THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

One of the recorded audio interviews I have archived is with Ron Greer, where amongst many varied
related topics, the speciation question was raised. In his view, ferox are not a separate species. His actual
comment was "all ferox are brown trout, but not all brown trout are ferox".
For me, the jury is still out.
Associated audio interview numbers: 15.
A BASS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Bucket List status – result
In Part One, where I looked at all the home waters listed species on an individual basis, I have made
very clear my position with regard to bass. An important fish, but one which has never really played a
major role either in my planning or thinking. For while I have always been both happy and willing to
boat fish and occasionally shore fish for them whenever opportunities have arisen, and have long
championed their cause in my role as a recreational fishing representative on the North West Inshore
Fisheries and Conservation Authority, I've never been obsessed to the point of making a great play at
targeting them, preferring to enjoy those that have come along when they come along, while still
enjoying everything else just as much when they haven't.
Why then you may ask this urge to catch a double figure
specimen as part of my bucket list project; an objective which
will never fit the definition of being an easy task to complete,
and one that has and will continue to become increasingly
more difficult over recent time.
The answer may well be because a double figure bass should
be on every red blooded anglers wish list, and in that regard,
I am no different. A truly iconic home water anglers fish. Yet
there were times when I truly though this might turn out to be
my Achilles heel.
In truth, a double figure bass was a moderately late addition
to my bucket list. I was fishing out of St. Peterport on
Guernsey when I got the opportunity to go out with a bunch
of local bass experts fishing a bank within distant view of a
nuclear power station over on the French coast, somewhere
just to the west of Cherbourg.
Magic – double figure Bass
In addition, we had a fisheries research scientist onboard, the
plan being to catch as many bass as possible, grab a load of
scientific data from each, then stick in a dart tag and have
them back over the side ASAP. And what a trip that turned
out to be.
I remember seeing two double figure bass in the landing net being revived in the water at the same time,
plus quite a few others putting in a show over the course of the day. I personally didn't get one. But it
was at that point that I decided it was an achievable target, and shortly afterwards added it to the list.
Actually, it was a repeat visit to Guernsey some years later that finally clinched the deal for me. A group
of us has booked Dougal Lanes 'Midnight Moon' for a week with the primary objective of fishing the
banks up around Aldernay wherever the weather allowed, trailing long flying collar rigs baited with
503