Grand-kids 1 - Pike 0

The "Factory of the Year" 2011 champagne that was
awarded to celebrate our achievement.
Grandchild v's a 20lbs Pike
The votes are now in - Grandchild winning by a contry mile! 

Harry Micheal Usher arrived at 15.40hrs, today - Bev being in close attendance, as Debbie gave birth! This is our third grand-child and yet another excuse for Bev to go OTT at birthdays and Christmas. I rang Benno - his take was that it was another opportunity to corrupt a member of our family. I hadn't thought of angling in such light, but he has a point. It could be worse, he might turn into a "twitcher" - God forbid!


Whilst awaiting the phone call, I had been perusing my archive, looking at photos from my time on Tring, some of the happiest days of my life; spent on the banks of these famous reservoirs, I caught loads of big fish, but it was the company that make the memories so special. It would appear that the 1980's was a period when angling was rife with characters - mega personalities whose company could lift the darkest of days!

So I make no excuses for re-living the past - happy days, indeed!

On Sunday I was trying to explain to Benno how tight the Tring Syndicate (of the 1980's) was. I think it came from a reaction to Bob James getting caught fishing the River Wye on 14th June - what was he thinking of? The guys on Tring were sticklers for tradition - midnight on the 15th June was it, no sneaking a bait out after it got dark - we'd waited 3 months, two hours wouldn't make a difference. I am proud to say that I was part of this mind-set - they were a fantastic bunch of anglers

Lester Strudwick with a Wilstone "double" - a great friend and mentor - a founder member of the "Carpike Specimen Group" - his influence is still a major factor in my angling today!

I have some nice images of the guys - some famous, others not, but all of us were keen as mustard to get a decent lump into the waiting net.

Alan Wilson with a double figure tench - quite simply the "Tring Master"

An 8lbs + tench from Wilstone Res. - 1985-ish - Cyanide Strait

My PB Bream - 11lbs 2oz - guesting at Brogborough Lake, Beds. - Sept 1991

 



The King is dead - Long live the King!
Alan Wilson was one of life's great gentlemen.
As an angler, he stood head and shoulders above us mortals.
I very much doubt that we'll see the like again?