Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3638 i Angling Times

PUT YOUR hand up if, like me, you’re quite relieved to see the back of that hot weather. As nice as it was to have one last blast of summer, I struggle to muster much enthusiasm for fishing in such high temperatures. With rivers generally low, clear and still, and carp more interested in sunbathing than feeding, I tend to find myself retreating to a nice shady spot in the garden at home with a Cornetto and a cold beer, rather than sweating it out on the bank. But now, as we start to move into autumn, is one of my favourite times to be out. While we might no longer see the traditional pre-winter feed up among carp that was once the case, I do find that they now…

THANKS to a blistering day two performance, Team England leapt up the leaderboard to scoop a silver medal at this year’s World Championships on Spain’s River Ebro. In red-hot conditions, the team of Will Raison, James Dent, Matt Godfrey, Sean Ashby, Steve Hemingray and Cameron Hughes fished a brilliant match at a venue where the resident catfish – caught to over 30lb in practice – posed an unusual problem. Authorities ruled that any fish over 5kg would be counted just as 5kg, so competitors focused on the huge head of skimmers, bleak, carassio and pommies. A tough draw on day one left England seven points off a medal but, with a better set of pegs on day two, the side staged an historic comeback, James Dent also taking…

“THE ROD WAS ALMOST PULLED FROM MY HANDS” Alex Mason – 30lb 8oz pike “ON my second trip of the year I managed to catch this 30lb 8oz pike from Chew Valley Lake, alongside two others of 22lb and 26lb. “I was using a stout 9ft, nine-weight saltwater fly rod and a 6ins-long roach pattern, which proved to be the fish’s downfall. “Before hooking it, I’d spotted a number of baitfish shoals on the sonar that were clearly being harassed by several large pike. “Drifting over the spot, the rod was almost pulled from my hands! A frantic but brief fight ensued, as the fish made a few powerful runs before being swiftly netted by my dad. “After a quick snap, she was released carefully back into the depths.” Alex’s…

WE’RE heading into autumn when, as a rule, fishing further out as the water begins to lose its colour will be the best approach. With this change comes alterations to feeding, hookbaits and terminal tackle – scaling down to keep the bites coming. For the pole angler, this means thinking about hooks, line, floats and elastics. Even when fishing for 10lb carp, heavy elastic isn’t needed now – I’ve landed hundreds of big carp on Blue and White Hydrolastic. Elastics need scaling back because fish won’t fight as hard as they did in summer, and you’ll be using slightly smaller hooks. If your hook size is not matched to the elastic grade, you’ll lose a big percentage of what you hook. GIVE IT A GO 1 TRUST IN HOLLOWS Stretchy…

FOX RAGE NEOPRENE BOOTS A GENEROUS 5mm thick, fully waterproof calf-height neoprene wellie, designed to give excellent protection and freedom of movement to the mobile angler. Features a solid kick block on the heel for easy removal and a high-grip sole design for negotiating precarious and slippery banks. Sizes: 7 - 12 Price: £69.99, www.foxrage.com DAIWA NEOPRENE BOOTS THESE new all-season, neoprene-lined rubber boots are ideal for shallow water and walking on all terrains. They feature an adjustable strap and waterproof gusset, a deep cleated sole and heel, and a handy heel release grip to make removing them easier. A Daiwa D-Vec Boot Bag (£29.99) can be purchased separately for convenient storage and transportation. Sizes: 7 – 12 Price: £69.99, www.daiwasports.co.uk PRESTON INNOVATIONS DRIFISH BOOTS SHORTER than a standard wellie…

THE BEST time of year to put together a net of river roach is on the horizon, and the Warwickshire Avon is arguably the ideal place to launch your campaign. Several stretches are located throughout the Worcestershire town of Evesham, but the Common Road area is the pick of the bunch right now. Controlled by Evesham DAA, there are plenty of stable wooden platforms to provide a comfortable day on the bank. The walk from the car park is short, and the well-maintained track makes it easy to push a barrow or trolley to your swim. Depths average 10ft-15ft and the roach shoals have been quietly building in recent years. Catch it right, use appropriate tactics, and a double- figure netful of redfins could quite easily be your reward. READ…

LESLIE BAVERSTOCK REMEMBERED LESLIE was a passionate angler and former contributor to Angling Times. Fishing and writing was a big part of his life, and living in Wales meant that he had a great selection of rivers and fast-flowing streams on his doorstep where he could focus on his main targets – trout and salmon. Being a guide, Leslie wasn’t shy about sharing his knowledge and best spots with others. This led to him being a much-loved and respected man on the river bank, where he could often be found tying his own flies or up to his waist in fast torrents, fly rod in hand. Thanks to everyone who has purchased his books and used to read his monthly articles in Angling Times. Leslie sadly passed away at the…

