Roland

i'd like to join if possible chaps, whats the passcode for your league

Thanks very much appreciate it

Thanks Janet, appreciate the advice. Btw this book is fantastic for complete beginners like me: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coarse-Fishing-Bas...e/dp/0600614018 Really helpful stuff. I do have a question though. I see there are various types of rod available (coarse, carp, match etc etc) and I know they help do certain things like quiver tips for ledgering for example. Is there anything wrong with trying to ledger with a 12ft coarse rod? I have been talking to a friend of mine and he is showing me this week a float I can use while doing it also. I just wanted to know if my road will self destruct if I try it?

a bit of monday discussion for you all! (what can I say i'm at work and bored already ) I've been looking the past couple of day at some bits and pieces to help me along on my fishing adventures, some of the tackle websites are quite poorly laid out and it's difficult to browse unless you know what you want which I find frustrating. Where do you get your stuff from? Online site? Ebay? Tackle shop?

That sounds ike an iffy experience you had there. I had to renew my contract this year an had enough of orange. I went with T-mobile I shopped around a bit and found a great website caled mobiles.co.uk (it's actually a part of the carphone warehouse) They offer cashback on contracts which was great. Over the next 12 months I will get £100 back from my contract. I also used quidco which got me £50 cashback from the referal. All in all It was a darn sight cheaper than actually going to t-mobile's website even when I walked into their store they couldnt beat it or when I phoned them. It might just have been my good fortune but i'd highly recommend it Ben

Hi Keith, thanks for the advice I actually live just off Theobald street! I will check out Verulam Ac as it sounds quite local for me. I had another go today at Gaywoods in Kings Langley. Was a lovely place, busy and lots of nice people around. Like Tuesday, It took me a good while to get a rig setup. However once I had I started to catch some fish! Used spam for bait and a bit of corn here and there. I caught 7 bream over 6 hours which could have been a lot lot more bream if I wasn't so intent on checking the cricket score They cheeky buggers kept nicking my bait and by the 2 seconds after the float went down and I struck, they had buggered off with the lovely spam!. I only fished about 10 feet of so from the swim as Janet had suggested, which was nice as the line didnt blow around and I could relax a little bit. However that was difficult when every time I cast off within 30 seconds the float dived, bait gone and no fish. Ho hum live and learn. As for fish size I'm unsure on gauging weight by size etc. The last one of the day was the biiggest and a chap wandering past said it looked about 5lbs Quick question, why do bream appear to be covered in goo? I got it everywhere and it now looks like I fell in a sperm bank Really enjoyed today, what a thrill it is fighting a fish and then seeing the silver flash coming up towards the surface

Ah I see Im a Professional golfer on work days so could I be "Golf Man" I appreciate the links, some good stuff to read there. I didnt know I had to sink the line until a couple of hours ago, and that reels have a "clutch" Much to learn I still have

Thanks John, I was using a 4lb line, 14 hook. Rod and reel were part of a cheap 2xl set I picked up from Argos. I just had a go at making a rig in the lake at work with the more bouyant float and heavier shot, casted out over twice as long as I did yesterday. I will try far out and the shallow (thanks Janet) tomorrow. And no i'm not a rat fan the avatar probably explains the name better now Ben

oh and why am I on Mod preview?

Dave, Thanks very much for the reply I've just ordered this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coarse-Fishing-Bas...e/dp/0600614018 went to the tackle shop this morning and bought a variety of floats some for longer casting. The chap in the shop also mentioned that shot sizes double up every time? so 2 x bb is 1 x aaa. Is this right? also bought some scopex pellets and with the help of tescos, some luncheon meat & some corn. Unfortunatley I can't have maggots as the girlfriend would leave me I was quite handy with the catapult yesterday as the float was only 15 feet away. another question, if in the rare event I catch a fish, Is it recommended to always use the disgorger? or can I just unhook it manually? cheers Ben

Hello Everyone, Im Ben and I live in Hertfordshire. Yesterday I went fishing for the first time in 12 years and found that I have a lot to learn. The location, Stanborough Lakes near Welwyn. Weather, Not bad. Did I catch anything? Nope. Fishing has already got it's wet fins locked around me and i'm hooked. Off I trundled with my new fishing set (thanks Argos), a pot of pellets and a sandwich for me. Frustrating thing was that it took me nearly an hour to get a rig setup correctly with a little help from the lake baliff. The floats I had did not have anything printed on them so I was setting up rigs blind (again, thanks Argos!). Tying knots was bloody difficult too. So I cast my line to about 15 feet out (I have a question on this), watched the float like a hawk for 20 minutes to no avail, reeled in, replaced the bait and cast out again. Repeat for 5 1/2 hours. Although it was bugging me that nothing towed my line all day. What made me feel better was that no one else around the lake seemed to be cathing anything either! I contemplated seeing if I changed my bait to my peanut butter sandwich might yield something! So highlights from the day: 1. As the lake has a woodland trail, the amount of lovely ladies and their prams walking round or jogging was high 2. I saw a rat having a fight with a magpie, endless entertainment there! 3. A big carp swam up to my swim along the reeds then dived. A great sight while trying to remember how to create a half blood knot! So I have a few questions and please be patient as you may be able to tell I'm a bit new at this. When I left, a guy a couple of swims down was float fishing, his float was nearly 40 feet away. how did he do this? do some floats have greater bouyancy that can be weighted more? If so, if there a way to tell which will do what? Is there a "rigs for dummies" book or a very basic how to float fish book that you could recommend? Why do fish like fruity baits? When I went to the tackle shop I saw pineapple pellets etc and didnt quite understand it. My kit came with a catapult which I used a little (more to feel like Bart simpson or Dennis the mennace), Should I throw bait with it around my float? how often? Anybody in Hertfordshire recommend a lake for novices like me? I live in Elstree and don't mind half an hour away. who would win a fight? A right or a magpie? A bit long but I need your help, All I caught yesterday was a twig! Ben