andy_youngs

One last suggestion. I don't know if anyones considered spinning with a fly rod, but I don't see why it shouldn't be effective for chub. The attached flyspoon is manufactured by Hildebrandt in the USA, and I understand that the Glasgow Angling Centre has recently started stocking them. They were originally designed to catch steelhead. To date I've used them successfully for perch and mahseer, but I imagine they would also work on chub (or for that matter trout, salmon, sea trout & pike). There needs to be a bit of flow to the river, and you need a fairly heavy rod to cast them (#8 weight or above). I've found a fast continuous figure-8 retrieve works best. Best of all, there's no need to prebait (you know how sniffy some folk can be!)

guess that proves it, the best bait for a big pike is a 3lb livebait ...

mate, flyfishing was invented to make fish easier to catch, not more difficult. Just bescause people haven't traditionally pursued chub on a fly rod doesn't mean that it's not a noble art. I would suggest an open mind towards the definition of a dry fly. Patterns that work best have always been the most realistic imitations available. As far as I'm concerned a bit of rubber bread on a hook is the best dry fly you can get when it comes to big chub... but u gotta prebait

Colin, please refer my initial post (I think no 3 or 4) those flies are made in eastern europe somewhere. I reckon I've got the best method of catching chub on light fly rod sussed though. Take a bucket of mashed bread and walk say a mile stretch of river throwing it in under likely looking chub lies. They'll come up to the surface for it as long as you mash it lightly enough so that it doesnt sink. Use this method to locate the fish. Once you've found them, put a small piece of artificial (rubber) bread on a size 8 or 10 hook and cast it on a light fly rod (7 wieght or below). Strong leader reqd because you'll probably have to 'hook & haul'. In clear conditions, rubber maggots can be fished in the same way, ie, get them interested by offering naturals at first, and then cast an artificial on a small (size 16 or above) hook. Damn ... I gotta get off this site before I give all my secrets away!

Caught a small chub on the River Hodder this time last year with a blue bottle. I was fishing during a dry spell and caught it under overhanging bushes on the far bank on a 7# fly rod. Was staying at the pub in Whitewell at the time. Many unsuccessful attempts on the River Waveney but hey ho. Your chub looks a good livebait size for some of the pike we've got down here on the Broad's (is that legal?) ....

The attached 'real flies' work well for chub. You can order them over the net from http://www.sovereignsuperbaits.co.uk/Lures...real_flies.html Have fun, Andy

I've certainly found this chat absolutely fascinating ... the ideal subject for an internet forum. I reckon Squiffy's right to draw a parallel between the livebaiting issue and the foxhunting ban ... it's all about whether an over zealous minority can mobilise the public into banning something that a few find hugely enjoyable but which most are totally indifferent to. Seems to me that the best course of action is to voice your opinion, be honest, and then complain vociforously if you don't get your own way. Bingo - your right about clubs being the worst culprits for this. I'm fortunate, my local club still permits livebaiting, but other clubs on the Waveney do not. We are prevented from livebaiting in some of the best perch fishing water in the country by a few. Sad state of affairs ...

Apologies for giving personal recommendations in public, but I would like to suggest either the draconvitch rig, or the spira jig, both available by mail order from www.sovereignsuperbaits.co.uk I haven't got shares in them or anything, but I stumbled across their website a few months back and bought some excellent bits of kit there. Twitching a deadbait is a lost art in my opinion.

Whilst I am concerned that the practice of livebaiting might be under threat from a misguided minority, I don't accept that its banning is imminent or inevitable. Anglers in this country contribute a hell of a lot of money to the Environment Agency's pot through the rod license, so the EA damn well ought to listen to anglers point of view when it comes to issues like this (especially if they want us to continue paying our way). I've devoted a large proportion of life to 3 predatory sprecies : pike, perch and mahseer. My preferred method for pike is deadbaiting with herrings / mackeral - sorts out the big ones. Unless of course I'm fishing with my 8 year old nephew, in which case it's got to be livebaiting every time. The sight of that big pike float bombing off still gets my heart pounding, the same as it did when I was 8 years old. Preferred tactics for perch have got to be either bait-fishing with fry or worm, or fly-fishing around wier pools / sluices. Mahseer ... I reckon the best way is to ledger a live 1lb snow trout in the fast flow of a big river and if it's still alive at the end of the fishing session then you eat it. Poor little buggers are doomed whatever happens. Then of course, we could always move on to sea fishing for bass / cod. The injustices that take place whilst harvesting in the middle of the North Sea might make even me wince ...

Poaching of all sorts of game birds has been going on for many centuries and I don't suppose it's going to stop any time soon. Nobody really cares if someone craftily takes a couple of pheasants for the pot over the course of a season, it's the thieves who clear out an entire wood in a single night with silenced 22 rifles that are the problem. If poaching carp for food is becoming a problem then the best solution would be for fishery owners to identify the market and start selling commercially.

They most certainly did. We were staying in a remote fishing / hunting lodge in Alaska with a strict non smoking / non tobacco chewing policy within confines of the lodge (fachists everywhere). Before long, we all ended up sitting outside in the cold, drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and throwing up.

I once chewed a 'plug' of tobacco and threw up. I've smoked 20 cigarettes a day for the last 25 years and thought I could take pretty much anything. Got to talked into it by one of those boys from the deep south ... uk equivalent of 'plug of tobacco consistency' is a stiff paste.

