Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

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Jason Skilton
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Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Jason Skilton »

Yo, Yo my Poolsliding Gangsters, :suspect:

Its Friday!!!!! And if like me, you looking forward to a session on the banks of river, you'll be counting down the hours as to when you can turn off the laptop, get out of the overalls or just stop sharpening you pencil.

So to get you into the mood, here is a piece from the one of the Pools favourite writers.

Enjoy!!! (Up the Pompey :grin: )

http://thepikepool.blogspot.co.uk/2014/ ... edges.html
GAVIN H
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by GAVIN H »

Thought provoking read as usual Rob. You are a very good writer Rob, about time you wrote a book. Biographical not how too! :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Ash m »

Really enjoyed that rob, I second what Gavin says a book would be great :thumbs:
You defiantly know your river and seem in tune with them :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by LB »

I do genuinely love your scribbles Rob, you always come from a different angle :thumbs:

(please keep writing face)
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by john evans »

:thumbs: good stuff
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Dave Horton
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Dave Horton »

There's more little Pearls of fish understanding wisdom there than I've read in most of the pike fishing books I have on my shelf (and I have most of the mainstream ones). That Rob undestands his quarry (what ever it is at any given time) is beyond doubt! Even in his mild critisism of Lunar cycles he is NOT dismissive of it having an Impact. Instead Rob pragmatically and knowingly challenges those that foolishly over state its importance or worse still suggest it is the be all and end all. Through experience and self gained knowledge Rob shares with us his understanding of how Pike modify their behaviour through encounters with us and how we in turn may well have to modify our own behaviours in order to enjoy the success we seek?
For those of you wishing to broaden your understanding of fishing I suggest you read this hard and when you finish you do so again and again and.............

(I wouldn't have written it as well as Rob has but he could have been reading my mind with much of that face)
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by MichaelHPAC »

f****n loved that PJ Harvey & all :wink: Thanks Rob & Jason
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by andrew_nagel »

Thanks Rob. It's umimaginable how many times someone passes in their boat and shouts over at the top of their voice! Time to move on...
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by RobSidell »

Great read Rob
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Jason Skilton »

Dave Horton wrote:
There's more little Pearls of fish understanding wisdom there than I've read in most of the pike fishing books I have on my shelf (and I have most of the mainstream ones). That Rob undestands his quarry (what ever it is at any given time) is beyond doubt! Even in his mild critisism of Lunar cycles he is NOT dismissive of it having an Impact. Instead Rob pragmatically and knowingly challenges those that foolishly over state its importance or worse still suggest it is the be all and end all. Through experience and self gained knowledge Rob shares with us his understanding of how Pike modify their behaviour through encounters with us and how we in turn may well have to modify our own behaviours in order to enjoy the success we seek?
For those of you wishing to broaden your understanding of fishing I suggest you read this hard and when you finish you do so again and again and.............

(I wouldn't have written it as well as Rob has but he could have been reading my mind with much of that face)
I ofcourse I've read Rob's piece when he sent it and loved it......if fact I think I've readed it four times now!!

Always looked out for fish eating birds whether they are grebes, terns or cormorants......but have neglected to think about the otters presence on the waters....that is until reading Robs article :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by jay »

Nice one rob . Great read that :-)
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by phil.c »

That is the sort of article I prefer.

Rob didn't need to catch one fish either..

Just a few thoughts (Far more thought provoking) :thumbs:
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It doesn't make me wrong.

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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Woodchucker »

I love your writing Rob, quality :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by dart stew laws »

Excellent piece from Rob, put me down for 2 copies when your books done, certainly one in there, along with a few other chaps, notably Hammy.
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Neville Fickling »

Alas anyone who contemplates writing a book at this point in time might be considered insane. The only book which will pay for itself is a low budget effort without the superb presentation of many of the current books which have not sold well.
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by GAVIN H »

[quote="Neville Fickling"]Alas anyone who contemplates writing a book at this point in time might be considered insane. The only book which will pay for itself is a low budget effort without the superb presentation of many of the current books which have not sold well.[/quote

Even so, i,m sure some anglers feel they have a good book in them and would love to see it in print despite the fact it won,t make money. I know what you,re saying though, very expensive thing to do.
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by GAVIN H »

I think i read somewhere that there are probably only around 200 anglers who will buy every pike book published( might have been 500, not sure). I ordered History of pike fishing volume 1and 2 last night so i must be one of them. It,s an expensive thing to collect these days although they will last me my lifetime .
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Neville Fickling »

Gavin it is called vanity publishing where you have a book produced without a guarantee of a profit or getting your money back
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by davelumb »

Neville Fickling wrote:
The only book which will pay for itself is a low budget effort without the superb presentation of many of the current books which have not sold well.
Aye, I was saying that when PAC did their book but nobody would listen. :roll:

