Ken L

I tend to use a small homemade planer to either troll the far bank or to fish ih close where it lets me walk quietly on the grass at the far side of the towpath. I've used a bunch of lures with this but a size three Mepps seems to be the best, catching some clonking perch as well as the pike - although deadbaits will be getting a try in the comming winter. For direct casting, try a Moss Boss or an unweighted soft plastic. They're less snag prone than a spinner bait and can be twitched without moving them out of the strike zone to quickly. My money would be on the Moss Boss though because I get a way better hook up rate than on plastics. Sadly, I only get to play on the cut on the winter because ours are all a bit on the small side and the boats churn them into mud for eight minths of the year. Of course they're sometimes closed for summer engineiring works and that can lead to some serious fun.

I know that there's a population of white claws in the lakes at the old St Margarets hospital on the Birmingham/Walsall boarder. Sadly, despite e-mailing several local conservation groups, to let them know of their existance, I've not had so much as an acknowledgement. These lakes are fished and it's only a matter of time before someone brings in the plague on an untreated keepnet. I saw on the EA site a while ago that there are four feral crayfish species in the UK but this is the first time I've heared any confirmation of what any of the others were. Incidentally, I once saw something that indicated that signals were present in one of the streems in the Wyre Forrest. Does anyone know whether these beasties are present in the severn yet ?

Those guy's are known as "HOONS" over here in Aus and from the rattling going on in the press and on TV, they're about to come under the cosh of legislation. Let's just hope that something similar happens in the UK. Everybody likes to have the stereo on but some of these idiots are just extracting the micturation.

As said previously, I'm all for ID cards but the idea of using them to chuck out illegals is a joke unless there is a real shift of political will to go allong with their introduction. Working in social security where there are regulations effecting entitlement for non-British nationals, I've identified dozens of illegal imigrants, and overstayers along with the usual multiple identities and the simple truth is that the home office (IND)don't want to know. They're not even interested if we find false documents in use - they're suprisingly easy to identify if you know how. Joined up government is a myth.......... [ 06 July 2002, 12:30 AM: Message edited by: Ken L ]

OK so in the world of the computer model, the suggested changes might take place but, in the real world, fishing practices kill everything and the undersized fish get chucked back dead. So much for computer modeling....

Well, I spent about 700 quid on kit when in Singapore including a rather nice G-Loomis/Shimano Sustain combo, but won't get chance to play with any of it till I get back to the UK. I'm rather impressed with some of the odds and sods that I've picked up on my travels though. Like: Little rubber float stops - no more fiddly stop knots that you can't tie with cold hands or ledger stops that damage the line. Some tiny black finish duolock snaps that look the muts nuts for U/L traces. A fantastic new U/L reel which is about the size of the Shakespeare Teeeny Twenty but lighter and with a long spool and a graphite/titainium finnish - for the princely sum of 25 quid. When I get home, it's time to PLAY !!!

I have to agree with Mr Hayes. Strange how the chuck em up the bank comments don't seem to apply to the chub, trout and grayling that take my lures but only to those species that don't readily take a maggot on a #22 hook. I say that if you don't intend to eat it, put it back unharmed.

Just to confirm, the fish we were catching were all fully scaled with no signs of any ulcers. Their scales didn't seem to hold much colour though and the belly and the back of the head seemed to have the most distict red tint. I'd love to provide pickies but as I'm in Aus at the moment, it might be a while.

I just hate it on stillwaters but on the river, the little spinners come out and the rod gets stuck up in the air so that the line acts as a sail. with practice and the wind in the right direction, you can put a lure in the fish's face and keep it there until it triggers a strike - great fun.

Hi Jackmaster. We started catching red and purple tinted perch on the Severn a couple of years ago. These fish always came from the fast water sections and were otherwise perfectly healthy. At first we thought it might have been a return of the dreaded perch virus but stocks seem to have remained healthy so I've no idea what it is - unless it has something to do with high oxygen levels.

Back on subject.... Is being "mad" or "teporarily insane" a mitigating cercunstance when your crime causes serious injury or death ? I would contend that it's not and that these people should be detained indefinatly. In efect, this is what has happened for much of the last centuary with the likes of Hindly, the Krays etc being detained in "secure psychiatric units" until the end of their natural lives. What happened ? did someone find a cure ? could you sue the government if attacked by a recently released nutter ?

And the difference between a cavalry horse and a horse that pulls a brewary wagon ? The cavalry hose will "dart into the fray".......

And the difference between a cavalry horse and a horse that pulls a brewary wagon ? The cavalry hose will "dart into the fray".......

The river looks great but is bloody hard work. If you really fancy a shot at the mullet, target them right up by Axemouth with bread rather than in the marina. The main beach at Seaton is very snaggy and I cant say I've ever done any good there. Beer isn't worth a shot because it gets hammered by local gill netters - some of the nets are so close insure that it;s a miracle that they haven't killed any of the tourists that use the beach for swimming. Bransconbe and Weston Mouth are my two local favorites - do a search on bass fishing on this page to see how to tackle it with lures. Ground fishinf at Branscombe will produce bass, conger, doggies, pout, and I've even seen a ling landed.