AS FAR as I recall, the attempt to launch an ‘Individual Premier League’ for match fishing fell at a fairly early hurdle. The brainchild of my old pal, groundbait mogul Peter Clapperton, the idea was to award points to individual open match anglers who had subscribed to the league. The sliding scale was well thought out, but the subscription fee of £29.50, in 1992, was a significant investment. The Shakespeare Match Angler of the Year and subsequent Kamasan version were both massively popular, as anglers chased points all over the country, but cost nothing to enter, as long as the matches hosted enough anglers – 80 originally, eventually down to 40 as smaller, commercial fishery matches became ever more popular. Wearing a ‘Shakey’ or ‘Kammy’ cap was a real badge…

I struggle with planning my session on commercials. Where should I be fishing, and when ? Tom Collins, email I ALWAYS used to think that starting long, then working back towards the margins, was best, but now I feel that by doing so you can be missing out on a few early fish. My theory was that carp got pushed out by the commotion of setting up kit on the bank, so I’d start by fishing areas that I thought they’d been pushed into. Nowadays, I like to kick off as follows. Let’s say I’m faced with an island at 22m which can be reached by feeder and waggler. Formerly, I’d have started fishing to the island, but I no longer think that’s best. Instead, I’ll kick off fishing short…

THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING JOB DONE! LAST week was all about making the Fish Midlands Final, with a tricky Sycamore Lake on the MAP Marston Fields complex to negotiate in the semi-final. I say ‘tricky’, because not only was the weather red-hot, but the lake had been recently stocked with lots of small F1s, which might show well or might sulk and not feed! A practice match a few days before suggested they’d have a go, and a brilliant first hour short on pellets gave me a fish a minute, before they shut up shop, leaving only the odd F1 to catch plus five carp that I mugged. I felt I was ready but was still unsure about those F1s. Come the semi-final I drew peg 46, which had…

TEAM silver wasn’t the only medal to be hanging around English necks at the prizegiving ceremony. Individual silver and bronze went to James Dent and Sean Ashby respectively, after both men ended the weekend with a three-point tally Sadly, they couldn’t quite match the perfect two-point score of new World Champion, Spaniard Esteve Martinez, but that won’t matter. As any member of the England squad will tell you, it’s the team that comes first. Individual medals are a bonus. However, it’s nice to have some more glory, and James and Sean did it with a section win and a second apiece. James got the nod for silver on weight, with 45-520 against former World Champion Sean’s 44-140. Guru man James kicked off his weekend with a fine 21-700 haul of…

THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING Angling Trust Individual National Championship (Sat) Shropshire Union Canal, Nantwich (109 pegs) WHEN the organiser told him he’d drawn one of only two pegs capable of winning the match, Alex Clegg’s confidence soared for this year’s Individual National! Among over 100 anglers on the ‘Shroppie’, Wigan MG man Alex drew peg 62 behind Hack Green Bunker and, immediately, all eyes were on him to win. And he proceeded to do so at a canter, amassing a fine 18-280 net of skimmers and pommies. That put him well clear of runner-up Steve Dudley. From nearby peg 60 he replied with 8-420, while the bronze medal went to Mick Topping on peg 61 with 7-300. “Winning is the stuff of dreams, but I was fortunate to draw…

NOT all fish are equal. A crucian carp and a bass have about as much in common as a guinea pig and a pit bull terrier. And, given all the odd characteristics of fish, much of angling is about personal taste. One man’s treasure is another man’s trash. Or at least, open-minded as I try to be, I find certain species hard to love. The mullet is a prime example. Yes, they fight like fury. Yes, they are challenging and unpredictable. But they’re also such utter weirdos. What do you make of a fish that can be present by the hundred, and yet not appear to eat anything other than the slime they can scrape off rocks? Nor do the aesthetics grab me. What on Earth is going on with…

THIS WEEK EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING A ROACH that could blow the current British Record out of the water has just been landed. Young Arthur Barclay slipped his net under the remarkable 4lb 8oz redfin after it slurped down a chunk of floating bread he was using to target carp at a private lake in East Anglia – a region with a rich history of producing some of the largest roach ever caught in Britain. The 13-year-old schoolboy is planning to submit a claim to the British Record Fish Committee, with the hope of having the history-making specimen ratified as a new official best. If given the thumbs up by authorities, it would comfortably beat Keith Berry’s current 4lb 4oz record, taken from a…

KORUM RECOVERY NET WHAT WE SAY: Designed to give a little extra security when resting your catch before weighing or photographing, without transferring the fish to a separate net or sack. Simply place it over your 26ins or 30ins spoon net head, clip the tab connector in place and use it to tighten the elasticated draw cord. The dense mesh provides shade to calm and cool the fish – making it the perfect short-term retention device. WHAT WE SAY: We can see these being hugely popular for species like barbel that need a little extra recovery time, especially in hot weather, without you risking the premature release of your catch! Price: £9.99, www.korum.co.uk KORUM ALLROUNDER TRAY & TRIPOD ADAPTER WHAT THEY SAY: The Allrounder Tray and Tripod Adapter enables you…

