Fishing and the great outdoors

I played golf on and off for around fifty years. Due to a hand problem, I had to give up golf and discovered fishing. As one door closed another door opened, such is life. I love the great outdoors and fishing, it gives me a great reason to avoid work and indulge my passion for idleness. Fishing has given me a new challenge, and I am well and truly hooked.


I discovered this lake a few years or so ago, and it’s an oasis of calm and tranquillity. Never many people fishing, and very private and secure. Whether spending a day, or just a few hours, it’s a real gem. I am keeping this place to myself, if that sounds selfish, so be it. It’s hard to get away from the crowds, and hubbub of  the frantic world we live in, and one of my favourite pubs is just up the road. A man could do worse than idle his days away at this place.

Kind regards Eddie

Looks great Eddie.

Meanwhile all the women are reminding themselves "Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day, give him a fishing rod and you can get rid of him for the whole weekend"!   

im a crazy carper, i have every comfort of home, I've spent a small fortune on gear but love to go to the lake for a few days on my own and just do nothing, no iPods or iPads just the tranquility of nature, i can sit there for 3 days and nights and not catch a thing but the time just flies by, on the last day ill be watching the clock wishing for time to stop, packing up at the very last minute, its just perfect, its been far too long since I've been, being busy at work is spoiling my fishing but as soon as i can ill be back at the lakes, people would consider it boring but for me its squeezing the most out of each hour, i may have to try and find pauls post explaining how to host pics and put a few up

i once went to send near woking for a week, on the way home the car died, i hadn't put oil in it for about 5 years and the head cracked, so i had to be towed home by the aa dude, i looked like stig of the dump, i hadn't washed for a week i absolutely stank and he had me sitting next to him for an hour in he's truck lol

sanguine wrote:Looks great Eddie.

Meanwhile all the women are reminding themselves "Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day, give him a fishing rod and you can get rid of him for the whole weekend"!   

Rod I often take Jan with me, she's a dab hand on the landing net, saves me getting off my reclining fishing chair. I have drawn a blank on Andy's all night fishing malarkey, Jan likes her home comforts too much, and point blank refuses to get up at the crack of dawn and bring me a full English breakfast down to the lake. Thems the breaks I suppose.

Kind regards Eddie

nothing like the sizzle of bacon on the primus stove and a extra steamy cup of tea. i take a barrel barbecue and cook all sorts of meats, plenty of time on my hands, my fishing bed cost more than my bed at home and is quite frankly more comfy, i have a 5 season sleeping bag you could drop my in the antarctic and id be toasty

Andy12345 wrote:nothing like the sizzle of bacon on the primus stove and a extra steamy cup of tea. i take a barrel barbecue and cook all sorts of meats, plenty of time on my hands, my fishing bed cost more than my bed at home and is quite frankly more comfy, i have a 5 season sleeping bag you could drop my in the antarctic and id be toasty

I feel it mate! A good fry up done on the camping stove after a night under canvas in the fresh air hits the spot a treat!   

Andy said "i looked like stig of the dump, i hadn't washed for a week i absolutely stank"

Is that why the ladies in the blue vests are keeping their distance from you during your epic London marathon run ?

Kind regard Eddie

lol, they are the nurses from the mental home trying to catch me, that pic was at about 15 miles and by that point i was thinking a nice stay in a padded cell was called for, for even being there

What you done was a marvellous thing Andy raising serious money for dis-advantaged children, big respect man.

Kind regards Eddie

i once went to send near woking...

I lived in Send yrs 0-20!

Where d'you fish?

eddie1 wrote:What you done was a marvellous thing Andy raising serious money for dis-advantaged children, big respect man.

Kind regards Eddie

Too right!! BIG respect indeed!! Lot's of us were rooting for Andy that day and he brought home the bacon for those kiddies big time!   

thankyou i think its not so noble though, you get so much more out of it than you give, im currently doing an episode of diy sos lol theres this poor little fella that was born at 26 weeks, they gave up and turned off all life support but the little dude survived, so diy sos is doing up hes gaff because hes parents both working for the ambulance service cant afford to do it, my small part is granite work tops for obvious reasons lol but its really cool its not for advertising its just for the family although they film it and put it on the telly, all my guys have volunteered to work weekend for nowt to make and fit it so its really cool, but these things are done for me really, sure for them but it makes you feel like nothing else can, not even jelly and cream, no sponserships this time lol phew, i wasnt good at asking people for the money, you guys were great for what you did, ive carried on with the trust making stuff that i sell for them, it kinda makes my existance on this rock worthwhile if done for selfish reasons


edit because my brain dosent work too well lol, hes severely disabled, hes brain works but nothing else, ive told em i aint going to the unveiling because id be a blubbering wreck lol i prefer to blubber alone

Will we get to see you on TV Andy ? That's a great thing you're doing there mate, respect !

i spose so hehe, dunno if they will show us struggling through the house to the kitchen, its quite a site normally so theres a good chance, ill find out when its on and be doing a book signing in waterstones redhill next month

........moving on but still fishing! It is such a popular sport and pastime with young and old alike. I guess since time began it's something human kind has done to survive.

