Unimexsol

When I've not caught anything, it's peeing down with rain and it's cold I often ask myself the same question:)

You can get loads going along the Lee Navigational Canal in London, at night with a torch and a net. Just shine the torch in at the waters edge and you'll see them on the sides of the canal.

Phew, either way I won't be trying them again. Besides I'm not entirely sure I'd be happy eating them from the Lee in London, no matter how much it's been cleaned up!

Are you sure that you really want a seat box Elaine? Personally I find it much more flexible and a lot lighter to have a separate folding chair and a tackle bag. I tried several seat boxes but found them very uncomfortable and heavy to carry on my back. I also didn't like the fact that if I ever wanted to get at a particular piece of tackle I'd have to stand up and open up my seat. You can get very light and cheap folding stools and seats now, I think Tesco's sell some for less than a tenner and I can't see much of a disadvantage.

Erm, I didn't think we had to cook them Newt? We just ate them straight from the packet. I'm sure they were cooked already - you've got me worrying now! They were red, like cooked prawns and were next to the cooked prawns - I bloomin' hope they were cooked.

They sell crayfish tails in Sainsbury, My missus and I tried them but just didn't like them at all. Not like prawns at all IMO

Carp is my guess, if you got a glimpse and subconciously don't think that it was a pike then it probably wasn't. Could it have been a large chub maybe?

Out of interest did these "nuisance" fish take the bait on the drop or from the bottom (I'm assuming you were on the bottom if you were after Tench.) I only ask as I thought that, in general, Rudd were surface feeders?

Thanks for the information guys. I hope that it will be a long time before I can get provide pictures but unfortunately it doesn't look as if it will be. Who knows, I may start fishing with split cane once again.

Well, I think?? I was talking about the same thing. It's a breathable type sack that you can weight a fish in but also allows the fish some comfort in the water until it is released. I suppose that my landing net could serve the same purpose, although I'm not sure that it would offer the same support. I fully agree with you about trying to minimise the time out of the water and the amount of handling, it's to try to minimise the amount of handling that I've been considering one of these sacks. I also weigh most of my fish in my landing net. Saying that I don't weigh many of my fish, only those that I think are largish. On the same type of subject I always used a keepnet when I was a kid, now I can't remember the last time that I ever put a fish in a keepnet. I can understand it for match fishing but I can't see any other reason to use one.

Only food guarenteed to turn a kitten into a cat. Unfortunately a divorce will only turn her into a bitch.

Don't worry, I'm a man and I'm a fisherman. That means that I know it all already.

"Too young to grow whiskers Eh lad?" "Why the bloody hell are we wearing red tunics and white helmets - surely something in green would have been a better choice?" "Do you know a good life insurance salesman?" "Last time I come on safari here" "Sorry, I've just realised I've an urgent appointment in London, don't worry I'm sure you'll be fine" "You don't happen to have anything that could be used as a white flag on you by any chance?" "If we get out of this alive, will you marry me?"

Surely though you wouldn't just throw a pike, or a barbel, or a carp straight back in after a hard fight though without holding it for it to recover though. BTW I obviously mean holding it in the water, not just standing there expecting it to grow lungs! It's a balance, for me, between handling the fish as little as possible and holding the fish lightly but securely whilst it recovers. The way that I know that a fish has recovered is that it gives a wiggle of it's tail and disappears.

I've never purchased one before but I was in the tackle shop today and I asked about buying one. Unfortunately the shop didn't have any in stock but the guy quoted me about £30 for one. Is there a cheaper and better alternative? Would an ordinary hessian onion bag from the greengrocer do the same job or should I bite the bullet and invest in one? At the moment I tend to weigh a fish in the landing net and release it by holding it in my hands until it has got it's "breath back". This is more for pike than any other fish as they are pretty much the only fish that I catch that it applies to.

Funnily enough a couple of the split cane rods that I will inherit are my father's own creations. I find it amazing that it wasn't all that long ago (40 years?) that a fair few anglers made their own rods. You may remember that last year I asked about getting a rod repaired that my father had made for me. Ok that was made from Carbon fibre blanks but even still I doubt that many anglers now can make up a rod from a blank. As for the steel rod I've only ever held it once or twice and compared to modern rods it weighs an absolute ton!

