JeffB

Hi all, I'm off to visit the parents in North Wales over xmas and can't resist getting a fly wet while I'm there... I have found a fishery, which is Troutmaster recognised, called Graiglwyd Springs Trout Fishery, near Conwy. Has anyone out there fished it or at least know of it? I actually want to know of the eating quality of the fish... The reason I ask is that having fished an Essex fishery near home recently (I won't name and shame) I was told by the owner that the fish ate really well. However, when I went to the on-site lodge/tackle shop at the end of the day with a good rainbow the young lad working there quickly told me that he 'wouldn't eat anything out of here'... I fould out why, having cooked my fish at home it tasted of nothing but rotten mud!!! Thanks in advance for any help! Jeff

Cheers guys, Well I and the rest of the fisherman all caught a few keepers, My best was a Cod of about 3&1/2lb, I also took a beautiful Whitting that must have been a good 2lb. The best fish of the day was A cod of 4lb 10oz. I fished lug/squid cocktail to begin with but was harrased by the smaller Whitting. I then (as someone recommended) switched over to whole Squid fish on a pennel rig and had less but better fish taking 3 Cod and the big Whitting. Thanks again guys,

Hi guys, I'm off out on an Bradwell-Essex charter boat this Sunday for the first time in ages. I'll be using the skippers fishing gear and bait etc but want to know if there's anything more I can do to improve my chances other than just simply dropping the line over the edge of the boat, wait and see-style??? The fish expected now are Cod and Whitting with a late run of Bass still very possible. With the skipper having 8 or 10 anglers to tend to I can't expect too much one-2-one attention but I'd love to know what sort of questions I could ask with regards to how best to present a bait on the ground we're fishing, where, if anywhere I should try and cast to (gullies etc), how best to register bites, what bait cocktails to try etc etc etc...??? Sorry that the thread is vague, I know the skipper will undoubtably be pointing us all in the right direction anyway, but I just want to know if there's anything at all I should or could be doing to boost my chances, even just a little...? Cheers, Jeff

Cheers for the info fella, I am trying to get a booking in the next few weeks so hopefully it may have improved on current form!

Cheers Dave, Didn't you used to run the Predator out of Burnham? If so I've been out with you a few times... jeff

Morning all, I'm hoping to get out on an Essex charter boat some time in the next month and wonder how it's been fishing lately. Reports on the boat form anywhere from Canvey around to Bradwell are most welcome! Look forward to hearing from you, Jeff

I see your point there Peter, but I'm actually going to be fishing a fairly choppy weir pool where a normal float set up with a susspended bait would be difficult to hold in one place and control. I appreciate that it might be good to allow a dead-bait to drift through the swim searching out the pike, but on this occasion I know where the Pike are most likely to be situated, which tight under an undercut bank...

Some nice info there Andy, cheers, I have been on the trail of thought that I would be inseting the floating material inside the fishes cavity, I totally forgot about these clip-on pop-up jobbies that you've pictured above!!! They'll be much better to use, I was affraid of stuffed fish coming off and endangering Pike, but with this method it will be problem solved... Thanks

Hello all, I am going to revisit an old favorite Pike venue of mine but know that a problem awaits me that I must over-come. The place is crawling with Signal Crayfish and I must therefore pop-up my baits. I'm all OK with how to pop em up using foam, polystyrine (spelling!) etc but my main concern is how best to extra secure the fish to my rig so to stop it dropping off during a cast or fight? How do you secure your popped-up dead-baits to you rig??? Cheers, Jeff

Why, you wouldn't be that fella with the Gimp-mask on chained to the radiator in the back-ground of the picture would you???

Can we keep the man-love to another forum please... LOL!

Cheers guys, Some sound advice there and I now plan to travel as light as poss' on my next trip out so as I can cover more water and get away from my fav'/safe spots...

Top man, cheers!

Pete, I know what you mean, tell one person and the whole world turns up with the enevitable cow-boys who don't have a clue how to safely treat and handle a Pike... I reckon it's time to buy an Ordinance Survey map and get hunting... That said, I know the venues I fish hold much bigger pike but I can't seem to attract them, what's your thoughts on that???

I have fished the Lea for years over in Hertfordshire, that's where I caught my current PB... I'm going to have a search on that other place you mention right now, cheers!

