Renrag39

+1 for Richardsons from Stalham. Probably the best value (still not cheap but very close to your budget). You may be able to find cheaper if you dig harder though. No Barbel on the tidal system afaik, very, very few Chub on the Northern Broads, more on the Southern but still not particularly numerous.

Thanks mate. That's great news. Will just have to have a wander, unfortunately won't be taking the mighty 'yak. At least I know the fish are there. Just a matter of catching 'em now. Will only be out a few hours but hopefully catching is a good possibility. Thanks again.

Going round a friends in July who lives in Shepperton. Just google mapped the area... Too much water to choose from! Can anyone help me narrow the selection down to 1 or 2 likely spots for a bit of lure action please? Preferably on a river and free, but anything considered.

I don't think it's a question of whether it works per se, it's just whether it's a viable tactic to try out I think and as you imply, will vary from venue to venue, swim to swim and change constantly day by day or hour to hour. Too many variables like you say but personally, now it's been brought to my attention, I think it has happened like this before and I will definitely make a conscious decision to fish out of the area to garner better or more fish, perhaps with another rod where it is a viable option and to refrain from 'baiting up' completely on hard/heavily fished waters and match stretches.

On heavily baited waters I believe it will increase your chances. On less heavily baited and larger waters perhaps less quantity but more quality. You could alwoys hedge your bets and fish 2 rods. One on, one off or just alternate and draw your own conclusions from your particular water/swim/technique. Definitely worth a shot imo.

Sad but true NTARU. It's been that way since feudal times afaik. And sadly I can't think of a single country that operates any differently. I gave up a long time ago thinking anything will or could change. I'm not oblivious or ignorant, just indifferent I guess.

Being tight, I often fish with no bait introduced especially on commercial type waters. I often have more success than others this way but that may be down to fish being wary of baited areas by either being caught or general disturbance, or it may be down to the fact that I'll freeline or link leger and have generally lighter presentation. So, I guess I don't do it intentionally but I think it does work out that way for me at times. Just a quick question Anderoo; Do you have a really light lure rod, i.e. <15g casting weight? If you do, or anyone else does for that matter, try freelining with that set-up. It's really good fun. I can also imagine it being deadly for Chub too! A 3lb Tench can give you the run around but still has enough guts for anything up to 15lb (or more imho). My biggest fish on my Cormoran Black Bull HC 1-12g is a 12lb Carp so far on 5lb mono! Not got a great casting distance but an absolute killer within 30-40'! Happy Days

The only thing I know that went to plan was the Pike spawning early March, right on cue. I'm sure it'll balance out ok as the year progresses. In my limited experience, the Broads always seem to stabilise remarkably quickly.

Not a parent but +1 Emma. One e-mail is enough I think. Bet others have had the same idea already so doubt we need any more volunteers off of here. Don't like him, don't like any politicians, don't vote, don't care, don't have a right to as I don't vote anyway.

Sorry about that guys, not a fan of acronyms usually but I approve of this one as it's a happy and positive one.

I AM SECRET SQUIDGEL! Nowt you don't already know John, thats a given. Just had my phone number in it 'tis all, so I used the PM for the whole caboodle. Just gave him a brief rundown on the northern broads as that's what I mainly fish and know. You or DanT would be perfect to fill in the blanks for the southern broads.

FTW!

^^^ I thought a Pint was 568ml...

I've got no additional advice but I can explain why you're beating the BC rod with your BP setup. It's all to do with loading the rod. With the BP rod, you can load the rod through to the butt, being somewhat 'softer' than traditional BC's. You therefore get more power transferred to the lead and send it further. If you were in peak physical shape, you'd no doubt be able to fully load a BC but as you're in recovery, stick with your BP rod until you build yourself up again. It'll take time, possibly a year or more before you can fully load a BC and until you can, they will just put undue strain on your injury and p!ss you off with mediocre performance. Thought of a few things that might/could help:- Obviously reducing the amount of feathers will help. Try swapping your lead for a 2-3oz dexter wedge so you don't feel you're selling yourself short. Also, not using a shock leader can help. I use 60lb Braid, straight through when casting these sort of weights on lure set-ups (up to 3oz). The finer diameter of the braid reduces ring friction, combined with low stretch, meaning you will transfer more of the power to the lead rather than having it absorbed by 'boingy' mono. Plus the lack of a knot I've found, can give you another 5-10yds on a good day. Another thought- You could go the 'purist' route if you're fishing for fun, rather than worried about quantity. Get a light/medium bass rod, 10-11', a 4-5000 size fs reel loaded with 30lb powerpro braid and start chucking 1-2oz wedges. You WONT get the distance of the other set-ups but I doubt it'll be far off in good conditions (80-90yds at a guess) and when you hook a reasonable mackie, you'll really know about it!

