Fenman

Ken, Argos have knocked five pounds off their fishing brolly. It's selling at the ridiculous price of 8.79. I've bought one and it's remarkably strong, not very big but light and perfect for summer showers. At that price you can't go wrong.

Geoff, I've been fishing KLAA waters all winter - probably 40 trips - and all I've had is a few perch, so it's not only you! On Tuesday it was so frustrating, not a tickle while this grebe was catching all day. It's become a standing joke down at the pub where the locals are only allowed to ask if I've been fishing and NOT whether I've caught anything. But, I can assure you of one thing: I've enjoyed every minute.

I would like to add my thanks to Anderoo and especially to Budgie for his forthright views on predator fishing. It gave me a lot to think about. Maybe next year........

I had a drive around some KLAA waters last evening. At a bridge very close to our venue, there were two very serious-looking anglers setting up for a night session, presumably for zander.The fact that their truck was emblazoned with the logo of a local tackle shop shows that they must have both expertise and local knowledge. There were also two predator anglers on the Old Bedford River at Salters Lode, so it all bodes well especially with the mild temperatures predicted.

If anyone needs a map, you can find the venue on the maps on the Kings Lynn AA website www.klaa.co.uk

Luxury is....not having to set an alarm clock Luxury is......going for a pint at lunchtime, if I fancy it.

I spoke to the Kings Lynn bailiff on Saturday and he said there were rumours (only rumours, he stressed) of a 25lb pike caught on the Great Ouse at Ten Mile Bank just upstream of the railway bridge. The Middle Level has not been fished much lately because the heavy pumping off during the snow has made it almost unfishable. On Sunday I saw two guys catch a jack near Peter's Drove and with the weather forecast good for the weekend, things are looking good!

As a member of KLAA, I will almost certainly be fishing the Middle Level that weekend. Now, I've never been interested in predator fishing, but I wouldn't mind dropping by to see what all the fuss is about, so if you could send me details of where you will be, I'll try and pop up! By the way we have an excellent website www.klaa.co.uk Look in the news section under weekly news from around next Thursday for all the latest catches. Good for maps and general information, too. And several of the pictures in the gallery section are my pathetic efforts!!

That's 400 replies to this post, guys, and just about everyone has contributed something (except mine, of course). I often feed boiled wheat for bream, but have only caught roach when using it as a hookbait.

Take a look at the Daiwa Overnighter. I've just bought one. At first sight I thought it was a bit flimsy, but having used it a few times, it can cope with quite strong winds. It is basically a brolly with sides, a groundsheet and storm poles, so it is simple and quick to erect and is certainly big enough for a bedchair. The overwrap will turn it into a "proper" bivvy. The brolly costs around 50 quid and the overwarp comes in a little less, I think, although I didn't bother with that as I need it as a shelter, not a bungalow! Just one word or warning: it does not have a central pole, so I have to borrow the pole from my other brolly if I want it in brolly-mode.

The moon, the moon, the moon...... I've been reading up on this and looking at all sorts of moon rise and set times, moon phases and, more importantly in my opinion, how long the moon is in orbit. Now I am so confused all I can do is record times and days when the fishing is good (and poor) and check back to where the moon was at those times. This is going to take some time, but when I've got some data, I'll be posting it so that other anglers can, hopefully, add extra data because I currently do not believe the predictions of the so-called experts. So.........expect something around August!!!

The only thing left to consider is the moon. And I don't want to go there

Does anyone else think that this topic would have lasted only a couple of pages if the weather had been better? I think we would all have been out there trying these theories instead of being stuck inside trying to work out this problem. So, thanks snow! Anyway on the subject of SBs taking large baits. I have no experience or evidence for this but here is my theory. I do not think that a moving shoal will pick up the odd big bait, except in exceptional circumstances. I personally believe that you need to get them to stop over a bed of feed, enjoy themselves picking up small morsels of groundbait for a considerable time (one hour, two hours?) before they feel comfortable enough to take bigger baits. So a large bed of feed, a few bigger morsels and lots and lots of patience.

