Big Cat Sighting

[foxdropper 17,092]

I’ve fished the canal at Devises in winter league matches and when they open the sluice gates at Honey Street your whole swim is washed away with a surge of water to the point it’s silly putting in any bait to get washed away .Those matches were won with drams not ounces .A gudgeon or  a roach .A carp or tench would win you the match .I once caught a pound roach off the whistle ,knew I had my section then promptly fell in the canal trying to adjust a bank stick .Had to sit wet through ,freezing cold as I had a lift but I did win the section and got £120 prize money .Canals are fickle places to fish I’ve found .Either bang on or total dog shit .

[paulus 26]

9 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

I’ve fished the canal at Devises in winter league matches and when they open the sluice gates at Honey Street your whole swim is washed away with a surge of water to the point it’s silly putting in any bait to get washed away .Those matches were won with drams not ounces .A gudgeon or  a roach .A carp or tench would win you the match .I once caught a pound roach off the whistle ,knew I had my section then promptly fell in the canal trying to adjust a bank stick .Had to sit wet through ,freezing cold as I had a lift but I did win the section and got £120 prize money .Canals are fickle places to fish I’ve found .Either bang on or total dog shit .

Mate of mine won a winter league match with a single 8lb sturgeon at Shakerstone and it was returned. The thing that gets me is match anglers moaning about zander then spending half the match drop shotting a worm on the far bank    

[foxdropper 17,092]

1 minute ago, paulus said:

Mate of mine won a winter league match with a single 8lb sturgeon at Shakerstone and it was returned. The thing that gets me is match anglers moaning about zander then spending half the match drop shotting a worm on the far bank    

I used to sit it out on a bunch off maggots mate rather than catching gudgeon .

[Greyman 25,289]

15 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

I’ve fished the canal at Devises in winter league matches and when they open the sluice gates at Honey Street your whole swim is washed away with a surge of water to the point it’s silly putting in any bait to get washed away .Those matches were won with drams not ounces .A gudgeon or  a roach .A carp or tench would win you the match .I once caught a pound roach off the whistle ,knew I had my section then promptly fell in the canal trying to adjust a bank stick .Had to sit wet through ,freezing cold as I had a lift but I did win the section and got £120 prize money .Canals are fickle places to fish I’ve found .Either bang on or total dog shit .

Get on the foxhangers stretch by the broken railway bridge loads of carp there and a chance of a big cat sighting, true story when my lad was a lot younger we used to fish there every Friday night this was before I was actively looking for cats and signs and on several occasions we were told by the residents on the boats to be careful as they had seen a large black one on the towpath, used to have upto 20 carp in a night but it just died as soon as the boats started moving in the morning fished it all the way from the black horse pub down to bath had a few over the 20lb mark used to be some nice grass carp in the stretch’s between the pile and the bottom of Caine hill as well 

[foxdropper 17,092]

1 minute ago, Greyman said:

Get on the foxhangers stretch by the broken railway bridge loads of carp there and a chance of a big cat sighting, true story when my lad was a lot younger we used to fish there every Friday night this was before I was actively looking for cats and signs and on several occasions we were told by the residents on the boats to be careful as they had seen a large black one on the towpath, used to have upto 20 carp in a night but it just died as soon as the boats started moving in the morning fished it all the way from the black horse pub down to bath had a few over the 20lb mark used to be some nice grass carp in the stretch’s between the pile and the bottom of Caine hill as well 

Yep know the stretch well mate .Caught a 23lb pike in the pound but there’s far bigger there .There’s a rumour the Europeans have handlined most of the big carp out to eat as they ain’t showing at all .

Caught a cracking koi cross on crust .Black ,yellow and white ,stunning fish of 12 lb .
Havnt had the devises license for few years as it’s not fished well for a while .Got Bristol amalgamated license this year and of course Bowood .If you want a days piking on the lake mate pm me .

[Bush Rummager 3,767]

Dropper of fox's... this topic to you is like a big hairy minge... you can't leave it alone can you mate!!

