mark barrett

No it should come active at some stage today, I only put it up there late last night. please keep checking back.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PAC Anglers have launched a campaign to save some of Britain's most historic pike fisheries, after it was revealed they are under threat from plans to abandon coastal defences which protect parts of the Norfolk Broads. Proposals to allow the Upper Thurne system to be flooded by the sea have been discussed by the Broads Authority, Natural England and the Evironment Agency. If they are put into action, the 2,500-strong Pike Anglers Club fears Horsey Mere, Hickling Broad, the Martham Broads and Heigham Sound will be lost forever within a generation. Whole villages and thousands of acres of farmland will also be flooded or turned into salt marsh. PAC president Phil Wakeford said: "In 2007, we warned that historically important fisheries and nature reserves were at risk from proposals to cut sea defence budgets. Our worst fears have now been confirmed. "While the Upper Thurne system is a unique fishery which has produced some of the biggest wild pike ever landed in the world, it also contains internationally-important nature reserves which are of key importance to over-wintering wildfowl. "A number of villages will also be abandoned if this plan is given the go-ahead. We understand other options, including maintaining sea defences, were also tabled but rejected. "We have today launched an online petition as the first stage of a campaign to save the Thurne and its broads. We call upon anyone who loves this unique environment to join us in the fight to save it." Three record pike, each over 40lbs, were landed from the Thurne system, inspiring generations of pike anglers to visit Norfolk. Pike fishing remains an important revenue earner for the county, along with bird watching. The Pike Anglers Club has campaigned to protect the pike and pike fishing since it was formed in the Fens 30 years ago. Last year it helped villagers fight a successful campaign to save the Cambridgeshire Lodes. The petition can be found on the Ten Downing Street website. More information will be posted as we get it on the Save The Broads website. www.savethebroads.co.uk http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/savethebroads/

Rich, if you can find one have a look at the Wychwood rapier barbel rod. I have one mate and its a cracking tool for just what you are talking about mate. It has a really steely action and you can tame even big carp with one. Not cheap at around £12o but worth every penny.

As opposed to anglers net where eeryone seems to have the same views and there are no deabtes/ arguments whatever you want to call them. take this thread for instance. Whilst I accept that there may be issues at the moment with the broads pike, theres plenty of other problems that the broads are experiencing asides from guides.Saltwater incursions etc. I seriously doubt that the guides are causing this problem directly (as in its not them killing the fish), the pressure aspect is a possibility, but then they are an easy target, after all its hardly as if the braods were ever a secretive venue or it wasnt known that they regularly produce big pike as they hae been written about for years. In fact the first ever pike fishing book that i read was Denis Pye's and i would say that just about every single pike book since has featured the broads to a greater or lesser extent. Peter's comments I find particularly interesting as the guides that he chooses to slate, to my knowledge rarely, if ever fish his waters. I find it all the more interesting because I know guys that fish his local patch and are doing very well. Perhaps its the parochial attitude common amongst Norfolk pike anglers meaning that you are looking in the same old tired spots not producing whilst a fresh outlook is doing better? Dont think that they are parochial? well only a couple of days ago I got labelled as an "outsider" by a Norfolk piker, which caused me much merriment as I live ten miles from the Norfolk/ cambridgeshire border and fish in Norfolk as much, if not more, than I do in Cambs! In fact I was out lat night for an evening zander session and that was in Norfolk, but you see to these people, "Norfolk" means the broads, not the county. As regards guides and who uses them. Well I have had a day out with John Watson, primarily as an 18th Birthday present for a mate, but also to learn how to float troll, as a day spent watching and asking questions of someone who knows what they are doing, is worth many days of trying it yourself and failing. Some may consider that a shortcut, I dont really care. the guys that come out with me, almost without fail want to catch a zander for the first time, mainly because they are just fascinated with the fish and have read a lot of disinformation about them in the press which makes out that they are very hard fish to catch, I try to show them the reality. We go to different venues, dependant upon the weather and sometimes i see them back there, but not very often, as most will go off with imformation (from me), of venues to try. The thing that i find highly amusing though is that guides are looked upon as new. the terminoligy most certainly is, but ghillies will tell you that its anything but new. Get over it

just one example http://www.carpforum.co.uk/Shared/Messages...?TopicID=141319

I would seriously suggest that anybodt that wishes to fish in that area does not go with this guy. Having been out there twie this year I have met many guys with nothing but horror stories of their time with this chap. If you want the same offer then book with catfish capers as they offer the same deal and have been in the area for over a decade, not less than a year. I am sorry if this is upsetting an advertiser elton, but i would hate to see people ripped off.