Just bumped into this place : http://www.pisces.demon.co.uk/livebt.html I grew up fishing the river waveney, which for large sections of its reaches forms the norfolk / suffolk boarder. It's alway's been a great for a whole range of coarse species, and certain stretches of the middle reaches have always held big, elusive perch. Through many years of trial and error, I've established that the best way to catch them is to set a bait trap, catch some small fry, and bait fish under the overhanging trees. A size 1 or 1/O hook, clear line and partially filled bubble float usually does the trick. If you can't get any baitfish then a large lobworm will also work (personally, I don't see the difference between using worms and baitfish). The reason I'm posting these hard earned secrets is that I feel it's all under threat. I'm not sure why people feel the need to dictate to others like this - I don't feel the need to go barging into somebody elses living room and demand that they stop wearing leather shoes. But a politically correct liberal element of our society seem intent on doing precisely that. I suppose the point is that if, like me, you find the above website an afront to our civil liberties then please post your views ....

I shouldn't worry too much. Myself and many others have caught numerous turns & moorhens whist carp fishing on the surface with bread. The *** birds are quick, and before you have time to react they've done a number on you. Result is that an embarrased angler has to reel in a bird and unhook it in front of a whole lake of onlooking anglers. Not a pleasant experience ...

Ken - the problem arose because somebody entered a post requesting details of fishing tours in Northern India. The forum rules clearly state that advertising is not permitted (I'm not sure why - no such restrictions on this site), however this did not stop the moderator recommending a prominant tour guide whose profile contains a direct link to the web site of an established tour company. When I posted a comment pointing this out the moderator accused me of being purposefully inflammitory, and launched a personal attack on me over an entirely unrelated discussion which took place months ago on this forum. I then posted what I felt was a measured response, but my comments were edited out. When I complained they banned me. At no time was I rude or unduly critical about anyone, and I therefore feel very aggrieved by the whole business. To my mind the whole point of an internet forum is to ensure and promote freedom of information, thought and speech. You might not agree my views all the time, but surely I'm entitled to an opinion? The moderator has since sent me an e-mail inviting me to engage in a dialogue on msn messanger to try and sort it out. I have accepted and am currently waiting for him make contact. Newt - your comments are noted. I have no problem with the way this forum is run. I acknowledge that I got into a disagreement with another member a few months back, and for what it's worth I thought you handled it very well. It's very sad that it resulted in that member wishing to leave the forum, but nobody forced him to do this, and nobody got banned. As for why 'they' would want to post a response on here, I thought the whole point of this thread was to promote www.indianangler.com

Not for me ... ive just been banned, no explaination or appeal. I had the temerity to suggest that the forum was an advertisment for a single operater who was trying to avoid fair competition, so I was banned. My guess is they'll be burning copies of 'somewhere down the crazy river' next. I suppose they could always post on these pages and try to argue it out like civilised people, but i doubt they've got the guts ...

That sounds suspiciously like a challenge to me (ive got some excellent smoked pike in the freezer). Always fancied smoking a decent size perch but there aren't too many about these days ...

I've encountered rubbish on the riverbank before & I generally try to take it home with me. What I'm confused about is what we're supposed to do with all the rubbish when we get it home ... is discarded nylon line black bin, or blue bin? and what about cleaning fish out for food? every time I clean a fish these days I have to put the off-cuts into the freezer and then transfer to the black bin one day prior to collection ... otherwise things start to grow out of the black bin ...

I voted yes. I respect the wish not to get drawn into a political debate, but I would like to explain why I voted this way. Like my father before me, I usually take a couple pike a year of between 5 and 10lb and smoke them. The flesh is very delicate and it makes a delightful and unusual entree at a dinner party. I used to do the same with eels, but since the population crash a couple of years ago I've stopped taking them.

From personal experience of the Western Ramganga and Saryu over several trips I've always found these guys pretty good : www.otterreserves.com honest, basic service, 4 trips, no complaints

Richard, I wouldnt object to having my favourite water cleaned up / reduced / saved after pollution or low oxygen. In fact, if I was fortunate enough to have a few spare quid at the time I'd probably offer to contribute to the cost. Also, I don't expect the government to improve waters soley for the benifit of anglers. I expect them to improve waters for the benifit of everyone.

I think someone called it the "the brotherhood of the angle" 400 odd years ago

If they ban livebaiting and/or keepnets then I'll ignore them and then refuse to pay for a rod license - the buggers will have to catch me at it ....

Peter - my feeling is that the rivers are a resource which belong to us all and the government should therefore be paying for our waterways to be properly maintained without singling out anglers for an additional charge. In any event, my observations would lead me to question whether the EA is spending our money wisely. They seem very good a spending vast sums of money creating unnecessary bureaucracy, but when it comes to practical things like dredging and maintaining the upper reaches of the river then they are sadly wanting. I recently canoed my local river waveney from its source in Diss to a point approximately 30 miles downstream (no additional tax for this activity I might add ... ). Most of the landowners I spoke to along the way were very disparaging of the EA's efforts. Just a few years ago the respective government agency would cut back reeds / overgrowth at least twice a year - once in the spring and once in late summer. Obstacles would be cleared, and areas of siltation dredged to ensure the river maintains a proper flow. These days, a combination of fiscal stringency and political correctness ensure that nobody bothers. A large extraction pump for irrigating the upper parts of the valley is ok, presumably based on the rational that allowing the upper reaches of the river to completely silt up will encourage biodiversity. In reality, I suspect we are simply building up massive problems for ourselves in a few years time ... Of course, the lower navigable reaches are still dredged regularly, but this is to benifit the boating industry rather than the angling community. Pollution control and maintenance of waterways is vital, but these are things which the government should be doing as a matter of course without singling out one particular recreational user for an additional levy. Granted that restocking programmes are desirable and the EA does positive work in this regard, but equally, a great deal is done by private angling clubs and individuals, and there's always the argument that if the river is kept in a healthy state in the first place then it shouldn't be necessary to restock. Anyway, I guess I'll grudgingly pay the £25 because its the law of land, but I'm afraid I do not have a great deal of confidence that it's fair, or that I'm getting proper value for money.