OUR MAN ON THE BANK AS I WRITE, the weather outside is 30ºC and here in my Tackle Den it’s even hotter. Last night it didn’t drop below about 18ºC, and I gather that the warm weather will be with us for a good few weeks yet. Now, the combination of low water and high temperatures scares some river anglers half to death, but for me it means big chub on the float or surface baits. On my last few outings to the Severn, both pleasure sessions and guide days, the chub fishing has been out of this world, with plenty of fours, fives and even sixes. For the Severn at this time of year, a six-pounder is the fish of a lifetime! A lot of the specialist lads think…

HUGHES’ VIEWS WHILE the recent hot weather made a difference to people’s tans, it’s not been great news for our watercourses and their inhabitants. High temperatures mean low oxygen levels, and with that, danger to fish of all species, especially cold-water lovers and fast-water dwellers like pike and barbel. I saw a report from a fish farmer on the Trent who had seen a couple of barbel floating downstream, either dead or dying. The assumption was that they had been caught and not rested sufficiently before being returned. Anglers were copping the blame. It goes without saying that, as catch and release anglers, the release is more important than the catch. We should therefore think about what we fish for, and when. Barbel are a trendy species in summer, and…

MANIC FEEDING SPELL ENDS IN PB RUDD HAVING spotted some decent rudd while out kayaking on a Fenland river, Norfolk angler Sam Smith returned, armed with his float rod and bread, and had the session of a lifetime. After introducing some feed he had big rudd taking confidently seconds later, and the next 15 minutes were ‘something of a blur’. Rudd after rudd came to the net after engulfing his surface-fished hookbait. He gently placed each fish in the keepnet, allowing him to make the most of the feeding spell. By the end of the manic session, he had three fish over the 2lb mark, at 2lb 10oz, 2lb 7oz, and 2lb 2oz, as well as one that dwarfed the rest. He was blown away when he weighed it and…

PERSONAL BESTS GALORE! A TRIP to Fields End Water at Doddington, Cambs, in a quest to up their personal bests, came up trumps for Ethan and Thea Blackmore. Feeding maggots and floating bread, the pair soon had fish taking the freebies by some marginal reeds. It was then a case of waiting for a better-sized fish to show up before dropping a floating crust hookbait into its path. Their uncle, Ryszard, said: “After a couple of missed chances, Ethan’s persistence paid off when he landed the biggest fish in the group – a stunning 7lb 1oz koi carp. This was a new PB and the one he really wanted to catch! “Not to be outdone, my niece used the same tactics to equal her personal best with a lovely 5lb…

STEVE RINGER World Feeder champ abd a constantly successful matchman ADAM WAKELIN England Feeder team member and former World Pairs champ TOM MAKER Prolific carp-catcher and angling tutor PHIL RINGER Top matchman and England Feeder squad international JAMES HAGHES Angling Times columnist, Fish O’Mania and Match This champ ADAM ROONEY Guru brand manager and feeder fishing expert Dynamite Baits-backed big-fish specialist I get confused when trying to tie the knotless knot. Can you help? Garry McDonald, Farnborough A The knotless knot is very simple to tie but, as with all knots, it comes down to practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and there will come a time when it all falls into place, and you master it! I’d advise sitting at home and practising with big…

BAIT CLINIC Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank PELLETS are such an effective and convenient bait that they have come to dominate on many venues. However, a few simple tweaks to coarse fishery pellets straight from the bag can greatly improve your results, so I take a few minutes to boost mine and gain an added advantage. FEED THEM DAMP Lightly dampening 4mm feed pellets with water helps them break through the water’s surface tension so they will sink straight away. They can also be catapulted further and more accurately. Over time the moisture will soak into the pellets, softening them, which encourages fish to eat more of them and remain in your peg that bit longer. Give them a…

THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING HAVING won last year’s inaugural Fish South event at Willinghurst Fishery in Surrey, Ashley Blunt went into this year’s final looking to make it two wins on the spin – and he managed it, albeit in one of the closest matches you’re ever likely to see on a commercial fishery! Weighing in a total of 380-8-0 over the two days, the Newbury man got the verdict by just 1lb 4oz from Fenland raider Jimmy Brooks on 379-4-0, earning him the £10,000 top prize and the trophy for the second year running. A fine opening day gave Ashley 250-14-0 from the Top Lake, handy in an event decided on total weight. But with a moody John’s Lake awaiting on Sunday, the job was far from done……

THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING Men’s World Angling Championships (Sat & Sun) River Ebro, Fayon, Spain (23 teams) ENGLAND have had some memorable World Champs comebacks down the years, but the one they mounted in Spain last week has to rank as the best, as they roared back from seventh position after day one to take silver. Finishing on 54 points, England were only nine behind winners Serbia, France taking bronze well off the pace with 70 points. It was all down to an outstanding day two score of 16 points, which won the whole match and catapulted England up the rankings. Not that this looked likely on Saturday evening, after a mixed bag of results had put them seventh with 38 points. However, a good team meeting identified where…