wunnus

The really golden age was when we paid them to grow stuff we did not want to eat. Now those that cannot change will go from farming but they will be replaced by those who want to use the land to make money. It will be an unplanned patchwork of semi industrial crops (green diesel), leisure use ("extreme paintball??") and the reat will have too much money to change (just count the rusting cars in the yard!) Oh yeah and a whole lot more will cover their land in the most lucrative crop ever... bricks and mortar.

Nope we aint got them round here but we do free line a worm occasionally and it has the same effect. especially from bridges etc lol

The rivers around Norwich are for you. Get John Wilsons book "Where to fish in Norfolk and Suffolk" and you will be well away.

This is one of the reasons that I prefer to fish on moving water.

Dont forget the bit about creeping up behind them otherwise they re off.

Ta everyone for the solid ideas. I expect the vibration of the bait hitting the water was picked up by the lateral line. Perhaps the weed even made the signal clearer by cutting out other weed "noise"? It is interesting about the lures and the sandwich I shall give that a go. The lack of light probably means that the fish have to rely on other senses. I found that oily ground bait thrown dry on the thinner patches of weed usually caused a small window in the weed, just like ice fishing. Strangley below the weed there was some flow but this was not apparent above. From this I dropped in some smelly bait but nothing conclusive happened.

WEird or What? Out of sheer frustration I tried fishing two separate duckweed covered steams (5m wide max) On both occasions I used a moderate quill float with the weight just above the worm to punch through the weed. At both locations the bait had hardly dropped and bang off went the float. There followed about 15 mins of frenzied activity from fish (rudd perch roach). How the hell did the fish find the bait???

Chub also like worm

If weight is a problem you can use those elastic float stop "things"

Look at the base of the float. A sleeve goes up to reveal a hook. Place line in hook and then lower sleeve. They work best with thick line. If you intend to use thin lines then you have to jam in more line or some sort of paking..sleeve etc Depending on the bait you can stil use some small shot to sink the float further. have fun

My son had a funny habit of catching a 5lb+ fish from the oddest of situations. he went carp crazy and then became despondent when the big wuns stoopped coming. But it took a bridge and a shoal of very visible rudd/roach to really fire him up about catching smaller fish. Good luck

probly a simple smile will get anyone of the above to cart it for you

Fishing on the drop from a slim controller float works well if the fish are not used to it. It somehow allows you to get at the larger rudd.

I tend to be the sort of angler that turns up on the bank with all that I need in a tesco bag. My 11 yr old son loves all the gizmos. Whilst tackling up recently he was heard to say "God! I love having so much tackle" !!!!! Where did I go wrong?

The maggots I get carry on to turn into casters. Then into flies. If I put some maggots into the tin with the meat or etc in would I then get flies, who in turn would lay eggs on the meat etc and so on?

I go with the loop to loop. I find it quick and easy. I like flouro hook lengths and I still use loop to loop. I dont usually get the loop breaking but the hook end is the bit I find goes first. If the loops have to be "unlooped" then make a normal loop on the hooklength and then put a smaller loop in the end of the existing loop knot. It looks like a number 8. When you join the loops it then leaves the small loop. When untying pull on the small loop. It is about 80% successful. Good luck

Silly me the answer was obvious... very sorry but someone has to be the idiot. What happens if you buy the "normal" maggots and then feed em on your choice of bait. ie take a handful of maggots and sling them in the macfarlane tin etc? I really am fascinated

The great bit about fishing is that it is a leveller. The kid fishing with grandad's cane rod next to the fishing nerd with x thousands of gear both have an equal chance of catching a fish. My son caught his first 9lb mirror on a simple sweetcorn overshotted on a tilting float. Dunno why it worked but it did. He was niine then. I and several other adults were tearing our hair out because we had only caught diddy rudd on that particular lake.

I am not sure as to whether you are getting bites or no sign of fish at all. I have assumed that nothing is happening for you. Look at where the fish are coming out and at what time of day. Aim to fish those spots. Keep the bankside noise to a min. ie dont knock in sticks etc or else you will have a long wait. It may sound crazy but put one rod out with a bog standard worm/maggot/sweet corn on. On a water full of high protein baits this can score. When I have been able to watc a carp take a bait it usually followed a long period of sampling and knocking the bait. Imagine there was a float and allow it too sail away. good luck

Yep I love the target of a 2lb roach Sadly I have only caught hybrids at that sorta weight. At present I shall wait until the rivers have a bit more flow and less weed. My current way of tackling the problem on a small stream would be like this. Use a hemp+ or hemp based liquidised bread groundbait to attract the shoal. Put a really meaty lob on the end. Present it free lined to the edge of the ground baited area. Be prepared for a chunky perch to muscle in... keep him in the 'net or release well away. If the middling roach get interested I feel you just have to fish them out, putting them in the 'net to draw in the larger fish. Have fun

I wish eels well but well away from me. I am safely an outsider here. I care not about the trace, good quality traces are supple etc, but please leave the doubles' and trebles' away from any water I might remotely ever have a chance of fishing. Good luck in the quest.

How on earth can I determine what the maggot has been fed on? Mine all come in a rather cheesey cornflour. Peter's depth of knowledge on fishing, in all its glory, never ceases to amaze me. I know I could taste the maggots!! I shall ponder some more Ta

Dermot O'Tooles entry in the Donegal Gun Club Camouflage Competition was certainly inventive and , for sure, it did not scare the wildlife in the area. But maybe this was also due to his complete paralysis. We are pleased to say that he has now made a full recovery.

Luncheon meat seems to attract the darn things round here. Oh Yeah Take plenty of rag for the slime! Good Luck

Is cast and pace different from cast from the shore ahead, to the side and out then step out a pace and repeat. move forward etc with the wind coming over your back ? THANX FOR THE HELP