Issue No. XV October 16th 2023
A sense of belonging in the greater scheme of things
Looking out on another overcast day and the prematurely browning leaves in the orchard I cannot help to wonder if the pear, apple & quince will fair well and provide tasty fruits this year? I do hope so. As I write memories of the summer past certainly regarding any memorable weather are few and far between the only noteworthy recollection being June’s sun that shone bright and warm. July and August passed without event curtailing any hope of a halcyon summer. And so with the exception of rain and rather a lot of it summer passed us by.
This time last year the picture was all so different, with day after day of unbearable heat, I can recall the river levels being precariously low especially on the Wensum leading me to pray regularly for rain to fall and consistently over a good few weeks. My prayers were never answered and the rains never came with river levels remaining low into the new year. Thankfully this season the situation has not been as dire.
We rely so much on our seasons and what is expected of them, nature over preceding years has on the other hand had very different ideas about this convention. It’s difficult to see past humankind’s unnatural interventions to the earth and calls into question our understanding of seasonal adjustments. It stands to reason that if we as anglers witness first hand the evocation of our meddling hands and minds it does not take much imagination to realise the extent of change bearing down upon our natural flora and fauna – it has to be immense.
I have had precious little angling time this season but console myself when opening a door onto a lasting memory and the meadows and woods that surround the cottage, they are full to the brim in natures rich tapestry; the appreciation of which started at a tender age.
My parents in those early days would take me and my sister on walks through the countryside and were a daily occurrence. I also took the first tentative steps at trying to catch a fish at Percy’s farm pond, initially with my mother who would always bestow and correlate the gifts of nature upon my angling exploits. The two becoming ever more inseparable as the years passed.
And that is what angling has the capacity to instil, a sense of belonging in the greater scheme of things and beyond the pale of our everyday – those early encounters and a mother’s wisdom have never left me and ever since provided countless opportunities to marvel at the beating and buzzing of wings, to behold the splendour in our magisterial trees and see the beauty in so many varieties of insects, aquatic life and flora. There are not many pastimes where the steadying of our hectic lives can be so profoundly rested.
Pallenpool – Notes from the diary, North Norfolk – Autumn 2023
A Note Regarding The Wild Carp Trust From Martin James MBE
I’m proud to say that I have become an honorary Vice President of The Wild Carp Trust. This registered charity was formed in 2021 to conserve the UK’s oldest strains of carp. Anglers call these fish ‘wildies’ and, remarkably, there are strains remaining from medieval times. The Wild Carp Trust is doing great work to ensure these rare fish thrive in their home waters, while creating protected conservation ponds to keep the gene pools intact. The Trust is also helping to increase numbers of the fish via dedicated breeding programmes.
Already the Trust has secured one famous strain of carp from high up in the Welsh mountains and, I understand, are close to conserving two more historic strains. In these days where ‘biggest is best’ in angling, it’s wonderful to know that anglers still care about the small original fish that were here long before the ‘king carp’ started setting records. If you’d like to join, donate, or volunteer to help the Wild Carp Trust, you can do so here:
The charity would especially like to meet anyone who could help to source or care for conservation ponds, or supply fish-rearing and/or transportation equipment.
The Piscatorial Raconteurs & Friends – ‘being the quiet observations of Gentlemen Anglers‘
Within these pages you will find peace and warm reflection in what we believe is a quiet backwater. Here one can while away time sitting comfortably in a familiar armchair accompanied by a favoured tipple’… continue reading
Keeping An Eye On Proceedings
The Crafty Chub – A fish well worth seeking out along a river this autumn
Tis’ Time For A Bonfire.
There is something about a bonfire that perfectly captures the season
A thought for the day
Where are the songs of spring?Ay, Where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft; And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
To Autumn (Excerpt)
John Keats
This Issue’s Contemplations
The Raconteurs October Miscellany – David Craine, Carl Hier, & Paul Adams. Plus Raconteurs Articles – Martin James MBE, Paul Adams, R.B.Traditional, Pallenpool, Earthing The Current, Tengisgol, Ian Perryman & Jeremy Croxall.
