.

IMG_0004Despite this the weather was quite favourable, a blanket haze was cast over the whole area and the wind was moderate, we now had to wait with a re-cast every 10-15 minutes to check on baits and terminal tackle.

IMG_0002IMG_0008

Just on the turn of the tide my rod started to twitch in a manner that didn’t match the rhythms of the waves so I struck with the end result of a silver sea perch, enough for two fillets for our supper that night. Sea bass really are magical and now I’m thinking about a moonlit hunt for these wonderful fish.
IMG_0010

Water & Canoeing.

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by The tuesday swim in General

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

canoe, mcnaulty, sea, skeg

I’ve spent many hours looking at it, standing in it, walking along side it, swimming through it and casting a line into it, well now I have decided to start sitting on it!

Anglers and canoeist generally don’t seem to get on together, both wanting the same quarry for themselves, share and share alike I say…

The Fleet Foxes on the Usk…

23 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by The tuesday swim in Music

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

clarke, cooper, festival, fleet, foxes, green, john, man, pecknold, robin, sea, trout, usk, valley, wales

The Tuesday Swim was under canvas last weekend at the Green Man festival, situated by the river Usk. A small intimate festival where ‘folk music’ loosely describes this very chilled out event. The festival meanders around a private garden and surrounding farm land, where a natural basin creates the auditorium for the main stage.

Harbouring next to the river Usk where sea-trout silently run by at night unknown to several thousand revellers engaged in a collective mix of John Cooper Clarke, a pedal powered dance tent and ultimately for me, the Fleet Foxes.

Robin Pecknold filled the Usk valley with his crisp and haunting vocals, the penultimate song performed was Oliver James sung as a solo by Pecknold that held the crowd open-mouthed, the Fleet Foxes were in a league of their own, true masters of harmony.

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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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