Gaz51

LMAO Farting is a natural bodily function when all is said and done but for some reason it reduces us Brits to tears whenever someone does a noteworthy effort.

Shoot the buggers! No, no, no only joking!!! I often find the best way is to pult some decoy bait in away from yours and anyone elses swim. The ducks will swim over to investigate all the bait that's gone in giving you the chance to sneak your baited hook and feed or whatever into your chosen swim.

For fishing flake or using the Drennan punched flake I would really recommend a decent sized hook Andrew. Firstly the bread does not want to mask the hook point. The smallest I would be looking at ideally would be a size 14 if using in conjunction with the smallest flake punch. If you are targetting roach on rivers with bread there's always the possibility the chub may move in, therefore relatively strong tackle will be required in order to give yourself a chance of landing them. Remember, chub are downright greedy and will gulp down large baits easily and would make very easy work of a piece of punch flake.

I think what jabber is saying though Rob is that he is new to carping....ie, he doesn't really know how to go about it and is looking for someone to show him the ropes. (I think!!!) Sorry jabber, wrong county mate!

A friend of mine listens to it religiously on a morning. Surprising thing is......he's not an angler! He tells me he enjoys listening all the same.

Newt, on your first link I was intrigued by the last item (as you stated) The Tornado seat. It is described as having 360 degree access owing to the ball bearing fitted!!! I must confess, on first reading the name and description I thought we were looking at anglers portable commodes!!!! Come on.......360 degree access!!!

Top carping Polly, as previously said a brilliant result considering the time of the year. It will be nice to see some pictures, try your best to get them loaded up mate.

I don't have either but I would strongly recommend you have a play with the poles in question yourself mate. Recommendations are fine for rods and reels maybe, but poles are an unknown quantity. It depends on your build, your size etc. The pole has to fit you not you fit the pole. What may be suitable for one person may be way off the mark for another. OK, you've tried the Medusa but also try the N47 or whatever it's called this year! Try to handle them yourself if possible, it makes sense before parting with the large amounts the mentioned poles retail for.

I'd give it the old Hah!!!! very loudly whilst waving my arms about. Offer to run AT them, if they still come at you, leg it sharpish, possibly into the water!

We've plunged back into the depths of winter up here. Just when things were looking positively "Springlike"

Yorkshire report. Late this afternoon we had our first real snow of the winter. Boy did it come down, great big flakes soon covered the rooves, the fields and yes, the roads. Even the main roads were chocker with home bound drivers bumper to bumper. Haven't seen the M62 as I watched the snow fall from withing the comfort of my lounge, I imagine it's clear though by now.

Look at it from a youngsters point of view. You're browsing the pages of any angling magazine or weekly. Which of the fish would you prefer to go out and catch? A rod twitching river roach or a Behemoth carp from a local lake. These days it's all carp, carp, carp. Many people view the pictures, go and buy a shedload of tackle in the hope of capturing monster carp, fail miserably then stick the lot in the classifieds. Still it gives the more seasoned angler the chance of plenty of carp gear! Size matters! Especially when it comes to fish! If you asked me "What would you prefer, a 2lb roach or a 15lb carp?" It has to be the roach anyday.

I'd fish them, I think they may become a bit stale though. The beauty of our sport is that we can chop and change where we choose to fish. River, lake, pond, canal, commercial fishery. We're spoilt for choice really. I imagine if we only had commercial fisheries available, the anticipation, feeling of peace and relaxation and all other aspects associated with coarse fishing would soon diminish. Don't get me wrong, they serve a purpose. Most are built close to good transport links, they have good facilities such as cafe's, toilets and tackle shops on site. There obviously is a demand for them, otherwise there wouldn't be so many. Good for matches and bag up sessions but thank God for variety!

I've never used the services of an angling coach but did used to fish with a very proficient match angler from time to time. The tips and advice I picked up from this fella were priceless. It certainly helps and improves your fishing when someone with more skill and experience can show you where you are going wrong. It's one thing fishing on your own to get away from it all and unwind but I find fishing with a friend or friends makes the day more enjoyable sometimes, especially when you pick up a few tips and advice.

I think a lot depends on where in the country you are based. To be honest a specemin fish in the north may be looked upon as being fairly standard in the south.

Falling in Again - Chris Yates. Have to say it's a disappointing read. The stories are simply too short. By the time you get into the chapter, you've finished it. Bedside reading perhaps? No not really, I read the book in two sittings. It now resides in my bookshelf collecting dust. Not put off though, I quite fancy The Secret Carp, The Deepening Pool or Casting at the Sun next.

A very poor fishing season for me. Missed opportunities due to work pressure throughout the summer. I had several weekend stints planned for catching my first double figure carp, never materialised as work simply got in the way. I had also planned to pay more attention to the rivers, again, not possible. River time is fast running out and the conditions are not favourable at the moment. Not to worry though, we have spring and summer to look forward to. Much preferable than shivering on the riverbank. I'll still have the regular session on some of the stillwaters but not targetting anything specific until the weather warms up a few notches.

You've hit the nail on the head Jamie. If you're more comfortable with rod and line you stick with it mate. A pole is useless in the hands of someone who can't get on with it or is not familiar with how to use one. Stick with the rod, perhaps consider a pole as an alternative method when you have had the opportunity of fishing a few matches. Rod licence wise, simply go to the post office, ask for a rod licence and you will receive one. Don't know how much a junior licence is unfortunately. No photos needed, no signed affadavit, no references required, it's so simple. You could also get one online but I prefer to get my hands on the post office one instead of a computer printout. The choice is yours.

Kids football has been like that for years. My boy's team coach tries to instill discipline and sense of fair play into their football. So far it works well. Occasionally you will get a bit of a face off when blatantly bad tackles occur. The parents are the worst though, shouting at the ref. Disgraceful really, the ref gives up his spare time to conduct the game as fairly as possible. Now Rugby, up here we have both codes, League and Union. Of the two Union sees the ref being treated with the respect he deserves. Watching a bit of the Ireland v Wales match over the weekend I pointed out the respect shown to the ref to my lad as we watched. "Those guys are massive and they are really polite to the ref" he remarked. He was stunned to hear the players addressing the ref as "Sir" A shame this respect is not replicated in the game of football. More so when it involves vastly overpaid young lads who could learn a hell of a lot in the way of manners and respect to autority by the "Men" who play the odd shaped ball game.

Wise words indeed Rudd.

Thanks for the link Peter. That's a good story and certainly does angling more good than harm.

A Man Utd fan from Manchester!!! Now that is a novelty!!!

I seriously hope not. People have spent time writing well thought out replies to questions posed. If the posts are written as wind ups then I genuinely feel sorry for the small minded individual who has written them. It's a shame you have nothing better to do.

You could learn a whole host of complicated rigs and amaze your friends with your technical rig prowess. However, it's worth nothing without a bit of good old fashioned watercraft. Without a bit of watercraft you would be as well casting your beautifully crafted complicated rig down the high street, it would have as much of a chance of you catching.

Can I recommend you get yourself a license Jamie. 1) It's the law, without it you are fishing illegally. 2) If you are caught fishing without one, expect a fine and possibly confiscation of you tackle. 3) A Junior license isn't too expensive, if you can't afford it yourself ask a parent/guardian to buy you one. 4) Many anglers have little respect for license dodgers, it's cheating the sport.