david t

cheers mate, maybe in the next few weeks i will get the canoe on the river then, properly registered. thanks again. dave

cheers, i had a feeling you did, at least £17 isnt that much money, I will enquire further, thanks. dave

hello, Ive done a fair bit of kayak fishing (borrowed a mates kayak) on the sea off Aberystwyth over the past month or so, but unfortunately im not in Aberystwyth anymore , im in buckinghamshire now. I like kayak fishing, once you get used to the fact that you really cant take much gear etc! I have a kayak here in bucks, its not a Bic fishing type, but a normal 1 man kayak, i would happily fish off it, for a few hours. I want to fish the thames on it, for chub etc, trouble is, im not too sure on the legality of it etc. I remember enquiring about putting a small wooden rowing boat on the river for some fishing, and finding i had to pay for insurance, and tax etc. Do i have to pay any kind of tax or other waterway charges on a normal 1 man kayak, or have it registered on a navigable river like the thames? or can i just use it as it is? many thanks for your help dave

Cheers peter, yes, its nice to keep things civil and calm, rather than turning things into an argument needlessly. david

A friend of mine living in manchester says it hasnt really snowed much there, well not yet. In mid wales there is a reasonable amount of snow, if that helps, other than that, I dont know. Sunday is 3 days away though, I wouldnt worry

I see that most have the intention to act in a greener way, but people are right, i suppose sometimes it is very hard to live without cars, and especially with trains being expensive (its £50 to get from bucks to aberystwyth (my university town) which is alot for a train). peter, I see that your intentions are good, and i see that as you are older than me, (please dont take offence) you may be less able than me on a bicycle, and that also if you were to cycle you would have to do so on busy A roads. You are right about me in some respects, yes, I am 21 and ride a racing bike and mountain bike alot, as a sport, but i come from a rural area, and i am at university in aberystwyth, which i dont class as urban really, but its probably easier for me to cycle in these areas, than it is for you in yours. What i started this post for is precisely what you mentioned earlier, the fact that you have to cycle on A roads, I hate cycling on A roads, I got swept of the road by a courier lorry earlier in 2006, and i wouldnt want that to happen to anyone else, especially when the bugger didnt stop! see, precisely what i would like peter, is for people to be able to use ENCLOSED cycle tracks to get to work, I think they would be viable. Like someone said earlier, its a farce when councils paint lines on the road and call it a cycle track, its not, a white line doesnt protect you from a car! On the whole, im basically saying that there would be reasonable, measurable benefits to having more enclosed off road cycle tracks, such as reduced congestion/pollution, and it will help peoples fitness, BUT, im not saying it will totally solve all global warming issues, and im not saying that it is viable to everyone, or that it will solve third world debt and corruption. my lecturer made a good point today, regarding 'green' energy, when hydroelectric power stations are built by flooding valleys, and damming them, the carbon dioxide NOT given out, by NOT having a powerstation, is often offset, at least in the short term, by the the production and release of methane as the grass and other vegetation that is flooded in the valley is broken down. Thus the methane given out (methane being 5 times more efficeint at trapping heat compared with carbon dioxide) is more harmful to the atmosphere than the carbon that would have been produced by an equivalent powerstation. cheers dave

People are taking this out of context slightly. Im not suggesting that you attempt to travel 60 miles a day to work, or carry a ton of tools on the back of a bike. Im more thinking of those that live with in 5 or 10 miles of work, that can substitute thecar journey with a bike, because in all honestly, anybody can ride 5 or 10 miles on a bike, unless the are ill or elderely. im also not advocating that it would suddenly solve all climate change issues, firstly because we are up **** creek without a paddle there, but doing something is better than doing nothing. And the arguement that states that; "as the UK contributes so little to CO2 emissions we dont have to do anything, because our efforts would not be felt" is also wrong IMO, because then all the small countries could say it, new zealand, belgium, swizterland etc, but all together they make up a big chunk, and that cumulative reduction would be felt most probably. Yes, the easiest thing is to hide being the fact that we are a small country, with a small output, but is that really the right thing for a world leading country to be doing? Im not trying to come across as some radical greenpeace protester, with a head of bubbly ideas, but I would rather be pro-active, rather than stubborn and old fashioned. good point though, barry, licencing bikes would probably follow on from this, especially with the recent anti-cycling bursts from the media, due to the action of the few, but thats another story for another day. cheers all. some good points raised

