[Good news]

With exception of Brown trout, none of the species you mention are truly native to these waters. I would think it was not predation alone that has wipe out the vendace either, as any predatory fish introduced would most likely have found a balance with the prey fish not wipe them out.

 

In both Mill & Castle lochs the timing of vendace diapering seems to fit with the introduction of other coarse fish (Mainly Bream and a few roach). Castle loch also had the disadvantage of being used as an out flow for Loch mabens sewage in times gone by, which cant have been good for it. As for Bassenthwaite I'm no expert on this water but I believe its got its fair share of introduced coarse fish to ( pike, perch, roach, dace and so on) and a question mark over is water quality also.

 

I found it interesting (in the report i linked) that it was possible to take vendace fry from Bassenthwaite in 1997 & 99 yet by 2003 they are thought to have gone. Seems fast?

 

 

I would have thought Pike and Pearch would have been native and would have been around for thousands of years.

[Good news]

Having read the article I was a bit confused by the following comment

 

"This fish has been badly hit by pollution and predation from inappropriate fish introductions in other lakes in the country and can only be found in a couple of locations these days."

 

What inappropriate fish introductions would they be?

Pike, Native,

Zander, don't think there are any,

Perch, Native,

Rainbow trout? I don’t think they have been stocked,

Brown Trout Native?

 

Seems odd I can't think which predatory fish has been introduced.

 

Or is it the dam Snake Fish Again!!!!!

[Angling Vagabond]

I would like a copy, Signed if possible, could I send a cheque for the book and postage cost?

I would really appriciate it.

[What (if anything) have you learned from fishing TV ?]

I can't remember which show it was but I leant and have put into practice using black flies for chub on small rivers, it really works. I had been trying for ages to catch chub on the fly on the river Arrow and had had very little success, I then watched this show and tried a blobby black fly (tied by me) and it was instant success.

[Livebaiting with circle hooks]

Hi On the power of this thread I have just ordered the following Items

 

FOX PREDATOR TRACE CRIMP COVERS

100 Size 8 ROLLING SWIVELS

FOX PREDATOR CARBO FLEX TRACE WIRE 40LB 15M

10 x 6/0 self-striking circle hooks

 

Total cost £18.03 inc postage

 

I will not get out until next week but will be giving these a go for Zander and Pike on the River Avon.

Any Tips on Striking? The Zander bites are always Light and I touch ledger a pasternosta rig, the pike rod will be float fished.

 

Cheers

[My first time out since before christmas]

thanks for the tips

 

i am only after a few roach and perch even if i dont catch it will be nice to get outside again for a days fishing anything else is a bonus

Tomorrow will be the best day to go fishing for a long time, the wind is changing tonight to a south westerly bring warm air, I am having a day on the Warwickshire Avon, water levels are perfect.

I feel a bag up day coming on.

 

Tight lines (try a river)

[National Anguilla Club]

Hi Mark

 

I might be interested! I have caught many eels, but not through targeting them, I would love to know more. I have always had a bit of a thing for eels. I also had a great teacher as a kid, John Sidley taught me every thing I know about pike fishing in my early days, I fished with him at Earlswood lakes, He took me and my friend under his wing, and he also reckoned Earlswood lakes had the potential to hold a record eel.

He fished for them on Earlswood on occasion but told me he was going to have a serious campaign for them. I remember he was in the Angling Times with a big eel from Earlswood, (he was often in with pike) if he ever did have a serious and concentrated campaign at Earlswood I didn’t see him. (Night fishing was not permitted) I remember he told me he was going to put a sack of dead animals in a corner of the lake, leave it for a week or two then fish there, I was never sure if he was pulling my leg.

I would love to have a go for eels but don't really know how to target them.

Anyway thought you might like to hear about Earlswood, John might have been right and that big eel is sitting in there waiting for you!!!

 

Cheers Richard

[Angling]

Does anyone think Angling is still the largest participation sport in the country?

When I was a kid in the seventies it was estimated that 5 million anglers were on the banks, or shore up and down the country on a Saturday.

 

To me though I don't think I see as many anglers out and about like I used to.

I know the carp fishing thing is big (I don’t do it) so has this replaced the river anglers?

 

I can think of Earlswood lakes in the seventies, every peg was full on a Saturday, if I walk round now you’re lucky if there are 20 anglers and they all tend to be on the carp lake.

Same with the Avon, I fished the Lido in Stratford upon Avon on Monday, not a sole in sight.

 

Can we still claim to be the biggest? Or are we becoming unfashionable, and if so how can we raise our profile and get more kids involved.

