Tigger

I like using a short length of peacock quill and float legering. I attatch the quill via a single rubber so it can be slid up or down the line as and when I want to. I add a small swivel and clip to attatch the small bomb and use either a leger stop or more often than not add a split shot on my line to create the desired length of my hooklength....although I fish straight through so it isn't what you might reguard as being a hook length. If you havent got the set up perfect so your quill cocks when you've cast out, maybe due to an uneaven botom, simply wind in until it cocks. It's a very simple and sensitive method. Another good set up is the lift method, again, a short length of peacock quill fixed via a rubber is fine. Use a single shot which will sink the quill and slide the quill up the line until it pops up the amount you want showing. Sometimes the quill will lift up and maybe even fall flat, or it will just be pulled under when a fish obliges.

The EA and AT are imo very similar to a placebo. There is a local small river to me and it is being polluted on a daily basis. The river was recently full of small chopped up plastic. This river runs into another slightly larger river and all the way down them both the bankings were strewn with these bits of plastic. The smaller river often resembles milk some days, some days it looks like a bowl of washing up liquid. The few remaining fish were killed a few weeks back with some kind of pollution. The same pollution was fed from that small river into the next one again so who knows how many fish and creatures the pollution wiped out. The EA have been informed numerous times with photos and videos but they say they are busy, but keep reporting the incidents! The council have also been informed by angry locals but again SWF is being done. The slightly larger river is also being destroyed with sewage, various pollutants and rubbish etc and the banks are literally caked in arse wipes , sanitary towels, plastic bottles, tin, balls, bags, you name it! I will no longer fish in this river as it is so full of sewage and I really think the chances of catching some kind of illness is too great. And the EA want rod licence money or you will be fined and may have to appear in court, isn't that demanding money with menace?

I find rudd and roacn often go for floating or sinking bread, bunches of maggots and casters. I've had a lot of crucians on those same baits but they definately like meat, and they can take larg'ish pieces. I like to freeline for crucians using no other weight than the meat on the hook, just watch my liine and as soon as it starts to move it's time to strike. It's a great way to catch them if fishing the margins or not to far out.

Aww man, I was really upset reading your post Ant, but, THANK GOD you are ok, what a total reliief! Anyhow, fingers crossed for you to make a swift and full recovery, all the very best to you ??.

I'm pretty much of the same opinion as Ken, I really don't like fishing clipped up. Again, as Ken says, I see no point in clipping up on a canal. When fishing a larger venue at distance I find clipping up to bait an area with a spod or similar is ok. If you cast to your spot you can put a marker on your line so as to be sure your on your mark distance wise. Tie a bit of braid or similar onto your line at the desired spot.

I've never used them so can't comment on how effective they are. Regarding the luncheon meat becoming soft and maybe breaking up in hot weather, if you keep it cool it will be solid enough to cast without an issue, either on the hook with a thorn, hard stem of grass under the bend of the hook , or the same if using a hair rig. Obviously you can get bait/ meat stops out of the angling shops if the bankside freebies don't suit you. Another thing i've heard mentioned to toughten up meat is to fry it a little to put a skin on it. Never needed to do it myself but it does sound like an idea.

To be honest, if I were to go purposely targetting eels it's a set up I would most definately use. No worries about deep hooking and unhooking is so easy, you don't even need to touch the eel.

A friend of mine spent some time chasing eels and came up with a anti deep hooking rig. It was just a bolt rig with a very short, 2 or 3inch hook link. He used a large single hook and the short hook length was wire. He used bunches of worms, small dead baits, stew beef etc etc, for bait and had lots of good sized eels. He never had one deep hooked fish because of his set up and removing the large hook was very easy. He would get hold of the hook with long nosed pliers and just twist/rotate the hook free. I never saw him struggle to unhook an eel due to his set up. Although i've had eels up to just over 6lb I really don't like catching them, no idea why really, they just don't appeal to me.

Sorry to hear of your health issue Ant, I honestly hope you make a full recovery asap!

I use wood shavings. I have them in bales which I use for the dog kennels so have them at hand.

Beats me why people who catch these invasive species release them! These same idiots complaine about our indiginoius predators because they eat fish, calling for culls of them, and yet promote the introduction of wels catfish which are capable of decimating our waterways.