Yep, the look on the face does give the impression that the Cindy Crawford workout video will be turned off in about five seconds don't it?

Yep, the look on the face does give the impression that the Cindy Crawford workout video will be turned off in about five seconds don't it?

My other great passion is the martial arts and within that area, almost all of the insuance is handled by a firm called Perkins and slade. There dosn't seem to be any equivelant 'industry standard' for insuring against the loss of tackle or injury whilst fishing - as fishing is classed as a dangerous activity, I'm not sure whether you'd be covered by (for instance) a health/life policy. Can anyone recomend a company that might offer an inclusive package for anglers covering loss/damage to equipment, personal injury and personal indemnity - there's always some fool who'll try to sue you if they trip over a bankstick ?

My other great passion is the martial arts and within that area, almost all of the insuance is handled by a firm called Perkins and slade. There dosn't seem to be any equivelant 'industry standard' for insuring against the loss of tackle or injury whilst fishing - as fishing is classed as a dangerous activity, I'm not sure whether you'd be covered by (for instance) a health/life policy. Can anyone recomend a company that might offer an inclusive package for anglers covering loss/damage to equipment, personal injury and personal indemnity - there's always some fool who'll try to sue you if they trip over a bankstick ?

With both India and Pakistan being in the northern hemisphere, the muck might get to us sooner rather than latter. I'm not sure whether north India/Pakistan fall within the tropical or temperate climatic zones but if it's temperate, it could easilly be in north America in a week and Europe in two.

With both India and Pakistan being in the northern hemisphere, the muck might get to us sooner rather than latter. I'm not sure whether north India/Pakistan fall within the tropical or temperate climatic zones but if it's temperate, it could easilly be in north America in a week and Europe in two.

I totally agree. There's no possible way to effectivly remove Zander so it's about time we learned to live with them - just as anglers on the trent are going to have to learn to live with catfish. I remember being spoken to by a BAA bailif when I was fishing the lower Severn on a filthy winters day. He saw that I was targetting the predators and asked me to throw any Zander I caught "up the bank" - He'd probably advocate killing all the lions and lepards in africa as well. When I climbed the bank to remonstrate with him, I could see and took the time to point out that the only three groups of anglers on the river were all after the pike and zander and if I did as he said, there would be less people buying cards to fish BAA water. Unfortunatly, he'd been brainwashed by either the AT of some nice man from the EA and couldn't conceed the point. Ignorant people aside, what really winds me up is paying for my fishing only to have those funds used to activly destroy what I'm trying to fish for, instead of being used to fund stocking or enviromental maitenance. BTW, as has previously been pointed out, cormerants can clean out a fishery and then fly on to the next. Zander have to find a balance in whatever waterway they find themselves.

I totally agree. There's no possible way to effectivly remove Zander so it's about time we learned to live with them - just as anglers on the trent are going to have to learn to live with catfish. I remember being spoken to by a BAA bailif when I was fishing the lower Severn on a filthy winters day. He saw that I was targetting the predators and asked me to throw any Zander I caught "up the bank" - He'd probably advocate killing all the lions and lepards in africa as well. When I climbed the bank to remonstrate with him, I could see and took the time to point out that the only three groups of anglers on the river were all after the pike and zander and if I did as he said, there would be less people buying cards to fish BAA water. Unfortunatly, he'd been brainwashed by either the AT of some nice man from the EA and couldn't conceed the point. Ignorant people aside, what really winds me up is paying for my fishing only to have those funds used to activly destroy what I'm trying to fish for, instead of being used to fund stocking or enviromental maitenance. BTW, as has previously been pointed out, cormerants can clean out a fishery and then fly on to the next. Zander have to find a balance in whatever waterway they find themselves.

Carbon nanotubes ! Now if ever there was a material with future potential for structural composites (like fishing rods) then this has to be it. Yes, it's carbon but is about as similar to grafite as a lump of coal is to a diamond. The price might put some people off. At the monent it comes in at about $10,000 per gram. Oh yes, there is one other slight problem, it conducts electricity about as well as a suit of copper armor. [ 25 May 2002, 12:57 AM: Message edited by: Ken L ]

Carbon nanotubes ! Now if ever there was a material with future potential for structural composites (like fishing rods) then this has to be it. Yes, it's carbon but is about as similar to grafite as a lump of coal is to a diamond. The price might put some people off. At the monent it comes in at about $10,000 per gram. Oh yes, there is one other slight problem, it conducts electricity about as well as a suit of copper armor. [ 25 May 2002, 12:57 AM: Message edited by: Ken L ]

Funniest Rainbow stuff I ever saw was aired by Victor Lewis Smith on one of his rather bizzare BBC2 shows. It was a rehersal for the royal variety performance and had the Rainbow team on stage with Jim Davidson. To say it was blue is selling it short and Jim couldn't stand up because he was laughing so hard at the end of it. Me, I almost p!$$ed myself watching it !