Of Fishing Diaries
Of Fishing Diaries by Donovan Kelley “However do you remember all this?” asked my wife Betty. “From my diaries, of course”. “But all that detail of species, weights, numbers; even, of how they reacted to the hook?”. “It’s all there. Photos too. Have a look”. She had been reading my typescript of wartime fishing in India. […]
Right Place, Right Time
Right Place, Right Time by Donovan Kelley At the mouth of the Lynher estuary, near where it joins the Tamar, there is a small unfrequented quay, rarely used. It makes a pleasant picnic spot. It also produces, on its day, lots of flounders. One sunny afternoon, not long after the war, I was standing there […]
Too Much To Soon?
Too Much To Soon? by Donovan Kelley “The largest bass of the year, 17lb 1oz from the Blackwater estuary, was Peter Prentice’s first bass, caught on his first cast from Richard Parkinson’s “Amethyst” out of West Mersea. Another notable first was Colin Fellowes’ l6-pounder, caught from the shore at Hythe on his first attempt at […]
Records
Records by Donovan Kelley Weight records for sea fish are a phenomenon of the years since World War II. Before that there was little interest and no central body to formally vet and record big-fish claims. The Fishing Gazette simply noted large fish reported to them, likewise the Anglers’ News for its annual Big Fish […]
The Lure Of Big Bass – Part 2
The Lure Of Big Bass (Part 2) by Donovan Kelley I have for many years kept a record of all reported bass of 10lb and over. It started just after the war, at a time when published information on bass was scanty. I covered vears back to 1903. Lest however that be thought to be […]