Brian Carragher

Peter I'm sure you already read it but on another forum (MD) theres a guy bragging about writing a weekly column advising gripping the eel with newspaper, did'nt really want to comment on there as it could have turned into a bit of an issue but if new column writers come out with that sort of stuff then how are new anglers going to know the difference between good practice and bad

Also known as the Dexter Wedge, caught a lot of bass on them up my way

Wow Thats some beast

Well I watched it and have to say if it was'nt focused on barbel I would have switched off before the first break, I find Bailey patronising, a p*ss poor angler and for a guy who made a living as a teacher, a very very poor communicator He keeps harping on about Crabtree moments and I just don't see the relevance am I the only one turned off with this constant reference to a very old and dated cartoon character with no connections at all to todays young anglers, nostalgia can be a good thing but in this series it stinks

Thats a beuty, no wonder he's chuffed That smile is what angling is all about, being there and enjoying the day and when it all comes together;result

Thanks for that Elton, reckon thats one to watch later this afternoon

Looks like you all enjoyed your boys day out, good crack and a bit of p*ss taking among mates by the looks of things That name on your leggings, I hope thats Shakey gear advertising and not the name the lads have given you

Think its more to do with the challenge of catching one when its reckoned to be nigh on impossible to rather than just catching one when its supposed to be easier when its warm Even in winter when you get that warm rain for a few days they will come on the feed so thats the time to be on the bank giving it a go rather than sat in 6 inches of snow with the halibut pellet approach The other thing worth remembering is that Chris Yates is a bit of an oddball

How do they get away with that under the Trades Descriptions Act

I think I know where it is Jim but I wont say on here on a public forum but it'll be new club water to you

Can I have a guess

Should also have mentioned Brasside in Durham,

Whereabouts on the borders

Eden Meadows is probably about half way although theres the Angel fisheries near Chester Le St, I believe you can buy day tickets for Sunderland AC waters near to the A19

They're mine Steve, just responding to Phil, but those Dam reels are still the best baitrunners I've had hold of, the real pity is you can't buy them anymore, if I could I'd buy another 4 in a flash

Phil If you're looking for a reel with a baitrunner and IT HAS to be front drag then you can just about discount all of the Shimano range, the only exception to that is the baby baitrunners in 2500 and 4000 sizes, I have one of the 4000's with front drag and rear baitrunner adjustment, ideal barbel reels All of the Diawa range are front drag so is the Okuma and Shakey reels, the Diawas consistently getting good reviews from those who use them You have'nt said what you want to use them for but to give an example my Shimano GTEb's are 5000's and handle double figure barbel with ease, they'll make great pike and carp reels too depending on what you expect to catch, the 8000's are used exclusivly for pike and I still have and still use the old Dam Quick Finessa reels with the push freespool built into the spool release, these reels in my opinion are STILL miles better than anything Shimano or others have produced My lad uses Okuma reels for piking( I can have a look at size and model if you wish) and they're superb bits of kit, well engineered, metal spools with spares and front drag and rear baitrunner tensioner, shame you werent a bit closer you could have had a butchers and feel which you thought was a better reel, still can if you fancy a run down the A19 If you're using them for piking or carping then theyre going to be sat on rod rests all of the time so the weight of the reel isnt an issue but balance on the rod is, try taking your rods with you if buying local you might be surprised at how different some reels feel on your rods I have 10 baitrunners and 2 for my lad so theres a few to choose from but like you I prefer the single counterbalanced handle, the double handled Shimano reel does'nt do it for me and sort of detracts from the reel itself which is a very good tool

Plenty for sale still even in tackle shops, although clumsy and barbaric as they stretch the pikes jaw unnaturally wide, they are'nt illegal even though they should be I still say to folk who use them that if they think gags are an important part of their piking kit that they should'nt be piking in the first place

After the last sighting of a seal in mainland waterways (the Severn) I wonder what the local reaction will be to news of a grey seal in the Lower Tees, nothing remotely like the PR disaster that occurred at Bewdley I bet Another seal, quite a regular event up here, has gone round the barrage via the boat lock (I assume) and is now in the river amongst some of the finest bream roach and perch fishing available anywhere One thing that wont happen is angling clubs lining up to talk to the press about guns and seals, wonder how the AT will handle this one then, think they'll comment or just try and ignore it as its "oop norf" and a bit too far away from its heartlands

The Esk also holds a head of grayling but no other coarse fish species apart from eels of which there are some that go over 3lb odd, there is quite an amount of free fishing to be had as well as day tickets to purchase If you're thinking of fishing more than a couple of days duration it might pay you to purchase a season ticket for Danby Angling club as might work out cheaper than the cosr of 3 or more day permits Theres plenty of brown trout fishing as well as salmon and sea trout to go at, let me know if you require info for some of the free bits

For me it has to be my local river the Tees, I spend more time on it thans good for me but its hard to describe how good it is and how different in its natural beauty and unspoilt banks with the localised urban sprawl of industrialised/urban Teesside, magic river and I have the Swale Ure and Wear within easy travelling distance too but the Tees wins hands down

Now showing at home

Thats a much better idea, well done to those Polish anglers behind it

That'll be it, my works laptop blocks you tube and anything else that might remotely have an 18 content, cant even get music from you tube Have to have a look at the weekend when I'm home

" Not nick picking at all, we have seals that migrate up river passing over numerous wiers through lock gates and over fish pass's and surprisingly enough even when the water levels get ridiculously low they still manage to get over and swim downstream to return to the sea, I think the same will happen in Bewdley, when the seals had enough or its tolerance to fresh water becomes so it needs to return to salt it will I'm not daft enough to think it wont eat specimen fish whilst its in there of course it will and I understand and sympathise with anglers concerns who will be worried about the impact the seal has on their fishing, my angst really is directed at those who have mismanaged the situation to the detriment of local anglers

. . As with the Seal, such a nice addition to the River, clue here is River, Seals are a coastal creature and are not at home in a freshwater habitat long term.. so I would think rather than all this hot air about fish/ anglers, and such, surely these folk that spout such rubbish should have the Seals interest first and foremost!!! Without meaning to I think you've just destroyed any argument you were trying to build with reference to longevity in fresh water, the seal so far is just a short termer in fresh water so equally at home in the Severn or at sea and its not the first nor will it be the last, on the East coast its quite common for seals to get up river only difference is no ones daft enough to call for it to be shot