[Rare or unusual fish that you have caught in the UK]

Having read the reply’s it seems the UK has been invaded by terrapin’s. In years gone by they would have died out in the cold winter, but as we now don’t seem to have them anymore I am predicting that they could become as much as a pest as Crayfish.

Give it 10 more years and we could be infested!!

 

I was amazed at how many anglers have caught them. Those are only the ones caught, how many are there out there and what damage are they doing.

 

I guess you have to blame the popularity in the 80’s and 90’s of the teenage mutant ninja turtles, all those kids that had them grew up and I guess the parents just dumped them in the nearest bit of water when the novelty had worn off

[Coarse vs. Game]

you're quite right. it's a game fish, but often targeted and caught by coarse anglers. a good example of what i'm talking about.

You see the grayling was not considered much of a game fish historically to the majority of fly fishers so it was seen as fair game to the course anglers and the fly fishers tolerated the course guys fishing for it on game rivers during the fly close season. All of a sudden the fly fishing guys have decided that the Grayling is now a cool fish to catch on the fly.

I think there’s room for all, I would love to see more game rivers given over to course fishing during the fly close season

 

Were I sit in all this is that I am both a course and fly / game fisherman. I really think its better to keep the sports apart. Due to the conflicting methods used. You would not like to be sat in a swim when a fly fisherman come round the bend mid water in his waders and destroys the swim you have been baiting up.

I think all fly fishermen should have course fished and visa a versa. Both totally fantastic areas of our sport.

 

United we should stand and common appreciation for each others fishing should be upheld.

[Rare or unusual fish that you have caught in the UK]

What is the rarest or most unusual fish you have caught in UK Fresh Water?

 

Mine is a stone loach caught new years eve this year, (not very exciting, I know) in the river Arrow, or a bright red gold fish about a 1lb I caught on the River Windrush 10 years or more ago

I am sure there are plenty of you who have caught strange or unusual fish; I would love to know what they were.

 

Sorry if this thread has been posted before but since I have been a member I have not seen it.

[Pick your fish to introduce to the UK.]

I was always fascinated by a fish, in my 'Freshwater fishes of Britain and Europe', called the Asp: looks like a chub, grows a lot bigger, eats fish, frogs, ducklings etc. I expect that, now so many people do go fishing on the continent, somebody on this forum may have caught one...?

 

I have caught ASP both in Latvia and Sweden, on live bait and on lures in lakes, hard fighting fish, bit like a chub with teeth, would be a great addition to the British fresh water.

I also caught a fish locally called Vimba, in Latvia, don't suppose anyone has any idea what it might be called in English!, The fins were different colors depending on the time of year, pink finks in spring with gold flecks, a really good looking fish generally silver in colure. It was also very good to eat. Mainly caught when float fishing, I have caught these fish up to 4lb, great sport and very lively would love them in the UK

[Punched bread for the bomb]

Hi can't tell you much' all i know is that is a top method on earlswoods lakes in the winter' I have seen guys catching on this method when no one else has been catching' I am not really a carp fisher but walk my dog at earlswood from time to time and all ways have a chat with anyone who wants one.

[Methods you loathed but became to enjoy]

Mine was the method feeder, I had avoided it for as long as it has been around until last summer when I was persuaded by a friend to use one on the Avon for bream, and boy did it work, not only bream but river carp and barbel all have fell to its charms.

I still use normal feeders but from time to time I sling out a method feeder.

[Day on the Arrow]

Fantastic stuff, especially the dace!

 

Yes the dace were great, I can honestly say the Arrow is one of the few rivers with large dace, I put this down to the fact there are very few predators, I have only ever seen one pike, the odd Large perch and no Zander, The chub of cause will eat small fish but the river is stuffed with minnows and gudgeon for them to munch on. Also the angling pressure is very light in many parts of the river. The river is perfect for dace, on summers evening's you can watch them taking flies from the surface and cruising around the shallows, there are some big fish (for dace that is)

It has always had a good reputation as a dace fishing venue. Lower down from Alcester Barbel are now making an impact, these must have arrived from the Avon as the arrow feeds into the Avon, I guess its only a matter of time for the Zander to arrive and spoil the river, as much as I enjoy Zander fishing on the Avon lets hope they don't invade the Arrow.

[Day on the Arrow]

My Brother and I took his new center pin for a days fishing on the Arrow Today, Armed with maggot and caster we were targeting Roach and Dace.

 

What a day, the river was perfect, colored and falling, we trotted at about 2 foot deep (this is not a deep river) and feed maggots and fished caster, we had a great days fishing, we traveled light and moved slowly along the river from Coughton to Alcester.

