coarsefish-torbay

Iamlucky, it would still be a big help if you could tell us where you expect to fish the feeder and the types and sizes of fish you expect to catch.

Buy the best gear you can afford. I used to use a cheap quiver rod from a reputable manufacturer and didn't realise how much it hampered my tip fishing until I got a proper feeder rod (from the same manufacturer). So, a good medium feeder rod with a robust, quality reel are essential. Fill the reel spool to the lip with 5lb maxima. It may not be the best for the job, some others may have favourites, but it is strong and forgiving, so will help you in the early days. It is strong enough for commercial style carping and can be used for bream/skimmer fishing as well. I'll assume you want to fish stillwaters from now on: Carp. You'll need open end feeders and blockends, hooklength line in 0.18 diameter and something like Drennan Barbless Carp Feeder hooks. If you buy the eyed ones and learn to tie the knotless knot, you can hair-rig your baits, which will help. Bream. Open end feeders will do, buy a couple of the biggest ones you can find, these are used for the first dozen casts. Three or four smaller ones will be the main feeders. Hooklength line is 0.12 or 0.10, hooks something like the Kamasan B911. Best to start with the feeder attached to a link swivel, which is free running on the line. Add a soft rubber bead next, then tie a small swivel in the end of the mainline. The feeder should rest against the bead, which takes the strain of the feeder hitting the swivel. Attach your hooklength to the swivel. Hooklengths should be 12" at first, or longer if fishing for bream, perhaps 2-3'. Accuracy is very important when feeder fishing, both straight line and distance. To get straight line accuracy, you have to aim for something like a tree on the far bank. Make sure you don't aim for something that can move (like an angler, or a cow!). For distance accuracy, you need to use the line clip on the reel. Cast out as far as you can comfortably cast without too much effort going into the cast (or as close to the island as you dare if there is one). Slip the line under the clip, you can now only cast that far. If you want to get closer to a feature, like an island, cast again, then remove a metre or so from the clip before clipping up again. Reel in and repeat the process until you are happy with the distance. To be very accurate with the distance, try to slow the line just before the feeder hits the water. That way the feeder enters the water on a tight line and doesn't bounce back. Also, try bringing the rod up to vertical as the feeder is flying, then you can drop the rod on the rest and take up the slack line without moving the feeder. That is crucial when fishing for carp, as they will quickly home in to where they heard the splash, so you don't want to pull the feeder away from where it landed. Casting should be quite often, but that depends on the response of the fish. If you see anyone else getting bites as soon as the feeder hits bottom, its a fair bet the fish want some feed, so cast every minute. Yes, every minute! Otherwise, it can pay to sit on it for up to five minutes. Much as with float fishing, you need to feed to get the fish into your peg and competing, you can only do that by casting, so get used to being busy. I've rattled on for a while now and I'm sure someone will come up with some rigs diagrams and stuff, so I'll stop here. If you answer this reply, try to give a bit more info about the fishery, as that will help others to give more specific answers. Type of fish you expect, features in the water, distances, depths size of fish, average weights in matches, all those things will make it easier to get answers. Good luck

Thanks to all those who have been in contact. Still lots of stuff left, don't be afraid to make an offer.