Took one of my sons fishing today. We went to a spot where I regularly catch plenty of small silvers and the odd decent perch and small pike. It's not his very first time fishing but he very rarely comes. Conditions seemed almost perfect, we got there at about 6ish (when it is usually a catch a chuck) and we fished with maggot on a small hook. Did we catch anything? Did we buggery! The fish were there, whenever I threw in hookbait they were up on the surface taking them but I tried everything. Varying sink times, different depths, different colour maggots, casters, leaving the bait, twitching it. Do you think anything worked? It was just one of those days! Obviously we were doing something wrong but I'm jiggered if I know what. My son didn't complain though, I'm really proud that he didn't complain once of being bored (he's 15 and at that age I think everything that the parents do is BORING!) we packed up at 9pm and he did say that he would come fishing again despite blanking tonight. I'm just gutted that despite my very best efforts neither of us could catch. It wasn't just us, my brother in law joined us at about 7ish and he blanked too. Damn those pesky fish - anyone would think that they don't want to be caught! I'm hoping to persuade his twin brother to come with me on Sunday for a couple of hours, I just pray that we have a bit more luck.

What should one do with them if you catch them? Kill them or return them? In particular I'm talking about the Signal crayfish and the Chinese Mitten crab both of which are not native to the canal where I'm fishing but both of which seem to be thriving. Ps I'm not going to be eating either!

Yes, it is fine. That's the short answer. The longer answer is: From your question I'm guessing that you haven't been specialising in carp fishing and are now considering it. If you decide that catching big carp is what you really, really, want to do then you will move on to more expensive equipment as your knowledge progresses. To be honest, and I hope that others will agree with me, the fish cannot see what rod you are using. Of far more importance is how you are presenting the bait. I constantly rail against the idea that you have to spend lots of money on specific rods to catch specific fish - however there is a level where you get to when having a specific rod will help a little. One way to think of it is how much difference would a pair of £50 football boots compared to a pair of £150 boots make to how good you are at football? For me the boots could cost £1000 and I'd still be useless. However to a professional footballer the extra £100 might make the difference between great goal and inch wide. What I'm trying to say is that until you become a specimen hunter then almost any half decent rod will be ok. Of course most tackle shops will just see ££££ signs as soon as you mention the word Carp. BTW, txt spk is not gr8 4 4rums.

I learnt the little that I know about fishing from my dad. Unfortunately he's ill at the moment and won't get better. He is still a wonderful fisherman and has forgotten about fishing more than I can ever hope to know. He's the sort of guy who can put a float into a rain puddle and pull out a fish! Anyway, when I went to see him the other day he showed me some of my inheritance, it includes an all steel rod and plenty of split cane rods. I'll also need to learn how to use a centre pin! What I was wondering is - does anyone still use a split cane for everyday fishing? I used one in my very early days of fishing but haven't seen one being used for years at the riverside.

I have no problem with the £25 for the rod licence. I do however wish that someone would check once in a while. I am sure that I am one of the very few who actually has one on the stretches where I fish. (I bet now that the first time I go fishing next season it will be the first time that I'll have forgotton to get a licence and then I'll rue these words)

I'd also suggest floating bread. Or possibly a bubble float with a worm just below the surface?

Wonderful fish, both of them. Congratulations. I've never landed a big carp, I've hooked into a couple when fishing for other fish, including a largish (well about a third the size of those) one on the Lee where I got it on a size 18 with a single maggot on a lovely clear day. I got it right into the side but as I went to slide the net underneath it gave a wiggle and snapped me! I was only fishing for little roach with my two children and they both saw it too. I don't know who was more disappointed, me or them! I must admit I'd love to catch a nice Crucian on light tackle but I don't think I've got the patience for Big Carp!

Make up some groundbait, even if that only involves taking a loaf of bread with you and throwing small bits of bread squidged up between your hands so that it sinks. Put in the groundbait and a little of whatever hookbait that you are using every so often. Remember Little and Often (depending on how it's going every 20-30 minutes is fine) Try fishing at different depths. In general I start by fishing with a slow sinking bait. This is done by putting all the shot near to the bottom of the float and leaving a long leader down to the hook. This way if the fish are feeding near the top then you'll get bites as the bait is sinking ie quite soon after you've cast. If the fish are feeding near the bottom then it will take much longer as the bait will have to fall through the water until it reaches the bottom before the fish are likely to take it. Once you've found the depth that you think the fish are feeding at, then you can adjust your depth and shotting positions so that you get the bait to the fish asap. I'm guessing that you are quite new to fishing so I wouldn't worry to much about what species you are catching, having looked at what you think that you might get I'd suggest maggot as a hook bait although worm is also a good bait for all of those fish too. What you haven't told us is whether you are fishing a lake, river or canal. Each will have it's own techniques that you will learn as you progress. My final, and probably best bit of advice is - always, always, always set up your landing net first. You never know what you might hook on your first cast!

I think they are Rudd too, mouth looks to be pointing up rather than straight. Could be Rudd/Roach hybrid. Easily confused to the new angler though. Anyway no matter what they are, congratulations. I hope that they are the first of many for you and the gf.