spaniels

Any advice would help on trout fishing or course fishing…. We've been thinking of building a series of ponds/small lakes in one of our valleys on the farm. Trouble is I have very little idea about what sort of benefits there is to gain from doing this and was hoping that some of you chaps could advise. Farming is from estate is not really going to make a return due to the land (to steep – only sheep farming really) so we are looking at ideas about how to make a return on parts of it. There is potential to building a lake of roughly an acre and a couple smaller ones of as ½ acre further downstream. My query is really, what sort of returns do you get from fishing either trout or course fishing (which is better), what’s the best, syndicate or pay as go(?)… The trouble I can see with pay as go stuff is having to have someone on site the whole time. Off the back of the ponds I’m hoping to have some duck flighting out of it all… We will be getting advice about water quality etc. There are thousands of shrimp things in the stream as mo… Any ideas anyone has would be very helpful…

No problems, happy to help. Clarke Willmott are a good firm, i have had dealing with them recently, and am very much aware of another possible case against Defra about to start... http://www.clarkewillmott.co.uk/index.html?news=757 The more cases that Defra get against them (being sued) the more they will be looking into other ways of dealing with the problem of how contain TB rather than just paying out the least amount possible. As much as i dislike Badgers, i'm yet to be convinced that a cull will work unless they are completely eradicated in the south west and other problem areas, which would be very difficult to do. That's if Badgers are the only carriers out there?

Glynn - this may be of use to your farmer friends - For those working from the other side i.e the farmers side - Defra cattle compensation illegal, rules High Court This morning, Lord Justice Stanley Burnton sitting in the High Court ruled that Defra failed to compensate adequately the owners of higher value livestock culled on grounds that they have bovine TB. The Court held that as the Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2006 fails to pay market value to these owners, it conflicts with the EU law principle of equality and is therefore illegal. As a result of the ruling, Defra must either find funds to compensate farmers properly or successfully appeal. Tim Russ, head of agriculture at law firm Clarke Willmott, brought the case against Defra on behalf of Devon farmer David Partridge, whose high-value pedigree dairy cattle were taken away for slaughter in March 2006. Compensation paid to him was based on the “table values†that Defra had introduced the month before. Tim said, “This is a fantastic result. It’s a real lift to the agricultural community, especially after last week’s very disappointing decision not to cull TB-infected badgers that are spreading the disease to cattle. While Defra has been granted permission to appeal because of the importance of the case, the judgement is seriously damning of Defra’s failure to act fairly in devising the table value scheme, so a successful appeal is unlikely. The judgement will potentially help many farmers who have been under-compensated in similar situations to Mr Partridge. I hope this opens the flood gates in compensation claims. Defra have got it so wrong with 'table values'....

I'm from south-glos near stroud too.

Doh!!

This reminds me of an embarrassing instance a number of years ago, when I had my GF at that time, over to stay with me at my parents house. She didn’t get to meet my father as he had gone to bed early that night. Well Sunday morning dawned, lying in bed when a shotgun went off in the garden below the bedroom window at around 7am. The GF jump out of bed and said ‘there is a man in his dressing gown and PJ’s holding a smoking gun over a crater in the ground, what hell?? He has deck chair and newspaper…Now he digging furiously at the ground.’ Of course I knew it was my Father getting the mole on the lawn… She didn’t really understand when I tried to explain..

I have a niece in Napa. Been over to see her, nice area for drinking alot of wine!!

Well done on finding some to shoot at anyway....

Well done, i saw your offer for some shooting but sadly too late I'm south of you and sadly not seeing much going on. There was large number around Minchinhampton on some drillings, when i out shopping with the other1/2

Gloucestershire? This is a strange time of year for shooting woodies - Been out and about on my usual travels and hardly seen a bird on any drillings let alone the rape. In the summer just gone the numbers my area were huge. Due to wet summer large areas were not winter drilled so has left a large amount being drilled at the moment but it seems there aren't the numbers about around my parts. Only seen one field with birds on, then next day not so much as a feather... Anyone having success?

I think that being a forum things like this help people make up there own mind. I as i have said i've had dealings with Avalon over the past 15 years odd and don't particularly like the way they treat people. I also use a number of other gun shops. That's my opinion which it would appear others have had the same experience.

Mendip are good and i have been told they will match price, don't quote me on that though.

Sounds like some have been in there and seen the staff...'you don't have to large to work here but it helps' i'm sure more can been added to that....

I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Avalon doesn't get wind of this, let’s hope so. Unlikely it's going to change the way they treat people. Fat staff waddling around their shop!

I have bought a number of shotguns and a rifle from Avalon, but i do find them a bunch of *****ers. The only reason i have used them is they were cheap. However i know a number of people in area don't think the service is very good.

MC, only just seen this thread – thought this might help. I have and have had a number of spaniels over the years. This has happened to me with a number of mine. I can usual tell when it's going to happen because their behavior changes which is an indication to stop working them. I carry dextrol tablets (buy it from Boots) which is purer form of glucose than any chocolate, meaning that it takes less time to work its way into the blood stream. I usual give them a tablet morning and lunch time depending on the type of day and work that is required of them. If it’s going to happen, it’s when it’s a cold day when there is water work involved or it’s just very wet and cold. Lucky, the only time I’ve had to go the Vet was when the blood sugar level was so low they had to inject the dog with glucose, that was a worry as it was out of the blue, there was no sign the dog was going to fit. So for that reason I feed them dextrol tablets every day they are out working. For this reason I’m extending my pack of hounds to cover the number of days I have in a season and not to over work them! Will probably fall foul of the hunting act now!! Hope this helps.