Andrew Boyd

Why do lure manufactures not produce snag free lures ? Why should they when there customers can lose them freely and buy more . . wonderful for them and not us. REmember the mark up on lures is massive. Don't need to have letters after your name to know why Fox have come into the market. It is possible to produce lures that will ride over minor snags with almost no fear to hooking up, they appear in the American market mostly for LM Bass. Also, If I purchase a lure with 3 trebles, I always remove the middle one, and often have to replace the hook size with something smaller at the front and just a little larger at the rear ( 10's or 8's ) and shut the barbs down halfway, I don't suffer from any more hook pulls ( head shaking ) than before I made these changes. I would use barbless but with summer fish ( rather than the dozy winter fish where I use barbless all the time ) tend to go bonkers once they feel the steel.

The comments about the Mullet are worth following up, but make sure you have a good ( no make that great ) clutch on your reel or use a centerpin. Line 5 to 6lb with a size 12 to 8 hook. Take care which bread you use, the cheapest sliced loaf tend to stay on the hook better than the local loafs or rolls. Another thing, I find that when I'm overseas and don't know what's on offer . . . catch some little fish 1"'ers ( 2cm aprox ) ( so make sue you take some 2lb line and size 18 hooks ) and dry them in the sun then use them as bait. Big fish eat little fish, don't forget some wire traces, best just to use a single hook, size 8 to 2 are fine under a small Pike float or better still large Chubber one that take two to three swan. The water may seem gin clear and not a fish in sight but they are there, pop a small fish bait in and they appear from nowhere, what are they . . try it and find out.

Tuna were present in the North Sea earlier in the last century, feeding on the huge numbers of Herring until they were fished out by the commercial boats. They reached massive weights and were often fished for by rod and line in small open boats which were towed around by the Tuna for hours. It did not require the gulf steam to raise the sea tempreture just a food source to attract them. Find their food is the simple answer. Remember they are present in many open ocean areas where the sea tempreture is very cold. With regard to feeding depth, Tuna are caught at hugh depth off Gibralta as they migrate into the Med. It must have been luck that they were discovered so who knows what is still to be found around our coasts. Good luck. I would like to see game angling for this species nearer to home, but on a catch and release basis. Main problem would be commercial ( non angling )operators moving in and taking the majority of the stock = Commercial "wreck" fishing .. whats new?

As a keen fly, course, sea and Carp angler I see the huge difference in prices across the board. What a producer, importer or supplier does is create a demand, the bigger the demand the more they can charge ( and not just rig-bits ). In this moderm age this demand is by name/badge. Huge advertising budgets are spent to make you more confident with a companies products, though in some cases ( No names ) the products are very poor, but it's to late when you have already shelled out your hard earned. In the end it's down to customer choice, if you wont buy it for the price, they will have to improve the product, or reduce the price. But beware, suppliers have a saying . . If it aint selling lower the price, if it still does not sell double the original price and the customers will think for that money it must be good! Don't be fooled by badges and labels,in many cases you can pick up a identical or like product from outside the angling world. And never buy a rod without trying it . . from experence. I won a very expensive fly rod years ago , , , it was pure c**p. If you knew the cost of producing and getting some products to the shops it would make you cry ( rig-bits again, rods, line, bivvies etc,ect ). The guys doing the least financial damage tend to be the tackle shop owners.

I don't know this lake. One important thing to check is the weather conditions. The further North the more likely to experence weather like here . . sometimes poxy. Also the particular regions micro-climate. Some areas of central France had a very, very cold summer last year ( around Dejon ), even in August, while I was cooking in the deep South. If in doupt chose a venue as far South as possible, ok it's a longer drive but well worth while. I've set off from Orpington at 4am, got the shuttle and been in Frejeus ( just along from Canne / Nice ) by 5pm !

I have fished the Bradbourne Lakes at Sevenoaks, Kent for the past 12 years. I learn something new each season. Anyone out there know these lakes, mainly the "East Lake", any advice would be greatfully received. If your starting the season there, I'll see you at the draw for swims at 4pm Sunday.