malevans

My brother uses MXs and my mate Ms they seem fine. I cant remember the last time I used the various knobs on my alarms. Sensitivity I leave fixed, tone I leave fixed once set, and volume is set (at as close to zero as I can get it) for good. As a poster said, "are the alarms costing you fish ?"

A key factor is whether shockleaders are permitted on the water you intend to fish. On some waters they are banned. Pro s of the shock leader are if your timing is out you do not crack off. Down side with a shockleader is if you really go for it you might get broken rod if you screw up. One disadvantage I noted with a shock leader is the damage you can do to a Titan Viper if not paying attention Last season I really screwed up as I lost my footing really going for the "big one" the 45lb shock leader snapped (in the thick bit).....hell of crack.....

Me too Mikey, my new venue for this year does not permit lead core either, I have used the ESP stuff in the past and will go back to it. And then french venue I am going to in October does allow leadcore but does not permit shock leaders. Surely there must be a consistent view of what is and is not safe in terms of set ups. Confuses me as I never quite sure if I am doing right by the fish whatever the fishery rules allow or do not allow.

This may be of interest to the less fashionable. http://shop.lifejackets.co.uk/acatalog/

Jim, I have a braces style self inflating life jacket (not bouyancy aid) that I use for wading. It is dark green when worn, bright yellow when it inflates. It is also shorter than the usual Crewsaver types which is also good for deep wading (especally as I am 5ft 6 with short legs The make is Wave Hopper. Cheers

Hi all, I am off to fish the skeena and kitimat rivers for steelhead on the 29th of April. Has anyone experience of doing this at this time of year. Will breathable waders with furry legs be Ok or should I take neoprene waders ? Any tips would be most welcome. Is it worth trying to get flies here or is it better to buy upon arrival ? I am also still undecided on whether to take my double hander(s) so any views on this would be appreciated. Many thanks

Has anyone any experience of fishing Crackers Meadow ? It is my venue for this year and any info is gratfully received. I hope to go for carp and cats but not at the same time, I will either target one or the other on a given session. Also I am booked on Dreamlake 5 in October, has anyone got any tips for this lake at that time of year ? Many thanks

PS Alan, check John Norris as they are doing Origins at a discount. Hardy have released the Angel and Angel TE rods and I believe Origins may be about to go end of line

Went Ok did 2004. Loads of wild river brown, and day total best in May. Also did a "PB" in terms of 8 river browns in 8 consecutive casts, PB river brown in May. PB stocked lake brown in September. My best total for number of stillwater rainbows in a day in September. PB stocked lake rainbow in October. Just two salmon and one Kelt both salmon low doubles. Mind you my coarse and carping did not go well at all this year.

Not that particular rod Alan, but my wife uses a 9ft #6 origin and she loves it. Not too fast, not too slow. Seems to stop rainbows ok.

Ban may be working in Ireland, but our party of four cancelled our trip there...went back to Scotland instead. Anyway we all seemed to have missed point.... The point is the ban will have an economic impact, and an assessment of that impact has not resulted in a mitigation in terms of a compromise solution of say "every establishment has a truely smoke free zone for those that want it. Therefore do not expect the ecomonic argument to be a defence for angling, and i believe its the only defence it has. I have no delusions around what hooking and playing a fish means, all the rubbish about no pain, no stress and other esoteric arguments to justify the angling habit/addiction, which is far more addictive than nicotine , but I choose to live with it. Like smoking really. Angling also offends large numbers of people, and some branches of angling also offend other branches. Diesel vehicles driving past school children offends me, particulary HGVs benching poison in vast quanitities. With all the emotional comparisions I read above I am impressed at how many members of the forum are caffine, alcohol, gambling, recreational drug and smoking free zones. Icons no question. There are some real gems in this thread. Smokers along side child molestors, drug addicts, etc etc, usual emotional rubbish on a par with "you cannot eat a carp..... because well its a carp init" I trust such contributors are in no way linked with anglings lobbying for its continued existance, as their credibity and powers of analogy and analysis cause me concern and expose our longer term future to unacceptable risk. So if we now all understand the real matter for debate, what is the forums view on the economic impact of the proposed law change and implications for angling ?