I think feed, hookbaites etc depends on the water infront of you, still water or running etc, and of course the method of fishing your going to be using. Personally if fishing for roach in a river i tend to stick to using my hookbaits as attractant and feed pretty much every trott or two. If legering I often use brown crumb as a binder squeezed tightly in order to keep my other particles together until they reach the deck. I am of the opinion that roach are often sight feeders and if conditions allow you to see them, they are often darting in and out of bait as it falls through the water, or travells down the current of a river. I do think that many of the larger specimens feed below the smaller fish as i've witnessed this happening many times. Also larger roach don't seem to be put off by larger baits and I think using a larger bait can sometimes help target the larger among a group of fish. Regarding sight or smell, imo it has to be both, but also the behaviour of other fish may well bring the presence of food to the attention of them. All the above is just my ideas and how I see it so you gott'a do what you think best :).

It was right next to the farm chesters, out in the middle of nowhere, no public access. Sheep can jump a little but once in water they can't as they become waterlogged and weigh a ton. I told the farmer about it but he knew already, infact it was still there the other day ?. Sheep always seem to find a way to committe suicide, even in a wide open field. We used to live slap bang in the middle of fields and during the winter months the fields were full of sheep. Manys the time I would look out the window to see a sheep layed on it's back with it's legs stuck straight up in the air and unable to right itself. If no one sees them in this state and rolls them to their feet they will die. First thing they always did when I righted them wasn't to run away, it was to have a huge pi$$. They mustn't be able to do it when on their backs. I've even pulled sheep out of brambles after they have become entangled in them and again, unless someone frees them they will die as they just get more and more entangled as they struggle. I have actually found them dead in brambles and hanging off the top of the river bank. I've even released them from fencing when they've stuck their heads through but are unable to pull them back out due to their horns. I reckon on half of my trips to the river I see a drowned sheep either quite rotton or fresh. Often I see bullocks or calves which have drowned also!

I had a try for some barbel on the float last week but it was only 2 or 3 degrees and I blanked! The temps had risen to 9 degrees today and so I had another attempt. Anyhow I was lucky and managed three barbel this time, which to be honest I was quite happy with as the water is still very cold and i'd had enough of standing out mid river after 2 1/2 hours.

There is so much pollution going on round here atm it's shocking. Even morw shocking is the EA just ignore it all despite many videos of it as it's happening, including lots of dead and dying fish amongst the pollution. The pollution is virtually on a daily basis and varies from milions of small chopped up pieces of plastic, to thick soap sudds, petrol or diesel to raw sewage and many more! The EA really are a usless organisation and only seem interested in getting their tax from anglers ?.

At the end of the day I think it's pointless arguing over american politics, as we are living in the UK. So, maybe it would be wiser to concentrate on our own country and who we have leading it?

All I can go off is what I see and hear. Just seeing the doctored videos that Bidens gang used to try and impeach Trump is more than enough to me to show they would have no qualms about rigging a vote. For that alone they should be kicked out of power....imo of course. If they can do that to the likes of a former president they can do anything to the man in the street. As I said previously....quite frightening!

Trump was robbed by a fraudulant voting system, and quite blatantly! Frightening really!! Without taking any sides, and looking at the whole thing as a impartial spectator it's so obvious that there are far more people wanted to Keep trump in office.

Yup, you only need look at the youtube videos and any pro trump videos have thousands of likes. Any Biden videos have a handfull of likes and many dislikes. It's quite obvious that the majority of people in America are more in favour of Trump.

Round my neck of the woods there arn't many tackle shops left Elton. Of the three closest to me, one sells items at the door and is open for several hours two or three times a week (I think the owner has another shop or two elsewyhre and he's doing the same with them) the other is closed altogether and the bigger one which used to be Northwest Angling and was taken over by AD will sell things over the phone, you pay over the phone and then go and collect it at a allocated time! It's not good at all, and for what?...i'm sure shopping in any store is just as safe as shopping in a supermarket etc. Hows it round your area?

I had a couple of hours trotting yesterday and had a few chub.... I think this sheep had a little too much to drink, poor bastard!

https://youtu.be/OjnX4IUt_eo

https://youtu.be/zfJaxhA4sP8