BoldBear

On free or day ticket waters which get a lot of anglers; Pinkies on a size 20 hook will catch fish when most other baits such as maggots are struggling to get bites so take a pint with you. Almost everyone else will be using maggots. I would choose pinkies over maggots anyday. plus they last twice as long in the fridge, plus they are also an excellent bait for Bream. (even the bigger Bream) BB

Those rods sound nice Budgey, The Shimano 4000 has been out of production for a year or two now so unless you know a tackleshop that still has some you would probably have to look on ebay for one if you wanted one; plus get a few spare spools before they become hard to get. BB

What is generally called a match rod is a float rod which has standoff rings which keeps the line away from the blank during the cast and making casting a light float easier. Basically there are several different types of match rod and I would put them into 3 categories: Light Match Rods (approx 0.7lb to 3lb hooklengths), mainly used on canals, or for using very fine hooklengths in the winter etc. for silver fish. Meduim Match Rods (approx 2lb to 4lb hooklengths), great for medium sized roach or small to medium sized Tench, Crucians, Bream etc. and Heavy Match Rods (approx 3lb to 7lb hooklengths), for fishing for the larger fish such as small to medium sized Carp, or larger Tench etc. The Light and Medium Match Rods can sometimes be seperated into two further types: Waggler and Stick, this because the waggler and Stick rods both need slightly different actions, eg the stick rod will need to have a crispier tip action capable of striking a stick float drifting downstream whereas a waggler rod is usually used in still waters and can be slightly softer in action if finer lines are in use. But I think that since the Pole has re-entered the scene as the favourite match fishing tool; a lot of these differences (between Waggler & Stick match rods) have largely dissapeared for some rod manufacturers (but not all of them). If you are looking for an all round rod that can be used for Roach as well as smallish Carp then I would tend to go for a rod such as the John Wilson Avon Quiver (or a similar rod) as you can use lines of between approx 3lb to 7lb. you may not have the advantages of length and ability to use the really fine hooklengths but you will still be able to handle fish of most species on these lines. You could use the avon top for float fishing or legering plus the quiver tip for light-ish leads or feeder work. There are also other threads on this forum that deal with General Purpose rods which I suggest you read. Tight Lines BB

I got hooked squarely in the top lip with a size 4 hook once when I was biting the line after tying a hook. I had leant the rod up against my fishing chair and it slid onto the ground dragging the line and lead weight with it. My mate unhooked me by cutting through the hook and pulling the hook free with a pair of plyers. at least I hooked something that day

I used to think the same however I was pleasantly surprised when I got one. When you hook a larger fish on a normal rod the fish runs and kites through lillies etc. as you are bringing it in with far less control of where the fish is going whereas on a Pole you are usually appying pressure from above and you can fight the fish without having to drag it through the lillies and the fish tends to go round and round under the tip while you keep the pole at full length and you only start to bring it through the lillies close in when it has tired. and if a Carp takes a long run then putting the pole tip under the water and applying side pressure on the strong elastic usually brings the fish up and stops it in its tracks. They sell Poles that can handle really strong elastics for Anglers fishing commercial venues with lots of Carp to double figures (up to around 20lb max) as well as the more traditional ones that are used for much smaller fish. I havent used one for quite a few years now but I used to use one quite regularly at one time when I used to captain the clubs team. BB

I sent John Waters (who made the film Secret Lake - Andy Orme) an email asking him if I could buy a copy of the film on DVD anywhere and he sent me the following email: If you want a copy of this great classic film on DVD here is a link to his web site which gives his phone number and email address. BB

I thought I would have a change from my normal Barbeling after work and have an evening at an estate lake owned by one of my clubs catching a Tench or two, I didn't catch any Tench but I caught my very first Wels Catfish. It was not a big one as far as Catfish go at 8lb 8oz but it was my first. My First Wels Catfish 8lb 8oz - Notice the riddiculously small dorsal fin I thought that I'd hooked a nice Carp at first but the fight was totally different as it wasn't taking long powerful runs, however it took longer to subdue than a similar sized Carp. I thought that something had been thinning out those horrible turkish Crays and I heard that the Catfish had been caught a few times this season after previously being caught many years ago when they were only about 1lb each; they were obviously now getting fat on crays. I caught a few other fish see (pictures below) but nothing of any note and I also lost a better Carp which shed the barbless hook; but catching my first Catfish made my evening special. I caught the Catfish using a large hair-rigged Halibut Pellet coated with Halibut Paste together with a small PVA bag of large Pellets as feed. I caught the Carp and Bream using small hair-rigged Crab Pellets coated in Halibut Paste with a PVA bag of small soft Halibut pellets as feed. BB

