Join Jack Hargreaves as he takes you on a fascinating journey into the heart of Normandy for a unique experience with sporting dogs and an old-fashioned car boot sale of animals. From the rare Braque Allemand to the Brittany Spaniel, explore the world of French hunting dogs and learn about the deep cultural traditions surrounding them. Plus, dive into the nostalgic art of gudgeon fishing as Jack demonstrates the classic method of raking the riverbed to catch this almost forgotten fish, and discover the long-lost dish of Mrs Beetons recipe “Gudgeon Tansy.” A delightful blend of history, culture, and outdoor adventure!
This programme “Lessay Dogs and Gudgeon Fishing” was recorded on 21-11-1984 and broadcast on Channel 4 in 1985.
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42 Comments
David Knowles, once again great video 😊
Back in 60's this little fish was the staple weight caught in most canal contests once put over 4lb on the scales but alas today with stocking of canals with carp,bream and chub the poor little gudgeon is pushed aside, I personally think they are a bonny little fish though never tasted one or wanted to if the truth be told.
Sublime, thank you.
Once again thank you for these wonderful broadcasts , what a pleasure to see the the deep Normandy of the time, and I learned a lot about gudgeon fishing! Hi from France, Olivier.
So boring
really good
6:06 these pups are Briards, French shepherd dogs. Great stuff nevertheless 👍
LOVELY look back , thank ever so much from old New Orleans 😇 !
I had a smooth fox terrier . Lovely dog, but as mad as a hatter !
I love these but we need more 😢
Thanks for uploading, since all the DVDs of Old Country and Out of Town have sold out and disappeared after Network went bust, this channel has been a great relief! Long live Jack Hargreaves.
What a legend, I use to love watching Out Of Town on a Friday night.
Jack got me into
Fishing as a young boy.
Life was so lovely back then, I was so lucky to of been born in the late 60s when life was still slow and enjoyable.
Good times!
Thank you for uploading this, it brings a smile to my face 😊
A treasure trove of old knowledge and wisdom. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I bet Paul Whithouse et al now regret taking the piss out of this great man and his programmes. I mean, he does a fishing programme now. Ironic…something. little did we know, laughing along that it was history and cultural erasure.
I remember fishing with a bamboo cane at Wallingford on the Thames as a kid on holiday from London. We used to catch Gudgeon all day long. Sometimes the odd Perch or small Roach but mostly Gudgeon…..Happy days in the early 70s……
Used to wander the banks of the Marple canal locks years ago ,there were 'flocks' of gudgeon ,hundreds of em.Always plenty of bites if nothing else was interested,wonder if it's still the same? 🤔
thank you for another great video. i watched this even though i have purchased the dvd collection which i highly recommend
Thanks so much for sharing as always, very enjoyable to watch thanks Mate .
im 67 now, a hunter. i was brought up with jacks programs, he is a true legend
The good old days…now gone and never coming back:(
Great program loved the dogs bit as I now work Braque D Auvergnes, and grew up catching Gudgeon on the River Roding. 👍
Fabulous programme…. Thank you.
I won a few matches 'gonk bashing' on the whip before something wiped them out in our club pond.
Could sometimes catch five or six with the same pinkie on the hook.
Never very big, averaging around 40 to the pound, so 300 plus was the minimum needed.
I would go Gudgeon Bashing with a small hook, a length of cotton thread and a hazel whip. never thought about eating them wich was strange as I used to do a lot of bush craft and whild camping.
I remember the hot summer of 76 the same time as this was filmed, sholes of Gudgeon, Dace & Roach glistering along the source end of the Adur, sadly due to the river being neglected with fallen trees and the idiots who released the mink they are few and far to be seen now days. Jack reminds me of early Friday evenings sitting in front of the telly hoping the 50p in the TV meter doesn't run out while eating jelly Totts
I remember fishing for gudgeon with my dad in Diana Fountain in Bushy Park in the '70s. The pool dates back to the 1600s and the central statue is of the Roman goddess, not the modern princess.
Fishing on a Sunday morning was always a thrill for me; the serious local anglers targeted the middle of the pool for 'proper' fish and were always wonderfully friendly and supportive. They'd even share their tea, crisps and sandwiches with me. I suppose I was a bit of a freak – a little girl with her dad, float-fishing for gudgeon, or 'baby barbel' as I liked to think of them. We used either No. 20 or 22 barbless hooks and let the fish go immediately. It was strictly catch-and-release.
The gudgeon were very obliging quarry for a keen but unskilled kid; they gave clear, simple bites and (unlike perch) were always lightly hooked in the lip; they never swallowed a hook so there was no difficult stuff with a disgorger.
Bushy Park is one of London's old royal parks (Henry VIII and all that), stocked with deer for private hunting. Like Richmond Park, I imagine it saw its fair share of poaching in mediaeval times. I don't know what the penalty for poaching gudgeon would have been, but it would probably have involved a good deal of violence.
I'd have been horrified if I'd known about Jack's gudgeon tansy back then; I loved each and every one of the fish I caught and was extremely careful how I handled them (dad taught me well). Hold the fish in a wet hand, TURN the hook out gently, check for damage, look for parasites, take a mental photograph, slip it gently back into the water…
I'm certain that taking coarse fish from any venue was (and still is?) illegal; game fish – trout, salmon, grayling – are a different kettle of, er… fish. I know that some waters have different rules for pike, but I've never been interested in pike or game fishing.
These days I can't afford a rod licence or a book for my local waters (I'm based in West Yorkshire now). It's a pity. I'd love to try my hand at gudgeon fishing again.
Jack was an original outdoors man. A national treasure. 😂
I remember fishing the River Gowy at Mickle Trafford with my dad in the late 60s/early70s. He would float fish bread flake between the streamer weed for roach,but I would fish a little sandbank just below the road bridge and catch many many gudgeon on maggots. Very happy carefree days😊
I love this.
Seeing the maggots took me back to the first time I walked into ‘West Hendon bait shop’ .. can smell it now.
Nostalgia ay
First fish I caught was a Gudgeon back in about 1970/71, second fish same day was a Dace!
I wonder if that sporting dog sale in Normandy still goes on. Very interesting as always, thanks .
As a boy we would fish for live bait, catching Gudgeon amongst others before going off to fish for Pike on the river Wharfe. The location was just below Harewood Bridge at Kearby Sands, 56 years ago. What a lovely reminder.
Only 38, my how much they've declined over the years! Back in the early 1950s we used to fish mainly for the table. Eels were the favourites then perch and lastly gudgeon, there were literally hundreds of all three back then.
He observed the creation of the boot sale as it formed. Decades later we can look back and observe the end.
thanks dave love it
more more made my day
Does anyone know if there is a DVD episode of out of town that contains the full theme music, under extras
Hi Dave, That book was a real gem. A great anecdote about Gudgeon Tansy.
All the best!!
Great episode; we didn’t realise how good many programmes made back then; compared to the rubbish spewed out Today; thanks again for sharing
Thanks Dave
Great video 😊
such an interesting man with forgotten knowledge wish we still had tv like it
I have some pages from that very book mounted as prints . They are very early lithographs and were done by the lithographer mentally separating the colours and making a ' plate ' by hand of the primary colour he put down first . Then the 2nd colour . But he would amend colours as he went along , giving the print several layers of the same colour to get it perfect taking care not too overdue a colour as he went . The finished print could have many, many delicate layers of ink within it .