2011 – Late March Blog

How did your season finish up? Mine was a bit up and down. As far as the UK river fishing is concerned I was always going to be AWOL for the final week as I had plans to be fishing on the other side of the world so my domestic season simply fizzled out. It was a complete damp squib and if truth be told, I was glad to see it over.

My final trip saw me struggling for so much as a bite on the Trent and it was only through sheer bloody mindedness that I decided to head off and put a couple of hours in on a nearby tributary. That and I had 4 pints of maggots which I had to get rid of, which was a criminal waste.

The tributary has been kind to me on several desperate occasions yet I really struggled. Eventually the rod tip jagged round and I caught a chub. Not a big chub, nor even a pretty one. It was simply a scrawny chub that saved a blank. I wasn’t so much pleased to catch it as relieved, and that’s when you realise you’ve had too much of a good thing and it’s time for a break. So I packed up and retired the river rods for a few months.

GT Racing

I did hint recently that I had a very special trip on the horizon. Well, it was three very excited anglers who checked in their luggage at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 en-route first for Delhi, then Calcutta and onwards to Port Blair on the far edge of the Bay of Bengal. Destination, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

A couple of years ago I was inspired by Stephen Palmer and his mates, who came along to one of my Caer Beris coaching weekends. They told me of a fish called a GT, the giant trevally. GT’s, they promised me, were the biggest thrill in angling, bar none. ‘Forget mahseer,’ they said, ‘Forget Nile perch, these fish smash rods and smoke reels. You will not believe how hard they pull.’

Well, it had to be looked into, didn’t it? And the more I read and the more people I spoke to, it seemed they were not exaggerating. GT’s were the real deal. So we found somewhere that we could just about afford, acquired all the gear, and booked a trip. We were heading for paradise. Port Bair. Or as Richard Foster (Fosters of Birmingham) described it, ‘A right s**thole!’ And I must agree, Port Blair is not the most exotic place I’ve ever stayed, nor were our digs exactly 5 star, but they were adequate. We were there for the fishing, not living the dolce vita.

And Stu came back with a nice souvenier. These are the jaws of a big barracuda. And in case you were wondering, they do taste rather nice!

Rather than bury the details here in the blog, please go here and you’ll find a stand alone article about the whole trip.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They

I did a bit of digging around on the web the other day to see if I could ascertain exactly how many cormorant licences have been issued in recent years and how many have officially been recorded as shot. The figure we all need to be wary of is not the headline grabbing ‘Fishermen Shoot 2,000 Cormorants’ as that only relates to the number of licenses that are up for grabs.

A club might be successful in gaining permission to shoot a bird or two but whether they are ultimately successful is another thing altogether. For example, licenses were granted in 2006-7  to shoot 2178 cormorants but only 1458 were actually reported shot. In 2007-8 the upper limit was set at 1,800 birds. Presumably less than this were actually culled.

Recent news items have overstated the numbers shot, for instance saying that 2,133 birds were killed in 2009 when only 1,636 were reported shot, with another possible 97.

A similar number of licences are likely to be granted this winter but it’s impossible to be accurate with any degree of confidence.

The RSPB and its members are staunchly opposed to cormorant culling and Natural England are no better, yet common sense tells us that cormorants are wreaking untold damage to fisheries far and wide although some anglers insist on burying their heads in the sand insisting nature will take care of itself and the population will even out if given time. How much time? They’ve been hammering our rivers since 1970.

Left to increase at their current rate cormorants will destroy the natural ecology of our river systems. These are not sea birds driven inland by a lack of fish in coastal waters. That is a total myth. A deliberate smokescreen. These are Eastern European cormorants, carbo sinensis, a freshwater bird. Rumours persist that it did not fly here unaided from Denmark. Some suggest it was illegally introduced by, well guess who…?

Unfortunately the numbers we are shooting compared with the number of breeding pairs in residence is resulting in no reduction whatsoever. The impact on fish populations is blatantly obvious. They have been decimated. What will happen to our native fish-eating bird species should be a serious cause for concern. They will reduce in numbers significantly over time, mark my words.