PM sent Btw, hope it doesn't come across as patronising, don't know how much you've fished the area.

Would you believe incredible skill, patience and careful planning? Thought not. I was ill at the time, coming of my last night shift at 6am after a 60hr week, in November, down a back-road, used mainly by beet lorries... No twitch just... whoa****... backwardsupsidedownditch... AAAAatchoOOO... bugger... sniff... I get bored to be honest JV, but I'm far better than I used to be. Guessing the Laguna and my current Kwack will be with me for some time. Best Car and Bike I've ever had. @Phone: You said it, Pops...

Yamaha CG50 '89 -Bought age 16 in 2001 Yamaha RSX100 '96 Honda CG125 '01 Kawasaki ER-5 '99 -Passed Full Bike Test aged 17 2002 Honda CG125 '00 Suzuki GSX750-F '91 Ford Escort 1.4GL '87 -Passed Car Test aged 21 2006 Peugeot 306 1.9XL '96 Honda VT500 '84 (2 days older than me!) Mazda 323F 1.8 '97 Honda GL1000 '77 (full rebuild) Mazda 6 2.5 V6 '93 Ford Fiesta 1.1 (rolled, written off) Honda Concerto 1.5 '93 Ford Fiesta 1.9 '95 Suzuki Baleno 1.6 '98 Kawasaki GT550 '96 Mitsubishi Galant 2.0 GLS '00 Kawasaki GPX750R '89 Kawasaki ZZR600 '02 (98 model, only registered '02 on age plate) -Current Renault Laguna 1.9 DCI '04 -Current 11 Bikes in 11 years, 10 Cars in 6 years...

What sort of Puffs are these again, Phone? I know you've posted the brand etc before but I can't find that post!

Certainly does look nice Mark I would go for a light feeder 1/3 way across to start. If I used another rod I'd go for a slightly heavier one 1/2 to 2/3 way across but it would be interesting to possibly use your 2nd rod as a searching tool with a plain bomb and worm/corn, instead of a feeder. Not sure what my plans are atm, hoping to get out on the 16th, but like John, so many places I love to fish, so little time. Think I'll probably fish somewhere I know to get a good start to the season. Will definitely pop down and meet you there another time though. I have a feeling it'll be just as good as you think it'll be mate!

ATS, it's a way of saying the lure is a 'banker'

Unfortunately, for my love of fishing, yes. So I'll be getting a wee bit salty with any luck. Hoping for a nice midsized Bass or Mullet to take my lure and provide me with some really fresh fish. Ever the optimist

Just a bit of harbour bashing if all goes well but that easterly is like to put a damper on any sport for me. Be nice to have a paddle though

Lure fishing for Pike and Perch for the main part. Need to find some more 'hotspots' and the kayak will help immeasurably with that I'm sure. Want to try my hand at fishing on the sea from the 'yak too. Lures again to start with for Bass, maybe some bastardised LRF style fishing in the harbour for usually untargeted fish like Gobies during the close season and Summer.. Maybe I'll move on to bait-fishing come the Winter but I'll have to see if saltwater fishing 'hooks me' like Pike and Perch do.

I know Steve, it's a shame really. The US laws would make good sense to me but it'll never happen here. I think, for me at least, it makes more sense for me to support the BCU(?) as Anglers who fish from Kayaks make up a greater percentage of their members and may be taken into account. Regardless, I shall continue with my methods. Not had any trouble where I paddle as of yet, although that may well change as more water users appear, along with more anglers on the banks come June 16th. Words can't hurt me, but one act of violence like Andy describes (I have a kayak cam ) and I'll defend myself as required and post the relevant footage for all to see. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that though. I use the kayak for fun, fishing and fitness. In that order. Hopefully people will realise this and let me be. Reading that back, I sound borderline militant. I'm not, I just want to have the opportunity to enjoy myself as I see fit and as long as it doesn't impede others use of the waterways or disturb them too much, I'll repay the respect.

What happens to the AT though when we muddy the waters with the likes of me who deem themselves 'Kayak Anglers'? The AT, I believe, support kayak angling... How can they discriminate objectively to the demands of 'normal' kayakers/canoeists, when they theoretically should support those using a kayak/canoe with a fishing rod?