Steve Burke

Thanks everyone.

Please don't ask me which swim you've got as I won't be finalising them until Thursday.

The McCulleys have offered to bring some items along. Apart from mine (details to follow) and Vagabond's there's nothing else. H-E-L-P!

Please post catch reports and thanks here rather than anywhere else.

Please post here with any items you'd like to borrow for the fish-in. Then others can post with what they can help with.

If you've sent me back answers to the questions you should have received further details of the Fish-In which means that you've been invited. If you haven't had these details please email me. If you haven't sent back answers to the questions please, please do so asap as we've got even more than usual to do this week.

I've just re-read my previous post. It's not that your rig is irrelevant, it's just that finding the hotspots in the swim is more important. If you're not catching, I'd suggest recasting to a slightly different spot before thinking about changing your rig.

Firstly, I'm pleased to say that everyone who's asked for a place has got one. Secondly, the rig you use at Wingham is far, far less important than where you put it. You've got to find the hotspots in your swim as with low stocks and so much natural food the fish won't move off their patrol routes. So if one rod isn't catching then cast around until hopefully it is.

The carp record has just been broken on the Main Lake with a mirror of 56-14. This despite it snowing at home just a couple of miles away! Leroy Swan was the only one fishing on the 40 acres and so a good reward for braving the cold weather. This fish last came out 5 years ago at 45-08 so who knows what it'll weigh in another 5 years? It was new member Leroy's first carp from Wingham and came on only his second trip. Those whose first Wingham carp is a 40 are known as Wingham Virgins and there are a lot of them. There's now 3 members of the Super Virgins club, those whose 1st Wingham carp is a 50. Wouldn't it be great if a 50lber came out on a Fish-In? We almost had a 60 caught last year when Dan Taylor had a 60-08 from the Carp Lake just a few hours before the official start. As the old saying goes, "You've got to be in it to win it!

I'll be closing the books the day after tomorrow (Thursday). It looks as though the weather's going to be perfect for a change! Cold this week, warming up next week. The medium range forecast is for sunny periods and nice temperatures. Fingers crossed!

Not for sale I'm afraid, Steve!

I've got a copy of that as well. Shall I bring it?

I've got Ivan Marks on Match Fishing which has plenty about float fishing and shotting patterns, including several chapters on different rivers. Any good?

We're going to be doing an auction again this year with the proceeds going to the bailiffs to help cover their out of pocket expenses. I intend donating various items including books. However I don't know which books to bring so need your help! What type of book would you like? What species? Better still are there any specific titles you'd bid for?

I'm now taking bookings for the Wingham Fish-In on Sat May 6th to Mon May 8th. Further details are at http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/8415758-wingham-fish-in-2017-sat-may-6th-to-mon-may-8th/ . However, please note that the ONLY way to book a place is to e-mail me via the Wingham web site at http://www.winghamfisheries.co.uk, and NOT by leaving a message here or via PM. Please also leave your Forum name if you use an alias. Confirmation of booking You'll get a list of questions to confirm your booking. If you don't receive these within 48 hours please leave a message on this topic, although don’t worry as I may be staying over at the lakes as there’s a huge amount of preparation for the Fish-In. However booking a place doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get one as I may be oversubscribed. Swim allocation These questions will ask about your preferences, including the species you're after, any special requirements, and ask about BBQ and bait orders. Please do answer these questions in full as they'll also help me allocate you the kind of swim you'd like. Of course I can't guarantee every guest will get everything they want, but I normally get very close! Questions Talking of questions, you're welcome to ask them here as others may find the answers helpful. They'll be a separate topic shortly where you can post about items to borrow/lend.

Very sorry to hear you and Norma won't be coming but I quite understand. Have a great time in Cornwall. Many thanks indeed for the Waterlogs! I suspect that they'll be very sought after.

Going back to the original question, on the Carp Lake at Wingham I have a limit on the reel line that can be used. This is based on diameter rather than breaking strain as, let's be blunt about it, some suppliers lie about breaking strain. The minimum diameter I allow is 0.34mm. If you look at the Tackle Box line tests I mentioned earlier this equates to 12 to 16lb nominal breaking strain depending on the brand.

