Peter Waller's last package contained a copy of a recent Angler's Mail. I know you folks have so many similar magazines available that you get bored with them but for me they are a real treat and I always seem to pick up ideas from some of the articles.

This time it was a piece about a man fishing a reservoir on a section of concrete covered shoreline that was totally featureless. In case you missed the article, he was able to bait up so as to attract the sort of fish he was after while avoiding at least one species he did not want.

I guess it's because there is a somewhat similar area I pass by on a lake I fish regularly that got my mind going but I finally arrived at thinking about the fate of a UK shore angler who was dropped into the southern US without his gear and had to buy what he could find of what he needed and adapt to shore fishing and then about the probable fate of a US angler who was put into the same situation in the UK.

First a general comment about the featureless concrete area - I never see any shore anglers fishing on it but if talked to some who were fishing in that general area they'd say they avoided the concrete because, "well, there just ain't any fish there". If I asked what they were feeding, I'd probably get a blank stare. Catfishermen who are really good at catching that species will put out some 'chum' to attract fish but it's pretty hit & miss. Just toss out something you think will work and then fish in that area. Not fishing right over the 'chum' and not adding bait on any sort of a schedule. Some carpers who have learned from UK sites do well with baiting but otherwise, it's pretty much an unknown skill here.

So our UK angler who walked into a tackle/bait shop would look around for items to use for feed and wouldn't find any unless it was deer hunting season and in that case there would be bags of dried field corn (maize) but only the hunters would be getting it. His only choice would be a visit to the local grocery store so hopefully he would know what to get there and not be completely stymied by the lack of known brands of baiting items.

He would then need to look around the shop for tackle and other equipment.
- the rods would all be too short with 8 feet being about the longest and not many of that length.
- the line would be familiar but 6lb would be about the lightest available and not much of that.
- hooks would be available in a good variety of shapes but all barbed and very little below about a #8 although he could probably get 8/0 without any problems.
- weights below bb size couldn't be found.
- method feeders, release clips for weights, spods, poles (and any pole specific bits), you could forget about since there simply wouldn't be any.
- baits: lob worms for sure, red worms for sure, crickets in season, a half-dozen sorts of live baits in different sizes. Paste baits but all designed for catfish or carp and not many choices. Forget maggots but that's OK since you couldn't find a hook they would stay on. So probably our angler would pick up some items for hook baits when at the grocery store for groundbait.
- license, no problem getting one that would be good on any water in the particular State. Fishing license though and no one will ever have heard of a rod license. Fish what ever number of rods are allowed for that location which could be from 1 to unlimited. 4-to-unlimited is probably the norm.

Our angler, now equiped as well as possible, is off to the water and a session of fishing. Wide selection of choices for places to fish since all rivers and almost all lakes are available and it's only a matter of avoiding private property but otherwise you can set up and fish where it suits you. Most of the available species will have seen absolutely zero fishing pressure since UK anglers rarely fish for non-pred species. My guess is that he/she will attract lots of fish to the chosen swim and have a great day's fishing.

The US angler probably wouldn't fare so well. Rods too long, line/hooks/floats too small, most bits too strange. I'm guessing that he/she would buy the needed tackle, locate a likely looking spot, toss out a simple float rig with a piece of lobworm on a #6 hook, and wait for a bite - or for the baliff to come along and make a fuss about fishing on a club water without paying.

Lure angling might be a different matter altogether but for the sort of shore angling with bait that is commonly done both US and UK, I really would have to bet on the UK angler doing well since the skills that allow catching of shy, pressured fish will work fine on unpressured fish.

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Don't you have such as Anglers Mail in the US Newt?

A UK anglers landing in the US could atleast buy bread or sweetcorn as bait! But for suitably light tackle I guess I'd have to look at a fly rod as a usable option. Certainly a weight 4/5 fly rod makes an excellent rod for roach from a boat. Floats, easy, reeds and quills. Hooks, sounds like we might have a problem though.

I think the US angler landing in the UK would probably be able to locate tackle to his, or her liking now. Especially a US angler who is into carp fishing.

An interesting thought, either way!

You mention your enjoying reading the Anglers Mail! I know why you like it and I bet its the same reason that I used to look forward to my copy of In-Fisherman so much.

After you have fished for a length of time you get a bit bored of reading the same stuff week in and week out.Just reading about new species,methods,tackle even if it is in another country is a nice change.Also as you said Newt good fishing does travel.

I have to laugh when I read some UK lure experts latest hot tip .......that was printed in a US mag 20 years or so ago!We are certainly starting to catch up now though.

Budgie - certainly I enjoyed the magazine because it is new to me. I manage to see a copy about every year or two so no chance for the content to get stale.

Peter - the UK angler could certainly find light tackle and some bait items if he didn't mind some thinking and unconventional purchases. Just no way to buy BigBaitCompany Black Groundbait or Super-duper Boilies.

The few US carpers could adapt easily and would recognize the gear but only because all that we use is UK made.

I think a knowledge of how to bait a swim to attract fish would be the key factor though. UK anglers at least know such a thing is possible while the majority of US shore anglers don't seem to. I imagine I know more than most here about baiting and I know quite a bit less than even a rank UK novice. I tend to do like most US guys do and decide on my hook bait & rig then work to locate a swim where the fish agree with me and are willing to bite.

And probably a US lure angler would have better success in the UK than the reverse. The size of the lakes and rivers here seems to put new UK guys into shock for a while.

Have to agree with most of your analysis Newt; haven't read the Mail in a while but from what I remember it's pretty much a mass-appeal publication...the specialist mags would be much more informative.

What I would say however is that your average US man-in-the-street is much more tuned into "the outdoors" than here...if you're sitting at a bar and mention that you're going fishing the next day you might be told that "there's a cold front pushing in" or suchlike..and that'd be from a non-angler. Over here you'd just get blank stares!

Jim.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Newt:
I know you folks have so many similar magazines available that you get bored with them but for me they are a real treat.

Newt, I'm off to Blighty for my Christmas vacation. I'll bring you some mags back (no porno!). If there's anything else you need let me know. I won't bring you any joker back or the size 26 hooks you'll need for 'em so don't ask.

Hillbilly.

Red - good to see you posting again. I've missed your stuff.

If you can pick up any used (so hopefully free) angling magazines I'd love to see them.

#26 hooks - not sure I'd even enjoy fishing for anything that needed that size and I know dang well I can't see well enough to be sure there is a hook, much less be able to tie it on a rig..

Jim - you do have a point there. It's just that sometimes when I'm headed to a launch ramp and pass lots of bank anglers who aren't catching I feel like stopping and suggesting to them that they toss in some goodies to bring fish to them. The only time most of them feed is when a fish knocks off their hook bait and doesn't eat it all.

I also think it would be nice if I could buy hemp some way other than mail order from the one supplier I'm aware of. That stuff is great but expensive at $6 for 2.5lbs plus shipping.

How much?

When you come over, come with empty suitcases and we'll pop to a merchant and get you some hemp

Might even be an idea to ditch Misses Newt for the return journey and replace her with hemp/tigernuts/etc.

You aren't refering to a well known UK book on lure fishing are you Budgie, not one by a well known, but not nescessarily much loved, lure angler? Now, who could that be ??

'When you come over, come with empty suitcases and we'll pop to a merchant and get you some hemp'

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when you explain to US Customs exactly what it is and what you use it for. 'Yea right, step this way please sir. You may be gone for quite some time'