Neil G

lol Not my cuppa either

Deadbaits definately account for eels...had loads of problems with them last weekend when fishing for the pike.

Agree with the above Plenty of numpties out there causing actual harm to fish which to me is more of a problem

Good luck with your quest for the Perch My advice if there are pike present is pretty similar to the above....don't skimp on the gear (use trace and a strong rod & mainline) and take all the unhooking equipment you'll need for pike just incase as cutting lines and leaving hooks in pike is a definate no no. If you are lure fishing the good thing is that deep hooking pike is no that likely to happen...often the lure is outside the mouth and easy to remove, especially if you flatten the barbs.

I'm with the above...haven't killed or eaten any of my pike catches and doubt I ever will.

I've come across similar waters where the ownership is a grey area and it's seems impossible to find out who owns the rights and how to get tickets etc.

That's what I like to hear Will be going down the river on the Sunday all day to try for the pike on lures

That's the exact reason why I am going to start using it on my lure rod....loosing lures which cost £12 a piece can be a very painful experience!

Agree with the above Since buying 'proper' pike rods which were only 0.25lb more test curve wise than my carp rod I've found the actions much more suitable for casting big baits. Definately depends on what sort of fishing you want to do...for instance a 3.5tc rod probably isn't going to feel too comfortable if you want to do roving fishing on rivers where you are holding the rod a lot of the time.

As above...usually works Don't worry about having some of the male part showing....that allows for wear over the years so it doesn't go totally loose.

My favoutite venues have to be rivers and large reservoirs/pits These venues usually have plenty of room and you don't have to get up at silly hours to try and beat the carp boys to the bank to get a spot.

Avoncliff & limpley Stoke both known as being great Barbel spots and also hold some big pike. I've yet to fish that stretch but have fished the stretch further down in Barton Farm, Bradford on Avon and have had some great pike action there.

Good point of course but my club do hold quite a few matches on the rivers The club licence is a one off payment and I pay extra (2/3 pounds) if I wish to fish the commercials so I imagine a lot of the money does go to keeping the rivers open.

I do agree to some extent I see kids & adults take everything but the kitchen sink down to some commercials bivvying up behind 2/3 rods when most of the carp don't get much bigger than 15lbs and the weather is sunny & calm. They are there weekend in weekend out trying to get to the bank before anyone else to get the 'best' swims. I always laugh at that as it must be stressful as well as tedious. One of the best scraps I've had fishing was catching a carp on super light float gear and a match rod while fishing for livebaits.

Well round my area there seems to be very few people fishing the rivers...especially in the winter so it's all good!

Sounds good Tacklebargains have quite a good selection of braids which are reasonably cheap....I'm really looking for floating stuff for drifter fishing as I can really see the advantage of that with not having to grease up mono.

I agree with you Den I think there is better fishing on offer nowadays for everyone, no matter what type of fishing you do from rivers to commercials. I'm not a big fan of Commercials but at least they are there for when the rivers are closed....you just have to be a little tolerant of some of the people there smashing pegs in the ground, bombarding the lake with spods like battle of the atlantic and talking (loudly) about their domestic issues!

Pretty funny read I'm 'allowed' once a week and even then get moaned at for being back 'late' which is usually half five six! As for the gear I usually hang nets out to dry in the garage, wipe down rods and put it all back in the spare room where it belongs. All my unused baits (deadbaits) go back into the freezer....the missus has been pretty good about that and given me the bottom compartment of the freezer for that use.

I'm not sure how my club rents land etc but I know they hold a lot of matches on the rivers which probably helps the finances. I understand where you are coming from though....most of tke lakes on my club books are like holiday camps....packed in the summer and impossible to get a single swim let alone a good one. The river on the other hand seem to be very, very quiet. Suits me though and come June 16th I'll be able to get a bit of peace away from the crowds....real fishing!

Better get the wallet ready then....it isn't cheap is it!

Can't wait for the rivers to open again I'm going to be fishing for the pike hopefully getting to grips with lure fishing more. May target some barbel too as there are some great spots on the Bath/Bristol avon for them and I've never fished for them before.

Not yet mate I'm taking the day off on Friday to go on a pike session with deadbaits and lures Friend of mine went to the lake I'm going to and he said that he was putting hemp & maggott in to get the silverfish feeding and saw loads of pike hitting the shoals of roach which sounds promising. I'm going to take plenty of bread & corn to get the tiddlers in and hopefully the pike will follow....a lure popped across the surface might do the trick!

Interesting read I've also heard that it's banned because of fish being tethered due to the high BS of braids. I've never used it but am going to get some floating stuff soon for drifter fishing for pike....it's situations like that where I think the low stretch properties of it would be good at such long ranges.

Never heard of 'tinkers' before Well done on the pike chaps

You must be chufffed with that...it's a thing of beauty Be good to see the pics when it's finished Are you going to produce batches to sell?