There's only a very few line manufacturers in the whole world and some lines are identical but just relabelled. For instance 5lb Drennan Specimen Plus seems to be identical to 4lb Maxima - but at a lower price! This was my favourite line for many years but has been much surpassed by more modern offerings. For instance I find Gold Label Pro Gold way better than both and have been using it for years. Here's a link to an old review of mine: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/reviews/tackle-and-bait-reviews/progold/ There's no such thing as the perfect line as it's all a matter of compromise. Improve one factor and you make another worse. I like Pro Gold for a lot of my fishing as firstly it can be made to sink (although no mono sinks readily). Secondly, it's both supple but (unusually for a supple line) is abrasion resistant. Compared with Maxima/Drennan Specimen Plus it has a higher tensile strength, i.e. it has a lower diameter for a given (wet, knotted) strength. I've been using it for many years for a lot of my fishing, especially at short range. There may be even better lines available now but I haven't tried many of the latest ones.

If breaking strains were accurate I'd agree that they'd be the most important parameter. However there are several ways of measuring breaking strain. For instance whether the line is dry or wet makes a difference with mono. More important still is whether the line is knotted or not and if so what knot is used. Additionally, because of marketing hype, they're far from accurate! They're not even consistent with different lines from the same supplier. For instance, a supplier could under-rate a line and claim their 12lb line breaks at 20lbs so it's super strong! In fact it's really 20lb line in the first place. Again a supplier could claim their 20lb line is ultra thin. In fact it's really 12lb line. There's a lot less cheating with diameters and these tend to be far more accurate. Here's a very useful PDF chart from the Tackle Box at Dartford's catalogue that shows the above points clearly: http://www.tacklebox.co.uk/pdfs/line_tests_issue7a.pdf

Cheers, Newt. A lot of us still talk about your visit. It's 11 years ago I think!