The resistance to managing cormorant (carbo sinensis) numbers, an alien species, is ludicrous when compared with what has happened with race horses in Ireland over the past year. The downturn in the economy has seen many race horse owners unable to sustain the cost of stabling and training. Many horses are owned by small syndicates who share the costs rather than outright by wealthy owners and cannot cover the £15,000 per year it costs to have a horse in training. Consequently 4,500 race horses were put down in Ireland last year and their flesh sold into the food chain.

I’ll repeat that: 4,500 thoroughbred race horses were slaughtered in Ireland alone, in one year, yet no-one bats an eyelid.

A fishery bailiff was savagely beaten by a bird watcher for legally shooting one cormorant.

These so-called conservationists and bird watchers have got their sensibilities rather mixed up if you ask me. It’s a blinkered, myopic standpoint that should be challenged voraciously. They are simply an unbalanced and unhinged bunch of obsessive pack animals who care nothing for the impact of their chosen idols against the wider animal world. They are completely selfish in their outlook.

If you want to read a proper tub-thumping view on cormorants check out the cormorantbusters web site. It’ll open your eyes.

Macca Springs Into Action

Old Macca’s a dab hand at catching big pike. What makes it more amazing is this was his first trip out for nearly as month. He took a day off work and caught yet another ‘twenty’. If my memory serves me right, the last time he was out he had to break the ice to fish, and guess what he caught then? T

Hi Bob. Attached is a photo of another 20lb’s Pike which I caught today.It was My 1st day out for nearly a month,I just had to have a day off work now that a touch of Spring is in the air. Tight lines ….Macca

Closed Season Blues

A week into the closed season and the natives are already getting restless. Barbel Wars is likely to break out at any moment, indeed the first shots have been fired over on BFW and the predictable phoney tantrums have followed.

The same disgruntled names are sharpening their knives, eager to stick them in the backs of anyone they perceive as the enemy. No doubt the Barbel Society will get a kicking from the disaffected minority, trying to make out things are far worse now than when they were members.

It’s not like the old days, is it?

Err, actually it is. If anything Society is probably better off without those who would gleefully celebrate its demise.

And I’m still waiting to see a credible, thriving alternative.

Oh well, only another 86 days to go.

Postscript: BFW has just issued a warning:

It’s become increasingly evident that there are a very small number of posters here who do not see eye-to-eye.
Seeing threads diverted into these continued squabbles between the minority is both tedious and damaging to BFW.
We, as a team, will be taking much more direct action against any poster who continues to provocate others.
Membership of the site will be removed permanently, without notice or explanation.

Alas it’s clear that the same weak moderation that ruined the original site continues. All talk, no action.

These are not new posters stirring up trouble. It’s the same old, same old. And how many times have we heard these empty threats from the boss. Too little, too late old son. Tis such a pity.

And can anyone tell me what ‘provocate’ means. Can’t find it in my dictionary but perhaps these links might help…

Provocate 1

Provocate 2

Provocate 3

Provocate 4

Adcock Stanton Celebrates 25 Years

The Stanton reel has been an object of desire since the early days of the second world war. It became the Adcock Stanton 25 years ago and to commemorate the anniversary the company is producing a limited edition of just 25 5-inch reels in the original livery of brushed aluminium and brass. With reels fetching the kind of prices that make you sit up these look to be a worthy investment at just £259 including a neoprene pouch.

Each reel is individually numbered and engraved with a 25th Anniversary badge. Take a look and make up your own mind. Frankly I can see them being snapped up by collectors as they’re almost certain to appreciate in value.

You can contact the company through its web site.