Hello, in line with the news on global warming, I have had an idea for ages, about cutting the number of cars on our roads, its related to cycling. Right, alot of people, me included, dont like cycling in traffic, and no matter how many stats you give to people about the roads being safer than ever for cyclists, they still dont like cycling in traffic, or on fast roads (well at least I dont!). I would much prefer to cycle away from cars, now if you could give people the option to cycle to work and back, away from traffic, surely the number of people using bikes to get to and from work would rise. It would, cost alot of money, but if a plan was introduced to built (or modify existing disused railways, or similar routes etc) a extensive new cycle network, one that does not just go around nice scenic areas, but goes from london, to all the surrounding boroughs, and gives routes to manchester, birmingham etc. The paths could be away from traffic, to avoid accidents, and free from pedestrians to avoid arguments etc! I know that in some areas, like parts of london etc, that there just would not be the space to put these in physically, without demolition work, and I also know that it would cost alot of money, and take alot of time. But im sure it would have an effect, and that it would need little up keep, in the way that most roads do, due to the fact that bike and riders generally weigh less than 1/4 of the weight of a car. Ok, it isnt simple, but then getting people out of there cars is never going to be simple. I also realise that alot of people are not going to want to ride a bike, because they are plain lazy, or they dont want to get cold. What would people think if the government was to announce it was spending money on a project such as this? (and i dont intend this to start up as a government/tony blair etc row!!) dont worry im not running for government!

Many thanks Teejay, im glad of your input, the club secretary has said he will send me a map, pin pointing a few good areas for grayling on the wye and elan, which is very good of him. As far as the wye goes, I dont think I will fish the wye at hereford quite yet, I want to concentrate abit on the one area of the wye around rhayader, rather than just flitting around from place to place, but thankyou for suggesting it. It doesnt matter that you havent fished the wye at rhayader, your information on scottish spate rivers similar in appearance to the wye, that also produce grayling has helped my confidence, as im not experienced in grayling rivers as i said before. hopefully I will get down the river again in the next week if the weather allows me to, thanks again david

Hello, I finally got down the river wye, at rhayader today, fishing for grayling, its a nice river, but its alot faster than i expected, i didnt catch. Has anyone here successfully fished the river at rhayader for grayling? the reason i say that, is the river just seems almost, too raw, if you get what im saying, the river bed looked bare. The thing is, ive never fished a spate river like that before, being more used to slower rivers like the thames. It just seemed to me, more like the kind of river that would be typical of salmon and sea trout, but then i am sligtly ignorant when it comes to fishing mountain rivers. so if anyone has any knowledge of the wye at rhayader i would be most greatful to hear from you, im not after magical secrets or swims, more just the confirmation that the river there is worth fishing for grayling. many thanks, dave (if i dont reply for a while, its not because im being rude, its because i will be in the lake district tommorow for 3 days)

Cheers, i do actually have a motorbike jacket kicking around thats not being used, i could use it for winter fishing, although it is very warm, almost too warm. thanks again

i fished the thames a few times over the holiday, had a few chub, best was about 4 1/2lb i think. and had a few small pike, but nothing that good. and yes, it is still very wet, doesnt seem to have done much else than rain, but we cant do much about it, unless someone decides to put up a massive umbrella over the country, which i dont think is that likely. i fished the river suck earlier in january too, that was 5 foot higher than usual im some places, but it was fishable, physically, although it was far from perfect, we did get a few pike, and i got a 23lb pike, 3 cast of the trip, but over than that, it was quiet. I didnt have a camera, so my guide took a photo, when he emails it to me, i will post a pic of it on the site, it was a lovely fish, if a lucky fish!! Also on flooded rivers, ive been waiting to fish the wye for grayling since november, i got the ticket for the river in early november, might even have been october, and i still havent had a window of oppurtunity to fish it yet, as im waiting for 4 dry days, which hasnt happened recently around wales.

I dont tend to wear under garments that stick out of the cuffs, the elasticated cuff seems to draw the water up almost, or at least some mechanism made it come up my sleeves, other than protruding under garments. Zedhead, i agree, i do seem to remember the jacket being better when it was new, I dont actually wash it though, if it gets muddy, i let the mud dry, then brush it off, as ive ruined water proof coats before when washing them, even at 30c. I will though, get some water repellant spray, hopefully that should help. Although i still dont think its a brilliant design. cheers dave