Hi all, OK, I have fished for the Pike for many years and have had plenty of late singles and a couple of doubles with my PB standing at 11Lb. Basically I am busting to beat my PB but for no want of trying I just can't seem to find those bigger fish... I have a very good hit rate in respect that I rarely, if ever, lose a fish once I've hooked it so that's not the problem, so it's down to the fact that I'm just literally not intercept those bigger fish...??? Whether I'm dead-baiting, Live-baiting (which I rarely do these days) or lure fishing, in either lake or river, I can almost always snag a few Jacks when I'm out with most trips usually turning up a nice fish between 6 to 9Lb... Still, that illusive bigger Pike never seems to find my bait/lure? I am very concious about presentation and always arm myself with a good selection of baits and lures. I even recently tried to take a more mobile approach to my pike fishing understanding that covering water is a good idea... Oh, and I know of and have seen caught some very good fish in the places I'm fishing so I know they are there to be had!!! I'm sure you get my drift so I'll shut up with my winging and ask if there's any advice that you'd kindly share that might help me finally crack my PB??? THANKS, JEFF [ 29. September 2005, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: JeffB ]

I got myself down there after the bass upon that very hot weekend we had. Nothing doing then, not even the livebaits!

Morning all, I have seen this point almost hit upon several times but would like to highlight it in the cold light of day... Some have mentioned Greepeace etc. Well I would like to ask as to whether such charities and organisations could opporate without funding? Well we all know that the answer is NO... There is not a charity or such-like that can survive or be active without finance. All of them from the WWF to the Save the Whales fund would come to a grinding hault without money. For no money means no way of mobilising. In this resepct I see that the money raised by us anglers for a rod licence could be our means to mobilse, our way of gaining a political voice that cannot be ignored, and our way of funding a sort of 'Save our Sea' appeal. From tiny acorns do mighty Oaks grow. Something that has been greatly frowned upon is the fact that our hobby would be more in the hands of the government. I say that it does not have to be this way, for why can't this rod licence be regulated and issued by an angling body as selected by us. Make the licence volentary like a charity, with the money being raised used to target areas of great concern...??? It's just an idea and I know there are organisations in place already that act a little in this way. I suppose I am suggesting that a nationwide central angecy be set up by us anglers headed up by people whom we trust and feel confident with... I know, I'm going off on a tingent but I just feel that a lot more can be done than is at this time and that funding can make bigger waves than the tiny splashes we make at the moment... [ 29. June 2005, 10:13 AM: Message edited by: JeffB ]

Oi, I'm not bad you know, but even if I was a ragin bandit I'd still have good taste so you're alright

I see what you're getting at Leon and I suppose I am basing my ideals of the licence around the facts of the coarse/game licence... I feel that it is not entirely impossible to transfer some of the good things done in that corner of the angling qorld to this... There will of course be much difference in the needs of the sea environment but the principles of sustain, regain and replenish are still the same no matter what the type of angling, all be it on a much greater scale.... I'll ask this to those of you that are against: what other method, that is currently in opporation, can make a real difference?

So many of you have said that you wouldn't be prepared to pay for a licence to fish for fish that aren't there but the money raised from your licence might just put fish there, OK, it will take time of course but this funding could start to make a change.....

OK so I got a figure more than a little wrong... That asside I still feel the licence is a good idea for my above reasons... NO you don't have trawlers ripping through the local canal but you have had pollutants that needed removing and the problem of vast amounts of fish stocks being eaten by the Cormorants that have been forced inland... Add to this the terrible condition that some of our inner-city waters had to be saved from in recent years and you'll see that every water has its problems. The sea is just on a bigger acale... Still, I assume you'd like to leave things as they are then? Nice.....

Stavey, I appreciate that some people may have no job due to ill health or disability but those that are able bodied CAN find work, whether it be temping or whatever, I never buy in to this "oh I can't get a job..." crap and won't start now... I'd recommend you tell those friends to get their priorities right and stop with the fishing and start writing their CVs and get some job hunting done.... [ 28. June 2005, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: JeffB ]

Yep, but it's still happening all to often and if it's not our anglers taking the fish it's the foreign vessels that can come as close as the 6 to 12 miles range of our coast...