Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

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Michael
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by Michael »

I couldn't agree more, to misquote the famous idiom, a photograph is worth a thousand words............
Last edited by Michael on Wed Mar 15, 2017 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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JPC
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by JPC »

Fantastic Shaun, is Bill still in contact with John ? I'm sure Jack or Tom told me John had actually moved to Ross ?

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Shaun Harrison
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by Shaun Harrison »

Yes, John is still around but doesn't angle any more. Bill likes to ring him up and wind him up though. at 96 when he landed the fish above one of the first things he said was along the lines of...

"I can't wait to ring that old bogger McLeod up and tell him I've caught a bigger carp than him!"

I hope I reach 96 and can still see, hear and walk, let alone wind people up. Bill is an amazing character that age simply doesn't seem to have caught up with, other than the odd wrinkle. He is still as sharp as a button and great at the quick one liners. In fact if you look into his eyes on the picture of him enjoying his celebratory half, you can see the mischievous side to him, that special shine and wry smile.

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JPC
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by JPC »

Great photo Shaun, 96 years young by the sound of it. I first heard about Bill when Ron Felton wrote a series of articles on the carp fishing at Llandrindod Wells, Bill was in several of the photo's. I think the articles were in the Angling Times, but it's a long time ago.

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Shaun Harrison
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by Shaun Harrison »

He's 98 in a couple of weeks.

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Kingfisher
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by Kingfisher »

JPC wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2017 5:41 pm Great photo Shaun, 96 years young by the sound of it. I first heard about Bill when Ron Felton wrote a series of articles on the carp fishing at Llandrindod Wells, Bill was in several of the photo's. I think the articles were in the Angling Times, but it's a long time ago.
Do you know if these articles are still around anywhere? I'd dearly like to read them. I began fishing Llandrindod Wells in 1980. People came from everywhere to fish it back in those days. I was only a youngster but what a fabulous environment it created with all the banter from various Fishermen from different areas. I remember it was all quiet one night...I heard a splash and then someone yelled "That's another for us Kent boys" then from the other side of the lake someone yelled "I didn't know they knew how to catch carp in Kent" and then roars of laughter from the rest of us. There was always a Brummy group I think which consisted of Des Taylor and Mick Brown and some others. Infact if memory serves me well enough in casting At the Sun Chris Yates mentions that Mick Brown netted his first 20lb carp up at the lake in Llandrindod Wells.....of course this happened pre-1980 before I was there but only just.

Since then the lake suffered badly. It had a algae bloom which kept people away and then the fish kill back in the 90's when the fish were starved of oxygen. It's all been revamped now though and things are looking up. A new club has formed and taken over the running of the lake instead of the council running it and it's had a lot of money spent on it. I even heard of a 27lb carp being caught up there a few weeks back. Also there is talk of night fishing maybe being allowed to start again.

It was always the perfect place for night fishing because you could sleep next to your rods in a car or van and a great many did.

God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.

Izaak Walton

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Shaun Harrison
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by Shaun Harrison »

Shaun Harrison wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:18 am He's 98 in a couple of weeks.
He's 98 in a couple of weeks. Wouldn't it be a marvelous thing to get him connected to something really special when he reaches 100 for i'm sure when the world ends there will be cockroaches, Keith Richards and Bill Walkden walking around asking what happened.

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Kingfisher
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by Kingfisher »

Shaun Harrison wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:39 am
Shaun Harrison wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:18 am He's 98 in a couple of weeks.
He's 98 in a couple of weeks. Wouldn't it be a marvelous thing to get him connected to something really special when he reaches 100 for i'm sure when the world ends there will be cockroaches, Keith Richards and Bill Walkden walking around asking what happened.
98 is certainly a ripe old age. Maybe some of that Redmire magic has rubbed off on him whilst he was there?

It would be great to throw a party or hold some sort of function for his 100th.

God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.

Izaak Walton

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JPC
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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by JPC »

Shaun Harrison wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:39 am
Shaun Harrison wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:18 am He's 98 in a couple of weeks.
He's 98 in a couple of weeks. Wouldn't it be a marvelous thing to get him connected to something really special when he reaches 100 for i'm sure when the world ends there will be cockroaches, Keith Richards and Bill Walkden walking around asking what happened.
Great idea Shaun.

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Re: Chris Yates - sweetcorn pioneer

Post by DaceAce »

I've been reading a book by James Babb, an American author who writes of using tinned sweencorn in America in the 1950s.... Nothing new under the sun!

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