fenboy

I've had pike over 20 lb on the following deads: smelt, mackerel, herring, eel, roach, bream; doubles on others including sardine, pilchard, grayling, dace, chub, sprat, trout, lamprey, etc. To be honest, I'm confident in whatever I use as long as the size and quality is excellent... but on some waters you will find a definite preference for coarse baits or sea baits. Eel section seems to work everywhere. I agree with Peter Waller: forget naturals for wobbled baits - shads and big soft plastics are better. So are some jerkbaits. Incidentally, instead of popping up a dead, try suspending it under a float. Sometimes (like, often!) it works better. Hope that helps.

The male angler who seeks to ridicule the female angler is probably very inadequate in some way. This is not a male preserve... except to some very sad individuals who probably go fishing because they're scared of women.

From what I recall, there are a lot of ruffe on the Bure. I wonder if it is a case of mistaken identity? Hope not. Coloured water would suit them fine.

Den, You're right in that the pike's worst enemy is the pike angler. That's because it's a delicate species compared to tough ones like carp. But most pikers do their utmost to look after their catch and work hard to encourage others to do the same. I, for one, would love to see pike matches outlawed, because I fear the temptation of financial gain is enough to tempt some unscrupulous pikers into leaving runs longer than they should. And for that reason, I believe small treble hooks are beneficial for the pike, because they encourage anglers to strike earlier. That's why they're known as snap tackles. Better a treble in the mouth than a single down the gut. What annoys me most about carp fishing is the way good mixed fisheries are being laid waste to provide yet more carp-only fisheries. That and stealing fish from my local river, of course.

Sadly, carp fishing - and the provision of instant big-fish fisheries that enable inadequate anglers to catch specimen fish far beyond their natural ability - is big-money business. That leaves the door wide open for the scum, who include unscrupulous fishery owners and mercenary fishermen (I wouldn't call them anglers) who catch and steal. It leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.

Back to the original subject... I live about a mile from the fishery in question and was probbaly the first to fish it for carp when it was just another unfished gravel pit in the Nene valley. I took a succession of carp to over 20 lb from it more than 20 years ago, but saw some quite a bit bigger. Why does the new owner insist upon putting yet more fish in and hence risk the health of the existing, indiginous specimens (which I expect would have included several well over 30 lb by now)? It's also worth noting that he has angered local residents by erecting high fences and preventing access to the local dog walkers, etc, who simply enjoyed the riverside meadows. But the iumportant issue here is stockinga fish that previously lived in the river, more than 10 miles downstream. It's clear somebody caught it and moved it. How do I know this? Well, when I was into river carp fishing and catching large numbers of big commons from the Nene, I was approached by a well-known fishery owner who offered me some serious money for them. Believe me, that money would have come in pretty handy, but I couldn't bear the thought of those lovely, fin-perfect 20 lb-plus commons ending up in some lake for the long-stay w$$$££s to target.Sadly, my high moral stance was probably in vain. I expect the carp I was catching from the Nene in the 1990s (see my chapter in River Carping, by Neil Wayte) have since been caught and sold by the mercenaries around today. I moved away from carp fishing on the Nene because I found it a bit too easy. When you go out and expect 20 lb-plus fish every session, the magic disappears. I moved away from general carp fishing long before that because I couldn't live with the idea of being associated with my fellow carpers. Just a personal thing, you understand. The carp fishing movement - both specimen and commercial match - saddens me. It isn't what angling's about... it certainly isn't what attracted me to fishing when I was a kid, back in 1966. Money, greed... catching fish with names... stealing fish. It's sort of symptomatic of modern society really, isn't it? I read a lot of the stuff about modern carp fishing and laugh. You know, the new kids on the block who invent complicated rigs and baits to catch fish that are essentially rather easy to hook if you have a bit of watercraft and experience. Happily, I can say that without being accused of sour grapes, because I have done it, worn the teeshirt... and have the photographs of the fish to prove it. Unfortunately, as evidenced in Saturday's Times, carp anglers are giving the rest of us a bad name. I hope the Environment Agency sort this out... and prodecute if necessary.