We caught loads of Dace up to 12 oz, Roach also up to 12oz and hundreds and I mean hundreds of chub from a few ounces to around 2 1/2 lb we also caught gudgeon by the bucket full and I caught a stone loach which is the first I have ever caught on rod and line (and trotting as well!!!)

The action was none stop a fish a cast, they must have been queuing up for our bait.

It was hard to get through to the better fish and it seemed that in each swim the bigger roach and dace arrived first, then the small fish (mainly chublettes and gudgeon) followed by bigger chub, when these slowed down or stopped it was time to move on.

I have had my pin for two years but my brother had not fished a pin before, I got him one for Christmas, he is a converted man. He loved the level of control and the fight on the pin.

All I can say is if you haven’t fished a pin, have a go.

By the way the stretch we fished is covered by Throckmorton angling club, about £35 for the year.

Happy New year to you all

bluerinse

[What scares you when night fishing?]

Fly fishers will disagree with you as the larva of the mossy is the buzzer, a most successful fly Patten

 

 

strangly night fishing no one has mentioned mozzies that is a beast with no dicernable use

 

<small>[ 18. April 2005, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]</small>

[Kennet at Newbury]

I used to fish that stretch in the 80's you have just brought back so great memories for me,

I used to trot bread flake and feed mashed bread, great roach fishing with the odd trout turning up, also chub and dace

I have also fish the lamborne which is a very small river that runs Thur or very close to Newbury, now I had some great grayling fishing there. O the memories!!

[dead fish]

I have lots of photos like that at home,

 

When I lived in Sweden it was common to take fish home for tea.

I will add that I myself never did but many of the friends I fished with did and quite often a photo was taken. Sometimes the fish I caught were taken by friends. Pike, Zander and perch were favorites but bream were taken (if caught in clean rivers) occasionally

 

I wonder if I left those photos hanging around if people would jump to the same conclusion that it must be in the UK.

 

I don't have a problem with taking fish for the pot as long as it is done with-in the law and with a sensible approach to sustainable fish stocks.

[Vintage Hardy Bros reel help.]

Hi Aaron

Not sure were you live but try taking the items to your local auction house, most have a sporting goods sale 2-3 times a year, the auctioneer will value them for you free of charge. Tell him you are considering to put them in the auction.

Failing this a little research on the Internet can give you a ruff Idea how much they are worth, condition is everything when it comes to value, mint reels will sell for more than double a used reel.

There are also books on collecting vintage tackle these can also give you a good idea of value, make sure you get a recent edition.

 

Anyway I am pleased you are not selling try displaying them on a shelf they will look great.

 

Cheers

[guided pike trips]

naughty corner ???

 

Yes siting on a little plastic tank with suspects little splashing sounds coming from inside saying "live fish, what live fish"

[Flood Warnings]

River Arrow and Alne in Alcester are flooded, the town center is flooded, the Avon in stratford is flooded, you have never seen anythink like it. Total wipe out

[balanced feeder]

most anglers I see on the Avon fishing for barbel these days use a bolt rig, bite alarms and Donkey chocking pellets, They set up sit back have a kip, drink a few beers and wait for the fish to hook its self.

 

Were's the skill in that?

[Trebles]

I have fished single hooks for Zander for the past year, I would say that my catch rate is higher than with trebles, it seems I get less dropped runs so have more fish to strike at and as a result catch more fish, I have of cause picked up pike on a single when fishing for Zander, but I can't say if its better or worse as I don't know if the missed take was a pike or not. (Does that make sense?)

The benefit is far easier unhooking, no hooks caught in the landing net and less weed and detritus snagged on the hooks.

 

several years ago I was living in the Ukraine, Most pike anglers (not all some still use trebles and live bait) use large single hooks, Not only that but they bait them with bits of fish no bigger that say a 50p.

It works; they catch plenty of pike large and small,

 

They do still use trebles but in a very different method, they tie about 6 trebles on a line with a large lead on the bottom, they then cast let it sink and rip it back in short jerky movements, this is repeated until they either foul hook a fish snag up on the bottom or retrieve it empty. Horrific I know but they are fishing for food!

[Fishing with worms?]

I find worm baits when fishing for bream, carp and Tench work best fished as a cocktail, Work and Corn, Worm and Caster, worm and Maggot, worm and bread have all been very successful for me. Further more in the colder months I have found that cocktails can get you a bite when worm on its own fails or any other bait on its own fails.

 

The other thing on some waters the bigger the bait the bigger the fish, so I would go with lobs

 

PS mind the eel's