[sandymere 8,261]

17 hours ago, Greyman said:

I think it was the release of thousands of mink that caused the demise of the watervole population as they were able to follow them into there burrows and wipe them out the balance is now swinging back as otters won’t share water with mink and as they have returned and spread the mink are being wiped out by the otters, nature suffers not feast nor famine leave it alone and it will maintain a natural balance, when I had a lake on the Somerset levels in the late 90s I would suffer otter attacks whenever the rivers were in flood and I’ve only seen polecats in woodland not on the canal

Plenty of mink and otter here, pick up the odd mink with the dogs when pottering about. 

22 hours ago, Arry said:

 

So basically your call every body that has witnessed one a liar.

Cheers Arry

People say what they see, no lie in that, but we know very well what we see is often at odds with what is there. 

[sandymere 8,261]

It would appear we have plenty of evidence of polecats,  voles and various fish

But pictures of big cats? Surely with 50 years of study by big cat "experts ", including bushman trained trackers, and such like surely they've managed to get some decent trail cam picture etc? 

Edited December 11, 2022 by sandymere

[foxdropper 17,092]

6 minutes ago, sandymere said:

Plenty of mink and otter here, pick up the odd mink with the dogs when pottering about. 

People say what they see, no lie in that, but we know very well what we see is often at odds with what is there. 

Correct Sandy .I’ve seen things which I’ve taken as face value but by running it back in my head it becomes more clear ,something a few seem unable to do .

 

[foxdropper 17,092]

10 hours ago, Bush Rummager said:

Dropper of fox's... this topic to you is like a big hairy minge... you can't leave it alone can you mate!!

It’s interesting mate is it not .We don’t have to argue just debate and if it gets steered away from cats then good ,we can all contribute .

You go rummage in whatever bush takes your fancy mate but watch out for you know what ….the c word

[foxdropper 17,092]

Seems the only people calling others liars are those who’s mates have seen them .I’d like to think it was mere mistaken identity .Liar is a strong word that implies intent ,something I doubt is happening .Sudden flash of a black shape ,shapes in the dark or at distance must all be in the mix of cat sightings plus real feral cats .There are undoubtedly large ferals about ,I’ve seen them .

[foxdropper 17,092]

Woke up to snow here .Should be some good tracking later ,love it .

[Arry 18,621]

11 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Seems the only people calling others liars are those who’s mates have seen them .I’d like to think it was mere mistaken identity .Liar is a strong word that implies intent ,something I doubt is happening .Sudden flash of a black shape ,shapes in the dark or at distance must all be in the mix of cat sightings plus real feral cats .There are undoubtedly large ferals about ,I’ve seen them .

Or two people seeing the same thing for 20 minutes could even tell it was not in the best of health or two people in the same car seeing the same thing in the road ffs.

My ferreting pal that seen the one laid in the road on a country road on the way fishing drove to the farm on the side of the estuary went and told the farmer who oh yeah we see it all the time. Said he won't let his Mrs and kid go up to the woods near by. The next farm down toward the sea ask my pal to go down with the rifle as he had a ewe killed but he didn't see it when he did.

Young farm girl (married with kids now and in NZ) going to feed her pony up a farm track one came over a hedge and lands in front of her then leaps straight over the opposite hedge. Rooted to the spot screaming her head off, don't think a farm cat or fox or badge would do that.

All liars or mistaken or just looney. Yeah right Lol.

Cheers Arry

[Arry 18,621]

28 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Seems the only people calling others liars are those who’s mates have seen them

Not sure I understand that sentence unless you are calling me a liar.

Cheers Arry

[sandymere 8,261]

4 minutes ago, Arry said:

Or two people seeing the same thing for 20 minutes could even tell it was not in the best of health or two people in the same car seeing the same thing in the road ffs.

My ferreting pal that seen the one laid in the road on a country road on the way fishing drove to the farm on the side of the estuary went and told the farmer who oh yeah we see it all the time. Said he won't let his Mrs and kid go up to the woods near by. The next farm down toward the sea ask my pal to go down with the rifle as he had a ewe killed but he didn't see it when he did.

Young farm girl (married with kids now and in NZ) going to feed her pony up a farm track one came over a hedge and lands in front of her then leaps straight over the opposite hedge. Rooted to the spot screaming her head off, don't think a farm cat or fox or badge would do that.

All liars or mistaken or just looney. Yeah right Lol.

Cheers Arry

As has been said, what the eyes see and the brain interprets. Take the cat in the  caravan,  Greyman saw a leopard but in reality it was a cat. 

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by sandymere