Ecclesiastes 1 :laughs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Neville Fickling »

foresight is wonderful........
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Jimk2 »

:thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Tony Pieater »

:thumbs: :thumbs: Cracking read Mate

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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by MichaelHPAC »

davelumb wrote:
Neville Fickling wrote:
The only book which will pay for itself is a low budget effort without the superb presentation of many of the current books which have not sold well.
Aye, I was saying that when PAC did their book but nobody would listen. :roll:

Ecclesiastes 1 :laughs:
There were a few that did :wink:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Emma Hamilton »

Thanks for the feedback. Appreciated :thumbs:

Rob
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Admau1 »

EXCELLENT! Go on! Write a book! Regarding noise from other anglers,I couldn't agree more,part of the reason I like to fish alone :handshake:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by pete webster »

Typical Rob, if you showed me that article without any reference to Rob I could have told you who wrote it straight away :thumbs: :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by LB »

He has his own style, eh Pete? I still laugh at 'the correct use of soap'.
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by Andrew »

good read, got me thinking :thumbs:
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by cookiesdaughtersdad »

I enjoyed that too Rob, an easy enjoyable read where the way of natural things was the tune rather than a "how to" blog :thumbs:
For me the way of things natural is more important than the fishing, always has been always will be and so to read that was quite thought provoking and it was nice to see your take on things.
Just to throw a couple of your thoughts back at ya :wink:
The "reintroduction" of otters has in my opinion been a huge mistake, I highlight the word reintroduction because its been exactly that and so the spread is not what I would call unnatural as you put it rather I would say that its was fully expected and predictable.
Put enough animals of breading age into an environment where all the likely and suitable territories are vacant and the population will grow fast.
I would have thought that by now most of these suitable territories are now showing the engaged sign and so the population has levelled out in most areas.
The reason why I say that the reintroduction of otters was a mistake is because just because these people could reintroduce them doesn't mean they should.
I'm sure these people from the otter trust and the like took one look at the angling press and thought it ok to let them go because there is loads of fish for them to eat, Self-serving ar5holes imo and I would love to know who gave them and how did they get the permission to change the environment in a detrimental way for many aquatic species and a huge group of people who pay to use it.
I must say though that I do not agree with you when you say that any sign of an otter is reason to pack up and move, although the otter has had a significant effect on angling in the country the sign of one otter does not mean the pike are gone as I think the majority of bank in this county is covered by one otters or another's territory and so if you were right golf may be the better option.
I do however believe that the British countryside is in theory better off with this animal in it, being beautiful and indigenous (had to get that word in there sometime face) it should have a place but, and this is a perfect time to move onto the next species you highlighted, the eel.
The eel is in my opinion the single most important species in these and many other aquatic environments.
The demise of the eel over the years has created one and exacerbated the other of the problems created by the other two species you highlight, the otter and the cormorant. The otter reintroduced when its most important food source had all but gone and the cormorant basically had to move home for the same reason as its a little known fact that the majority of eels never enter fresh water and stay in the estuaries, the favoured feeding habitat of the bird.
I like the way you picked out how species are so inter linked as you then talk about sliver fish numbers being effected by all this and then the huge numbers of elvers last year and the 2lb fish that are bothering your baits this year, this can only be good news in my books even if it doesn't suit the silvers.
The 2lb fish will be best part 20 years old and so the thing may have been on the up for some time, these fish will form a staple of the two previously named villains and so the needle may start to nudge back towards where it should be.
I have often said that I am a naturalist 1st and angler 2nd and so for me the more natural the environment I am blessed to be part of the better even if that means these years of big fish bonanza may be changing or coming to an end on some rivers and the specimen fish anglers may have to look more to different species or still waters.
There is however one very important species we have failed to mention yet, all the species deserve mention in their own right as individuals and the way they interact with each other but one in particular has been dumped in these waters by mistake and will go on to rival any other species including the eel as the most important even though they have already become the most dominant in some places.
I feel the battle against their invasion is lost and all waters will ultimately get their share as long term eradication is impossible even if control to some level isnt on some waters and if the eel does make the comeback I truly hope for, their may be a war coming, a war of fin against claw.

Thanks again Rob for making me think again, it has been known ya knows :wink:

Cheers Alan
Last edited by cookiesdaughtersdad on Wed Sep 10 2014 07:46, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Pike Pool (91) Rob Shallcroft

Post by ChristopherH »

I've still got David V's and Rob's pieces to read yet. Brilliant sequence of articles from Jason yet again. I think he deserves huge credit for keeping the whole thing ticking along. :thumbs:

Looking forward to a Pool reading session one evening this week. :smile:
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