James P

Hi all, long time since posting here after having a couple of children. I live in Bridgwater, Somerset and would like to know where the closest barbel and chub fishing is to me. I was thinking either the Bristol Avon or River Taff, but would love to know if anyone has an alternative choice. Thanks, James

Thanks a lot Newt. Thanks very much for your kind words Dave. Was it really that long ago you had that pole? Blimey time flies doesn't it! How are you getting on with it by the way? James

Hello, due to a baby on the way I'm having a bit of a clearout and I'm selling quite a lot of tackle. Have a look at my items here Regards James

Have just stumbled upon this website/blog. Looks like some people's prayers may have been answered... Caliber Tackle James P

Hi John, the rod was almost as good at 20ft as it was at 17ft - I only noticed a little difference in balance due to the extra length. I could certainly hold it all day and not grumble one bit. The section above the butt is parallel and can be used for 20ft or left out for 17ft. In my opinion Daiwa have never made a bad high end rod, and I think you'd find it perfect for what you want. James

Hi John, I've tested a few 20ft rods when I was looking at getting one myself, and in my honest opinion the only one that stood out was the Daiwa Spectron 17-20ft. At 20ft it's light, as stiff as you'll need and has a beautiful soft tip to cushion any hooklength when roach fishing. It's also very crisp on the strike for hitting fast bites. I also looked at a Maver Reactorlite, Shimano and Daiwa Matchwinner equivalent but the Spectron was superb. Regards James

Who's Steve Burke? I'm sure there will be a few good fish caught this season, especially as big Perch are becoming more widespread than they were a while back. I've not heard of many Perch around or over the 3lb mark around here, but i'm sure that's because not many people target them, if any. I'm off out Saturday/Sunday morning for a few hours each to try and target some Perch, but seeing as we have so much water in my area it's going to be hard locating them. Might have to get the lure rods out. James P

Steve, what areas can you fish on the amalgamated card? I live near Taunton in Somerset, and would like to start trying a few stretches of the Avon for both Perch and Roach this autumn/winter. Can you suggest any good areas to start looking at? James P

Another stunning fish Anderoo! I love seeing specimen perch probably more than any other fish, save for roach and the two on this thread are crackers. Incidentally, I have a mistral avon float exactly the same as that one. Do you know if you can still get them? James P

Let's hope not Chris! That second fish looks a cracker, and the black eye really stands out. Do you feed maggot whilst fishing lobworm? James P

Brilliant Lutra, absolutely brilliant! What a beautiful fish - it looks massive. Well done.

He's certainly not as smug as some of the guys on this forum who like sitting atop their moral highground like kings! No wonder I hardly see any new members posting on here - it's like a private members only club sometimes, and heaven help anyone who should go against the grain. Who cares whether the guy caught them on a £400 Carbotec rod or a piece of split cane and a bent pin, at least he seems to be enjoying himself despite his ailments. Surely that's all that matters?

The TackleShop link above is selling them for under £250 Rusty, even more savings. James P

No problem Jomo. I'm sure when you do fish either of those, you'll have a fantastic day's fishing.

Without trying the hard sell bigginz92, i'm just about to put a mint condition Shimano 5000GTE-B baitrunner on eBay and would be looking for £50 for it. It's a very solid bit of kit and come boxed with a spare spool. Let me know if you're interested. Regards James