Squimp

Ring one of the posh fly shops in Stockbridge (Robjents or Orvis) the week before. That way you get up to date local knowledge.

The obvious way is to wait until you retrieve and have weed on the fly. The golden rule for deep fishing is to have a fly that sinks slower than the line - that way you can fish the line on the bottom and keep the fly just above. Skilled boat fishermen use a stopwatch to decide when to retrieve. It can be a more accurate way of fishing close to the bottom than using a lure/spinner. The other basic to bear in mind is that the faster you retrieve (speed) the higher the line/fly will fish in the water column. Thus you can fish at the same depth with different density lines by adjusting the time you let the line sink and also changing the speed of retrieve. It can get quite clever! Hope this helps. PS I still think that the easiest solution to your 'problem' is to go and buy some new lines!

The easiest way to find out where the fly is, is to cast out and count (seconds) the line down until it hits bottom. If you know the depth you can then work out the sink rate. Modern sinking lines are rated by the depth they sink per second. An intermediate (type 1 or 2) sinks pretty slowly and a T 7 or 8 sinks really fast. Lead core sinks the fastest. Your old lines are probably good for the dustbin. You can get resonable lines like Shakespeare for a sensible price. For casting decent sized pike flies you really need a 9 weight rod or heavier. Hope this helps.

A friend and I caught 3 'fish' on the Thames above Oxford a couple of seasons ago. They were 'trouty' loooking and between 2 and 3 pounds each. I showed the photos to an EA contact and it was suggested that they were sea trout. A few weeks later I took the pics to a Consultative meeting and flashed them around and was given a true i.d. by the guys who run Coln Flyfishers. These fish were browns stocked into tribuitaries of the Upper Thames and they had moved miles down the main river over the months since they were stocked. Even so called 'experts' can get this one wrong. Hope this helps. Tim Marks

Hi, A mate of mine who is a fly angler lives near Cambridge. He has a son who wants to go coarse fishing. He rang me asking for a suitable fishery, but I live in Gloucestershire! Please can anybody recommend a day ticket fishery within (say) 45 minutes drive of Cambridge. Preferably somewhere where even a youngster will get a few bites! Any help gratefully received. Many thanks, Tim Marks

Jay, I bought plenty of stuff from Bass Pro a while back. I paid VAT and import duty plus air freight charges, plus admin fees to the carrier (UPS or similar). The carrier delivers the parcel to your door and takes the duty and admin fees there and then. I worked out later that the total duty was around 30% on top of the US retail price. I also worked out that the stuff we bought (27,000 yards of Berkeley line) was one fifth of the equivalent UK price AFTER paying US retail, duty, air freight and admin charges - so it was well worth it. Just make sure that the reducyion in cost more than outweights the duty and transport cost. Or as somebody else pointed out get it sent as a gift. Hope this helps Tim Marks

Hi, Ian is correct. The place is called Sevington lakes and is (obviously!) in the village of Sevington. It used to be (4 - 5 years ago) day ticket and had a couple of big carp in it. What the score is now I have no idea. Nearest tackle shop is in Chippenham - they would be able to give you current details. Hope this helps. Tim Marks

Hello Molamola, For Flying C's, you could try Steve Parton in Long Eaton, Notts. He is a trout tackle dealer and will make you Flying C lures to order, or at least he used to offer that service. I don't have his number to hand, the address is Fields Farm Road and he has a website that is called sparton tackle or similar. If that doesn't work try other trout tackle dealers such as John Norris (Penrith), Tom Saville (Nottingham). If you can't find the numbers send me an email and I'll dig them out. Hope this helps, Tim Marks

Nick, I have bought plenty over the years from Reading Angling Centre (Northumberland Avenue). Give them a call. Tim Marks

PDB, The Upper Thames is full of chub. There are a few bigger ones, but most are up to about 3lb. There are a few barbel, some are big, but they are not easy to catch. There are also dace and roach. South Cerney angling club also has some fishing close to Cricklade. The river Ray gets match fished close to Cricklade in the winter, roach, dace and chub I think. For better information ring Cotswold Angling in Swindon, 01793 721173. Hope this helps. Tim Marks

John, I would doubt that flies are entirely machine tied. If you want a definitive answer talk to Steve Parton of Sparton Tackle in Long Eaton, Notts. He has written a recent book on fly tieing that mentions speed of tieing and various machines people have tried to use in the past. His website is sparton or similar. Hope this helps. Tim Marks

Chris, All the usual stuff, plus: cover for tackle in a car, (including a hire car) with tackle in view (i.e. not in an enclosed boot). cover for tackle stored in all types of accomodation. sensible cover for delayed baggage (I had a long haul trip ruined by the airline taking 5 days to get my rods to the holiday destination - trip was 7 days total!!). Official airline compensation for such a delay is not worth claiming. Is tackle damaged by extreme weather covered? eg, wind destroying bivvies in France etc I would also echo big Al's sentiments, many people have lost a great deal of money attempting to insure fishing tackle. Hope this helps, Tim Marks

Chris, All the usual stuff, plus: cover for tackle in a car, (including a hire car) with tackle in view (i.e. not in an enclosed boot). cover for tackle stored in all types of accomodation. sensible cover for delayed baggage (I had a long haul trip ruined by the airline taking 5 days to get my rods to the holiday destination - trip was 7 days total!!). Official airline compensation for such a delay is not worth claiming. Is tackle damaged by extreme weather covered? eg, wind destroying bivvies in France etc I would also echo big Al's sentiments, many people have lost a great deal of money attempting to insure fishing tackle. Hope this helps, Tim Marks

GaN, For what it is worth a few hooks that I use (or have used)and like or dislike: None are barbless patterns I am afraid, I squeeze the barbs down if required. I use: Eustace (Gold Label) Penetrator 2 (good solid hook, points turn over quickly) Drennan Boilie Continental (excellent strong hook) ESP T-6 (nice, short shank strongish hook, size 10 is a peach) Tiemco 2457 (brilliant curved short shank floater hook) Owner spades (fantastic lightweight hook, spade provided built in line-aligner) I dislike: Drennan Super Specialist ESP G - 4 Owner Cutting Point Hook choice is very much a matter of confidence, some of my mates use different hooks to me for the very same job! Where possible stick with what you know. Hope this helps, Tim Marks

I have used plenty of Partiblend, but mostly for tench and bream fishing. So beware if you don't appreciate those species. I just put it in a bucket and cover it with plenty of boiling water. Be prepared that it swells up quite considerably whilst soaking. It is difficult to feed with a catapult. I use a spod and find that mixed with pellets, dead maggots, broken boilies etc it works fine. Hinders (the supplier of partiblend) have a website if you want more info. Hope this helps, Tim Marks