WickerDave

Small picture here?... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=...196406407060930 Or maybe not as the front cover picture looks less vibrant... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Neill-Stephe...930&theater Edit - no, the first fish is only 4lb 3oz.

Try the number on the bottles (0115 972 6886), ordered this January... http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BFR-yeCDo1w/TT39...00/IMG_0547.JPG

Mentioned on this blog a year ago... http://www.questbaits.com/blog/archies-eco...groundbait-mix/ extract from this... Before adding the water I stir flavour into it, adding 5mls of Red Surprise to the three quarters of a pint of water. I use this flavour not only because it’s a proven perch attractor, but because it’s a ‘thin’ flavour which disperses into the water faster. My Perch Magic I reserve for dipping worms into, and for treating the dead maggots I use in my Choppy Mix. I don’t supply the trade now, except for my local shop Walkers, 0115 9301816. You can come direct to me, but I would need a cheque with order. There are of course many other flavours you can use, but the two mentioned are the only ones on the market developed for, and exhaustively tested on, perch.

There's plenty on detailed descriptions on http://www.fisheries.co.uk/

A superb fish, but you must of missed this post... http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Incredi...h-t2424495.html

It was watchable, but the fish was more impressive in the photos than on the TV. At least one of these photos has already been posted, but here's the full set... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13...nt-piranha.html [The text claims it was returned, but with the dull eye it looks as dead as it was on the TV ].

The new series starts tonight, same time, same place. Enjoy .

The article says they have... A 40-year-old woman from Coventry and a man, 42, from Nuneaton, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Not your fault Elton as the article is wrong, but it's Lanny's Lagoon ( see http://www.fisheries.co.uk/lannyslagoon/index.htm for confirmation ) if you want to correct the title.

It can be tricky, my local gravel pit has proper crucians and all sorts of crucian mongrels. This article goes into depth and has quite a few photos http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/howto/13695.html

From that search, the "washed out" fish in question is pictured here... http://www.berkley-fishing.co.uk/upload/do...ecord_perch.pdf

Sorry, I didn't mean to paint too bad a picture of your local neighbourhood. I'm sure Wigston isn't that bad really . The groundbait rule applies to balling in large amounts of a groundbait mix. You can still loosefeed maggots, pellets, corn, etc. little and often. On small and popular commercials if everyone balled in large amounts then either the fish would be overfed and less interested in hookbaits or there would be uneaten groundbait souring the water (in theory).

Ditto on Navvies Pit, I walked round the ponds a few years ago and have never fished it. I have heard that the day ticket pond gets a lot of kids on it with it being in a built up area and that car security is a bit dodgy as you have to park in the estate and walk over the railway bridge. It didn't look any better than my local waters so it wasn't worth the extra drive. Knaptoft would be a good beginners water. I fished it a few times 12+ years ago when I restarted fishing but haven't fished it for a long time. There are five very small shallow pools with mostly small carp and reasonable roach in them, ideal for float fishing. The fish are a bit battered though. Once you get past the very beginners phase there are much better waters nearby, Holly Farm mentioned above, Peatling Pools at http://www.fisheries.co.uk/peatlingpools/index.htm (this closes at 7pm), Whetstone Gorse at http://www.whetstonegorse.co.uk/ and Shearsby Valley Lakes at http://www.shearsbyvalleylakes.co.uk. As you progress, Mill Farm at Gilmorton is the easiest local day ticket water for double figure carp in both ponds (there is a gravel pit beyond the pond you see as you enter).

A response to a recentish Leicester area post. Have fun... There are lots of small, easy to fish ponds in Leicestershire, you don't need to travel very far. Most don't allow night fishing though. See http://www.fisheries.co.uk/eastmidlandsindex.htm for details of some. North of Leicester http://www.fisheries.co.uk/grobyfishinglakes/index.htm is probably a good starting fishery, south of Leicester http://www.hollyfarmfishery.com/. One of the biggest commercials in the country, Makins, is just down the M69, see http://www.fisheries.co.uk/makin/index.htm. If you can't catch well there simply floatfishing a large bait (a big enough piece of luncheonmeat to cover a size 6 hook works well) on the bottom in the margins (only a foot or two out) on the Lagoon and Lizard pools on Phase Two then you really are doing something wrong. Evenings are best, as the place begins to empty. The closing time is currently 9 pm.

