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I've recently wondered the same and asked if popped-up baits would work well even if there was no weed requiring their usage.

Well, until this season I've been a 'chuck it and see' angler. I still am, but at least I now acknowledge the conditions at the time. I usually plan to go fishing well in advance, choose the venue and tackle up accordingly, but rarely have the opportunity to re-arrange if conditions are looking less than favorable. Only today I fished your local river, Peter, and the tide seemed to be going out all day leaving all the better swims with bank access too shallow. If I'd have planned it properly, I'd have looked at the tide! I'm a big believer that by putting the time and effort into the planning will massively effect your catch rate, I'm just too lazy/simple to do it properly but fully respect those of you that are able to and do.

I've got the day off work to go down on the river Waveney somewhere today! Reports suggest that the Roach and Bream have left the comforts of the dykes and boat yards and are back in the rivers. Might just put out a Pike rod, too.

I was going to post an interim report but figured I'd best wait until one of the guys was able to comment on Saturday nights haul, hopefully yielding a more positive account! How disappointing it was to hear that no Zeds were landed given the high optimism. Despite only being there for the daylight hours of Saturday, I had a great time meeting some of the guys and trying to catch something. MASSIVE thanks to Anderoo for sorting it all out, Budgie for the excellent Pike Teach-in and for patiently answering all my persistent questions, and to everyone else for the great company.

I've been unable to get the landing net I want in time. In the extremely unlikely event that I hook anything, can I assume someone will be within shouting distance wielding a net, please?

It's the other way round for me. My local rivers are wide and tidal so Avon style rods are advantageous over feeder rods as they have a bit more backbone than all but extremely heavy feeder rods which are bespoke only. I recently bought an all-in-one thermal suit which has proven to be a brilliant investment. Fished throughout the winter, warm as toast. Clothing is not as exciting as tackle, but it could be just as important! Save 'em until something special catches your eye. My local tackle shop informed me they won't be getting any new stock in until Easter, by which time the big manufacturers will have launched their 2009 range. Might mean 2008 ranges are discounted?

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Steve, do those Shakespeare reels come with an additional double handle?

...well, not when you've got a boat! I'm sure I've read it before on here, but what would be a good bait/lure landing net for Pike, anyone? I like the idea of a rubberised mesh, personally.

That seems like a good gift. Those nets (assuming it's the Carbon Specimen one) retail for over £35. A couple of reviews here and here.

Yes, the TFG stuff all seems pretty good; I didn't need another 3000 sized match reel but £2 each... Wish I bought more than 1 but I really don't know what I'd do with it! I got several of the 'Hardware' Pro carp rods to give to the Father and Father-in-Law, but the thickness of the blank I can't imagine what the non-pro ones are like!? The Leeda Baitrunners are well worth £1.50, but understandably not top quality. They'd benefit from a metal spool and the anti-reverse mechanism has a little backlash. There's also an annoying bit of take-up in the clutch if the baitrunner has been engaged and subsequently given line. Always handy in an emergency, though no good for you Shimano Tackle Tarts. It seemed more economical to add an extra rod, reel and bite alarm for £4.50 to qualify for free store delivery than pay £4.50 for home delivery! Good spot Ken, thanks

If there are no other takers, I'll give it a look please. If it's still available, if you have one let me know your Paypal address and I'll get some money towards P&P to you. If Richard is so kind to send it my way, after I've read it I'll happily forward it onto anyone else who may want a look; you'll just have to wait until I've finished reading 'Pike: The Predator becomes the Prey' in preparation for the Pike-in. There's some good specific fenland info in there! Thanks, Rob

Finally found time to read and reply. You guys are all way ahead of me! IN this particular instance the deadbait itself didn't cause a massive reduction in distance; I was casting out to the desired location with just a lead on to gauge distance and clip up beforehand and on riging the deadbait, my overall distance wasn't far off this. Being wary of the bait on the cast, I decided to use a casting clip which worked 100%. Waders and hopping round to the other side are a no-no - I was fishing a Norfolk Broad feeder dyke! Given what Den in particular has mentioned, the wind must have made a big contribution, but I think the biggest factor was my reel and spool. I expect I fish lighter than most of you, so the diameter of the spool and its capacity was somewhat limited. I'll give it another go next time using a bigger reel. I'm sure I'll hit the distances I want. Interesting what a few of you have mentioned regarding keeping the deadbait frozen however. Are frozen baits as successful?

The Regal's are apparently a very good reel. Reviews here and here.

Nisa Feeders do a range of innovative products, too.