Thanks YY

Got a variety of gear to sell, most well used, but must be good for somebody. Sadly selling my best mate's tackle for his widowed wife. Don't be afraid to make me an offer, or simply email to let me know what you want. Olympic 8' spinning rod, possibly glass/carbon composite? £5 DAM Carboron waggler rod 12' 6" £20 Craddock Dave Thomas 12' spliced tip, re-rung and scruffy bit in original bag, collectable? offers Drennan 12' Team England Carp Feeder with 4 tips (2x 1/2 oz, 1x 1oz, 1x 2oz) in bag and tube £60 Shakespeare Quartzlite pole 13m with a spare top 4, both tops elasticated, nice small fish/canal pole £100 Drennan 390 Carp pole 11.5m with an extra universal top and home made cupping kit £60 Seat box, Penrose 4 drawer (2 shallow, 2 deep) pole seat, octoplus legs with long and short adaptors, PUPPS system £60 Seat box, Davies Angling 4 drawer (2 shallow, 2 deep), round legs plus a short octoplus adapter £20 Bargain Fox Match continental style holdall (opens flat) takes 10 tubes with internal brolly and bankstick pockets, brand new and a brand new 42" brolly £30 Shakespeare Sigma Whisker Titan 035 reel £10 DAM CSi40 reel £15 Shakespeare ProCarbon 040 reel plus 2 spare spools £20 Pole rollers: Kingfisher in bag, goalpost type £5 Keenets Demon, V type £5 Wheelbarrow/ platform, Penrose £20 Boss side tray with folding legs, alloy £5 Couple of my bits as well: Drennan Team England Carp Waggler 13' in bag and tube £60 Normark Titan 2000 13' no bag £120 Drennan Series Carp 11m pole with two spare top fours (one cracked on No4 joints, but still very strong), all No1 sections missing, elasticated through No2 & 3 £60 All items will be advertised elsewhere, so email me, not PM Postage will be extra, or I can deliver in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset All gear sensibly packed for post by experienced Ebayer email me on: steve@coarsefish-torbay.co.uk

I seem to keep following excellent advice from Ken at the minute. I was going to suggest fishing bread flake if you want good roach and crucians. Feed only hemp. If you insist on feeding maggots, fish shallow, I'd be very surpised if the crucians didn't come up in the water as well. Depends how you feed, but basically all fish will compete and be caught right up. My biggest roach have all been caught in the top 12", but I've never caught a 2 pounder.

As for bleak, so with other small fish. You can become more effective sometimes by counting into bites. Ivan Marks used to do that a lot to amaze the crowds: they never saw a bite, because h would strike just before he thought the float was going to move! Been following the Indian stuff, Ken? I'll be up your way 29th & 30th July, but no time in my schedule to do other than shoot a mag feature and fish a match. Perhaps later in the year we'll have a day on the river, but I'll have to borrow some gear as all my spinning stuff is in India.

As many others have said, it depends on the circumstances. One thing is for sure: A fish has to move one of the weights for you to see a bite, how far away from the hook is your nearest weight? That is how far a fish can move, potentially, before you see a bite. Have you ever had one of those moments when your reel in, or ship back, a crushed maggot but didn't see a bite? That has been right down a fishes throat! They can only do that to a bait with their throat teeth. Are you sure you didn't see the float move? I've found small roach often require striking at what you think may have been a movement. In the winter, I have had great success by holding the float out of the water and feeling for little knocks. One particular water, the bites are usually rings coming off the float tip. As ever, practise makes perfect.

Hi Argyll, I'm not the ex-ed of SA, that was Steve Martin. I write for them every month, though and will continue to do so. As for Indian Angler, Bops is a really good friend of mine. As soon as it went live he sent me a text to register, so I did. Must recommend others with an interest in foreign fishing log on. Oh, and get out to India and have a go for the mahseer!

Southern and Midland Angler will start to change from the September issue. Hopefully more people will buy it so I can keep working! If anyone has good ideas for articles, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do. Had a piece on small river chubbing passed on last year, but don't think it made it in the end-shame. I'm always interested in ideas for more specialist articles, as I'm mainly a match angler myself, so don't mix in specialist circles. Steve

Some sensible advice there guys. Basically, a straight through rig would be used where you expect to be bagging. Carp in the summer, roach up-in-the-water, both of those situations will see me using straight through rigs. The carp rig would be 0.16 minimum line, probably 0.18. For roach, I'll use 0.12 straight through. Basically looking for a rig that will stand up to the strain of catching a lot of fish. I carry a hookbox made from a wooden float box with two opposing rows of panel pins to hold the traces fully extended. For most pole fishing I use 6" hooklengths, but also carry 12" hooklengths though these are usually used on clear rivers and may well be fluorocarbon. Hooklengths will be used on winter carp rigs, all silver fish bottom rigs. As for actually putting a rig together: I shot the floats in a cut off 2 litre drinks bottle The shot is attached to the line with a pair of tweezers, next to a knot, you can hold the knot while you slide the shot up the line, and then cut the bottom 6" off so there is no damage. After squeezing the shot onto the line, give them a gentle squeeze across the top of the split, this will make it easier to move (crossbiting) Make your rigs up to match the top four of your pole and shorten them on the bank when needed. Find out how many turns of line are needed around your winder to match that length and you can simply count the turns onto the winder next time, without having to measure against your top kit. Always use the same size of winder to make life easier. If you find an item of tackle that works really well, buy plenty of them and ignore everything else, you will fish more efficiently. I was working with Will Raison last week, he made up a rig on 0.18 line and tied on the hook without any shot. He then bit the shot onto the line and proceeded to catch 200lbs of carp shallow! Good luck Steve

