jak

Sounds like a fellow VAC member ! OK if I PM you for a chat ? JAK

A great article and I may just attempt the Wallis cast when I'm feeling brave (having always used the Nottingham cast - though I didn't know it was called that !) A couple of things - i think the article meant Lewtham engineering (rather than Lewthwaite) but i may be wrong ...... i have a Lewtham engineering Sidecaster (though I always called it a frontcaster) which I use for Legering or Lake float fishing (it's a bit heavy for prolonged trotting). it's a great reel and ideal for long casting. I agree with the line twist but I have one of those little metal things like an arsley bomb with a spiral and that does a good job of removing the twist. I don't get to fish a lot so it may be more of a problem if you use it regularly ........ JAK

Haven't been about so only just read this........... Not sure if it's a true Centrepin but i have no problems casting with one of my reels as it's a frontcaster !! Just pivot the reel and cast as a normal fixed spool and then turn it back. Excellent bit of kit. Bit too heavy for a long, trotting session but thoroughly recommend it for legering for Tench and Barbel or float fishing on a lake. I love fishing the PIN. JAK

Hi All Just a request for info on a new venue I'm looking at. Anybody recently fished Shillinglee (not the club water) for tench ? If so any views or pointers appreciated. thanks JAK

Hi Biggles Fished it a few times (and the other side of the bridge where i had a 11lb 12oz Barbel ) Chub will be the main quarry, though there are Barbel, roach and carp about. i don't think it's an easy water but i've had joy either legering tight to the far bank ...pellet, paste, maggot, bread flake, meat and also trotting breadflake and maggot to features. As dusk falls can catch on the near bank at your feet. again paste has done well. I've also blanked a few times as well ! In the shallow fast water before the bridge, I've never fished it, but I've seen people doing well ....wading 1/2 way and trotting shallow tight to the far bank where there's a run. Good luck JAK

I've only fished them a couple of times but done work parties there over the last couple of years. The Match Pit /(boot pit) is getting a reputation for some good sized carp and tench even though it's supposed to be the match pit and there's quite a few rudd and some tench and catfish in the Marsh Pit (can be a bit weedy) ......... Railway and Lea pit can be hard but have reputations for specimen carp and bream, but I've not fished them and can't remember which is which. I can let you have a bailiffs number via PM if you want to give him a call and find out more. Jak

I don't use holdalls for short evening sessions, I use a quiver .... as do a lot of anglers who travel light. So an extra 6 inches on a broken down rod is no problems. Normally I take 2 leger rods made up - 1 light and 1 heavier, and a 3 piece float rod. i then fish to whatever I find when I reach the river ......... much less likely to trot if I have to set up my match rod and break it down again .....especially as I'm partially sighted and tying knots and threading rings is a hit and miss affair !!! JAK

Can anybody tell me why there are so few 2 piece 13 foot float rods ? I've found only 2 (one's the Free Spirit super specialist advanced float rod) and that's £125 !!! Too much for the occassional use it would get. Just want a general purpose rod i can keep made up for trotting a few local rivers in stolen hours in the evenings. I currently use a 13ft float rod (3 piece) and a 12ft Avon rod and the 12" difference, and the playing action, is quite obvious! If you know of any, or could tell me why there are so few, much appreciated JAK

Dan Got your PM and have E-Mailed you back. I agree that everyone should fish Blenheim at least once in their life. There's one guy who doesn't fish. Every year he hires a punt for the day, goes out in the middle of the lake, reads and sleeps.....I guess for him just to be there is a treat. Personally, not being able to wet a line would drive me spare !!!

Dan have been there at least once a year for the last 15 years or so (am going on the 22nd June) and I have a map of the lake with depths marked on it. if you want to send me a PM I can point you at a couple of swims, baits, tips and work out how to get you the map. Jak

I'm going to cheat and say I have 4 !!!!! But it's my reply so I can say what I like 1) The mist rising, still water, Lilypads and the first few tench bubbles surfacing around a waiting float. 2) the adrenalin shot that surges through you when the float slips under 3) the precise moment of the strike where you feel the weight on the line and the first indication that a fish is on 4) the look on the face of someone proudly holding their first ever fish for the camera (young or old) .......

Fishing brings you into contact with many people ..... from the briefest of passing bys, to lifelong friends ........ for me Argyll was the briefest of passing bys but I always valued his posts. My thoughts are with his friends and family. JAK

Just wondered if anyone else had similar experiences .......... Last week my mate went fishing on a narrow stretch of the River Ivel. Set himself up for legering, baited up and settled down. A bit later on a husband and wife appeared and although there was no one else on the river he fished about 30 yards to my mates left whilst she was only 10 Yards to his left (it's a 3 mile stretch with no marked swims!) After 20 minutes with no action, and fancying a bit of space, he took a rod and a few bits and went stalking. Left behind his chair, umbrella , rod rests and main bag and added some more bait in the hopes the fish would move in. When he came back 1/2 an hour later the woman was standing by his chair and fishing in his swim ......... casting to the spot he'd just baited up! He said he was amazed and when challenged (I can only guess at the words he used) all the woman could say was ..... I thought you'd finished !!!! She went back to her own swim and a bit later caught a 6 1/2lb barbel. My mate blanked and needless to say didn't stay much longer. Am I just getting old and cranky or are more and more anglers concerned with fishing the swim they want with no respect to other anglers space???

