I have day off work on Friday and intend to fish all day on one or more of Hampstead Heath's beautiful ponds.

I know they have carp and tench there but have one problem - I won't be able to get to a tackle shop before hand.

I can get hold of sweetcorn, redworm and slugs from the compost, prawns (apparently good for carp), rubber maggots, pinapple and white or brown bread.

So now a few questions...

1. Will Carp and Tench be more likely to take natural baits after not being fished for for some time?

2. Which of the above baits will work for Carp and what ground bait?

3. Same above for tench, although I've caught these in the past and I was thinking breadcrumb with chopped worm and sweetcorn with a 2xsweetcorn or sweetcorn and worm or maggot and worm on the hook.

4. Will liquid molasses help in the groundbait for either fish?

Any hints would be great as I want to catch loads of fish!!!

Thanks

Simon

Pike and Tench Man

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I'd say go with sweetcorn for the tench and buy a meat bait for the carp, such as luncheonmeat or sausage. Pepperami is supposed to be good too.

I'd go with lob worms as well as the corn and meat , If its a warm damp night have a walk round where theres short grass or give the grass a soaking with washingup liquid and water to get a few worms up. (remember to wash the worms in clean water before storing them)

try cockles mate,most large garages stock em near the sandwiches,there good apparently.your tench recipe sounds tasty!

Don't forget the bread There's bound to be people feeding ducks on the lake and the fish will be used to bread - It's probably the most under-rated bait of all. Many of the big Carp in the Grand Union near me fall to bread, all down to them being used to it from the duck feeders and rarely being caught on it as so few people use bread larger than punch.

Will

[ 16. June 2004, 11:34 PM: Message edited by: Will Wilkinson ]

Back from fishing. The carp didn't take any of my baits but I got a Personal Best twice! Nothing massive but a Perch of about 1.5lb and a 1lb Roach - thought it was a roach bream hibrid from its size but it was genuine.

The carp anglers (3 of them) didn't have much luck, apart from a guy near me who twice got stuck into fish easily over the 25lb mark - but lost them both a foot away from the landing net. Very impressed to see 3 similar size fish following the 2nd one he caught as it came in - never seen that before.

I'm off to buy some boilies and get myself one of those slabs next time!!!

Pike and Tench Man

nice one boozle,how much is it to fish up there mate?im not too far from there,someone pointed me in that direction for som egood sport on lures,a good few jacks in there apparently

Mate, the best thing is it is free!

All you need to do is take your license to the staff yard on the heath and they will give you a permit.

5 ponds are fishable at the moment. The best is the model boating pond (the boating doesn't happen thank god!) with Carp upto 36lb caught and also pike (which I only found out yesterday). Plus Bream, and some big Tench.

There is a famous Pike, one-eye'd Jack, who lives in the fishable part of the men's swimming pond, but that pond is shut as there are new baby swans there this year. He's a bit of a legend as he's been spotted a few times but only caught once.

The slabs of carp I saw the other day were most impressive, and I will certainly be buying boilies, hair rigs and pva bags after my holiday next week.

Hampstead Heath Staff yard phone number for information is 020 7485 4491. Open from 7am to get permit, from 9am on the phone.

You can fish through the night if you like and take a bivvie and it still costs nothing!

Enjoy. Let me know when you go - e-mail me, and if its a weekend after mid June we could always meet up and I'll let you know the spots and snags.

Simon

lovely thanks mate i think ill pay i visit down there,bit odd at night down ther tho lol nah i would be up for that free fishing!!probably pop down and try for some carp and tench,on a good warm day,the pike sound intresting might have a go for them come the colder weather.you probably get an e-mail soon mate.im gonna speak to my mate se if he sup for it,i can get the train there n all!after mid-june?>>say around the end of june?

[ 22. June 2004, 02:48 AM: Message edited by: Ratty46 ]