I used to watch it as well, I remember one of the teams fishing in a zoo with monkies behind them catching Pirrahna to get an extra species. I cant remember all the names but Jim Gibbinson was one of them. It was great 'fun viewing' which attracted non-anglers as well.

Yes that's what it is called (Stanborough Lakes)

I live a couple of miles from St. Albans but I only fish Club waters in the area. However Welwyn Garden city has a good day ticket water which fishes well, it is only about 10 to 15 minutes from St Albans. Directions: come off the A1 immediately after the Hatfield tunnel and take the road crossing the A1, then 1st left and 1st right and it is on your right (when you get there you might have to carry on a short distance and turn round the roundabout to come back on the correct side of the road for the fishery car park). The lake is well known as a good fishery and I remember seeing Ivan Marks fish opens on it a few years ago before he passed on. It has huge Bream shoals, some class Carp & Tench plus Roach averaging around 6 to 8oz (Roach have been caught up to 3lb). It is in large park land and there are toilets and a cafe there where you can buy drinks and Ice-cream. across the road is a boating lake that is used as a stock pond for the main lake and you can feed the Carp by hand in the stock pond as they almost fight the ducks for the bread. There is also a short day ticket stretch of the upper river Lea running adjacent to the lake. tight lines BB

I count myself privileged to fish part of the Upper Lea where they are a little more common in certain places however they are not that common as I only see a couple each year if am really lucky. I hear reports of catches of 2lb+ roach but I take them with a pinch of salt unless I see them myself. I remember when I once had 5 Roach between 1lb 4oz & 1lb 12oz and within a week they had all magically grown to over 2lb. Its amazing how they grew as info was passed on from mouth to mouth. However I would have thought that they would be caught in parts of the river dane as well.

For a lot of anglers the local tackle shop is currently the best option as: 1. where else can you spend a few hours on Saturday drinking coffee and talking with other anglers about Tackle, methods, locations etc.? 2. You can handle the goods while in the shop before spending your hard earned cash. 3. Plus you can buy various club day tickets or get forms to join local angling clubs. 4. Plus you can get local tackleshops to donate prizes for your clubs junior matches etc. A lot of tackle and info can be got quite easily on the web but a good well run local tackleshop is hard to beat as long as it stocks good tackle and bait. There may be quite a few lesser tackle shops closing though as it is sometimes cheaper to try in a tackleshop but then buy from the Web. Also some of these lesser angling shops do not have the range of good tackle that a larger outlet can have. BB

I really enjoyed reading your report Janet. You will have to get yourself a Pole to compete with Paul (If you don't already have one) However it sounds like a really good rod that you have. Which rod is it? BB

Im not sure that the canal dart is the Ideal float for the lift method as the dart has a slightly loaded base (to help with casting such a small float) and a fine tip. I use a short length of Peacock quill or sarkandas reed or a shortish straight waggler attached to the line with a float rubber. (It doesn't need a delicate tip to show bites). BB

Excellent advice already given. For casting a float in a side wind a loaded waggler such as an onion is Ideal for two reasons: 1. The body low down counteracts the surface drift (because below the surface the drift will usually be in the opposite direction). 2. The small bodied Onion can support more shot for casting than a straight waggler but the thin tip retains sensitivity) The diagram below shows a couple of ways to combat the wind drift. NB. If the wind is not too strong you can get away with using a straight waggler or loaded 'Dart' waggler (if thats all you have) but a long one is prefferable. Also Make sure you sink your line as others have said already. If you have trouble with sinking your line you can try some diluted washing up liquid or line sinkant on the spool which will help the line break through the waters surface tension. But make sure you rinse your hands afterwards before you touch your bait. Tight lines BB

I have always thought that big Clouds of small bubbles that come up every few seconds and are moving in a line each time they appear are from Tench but I may think again next time as some of the smaller bubble patches may be from Roach.

