Angly

Well, rod troubles seem to be popular just now on the forum, so not wanting to be left out I trod on my float rod and smashed the middle section on saturday. Shimano have informed me that no spare sections will be in the EU (let alone the UK) until July end at the earliest! So, before I shell out on a new rod, does anyone have a 13' Shimano Catana BX lying around (perhaps with a broken butt or tip section) that they'd like to part with for sensible money?

700? Oh that's interesting, on what resolution screen? I've been doing mine at 800x532, I hope that hasn't caused to much grief for anyone.

Great advice! Good luck!

I did look at buying Okumas when I returned to angling, but the gaudy/flashy colours put me right off. They've got a new budget reel range out now called the Silvara Pro, even comes in a free-spool version, nicely understated matt black design. I could have been tempted had I not opted for the Shimanos.

I'd define 'memory' in the context of line (also elecrical flex, hose pipes, etc.) as the tendency of the material to retain the position it was last left in for any period of time. One could test memory by having the material wound round a drum of diamater A, for period B, at constant temperature humidity and pressure, and then measuring how long ( C ) it took to revert the material to it's natural memory free state perhaps by suspending weight ( D ) from it. A truly memory free material will immediately revert to it's natural state.

As Janet has said, how did they break? Again, echoing Janet, I have two cheapo Shimano Alivios costing under £20, that share the exact same body and mechanics (colour scheme apart, minus a couple of bearings that can be bought for £1 each, and a lower gear ratio from using a different crown wheel and pinion) as their £40 Nexave reels. Perhaps all cheap reels are not created equal. P.S. Janet I've just bought five extra alloy spools (three for my 2500 size, two for my 4000 size) from the Shimano UK service agent Shimano Felindre, they cost £4.99 and £5.99 each respectively. Their website can be found here.

lol, now everyone's going to have to type in 'chub' to see what on earth that's code for!

Good call, I did!

You're obviously way too nice to her! My other half can't wait to get rid of me; she studies the weather reports more than I do!

You've missed grayling and stocked trout, surely right up there? Missed barbel too, rated by many salmon anglers as being just as hard a fighter.

Ahh, now I'm glad you mentioned that, my only reason for joining KLAA was for the night (or at least very early morning or in to the late evening) sessions. As I'm only up that way visiting family (although I do visit a lot, and will even more now we're in season!), the weekly ticket might be a better plan. Just searched old threads as I know you've mentioned the yearly ticket cost before...£36. Mmmm, decisions, decisions. Glad to hear their baliffs are on the ball, that's no easy task with the amount of water they have to cover, well done to them!

So a Pole would be a cheap one with a nice butt (oooh matron)? Apparently lots of fish have fallen to Poles!

Might be an idea if KLAA update their website then! Currently, it's possible that an 'on the bank' day ticket angler who doesn't get a visit from a bailiff (i.e. never gets to purchase said day ticket) will be (understandably) obeying rule 12: 'All Pike and Zander over 5lb must be returned to the water alive. A maximum of two Pike or Zander, which must be under 5 lbs, may be removed from any KLAA water on any one day. All other fish should be returned alive.' I'm not a member yet Anderoo, but I believe you are? Might be worth drawing their attention to this? Incidentally I would actually love to redesign their website when I join, but how do you offer that as a rank outsider without putting noses out of joint (diplomacy not my strongest point)?

Full of self-doubt, nerves and apprehension (how was the Thames fishing compared to the 1980s? Could I even get a bite on a non-commercial 'fish a chuck' venue? Would I get sunburn on my bald bits again?), finally managed to get down to the Thames at 4am this morning (17th) with my eldest son (21). Was absolutely gobsmacked to find my researched spot empty with just one angler close by...bizarre. Tried for the chub I suspected were present using maggots, casters, bread, and cheese paste...nil points (in best 'It's a Knockout' voice). Trotted a waggler for the resident roach and rudd trying maggots, casters and bread...(cue Family Fortunes uh-urgh buzzer). Eventually lobbed the feeder out in a good looking spot hoping for bream and perhaps a bonus barbel. Tried maggots and/or caster, all with various groundbait concoctions in the feeder, but in the end all they wanted was boring old halibut pellet (could have saved some money if I'd guessed that first!). Just 4 huge (by my standards) common bream between us, with this 6lb 6oz specimen PB to me With bankside telegraph reporting many blankers, counting ourselves very happy chappies indeed. I feel a night session coming on soon!

