crusian

Look at the tail on this rocket ,I had a hellish battle with it in about 30ft of water I reckon ,it was jet propelled..
 
I also had 12 others ,similar to my first pic ,but didn't want put em all up., just lovely to be out in raw nature ..

Ha! I’ve been lurking and not contributing for some time now but a new PB is worth sharing…..
I’m still on a session at Dinton’s Black Swan as I type this………Arrived at dawn yesterday. Clearly lots of fish still in the big ‘winter bay’ despite being on the back of a big SW. Lapped a couple of times, debating where to plot up with 3 nights ahead. Decided to keep it simple and put my rigs where the fish were actually showing rather than where they might end up……
Cast 3 singles out for drops amongst the emergent Eel grass which they seem so attracted to. Decided to get my head down for a couple of hours-I’d set off at 2.45am. An hour or so later I’m woken by a screaming Neville. Lifted in to a very heavy feeling fish which was dogged rather than spectacular. Worryingly, it hit the surface about 25 yds out and started shaking its head at me as I led it in; with braided mainline I’m always anxious when they do this with no water depth to cushion the lunges. Fortune was on my side and I netted a Common that got larger with every yard I gained. 
With the assistance of 3 other anglers we weighed and photographed an amazing creature of 53lb 2oz! Blown away! 

Here's my Casper  having a pint down by our local pub..
Like as mentioned ,kind words indeed,I looked at him as my little buddy spoilt rotten ,but well trained and socialised very well...( except near water lol 😂

Well you know how it is Nick , " you don't poo on your own doorstep . " 
😁

Shambles lol, I should of deffo checked the weather and put a bit more thought into where I was setting my bivvy up, the rain continued all through yesterday and got heavier over night with thunder, lightning and hailstones. The rain was so bad it made its way through the bivvy, the groundsheet some how failed and had water running across it. The ground I set up on just bogged down, this morning I was basically set up in a giant puddle, the bugs vacated the ground and decided to crawl in the bivvy, I had worms and slugs making the way up the bivvy, it was a complete mess 💀🤣 thrown the towel in this morning and just packed up in the rain, piled it all into the car soaking wet 🤣🤣no more fish to report lol

Done a mid double common yesterday and just done this one at 17lb 12oz, it's hammering down and my hood wouldn't stay up, it all went wrong 🤣

Anyway it will be my last night tonight, hopefully get another cat 👍

She doesnt look too impressed by Nick tbf
Earned a treat yeah - where is it? Hmmm 🤣
George had a thing about mice in the garage, was like a kid jumping up and down at the door to have a sniff round and check the traps every night.  Brilliant ❤️

Hi Nick 
Sky seems rather  disappointed that you haven't even had a nibble of  your rat , not even a " thank you " , " oh why does one even bother ?  " . 
🐀

Hi Nick 
Sky seems rather  disappointed that you haven't even had a nibble of  your rat , not even a " thank you " , " oh why does one even bother ?  " . 
🐀

Sky is still fishing with me, and still can't be let off lead.
Today's extra dietary items were a goose egg she found in the margins and a dead thing that she found as I took her for a pee. She won't pee or more in the swim, has to go for a short walk.

I'm on  three day sess,it's a tad damp lol
 
I'll deffo sort a pic out of my boy ,I've never been so upset when he passed on,but we had a lot of good mini adventures ,bushcrafting at night ,wild cooking, lots of fun ..only reason I not got another is I'm still sad ...

Mate,
When I was in my teens we had a Shetland Sheepdog, Sheltie, called Little Mo. 
I used to take her fishing, she loved it. Very well behaved, and
despite being free roaming, she would sit still for hours watching. I still think of her. I think that we remember all our animals, not as pets, but more as friends.
Rats?
I got presented with this one morning:
Exactly, she does try to bury it as well, although I think that is 'prey drive'. A predator does not necessarily want to give away the fact they are about.

Well you know how it is Nick , " you don't poo on your own doorstep . " 
😁

Well you know how it is Nick , " you don't poo on your own doorstep . " 
😁

It wasn't until I encountered rats all over the swim, on the bivvy, everywhere - on a day ticket complex that I decided I needed a new dog if I was to enjoy fishing again.
I didn't feel ready for a new dog (6 months) but my daughter found one and put a deposit down in the hope I'd like it too - it was a great move looking back.
Still think of George daily but a new dog does help, we are supposed to have them at the end of the day being dog people - there's one out there waiting for you to give it a great life, that's how I see it anyway.  ❤️👍

What a lovely looking dog ,..lost my bestest mate 25th August last yr ..he was a lemon / roan working cocker...Casper he was called ...
 
I'll find a nice photo of him at his favourite watering hole ,when I find it..
Love spaniels..

Is this any way to treat a pedigree ! .
🐕

Hi Crusian... pm wouldn't let me send a pic...(odd) so posted the pic here... 

The darker cane on the sharpe is achieved by soaking the blank in a phenol based resin and then autoclaved, (heat and vacuum or high pressure) to force the resin into the cane fibres... it makes for a tougher rod... sadly as phenol is now banned you don't see many impregnated rods... A guy called Barry Grantham bought the process and found a way round the ban on phenols but I think the venture was short lived... 

One is an impregnated rod t'other isn't, the darker rod is how a sharpe should look with the screw down reel fitting, I had the pale rods's reel fitting removed as it had seized up.
In not too precious about matching everything, that ship sailed long ago... life's too short to worry about that sort of thing any more...👍😉

You little tinker you...🤣🤣🤣

Trad day today... well nearly every days a trad day now... just lost one off a big drop back, probably a Bream... bit of a stuttery movement on the bobbin, but I'm out and freezing in a north easterly..., got the wind off my back so its not too bad, no carp out this morning but plenty of Bream... giving the new banksticks, buzzbars and bobbins a run out... Rods are Sharpes 9'3" and the reels are Leszek Delag fettled Mordex Merlin centerpins...

I used to fish Linear maybe 16 years ago, it would be a long drive from west yorks, last time we went we rang a day before and told plenty of room, rang on the morning still told plenty of room so drove down only to find it rammed out, anglers sat waiting for people to pack up, never been back since

Yeah there was an otter on there when I was there over 10 years ago. it dragged the big common up into the reeds beside my swim , was awful to see and really wanted that one in my album, I did catch the big mirror though, such a long linear and one of my favourite carp ever. It was 30 lb when I caught so god knows how big it is now   Thanks for the info guys.