VSTOL Lures

Lots more lures added: Kastmaster spoons, Rapala plugs, Fisherman series floating frogs, snap beans etc More to come!

Night time just after heavy rain is good, all the worms come out of the waterlogged ground. I've also heard you can get them to come out by stamping on the ground, something to do with vibration? Hope this helps

See my above comment

If you can get some in good condition and for a decent price, the current UK military issue gor-tex is very good. Its kept me dry in everywere from Poland to the deck of HMS Invincible ;o) Army surplus is probably your best bet

I agree with everything thats been said above. When I catch a fish thats perfect in every way, fine condition, great colours, and one thats fought like a wildcat (no matter what its size) then I class that as a "specimen". If you just spent an hour stalking a 3lb chub but you finally get your fish...is that not a specimen? It is to me ;o)

To be honest Newt, there are far too many "traditionalists" in the UK. I've lost count of the number of times I've turned up at a water with my lure kit, and some snotty match fisherman looks at me like I've got two heads. I see the questions forming in his mind "were's his put over pole? why hasn't he got a trolley with a seatbox the size of Guildford? were's his Carp bivvy? etc etc" In all seriousness though, I think part of what is great about angling as a sport is the multitude of tackle and new ideas that can be used. Just because something isn't in a book or "accepted" it doesn't stop you from trying it (provided its legal and safe!). I've been using soft plastic for a few years now, I've used everything from Crappie tubes to plastic shads and everything in between. I've caught mostly Pike and Perch, but I've also had Chub and large Roach on the small plastic insect type lures. I'm always open to learning new fishing ideas, and although I wouldn't dream of ever using a Centrepin, I see no reason why someone couldn't successfully fish with soft plastic using one - soft plastics are just like any other form of bait!!!! As for the comments about using any form of rod, why the hell not? My first fishing rod was a solid glass 7 foot spinning rod (heavy) and I used that for years for everything from spinning for mackerel to ledgering for Tench, and it never let me down. Fishing is fishing, I enjoy just being at the waters edge (unless its bucketing it down like it is at the moment!)

I think you'll find members of the military aren't allowed to stand for public office Nick. No offence.

I've used Shakespeare reels for a long time, I've never had a problem with them - good all rounders. I've heard Leeda and Daiwa are supposed to be good too.

If theres a Decathlon anywere near you they often stock continental type seat boxes at cheap prices. I agree with the above though that the Shakespeare box takes some beating for a newbie. It was my first box (with Octoplus legs!!) and if I had the room I'd still have it now.

Don't forget as well we aren't really a democracy. In the recent council elections, my ward was offered two choice, Labour or Conservative I drew a picture of a male sexual organ on the paper. I'd have draw a big poo but I'm not much of an artist.

Phil I'm surrounded by those bloody things all day, I've no wish to see one when I'm fishing ;o)!

Ah I see, apologies

I must agree with you there Cory - the media doesn't tell a shred of truth. Classic (military related) stories/quotes "The L85A2 (SA80) is a type of Anti Armour Weapon used by British forces" The Sun "The GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) fires up to 10 rounds a minute" BBC News You have to remember that it is IMPOSSIBLE to write unbiased news. So even with "figures" quoted in the Star, you don't know how they reached the total - one things is for sure, they didn't stand at Dover and count for a whole month!!! Remember this is the paper with the headline "Freddy Starr ate my hamster!"

Absolutely not. We don't have the material, manpower, leadership or political will. We still have the best soldiers, sailors and airmen in the world, but thats where it ends. The demise of the sea Harrier has left our fleet with no point air interceptor. The Harrier GR9 is not 100% combat effective (despite what you read), the Eurofighter is at least another 5 years away from being anything other than an airshow centerpiece. Sorry, very off topic

Anyone setting up a community tank should try the community creator on www.thinkfish.co.uk its a very useful tool for beginners (although by no means definitive).

Don't forget the Argies were using a wide variety of equipment from foreign sources, even Canberra bombers which we sold them in the 1970s!!! Its unbelievable to think the Senior brass used the "Janes" series of books to find out exactly what the Argentinian military had equipment wise as the task force steamed south - I sh*t you not.

