whistlekiller

I'm quite new to lure fishing too and was a bit worried about what I'd do if I actually managed to land a pike. I have to say that having managed eight pike in the last month (4 trips) I have completely lost my fear (but not respect) of these impressive creatures. As long as you're decisive you can "chin them out" saving a fortune on ruined nets. Once on the bank they're much more placid than carp and a whole lot less disgusting than bream! I would also suggest de-barbing the trebles as this makes the proceedure much easier and I haven't lost a fish as a result. I think that by it's nature, lure fishing doesn't allow for deep hooking as the takes are immediate and you're always in contact with the hooks. A good set of forceps (curved) and a pair of long nosed pliers will make short work of the trebles and I've had no problems putting them back to fight another day. I would suggest having a fellow angler present who has previously caught a pike for your first attempt as they will guide you through the unhooking process correctly. Make sure you have an unhooking mat as they are quite delicate out of water. Finally, I've had all my fish on either a Shakespeare Big S Rattling Plug (a bit bashed up now!), a Fox Micro Jointed Runt (both in perch colours) or a Fox Micro Demon (Bloody Roach) which is a sort of hybrid plug/jelly-tail type lure. Well worth checking out.

Mick Brown is very funny (the one out of The Great Rod Race where he manages to wallop his head on his folding chair always makes me laugh) and he and Matt Hayes obviously get on very well which is why their programmes are always so good. Gord Burton is an eccentric and spellbinding to watch. In answer to another post what does it matter whether Matt Hayes casts left or right handed. He's done an awful lot for angling and is always full of enthusiasm. He doesn't fish crap venues because (a) it makes bad television and ( he's made a lot of money so good luck to him. Would you fish a crap venue if you had his advantages? I bloody wouldn't.

I'm fairly new to fly-fishing myself (about 10 months) and would like to recommend the Greys GRX 6/7wt 9' 6" 2 piece rod (approx £100) and the Greys GRX 5/6 size reel (approx £50) as they balance really well and won't let you down. Also, the new Greys GRXi rods are coming out soon so you might be able to get the GRX at a knockdown price. As for lines, a Cortland 444 WF7F is a good starting point (approx £35). I have caught trout, carp and chub on this set up and it's good fun, especially the carp! I agree with your other repondents, don't buy fishing tackle from Argos. A good tackle shop will be able to help you far better and cheaper, especially with fly gear.

What you were doing is no more irresponsible than any multi rod set up. If the no-it-all had two runs at the same time on his legers it would have been exactly the same wouldn't it? Do what I do mate, one carp rod out on the deck with a bite alarm and a fly rod with a hedgehog fly on the top (connected to me - no technology at all) surface fishing. That gets all sorts giving me advice. I still catch a lot of carp and they don't get hurt. Incidentally, the fly rod approach wins by a ratio of 10:1 at my local water - bigger fish too!

I started getting a spot of tennis elbow so I bought a Greys GRX 4/5wt 8'6" to try and make life easier. I'm no brilliant caster but I've found it a lot more pleasurable to use than the heavier rods and playing trout and chub on it is great as it has a much softer action. I've yet to have a hook pull on it due to this. Mind you, I wouldn't use it for my usual target of carp. Then it's back to the 6/7wt and the Nurofen gel!

Get a 6/7wt 9'6" mid action fly rod with a floating weight forward fly line (and plenty of backing) and go after some carp. I use hedgehog flies having first got the carp up on the surface with a few dog mixers....a word of warning, when you hook one hang on for dear life and play them on the reel if you want to avoid line burns. I caught an 18 pounder and it took nearly half an hour to bring in. Even 8 to 10 pound fish put up an incredible fight. Going back to a carp rod afterwards is very difficult as it's so bloody easy!

The lake I fish has been slow for most too but I think this is cos everone is fishing on the deck regardless of what's going on. However, I've had over 30 carp to nearly 18lbs out over the last three weekends but they've all (without exception) been off the top on a light fly-rod and pellet imitation fly. I'm sure that this is due to the simple nature of my tactics as there are a lot more experienced anglers there with much more technical savvy than me so maybe the techie stuff is clouding their judgement. I blame a lot of the available magazine articles for this situation.

Sorry about repeating your post in the above Dan! I'm a bit new to forums.... I fly-fish for carp quite regularly now and have had great success with carp to nearly 18lbs on a Deer Hair pellet imitation from Sovereign Super Baits (do a Google search to find them). I catapult out a small amount of dog biscuits to get the carp on top and cast the fly to the area before the ripples have subsided. I use a Greys GRX 6/7 weight 9' 6" rod (make sure you have a fighting butt attached!) with a Cortland 555 WF 7 line and a good helping of backing. Onto this I tie a 10ft tippet of 9lb mono (the stretchier the better) via a braided loop. I tie on the fly with a grinner knot but not really tight. This gives an extra bit of shock absorbancy when the carp takes. The takes are always, always extremely violent and it's very important to get the line onto the reel as quickly as possible to prevent line burns to your hands! You should ensure that you have a reel with a good drag system and to this end I use a Greys GTX, a good reel for under £100. I like trout fishing but carp on a fly rod is something else. The fight is incredible and on one memorable occasion lasted nearly 50 minutes although this is probably down to my preference for lighter tackle. If you choose to use a light rod I would definitely suggest checking that the water concerned doesn't contain any monsters or you could be in serious trouble! Once I can work out how to do it, I'll put up a picture of a nice fly caught carp. Good luck!