Rabbit, what the yanks do or dont do is immaterial, we are talking about the british Isles and I have never seen that reccommended or in practice. Bullying? I think not. What is bullying is enforcing your views upon others.

Rabbit, i have read your rubbish on this and the other thread and had so far resisted the urge to post, because your kind of spurious nonsense has been written time and time before. Firstly the little bit about hooking through both eyes is rubbish, and i suspect that you only put that there to get a rise, well i am biting. o one puts the hooks straight through both eyes of a livebait, because it would kill them and render them ineffective to the whole point of the method. Another thing is that you state that the public are sensitive to cruel issues. No they are not. The public only become aware of the issue when there are media campaigns run with a slant intent on banning any such practice. If your assumption was correct, live baiting would have been banned many years ago, it hasnt, because if you asked 99% of the non fishing public what livebaiting was, they wouldnt know, or they would probably answer using a maggot or a worm. And you see there's where the crux lies. In amking such laws, there always becomes added definitions and the "hand wringers" like yourself amongst angling could very well end up getting things like maggots and worms struck off as bait too, after all what makes a fish any more worthy of life than a worm? Most of the public dont give a toss about livebaiting, because they have no reason too. Only amongst our own ranks are there these "ethical dilemmas". if thats your case then by all means refrain from doing so, but dont try and decimate others pleasure and sport, just because it doesnt fit well with your "disney" like view of the countryside and fishing.

If its the lake that Coder has put up then the guy that owns that is Mick Richardson, but its not close to Huntingdon Racecourse so I doubt that its the right one. The lake closest to the racecourse is crystal lakes - http://www.crystallakesleisure.com/home.htm I hope that helps

in all honesty i think that we should have an issue with coarse deads being banned. there is absolutely no chance of a blast frozen bait transferring disease, even a normally frozen one. Personally i dont believe in bait bans in any form of angling, because usually they are for pretty spurious reasons, as is the case here.

Theres little inherently wrong with your set up mate, but really need to know a bit more about the lake. Also as regards your mainline, i would say unless its really snaggy that 20lb mono is way OTT. it will also drastically cut your distance down casting wise. In my opinion 12-15lb would be a better allround choice. last year I was out in France and was landing carp to 38lb comfortably on 10lb fox soft steel. I would though completely disagree with what Newt has to say about the rods, simply because the daiwas will be able to handle most types of fishing, but still chuck a long way if you need to, but you cannot get a lighter rod to cast a long way and at times that may be neccessary in France, hence why i was using 10lb line with a shockleader, as we were fishing around the 115-130 yard mark.

look like Roach to me pure and simple. they most certainly are not Rudd.

as a reasonably regular visitor I would say that whilst I like the lay out of the site I actually think that its a tad over moderated in my opinion. Fishing is very much a sport of opinions and opinionated people, and whilst I do agree that the P and P forum probably does go overboard at times, at least it does leave room for debate. i just think that at times this site is a bit too staid and twee. But then as I said its a sport of opinions and I am sure that to many my opinion is at variances to their own.

tony, there are supposed to be some grayling in the upper reaches of the river, especially around the santon downham area, but as i havent fished the top end much I couldnt tell you exactly where, but the info that i have came from the EA surveys so i reckon its pretty genuine.

Thats right Dant, two of the best piking books that you could ever own to boot.