I hope the answer is "both" or I'm going to be spending a very boring summer. The other point is that almost everyone (except me) gets out the feeder and fishes under the far bank with double red maggot on a size 18 hook. Now personally I don't think this will catch Superbream. And if you were lucky enough to hook one, you'd never get it to the net from 40 yards away. I was smashed up about 10 times last summer. Other anglers I spoke to talk of large carp that go around smashing people up, but no-one fishes for carp and no-one catches carp. As far as I know. As they say: there's only one way to find out.

What a fantastic topic! I don't post on here very often, but I can't resist this one. I fish for bream in the Fens. Last summer I fished the Middle Level for the first time and caught reasonable fish to around 5lbs. But I was struck by their superb condition and on how hard they fought. Now this got me thinking: maybe there are Superbream (I love that word) in there as well. There is little record of "Supers" being caught, but it seems to me that no-one actually targets them - large bream, yes, huge bream, no. The drain couldn't be less like places like Wingham, but it has things in common, notably 95 per cent of it is inaccessible, so there are plenty of places big bream can hide. Now here are some of my thoughts, which may or may not be useful. First Superbream get to that size by NOT needing to feed on anglers bait (or they would be caught more often like carp). They must find enough natural food to satisfy them. Second, I think most people have a false impression of bream, i.e. like a herd of buffalo, heads down grazing oblivious to everything else. I actually think that bream are probably the shyest fish in our waters, constantly on guard to predators, etc. Consequently, third, I believe they are easy to spook. Merely casting a line through a shoal can scatter even skimmers only to return five or ten minutes later. Catching a fish is the same. So you have a shoal of 2lb bream in your swim (there could be up to 200 fish). You catch one and half a dozen scatter, but others move in. You catch others and each time a few scatter until the time comes when there are more scattered than feeding. Now the shoaling instinct takes over and they all move on. Well it's a theory. On to the Supers. By this time there are probably only five or six left in the shoal but I believe they will remain tightly packed and just as easily spooked, so we can not expect to catch more than one. So six Supers arrive in your swim with its tightly packed bed of feed. Only one or two fish can feed on this at one time, so the others start moving off and instantly they are all gone. So I believe I need to spread out my feed so all the fish can feed in comfort. To get them to take a hookbait, we need to get them relaxed and comfortable. So we need enough feed to keep them interested for at least an hour. During this time, no feeding and NO CASTING. So my plan this summer: Fish at night Loads on groundbait spread over a wide area (quality doesn't matter). Big baits, big hooks, strong line. Cast once, maybe twice and then be prepared to sit there for many, many hours. The problem is I don't think I can just sit it out without checking or changing bait. But I guess that's why I'm not a specimen angler. Well, that's my twopennyworth for what it's worth.

A local angler had three pike to just over 20lbs from the Old Bedford River at Salters Lode, near Downham Market over Christmas. This is a KLAA water - and it's right next to Well Creek where fishing is free. Both are narrow and shallow, but both seem to be producing decent pike. Just an idea if the other venues aren't producing.

I fished the Middle Level on Sunday. Beautiful conditions after a mildish night. Tried worm, maggot, sweetcorn and cockles. Did not have the faintest hint of a bite. Normally pestered by perch with worms, but not a thing. Nothing topping either. And you're right, we must have the best bailiffs - especially Les.

I get The Sunday Times. It lasts all week.

The 12lb bream. My biggest is 8lb 7oz,and that was huge. It's hard to imagine what a 12 pounder would look like, let alone a record breanm.

I was away from fishing for 40 years too, before I took it up again a couple of years ago and much of it was very confusing - hair rigs, bolt rigs, etc, etc. I solved the problem by logging on to this - and many other - forums where I looked through all the back topics until I found the answers - using the search facility at times. Then when there was something I couldn't find, I simply asked. Everyone was very helpful in filling in the gaps in my knowledge. So get him - or her - to log in and find out!

I tried to post this earlier, but it has not appeared, so I will try again. As a KLAA member, I always thought night fishing was for members only, but the club now sells a Dusk till Dawn day ticket (10 pounds from a bailiff) so maybe the rules have changed. The weekly ticket is 15 pounds, by the way. Check out the website www.klaa.co.uk and contact the secretary for the final decision.

There is some confusion here. I am a member of KLAA and I always believed that night fishing was for members only, but I have heard day ticket anglers talking about fishing at night. Also there is a dusk till dawn day ticket available (10 pounds only from a bailiff) so I think the rules have changed. We have good website. Check out www.klaa.co.uk.