Adcock Stanton can now offer bespoke glass engraving. Trophies, like this example can be done to order:

 

Or if you want to create a lasting memory of a special fish, how about an engraved picture frame like this one:

Just A Home Town Boy

Old Zyg rang just after I got home. Turns out he’d been on his travels, too. I won’t apologise for turning this blog into a blue water special, but it is the closed season and folk around these parts always used to dabble with a bit of sea fishing when the rivers closed. That’s kinda drifted by the wayside these days but I reckon there are plenty of fish to be caught from the Humber on nothing more substantial than carp tackle – or as it’s now called, barbel gear.

Anyway, Zyg’s been after his second Royal Tuna Slam hoping to catch a dogtooth tuna in Mauritius and a longtail tuna whilst in Karachi: “Despite a few nights of fishing in Mauritius all I got for my efforts was a Barracuda and shards of carbon when the rod I was using exploded, I also had a 60lb plus Wahoo.”

Hate to tell him but the very first fish I caught on the Andaman trip was a dogtooth. Zyg, they’re so easy even a novice like me can catch them! As for that tiddly little Barra….

He struggled in Karachi, too, but he did receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Pakistan Game Fish Association, presented by Mr. Kamal Asfar, the Ex-Governor of Sind, in front of 100 top Karachi industrialists and businessmen.

According to Zyg, “This is particularly good because I was born as a lowly refugee in Karachi and now I am honoured by the top people there.”

Yeah, and I always remind him he’s a peasant when I visit Angler Paradise. 😉

Zyg went on to say that Karachi is practically a fortress city today with aremed soldiers everywhere. The day he left a couple of visiting anglers were actually kidnapped and dropped into cave until a ransom was paid!

I think I’ll stick to tenching in the next few weeks if that’s okay?

Let’s Support Mark

I received a request from Mark Erdwin to highlight the EA’s removal of carp and pike from canals. It’s a pleasure Mark:

Dear Bob,

I was just contacting you regarding the following and was wondering if you could put something up on your website and put it about to other sources, so that people become aware and can sign the following petition, regarding the removal of Carp and Pike by british waterways from our canals.

Petition 1: Carp

Petition 2: Pike

Look forward to hearing from you and hoping you can help add some weight to this.

Kind regards,

Mark

August And Everything After…

Did you spot the abusive post someone left on this site last week? What a sad individual, eh? No doubt using one of his many pseudonyms…

Pathetic.

Oh well, live and let live. If it fills a void in his empty life.

Meanwhile I’ve been revisiting a few old albums. We threw a dinner party last weekend. Good friends, fabulous food, nice wines and lively conversation. It was a chance to dig out a few oldies, the kind of stuff I really ought to transfer to my iPod, if I ever find the time.

The album that stood out, to me, and has been played several times since is one that David Hall introduced me to back in 1993. Where does the time go, eh? Anyway, it’s August and Everything After by the Counting Crows. Superb, timeless music. Here are a few random examples from their back catalogue.

Enjoy.

 

It’s Raining In My Heart

It just had to happen. All talk in the Andamans was that when the weather blew over someone would have an absolute birthday. That was before the unfortunate tsunami decimated Japan.

‘Last time we had a tsunami the fishing was terrible for several days and then the fish just went mad.’

We knew Richard Foster (Foster’s Of Birmingham) was heading out there 5 days after us and the inevitable text message winged its way over to James’ phone today.

Hi James,

You might like to know two of my mates landed 1 dog tooth and 39 GTs.  Approx 10  over 25kg,  max 30kilo. Biggest we had was 35kg approx.

Great first day.

First day? First bloody day! We’d have been overjoyed if we’d done that well in the whole chuffin’ week!!!

I’m starting to believe it’s my hat. Maybe it is jinxed after all.

A Little Food For Thought…

The world’s population today numbers almost 7 billion. By 2050 it will be 9 billion. On the basis we cannot feed the current population, what will happen?

The increase is the equivalent of two extra Indias.

If you include the 1 billion who go hungry today we will need to feed three extra Indias in the next 40 years.

Then throw in climate change.

‘What shall we have for dinner?’ Could easily become, ‘Is there anything for dinner?’