Just a story to share ......... wondered if it's happened to anyone else ? Mate and I waggler fishing a small estate lake for a few hours after work. Social fishing in adjacent swims but with a big overhanging tree between us. Shout goes up that he's into a decent carp so I go to reel my rod in and help him (hinder him?).... only to find I'm into a fish as well. After a few minutes it becomes clear we're both playing the same fish (!) It soon becomes apparent that neither of us can get the fish in close without snagging the other one in the tree in the middle. After another minute or so, to much cursing, he pulls out and leaves me playing the fish (I always was the better angler ). Despite my not inconsiderable skills the carp, now finding it's only fighting against one angler, takes me into a set of underwater lily pads and manages to shed the hook!!!! My turn to curse!!! We're fairly sure he caught it first but at no time did it fight like it was foul hooked (we saw it on the surface and it was a good double). All a bit bizarre. Another one shed the hook in the same session and we were left to speculate on what might have been.........

just a small Maggot Feeder and 4 maggots on a size 14........ apparently a few barbel had come out over the previous couple of weeks to maggot as well as a number of chub. You can't beat finding someone prepared to share a bit of local knowledge

Still don't really believe it .......... wasn't expecting a big barbel ............ It's a relatively snag free venue but only had 6lb line with a 5lb hooklength. Fortunately I was using a Shimano reel with fighting Drag and it really helped me play the fish. Normally use a Centrepin but was fishing to the far bank and it was quite windy.

Just got back from my last River Fishing trip before the end of the close season. Fished a relatively local stretch of the Ivel and managed to beat my personal best Barbel My best was 6lb 14oz (or possibly 8lb 12oz) but now it's 11lb 12oz !!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not the best photo in the world but you can see it anyway !!!!!! Hope everyone else finished the season with a bang JAK

Hermes There's also a free stretch around Wheathampstead. I've not fished it but I've heard it's quite good (I've fished club water stretches either side and they both produce good catches (quantity rather than specimen). Hatfield Angling would most probably have details if you gave them a call. Jak

I know the current season hasn't finished yet but a mate and myself are already planning next season . We were going to fish the Severn around Bridgnorth on June 16th and 17th. Not having fished the Severn before i wondered if anyone has any advice on a good day ticket stretch that might not be to crowded and how best to fish it ....... I normally like to feeder fish trot maggot / caster and hemp. thanks Jak

All Visited Warwick Castle on Sunday. Not allowed to take my rod but stood on a bridge over the Warwickshire Avon and noticed a few chub. looked around and found a Sweet Chestnut tree nearby and thought.......Why Not? peeled a few and started dropping bits in off the bridge. Very quickly there must have been a good few 4-5lb Chub taking the sweet chestnut bits along with a number of smaller chub takling smaller bits. Within 5 minutes there must have been getting on for 50-100 chub of various sizes competing for the Sweet Chestnuts and taking them within moments of them hitting the surface ! Anybody ever tried these as a bait ? Not sure how you'd get it on the hook........maybe hair rigging would be best. I guess the fish must be used to people chucking bread off the bridge for the ducks and the nuts being a similar colour might have helped ?

how about a love Story ? Man meets woman. Woman pretends to like fishing. Man marries woman. Woman reveals deep loathing for fishing. Man reveals much rather fish than be with woman anyway. Woman joins Anti-angling brigade. Man leaves woman. Whilst disrupting fishing session woman falls in water and man saves her. Woman finds 4lb 8oz Roach caught in low cut top. Man claims record. Man falls in love with Roach and they live happily ever after together in un-named sussex pit. Realise it needs work but we can get a sub-plot going with the Woman and a Pike angler and the Roach.

I'd like to see more underwater shots. Fish reacting to pre-baited areas, different types of bait etc. Fish reacting to bank side disturbance baits entering the water, different breaking strains, different terminal tackle. Maybe get 2 "competing" anglers to fish close to each other fishing different methods and record how the fish react differently.

Marzi Had 2 days there Friday and Saturday. Didn't know I was going until Wednesday night as it was a surprise 40th present from my wife ! Weather was fine up until Wednesday and then went wet & windy for when I was there !!! Tackle dealer at Mullingar fairly helpful. Fished Lough Slevin first day and had a few roach, some small bream, perch and hybrids. Couple of locals fished and had nothing ! Took mine on maggot feeder ...didn't seem to want groundbait. 6 lads where I was staying fished leonards Bank on the Wednesday (at a small place called ... I think .....Leonards kitchen) and had 30-40lb bream each. On feeder over groundbait. the next day I fished the North shore of the Lough west of Church Lake on Gowna. I had 5lb of Roach and a few small skimmers on the Waggler. there were 8 other lads fishing a match and one had 19lb, one 10lb and the rest less than me Waggler and Pole over groundbait seemed to do better than the ones on feeder. If you need a local contact theres a guy runs a guest house at Finea ...... helped him get his car out of one of the Loughs (!) who fishes Gowna and he gave me his card. I think he had pike gear with him. Can PM you his details.

Good old maggots .........can catch anything on them.

Well done. My sons first tench was just shy of 3lb. Absolutely beside himself when he caught it. Even better for the 5 minute fight to get it in. I can still remember my first tench - 1lb 11oz. My favourite stillwater fish.