Reference the Falklands. What is often not known or conveniently forgotten is how poorly planned and executed the whole operation was. The only reason the Parachute Regiment didn't run out of ammunition at Goose Green is because the Argentinians used the same weapon (The SLR was a licence built version of the Belgian FN FAL) and the Paras simply used Argentine ammunition. There is also evidence to suggest had the Argentinian air force used their aircraft in a more effective manner, instead of sending them in twos and threes against the task force, a great deal more British ships would have been sunk. I still can't believe that all those troops sat on Galahad as sitting ducks in an open cove whilst the ammunition was unloaded first! It just shows you what a shambles the whole operation was! The Black Buck missions were another farce - sending Vulcan bombers in the freefall conventional bombing role with "dumb" 1000lb bombs to crater a runway? All the Argies did was create fake craters on the runways and dispersals! IMHO the only reason we won was because of the bravery and professionalism of our guys and gals on the ground and the fact that the Argentinians planned and executed poor strategies. Back on topic, I hate Blair. Yes I am biased, but seeing how he has dragged our Armed Forces over the coals in the last few years makes me physically sick. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say.

You could alway try a lobworm - Ive never failed to catch perch on that even in low density perch waters.

Hehe yes but I don't think the club treasurer would be very happy at me using his stock for bait! Anyway, who needs livebait and all the associated hassle when you can turn up and chuck in a lure

Went down to the pond on base this morning around 6am for a spot of Piking. I chucked on a trusty 7 inch firetiger shallow diver in the hope of avoiding the Jacks and nailing one of the two 20 pounders that lurk in the venue. Anyway, after about 10 minutes I'm pulling the lure back through the weedbed when I feel a knock (felt like I'd snagged). When I got the lure to the bank, a bloomin' Jack of about 20 cm was hanging on one of the trebles! The lure was longer and certainly fatter than he was! I still don't know how he managed to get his chompers around the (substantial) treble hook. Just goes to show that big baits aren't always a sure way to avoid small Pike! They really are nailing anything that swims at the moment!

Apologies for the lack of recent updates - I've had issues with stock as some was stolen after my car was broken into! Added this week: More VSTOL lures Very very cheap telescopic rods and whips in the "clearance" section. Still to come: More VSTOL weedless minnow spoons More Rapala and Storm branded baits. VSTOL casting spoons. Richard

Piking with lures - anytime of the year!

Crikey Vlad, I've never see that many Gars caught at once. Were you using feather?

I caught my first one accidentally years ago when spinning for mackerel with a toby spoon! I've found if you know were the mackerel shoal is, fishing at the periphery of the shoal gives you the best chance of hooking one as they feed on the fringe of the mackerel shoal, picking off dying and fleeing baitfish. They are great fighters too! I've had gars leaping about 2 feet from the water. Apparently they taste great too, but I've never tried (some people are put off by the green bones apparently!!)

Removing trebles certainly is a pain in the proverbial backside. What I do is crimp the barbs off the hooks - make unhooking much less painful (for you and the fish). If you're worried about losing fish because you are barbless you can just crimp two of the three barbs for peace of mind. The biggest problem with trebles its getting tangled in the landing net or getting snagged! Again, there are lures on the market that are "weedless" or single hooked which means less snags and tangles. I certainly wouldn't be put off lure fishing, but as rarepleasures says maybe it is better to start of with general coarse angling as lure fishing is a highly specialised branch of angling. The rule is of course to ALWAYS use a wire trace unless you are 110% certain there are no pike or zander in the water you are fishing. Although you are more likely to hook a Perch in open water, a Pike (especially a young Jack) is always a safe bet to grab your lure, no matter what your fishing for. You also don't mention what tackle you have. For general light spinning I reccomend a smallish fixed spool reel, a rod between 6 and 10 foot (depending on water size) and line between 6 and 15lb depending on water size, conditions and how close you are fishing to snags!!!