Jon Hedges

you don't have to feed, but it may help. The smell of the liquidised bread / cheese will draw them in. Thats the theory anyway .......

yep. Cut off the crusts first and whizz a few slices at a time until it is REALLY fine. It will hold together well enough without adding water. If you are after Roach, then add a little Turmeric prior to liquidising - this works well in the colder months

Ah yes ..... the EA. I am NOT talking to them - they'll recommend dredging it and cutting back all fish holding features so I end up with a nice straight river of 1ft deep. T0ssers every man jack of them. I'll speak to the farmer I think. Thanks !

The land wouldn't be a problem - it's farmers fields all the way down one bank and back gardens down the other ! So if nobody owns it ..... can I 'improve it' ??

Pangolin - I live in Npton and work in Milton Keynes ... what road is it and by what village is it ?

A local strectch of my River Nene in Northampton is 'free'. This stretch has also been knackered by the EA over the years by allowing both dredging and water extraction to the extreme. The stretch runs through a small village and has recently been made "flood safe" by the Anglian Water Authority (a few walls to stop flooding of gardens / roads that have flooded twice in 17 years !). As a result of their "improvements" the river is now even shallower and has lost features (including numerous overhanging willows where there resides (sorry resided !!) a Chub to 6lb - that I have YET to catch ! I am utterly cheesed off at all this - however .... How does one go about 'securing' a free water for the purposes of making it a day ticket (for example) and ... Would this then give me the right to 'improve' the stretch (namely by placing a dam wall to raise the level back up again !!) I ask about securing the free stretch as I assume I can't 'improve' the stretch without owning the fishing / water rights Any thoughts (or should I just dam it in the middle of the night

not really - they would only use it to dredge more rivers :mad:

I'd be inclinded to go roving down the river - smelly baits like fresh prawns or cheese paste should result in a Chub or two. A simple link ledger approach and watch the tip go sailing round !

That means that the NSPCC (who advertise - notably their "full stop" campaign) are no longer tax exemp ??!! :mad: :confused:

Can't recall but it shut down a few years back amid many tears from many grannies. If you want Essex girl jokes, here is the best one: (3 year old girl is watching mummy wash up) 3 Year old: "mummy, why are your hands so soft"? Essex Mum: Because I am 14

A back shot can help alleviate drift in windy conditions. It also can mean something entirely different round my neck of the woods !!

C&A no longer exists - I let you decide which one I am talking about !!

Because fishing for Carp in "match lakes" is relatively easy (unlike Carp in 'natural' lakes - where it becomes difficult). It is virtually guaranteed fishing, which to those who can only go irregularly is considered a bonus. I personally do not fish them often, but am aware of the fun that can be had

Why are they tax exempt anyway ?? - I thought that was limited to charities - which they are certainly not !! :mad:

I have caught carp on these in the last 6 months ... however, I dyed and flavoured them first, so not exactly 'par boiled potatoes' a la Mr Crabtree !!

I don't feel educated enough on the topic to take sides ... On the one hand you have birds decimating fish stocks. :mad: So the call for a cull is fully understandable). On the other hand, we overfished the ocean, so the birds move inland to find food. So the case to cull something entirely of our own making is flawed. Without wishing to start WW3 is this an overly simplistic view of the situation ??

This has gone on too long. I'm pleased. Perhaps now we can all select lines with confidence. I am confident in my line of choice, but would gladly try others if I could be sure they were as stated on the spool. Too many times have i been let down by well known names in the past :mad:

Chers for the advice, I might give it a try !! And in your absence, people were wondering if another poster was you registered under another name ! - can't recall the thread - someone will no doubt post it !

DG - good to have you back. Have your ears been burning ? Anyway - I have never tried rolling meat, though I have tried touch ledgering. With touch ledgering a bite is obvious - but if your bait is trundling thru a swim (a) how do you maintain contact (i.e ensure no obvious slack) and ( how do you tell a bite from a brief snag that may feel like a bite ?

As long as you enjoy it, that's all that matters. Please don't take that the wrong way, assume I am belittling your chosen branch of the sport or in any way having a go

Jesus Poledark, calm down! The thread began with a suggestion that all fishing being Carp fishing would be no bad thing. I totally disagree, and as such made my point that there are other pleasures that I would NEVER want to lose. I was NOT radomly attacking Carp anglers nor their chosen quarry / preference. I am perfectly aware that there are dedicated anglers to all species and that they are far more skillful than I will ever hope to be. At the same time there is a proliferation of waters where a total novice could catch a netful of fish without thinking. THAT is what I no longer (yes I have done it alot) enjoy, and that was the point I was trying to make. I was trying to get across "each to their own". Clearly this was misinterpreted.

I'd personally have told him that if I see it happen again, I would confiscate his tackle and take it to the Police Station. If he wanted to reclaim it, he was have to explain why he killed 11 fish when he had the opportunity to learn how to treat wildlife with respect. Killing of fish through inability is no excuse. :mad: :mad: I'd also have asked to see his license ... bet he didn't have one ! :mad:

Nathan, I assume you are trying to wind people up ? Have you never seriously tried to catch finicky Roach, Chub that take all baits except yours, Perch that attack worms with relish until yours makes a slightly louder splash than the freevies and scarper. The pleasure I take in catching a fish such as this means more to me than any 30lb Carp caught on standard tackle with a standard rig on a standard Carp pool in stand town, standardshire. Determination, patience, trial and error, minor tweaks to tackle, refining the shotting pattern - all these make the capture of the prize something special .... because I have worked out (sometimes days later !) what I have done wrong. With Carp pools, this is not the case ... something will generally take a boilie, paste or lump of meat if you lob it into the lake. Whilst I do Carp fish from time to time (usually to repair dented confidence !) I am more and more finding this inadequate in terms of the satisfaction I get. Dont get me wrong ... a Carp from a lake not stuffed full of identikit makes and models from "Carp R Us" is a genuine thrill ... I once caught a 4lb Common from a lake that I believed was Tench, Bream Roach and Perch only. I was very pleased ! If Carp is your thing, enjoy .... but don't forget the fun available elsewhere

So why don't we then ? The old man and I have spoken to them a number of times resulting in little action (but at least they listened) Why can't the members of AnglersNet copy (if appropriate) the questionnaire to this site and complete it for ourselves. Sure we can't make personal representation to her Ladyship, but we could present our thoughts elsewhere ?

Is it just an unfortunate coincidence for the EA that the link to the questionnaire doesn't appear to work (like pretty much EVERYTHING) they do / don't do???!!