Issue No. XVIII, April 16th 2024
Tis’ The Season For Trout
Be Prepared – Closed Season Must Do’s.
Jeremy Croxall takes us through his regime of fettling, repairing & restoring.
Easter is done and we’re still plagued by rain. The coarse fishing season is closed but current conditions do not favour the artful posturing of a fly rod over a gently flowing stream.
As we welcomed spring with hopes of sunshine and clement weather, my thoughts turned to the pursuit of wild brown trout and the delights of wandering along a small local river with the minimum encumbrance of tackles. However, my unfulfilled aspiration will remain as such, with great avidity.
Time then, to potter about in the workshop, complete the unfinished projects and make ready those items of tackle which require a repair or routine maintenance.
There’s no denying that split-bamboo fishing rods have an inherent beauty. This would be apparent to any observer, whether angler or not. However, without care and attention these fine hand crafted items, which chronicle the history and development of our art, need our periodic intervention to maintain them as such. Corks, silk wrappings, rings, ferrules and varnish all need inspection, with some remedial action taken if found wanting.
The river resting period provides us with ample opportunity to fix and fettle to our hearts content. Reels too, should be stripped of line, cleaned, dried and lubricated, then stored carefully in readiness for the glorious and eagerly anticipated return to the river-bank.
There’s also canvas to scrub, wicker to oil, leather to wax, jackets to re-proof and tackle- boxes to replenish. All those books that we anglers tend to accumulate should be dusted off and opened up to read, learn and inwardly digest. I actually feel a sense of guilt when I glance at the un-read books on my book shelf… Thank goodness for the season of angling inactivity; when would these things get done otherwise?
I imagine we’ve all reflected on the highs and lows of the erstwhile season and have made plans and ambitions going forward. Perhaps it will be a new rod to christen, a new reel to try out, new venues to explore or new tactics to deploy, perhaps even a new species to target?
In my case dear reader, and I am sure I am not alone, all of the above applies…
Jeremy Croxall, Derbyshire – April 2024
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
Tackle Gallery
There are many reasons we enjoy our art of angling, the countryside, nature, of course the fish we angle for & most definitely the tackles – predominantly from a bygone age, & on occasion crafted today, always by hand keeping alive the artisanal traditions of yesteryear.
Use the chevrons to navigate the gallery. Using an i-phone or similar just click on the image to scroll through.
This gallery will be updated periodically so make sure you drop in every edition.
This Issue’s Contemplations
The Piscatorial Raconteurs April’s Miscellany – David Craine, Earthing The Current & Pallenpool. Plus The Raconteurs Articles – Martin James MBE, David Craine, R.B.Traditional, Paul Adams, Carl Hier, David West-Beale, Solithar & Jeremy Croxall.
April’s Miscellany
Pallenpool – The Tree Of Ages – ‘As time slipped we spoke of other days, the passing of many seasons, to the nature it had provided for, the changing faces and times of people who had passed below and to the landscape upon which it had grown. The tree had witnessed much throughout its life from estate sapling to the magnificence of its maturity‘ continue reading
Earthing The Current – Six Of The Best ‘I eventually had the joyous good fortune to meet Chris, just the once, long ago at Broadlands Country fair where he was to speak. Fashionably late in arrival if I recall I’d taken my treasured hardback first editions and waited for what seemed like hours in torrential rain‘ continue reading
David Craine – Island Life Part 3 ‘Looking over the road we both saw the ruined church, and sort of mutually decided to explore before we set off on our walk . Crossing the road, we entered the Churchyard via the ancient wrought iron gate‘ continue reading
This Editions Features & Articles
Guest Articles
Rob Olsen, Gareth Craddock & Dirk Temmink
Rob Olsen – Casting During A Crisis ‘So desperate was I to fish I decided to put my lawn to good use so I rigged up a fly rod, a sweet eight and a half foot, five piece Winston (that’s just half a metre longer than the suggested ‘social distancing’ recommendation just to be on the safe side)‘ continue reading