Thanks, I'll check them out tomorrow.

Can somebody recommend a supplier for both the 49-strand and the titanium, please? Must try them.

Sorry to be pedantic, but it was on last night. Monday. It's now Tues. Doesn't time fly...

It was last night, Elton, and it's the one I was talking about. Have YOU had a pubful, too?!! (I'd put a smiley thing in here if I could remember how to...)

Funny you should mention NE.. watched a dodgy C5 documentary about him last night. No, the pic in question of Bruno looked as though he hadn't slept for a week, but had consumed a pubful of ale. Maybe fishing with NJF was a mitigating factor. I look like that all the time. Maybe because I knew NJF in my youth... but more likely that pubful of ale.

Bruno... I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't publish the 1970s pic of the Middle Level big double you caught while fishing with Young Nev. Very few people around today can say they look younger than they did nearly 30 years ago. It must have been that student lifestyle...

I'm no perch angler, but from my limited experience, from the ones I've caught, they don't tolerate resistance. Therefore I would imagine the chances of fluking one out on a pike deadbait with the incumbrances we use when piking would be pretty slim. Similarly, a venue I fish a lot for pike contains a lot of chub... but I've only ever fluked them on lures, never deads. If I was to fish deads for perch - and I wouldn't, when plastic baits and lobworms are an option - I'd fish with minimum resistance.

You know, I've read through these threads and been terribly imporessed by the thinking behind the postings. But in my experience, the anglers who stay put tend to be the lazy ones who will seek any excuse to do just that - stay put. And they will do that even if they've picked a crap swim, merely because they carry too much gear and can't be bothered. It's a sort fo comfort zone. Sure, they'll attempt to rationalise theie immobility, but it's usually comfort. You'll probably notice they tend to fish from comfortable, flat swims, too... and usually with the wind behind them. Have you ever noticed that boat anglers fish more swims? I wonder why!!

That's brilliant, thanks. So zander have reached Nassington? Has anyone heard of any further upstream yet? I do wish they'd get a move on... Regarding barbel, that link was brilliant. I too saw some of the small fish stocked, about 12 years ago. I watched them being placed in the fast backwater on the outskirts of Oundle, by Barnwell Country Park. I think the stretch is - or at least was - controlled by a works angling club known as Mobbs Miller. I wonder how big they are now... assuming they haven't been eaten by the big carp in the same area (only joking).

I'm hoping users of this forum can help with some info on two "new" species in the River Nene. Zander first appeared in the River Nene above Peterborough about 25 years ago. They could have arrived via the river's connection with the Middle Level system, but more likely as a result of illegal introductions. Either way, they initially thrived, with lots of small zander being caught to Orton and beyond. They also became established in the large gravel pits known as Ferry Meadows Lakes, which are connected to the Nene in this area. But I haven't heard of many fish moving far upstream from here. I know there are locks on the Nene, but such was their spread through the Fens in the 60s and 70s I'm surprised they haven't developed more of a wanderlust. So, I'm hoping anybody with a knowledge of the Nene in all areas - Northampton, Wellingborough, Thrapston, Oundle, etc - can tell me whether they have heard of any zander captures in their areas. And, while we're at it, I'm interested in the barbel situation, too. A very small number of barbel have been present in the Nene for many years - I can recall a 12-pounder being caught and accurately weighed and witnessed (and photographed by ANgling Times) about 1969. Then, in the early 1990s, large numbers of yearling barbel from Calverton hatchery were introduced by the NRA (forerunner of the EA) in various streamy sections and backwaters all along the river. Anybody know what happened to them? Thanks for reading this... I look forward to any replies.