Ironically the world currently produces enough food to supply every man, woman and child with 2,700 calories a day, 600 more than most adults are generally understood to need. So why do people starve?

Waste. We throw away too much food.

We need to grow more maize over the next 40 years than we have in the last 500.

Populations are gravitating towards cities. Cities are growing rapidly. City dwellers eat more food that country folk. They also eat more meat. It is anticipated the contributions of cereals will have dropped to 46% while the demand for meat, dairy and fats will have risen to 29%. Production of soya beans, most of which goes to animal feed will double to 515m tonnes.

The total demand for food is expected to rise about 70% in the 44 years from 2006 to 2050. Growth in farm yields is falling.

Governments have set ambitious bio fuel targets. America aspires to generate 30% of its needs from bio fuels by 2030. Currently it generates 8% of its needs with Ethanol but that consumes 40% of America’s enormous maize crop. If they stopped production of ethanol global edible maize supplies would increase by 14%.

Water is in short supply. We can afford to use 4,200 cubic kilometres each year without depleting overall supplies. Consumption currently stands at 4,500 cu km, of which agriculture takes around 70%. As a result, water tables are plummeting. In the Punjab it was once just a few metres below the surface. Today it is, in some places, hundreds of metres down.

Rivers that water some of the world’s breadbaskets, such as the Colorado, Murray-Darling and Indus no longer reach the sea. Every single drop of water is consumed. It is estimated that by 2030 farmers will need 45% more water. Cites are by far the largest users of water. Half the  world’s population currently live in cities. This is expected to rise to 70% by 2050.

Agriculture’s share of water used to be 90% but whenever there is a dispute between farmers and city dwellers over water, Government side with the voters – the city dwellers.

It takes 1,150-2,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of wheat. It takes 16,000 litres to produce 1kg of beef. As more people eat more meat the demand for water will increase.

Agriculture is a big contributor to climate change. Farming directly accounts for 13.5% of greenhouse gas emissions and land-use changes, cutting down jungle for fields contributes a further 17.4%. That’s almost a third of the total emissions. Agriculture is responsible for between a third and a half of two especially toxic greenhouse gas emissions, methane and nitrous oxide.

New infectious diseases are appearing at the rate of 3 to 4 a year. Three-quarters of them can be traced to animals, domestic and wild, avian flu for example.

Much of the methane in the atmosphere is created by cattle belching.

Like it or not, battery farming is the way forward. A free-range hen might only lay one or two eggs a week. Its battery counterpart will produce six.

Genetic selection is an imperative not an option. Yields (that’s the amount of food created in the same space) have to increase by 1.5% per year for the next 40 years. Only maize currently reaches this target. Genetic selection (or GM) will have to be applied to rice, soya and wheat if it is to catch up.

The low hanging fruit has already been plucked. We need to get smarter if we are to survive. Our biggest enemy is waste. 30-50% of all food rots away uneaten. Studies have shown that a quarter of all food bought in shops and restaurants is thrown away uneaten. Salads come top of the list. As much as a half is thrown away. Add a third of all bread, a quarter of fruit and a fifth of vegetables and you can see we have a lot of learning to do.

In Britain and America each individual throws away roughly 100kg of food each year. If all the rich countries throw away an equivalent amount it adds up to one third of the world’s entire supply of meat.

If Western waste could be curbed and the food distributed to those who need it the problem of feeding 9 billion people would vanish.

Food for thought, eh?

Are you doing your bit?

39 thoughts on “2011 – Late March Blog

  1. Hi Bob,
    My season could not have ended better. Spent a great weekend on the Kennet with Andy, who strangely enough you have a pic of on your blog in an engraved frame. I then beat my pb with a 13lb beauty from the middle Severn on my last trip of my season! Your trip overseas looks like it was a blast, I must travel further to fish! Great entry, Roll on the 16th.
    Cheers
    Tim

  2. Feeding 9 billion people isn’t the problem…Overcrowding and close quarter contact will be. Viruses and bacteria will adapt and mutate far faster, old style disease will become big killers again especially close contact stuff like TB.

