DerwentBob

I'm hoping to get there this year and combine the trip with an hour's fluff-flinging on the Derwent at Darley Dale Anyone know what time it kicks off of a morning and when is best to avoid the crowds? Cheers PS I will be wearing my Shimano Tribal Realtree jacket because it is the best trout-stalking jacket I have found, waterproof, well placed pockets, lots of arm mobility...not just for carp!

You want to look at the Leeda Powerhouse Powertube as well. When I tried it against the Zeta it felt lighter and stiffer so I bought it. It is a lightweight pole (as in not for carp bashing) but for general canal and stillwater stuff I really like mine. I paid about £80 but I think it may be nearer £100 now.

Having been stung by one in Tenby I can vouch for the pain. The local A&E didn't know how to treat it and I was given a check over and sent home. The pain was horrible, lasting about 16 hours and I was shakey for a couple of days afterwards. I now take a pair of very long (14") forceps with me just in case a long range unhooking is required.

A wind up? I'm sure it would be battery powered, clockwork wouldn't last long enough...

It's a bit like asking "do the French drink champagne" or "do the Italians eat pasta". Cider was pretty much invented in the UK and dates back to the early medieval period I believe. We have some SERIOUSLY HARD ciders over here with alcohol contents that challenge wines. Try drinking six pints of red wine then get someone to knock you out with a baseball bat - the painful, groggy, nauseous feeling you get for a day or two after is the authentic feel of a cider session over here! White Norman (Westons I think) is my absolute favourite but I struggle to down more than three or four pints of the stuff and keep my lunch the next day.

You can catch the free park and ride bus but they are very busy. If you are OK walking its only about 10-15 minutes walk at most, so I always walk. The busses seem to be quite frequent, every 15 minutes or so? and the journey will hardly take much more than 5-6 minutes.

Now then, cats are the perfect anglers companion. Quite happy to sit in a bivvy over the weekend, deadbait gatherers par excellence, keep ducks away, only partake of the occasional fishmeal boilie, keep feet warm, don't retrieve or chase things and can quite happily hold their own against anything from dogs to swans. Coupled with the fact that they will slink off away from the bivvy for a cr*p and bury the evidence themselves I can't think of anything I'd rather have with me on a fishing trip. CATS RULE!

Preston Innovations did a magazine-style guide to pole fishing that was given away in the goodie-bags at the NEC this year. The centre spread was the best step-by-step guide to elasticating a pole that I've seen. I suggest you get in touch with Preston Innovations or try and blag one off someone who went to the NEC. I'm afraid I have already passed my copy on...sorry!

Mr Crabtree pah! I learned how to fish from the veritable holy book - The Ladybird Book of Coarse Fishing! It was my favourite book after Little Red Hen...

As a martial artist, angler and wargamer I have been raked over the coals by the sandal & lentils brigade before. The answer is to extol the positive side of your hobbies, ones I have used are: Fishing - patience, environmental awareness, ability to adapt to different situations and ability to manufacture solutions. Martial Arts - self-reliance, character judgement, health benefits, ability to cope with hardship and stress, not put off by scale of tasks. Wargaming - strategic thinking, dealing with people in an adversarial context, attention to detail, decision making. One person once told me to my face that violent people like me should be put down to which I replied (rather smugly) that one sentence showed he was many times more violent than I am. I got a written apology from the company several days later but I didn't get the job. Principles are worth more than a job anyday.

Yes, there is no mention of flyfishing but at least it isn't all carp and barbel as some recent editions have been. I would like to see the weeklies push the case for all-round angling, a bit of everything in turn but not dominated by any one technique or species. Specialist fishing belongs in the monthly rack to do it justice. In short AT seems to be heading in the right direction.

Fishing is Zen...

Fishing is Zen...

Maybe the money would be better spent sending NEW licence holders a basic guide to fishing. This could include a copy of the SACN charter and other stuff to help a newcomer fish safely and unobtrusively. The self-congratulatory gubbins that is put in Reel Life could be handled by AM & AT.

Maybe the money would be better spent sending NEW licence holders a basic guide to fishing. This could include a copy of the SACN charter and other stuff to help a newcomer fish safely and unobtrusively. The self-congratulatory gubbins that is put in Reel Life could be handled by AM & AT.