Tim Kelly

I had a period a few years ago of catching loads of fish on a 1oz rattletrap. It worked for a few months but then the fish seemed to go off it and so I stopped using it very often. I think that, like with most lures they will catch if you give them enough time in good conditions, but as Gerry says, we tend to stick with some more reliable patterns as a main line of attack. That said, I will dig out my rattletraps again as I'd forgotten about them before reading this post, some days they seemed to get fish when other baits didn't..........

Everyone's been to tring! It does get a little busy, but the fish are in there and some days they can be caught quite easily. You need to be properly equipped if you ar going to tackle it as you need a landing net with a very long handle as a minimum. The drop from the top of the wave wall to the water is often 6ft or so, so you need a handle at least 10ft long. If you are new to piking, or would like a better chance of catching consistantly the canal is a much easier and safer bet.

If the CA has the ear of government, which they seem to, it is rather like cutting off your nose to spite your face not to use them because you think they are imperfect at the moment. There is nothing to stop "us" becoming part of the CA's fishing wing and changing things to "our" taste, it just takes people motivated enough to do it. There may be a perfect fishing organisation out there under another set of initials, but if nobody listens to them they are pointless, take the short cut and use what already exists!

Just a quick note for Nigel Bennett who fishes in the Gerrards Cross club if he's out there (I don't have any contact details for him): Thanks very much for sending me the pictures of the pike I caught last February, really appreciate it. Thanks again, Tim

Had a bowfin follow a buzzbait a few times when I was there last, looked like a 20lb carp with an eels tail. Weird, but maybe fun (even moreso if it had actually taken the buzzbait!!)?

Easy! Smallmouth bass. Those bad boys would add to the predatory species available in this country in an immeasurable way. The only thing is, someone would have to pass a law banning fishing for them with bait as it so misses the whole point of them, and the last thing I'd want is record breaking boilie fed smallies.

Chew's been open for the last few (4?) years for piking days in the autumn, and some in the winter as well as fly fishing for them being actively encouraged by the management. The rules and regs are as restrictive as on most of the other "trout" waters, but there's always the chance of a whacker, which is why people keep doing it. I have had 4 of the wettest most miserable days I can remember on there without much success, so I'm a bit off the place, but others have done very well!

I can't really believe it would make any difference in a fast flowing river, in a lake there is definitely something in it, but a fast river would counteract any of the advantages I would have thought.

Oh alright then

One last time! It's alright folks, the conference is on Saturday so I'll get bored of putting it to the top by then! [ 03. June 2004, 06:47 PM: Message edited by: Tim Kelly ]

Oh yes, made sure it did when I bought it. Couldn't be without my musky tapes or "fishing the sluggo"!!

You could make some of the tube rod holders very easily with a bit of 1.25 or 1.5" waste pipe from a plumbers merchant. A couple of pipe clips and a piece of 2x1 and Robert's your mothers brother. If you put rods in those sort of holders and you lure fish though, you'll probably end up ditching them as a vertical rod in a holder while you're casting with another rod is just asking to get caught up in your cast!

True enough Newt, there is always a way of making it work if you have to, but a live or deadbait can be fished static in these situations far more easily, and probably effectively. I've dropshotted for perch with great success and tried a very heavy uprated version when fishing a spot for pike and although it didn't work that day I'm sure it would on others. The trouble is that lure fishing, especially from the bank, tends to be a more mobile approach and re-rigging to fish one spot is more than a little awkward. If you were convinced there was something in there really worth catching it would be worthwhile, but in most situations, probably not. It's a bit different in a boat where you could keep a rod rigged up for one style and pick it up when it's required.

If you are fishing a river or a drain and the holding spot is, say under a bush on the far bank and the current is pushing through, it would be very difficult to keep a lure of any description in the spot if you have to cast across 30 yards of running water to hit it. If you're in a boat you can get much close and use the current to your advantage. Just a for instance, but often the fish hold in very small specific areas and it would be very difficult to keep your bait in the right place for very long fishing from the bank.

Mark has a point about lures being difficult to keep in the right place for long enough in some situations. But it only applies to bank fishing. As soon as you bring a boat into the picture it becomes no problem, especially if you fish the right style of lure, as Newt suggested.

I use 19 strand wire from Harris for light jig fishing and knot it directly to the jig with a 1 or 2 turn half blood and it works great. Not tried it with the heavier strains, but them I don't really like very supple trace wire for other applications.

Just recieved the timetable for who's speaking when: Dave Pugh - fishing with jigs - 10.30 Gord Burton - Big water pike - 11.30 David Lindmark - Fishing in Sweden - 12.30 Pool demonstrations will start at 2.00 with many retailers demonstrating their latest and greatest and Mick Brown will be demonstrating some lures.

Only the bit after the connection though! The wire to the hook, swivel etc is still fairly straight and uncompromised, it's the bit after the swivel etc that's twisted and most of the strength of the connection is probably in the wire doubling through the eye of the swivel.

Grinner/uni-knot or Palomar knot. http://www.fish4fun.com/knots.htm

I've always twisted, but recently bought a Fox crimping tool. I am now very happy to crimp bait fishing traces or heavy lure traces, as the tool does a fantastic job and takes all the variables out of crimping. For lighter lure traces I still prefer twisted or twist melted connections as they are flexible, so I believe they offer less risk of becoming stress fractured than traces made with crimps that would give a hard edge for any bending to take place around. The Fox tool really is exceptional. Well worth a tenner.

Unfortunately the National Trust took over Osterly, so the royal parks permits no longer apply. You can get a permit from Osterly house, I think it's about £20 a year and you need 2 passport photos! I won't give any money to the National Trust as I think it is a very dodgy organisation, especially as far as hunting, shooting and fishing goes, but if you see a bloke wandering round with a black and white spaniel, it may be me, no doubt I'll stop and have a chat with you.

Osterly park lake is not a bad spot for general coarse fishing. Used to have some enormous crucians when I was a lad. Now the dreaded carp have got in there and people seem to prefer casting to the horizon and waiting over fishing! Still holds some good tench fishing and a population on rudd and bream. Gunnersbury park, just down the A4 is a carp fishery, if that's what pulls your string, and of course there's the Thames, but don't tell anyone....

Just so everyone who doesn't spend all day on here gets to know it's on.

b (back) ttt