Scott

Most so-called new year sales start well before new year these days and for good reason. Lets say you buy someone a present for £50 that does fit them, they take it back to the shop to exchange it, they havent got a reciept. The item they want to exchange it for is out of stock so they are given a refund and that is where the trick is. In years gone by when sales started on the 1st Jan there was plenty of time to exchange unwanted presents, now with sales starting on Boxing day or even christmas eve anyone returning an item without a reciept will only get a refund the same as the current price, i.e. sale price. So the £50 gift is now worth what £30? £25? in some places it might be £20. The mising money stays with the shop. When you think how many items are returned after x-mas day each year and what percentage of them dont have reciepts, add it all up and for the bigger stores its a large amount of money, nice little scam but all legal. Buying gift vouchers for people at xmas is the best idea, or go away on holiday, come back about 6th Jan buy your presents then and hand them out. Scott.

Thanks Tyke, thats the site. Scott.

There is a magazine out at the moment that has lord of the rings characters with it, its been advertised on TV but I cant remember the website name, can anyone help? Scott.

Fairly light lines!!! Thats a big no no, please dont go lower than 12lb. As for striking, if your using normal line (not braid) you cant strike to hard, I was discussing this with a couple of mates one day so we put it to the test, tied a lead to the end of the line and someone 40-50yds away held it while we all took turns to strike and then hold the lead, a huge surprise as to how little pressure was put on the lead and how lightly you could hold it without it being taken out of your hand by the strike. Try it and be prepared to be surprised. Scott.

Your wrong there Peter, the shop I work in sells plenty of Gortex jackets and we also sell the cleaners for them.There is a company called Nikwax that sells a washing machine cleaner for Gortex. Gortex should be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent the pores from blocking (making it useless). Nicwax do 2 products that can be bought as a pair (about £8) the first one is added to your washing machine and washes your jacket the 2nd one is also added to the washing machine and re-proofs your jacket, you get enough in each bottle to do your jacket 3-4 times. For quick and easy repairs of things like waterproofs and even wellies, brollys etc try to get a product caled Aquasure, it comes in a tube and is like a silicon sealant but it sets well and adheres to most thing, remains flexible for years, we have a display package of it showing it reparing holes the size of a 10p, rips tears etc. Scott.

They are £12.95 from Harris Angling, click Here Scott

No they work fine, the water is trapped in them till you release it. Ive owned and used one for many years now and its accuracy is excellent when compared against a fishfinder readout.But make sure your using strong line/braid as loosing them is fairly easy. Scott.

Rob dont think that you have to have a boat to catch fish, most fish caught there come from within casting distance of the shore. Some of the waters have god access and many good fish come from the bank every year. A good friend of mine swears that boat fishing is a waste of time on some waters there and he had fish to 28lb last year from the bank. Scott.

Sorry but i'm not naming Pike waters on a public forum, but then again its not that difficult to work out where I mean, is it? Scott.

The question you should be asking yourself is: is it really worth paying (£15 a day, more with a boat)to fish a water thats past its best, when their are much better waters, with better potential either side of Esthwaite that are free to fish. If you really want to fish Esthwaite Brian, leave your Pike rods at home and take a quivertip instead and target the Roach in there, you wont regret it. Scott.

A bucket of live baits Scott.

A young Yorkshire boy was at the centre of a courtroom drama yesterday,when he challenged a ruling over who should have custody over him. beaten black and blue by his mother,father,aunt and grandparents,the boy demanded to choose where to live.......... The judge agreed,and granted custody to Leeds Utd FC who the boy believes aren't capable of beating anyone. Scott.

That might not be the best catchphrase to use if you were a person canvasing for votes. Scott.

It will never happen, to many people with the "what about me" attitude and moaning without ever doing anything. Any governing body needs to be kept to the minimum staff so things can be done quicker, how do you do that without excluding a few groups at the top? If there isnt a match angler at or near the top, will the matchmen listen, same for Carp, Pike, Beach, Game etc etc. If anything is needed its a well funded group that can deal with issues and promote angling without having to get involved in the constant bickering between different groups of anglers, easy enough to do and there is already a blueprint for it, its just getting the right people to put it in action. Scott.

The only sport I have any real interest in is F1, so i'll use that as an example. Montoya & Couthard, both winners, both dedicated to their sport, neither are known for the things you described. One has a personality, the other is nothing more than a PR robot full of political corectness. Scott.

How about a sportsman that actually has a personality for a change. Scott.

Then the owner of the water will simply rent the water to canoeists, who will then ban angling on that water. Scott.

You cant see the difference between the 3 or 4 unused 3-6 inch Roach being tipped into a water and the deliberate placement of many 2-3lb carp in the water? I doubt very much that many Pike anglers do dump their unused baits, they will normally be taken home, dead or alive why throw good bait away. Pike fishing seems to be a thing amongst anglers that you either do it and enjoy it or you hate everything to do with Pike and Pike anglers, guess we have a few of them here. Scott.

The point I was making was that you were pointing out that you wouldnt dare break any fishing laws but your quite happy to break other laws. When you run over someone at 40mph in a 30mph zone, just make sure you dont have a bucket of Roach in the boot, or you'll be in serious trouble. As has been pointed out by several people that there has never been a single case of any anglers moving fish for bait to another water that has caused disease in the water they have been moved to, so whats the problem? When ever live baiting is mentioned there are always 3 groups appear: 1, the people that actually do it. 2, The people that dont, but will fight for other people to have the right to do it and 3, the rest, they are dead against it in any form. For group 3 I will say what has been said many times, when it becomes unacceptable to stick hooks in live fish to cast it out, it wont be long before sticking hooks in a fish to bring it in is also unacceptable. As for the comments on some versions of this subject about the attitudes of the people on the P+P forum, theres a fair few here that are full of it as well. Scott.

I bet you dont break the speed limit in your car either. Scott.

The greatest ever, no contest. Scott. Roll on next season.

Yeah right. Scott.

Interested in Pike? Live in Scotland? then come along to The PAAS Gathering it will be held on the 25th October at the Sword hotel in Stirling (under the Wallace monument) Guest speakers, Ron Woods & Daren Lord. Plus the usual tackle stalls, 2nd hand stall, products stand and grand raffle. Entry is free to all. 10am till 5pm. A chance to meet fellow Pike anglers, ideal for newcomers to Piking. Scott.

Tim why are you wearing a foam buoyancy aid vest? Do yourself a favour and wear a proper lifejacket and wear it over your other clothes. For what its worth I use a 2 piece Sundridge Flotation suit and find it as good if not better as anything else i've tried. Scott.

Hi Steve, i'll give you my answers: 1, Personal preference, when I started making my own I could never get wire that twisted good enough for me to have confidence in it, so I crimped, crimps need to be put on using the correct gear or their useless, find a wire and method your happy with and use that, Pike safety comes first. 2, I always fix it, Ive found sliding trebles can kink the wire. 3, Berkley Swivels, Drennan wire, both work well for me and are available in my local shop, should I need a suppy in a hurry. 4, Coiled up in a rig wallet (like sea anglers use). 5, When the wire is showing any sign of damage, or if its had a hard pull (freeing it from a snag for example), I recycle the hooks and re-sharpen them, swivels are replaced if showing any wear or after a snag situation. 6, Tried titanium wire for lure fishing, but only on bought traces. 7, Any trace that has landed a pike is a perfect one, even if it has to be dissposed off after. Scott.