October’s Guests – Ian Grant Searches For Big Roach In One Of Scotlands Huge Reservoirs & Paul Stark Reminds Us Nothing Changes
October’s Miscellany
Paul Adams – Harry Middleton Part Two ‘‘While storms pressed hard against the resolve of the farmhouse, Albert and Emerson would work at the desk with the determination of minor gods, forsaking at every turn the dictates of reason and good sense in their search for the great concoction.’ continue reading
Carl Hier – Discovers The Natural History Museum’ At last, I walked under the ornate archway and entered Aladdin’s cave. Opened in 1881, this grand building’s spires, stained glass windows and sculptured archways give it a cathedral-like feel. For many, its exhibits clearly combine to create an almost religious experience. If natural history is your thing, this is your Mecca.‘ continue reading
David Craine – Island Life, Part Two ‘After the steep descent we explored, starting at the eastern end of the islet. We walked, stumbled and scrambled along the island’s sea-cliff, much lower than the mainland cliff behind us but still high enough to give you a sudden attack of vertigo should you suffer from such stuff.’ continue reading
This Editions Features & Articles
October’s Guests
Paul Stark – Nothing Changes ‘The old bench under the window was piled high with assorted rod making bits and pieces. I wasn’t often allowed into the shed but on the rare occasion this did happen, I just sat quietly and watched, spellbound. Badly wounded during the war, my father had limited use of his hands’ continue reading
Ian Grant – Searches For Big Roach ‘Sitting for a time without any indications wasn’t unexpected but it meant I became so preoccupied that when the bite finally came I missed it. True to what I believed, the indication came as a full wrap-around on the tip, unmistakable but not unmissable’ continue reading
The Piscatorial Raconteurs Articles
Paul Adams, Martin James MBE, Earthing The Current, Pallenpool, Tengisgol, Jeremy Croxall, Ian Perryman & R.B.Traditional
Pallenpool – Autumn Gifts & A Dace After Breakfast ‘Viewing the commonplace from another perspective can be revealing. These pictures were taken from a glade I pass everyday. I noticed the sun filtering through the remaining cover and ventured inside. Once on my hands and knees those things I would normally have taken for granted became transformative‘ continue reading
R.B.Traditional – Avon Calling ‘My angling has always been varied; I suppose I come into that general clique called the ‘all-rounder’. I’m happy fishing for tench in the summer, barbel in the autumn and chub, roach and perch in the winter’ continue reading
Jeremy Croxall – My River ‘The passing of time shrouds the events of life in a mist, obscuring the truth of past encounters; I find myself observing a grand looking residence in the near distance. It has a vague familiarity; my curious gaze returns to it frequently, distracting me from my purpose’ continue reading
Ian Perryman – By Accident Or Design ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have a traditional case for the Aerial? I certainly thought that it deserved to be housed in something that was fitting for such a lovely piece of engineering. The search was on and then, after hours of trawling the web, grumbling and muttering to myself I clicked a link to a YouTube video that had me glued. A chap was making a leather box that had what looked like a similar construction to a D block case‘ continue reading
Tengisgol – Remembers Arthur ‘Artie would tackle us up to fish hemp on the drop, pole in his right hand, and a dozen grains a cast thrown from his left. ‘Bait’ was two tiny bits of matchstick, soaked to soften, delicately hooked through, then left to dry. A dab of Elmers to keep it all tight and painted over black and white’ continue reading
Paul Adams – Takes A Road Trip, The Staple Of American Literature ‘The once mighty Columbia River cuts through the mountains, draining a quarter million square miles of headwaters. Once home to prolific migratory runs of salmon and trout, these are now a token of their former self’ continue reading
Earthing The Current – Sliding Doors ‘Eventually a tiny tremor ripples from the horizontal float. Then another, which rocks it slightly. Ah Karma…the rudd have appeared then…The coot has influence? Another sideways tow of the float and I lift gently’ continue reading
Martin James M.B.E – Big Chub & Barbel In A Dream Session ‘After a few short runs I had the fish coming towards the net and as we switched on our headlights it swirled then dived away in fright. Thankfully the clutch had done its job and gave line at this critical time. A minute later Mick had netted a good barbel for me’ continue reading
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