Strikes me it is much like line. It would be far better if we could trust what it says on the label! Buy what you know and stick with it is my motto. I've tried various elastics, and have gone back to Vespe and Middy solids. I know that the pink is 10-12 Middy Hi-Viz, or 12 Vespe and both seem the same to me, so I'm happy to use either. I call them both number 12 and know exactly how hard I can pull with them. They account for 90% of my carping needs and I fish with full confidence I can land almost anything on them.

Assuming the venue responds to groundbait and feeders, you should be alright as long as you fish it correctly. I would start with a very small feeder, (by the way, I always use inline method rigs, not elasticated) and a fine groundbait. Riddle your groundbait through a kitchen sieve before you mix it, then mix it just wet enough to cast and hold on the feeder. You don't want a ball of stodge. For hookbaits, try a dead red maggot or two fluoro pinkies. If at any point you find carp taking the tip round as soon as the feeder hits bottom, cast frequently, there will be little point sitting on a feeder load. Probably cast every five minutes if you have one quickly. Should you have a couple of fish and then nothing, take the feeder off and cast a small bomb just past your groundbait line. The carp will probably be moving into shallower water now, so don't be afraid to cast tight to island margins. Accuracy will be the key to a big bag. Good luck, Steve

Sorry to spoil everyone's fun. Here's a bit about the fishery!!! Mainly carp on big baits, although there are tench and bream that will happen along, as well. Most of the lakes have plenty of weed/rush growth, so you need to gear up sensible. 6lb minimum line, can be hook and haul tactics, strong hooks with paste, meat or corn. Have a walk before deciding where to fish, as the fish show themselves by bubbling. Really good with maggots for silver fish as well. Loads of perch as well as roach, rudd and skimmers. Getting the feed right will be the key to it, keep plenty going in to draw the fish, and you will sack up. Good luck, Steve

Hi Mark, I've used lots of different poles over the last couple of years, and without spending loads of cash, the ones I rate the highest are the Sensas Power Match range. I haven't fished with any of the models you are looking at, but I have fished with other Maver poles, and they are pretty good. I would still pick a Sensas pole over any of the Mavers I've tried. A big point is to see what spares you get with the pole. The more top kits, the better, do you get a cupping kit? A holdall? All those things make a big difference to how much money you actually have to spend. Generally, I have bought Daiwa or Drennan poles in the past, because it's very easy to get spares for them. Most of the other manufacturers have big parts of the country where it is difficult to find a dealer, but Daiwa and Drennan seem to be well spread, and served by mail order dealers. You really must try a pole before you commit cash to it, perhaps join a club, and see what others are using. Then, when you get to know a few people, you could ask to have a quick fish with their pole. Remember, poles can feel very different once they have elastic through them, particularly if they have hollow elastic in. Good luck, Steve

I thoroughly enjoy fishing small rivers, I generally match fish on 'Commercials', and I visit a variety of waters all over the country each year. There are Commercials, where you can escape the crowds, and ones where the interests of the fish are paramount. I've visited mature Commercials, where you cannot see the next swim from any other swim, and ones with a mixture of fish, of all sizes, sometimes in different ponds so you can escape from carp! I would visit them for sure, but maybe only certain ones that I enjoy visiting. Sometimes to bag up on small carp, or to chase 'munters', or to catch more 1lb roach than I've ever caught from a natural water. As an example of what can be achieved, try an evening at Viaduct in Somerset. Fish Middle Pond for 15lb+ carp and you may have the place to yourself after 5pm, even in the height of summer. There are not enough small carp in there to pester those who hate them. Commercials have provided a safe haven for wildlife in areas where it is difficult to sustain bird, insect and invertebrate life, and they give safe fishing for those who feel vulnerable fishing more public places. But each to their own......... Steve

