davidP

As I recall leeches were at one time the 'in' bait for catfish. The problem is getting them as they're only really available as medical leeches and cost accordingly. Mind you, they last a long time on the hook so you don't need many.

This is apparently about to be trialed but I'm not sure where and when. I'll certainly subscribe as soon as I see details.

This is apparently about to be trialed but I'm not sure where and when. I'll certainly subscribe as soon as I see details.

Make the most of the rest of the season - they're testing sheep for Foot & Mouth in Cumbria!

Make the most of the rest of the season - they're testing sheep for Foot & Mouth in Cumbria!

An elderly gentleman I knew told me the secret to catching chub with slugs was to make sure the slug hit the water with a big plop as the noise will attract the chub. As I recall John Wilson said exactly the same, and on the few occasions I've managed to overcome my aversion to slug slime I've followed their advice and caught fish. Slugs really come into their own as a roving bait rather than a sit and wait bait.

An elderly gentleman I knew told me the secret to catching chub with slugs was to make sure the slug hit the water with a big plop as the noise will attract the chub. As I recall John Wilson said exactly the same, and on the few occasions I've managed to overcome my aversion to slug slime I've followed their advice and caught fish. Slugs really come into their own as a roving bait rather than a sit and wait bait.

To our American Friends Don't try looking up Skimmer Bream in the books - you won't find it. Skimmer is the nickname for small Common Bream (Abramis Brama). What exactly the cut-off between skimmer and bream is has never been clear to me - I've seen fish far bigger than the one in Grays picture called skimmers. I suspect that once they turn the golden-brown colour of a mature fish they cease being called simmer, but I've seen near 10lb bream that were still silver so I'm not sure even that works. Bream have many nicknames - tiny ones can be called razor blades, bigger bream can be called snotties (because they have a lot of slime) and I've heard big bream called dustbin lids (because they fight about the same!). I'd guess that skimmers are so called because when hooked they quickly surface, lay on their sides and skim across the surface as fast as the angler winds in.

To our American Friends Don't try looking up Skimmer Bream in the books - you won't find it. Skimmer is the nickname for small Common Bream (Abramis Brama). What exactly the cut-off between skimmer and bream is has never been clear to me - I've seen fish far bigger than the one in Grays picture called skimmers. I suspect that once they turn the golden-brown colour of a mature fish they cease being called simmer, but I've seen near 10lb bream that were still silver so I'm not sure even that works. Bream have many nicknames - tiny ones can be called razor blades, bigger bream can be called snotties (because they have a lot of slime) and I've heard big bream called dustbin lids (because they fight about the same!). I'd guess that skimmers are so called because when hooked they quickly surface, lay on their sides and skim across the surface as fast as the angler winds in.

Because you don't want anything they can hide scoring stones behind - you want a direct route to all scoring stones so you can use weight to take them out. At least that's what I'm guessing. The one that got me was when I turned over the house was completely empty and the Swiss were just about to deliver the last stone. 1 point to the Swiss I assumed but no, they threw it straight through the house deliberately. Took me a bit of time to realise they were doing it just to ensure they kept last stone for the next end.

Because you don't want anything they can hide scoring stones behind - you want a direct route to all scoring stones so you can use weight to take them out. At least that's what I'm guessing. The one that got me was when I turned over the house was completely empty and the Swiss were just about to deliver the last stone. 1 point to the Swiss I assumed but no, they threw it straight through the house deliberately. Took me a bit of time to realise they were doing it just to ensure they kept last stone for the next end.

Reminds me of the time Matron overheard two Indian doctors in a heated discussion. "It's spelt W H O O O M" says the first doctor. "No no no" says the 2nd, "It's spelt W H U M E". "Actually Gentlemen, I think you'll find it's spelt W O M B" interupts the Matron. "And when did you ever hear an Indian elephant fart?" replies the Doctor.

Reminds me of the time Matron overheard two Indian doctors in a heated discussion. "It's spelt W H O O O M" says the first doctor. "No no no" says the 2nd, "It's spelt W H U M E". "Actually Gentlemen, I think you'll find it's spelt W O M B" interupts the Matron. "And when did you ever hear an Indian elephant fart?" replies the Doctor.

If others were like me they couldn't even access Anglers Net for most of last night - I managed to read 4 posts on the Coarse Board (which I always read last), tried to write a reply to a post and then never managed to access the site again!

If others were like me they couldn't even access Anglers Net for most of last night - I managed to read 4 posts on the Coarse Board (which I always read last), tried to write a reply to a post and then never managed to access the site again!

I remember seeing John Wilson use a freelined slug as bait when he was challenged to catch a fish without a modern rod or reel. He cut a birch or willow branch from a tree, attached some line and a big hook, stuck on the biggest black slug he could find andcaught a chub almost first cast! Personally I'd love to use slugs as bait, but I HATE touching them because of the sticky slime they leave behind. URGH! These American plastic slugs on the other hand....

I remember seeing John Wilson use a freelined slug as bait when he was challenged to catch a fish without a modern rod or reel. He cut a birch or willow branch from a tree, attached some line and a big hook, stuck on the biggest black slug he could find andcaught a chub almost first cast! Personally I'd love to use slugs as bait, but I HATE touching them because of the sticky slime they leave behind. URGH! These American plastic slugs on the other hand....