Hope so Budgie, Steve rarely does an talks so its a bit of a coup for us, shame that I am in Spain that week

Stephen Harper doing a talk on "the Pike of broadland" and broadland pike fishing n general. This is sure to be a very popular event so its best to get there early. Event takes place Wednesday 28th November at Sutton British Leigion, Sutton, Ely Cambs at 7.30pm Open to all entry is £3 for PAC members and £4 for non members. Also available will be copies of Steve's book and PAC30 For further info: www.elyfenlandpac.co.uk Back to top

PAC30, available from www.pacshop.co.uk

always been a bit of a fan of powerpro from many years back for lures, but i have use fireline too which i actually liked as much, but whiplash was the biggest pile of poo that i have ever used.

Just a note to remind you all that the PAC 30th anniverssary convention takes place this saturday at Stoneleigh Park, in Coventry. Full details of the event can be found at www.pacgb.co.uk Highights include talks by: Mick Brown ET Jason Davis John Watson Colin Goodge You will also be able to get your hands on copies of three brand new books, PAC30 the PAC's own commerative book, Megapike - The return by ET and Jason Davis and The pike of Broadland by Stephen Harper. Other highlights will include the launch of the new ET original tackle range, stands by the Friendly fisherman, Fosters of Birmingham, the tackle shop and DLST to name but a few. There will also be the draws for Menteith fishing places and the draw for the mebership initiative where one lucky member will walk away with a brand new Sea Nymph boat courtesy of CP boats. All in all a brilliant day is in store for anyone with an interest in predator fishing. Doors open for advance tickets at 9am and to the general public at 9.30am Tickets are £10 for members and £12 for the unbelievers!! __________________ Buy the PAC book at pacshop.co.uk

your tactics are reasonably sound mate. there are also good numbers of zander in frisby pits mate, probably an easier venue than the ones you mentioned.

one final point. if you were fishing for big chub, tench, barbel etc and your bait was getting pecked at by small fish, would you scale that bait down to catch the little ones? of course you wouldnt, so why do it when zandering????????????????????????????????????????????????/

zedhead, its an argument/ point of view that i talk about a lot and i will put it to you this way. scaling down your gear wont make the zander fight any harder, it will howeer increase your chances of losing them through hook pulls (as softer rods are less likely to set the hooks), or breakage (10lb braid is never in my opinion suitable) or leaving gear in any decent pike that you hook. ninety nine times out of 100 the reason for missed or dropped runs when zandering is down to over enthusuastic schoolies. after a few years of doing it you just get used to it and accept it. one more thig as regards the zander and its fighting abilities. in shallow water i have found without much exception that they dont really fight. in deep water they do. i have had some fights out of zander in deep water that are every bit the equal of pike, sometimes better, i personally dont find pike gear over gunned in that situation. the way i look at it, what are you actually going to gain by scaling down? you are increasing your chances of losing fish and increasing your chances of catchig very small zeds, which is fine if you want to do that, but it does get a tad wearing when its 3am in the middle of winter and **** down, and you are about to land your sixth 1-2lb zander of the night.

keep the same gear as you use for pike mate, but I wouldnt by choice use hooks bigger than a size 6 (though I have caught loads on size 4's) forget the scaling down to tiny baits and hooks. thats usually suggested by anglers that have read too much crap from angling writers that have been once or twice and gone for schoolies. Your average zed 3-5lb will easily fit a standard snap tackle in its mouth. For me the secret to success is using lives. Zeds are nocturnal feeders, making use of their superior eyesight to track down LIVE prey. Deads just dont do it often enough for me, though there are times when they work well. In reality i would use 3-4 rods 2 or 3 with lives and one with a big dead. Dont get too hung up on bait size either. i have had a 7lb zander on a 12oz dead roach, and frequently get smaller zeds on 6-8oz livebaits. the only time that I would use small baits is for daylight wandering, when the fish aint really having it (usually) or if they were gudgeon, which Zander absolutely adore.

Tench 11lb 2oz Carp 43lb 14oz (from a drain) Barbel 12lb 6oz Catfish 20lb 6oz Zander 15lb 0.5oz Also had Rudd of 3lb 8oz Bream 11lb 2oz Chub 7lb 11oz Pike 27lb 10oz Perch 3lb 11oz