    Personally I would rather see the world population growth capped.

    Who wants a giant concrete spawl and cities that are like Blade Runner sets?

  3. I thought Blade Runner was based on Sheffield Lee? ;-0

    Oh and Bob that Chub has not been photo shopped has it ?

    Could lead to trouble If it has. ;-0

  4. Hi Monty,

    Trouble? That’s my middle name! 😉

    You know, the only image in the whole blog that hasn’t been ‘shopped’ is the one of Macca and he probably tweaked that before he sent it.

    You really have to question the sanity of folk who study other’s pictures before going on BFW and start a thread to abuse them. They must have very sad, hollow, empty lives. We should pity them.

    Anyway, just litening to Jason Mraz. It’s a live recording and simply stunning. I’ll sort out a link to this and hundreds of other live gigs in the next blog. I think you’ll like it.

    Regards,

    Bob

  5. Hi Bob.

    I notice that the comment you have made regarding the moderating on BFW has been reinforced today.

    A post regarding Mark Barrett, which is both insulting and personal, has been made and then reinforced by the author,Tony Rocca. It has been left for all to see by the moderating team. I suppose if you are mates with them you can say just what you want.

    Unfortunately,the last person who should make comment about someone’s size should be Mr. Rocca.

    Rumpelstiltskin springs to mind!!

    • Rich, spose it’s the same awld, same awld, tis not what you know or who you know, it’s what you know about who you know, that counts.

      The bit about Rumpelstiltskin, made I laugh, especially where it’s come from. ; )

  6. Okay, we’ve all smiled, but attacking Rocca (as repulsive as he is) makes us no better than he is.

    Any self respecting web site moderator would have removed that comment about Mark Barratt. It’s deeply personal, offensive and downright insulting. It was so obviously meant to hurt and denigrate. To let it stand shames BFW.

    Having met Mark, and only the awful weather prevented us sharing a session together this past winter, I can vouch for him being quite humorous, dedicated, talented and he puts a lot back into the sport through the PAC.

    To attack him on the grounds of his robust stature is completely disgraceful. It’s uncalled for and tantamount to bullying.

    By all means you may discuss Fish ‘n Tips here. If you dislike it, that’s fine. If you think it’s worthy, then make a case for it. Strong opinions either way are welcome, but I would rather we try and avoid further personal insults about Messrs Barratt or Rocca on this site.

    Bob Roberts

    • Point taken Bob.
      Perhaps to save any further interaction the Rumpelstiltskin remark is best removed.
      It was funny though rather than simply obnoxious!! 🙂

      Rich.

      • No, I’ll let it stand Rich. Those who court such remarks invite a response. Outraged if you respond, secretly disappointed if you don’t. It’s a no win situation so we do our best to rise above the gutter snipes and move on.

        In any case there’s a world of diference between attacking someone for their physical characteristics in an unprovoked and personal manner and likening someone to a fairy tale character.

        • Bob I find it quite hypocritical of you to slate Tony Rocca for making a comment about Mark Barrets size (which if he had a mind to he, Mark, could do something about) when only a couple of months ago you were extracting the Michel out of Mr Rocca, and by association anyone else of a smaller stature, because he happens to be of a size which allows him to go into Mothercare and buy a suit off the peg instead of being restricted to certain shops which cater for the freakishly tall.

          Adrian Williams (5′ 6 1/2″)

          • Good morning Adrian – left our brain cell in bed today, did we?

            Let’s deal in facts, shall we?

            1. There is no mention of Rocca in my blog whatsoever.

            2. My only mention of Rocca is in response to a comment (above) made by a reader and I have specifically requested (politely) that all readers refrain from insulting either Rocca or Mark Barratt. Something you have clearly ignored.

            3. Interesting spellings ‘Adrian’.

            4. The only people commenting in a derrogatory manner about MB’s size are ‘you’ and Rocca.

            5. On what grounds have you reached your prognosis that Mark Barratt, ‘if he had a mind to he could do something about’ (his size). Are you some kind of medical expert? Have you examined him? Discussed his condition?