Gareth Craddock – Winter Solstice On A Kentish Marsh ‘I split my day between two marshland streams; both are a few miles south of my home on the Isle of Thanet and both run directly into the Kentish Stour not far from the estuary at Pegwell Bay. The first and closer river I’ve nicknamed ‘The Bosh’. I like to keep its real name a secret, even though it’s not that great in fishing terms. But it’s wild, free and runs through a secluded valley that used to be part of the ocean‘ continue reading
Dirk Temmink – Winter Solstice On A Kentish Marsh “Hey Dirk, you worked quite a bit of overtime for the previous project, sixteen hours total, can you please reinstate those hours as soon as possible?” reads the email from my manager. When I made those overtime hours it was beautiful weather but now that I’m being asked to take the hours off, it’s early March, the forecast doesn’t look too bright. But I won’t complain, as time off means fishing time‘ continue reading
The Piscatorial Raconteurs Articles
Carl Hier, Martin James MBE, David West-Beale, Paul Adams, Jeremy Croxall, Solithar, David Craine & R.B.Traditional
David Craine – Float Tubes With A Mysterious History ‘The beach is about four miles long and historically it was a mariner’s grave; any ship that had the misfortune to be caught in ‘Hell’s Mouth’ in a storm had little chance of escaping as the weather and sea funnel into a long beach. Many ships have seen their last day there and the area is littered with shipwrecks. That day we were walking along the beach and there was nobody else around. The tide was going out and there were the odd bits of flotsam scattered around on the pebbles and sand from a recent big sea‘ continue reading
Carl Hier – A River Reborn ‘And at the region’s heart, the River Taff ran black and devoid of life for much of its length. Coal dust particles were visible if you cupped your hand in the water and lifted it out. This was the early 1970s and I remember this river. For much of its forty-two mile journey from source to sea, you could smell it before you could see it; no invertebrates, no crustaceans, no plant life, no birds and certainly no fish.’ continue reading
Solithar – A Day On The Beaten Path (Albeit Briefly) ‘A couple more very good silver crucians come to the bank, then my bright red-tipped float suddenly takes a dive to the left and disappears. I strike and feel that this is another heavier fish, only now I have him on the very light tackle. So a dance begins:’ continue reading
R.B Traditional – Walks Into Light ‘A little further along my route, I stop to look at the ancient narrow tracks which have been etched into the greensand escarpment before me. These have clearly made by many generations of sheep, farmed high up on these pastures for countless years, the giveaway being the little pieces of wool and droppings which abound on the trails.’ continue reading
Jeremy Croxall – Bakers ‘The near bank provides good fishing to an angler who chooses his swims according to the mood of the river. I’ve fished here man and boy, and had my fair share of success I might add, thanks to the guidance from Mr Allen, the kindly gentleman who passed on his knowledge to a young boy keen to discover the secrets of the river’ continue reading
Martin James M.B.E – The magic Of Fly Fishing‘ ‘April is usually the start of river trout fishing which can vary in different parts of the country, in some areas it starts March 15th, other areas it can be April or May 1st. Where ever it starts anglers are full of joy, the thought of casting a fly once more, though if you’re like me, with some good grayling fishing, you can fly fish through the winter months, often in nice conditions, though this past winter the rivers have been bank high for many weeks. Also fly fishing for pike is beginning to get popular. I caught my first pike on a fly in the early 1950s. In the book The Diary of A J Lane published in 1843 he writes about fly fishing for pike; included in the book is a picture of a pike fly. Nothing new in angling…‘ continue reading
Paul Adams – Remembers A Friend & Fisherman ‘In early March an old fisherman passed away here in Colorado. He was not one famed for his angling accomplishments or literary prowess, nor a die-hard fisherman or even an especially talented one, but my father-in-law, Ben, fished consistently for more than eighty years. He was anhonest-to- goodness, lifelong fisherman. It was never an obsession for him, but always a pleasure.’ continue reading
David West-Beale – A Mystery Fish ‘I sit patiently watching my float, and in truth my patience is barely tested at all because within a few minutes its tip disappears in response to a sharp and confident pluck. I lift, feel a wriggling weight and find myself treated to the agreeable picture of the morning sunshine glinting on the back of a diminutive but pristine roach.’ continue reading
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