A very nice first tench, that's bigger than anything I've ever managed from my local waters . I'm surprised no-one actually posted a photo, so here's a link to an exsting one, note the muscular bulge above the larger fins... http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/intermi...11#entry2595911

See http://www.fisheries.co.uk/makin/phasetwo/index.htm I've only fished Lagoon and Lizard on Phase 2 as these are a bit bigger and give you the option of feeder fishing if you want to. On the smaller pools fishing on the bottom in the near or far island margins should be the best option. They've banned loose feeding of floating baits so this reduces the chances of getting them going on the surface, although you can still use a floating hookbait (bread is good because it falls off easily so you can "loosefeed" a little ). Haven't fished there much at all recently, but the last visit two Friday's ago was very slow (spawning probably), no one was catching consistently. I managed three carp to 8lb, a few of the newish stock 1lbish tench, a few roach and a skimmer. The only swim that fished better was right by (virtually under) one of the wooden platforms that jut out into the pond.

That's good .

The front drag knob of my Okuma Epix Pro reel loosened sufficiently to plop into the pond last week... http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Okuma-r...ma#entry1391032 An enquiry on getting a replacement was mailed to uk@svendsen-sport.com on Tuesday afternoon, this was passed on to repairs.uk@svendsen-sport.com within 10 minutes, and a reply sent back to me within the hour "Let me know your address and I will drop one in the post, we do not charge for small parts.". The part arrived 2nd class mail on Saturday morning, free of charge, not even postage/packing to pay. Excellent service (but a shame about the design flaw).

I don't night fish myself, but here's some previous advice... Location: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Night-f...ire-t78870.html General tips: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/NIGHT-F...NG-t261789.html http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/night-f...p-t2077004.html http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/night-f...g-t1666556.html http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Float-f...ht-t726402.html http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/time-ni...ng-t591377.html

Just to confuse your fish identification some more with the mention of hybrids... http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/diaries/12177.html

You can set up direct debit, see http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homea...hing/38073.aspx. I've been using that since it was trialed in the East Midlands quite a few years ago.

I don't recall ever having to give proof of age at the Post Office for my kids (quite a few years ago), so just buy one there now and give the correct date of birth. The EA site also has a phone number option "Rod licences are available from Post Office outlets throughout England and Wales, online, by Direct Debit and over the telephone on 0844 800 5386. The phone line is open from 8.30am to 8.00pm daily from March to September and 8.30am to 6.00pm from October to February."

The resident kingfishers at my local ponds seem to have survived OK, I've seen them most fishing trips this year.

I've caught plenty of bream, a few tench and the odd crucian on floating baits. Also had just one perch of about 8 ounces on floating crust a couple of years ago. It's possible it was attracted by tiddlers around the bread and accidentally took the bread, but it was fairly hooked in the mouth. Not had a stillwater barbel off the top yet, but there's still hope .

Your timing is good, as the carp have finally woken up there in the last few weeks . I had a good last couple of hours there last Saturday floatfishing on the bottom close in at one of the deeper swims with maggot, getting a roach a cast, ranging from tiddlers to about 12oz. The carp then moved in to the margins, the first one of 9½lb took a single red maggot on a size 20 hook and miraculously stayed on. After that I had a 5lbish carp and foulhooked a 6½lb carp, both on single red maggot. I probably should have switched to a bigger hook and bait for the carp but was enjoying catching some worthwhile roach for a change. The second rod legered with a lump of luncheonmeat produced a few liners and a 5lbish carp. The feeder fisherman who was in the swim before me had been doing well with the silver fish (roach, rudd and crucians), although he did say he was only catching on maggot and couldn't get a bite on sweetcorn. The carp have started actively cruising in groups below the surface and in the margins so a floating bait or a shallow bait (such as luncheonmeat, a foot or two deep) dropped in front of visible fish should start to catch now. If it's not busy it might be worth stalking them, they tend to be in the same corners/margins early in the Spring. All your baits should work now the weather is warming up, although pellets are banned if you read the new(ish) green signs by the car park. He put some small barbel, chub and golden tench in there a while back and they are growing on well, the best barbel I've had is 2½lb, so you might get a surprise or two. It's on http://www.fisheries.co.uk/peatlingpools/index.htm if you haven't seen it. I'll probably be there or Mill Farm myself tomorrow afternoon, so if you see an old(ish) bald guy with a wicker seat box say hi. Good luck.