The implications of the no smoking ban are wide ranging in deed. Firstly as a commuter the percentage of people smoking in there cars is very high. I know a lot of people who claim not to smoke, and do not at work, but actually do smoke outside of work. When ever I go into a pub it is 50 50 smokers and non smokers, higher in rural areas in favour of smokers. It is true that the majority (when we include all the clean living types who don't go to pubs anyway) are non smokers, and in a democracy the majority view should and must prevail, however the majority must live with the economic consequences of their wishes being met. However, the implications for my wife and i are thus. Our syndicate rods in Scotland will be given up as we will not be able to stay at the hotel and smoke. As we are paying good money for both fishing and accomodation we will not be dicated to in terms of standing out side etc etc. It is meant to be a enjoyable holiday and relaxing. Not interested in the non smokers debate unless they lobby the government for a higher rate of income tax for no smokers, in recognition of the tax we smokers contribute to the economy. Not interested in the NI debate as I pay the tax on my private health care. We have been using the same hotel for 12 years, and the majority of the locals smoke, thank god someone out bid me when I tried to buy the said hotel in 2003. Fate is a funny thing. Thats three full weeks each year of accomodation, and bar meal and beer revenue lost to the locals. Circa 4K GBP. PS my two friends who are also smokers will be giving up their rods also. Likewise my syndicate rods in wales will be given up for the same reasons. Loss of revenue in terms of accomodation, meals and beer 300 GBP per month. We will not go to the local pubs and restaurants full stop. To be fair we don't do this more than a few times a year anyway. Loss minimal where we live. I will not stay over on business trips anymore. Loss to economy is circa 4.5K per month, although its not my money so I will not benefit. By the way I always drive, doing my bit to enhance the congestion levels, used to use the train but then they stopped smoking. I drive because I can smoke and I am free from those personal cd players jingling away. Given the events of recent years this is sound for another reason namely trains crash alot and have little passenger protection. More daily long distance driving instead of staying over will up my personal CO2 contribution. Namely 4K per annun of syndicate rods no longer purchased, over 7K per annum lost to the leasure hotel trade in rural economies. Why the hell are we are we not going for a segregation policy, of course we all know which area will be fullest, just like the airports are, and the trains used to be. I see a lot more time being spent in my bivvy or under a brolly at a nice beach mark somewhere. Now I had better start planning what I am going to spend on as an alternative. Oh yes a more expensive brand of cigs ......... Of most concern is, if the economic and livelihood implications of this no smoking policy cannot stop it, then I now doubt the strength of any economic defence angling has against eventual abolition, this I used to feel was our strongest defence.....I now have serious doubts. The smoking ban will set a precedent that the economic value of something must be ignored in an evaluation of right v wrong as preceived by activists/advocates/majority. Cheers

Montana. Damsel Nymph. GRHE Gold head. Olive gold heads. Have done me OK this year as I have been back on the stillwaters. But all my decent sized fish have been taken on either Klinkhammers or Daddies. If you must catch at all costs, then various brightly coloured bundles of fluff, orange, pink, green etc etc could be employed. Reference costs: I have been inactive on stillwaters (for fly fishing) for several years until this year, but I have been to a couple of stillwaters over in Essex this year for socials and 4 fish full day is 25 quid plus. The stillwater my wife and I fished in cornwall was 15 quid for a 2 fish all day ticket and 28 quid for the specimen lake inc all day catch and release on the normal lake when the limit on the specimen lake has been taken. Not sure what the costs are around here (Northants) anymore as the syndicate my wife belongs to does not have day tickets and I only fish her 6 guest days. Around here I fish for carp with boilies or Pike with deadbait, lure and fly. (the ultimate in big brightly coloured bundles of fluff !) There is some good value fishing around if you look and your domestic arrangements allow you to get away for weekends and the odd week here and there.(Depending upon where you live of course) I have a syndicate membership which gives me access to lakes and rivers in Wales and Lancs. I fish these venues once a month. Also syndicate rods on a river in the Highlands, which we fish about three full weeks a year, each of these costs less than 12 trips to a small stillwater, yet provides salmon, wild brown trout and grayling. My wife still water syndicate is also good value as she fishes twice a week everyweek and the odd time three times in a week, when we are not away on holiday. Its been a good year and I have warmed to the stillwater fishing somewhat, which can't be bad. Blinkers of and all that

Peter, I noted your comment about having Zander in Broads being desirable. Given all the past posts on here regarding indiginous species and the past crimes of Rainbow trout into chalk streams, Pike into the highlands, trout in Butan, sea trout in Argentina and Carp everywhere, Wells cat fish in the Ebro etc etc, should we not keep those ecosystems like the broads, that are free of a given alien species, exectly that. I like Zander and certainly enjoy catching the odd one now and again, but they are where they are today and further distribution should be avoided. What has been done is on a global scale and cannot be undone, but lets not continue. Cheers

Not sure about the weed dimension to this. The fish was 7.25 lb and the reeds were whole and about 3 inches long. No sign of any snail remains at all.