Tim Kelly

You might find trailer hooks for spinnerbaits that small. They've got oversized eyes to fit over the hook which is built into spinnerbaits. A loop eyed salmon hook might do as well.

You might find trailer hooks for spinnerbaits that small. They've got oversized eyes to fit over the hook which is built into spinnerbaits. A loop eyed salmon hook might do as well.

Oh Well, that makes it one all! Any advance on the Tory side. Colin Yeh but he's supposed to be the fishing minister and he doesn't answer his emails! Power without responsibility, or should that be just without response?

Oh Well, that makes it one all! Any advance on the Tory side. Colin Yeh but he's supposed to be the fishing minister and he doesn't answer his emails! Power without responsibility, or should that be just without response?

A lot of people like spiderwire. I think you will find that 15lb is too light for lure fishing though. It's not nearly as tough as 15lb mono.

A lot of people like spiderwire. I think you will find that 15lb is too light for lure fishing though. It's not nearly as tough as 15lb mono.

Try Rok Max, they have all sorts of odd things, failing that Brundal Angling. Bass Pro or Cabelas have a selection otherwise, shouldn't be any problem shipping them.

Try Rok Max, they have all sorts of odd things, failing that Brundal Angling. Bass Pro or Cabelas have a selection otherwise, shouldn't be any problem shipping them.

I honestly believe that all animals feel some sensation and the better developed their brains are the closer to pain as we know it, it is. However, my dog clearly doesn't feel pain as I do. It lies in the most uncomfortable objects that would have me getting away from them immediately. A couple of years ago while I was out beating with him he ripped a big lump out of his chest at some point in the day. He carried on ploughing through brambles all day absolutely as normal and I didn't even discover the injury until the next day. I felt considerable pain at the vet's bill though! Also, Pike suffer incredable damage during spawning and you see them in the spring with great lumps missing off them, but they carry on as normal. You catch plenty of trout in trout ressies with cormorant wounds, often with thier gut poking out of the side which feed perfectly normally. It's very dangerous thinking that our feelings and sensations are the same as animals. After all, who would want to impale a maggot if you thought they were squirming in the kind of pain we'd experience if someone stuck a foot thick lump of metal through us!

Didn't know ewes had nuts!

So you don't like farmers then?! I am certainly not defending farmers, or hunting for that matter, but it is undoubtable true that the country would not be like it is with out country sports and will change for the worst after they are banned.

This seems to be a curiously naive statement. The only areas not under the plough are ones where it is more economical to use the land for other purposes. In the case of my area, the farmers seem to find it more economical to turn their green fields into extremely wildlife unfriendly housing developments. Vast areas of land have been turned by farmers into barren monocultures, where any wildlife not driven out has been sprayed with poisonous chemicals. Countless thousands of miles of hedges have been ripped out, and I don't regard it as a great favour that a few token bits of greenery have been left for horses to jump over. Anglers phased out lead shot eighteen years ago, and are still being blamed in the media for causing lead poisoning in swans. The shooters meanwhile, continue to fill the fields with collosal quantities of lead, a single cartridge of which, contains more shot than most anglers would have dropped in a season. The main areas of unspoiled land in this country are owned by the National Trust, and on which hunting is banned.[/QB] When you are driving around the country next, have a look at the landscape. All those small woods on the top of hills are only there because they provide cover for pheasants. There are no grants for that.You may not regard it as a favor, but I bet you'd rather they were there than not. As for the national trust, I wouldn't like to trust them with anything. A park near me which used to be a great place to fish with whacking great crucians, when it was run by the royal parks dept, has been taken over by the national trust. The fishing is now extremely poor and they don't care about the health of the lake as long as there are a few ducks on it and peoples dogs can have a swim. I asked the head ranger once about it and he said that they don't really want anglers there, so they weren't going to do anything about it. Also the price of a ticket has risen sharply. Sadly that seems to be the attitude with the NT, they own vast tracts of land and manage them with some sort of strange idea about how it should be used. America see's it's outdoor spaces as an asset which it positively encourages people to enjoy by shooting and fishing. The national trust seems to prefer you to go there under their terms and be eternally greatful that you were allowed there at all.

Peter If you look at Nightwing's example of solidarity above, how can such a united front be a bad thing for any sport?

Phil I go beating on a farm in Oxfordshire. It is classic hare and partridge country with big rolling fields. It is crawling with hares, but they have a huge problem with ILLEGAL coursing. Gangs of blokes come up from Wales and drive over fields, break gates and generally cause mayhem. The police are rarely interested in coming out to catch them and the law makes it almost impossible to convict them as you almost have to catch them with an armfull of hares and have watched a kill. Even then the courts give them tiny fines which they laugh at given the amount of money they gamble on each course. ILLEGAL coursing is utterly indicriminate and may, as you describe, lead to the total destruction of a local hare population. LEGAL coursing, however would never cause the elimination of hares from an area because they would never course it to distruction as it would not be in their interests. Any Sportsman or women cares passionately about their quarry, whether it's pike, barbel, hares, pheasants or whatever. Nobody would want to see their quarry eliminated and all have an enormous respect for the animal and it's environment. Vast areas of countryside are kept for the benefit of the animals rather than being put to the plough. Without sportsmen and women many species, not just the quarry, would have become extinct years ago. Properly managed land is far more productive than land abandoned to scrub and not cared about because nobody has a vested interest in it. How many rivers have great fish populations and healthy ecosystems because of anglers? The exact same is true of the rest of the countryside when it's managed with somebobdy elses sport in mind. Banning foxhunting, legal coursing etc will have a tangiable effect on our landscape. If you care about it, protect the protectors.

That is exactly how it should be nightwing. Unfortunately we have a society riddled with outdated class prejudice and There is a perception of hunting (and shooting for that matter) by the uninformed knuckle dragging general public is a "toff" sport and therefore should be banned in our brave new egalitarian world. Obviously this class prejudice is complete nonsense but it is something played on by the "antis" and the current government desperate for some popular support to cover their many other failings and appease the old class warriors within the party.

The Countryside Alliance?

Sorry, no idea. There are probably tackle collecting sites where someone might be able to help. Try doing a search for fishing tackle collecting and go from there.

Sorry, no idea. There are probably tackle collecting sites where someone might be able to help. Try doing a search for fishing tackle collecting and go from there.

I believe they have gone bust, so there are probably not going to be any new sites!

I believe they have gone bust, so there are probably not going to be any new sites!

Lures would probably be a good bet. I've caught lots of 2lb+ perch on lures intended for pike. Bigger lubber lures like 6" slug-gos, senkos and flukes work well if the water's not too fast flowing, 6-8" rubber lizards and grubs on jig heads work well if it's pushing through a bit. Also rattling lures like the Harris mag shimmy has been responsible for a few as have big (6-8")spinners and spinnerbaits.

Lures would probably be a good bet. I've caught lots of 2lb+ perch on lures intended for pike. Bigger lubber lures like 6" slug-gos, senkos and flukes work well if the water's not too fast flowing, 6-8" rubber lizards and grubs on jig heads work well if it's pushing through a bit. Also rattling lures like the Harris mag shimmy has been responsible for a few as have big (6-8")spinners and spinnerbaits.

I was once told that a northerner was like a scotsman with his brains kicked in. What could that mean? I was also told that east anglians were like hillbillies without the hills. Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just passing it on!

I was once told that a northerner was like a scotsman with his brains kicked in. What could that mean? I was also told that east anglians were like hillbillies without the hills. Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just passing it on!

I was once told that a northerner was like a scotsman with his brains kicked in. What could that mean? I was also told that east anglians were like hillbillies without the hills. Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just passing it on!