Pete Elleray

Where's the con? It does exactly what it says, runs from date of purchase to the end of the financial year. If you don't like it, complain to the agency. Pete

The knotless knot is as easy as Richard says but be careful which way, clockwise or anticlockwise, you whip the knot on the shank. On most hooks there is a gap between the end of the eye and the shank of the hook; you have to make sure that you don't wrap line tight at this gap. In step 3, feed the hooklength through from the back of the hook. Then, when you start the whipping in step 4, make sure that the first bend in the line is round the solid bit where the shank bends into the eye. After the last turn of the whipping, feed the hooklength through from the back of the eye as in step 5. Pete

Take no notice of rrp, this is a marketing dodge to persuade you that you are getting a bargain. It's the same with 'worth £xyz', it isn't worth anything if nobody wants it. Pete

Yes, me

What's wrong with that? The lad has had a good fish on, presumably, light tackle; a good result that deserves praise. Pete

It sounds as if you are baiting one day for a session on the evening of the next day. If you can guarantee that the swim will be free, you should pop round whenever you can and dump some feed in. It is probably better if the groundbait smells something like the bait you plan to use but it doesn't really matter if you are after carp. Pete

Sounds like your mix is too wet. But your note isn't clear. Did you have a problem rolling the sausages? Pete

The sharp folding knife in my tackle bag is used to trim bankside vegetation so that my line and bobbins don't tangle in it. The blunt fixed one is for digging around when I am looking for worms. And, before the usual smarta-s start moaning, I don't lay waste to the bankside vegetation. Pete

It is only a stupid question if you really mean 'strike'. If whatever it is is taking line all you should do is lift the rod, apply some pressure to the spool to slow it down and then disengage the freespool. And please make sure that your clutch is not set too high. Pete

If it is for a fixed spool reel, don't put a pencil through the spool of new line. Put the new line on the floor, feed the end through the butt ring, tie it to the spool on your reel, and wind in, with the butt ring above the spool on the floor, just as Chesters suggests. The line goes on your reel the same way it comes off its spool; if you get line twist as you reel in, turning the spool over should get rid of the twist.

Steve, your cries aren't wasted. I bought a pair of GFx alarms when my Optonics gave up the ghost and am pleased that I made the change. Pete

Hi, 1lb test curve sounds a tad light for tench, carp and chub. The line strengths suggested above sound about right but you could have problems controlling a half-decent fish. I would have thought that a one and a quarter pound rod, John Wilson Avon is a good example, would be better. Pete

Hi Moggy, try www.tenchfishers.com. There is some information there that might help or might give you a link to another source. General advice is difficult as you don't say how much you know about fishing. Regards, Pete

Several lakes on the Longleat estate. The biggest is Shearwater on the southern edge of the estate, I think that this is controlled by a local club (Waminster ?) and I am sure that they do daytickets. The others are a series of 2 or 3 ponds on the stream through the Deer Park in front of the house, there are day tickets for these but I don't know who issues them - try the information centre on the estate. A similar question was asked in this forum last year. Try a search for 'warminster' or 'longleat'. Pete

This morning (Thursday 15th) the Itchen at Gaters Mill was high and coloured. It isn't over the banks there and you shouldn't have any problems. (I didn't go up to the top end.) Pete

Sorry John but I don't think you are getting isotopes at that price. I haven't bought one for years but I would guess that they are around £8 each. Real isotopes last for years and years, I can still remember discarding the ones that I bought back in the seventies. Any decent tackle shop will stock them, I haven't looked recently because those that I bought five or six years back are still glowing. Please note that doesn't mean that LIDL's whatevers are no good. Next time that I am near one of their shops I will drop in and see what they are selling as isotopes. Pete Sorry, I forgot to say that they come in various colours and, I think, several intensities. They are all the same size, as far as i know any isotope will fit any bobbin designed to accept an isotope.

Anthony78, suggest you take some sweetcorn with you. Works a treat on that stretch.

It might be easier to give a positive answer if you told us which area you want to visit, whether you want a river or stillwater, and what you intend to fish for. Pete

If you are on the near side of London then Christchurch and Ringwood are possibilities. Try contacting the tackle shops there to see if they can advise you. Pete

I would think that standard means sliding rings, which, for modern tackle, means cr4p. Get the screw seat. Pete

Thanks to the BBC for an outstanding programme. One of the few that I shall enjoy watching again and again. Pete

Kestrel, the ATTx can be switched between vibrate and sound. I wasn't sure about the tone so I have been out in the garage checking it; there is only one tone but there are separate LEDs on the ATTx to tell you which alarm went off. But attaching the transmitters to the bite alarms doesn't affect their operation so the 'active' alarm will sound and its LED will light. The ATTx can be used with up to four alarms, you need to specify the number when you order the system. Pete

Hi. I use the ATTX system on my GFv alarms and have nothing but praise for the combination. When you order the ATTX you need to tell them what alarms you are using and they send transmitters that fit those alarms. Pete

Bolt rigs for roach, it depends on how far you are casting. And shouldn't your swingers be on a tight line ready to fall back? I am not an experienced 'roach on big pits' angler but what little I have done has been with either a helicopter rig or a running feeder. Try the helicopter with the line wound up tight so that bites are indicated by the tip waggling or the swinger dropping.

They are probably Rooks or Jackdaws. Come the fall they gather together at night into a comunal roost. One lake that I fished had one of these roosts on the bank, at dusk you would see normal-sized flocks of Rooks approaching from all directions to form an enormous flock in the roosing site, in the morning they split up again and went off to wherever they had come from. And they were noisy at both ends of the night.