lutra

Hard to know what to make of it. After many years of reading about Cormorants, it seems to me no-one knows how many we have or how much damage they really do. But I suppose it fits that we still don't know how many will get shot.

Terry knows where a gooden lives. http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Angling-Times/Section/News--Catches/General-News/Terry-plucks-sole-surviving-roach-from-Thames-tributary/

Catching salmon on a worm is probably more traditional than on a fly. If the rules allow it (the fluff chuckers haven't got it banned on that bit of water) enjoy, but always read the rules. Even free water might have rules somewhere. Often on waters that allow both coarse and game fishing one tactic (baits, floats, hook size, .....) is allowed for one but not the other. Fish (coarse or game) don't read the rule book, so if you catch the wrong species at the wrong time or with the wrong license, wrong bait, wrong tactic, wrong hook,......., you shouldn't get hung so long as you return it immediately, unharmed and don't persist at doing something that is clearly better at catching the wrong thing. Static baits on the bottom don't tend to be much good at catching salmon. Anything with a bit of movement or flutter is much more likely to get snapped at.

Fished a biggish still water on top of the pennies yesterday. I'm sure I saw some Penguins. Might have another go up there in July as its meant to be nice when the snowdrops are flowering in between the melting snow.

Can't say it really does it for me. I think its all them modern looking holes mixed with traditional spokes, the handles fixed with big looking screws near the outer rim and the whole thing being bright silver.

Well IMO. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/speed-with-guy-martin/4od#3623599 Worlds fastest Toboggan next Sunday.

Not been out the door today Ian, I'm full of a stinking cold.

Had a play at doing this in the past, even collected the sand/silt from the same place I was fishing. Can't say it made any noticeable difference to may catch rates, but that might be because its abrasiveness meant I had to put tubing over my line making my rig more obvious.

Works for me and links nicely to Ians other hobby of playing with dolls. lol

Not sure I have a telly any more George as it seems to have been hijacked by junior and his Xbox. Must get him off it and fishing more this year.

And some more from today that still need painting. hhhhj.bmp From left to right again an Elder pith on reed waggler, balsa on reed waggler, three balsa on cane wagglers, two balsa and pitch pine Avon/sticks and two balsa on cane Avons with a large balsa on cane waggler underneath.

With the wet and windy weather this Christmas, I've found a bit of time for float making. vgvggvg.bmp From left to right they are two balsa on cane wagglers, then seven Norfolk reeds (courtesy of last summers trip to Norfolk ) with cane inserts and lastly two crow quill and balsa Avons with cane tips. Anyone else been doing any float making?

Bream? Is that an odd one Peter or a wagon full?

Not sure Billy would have been to bothered by 77 Mark. Wasn't the competition you mention in turn left behind by pole anglers and floats that look like Avons and Bolo's? If I needed to buy a light sensitive float to trot for tiddlers in fast water, not sure a pole float would be a bad choice. Got to be better if you can see a float.

Any news on this yet? Google don't seem to come back with much. Anyone fished it since the flood?

Found a nice spot out of the wind today and fish flake and mashed bread on the tip. It was the same peg that gave me a pb chub last Christmas. No monsters today, but finished with 5 good chub and 2 barbel. Its not cold.

I still carry an odd true stick, but they only ever really see light in winter and in slower water, when catching a few tiddlers is a result. Faster water often means warmer weather and trying to avoid the millions of small dace. If i do fancy a bit of summer dace fishing my more Avon style floats start at 4 x number 4, have a shoulder that means i can keep in contact easier and a tip i can see.

So can we shoot you now please so's we can get back to tiddler bashing.

Ian the way this thread has gone made me think of Billy Lanes book The new encyclopedia of float fishing. IMO a must read for anyone looking to take up float fishing by a truly great float and match angler that won even the biggest of matches. His chapter on Sticks suggests to me they have long been made to work in conditions that other floats may have been a better choice in. "Victims to fashion " are the words used to describe anglers that do this.

Another small side effect of using lots of small shot over one big one when bulk shotting is they have more drag (surface area thing i believe a bit like a fluted float) and make your float travel a little slower even without holding back. I take all the help I can get when trotting beyond the rod tip.

Trying to catch any fish cause it's bigger or better and ending up sitting around like a specihead. Waiting around for something to happen is pure frustration and as you know it will probably happen if you can just stick at it long enough, it usually ends up being a bit of an anti climax anyway. So a bit pointless as well as frustrating. Ps. I get road rage in traffic jams as well. Didn't used to, must be a getting old thing. (Crazy face) (stupid phones no emotions face).

A lot will depend on what you are calling "fast flow", but to my mind and doing a lot of fishing on a fast flowing spate river, I'd be thinking more of a number 1 as a tell tale shot in the faster flow. In some very fast and turbulent pegs and when I've needed to get the hook bait hard and slow on the bottom, I sometimes bunch all the shot (inc. the tell tale) 20" from the hook, fish a couple of feet or more over depth and holding back hard, slowly bump the shot down the bottom. Can take quite a lot of weight in fast flow to get your hook down to the bottom. Sometimes better to be over heavy than not be getting your hook bait down at all. Not often I trot with a float that takes less than 6 or 7bb if I want to get it down.

Is fishing after dark not doable?

Just do like you do chub fishing and bait half a dozen of the best looking pegs and then go back a bit later (after dark may be better) and try them in turn. If their there and its only half a mile long some sort of result shouldn't be long in coming.

Sadly you may be right, but looking at the map I can see a lot of freshwater between the Yare and Oulton Broard that would have to be mixed or pushed somewhere for the saltwater to get through that way.