Born in London in 1927, Geoffrey Palmer was drawn into acting by the lure of a woman. Having left the Royal Marines, a girlfriend suggested he join an amateur dramatics society and from there a career in Theatre, both on and behind the stage, burgeoned. In the 1970’s Palmer became a familiar face on television …
Until a chance conversation with Kevin Parr, the name and deeds of Newton Tony meant absolutely nothing to Fishpool. Now, having heard a tale or two, it seems that Tony is just the sort of person to feature in Bits and Pieces –providing its okay with him, of course. Newton Tony was born in East …
Though the carp has previously appeared in the hallowed pages of Bits and Pieces in a variety of guises, many anglers value a fish caught from running water in different regard to one from a stillwater. In some situations, such as when winter floods have washed a stock of lake swimming carp into the nearest …
It struck Fishpool recently that though Bits and Pieces has featured both the bronze bream and its juvenile form the skimmer (and the saltwater black bream to boot…), these hallowed pages have yet to feature the rather lovely silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna). The silver bream are far smaller than their bronze cousins and, at first …
Though Fishpool has of course made special mention of Izaak Walton in the past, his seminal work, The Compleat Angler, has only ever been referenced in passing. First published in 1653, with countless reprints (only The Bible has been printed in the English language more often), The Compleat Angler tells of Piscator and Viator (Venator …
Izaak Walton’s renowned work The Compleat Angler has inspired and guided anglers for more than 350 years. Along with the countless anglers who have followed in Walton’s wake are a multitude of books, blogs, pubs and television series that have drawn purpose from his words. One such television programme was The Compleat Angler, which first …
The Derbyshire and Staffordshire Dove flows for 45 miles from its source at Dove Head, in the moors of the Peak District, to the village of Newton Solney (definitely not to be confused with Newton Tony (see People we Like)) where it meets the River Trent. It was on the Dove where Izaak Walton and …
Just as there are plenty of farms across Britain that are prefixed by ‘Mill’, so there are a good few fisheries sharing the same name. This particular ‘Mill Farm’ is near the village of Bury, a few miles to the south of Pulborough. Though many anglers may visit this part of Sussex to fish the …
Fishpool is more fortunate than most, not least because he or she didn’t have to face the rigours and strains of growing up in the City. A rural upbringing makes life far easier for a young rod-wielder. Aside from the increased tolerance of such an activity, there are far more opportunities to cast in the …
Fishpool recently wrote of the impact that the storms of this winter have had on our river systems, but often forgotten at such times are our seas. Gale force winds whip up the waves which crash into the shore, and when combined with high tides the effects can be devastating. With so much extra water …