Hello Ive had a shimano tribal winter jacket for 3 years now, it cost me £120 new, and i can now say its rubbish! its ok in cold dry weather, but as its got a sort of micro fleece outer which is still waterproff, the microfleece layer holds onto water in wet weather. it doesnt let water run off it like a normal water proof coat. the result is it keeps a layer of cold water next to you, and you get cold. in ireland the other week, standing in the rain, it really annoyed me, water would seep up the inside of my sleeves, upto my elbow level, and also it would seep down my neck, as the microfleece acts like a wick. And the coat takes a year to dry out, well, not exactly, but it takes more than 12 hours on a radiator. Basically, if the tribal stuff still has the microfleece outer layer, dont buy it, in my opinion, because i now believe it is rubbish, and a waste of money. I think my next water proof will come from a sailing shop, i figure if a waterproof is made for a sailor, who is constantly getting wet, then it should be well designed, and keep you warm and dry, and hopefully be 100% functional, rather than the fashionable side of realtree clothing. hope this message helps people decide which water proof to buy. dave

give it a go, its worth a try.

I fish around aberystwyth mate, cant really help, but try this forum, its for those that fish west wales, around aberystywth, it might help, try it http://www.tinytrout.com its for sea, game and coarse fishing, should be someone with good advice.

yeah, ive lost count of the number ive times you see a swirl by your feet on the river, as you approach it quietly, or so i think, its an often neglected place i think, the reeds near your feet. I think pike are just as wary to bankside disturbance as chub are.

for chub, ive never found liquidised bread that good for float fishing, i never seem to draw in bigger fish with it, just the smaller stuff. I suppose that maybe the big chub cant be bothered to chase crumbs down the river, but they may chase larger lumps of mashed bread, which flies around less in the flow than liquidised anyway.

Ive never seen a pike take a duck, or similar, nor has my uncle or my dad, thats in a total of over 60 years fishing between us all. Im sure that very occasionally pike do take ducks, and anglers would be much more likely to see it happen than anyone else. My old housemate claimed she had seen pike take ducks at least 3 times, while walking along her local canal, she wasnt an angler, but obviously a liar, I think its probably something people are inclined to chuck into the conversation if you talking about pike, just to liven it up, and make themselves sound interesting. people (non anglers) seem to think that the pike is a pre-historic creature with a blood thirsty appetite that makes it kill for fun, which is wrong im sure. By the way, im not disputing those on here who have seen waterbirds taken by pike, im just mentioning the bilge some people try to pass on as fact.

Consistently blanking takes alot of skill and dedication. I seem to have mastered the art of blanking, be it river, canal or sea. take it on the chin mate, having a blank every now and then makes the good times stand out, and it makes you think about your tactics etc.

I fish the aylesbury area canals alot mate, well I do when im back home from university. I think its fairly mild around there now, so your best bet would be chopped worm for the perch and bream, as a big fish line, fish it just at the bottom of the inside shelf. Fish bread punch for the roach if its clear, or if not, fish squatt and groundbait down the middle. Broughton is on the aylesbury arm, a arm of the grand union canal, its smaller than the grand union, about 14 metres wide or abit more. there are good perch in broughton, and there are a few bream and skimmers too, the main bread and butter fish are roach and gudgeon, as in most canals. there are some features to fish to, but some pounds are devoid of features. there are carp in there, but they are too big for match tactics to be honest. I dont think they have a website, but try and get hold of aylesbury angling shops number in yellow pages, as they may be able to tell you something. I wouldnt be suprised if a match at broughton was won with over 10lbs in the winter, providing you get a few good perch. yes, my approach would centre around chopped worm for the perch, fishing it every half hour or so. good luck dave

I thought it was nice how that carp angler, with the tinnies, was shown, and how the viewers (who might only see the carp anglers with the tinnies, when dog walking etc) where shown the alternative type of angler. The focus on rubbish was done well, it showed that people where actually polluting natural resources, such as the rivers, and that its only man acting like he does, by fly-tipping etc, that changes that natural river, into a dirty river-like body of water. I think that maybe people that throw rubbish into urban rivers do so, because they dont view them as natural objects, they view them merely as part of the concrete jungle, a ditch to be abused. Its only the city itself that kills the river, the river would come back, much like an endangered animal if the city let it. nice to see it shot close to home aswell, well, closer than asia anyway.

Cheers colin, Not so cheap in the end, as is predictable!! was £33, then you are charged £7 per passenger for a bag, and £31 for the fishing rods!!!! the buggers, came to £80 in the end. not that bad though i suppose. cheers dave

ive found a flight for a total of £33 (including taxes) for 2 adults return, from luton to knock with bmi (i think its that one!) and i dont think im going to find better than that. cheers dave

Cheers all, just going to start searching again dave