In 2002, a poll by the BBC to find the Greatest 100 Britons placed Isambard Kingdom Brunel at number 2 – with only Winston Churchill above him. Born in 1806, Brunel was a Mechanical and Structural Engineer and a leading figure in the Industrial Revolution. He was a pioneer of Shipping – building docks and …
Having been born in the Channel port of Dover, it was perhaps inevitable that Alan Yates would have a lifelong affinity for the Sea. He spent much of his formative fishing days chasing bass from boat and shore before taking an interest in match fishing. He was rather good at it. Alan’s match fishing success …
We may be experiencing one of the mildest winters on record, but the sea is still a tough proposition at this time of year. Many fish move offshore or head south to warmer water, but in turn species will enter British waters from further north. One species that is particularly common through the cold months …
Yes, Fishpool is well aware that the cuttlefish is not technically a fish, but as Dominic Garnett proved in Fallon’s angler Issue 1 (and Fishpool mentioned in Bits and Pieces Issue 7), squid and cuttlefish can be successfully targeted with rod and line. The most frequently encountered species in British waters is the common cuttlefish …
A succession of storms have caused devastation this winter. As low pressure system have rolled in off the Atlantic, bringing gales and heavy rain, rivers across the country have burst their banks and flooded homes, businesses and farmland. Many anglers have been forced to stay at home, and while coarse anglers do have the option …
Widely regarded as one of the finest angling writers of the 21st Century, for his third book Jon Berry also explored another great love – that of History. Having previously written of barbel and ferox (in A Can of Worms and Beneath the Blackwater respectively), in A Train to Catch Jon takes a very different …
As a child, Fishpool used to regularly visit the Dorset town of Swanage, where many relations still reside. In the summer, the town was abuzz. The bay was always full of sails, the beach a mass of splashing children and sun-bathing parents. In the evening, the lights of the pier would shimmer in the waves …
Flowing for forty miles through Powys and Shropshire before meeting the Severn at Melverley, the Vrynwy is a river popular with walkers, kayakers and, of course, anglers. In the 1880’s a stone dam was built in order to create a reservoir from the clutch of streams that formed the headwaters of the Vrynwy. The resulting …
A recent thread on The Path by The Water forum reminded Fishpool of the greatest moment in the life and career of Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas Goes Fishing is the second story in the fourth book of Rev W Awdry’s Railway Series, entitled Tank Engine Thomas Again. Thomas’ branch line crosses the local river, …
The devastating floods of this and recent winters have caused havoc not just for people, but also for wildlife. So rapidly have the waters risen that huge numbers of invertebrates and small mammals have simply been washed away. The fish have struggled too, with river species becoming stranded in fields and ditches, and their stillwater …
