Anderoo

Bugger, got the wrong pastry. Back to co-op this evening then! Thanks Andy.

Thanks for the replies folks! The river I'll be fishing sees very little angling pressure - do you see this as a problem using cheesepaste, or is it an 'instant' bait? (In case you're wondering why I'm using a new bait on a new river in pretty tough weather - I like a challenge!)

Despite having fished since I was 4 years old, I've never used cheesepaste. I'm going to give it a bash at the weekend and I've got what looks like a decent recipe from the web (puff pastry with mature cheddar and danish blue, lovely) but my question is, can this be frozen and refrozen etc? I'd like to make a good old lump of it and be able to keep thawing it, using what I need and refreezing it. Will this ruin it, or maybe make it better?

Disgusting. For me, being out in the countryside is the main attraction of angling. I don't understand the mentality behind littering.

That does sound appealing! I guess trotted livies would do the trick... But I'm now in a chubby mood, and the thought of wandering along a new stretch of stream with a few bits and pieces is too much to resist. I think I'll get a weir permit for next season though. It'll be a new type of fishing for me, and weirpool pike will be high on the list...!

Excellent, thanks Steve. I guess that's settled then - I'll let you know how I get on.

I agree with Andy, to a point. Pikers can often spot a decent pike swim a mile off and these are often nowhere near where you'd expect prey fish to be. For example, when I lived in Norfolk I regularly fished a smallish river, wobbling for pike. Virtually every pike I caught was from right in the margins where it was shallow and overgrown. When I fished the same river for roach/chub/dace/perch/etc. they were always in the centre channel. In a very large, clear Surrey lake I fish, again, virtually all my pike come from within a rod-length from the bank where it is very shallow. All the prey fish are a decent distance out, especially in the winter. It seems likely that we're good at identifying areas where pike rest up comfortably rather than areas where pike normally feed. I bet the pike can't believe their luck when a bait is dropped right where they're sitting rather than them having to go off hunting! A further question: do the types of runs you get differ depending on where you're fishing? If you cast to an area where prey fish are present do you seem to get a stronger run than if you fish in a holding area (because the pike is already where he want to be)?

Cheers Rudd, a fair point, I just had another look on Metcheck and it's supposed to be -4 on Friday night (with a windchill of -8!). The Thames is probably the best bet, but I haven't fished the stream yet and it looks so fishy. At least it's now narrowed down to 2 options. Anyone have any experience of fishing smaller streams for chub in these temps? If I'm honest, I'd rather fish the stream, but only if it's worthwhile...

Well, the weekend is approaching and I can't decide what to do - it's a choice between fishing a small stream for roach and chub, fishing a larger river (Thames) for chub, or doing a spot of gravel pit piking. I need to make my mind up pretty quickly because I need to get sorted out with bait, etc. It's supposed to be cold (2 degrees) and bright with and a north-easterly wind. What would you do?

I coil them up and store them in a rig wallet. It takes up hardly any room and keeps about a dozen traces easily. Rig bins are good but take up too much room for me - I like to carry the smallest bag I can when piking, and need room for a flask of coffee!

I used to fish Woodlakes regularly about 12 years ago (I lived just down the road). The trout lake used to be a real gem - deep, clear, weedy, and stocked sympathetically with lovely, fit trout that overwintered well. As soon as the carp went in it changed completely - maybe (hopefully) it's settled over time. Even before the carp were stocked there were one or two in there; you could see them basking in the margins if you were quiet. The 'proper' carp lakes were good for stalking, especially 2 poles and the S pit. With a rod and loaf of bread you could catch dozens, including some low doubles, in a day. Very enjoyable. I never understood why people set up camp and stayed put all day. Congrats on your catch though, that's a great session. Especially as you did something different from the crowds. I'd make the most of it though, it's likely to get rather more busy now I suspect...!

Ah, I recognise that swim! Just joking - congrats, that's a cracker.

I couldn't agree more, Steve. Anglers are either fishing, thinking about fishing, or reading about fishing, and I'd love a weekly that reported angling news with a few decent articles thrown in. The advertising doesn't really bother me, what stops me buying them is their blokey, Daily Mail-esque tone. Cartoons (really rubbish cartoons, no wit, no content), 'pub chat', women in bikinis, wierd fixation with immigrants and asylum seekers. The monthly carp mags are as bad for different reasons (fixation with celebrity, named fish and waters, a new boilie every week, a new variation on an already overly complicated rig, shameless product placement), so I don't but those any more either. The best (monthly) mag at the moment in my opinion is Coarse Fisherman. It seems to have a nice spread of content covering many different species and tactics, and doesn't seem to suffer from the above problems. I wonder how many people out there would buy an angling weekly that ignored commercials, pointless (carp) rig variations, product placements, and unresearched right-wing opinion. I would but, sadly, I expect I'd be in a minority. I had an interview at one of the weeklies many years ago - every time I've picked a copy up since then I've felt genuine relief that I didn't get the job.