Robson Green and 'extreme fishing' or 'extreme fisherman' is currently on a lot of our TV Channels, he does get excited when he has a 'fish on' as does Jeremy Wade in 'River Monsters'

For me, I'll stick with the landing net on a quiet lake helping out with Eddie - and the weather is set fair this week. Is it our 'Indian Summer?'

...Anyway Andy, looking back at previous posts, please keep us posted about DIY SOS we'd love to see you on the TV and it is for a good cause.

All the best Jan

i love robson and the other slightly weird dudes tv programs, just love em!

diy sos?.....excuse me a minute......

then rang me a said they have decided to go with the laminate worktops

I'm proper pissed off about it, it makes no sense at all, its the program designer that made the decision not the people, I'm sure if they had the choice they would have chosen granite.... on the up side i save a couple of grand but thats not the point i wanted to do it for them, but heyho my acting career is on hold for another year

Andy12345 wrote:i love robson and the other slightly weird dudes tv programs, just love em!

diy sos?.....excuse me a minute......

then rang me a said they have decided to go with the laminate worktops

I'm proper pissed off about it, it makes no sense at all, its the program designer that made the decision not the people, I'm sure if they had the choice they would have chosen granite.... on the up side i save a couple of grand but thats not the point i wanted to do it for them, but heyho my acting career is on hold for another year

Sorry to hear about the change of plans re DIY SOS ....and I know you "wanted to do it for them" and as you say your acting career is on hold at the moment.

Perhaps it gives you more time for fishing?

......Just seen the time I reckon Robson may be on TV now  

It's certainly been good weather for fishing and guess what we've got for dinner tonight ? Yes ...fish. Just may put the recipe on the Forum later.

All the best Jan

Andy12345 wrote:i love robson and the other slightly weird dudes tv programs, just love em!

diy sos?.....excuse me a minute......

then rang me a said they have decided to go with the laminate worktops

I'm proper pissed off about it, it makes no sense at all, its the program designer that made the decision not the people, I'm sure if they had the choice they would have chosen granite.... on the up side i save a couple of grand but thats not the point i wanted to do it for them, but heyho my acting career is on hold for another year

Ah man! These designers don't know their arse from their elbow mate! Granite worktops=They look the mutts nutts+they will last a lifetime if looked after well!...Laminate worktop=Fake looking+easy to scratch+swelling and seperation when exposed to water and moisture which is par for the course in a kitchen...And most sadly of all you've tried to do a good honest deed for someone in need and now some design diva has dropped you like a stone like they're some sort of god who must be worshipped despite never giving the homeowner or tradesmen a second thought-All about their big ego it would seem! That sucks mate and I'm as mad as hell that you and the homeowner have been treated in such a way.

i know mate im surprisingly upset about it

FISHING ON TV TONIGHT

...... guess who has watched Jeremy Wade catching the sting-ray and now The Big Fish Off on ITV4

Sorry can only offer some 'virtual' fish bait or a cup of tea as a prize

All the best Jan

Eddie perhaps?

I have been doing 'important stuff' this morning ...... going through paperwork etc, well it has to be done!

But the most important task on the list was to renew Eddie's Loose Cannon's fishing licence. It's all done and fair weather permitting the rods will be out catching carp!

If you fish don't forget to renew your licence  

All the best Jan

It really feels like Spring is here now and Winter has gone ( although it's raining here today ). I've planted some parsnips and I've finally got a bird in my bird house ! First one ever :-)

You'll never guess what we started watching last Sunday? Well you probably will    


BBC finally start an all-new TV fishing series, with the six-part show titled Earth's Wildest Waters: The Big Fish, starring highly respected all-round angler Matt Hayes and popular presenter Ben Fogle.

The Big Fish BBC describe the new series as: “A group of passionate anglers from the UK push their skills to the limit in six epic locations around the world.

“In each place, they face challenges for which they need to combine their own talents with local techniques to outwit the environment they find themselves in.

“The series explores the incredible world of fishing, looking at its variety of fish and their behaviour in distinct environments, and revealing surprising animals and stunning landscapes.”


Read more at http://www.anglersmail.co.uk/uncategorized/matt-hayes-ben-fogle-star-in-new-bbc2-tv-series-earths-wildest-waters-the-big-fish-59002#e8J7blqbQEBkjIse.99

The team were in Iceland last week and I think it's Cuba tomorrow.

I met up with one of our sons in the week he fancies shark fishing next year ... will Eddie take the bait? Watch this space    

All the best Jan

Down to the South Coast for a couple of days, no fishing, far too cold for me, but I found a wonderful book in one of my favourite old book shops, The Fisherman's Companion by John Buckland. This book was published in 1990 and is truly a joy to behold. Although a book on fly fishing through the ages, I am sure almost every fisherman will find pleasure in reading this book.

As a point of record, the largest salmon ever caught in the United Kingdom, was caught by Miss Georgina W Ballantine on the River Tay, Glendelvine, in Perthshire Scotland, on the 7 October 1922. The fish weighed 64 lb. This record has stood for over 93 years and in my opinion will never be equalled, let alone bettered.