            Please do not bother responding or your email address will be blocked. A hundred thousand visitors have enjoyed this site in the past year. You are an exception. So why bother reading it?

            Now go away. You are boring me with these faux (Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3/4) protestations.

          • Despite my warning Mr Williams has responded with more abuse.

            The post has been deleted and his IP address has been added to the spam filter list.

            This site does not have to, nor will it tolerate such behaviour.

            Why is it that whenever there is abuse, confrontation or any kind of outrageous behaviour on angling web sites it is invariably the same few people, a relatively tiny insidious clique, who are at the root of it?

            Other sites may be happy to welcome them. This site will not.

            Admin

  7. Hi Bob,

    Nice blog as always, I’ve slipped behind due to all the writing I’m doing for Fish N Tips!

    Plus I’ve rediscovered perch fishing after many years, but the next update will arrive next week and by my standards will be long.

    I’ll put forward the case for my involvement on there.

    With regard to another website and a particular repugnant individual your post above is spot on and out of respect for you and your site I’ll say no more.

    All the very best,

    Steve

    • Not sure where you’re coming from, Kevin, but for the record, no-one gets paid to post on here, not even me. I’m certainly not aware that Steve gets paid to post anywhere on the web.

      Private web sites like this are a labour of love. It’s a way of putting something into the sport, free of commercialism. If anything it costs us money to do it and considerable time and effort.

      Don’t be so bitter!

  8. Why is it this blog seems to always to turn into a tool for berating other anglers, and may i say other anglers humping on the band wagon and doing the same??

    Paul Cooper
    6ft 1″

    • It’s not that at all, Paul, just a “very small amount of (small minded) keyboard warriors” fishing for bites, probably because they have nowt else better to do with themselves.

      You only have to look at a certain spoof barbel site, to see exactly what I mean!

      I am as sure as the grass is green, if you don’t give them the time of day, they’ll just sod off else where, Bobs already fully aware of this, that is why when they reply, he’s on the ball & quite right too.

      I certainly don’t believe that this blog is a tool for berating others at all, far from it!
      We all enjoy reading about Bobs fishing tales, it’s I suppose, you get out of it what you put in, if you read into it with your imagination it may sound like that but no it really isn’t.

      As ever Bob, an interesting read, keep it going. 🙂

      ATB,
      William.

  9. Dear Paul,

    Sometimes I find that running a web site is rather like trying to control a playground full of spoilt children who are constantly seeking my attention, each vying to outdo the other.

    If you prevent these individuals from having a say, they cry foul and stamp their feet. If you let them in they act like fools and disgrace theirselves.Either way they make a pointless fuss. I am not disposed to treating fools gladly and I am a believer in straight talking. If they come to my site and behave badly then I shall leave them in no doubt that their behaviour is unacceptable.

    It is not possible to ban them from reading the site, only from posting on it, otherwise I would. In reality there are probably no more than a score of individuals that cause problems on angling forums and web sites like this in total. It’s the same odious individuals time and time again.

    Balance that against 100,000 visitors to this site in the past year alone and what does that tell us? They are a highly vocal but proportionately insignificant minority.

    However, in the interest of fairness and decency I try and balance the comments beneath my blogs and give everyone a chance to air their views (even though they may be sometimes controversial). It has never been my intention to host a bland and meaningless site full of product placement and same-old, same-old, derivative articles. It is intended to be lively, cutting edge and entertaining without being overly commercial but you can expect opinionated comments both from me and from visitors.

    You should actually read some of the comments I filter out!

    In fairness, if Mark Barratt would like to respond to the slurs against his physique I would gladly publish them on this site because, frankly, I find the comments made about him disgusting. Fattist comments are no less offensive than racist or homophobic comments. However I fully understand why he will not and do not blame him. He has little choice other than to remain in dignified silence.