Hi Steve I haven't used a Fox Specialist Duo but I bought a Fox Specialist Barbel rod (1 1/2lb tc) a couple of years back, and it's exceeded expectations. With the quiver top it's great for small stream stalking and with the regular top it makes a brilliant light carp/tench/bream rod. Too much grunt for roach/dace/etc. but very light and forgiving. I've only ever caught one barbel on it but it's now my most-used rod. Worth checking out the Fox Duo I reckon.

I'm going to try for an upper Thames carp. Any size will do, and flukes will be counted!

Norfolk drains, e.g. Relief Channel, Cut-off Channel, Middle Level (for Zander) River Thames Frensham (even caught a carp!)

I should warn you all not to underestimate my ability to not catch a catfish. It's becoming legendary. Laugh! as the squid goes rancid in the sun. Marvel! as halibut pellets fly off the hair. Weep! as strikes to screaming runs meet with fresh air. Happy memories!

Is it too late to put my name down? I've been after a cat for a couple of seasons now and failed miserably (apart from a tiddler). Would be good to meet some of you.

All very inspiring, thanks for your replies. I'm a little concerned that one of Alan Stubbs' best memories is breaking his ankle, but who am I to judge! It's great to hear that, for a lot of you, angling brings you together with others, and that it opens up opportunities to see other wildlife your average man on the street would never see. PS Norfolk Dan, great photos - if you do still live in Norfolk and want to know of a grayling river near you (believe it or not) PM me. I grew up in Norfolk, and one day, hopefully, I'll return!

What's your best angling memory of last year? A big fish, finally making a breakthrough on a new water, trying a new method? Mine would have to be a toss up between a day's trout fishing and a day's tenching. I can flyfish on a club stretch of the river Wey in the close season, and on a beautiful spring day, with no-one else on the river, I managed to fool a perfect brownie of about a pound on a dry sedge, from a really overgrown swim. No trout are stocked it this stretch and I really didn't expect to catch anything. The feeling of actually managing to winkle one out was amazing. The day's tenching was on the first day of the season at a big Surrey lake. The weather was pretty rough, with high winds and rain, but the tench loved it and over the course of the morning I had a dozen lovely, fat tench, all over 5lb and the best going 8lb 4oz, a new pb. I only stopped because I'd run out of bait! Again, I didn't expect much that day and to bag up was a real treat. (I'd love to tell you they were all taken on the lift method, but I'm afraid they all fell to a method feeder and little boilies.) Just writing this a couple of things are apparent - I'm longing for spring, and I enjoy myself when I expect to blank!

I've never had the need for a tool to open a pike's mouth, but Peter's right about tiny pike being a pain, especially with two trebles and a finger or two inside a small mouth/gill flap. Jacks are very lively and slippery, and I would expect them to come to harm with something like this in their mouth - but I haven't used one, so I could be wrong. You can always just use your forceps to ease a small pike's mouth open, and then a bit of pressure on the trace should keep it open long enough to remove the hooks.

Used responsibly, maybe. Anything gag-like still has a lot of potential to break teeth if the fish is anything but placid.

Unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Unfortunately, this will only ever be used by less experienced pikers. EDIT: And I see I included Peter Waller in that group!

I lived in Mitcham and Colliers Wood for many years before moving out west. I never did fish the Wandle, but I used to walk its banks regularly (it's the only vaguely scenic feature for miles). Around the Savacentre and up to Merton Abbey Mills there are fish everywhere, including some decent sized chub (I used to feed them bread - they looked criminally easy to catch) and reports of a few barbel and trout. The reason I used to drive miles into Surrey and Hampshire for my fishing instead of making the most of what was on my doorstep is that I knew I wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy it properly. The people I did see fishing there were mostly beginners using very crude tackle or, interestingly, the odd old boy flyfishing. If you want to catch, running a float through with bread or lobworm will see you into chub (and maybe trout) of all sizes, or for the elusive barbel try the pools with some legered meat or pellet. Night fishing is productive, but I wouldn't risk it. It's a beautiful stretch of water - it's a real shame it happens to run straight through south London.

Hi all I've just moved house, and I'm now within a long-haul's distance from Farmoor in Oxfordshire. I've had a (cold and windy) walk along one of the concrete banks and talked to a guy who told me that it's a very good floating lines and buzzer fishery, and that there's no need for a boat as the water's very deep close in. Does anyone (or has anyone) fish here and, if so, are there any tips you can pass on? In the spring and coarse fishing close season I can do some evening sessions after work, which will be great. Also, I can fish the lower Evenlode (near where it enters the Thames) in the close season for brownies. Any idea if this is worth the effort? It looks very snaggy and tricky to flyfish. Thanks in advance.