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The view from the top

Filed under: Folks I know, Natural history, Other bits and bobs — 2 Comments
January 24, 2018

On Saturday a bunch of us went on a long walk that took us to the top of a mountain called La Concha. All told, we covered about 17km over pretty unforgiving terrain, often in single file. I suppose you should work on your fitness before such an undertaking but I thought it best to prepare by sitting on the sofa with my father in law and watching Bear Grylls on the telly!

Bear Grylls tells us that drinking urine is a convenient substitute for coffee when out in the wilderness and there is nowhere to plug in a kettle (and of course it has no caffeine!) and that eating rabbit droppings is just a simple question of mind over matter: just pop them in your mouth and imagine they´re maltesers! View full article »

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Fishing program link

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Folks I know, Other bits and bobs — 1 Comment
January 14, 2018

The Spanish TV program that featured John Langridge and myself fishing on the Guadalhorce was aired a little while back and I put a link on the blog to allow people to see it. That link appears to have been deactivated in some way but Colin McLachlan tells me that it is now up and running once again. Here it is if you would like to have a look:

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/jara-y-sedal/jara-sedal-barbos-del-guadalhorce/4310751/

Please let me know if you try it and it doesn´t work. Assuming it does I hope you enjoy it!

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The program features gypsy barbel fishing in Malaga´s Río Guadalhorce.

 

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Trying out Grandad´s Hat

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Other bits and bobs — 2 Comments
January 6, 2018

Grandad gave me a hat for Christmas. It is the kind of hat a Yorkshire sheep farmer might wear and Grandad has one just like it himself. Grandad has only a modest sprinkling of hair on his head and tells me that it is a great hat for keeping your head warm.

I was delighted with the hat and can vouch for its head-warming effectiveness having now taken it for several test outings in and around London. It even sailed through the wind test which involves walking along Wimbledon High Street in storm force conditions without the hat taking to the air. View full article »

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A Whale called Hope

Filed under: Natural history, Other bits and bobs — Leave a comment
January 4, 2018

This morning Catriona and I took Pippa to Euston station for her journey back to university in Glasgow. Not wanting to miss the opportunities available in the heart of London, we discussed places that we might visit. On account of it being my birthday, I was offered the casting vote and decided that we ought to go whale watching.

“Hope” is the name given to the 22 metre blue whale skeleton displayed in the Hintze Hall of the Natural History Museum. She is a real show stopper. She was stranded in Wexford Harbour in Ireland in 1891 and was bought by the museum which was only 10 years old at that time.  She is the only whale skeleton in the world to be displayed in a diving lunge feeding position and has been the headline act here since July 2017 when this amazing display was revealed to the public for the first time. View full article »

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Barbel and Baubles

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Folks I know, Natural history, Other bits and bobs — 4 Comments
December 30, 2017

I don´t know about you but I´ve spent the Christmas period sitting on my arse with my feet up on the coffee table. I noticed that some idiot left an open box of Quality Street lying around. They won´t do that again in a hurry!

This shameful self-indulgence is tolerated and even encouraged at this time of year and usually acts as a catalyst to sign up to healthy new year´s resolution like marathon running, cross-channel swimming, mountain climbing or at least taking the dogs for a walk. View full article »

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Meet the family

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Folks I know, Other bits and bobs — 7 Comments
December 28, 2017

One of the great benefits of the blog, as far as I´m concerned, is that it has introduced me to a new extended family made up of other fly fishermen and like-minded souls. Many live overseas and have been in touch from time to time. Others I have had a chance to meet up with in person, often on the river bank. View full article »

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The missing link

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Folks I know, Other bits and bobs — 3 Comments
November 23, 2017

You may be aware, following the recent screening of an episode of “Jara y Sedal” that I have become a major A list film star! As a matter of fact I am waiting by the phone for the calls that should come in from Hollywood agents as I write this!

In one of my regular tongue-in-cheek exchanges with my beloved wife I said that I hope that fame does not change me. She said simply “I hope it does!” View full article »

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On the Telly

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Folks I know, Other bits and bobs — 10 Comments
November 19, 2017

Three years ago a film crew from Madrid drove down to my local river to make a film about fly fishing for gypsy barbel. The makers of the popular TV series “Jara y Sedal” had been in touch with John Langridge, a veteran of several fishing programmes and author of many books on fishing, and they asked of he would like to be part of a feature on the Río Guadalhorce. View full article »

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A tale of two flies

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Flies and fly tying, Other bits and bobs — 2 Comments
November 14, 2017

Whenever I have finished fishing for the day, or when a change of fly is needed, I deposit whatever fly I have removed from my line into a little tupperware box where it joins comrades recently retired from active duty.

There are two flies in that box at the moment that, in my view at least, are quite interesting for one reason or another. View full article »

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The Man who stares at Goats

Filed under: Other bits and bobs — 2 Comments
November 10, 2017

You should never underestimate the usefulness of goats. Down at the river I come a across flocks of these all the time and last Saturday, when I finally managed to track down a few fish in a shallow pool on the Río Grande, a flock materialised and went tramping noisily among the far bank. The goat herders keep dogs which are about the size of horses and which act as communal bodyguards for the goats and a couple of these giants decided to jump into the river to intimidate me. View full article »

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