YOU CAN NOT BOOK YET but soon after Easter you'll be able to book a place at the Wingham Fish-In that runs from 7am on Sat 6th May to 7pm on Mon 8th May. Wingham Main Lake is a syndicate water that, apart from the annual AN Fish-In, is open to members only. Previous Fish-Ins have produced fabulous catches including five 15lb+ bream to 16-06, loads of 8lb+ tench up to 10-04, carp to 36lbs (although they go to over 50lbs!), plus lots of 3lb+ perch to 3-14. As many of you'll know there's a chance of breaking the bream record at Wingham. We had one of 17-14 in April 2004, and as this fish was at most only 11 summers old it had several years of growth ahead of it! It'll now almost certainly be well over 20lbs. Since then Wingham has produced several bream of 18lbs+ (and different to the 17-14). Who can come? Anyone who's a Forum member or who's a member of the Perchfishers. However, although the venue is 40 acres, places will be limited to approx 24. Those who missed out last year are guaranteed a place. If necessary priority will then be given to those who haven't been before. I'll also give priority to those who can fish the entire period. Non-fishing guests are welcome, but please don't wear bright clothing! What's the cost to fish? Nothing! It's a thank you to Elton for hosting the Wingham web site in the past, plus a chance to meet Forum members. However please do put something in the bailiff's box in the clubhouse. They're unpaid volunteers and have worked their socks off getting everything ready, and will be working again all through the weekend - including running a taxi service at their own expense to take you and your gear to/from your swim. You don't get many miles per gallon in a 4x4 in 1st gear! Without the bailiffs the Fish-In simply wouldn't be taking place and you wouldn't be reading this! Where is Wingham? On a nature reserve in the middle of nowhere near Canterbury, Kent. The loudest noise is normally birdsong - especially nightingales at this time of year! It’s about 1 hour from the Dartford Crossing on the M25, but detailed directions will be sent to those attending. When is the venue open? It's a 3 day event with the fishery open from 7am Saturday to 7pm Monday. However, please don't arrive after 9pm. Can I bivvy up and fish overnight? Yes. If you don't have a bivvy and bedchair etc we can almost certainly arrange the loan of these items, or anything else for that matter. You can also sleep in the clubhouse (just to the left of the main gate) that has a lounge, kitchen, bait room, shower room and toilets. Alternatively you can kip in the car park. Accommodation can also be booked nearby. Lunchtime BBQs On Sunday and Monday lunchtimes Peggy will be doing her famous mega BBQs - with enough even for Budgie! Please do let us know though if you're vegetarian. The cost will probably be £7.50 which must be booked and paid for in advance. Which lake can I fish? Normally the Fish-In is on the Main (Coarse) Lake only, which is 40 acres and contains most species. However if we're full up I’ll allow some of you who are both Forum and Wingham Main Lake members to fish for either carp or eels on the 15 acre Carp Lake. This contains 6 different 50s up to 60-08! What restrictions are there? No keepnets, nuts or fishbaits. No lead core or leaders of any kind are permitted, but tubing is fine. Also no barbless hooks above size 10 are allowed on the Main Lake, the opposite to many commercials. In these larger sizes please use barbed, preferably micro-barbed hooks. 3 rods are permitted. Full rules will be sent nearer the time. What about lure fishing? My syndicate members aren't allowed to lure fish at this time of year and so I'm afraid it wouldn't be fair to allow lures on the Fish-In. What tackle should I bring? The venue is very little fished and therefore the fish aren't tackle shy. With the very high average weights and sharp gravel bars a minimum of 6lb line and preferably stronger is recommended. Most members use 8lb line, with a lighter hooklength if necessary. Braid is definitely not recommended because of the bars. For ledgering most Wingham members use rods with a test curve around 1 1/2 to 1 3/4lbs. I can't stress highly enough that if you're fishing after dark you should have heavy bobbins on at least a 24 inch drop (that's longer than it seems and much longer than carp bobbins). Otherwise you'll probably strike at line bites (that big bream are notorious for) and spook them. That'll then almost certainly have blown your chance of a record bream for the rest of the weekend! If you have a short drop on your bobbins and line is taken off your reel you’ll also be getting up all night long to reset the bobbins every time you get a line bite (which might be every minute)! Believe me, you’ll never make the same mistake again! You'll therefore need your rods up high, and so long bank sticks or storm poles are needed, especially if you're on a platform (these have slats to take banksticks/stormpoles). I have 5 pairs of long banksticks (30 inch + 42 inch) plus 4 suitable bobbins that can be borrowed. Other Wingham members can also help out, so just ask as we have plenty between us. There will be a separate topic on the Forum about borrowing/lending any item of tackle/camping gear. What baits would you recommend? All common baits catch such as worm, maggots, corn and boilies, but remember the lake is very little fished and so unusual baits aren't likely to work so well as you can't pre-bait. Above all, do make sure you have worms, preferably lobs. During the day I'd recommend that you hedge your bets by fishing worm, maggot or caster, perhaps in conjunction with corn, on all your rods as otherwise you could miss out on a 3lb+ perch. These are present in nearly every swim and 1 forum member has had more than 70 in a day from 1 1/2lbs to over 3lbs! Worms, especially lobs, have been better than maggots for the perch at Wingham, and worms are also very successful indeed for the Wingham tench! After dark eels will probably make the use of animal baits a problem, unless of course you like eels. The vast majority are between 1 and 4lbs (almost no bootlaces!), but they’ve been caught up to 5-10 on the Carp Lake and 4-13 on the Main Lake despite almost no one targeting them. I can order lobs or dendras for you if given advance notice (9.30 am on the Tuesday before the event at the very latest). The cost will probably be £7.50 per large tub (approx quarter kilo) but must be paid for in advance. What are the best tactics? The most important requirement is to keep quiet and still (no bright clothing!) as although the fish aren't tackle or bait shy they're very easily spooked due to the lack of fishing pressure. The fish have definite patrol routes and they aren't likely to move off these routes. This is because of the huge amount of natural food. Wingham's the only water I know where your feeders come back covered not only with snails but snail's eggs! Gaffer reckons any weed you retrieve will crawl back in! So the best advice I can give you is to thoroughly plumb the swim and in the vast majority fish the margins as most of these are on patrol routes. Bear in mind though that most of the swims are deep, typically with 8 to 12 feet at the bottom of the marginal shelf. So if you're float fishing I'd suggest a slider. If you’d like a shallow swim though do please ask. Another reason for fishing at close range is that Wingham is a mass of bars, humps, plateaux etc., and so casting and feeding accurately is a must. The bars are very steep, so if you're just a couple of yards astray you could be in 10 inches of water instead of 10 feet! In fact, nearly all the fish from the Coarse Lake, including many of the bream, have come in the margins. They'll be a series of enhanced satellite photos on view in the clubhouse, and I'll also point out hotspots in each known swim for those who'd like this info. However, some of the swims have little form as they've been fished on only a handful of occasions! Bear in mind that the bream are almost entirely nocturnal. The perch feed best in low light, especially from just before dawn (sunrise will be at approx 5.15am), whilst the tench can come at any time, but particularly in the mornings. Any heavy baiting up is thus best done late afternoon to allow the swim to settle. This is especially so if you're spodding bait out. Not only might this spook your own fish, but your neighbours' also. However I’d suggest you don’t bait heavily on the first day. This is because you may be putting it in the wrong place. If you catch you can then put some more bait on that spot. One of the best bits of advice comes from Anderoo. If you’re not catching when others are, then recast. You may just be a yard or two from the fish, and at Wingham this can make an absolutely massive difference! You'll also find more questions and answers from a previous year at http://www.anglersne...ish-in bookings What can I expect to catch? Wingham is very unlike the artificially overstocked waters that many of you are used to. It's very much a big fish water, so although you're not likely to catch lots of fish you've every chance of specimens, especially tench and perch, not to mention record bream! Most years about half the guests catch personal bests, even if it’s just catching a bigger fish from Wingham! There are more details on the new Wingham web site at www.winghamfisheries.co.uk. How do I book? YOU CAN'T YET! Look out just after Easter for an announcement saying bookings are now being taken.