    Perhaps if other sites were more professional in their moderation the least savoury of the comments made here by visitors wouldn’t arise? Or are you saying that it is immoral of me to highlight the behaviour of individuals who make what are the equivalent of racist or sexist comments? Just lads being lads? let’s sweep it under the carpet, eh?

    Well, sorry, but I’m not having that here. No way!

  10. Ooops, your last post, got in there before me & I agree with your last short sentence is quite right too. 🙂

  11. Bob,

    But surely the long running spat with Mr Rocca, and the funnies you put on your blog about him is just playing into his/there hands? In fact any answer you give is just more ammunition for him/them to reply with. Ideally you should just ignore all the slur slander and japery and hold your head up high in the knowledge your the better person????

    • You’re absolutely correct Paul, which is why I have ignored the actions of Rocca and his pathetic cronies for many months. As tempting as it may have been, even when I have received private emails urging me to read his latest taunts or insults, I have chosen not to bother. I can do that because that is the private domain.

      However it is less easy in the public domain. When others come on here and name him/them in their comments I am faced with a dilemma. Do I censor these views or do I allow them? It’s a problem that would challenge Solomon’s wisdom.

      In this instance I thought the comments about Mark Barratt were completely outrageous. I can do nothing about comments elsewhere but I have taken decisive action here. Were I to sweep it under the carpet by censoring genuine responses in case it offended the ‘sensitivities’ of the original perpetrator(s) then I would be doing the likes of Mark and any other victim of such ignorant bullying an injustice.

      I do my utmost to ensure that comments published on here are legal, thruthful and honest, though it is hard sometimes to remain completely unbiased.

  12. So Mark Barrets been called fat?? Im sure hes got thick skin and has heard it a million times by people who are insecure or are bullies.

    I think Roccas got to you big time to be honest Bob, you mention him in your blogs a fair bit sometimes not in name but all roads lead to him. So I think hes got in your head and hes won IMHO.

    P.S. Keep the blogs coming be great to see what you do in the closed season.

    David

  13. Not the point David.

    Even if he is thick skinned, there is no need for it.

    If people stand by and let the insecure bullies (one of the same) get away with it, then one day they will pick on somebody who can’t take it, and who knows what the consequences may be.

    Nice read Bob as usual.

  14. Point well made, Fred. It’s just so unneccessary. In fact I’m tempted to say, just not British…

    But on that score I’m not sure any more.

    And what’s this rumour I’m hearing that the BS and the ABoF are holding a meeting on Friday about burying the hatchet, joining forces and marching on together…?

    • All I can say Bob, if it is the case, nobody has told me!

      Anyway, who are the ABoF ?

  15. No, I’m sure I was told that it was arranged this coming Friday, the 1st April.

    Somewhere near Severn Stoke, or something…

    😉

  16. Sorry Fred, couldn’t resist!

    Someone has to lighten the mood.

    Next blog’s ready. I’ll bang it up on Friday.

  17. Oh dear.

    In the words of John Cleese:

    This Fish’n’Tips is no more!

    He has ceased to be!

    ‘E’s expired and gone to meet ‘is maker!

    ‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘E rests in peace!

    If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies!

    ‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory!

    ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisibile!!

    THIS IS AN EX-MAGAZINE!!

    According to the magazine’s web site (today) it has cancelled publication of a second issue. Lack of advertising support for the magazine is blamed.

    No shit, Sherlock! Now who’d have thought that?

  18. TBH I wouldnt Rich, never joined never will, I enjoy my fishing and socialising on the bank.

    When I was asked if I would join I said what does it get me? And when I found out it was just two comics a year and club membership I declined.

    Again the internet is, I think, ruining fishing with all these forum people bitching at each other. Internet warriors playing at keyboard kung fu is the best I can describe it.

    And in all fairness if all the little internet groups(BFAMW,BFW etc) got together at a fish in and met face to face they would I’d say pretty much get on with each other.

    I suppose I could say I’m hypocritical myself, bitching here on Bobs blog.

    Oh well tight lines one and all

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