lutra

You could try eating all the small ones when you catch them, so there is only big ones left to catch.

Barbel are the most adapt of our coarse fish at coping with flood water, as they just seem to put up with it for the most. Catching flood water barbel is mostly about finding holding areas with in or on the edge of the main flow. Although they do move about a lot in a flood to try and find shelter it never seems to be far from the main flow. Try looking for hollows in the river bed when the river is low or smooth areas on the surface of the water, the inside edge of the flow on bends or behind large obstacle's (weirs or large rocks) when its in flood. When it comes to feeding a flooded river for barbel Ive found its more a case of finding the fish than drawing them in. So i tend to favour using a smelly hook baits over loose feed especially in the winter, although PVA bags, string or stocking can be a good help if you do want to get feed down on the bottom in the flow.

Don't wait for me, just start with out me.

I over wintered some peas last year but as my plot is a bit exposed i had to cloche them up, I also started some in pots in the greenhouse at the beginning of march and planted them out at the beginning of April. To be honest they both cropped in the middle of may so I'm just going to do some in pots at the beginning of march this year so not to have the worry of the winter storms. As for purple sprouting broccoli taking up space. Just wait till you taste it, Its worth every inch of spaces. Jobs to do - saw my parsnips but not this week as i would need a pick axe.

Looking at that last one has convinced me its bed time. Good night.

Sorry i cant help much with growing them from seed (only to say its just about getting to the right time) or autumn planting as Ive never done either, I always grow them from sets. I plant them about the end of march having limed in the autumn as my pH is a bit low for onions and rake in some grow more and calcified seaweed when planting. I leave about 6inch between the the set when planting not the 4 it says in the book, as Ive got plenty of space and i find it easier to hoe with out hitting the bulbs and just Finish a bit of weeding by hand. I find birds can be a pain pulling up the sets and Ive tried most things to stop them, just had to put my hand in my pocket and get some net in the end. But be aware they can push them selves out as they put their roots down and odd ones may need pushing back in. Best of luck and have fun, Brian.

My local river holds both coarse and game fish so it doesnt really get a closed season. From that Ive seen on some of the day ticket stretches some species don't get a closed season either. It mite just be a frozen north thing, but Ive never been convinced the closed coarse fish season is at the right time as some coarse fish seem to be showing more interest in breeding when the closed season reopens than when it closes.

Its the number of specimen anglers that don't fish under their own bank (within 15inches) that surprises me. With all the free offerings that get spilt there and the lack of fishing pressure, the best fish in the lake can be under your own feet. Although the 15 foot range can be good, its just i like sit 14feet up the bank when i fish it.

Hi Mark and welcome to AN. I was wondering if you had any ideas as to why the numbers have dropped so much?

What else would you expect from a birdbrain.

Yes sweetcorn's good. Don't know what the rules are on your chosen water but big lumps of bread are good too as it seems to be a visual thing with trout. You can strike it off to get the swim going if loose feeding is banned too, or better still take some PVA bags of trout pellets in your pocket (but that didn't come from me).

Thanks for that, mybe i should and will give it another go.

Would be better off asking the water company as they usually know more than Joe public about these things.

Think I was put off braid when it first started to become popular and i bought some, after an hour or so of spinning it snapped like cotton. Don't know if this was just a bad make (can't remember what make) or are there better ones out now? Being a bit of a Miser i would have to be convinced that it was worthy of the money and taking up one of my spare spools. From previous experience it doesnt get on with rocks when I'm worming either, and it would mean changing my line when going from spinning to worming, but line twist can be no joke so i am all ears.

I think you've got to get to 15 post to PM, sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Like you say their very obtrusive so i try not to use them. As someone who dose quite a lot of spinning with meps and flying Cs for salmon and sea trout line twist can be a pain, that's why i came up with the split shot idea. Although i still end up walking around the field behind me towing my line in the grass trying to get the twist out of it at some point if I'm on a full days spinning. Not a thing i have done a lot of, but if you were trolling some thing like a meps behind a boat i think you would have to use a anti kink vane as swivels alone would just not be good enough.

You sound like a man with a full schedule. The usual plan for me is to give fishing a bit of a break till the middle of April and get the veg plot into shape. Trouble is as soon as i start digging i find myself collecting worms and thinking of sea trout.

For a cheaper way if your suffering with line twist, you could try putting a swivel in your line, about 12-18 inch up your line from your spinner. Leave a long tag end of 2-3inches to the knot on the reel line side of the swivel and put a split shot on it. This can help a bit although its not as good as a vane. It also helps to put a simple over hand knot in the end of the tag end to stop the split shot sliding off.

If that's poles/inexperienced pikes that has been leaving that dirty smelly white stuff all over the rock i like to sit on in the middle of the river, i don't think they will be a problem for long.

Yes good to meet you to. Lets hope we have better luck next time.

What positive light? I merely said id fished it.

Well i might have to bow to your 40+years of fishing but i do have 30+years of allround freshwater fishing and with the exception of Bewl Ive not fished any of the water you mention as the south of England has never been high on my list of places to fish. But having fished most corners of the British Isles for game fish i can honestly say i have never seen a coarse fish deliberately killed by a game angler. When it comes to killing coarse fish deliberately i would be very surprised if pike anglers weren't the worst offenders. Having spent a lot of time on waters where game and pike fishing are the main targets i would also put pike anglers up there in being the dirtiest in leaving rubbish behind and having very little respect for thier surrounds but i can only go off what i see in the places i fish. If you want to look at the lack of respect shown to coarse fish from my experience you would be better off looking at some of carp lakes up and down the country where fish like bream are seen pesty vermin and swim round with half their faces missing having been very poorly unhooked and handled. Yes there are some right prats with old fashioned views in the game fishing world but not as many as there is in coarse & pike fishing but that's just my opinion.

Carp do tend to like shallow areas that warm up the quickest in the warmer weather, so the freshwater mussels might not be the only reason they like this area.

Some plan this is, the temperature has dropped through the floor tonight. Ive just blanked and a quick look at the weather says more of the same for the next few nights. Still fishing is all about patience i think.

Is that a hint !! Going on the river at tea time if you can get your tackle to together pm me.