The CTM stands for compound taper match, with the13s I believe standing for a 13 footer with a spliced tip. They came from a famous maker having the unique selling point at the time of a compound rather than a straight taper. The CTM14 (that had a hollow rather than a spliced tip) was the first decent float rod I bought in 1973, but was awfully top heavy.

Long terms members will be aware that I have a muscle condition that means that on some days I don't have the strength to pick up a rod let alone use it. So for me it's vital I don't find a rod tiring to use, and I'm therefore more acutely aware of balance than others. In my rod building days I tried a rod that I made to balance at the reel seat as commonly recommended. I actually found this more tiring to use. This was because the rod acted a bit like a see-saw. So I'd suggest that you use a rod that balances a little bit higher than the reel seat. If it's OK for me it's likely to OK for the able-bodied.

I went deadbaiting for pike on Tuesday afternoon when it was very mild and cloudy. In 4 1/2 hours I had fish of 13-00, 13-08, 17-05 and 23-00. In fact whilst I was unhooking the 23lber another rod roared off and that turned out to be the 17. I bullied it in and took just a mat shot of the 23 for ID purposes. I was back in the same swim (the Point on the Main Lake at Wingham) the following afternoon. It was still lovely and mild but with the odd bit of drizzle - perfect perch conditions in fact. Maybe I should have fished for perch as, although I arrived 2 hours earlier, all I had was a 1 1/2lb jack! What a difference a day makes!

Andy, Of course you are correct in that water temps are inter-related with the balance of the entire environment. Water temp as a statement is usually most closely associated with amount of light. As the days get longer activity picks up. And, it is easier to fish a couple extra hours as well. I want to caution you there will be a slight set back when "daylight savings time" returns. Be prepared for a couple slow days each spring as the fish make that adjustment. Phone It's not April Fool's Day is it, Phone? Or do your fish wear watches?