ahop0911

Thanks All I knew I'd get some answers - different knots, hooks with bigger eyes - I'll give them a go. Cheers

Hi All - can you help please? I've yet to find a fluorocarbon line/hooklink that has a low enough diameter to enable me to tie a knotless knot where the line passes through the eye twice - the line is just too thick. The best I've found, and have been using, is 0.28mm dia and this is too thick. I've even just bough the new GURU QM1 hooks "designed for hair rigs" but the size 12's won't take the line twice. A quick search on the web suggests that 0.28mm is the smallest dia. available.... ....does anyone know different? Or perhaps there's another method of putting a hair rig on a hook that doesn't need the line to pass thru the eye twice? Alistair

That's the one - thanks Steve Alistair Great - thanks Mark

Hi Can anyone tell me who owns the angling for the stretch of the Thames at Thames Vally Park, RG6 1RA, a little East of Reading? I work in one of the offices on the park and wondered if it was possible to fish it for free? Cheers

Hi All, Had my first 2009 surface floater session at the weekend and netted a 9lb mirror (nice) and briefly hooked a medium moorhen (not nice)! Anyone got any thoughts on how to stop birds taking floating baits? Cheers

Re: Umm another NAA member - I recognise all those swims! That's right Chris! Alistair

Thanks to all for your views. I guess the summary is that the fish get used to regular noise/vibrations however strong but that anything unusual could spook them. Let's see what happens when I get out again this weekend!

Hello All, I've been focusing on a stretch of The Kennet in Berkshire recently and had some success (by my standards) with Chub over 4lb and Barbel over 8lb and had fish on the bank in each of my last 3 visits in Feb, as well as one or two lost fish on each occasion as well. All in all, some entertaining fishing. Weather's been mixed from cold and dry to mild, windy and wet and I've generally fished the p.m. and a few hours into darkness. So, I arrived yesterday at 1pm with some expectation. 8 hours later I went home dispiritedly with a big fat blank....not just a blank though, this was a COMPLETE blank, not even a bite or a knock for my troubles. Weather was OK in that it was no different to previously successful sessions and I tried everything - different baits, combos, rigs, hooks, hooklengths.....NOTHING! It seemed as if the fish had just disappeared! The only thing that was in any way different was that during the day and until about 5pm, the field that adjoins the river bank was being ploughed by a monster tractor and I wonder whether the disturbance and vibrations would have scared the fish away? If so, how long will they be gone for? Any body got any thoughts on this? Alistair

Thanks Gents, loads of good info here. Cheers

Hello I've just invested in my first centrepin, for trotting mainly, and have read somewhere that braid is best to use - is that right? All advice gratefully received Thanks Alistair

Thanks Alan, that's useful. It's the Kennet near Newbury............

Hello, I've recently read conflicting articles on the relative merits of the waggler vs the Avon float. If you wanted to trot for chub on a small, reasonably fast flowing river which one would you use? All advice appreciated Thanks Alistair

I'm no expert but as I understand it today would have been really hard with very low temperatures and bright sunny skies.

So, talking about tying hooklengths, then...........if I wanted to use a lower b/s hooklength than the mainline, what's the best knot to use to tie them together? All advice gratefully received

Thanks for the info (eg perch like low light levels is news to me) and I'm sure that you're grandmother knows more than me