Congrats. Was the tench really that dark green colour, or is it just the photo? So different to the bronzee/goldee ones at my local commercial.

I notice dant mentioned saltwater mussels, are freshwater mussels (but obviously not the now protected species by the name of Freshwater Mussel) not better?

On your searches you may well come more than one lift method; if you use the method where you set the float about 20-30% overdepth, put the rod in rests, and tighten up to cock the float, this takes care of any minor uneven depth issues. It's certainly worked for me.

Double overhand knot it is then, thank you gentlemen.

Excellent. I am looking forward to Monday evening no end (earliest opportunity I'll get), but I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll be a few hundred other anglers that have read all the exact same articles I have, pawed over the exact same Google Earth maps I have, and pre-scouted the exact same locations I have. I’m not pretty when I sulk, be forewarned.

I'm been slowly working through my end tackle setups to eliminate each weak spot one-by-one (rough or too tight shot, poor line to hook knot, poor line to swivel knot, etc.), and I've now reached 99% reliability apart from regularly loosing my hair-rigged Korum Quickstops and/or Gardner Bait Bands. My 'hair' is formed from the knotless knot, and I experience the problem both with regular mono, and low diameter resin impregnated mono. My current knot is a double-granny type. What is the ideal knot?

Right, thanks Neil, Rich, and Steve, all very helpful. At the end of my session yesterday the lake was deserted, so I took the opportunity to practice casting for a few minutes. Using a 2.5oz bomb (the heaviest I had available at the time) I eventually managed to work up to casting a measured (Google Earth) 55yds (hard to be precise, I'm measuring off weed beds that change size over the course of the year and indeed season to season). It still feels very awkward and alien though to have that much weight on such a light rod (my Hyperloop Medium Feeder rod weighs less than my Catana Match rod!). I guess I just need to practice, practice, practice. Luckily my post 16th jaunts to the Thames will involve absolute minimum 40yard casts to the far bank tree-line, so I guess I'll get there eventually!

I would absolutely agree that some pellets are a little pricey. I worked out that the small tubs of hookable pellets can work out to over £30 per kg! On the other hand, I've found bulk ordered standard coarse or halibut pellets (which I've found can be softened to use on the hook) can be had for £1.04 per kg (coarse), or £1 per kg (halibut). No denying that sweetcorn can be a killer bait though.

Not necessarily; I use a No.15 Drennan Puddle Chucker, an unloaded straight tipped clear-bodied waggler with a 3SSG loading. I think the requirement for slightly beefier rod than say a light match rod, is that with the pellet waggler method (i.e. fishing way up in the water from 1-3ft deep, and feeding every 30 seconds) you are specifically targeting carp up to low doubles. Good article here on the method that got me started (if that's OK with the Boss): Pellet waggler method by Nick Gilbert Whiling away the time until the 16th on my local commercials I had 5 mid-single figure commons (pretty plain ones, not the frankenmirror/leather monstrosities) on my first attempt at this method. A few people on the small lake blanked that day. May well be coincidence/beginners luck...but then maybe not. Hope that helps. Geoff

I've been using my 13ft Catana BX for pellet waggler, apparently good for fish into double figures according to Angling Times. I've only managed this 6lb 10oz tiddler so far:

In my limited experience, I'd either target the carp, or try to avoid them. Fishing with enough finesse to encourage bites from the smaller species will result in getting smashed off by the hard fighting carp should you be unlucky enough to hook one. My advice, based on the waters I have fished so far this year, is to fish and feed delicately to avoid the carp. Try to probe local knowledge to see where the carp hang out. Alternatively, feed generously for the carp, for which you'll need to step-up your gear, probably to at least 8lb line straight through to a strong hook like a Kamasan Animal.