Sorry to hear you're not A1 but are glad you're still able to make it. As for gear, I was thinking you were gonna set it all up for me - All I had to do was crank the handle Just joshing, but really looking forward to having the opportunity to chat with some of the forum regulars, whilst picking up some tips you show me how to do it. Offer still stands for anyone wanting a lift en route of the A47, Saturday morning there and home again the same day if you wish. Rob

Having had a go at legering for Pike, I could obviously cast further on this rig than on a float-paternoster. However, I still couldn't get it quite as far as I'd like for whatever reason. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to hit the horizon - I just want to go 10 yards further to those far bank swims. Anyone got any suggestions as to what might improve this? Here are some of my thoughts: Rod test curve too soft Spool not adequately loaded Deadbait fins not trimmed Not enough lead weight Poor technique/trajectory Wind Having acknowledged these possible factors, I was able to do something about the last four, trimming fins, letting my mate have a cast, changing casting weight and waiting for wind breaks but to no avail. I'm ashamed to admit I messed up a little with the line spool, but would this make that much difference, and likewise the rod test curve? How far should/can you be able to cast a deadbait on a specific rod test curve?

Thanks for all the responses. I had a go with a front alarm and front mounted swinger. I was really pleased with the setup; it was fairly windy but the adjustable sliding weight let me balance the swinger, and by tweaking the baitrunner clutch, I was confident that the rig was sensitive enough to detect any interest. I was going to post a pic but in view of the comments from the Andies re: solid rear bank sticks, I think I'll give it a miss On my few previous Piking trips I've had problems retaining the bait on the hooks. By using a deadbait casting clip I managed to get the leger rig out a fair way an fish some of those swims I couldn't reach with a float rig. I couldn't quite get it out as far as I'd like, but that's a different topic. I'm looking forward to the zander/pike fish in to pick up some more tips!

Thanks for the quick reply guys. It seems rear drop-offs are the favorable method. As I've just got myself a GF alarm (the last one?) and an Okuma baitrunner, I'm gonna go for front alarm and front swinger if conditions allow. Will let you know how I get on tomorrow....

Nope, it's related to a trip out tomorrow Left it a bit late... I've only ever fished float-paternoster before as that's all I've ever been shown. Might be better to stick to this until such time that I'm shown something else!

Pikers, What a boring topic probably flogged to death, but despite this I can't seem to find a definitive answer. Wordbender conducted this experiment and suggested both methods were sufficient for positive bite indication. I understand either approach needs a delicate and refined setup, but as I intend to fish in tidal, possibly windy conditions, would one method be better than the other? It's easy to add some swanshots to a bobbin setup if the conditions dictate, and with a sliding weight allowing for more balance on a drop-off arm, would one method really be better/give a more responsive indication than the other? I'd expect to use a buzzer in conjunction with a bobbin, but would it be necessary or even recommended with a drop-off? Appreciate your responses. Rob

All, Due to the consistent recommendations of Good Fishing Bite Alarms (Steve seems a big fan) and my increased interest in Pike fishing, I decided on Sunday to get me one of these highly-regarded buzzers, especially as I saw they had a 50% off sale. On returning from work this evening, I had an email from Jeff@goodfishing informing me that my order has been posted. On returning to the site today, I was greeted with a checkout message stating that the owner was retiring so alarms are no longer available: GoodFishing Checkout It may be your last opportunity to get one should you still be undecided, it may already be too late. Rob As per your request Elton, I informed Jeff of my referral from Anglersnet

Nope, that's not a native; there's no customary 'bling bling' dripping from her. Nice trailer, however - I recognised every spot!

Tackle shops shutting down is very disheartening to see. As Elton just found out, Brundall Angling centre has apparently ceased trading. Now I know that online sales offer some competitive prices, but there really is no substitute to actually going into a shop and having a waggle of the gear you want to buy. I just bought a Wychwood Barbel Twin Tip rod online. None of my local tackle shops stocked the particular model however one did have the normal Avon top rod which I did have a look at. So, I order the Twin Tip thinking how well it will suit my needs, but alas, on arrival it's not *quite* what I want - Brundall Angling Centre would have had that particular model in stock for me to have looked at. If anyone's interested, it's a Wychwood ; 1.75tc Avon Top, with an additional 2 seperate 6 foot Quiver Tips. Lovely rod for the money, just not for me. You might see it for sale in the classifieds soon!

Yep, heard the larger store shut sometime in December. The smaller metro one located in Norwich shut on Christmas Eve, apparently. What a shame.