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Mr Crabtree

A

Andy Childs

Active Member
I see that John Bailey is starting a new Crabtree series and that the news of the forthcoming episodes has been well received as it should be. For many anglers ‘Crabtree’ was a great inspiration and an influence on the ideals and ethics of angling. I wonder what he would of made of today’s scene where an angler can set a rig, retire to their bivvie or go and chat to their mates in the next swim, safe in the knowledge that if a fish picks up their offering it will hook itself……….

If you were float fishing and somebody took the rod from your hand, struck and hooked a fish, would you feel that you had caught that fish? What if that fish were a record, would you claim it? Don’t think Crabtree would…………
 
I am sure Patsey is looking forward to once more cooking some really tasty big Perch from the Great Ouse.
Shaun of the 'Priest'
Where did I leave my Pike gag?
 
"Today, Peter, we will be fishing for tench. I will be using this fabulous, all bells and whistles, Hardy Marksman and Conquest reel, a freebie from my sponsors. You will be using this clapped-out 1990s Drennan that another Peter once sent me and a reel by a firm that I once had high hopes for but really didn't pay..."
 
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Shaun Morris said:
I am sure Patsey is looking forward to once more cooking some really tasty big Perch from the Great Ouse.
Shaun of the 'Priest'
Where did I leave my Pike gag?
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Don't worry, Tom the "Baitcatcher" will carry a spare gag or two in his pocket. If you are fortunate to hook a pike, then you can be sure you will be able to land it with that trusty gaff which also doubles up as a carry sling when taking the pike home for the table. Just don't forget to soak the pike overnight in the bath in salt water - gets rid of the muddy taste.

Most country estates still have a few trusty old retainers and it is always worthwhile seeking one of these out to provide half a hundredweight of chopped worms. For a threepenny piece, Tom will bait up a barbel swim for a few days in advance of your chosen trip. As for those carp anglers, they need to relearn some of those old skills by tieing on a good old trusty treble hook buried in a potato and consign those gimmicky hair rigs and boilies to the bin.


Incidentally, Tom's son was prosecuted for transferring roach live bait from one water to another and for setting illegal gin traps. Judging from the above, things have moved on and not for the better.
 
Paul Boote said:
"Today, Peter, we will be fishing for tench. I will be using this fabulous, all bells and whistles, Hardy Marksman and Conquest reel, a freebie from my sponsors. You will be using this clapped-out 1990s Drennan that another Peter once sent me and a reel by a firm that I once had high hopes for but really didn't pay..."
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That seems a little bitter and pointed Paul . Has Mr Bailey upset you ? Anyway that Hardy stuffs not all it's cracked up to be ...:).
 
I hope this works very well. I enjoy Bailey's writing style and generous insights into his fishing; he shines very brightly within the AM every week. I am undecided if resurrecting the Crabtree name is the way forward though. Hopefully, a contemporary Mr Crabtree won't get viewed as a pedophile with a different child every week!
 
...and what about that mad round reel he's using where you have to pull the line off to get the float to run downstream. Imagine if we still had to use those these days :eek:.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
That seems a little bitter and pointed Paul . Has Mr Bailey upset you ? Anyway that Hardy stuffs not all it's cracked up to be ...:).
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Good grief, no. I look forward to free-reading his latest article, The Truth About Celebrity Anglers, in this week's Anglers Mail, though.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
That seems a little bitter and pointed Paul . Has Mr Bailey upset you ? Anyway that Hardy stuffs not all it's cracked up to be ...:).
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The life time guarantee thing is good, in theory only applies to originally purchaser...but there are ways and means.....
 
Don't bother, Mike. Just free-read it - merely an Identity Parade of Usual Suspect celebrities who fish: Pierre White, Botham etc.
 
Paul Boote said:
Don't bother, Mike. Just free-read it - merely an Identity Parade of Usual Suspect celebrities who fish: Pierre White, Botham etc.
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I had got the impression that the contemporary use of the word "celebrity" meant somebody who any body who reads newspapers with slightly more words than pictures hasn't heard of....but I think Pierre White may well be a cook and Botham is definitely one of the most exciting all round cricketers of my life time, so have I got something wrong? Mind you I haven't bumped into either of them down on my local canal.

They also tend to rap magazines up in plastic covers these days, so free reading isn't as easy as it once was.
 
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