Some journalists are toe rags, quite a few are scum. Most are neither. But without them, the country would be in a worse state than it is. For example, who would be around to blow the whistle on the REAL crooks and scum bags - those who make up HM Government? If your criticism of the Press is that it pokes around to get at the truth, then that's a strange criticism. Surely this thread has been all about posters poking around to try to find out the truth about the ACA situation? The human race is by nature inquisitive. The Press caters for that trait by supplying material for the inquisitive to enjoy.

Okay, here's how I see it... Pike don't get big by being lazy. It's no good them sitting in a slack if the fish are elsewhere. Pike go where the food is. ANd it's pretty obvious that if they're in a fast-flowing river with fish suited to those conditions, the pike will be nearby. A fast but smooth flow - a glide - is no problem to any fish. But they don't like lumpy, boiling (and I don't mean hot) water. Nor do most fish. AT this time of year, particularly at the time of the first frosts, pike go on a bit of a feeding spree. It's not because they like the cold, it's because the cold causes their prey fish to bunch up into tight shoals, which means easy pickings for the pike. Find the areas where the roach, bream or whatever are shoaled up tight and you could bag up big time on the pike in the area. ANd it's an old wives' tale that "lazy" pike prefer a deadbait to a livebait. Some waters, some days, they will prefer one or the other, depending on their mood.

It is a shame that he wasn't prosecuted. If he had been, it would have been illegal for the Mail to have awarded him a prize for his letter, as he would have been seen to have profited from his criminal act. Unfortunately, it appears PC is basking in his own notoriety. Maybe it would be a good idea to avoid the subject in future, hence starving him of the oxygen of publicity?

It's weird stuff, all right. I've never caught a non-predatory fish in 38 years of predator fishing. I've had pike, perch, zander, eels, trout and chub in freshwater (livebaits, deadbaits and lures). And that's it. I've witnessed a bream to a spinner and a carp to a deadbait, but never had one myself. I feel sort of cheated!

Fished local river for three hours this morning. Six takes, four pike, no doubles, all on plugs. Mate messed about with deads and had nowt. Highlight of his session was when he packed up. He threw his mackerel into the margins and a big chub sneaked out from beneath his feet to inspect it before it returned to its sanctuary. I fiddled about with a jig, but it didn't appear again. I guess a lump of luncheon meat in the near future may prove more fruitful.

Been away a week in Ireland, just back, so joining this late. Just a couple of points: 1. Why are single hooks bad for pike yet okay for other species? Using that logic, shouldn't carp anglers start using trebles? The fact that a big single penetrates deeply should only be an issue if the pike is deeply hooked. And if you're fishing properly that shouldn't happen very often. I can't help thinking a brace of trebles in the throat tissue doesn't do a lot of good, either. 2. Single hooks are a great way of hooking small, soft deadbaits like sardines. Through the eye sockets. Hit runs quickly (of course) and you'll usually hook them in the scissors - nice and easy to unhook. 3. Be careful if you mess about with trebles on plugs. Replacing big, rank trebles with smaller ones sounds like a good idea, but if the replacement hooks are lighter they will affect the action of the plug, since they act as a keel. In some cases, the action will be useless, in which case you will need to wrap lead wire around the shanks of the hooks.

Jackpike... I didn't mention a match either, so get your facts straight, eh? And leave the pike alone. They've got enough problems without edited like you abusing them for "charity". Try again, eh? [ 02. October 2004, 06:46 PM: Message edited by: John S ]

Hate to swim against the tide of political correctness, but I detest the presence of refugees and immigrants, legal or otherwise. This land is crowded enough already. C'mon, arrest me....

What's the problem? Carp are non-indigenous trash fish in the US and sportsmen with bows and arrows are`addressing the problem. They're also alien to the UK, introduced in the Middle Ages by a bunch of religious fanatics (monks). They're ruining our native fisheries. Shoot 'em, I say (the carp, not the monks). Or why not get the great invasion of asylum seekers/immigrants to catch and eat them? Even better. Bring back the burbot, I say.