Ring John at Fishing Mayhem on 01579 340447

It looks superb, I'm jealous now. But the last time I was in India, I did get a shot of a wild tiger! Nagarhole WLS is closed to the general public during March, so all the wildlife becomes a bit bolder. Staying on one of the big resorts, they have dispensation to take in small groups during the off season. I had two trips, and saw a pair of tigers on my second trip. Anyone heading to the Cauvery, Nagarhole is the nearest big WLS to there. Can thoroughly recommend King's Sanctuary as a place to stay.

Just thinking further: You could try Corbett National Park, plenty of accommodation and fishing on the Kosi River for mahseer. Tried it myself, but a combination of circumstances meant I didn't get to fish, or stay. You need to have plenty of rups with you to pay bills, and stay as far into the park as poss. Train from Delhi to Ramnagar, then rickshaw to the park. Enjoy, Steve

I've not been to Kashmir, so cannot comment on that. As for Dehra Dun, I would have thought you need to be higher up the Ganges than that. The main area is North of Rishikesh at the confluence of two rivers (the name of the second escapes me). If you put mahseer, john bailey and ganges into Google, you should come up with his article about fishing that area. Was the tour organised by Misty Dhillon? If so, there is a bit about the exact spot on his company's website himalayanoutback.com As for the permit situation, I'm not really sure, but would have thought the fishing is not strictly controlled there. Good luck, Steve

Can't tell you anything about the fishing, I'm afraid, as I have only fished in Karnataka. Can tell you about a stunning backwater trip though. Go to the ferry dock at Ernakulum in Cochin and look for the kiosk selling backwater trips. 45mins by taxi to a small river, then by canoe through little rivers and canals, finishing with lunch at a coir workshop. It is fascinating, and much more intimate than the wide backwaters. Hope you have a grand time in Kerala, but Karnataka is my favourite place in the whole of Southern India. Try an evening at Ranganatittu bird sanctuary as well. Just outside Mysore and full of mahseer, feed them with popcorn and they will be jumping out for the feed. But don't put your hand in the water unless you want to lose it to a croc! No fishing there, but a good place to study the fish and birdlife. Enjoy, Steve

On that kind of water, try a small blockend with double maggot hookbait. Tie a loop in the end of the mainline around 6" long, slide the feeder on, and tie a swivel to the end of the loop. The feeder is free to slide up and down the loop, and will be semi-fixed by the knot. In the event of a break, the feeder will pull over the knot, making the rig quite safe. You may have to wade through silver fish, but will probably pick up some carp when boilies are not working. Make sure you are using a soft, bream style feeder rod. I use a Drennan Stillwater Feeder for my summer carping, you can really coax the carp in by keeping the rod low and letting it bend into them. Good luck, Steve

Don't think that the groundbait will make a huge difference, it how you mix and use it that counts. Pick one suitable for the job i.e. a feeder mix, or method mix, and learn how to mix it right. Then sort out casting accurately, fishing the right swim, and using balanced tackle. These are far more important than using this week's fave mix. Steve

Try glueing a small bit of elastic band on the top of the pellet and pass the hook through that. The pellet should sit on the back of the shank for good hooking, but if it's going right, the fish should hook themselves! Superglue works, but eventually dissolves in water, Araldite works as long as you use the pellets quite soon after glueing; the oils don't allow the glue to stay attached for long. Steve

Having them clean is essential and will aid your results, a bigger container will help, and leaving the lid off will definitely stop them sweating. The plastic bag method also works, but remember to let them breath (open the bag, or put them back into a bait box) about 1 hour before you want to fish. If you are fishing for bream or carp however, the bag method gives you nice inert bait to try on the hook. Thought of trying dead maggots? You can just keep them in the freezer then! Steve