For the Larger Roach (1lb to 2lb plus) in our estate lake I use Casters, Tiny Redworms, Cheese/Bread Paste or Bread Flake. the big Roach seem to swim below or at the edge of the feeding shoals of smaller Roach. If I am using Cheese/Bread Paste I prefer it after it has been in and out of the freezer a few times and has started to feel cool to the touch as the aminos start to break down. But usually Casters sort out the larger ones for us. On the upper Lea we catch the larger Roach on breadflake or small redworms. But location and stealth is usually a lot more important than the Bait we use.

Some Carp men hardly ever catch a fish anyway, It's not that they are bad anglers but Its because they fish on waters that don't have a large stock of fish in them (on purpose) after 'Named Carp' and only expect a run every half a dozen outings if they are lucky. Although I have done this in the past its not really my sort of angling. Otherwise they doze on their bedchairs; every now and then reeling in a stocked carp; So I can understand why they would want to classify Carp fishing as a seperate type of angling compared to other types of angling. To do well in other types of Angling you need to at least stay awake and learn watercraft for several types of water; wheras to most Carp anglers watercraft is a forgotten craft other than a few who use it on their chosen Carp pools. I would agree that Coarse, Game and Sea are sensible classifications and anything else (ie. fly fishing) would be just a subset of one of these.

Hi bravo, I was trying to catch a couple of Carp on floating crust in the early morning and late evening and you can rest assured that everyone else was out somewhere with their rods. this is quite a popular forum with some great anglers. welcome, I look forward to talking with you on the forum. BB

Pete, if any angler left his or her rods unnattended at any of our fisheries he or she would be ejected from the fishery (forcibly if neccessary). plus I wouldn't call these people 'Anglers' anyway. Leaving their rods unnattended does the fish no favours, causing hooked fish to wander around through snags, other anglers lines; plus the danger of having the poor fish dragging a rod along behind it. Even when you use a self hooking rig you should be near enough to your rods to be able to pick your rod up when you get a run. However Pete; I don't think that is what you meant by 'unattended' but it is what I meant. I think that self hooking rigs are a necessity sometimes but I wouldn't use one automatically in every situation as some Carp anglers do; but Hey if they want to fish that way fair enough if it does no harm to the fish. On a couple of waters I fish a bolt rig can be a definate disadvantage as the Carp are wising up to bolt rigs and now pick up a bait and feel for the weight before taking it into their mouth properly and moving off, but If people at these places use bolt rigs all the time they just stop getting the good runs that they once did and usually just move on to another water.

Theres a difference between using heavy tackle and balanced tackle and if your tackle is well balanced (ie. through action rod/test curve/line strength etc. all match well) you can normally safely put much more pressure on a fish without the hook pulling and absorb the sudden dashes that the fish makes a lot better. On a tiny river that I fish I catch Barbel on 6lb line with no problems whereas my mate who uses 10lb line regularly gets snapped up. but I use a better rod that gives a little more and seems to tire the fish easier resulting in getting the fish in and back into the water much faster. However using light gear can be taken too far; I remember reading in the Anglers Mail once about someone catching a 13lb Barbel in a match on the Kennet using 3lb line. the poor fish must have been on its last legs (or fins) by the time he got it in the net (or it must have been an old weak fish).

In the mid 70s the bailif at one of our fisheries (FrogMore) nearly got smacked in the face by a very small pike when some geek was using a self strike rodrest mechanism that he was developing. These gadgets are absolutely daft and dangerous. Who (other than a stupid p**t) would leave their rods un-attended anyway?. We used to play around with developing self hooking rigs for Carp using elastic and stiff tubing etc. that you could use with smaller leads in the late 70s but nothing came of it. but even that was more efficient than a bit of sprung wire on your rod tip.

Yes it should be OK to use the following morning but it will be much heavier to carry if already mixed. Common mistakes when mixing groundbait is to use too much water and making it too stodgey. Ideally it should just be damp enough to hold together after squeezing in the hand. (with no lumps).

Pike Gags. (as well as Gaffs which have already been listed). Fishing for Carp while getting boozed up and sleeping it off in the bivvie (otherwise known as modern Carp technique)