Audio slideshow: The Eel Man of the Fens

Audio slideshow: The Eel Man of the Fens.

Peter Carter's family has been eel fishing in the Cambridgeshire Fens for the past 500 years.

The 45-year-old, from Outwell, near Wisbech, believes he may be England's only remaining eel catcher who makes and uses traditional willow traps.

Mr Carter has been working with the Environment Agency to help stem the decline of eels in UK waters and is concerned for the future of his family's traditional way of life.


Taken from the BBC website.

August Bank Holiday - Bishops Bowl nr Leamington

With very few free days to rest let alone go fishing in the middle of wedding season - I noticed that Bank holiday Monday was free - "I'm going fishing" was the statement I made to Kate and paused for the refusal... I was greeted by silence... I checked if she had heard me which she had and subsequently approved my request!

After searching the Fisheries.co.uk website for a variation in location, I narrowed down the choice to either Weston Lawns or Bishops Bowl, both within 30 minutes drive of Coventry. After feedback from Jeff on his preference on venues I have opted for Bishops Bowl. My reasoning is the appeal of the rather wild and uncharted Green Hill lake.

I have managed to tempt my Dad along for the day, he retired nearly twelve months ago and I think he needs to go fishing!

I would appreciate any knowledge or advice about tactics/bait etc. I even found a post about barbel being present - true or false? If any one wants to join us we plan to be there about 8-8:30am Bank Holiday Monday (30/8/10).

Bank Holiday Fishing Plans

Just wondered if the cov/warks bloggers had any plans for the bank holiday Monday coming up? Thought it might be fun to meet up and get a few hours of fishing in somewhere local? Any suggestions/takers?

Reels

Fixed Spool Reels:

Ryobi Target XR350.

This is my main reel for feeder fishing, it has a mammoth capacity taking over 350 yards of 15 lb line. I use 4 lb line with plenty of 8 lb backing line. This is fantastic for distance casting and has a rear drag system.

 

Abu Garcia Enticer.

This is a new addition and yet unused addition to my kit. I wanted a second spool for the Ryobi but with a price tag of over £20 I opted for a secondhand reel (which actually came with a spare spool). Not as well constructed as the Ryobi however the rear drag is more robust. Fitted out with 4 and 8 lb lines.

Closed Faced Reels:

DAM Quick CFM

Given to me by one of my fishing mentors in my early escapades, this reel has served me well and worked perfectly even after 15 years of being sat in the shed. Made in West Germany indicates its age but those Germans certainly know how to build a quality product! This lives up to its nickname of 'the coffee grinder' with its distinctive noise made from its geared innards. I can't fault it! Loaded with 4.4 lb Drennan float line

Abu 501

I haven't pictured this as I need to drop it back to my Dad so he can start to enjoy his retirement. A quality little Abu closed faced reel - need I say more?

Best celebration ever in football

Leeds canal closure

From BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10758843

Nearly half of Britain's longest man-made canal will close next week as extreme drought conditions continue in parts of Britain.

The Leeds to Liverpool canal will be partially closed by British Waterways unless water supplies improve.

British Waterways say they have no choice but to shut the canal, but it is a move that will have an effect on local businesses.

Remembering your lines!

I noticed during my last fishing session that my reel line is getting a little tired and needs to be replaced. I normally carry two reels in my bag, a DAM 'coffee grinder' closed faced reel with Drennan 4.4lb float fish line and a Ryobi open faced reel with Maxima 8lb line. These particular brands were an automatic choice for me as they were what I used in my formative piscatorial years. However I wanted to take this opportunity to open the discussion to the blogging community for any recommendations or suggestions.

Has line technology improved over the last 15 years? Are the older lines still popular due to the fishing community being stuck in their ways or doe the old adage stand true - if it ain't broke don't fix it?

I am being torn between Daiwa Sensor and the Maxima for my ledgering requirements - does anyone currently use this?

Your comments will be most welcome!

Kev

Catching The Impossible - Channel 4

Last sunday whilst grabbing some breakfast before heading off to a wedding shoot I caught a few minutes of 'Catching The Impossible' on Channel 4. The program sets a challenge weight for each species for Martin (nephew to John Wilson?) to catch, this episode resulted in a 1.5 pound dace being landed - just 3oz shy of the UK record!

Narrated By Bernard Cribbins the program has a very British pace to it unlike other current fishing programs! I remember Bernard doing the voice over for a Passion for Angling in the early 1990's which featured Chris Yates and Bob James getting into various piscatorial scrapes.

It's on again this sunday at 6.55am - I'm away in Paris shooting a wedding but I have set the V-box to record the series.

Warwickshire Avon, Saxon Mill

Here's a quick post with the photos from my last trip to Saxon Mill a few weeks ago. Things are very busy for me at the moment with my day job and the photography business taking off so I'm working pretty much a 7 day week at the moment! For more details on the day read Jeff's post. I used this first trip of the season to practice waggler fishing which resulted in a 4 pound bag of dace and chubb from above the weir. I have never really done much waggler fishing but found the technique interesting and will be my focus for this season when I get chance to go fishing that is!! Here's the pics:

The Art of War - er no - Worm Fishing by Alexander Mackie

I have made a purchase of a first addition c1912 of the Art of Worm Fishing by Alexander Mackie. It was worth a bid for £5 on ebay! Hopefully it will make interesting reading! I shall keep you informed. Amazon are selling reprinted paperbacks here: The Art of Worm-Fishing: A Practical Treatise on Clear-Water Worming [ 1912 ]

Coventry & Oxford Canal Exhibition @ the Herbert Gallery

From 26 June until 30 August, the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum will welcome its new FREE exhibition An Inland Voyage: Life on the Coventry and Oxford Canals displaying a snapshot of local heritage through photography from years gone by.

UK Fishing Directory

UK Fishing Directory - Midlands

Came across this directory - looks like an extensive list of places to fish across the UK - lots in the local area included

Waggler fishing with James Robbins on the Avon @ Stratford

Possible poisoning at the canal basin?

I visited my wife at her photo studio yesterday at the Coventry canal basin warehouse and took a few minutes to look for signs of fish. Things were looking promising with shoals of roach easily passing the 1.5 pounds mark basking in the sunshine and grazing on the odd bit of bread crust from the moored canal boats.

Carp-turing on camera!

One of my work colleagues has just shown me a fantastic photo of a french angler battling with a 33lb carp. Thought I'd share it with you and a link to the article on the Guardian website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/picture/2010/apr/26/eyewitness-montpellier-france-fishing-carp

Harry Codini

On Sunday I took part in the Cod fishing challenge from Grimsby/Cleethorpes with my dad and uncle Ben. Ben works at the marina and has a lovely boat called the 'Coastal Surveyor'.

Anker's away!

Jeff and I headed off after seeing the ladies on their way to work at the NEC on Saturday morning. As per usual I probed Jeff for the lowdown on todays location and tactics. I had taken 10 minutes the night before to check out the website for the farm the so I quizzed Jeff about the weir detailed as one of the attractions, "What weir?" Jeff replied, this is when I hoped I had read up on the right place.

Is it a sign?

Last night I dreamt of a 10 pound bream - is it foresight for the weekend? or just my wishful subconscious?

Sence and sence-ability!?

Yes I know... it's been a very very long time!

Let's see, I've moved house, decorated most of it, been to New York, helped with my wife's wedding business, Christmas and so on!