On a natural water with overhanging trees there'd be a regular supply of larvae (like caterpillars) falling into the water. A lot of insects also lay their eggs in bank-side vegetation so there would be a natural supply there as well (try investigating some of the bullrushes & segmented reeds - you may be surprised). Ancient man was a master at using his environment to his advantage and he'd have spotted this. He'd know where and when to collect them and how to use them to catch fish. Most of this knowledge has now been lost by modern man, but enough knowledge was retained (or remembered) to allow the bait industry to get set up.

On a natural water with overhanging trees there'd be a regular supply of larvae (like caterpillars) falling into the water. A lot of insects also lay their eggs in bank-side vegetation so there would be a natural supply there as well (try investigating some of the bullrushes & segmented reeds - you may be surprised). Ancient man was a master at using his environment to his advantage and he'd have spotted this. He'd know where and when to collect them and how to use them to catch fish. Most of this knowledge has now been lost by modern man, but enough knowledge was retained (or remembered) to allow the bait industry to get set up.

If you so much as breathed on an otter over here you'd find yourself in court so fast you'd barely have time to shoot a cormorant. Otters were more or less extinct in large areas of mainland Britain and thus have the highest levels of protection. Work by various wildlife groups has however successfully reintroduced them to much of the country over the last 20 years. I say successfully, but if truth be told it's been a lot more luck than judgement. Otters like a nice eel, but the eel population in the UK has plumetted. The trouble is that the wildlife people see a river where the otter used to live so assume that an otter can still live in it. There has been very little scientific research into the state of the river before release, and there has also been little coordination or control of where they've been released and in what numbers. And to cap it all it's all done in secret 'to protect the otters'. The end result is that the otter gets released into the river, decides the river is too much like hard work because it's got no eels so goes and finds the nearest lake with big slow carp in and proceeds to eat his way through the population. The first the owner often knows of it is when he finds the remains of a meal or when anglers report the otter too him. And when he complains he gets told that he should introduce otter-proof fencing at his own expense. But woe-betide him should he try and do anything to the otter - it would be regarded as on a par with shooting the Queen Mum!

If you so much as breathed on an otter over here you'd find yourself in court so fast you'd barely have time to shoot a cormorant. Otters were more or less extinct in large areas of mainland Britain and thus have the highest levels of protection. Work by various wildlife groups has however successfully reintroduced them to much of the country over the last 20 years. I say successfully, but if truth be told it's been a lot more luck than judgement. Otters like a nice eel, but the eel population in the UK has plumetted. The trouble is that the wildlife people see a river where the otter used to live so assume that an otter can still live in it. There has been very little scientific research into the state of the river before release, and there has also been little coordination or control of where they've been released and in what numbers. And to cap it all it's all done in secret 'to protect the otters'. The end result is that the otter gets released into the river, decides the river is too much like hard work because it's got no eels so goes and finds the nearest lake with big slow carp in and proceeds to eat his way through the population. The first the owner often knows of it is when he finds the remains of a meal or when anglers report the otter too him. And when he complains he gets told that he should introduce otter-proof fencing at his own expense. But woe-betide him should he try and do anything to the otter - it would be regarded as on a par with shooting the Queen Mum!

Bear in mind that it's only free because the owner of the fishing rights chooses to let people fish without payment - they could introduce a fee tomorrow and there would be no recourse. The other thing to consider is that the majority of UK rivers just aren't big enough to handle boats without upsetting other anglers. In general boats and bank anglers don't get on Another problem with allowing boats is that because the places they can be used is limited, as soon as word gets round that boats are allowed you'll get others turning up, and not just fishing boats. Before you know it you'll have the jetskiers charging around :mad:

Bear in mind that it's only free because the owner of the fishing rights chooses to let people fish without payment - they could introduce a fee tomorrow and there would be no recourse. The other thing to consider is that the majority of UK rivers just aren't big enough to handle boats without upsetting other anglers. In general boats and bank anglers don't get on Another problem with allowing boats is that because the places they can be used is limited, as soon as word gets round that boats are allowed you'll get others turning up, and not just fishing boats. Before you know it you'll have the jetskiers charging around :mad:

The fishing in St Catherines Dock is supposed to be excellent - if you can get permission to fish! I've seen a couple of articles about it (I think the last one was Bob Nudd & Keith Arthur fishing it), but it does seem to be one of those places that only gets fished when someone famous wants to write an article about fishing on the Thames in London! Having said that, it does give an indication of the potential that the Thames offers, particularly on the backwaters. The difficulty is the access.

I sometimes get the feeling that it's an industry digging its feet in just for the sake of it - the technology may be 21st century but the industrial relations are firmly back in the 60's & 70's. There also seems to be a certain amount of "the Spanish do it so why shouldn't we". Yet that's precisely the reason why they're doing it here - because they wiped out their own fishing grounds. The way things are going there is going to be no fishing industry left soon, and if the industry and the Government are honest they won't have to look very far to see why. Of course the chances of honesty are very low - they'll just retain the same head-in-the-sand stance when apportioning blame for the demise of the industry as they adopt now when discussing conservation.