Tyne Cot Cemetery, Ypres is where 35,000 fallen are honoured, many with just a simple headstone saying: A Soldier of The Great War, Known only unto God.

Let me start by saying how impressed I was by the respect and loyalty the Belgian/Flemish people continually showed to all those soldiers who gave the lives, many with no recorded name! They have saluted and honoured those fallen, every year at the 11^th hour, on the 11^th day, of the 11^th month, with the Last Post under the Menin Gate for nearly 100 years… Awe-inspiring!

Leading the parade were some informal representatives from Surrey Fire & Rescue Services on their march past to the Menin Gate. My son was 2nd row, middle.

The march past continued for nearly an hour as representatives from different nations paid their respects. Quite something!

If you’ve ever been there, you will appreciate how poignant that moment is. It was also quite a special event for my wife and I, as our eldest son took part in the preceding march to the Gate. We had a grandstand view as he marched passed us, along with some of his Surrey Fire Brigade colleagues, who are yearly guests of their Ypres colleagues. The event must have been attended by well over 10,000 people, many from different races across the world, such was its significance.

I must finish this short but important piece by highlighting the B&B we stayed in, just outside Ypres. We learnt that it had been the command centre for the British troops on the Ypres front and I include a map we were shown, detailing the frontline positions of both armies. I hope you can see it clearly, What is fascinating is that there are still artifacts from that time, being unearthed in the area to this day!

An amazing coincidence to actually stay in the farm house which was the British Command Centre for the Ypres frontline. I hope you can see where we stayed, it's in column 31, 2nd block from the top, lightly circled in blue.

Of course this came after my visit on the Saturday, to that special shop in question, ‘De wedstrijdvisser’, run by Steve Salomez and his wife Tweggy. Steve is what we would call a ‘groundbait meister’ and his shop, while looking somewhat small from the front, extends into infinity! At the front are the standard tackle shop items found in any well-stocked premises, but moving down we start to see what this shop is all about…groundbait, lots of it.

We, in the UK, don’t really seem to have anything like it… could it be we’re too lazy to make up our own mixes, preferring to buy what the manufacturers throw at us, as good as they may be?

Here's a 4-part video of Steve, as he goes through his displayed products and the many ingredients which he sources and creates himself. My apologises if they may seem to be a little shaky in places, it’s difficult to keep the camera still while talking, videoing and looking at the products that Steve’s talking about! Steve actually supplied the Belgian winning team with his products in the 2017 World Championships, so he’s no Muppet! His website shows all the products he holds, unfortunately it’s either in Dutch or French, but you can work most of it out…. but could you please do an English version if possible Steve, I’m sure many UK guys would be interested?

I’ve always held a fascination for the contents of what goes into our shop bought packages and disappointed that we have no outlet in the UK for what Steve supplies, am I wrong? The continent has many shops like Steve’s, so why don’t we have any here? I appreciate that many in this country have turned to the ‘dark-side’ and rely on pellets and carp-based groundbaits, but there is still a massive market for the ‘proper’ fishing punters. We do seem to have become more lazy, thereby relying on pre-packaged groundbaits, not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just that there’s something to be said about tinkering and making up your own mixes to suit whatever venue or style of fishing you’re into. It can be very absorbing, satisfying and highly productive, if you get it right. Remember, many branded items contain salt, which is something you can leave out or develop in your own way. It’s a bit like cooking. You have all these individual ingredients, which need mixing together to form the perfect meal for those fish!

The various materials that make up a normal shop bought packet are all available in Steve’s shop, to those brave or curious enough to take the trouble to develop their own special mixes. That includes yours truly! We’ve had many features over the years in MA.com, highlighting the effective and complex nature of groundbaits and how they can influence our day-to-day sport. DIY groundbait mixes are fun as well as informative and productive and I’ve already benefitted from some of Steve’s products that I loaded up my wagon with! I expect to replenish them in the not too distant future, so watch out Steve, I’ll Be Back!!!

https://www.dewedstrijdvisserwebshop.be