River getting really low now with apparently little sign of any springers from the lower beat as the old opening day has come and nearly gone.   Not many reports of kelts being seen or many dead spawners either so we shall have to wait and see.  Hope I am wrong but really fear the worst for 2022,

...................................................................................................................................................................

                                               THE IGNORANCE OF YOUTH.

Going back to my coarse fishing days some of the things my friends and I did were pretty silly but one of them was really dangerous.

Some of you may know that the best bait for chub are wasp grubs.  They have a fatal fascination for that species and it can be a fish a cast   The problem is you need to get the wasp grubs in the first place and therein lay the danger.   Wasps will of course build their nest in any cavity such a a loft or attic, garden shed  etc but we sought them around the country lanes where they usually nested in a hole at the bottom of a hedge,  We walked the lanes, looking for wasps going determinedly in a particular direction and were able to track down the nest site by following them

Strength of the nest could be determine of course by the numbers going in and out and they were at their peak in late summer and early autumn.  They are fierce defenders of their nest and you need something pretty potent to slow em down.   What did we use to kill the nest - Cyanide crystals!!!.   I think in those days, 65 years ago an adult could get them from a chemist by signing the poison register.  Anyway we got some and  carried the crystals in a bottle to the nest sight, lay some crystal on the floor at the entrance to the nest, poured a little  water on them and stood back.   The fumes given off were very potent and as the wasps flew over them they simply crumpled in midair and dropped stone dead, often blocking up the hole with their bodies.

A couple of hours later we went back with a spade and dug the nest out.   A fascinating structure consisting of a papier mache type material the wasps got by chewing up dry wood.    Light but strong containing up to six or seven plate sized ring of grubs in various stages of development.  The danger of this exercise became apparent to me when a friend went down deep into the hedge and under growth to dig a treated  nest out and came staggering out badly affected by the cyanide fumes.  He was OK after a while but I  was told later  it could have been much worse outcome.   We were more careful after that and looking back it could have had death dealing consequences.

We saved all the big white grubs and mashed the rest of the nest and grubs in a bucket with some fine groundbait. The was used to bait up the swim and once the chub found it they absolutely loved it. four/ five grubs with a chubber float taking plenty of shot was lobbed out carefully into the swim as the grubs were very fragile.  Most decent swims on the Severn could give you a huge return and the Severn matchmen were experts at it.   Wonder what today/ barbel would make of it -must give it a try-- if I can get some cyanide that is.