Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3641 i Angling Times

AS MY MAINLINE hit against the clip on my reel I allowed myself a quick smile of satisfaction. Not because I’d landed my rig where I’d seen carp feeding, but because I’d just hit the same distance consistently for the fifth cast in a row. It struck me recently that I don’t practise fishing enough. By this I’m not talking about just going fishing, but specifically working on certain skills in order to improve them. With more ‘active’ angling styles, such as lure fishing or feeder fishing for example, you may well have the opportunity to do this throughout the session. But something like carp fishing often involves a handful of casts at the start and then long periods where you’re sat in a bivvy, with very little actual angling…

ANGLING clubs, fisheries, coaches, and charities are being encouraged to claim a slice of £200k that’s been made available to help boost angling participation in England and Wales. The Get Fishing Fund – which is a joint initiative between the Environment Agency and Angling Trust – has provided an injection of cash to over 300 projects since its inception in 2019. Organisations can receive up to £2,500 each, and among those to have benefitted in the past is MS Angling and Education, a group founded by Mark Smedley. “Children and staff attended our Get Fishing events together and have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences,” he said. “The participants have learned new angling skills, caught personal bests, built their confidence and been shown how to experiment with baits and techniques.” l To…

ANGLING HEROES IN LEGAL CAPES ‘LEGAL ACTION’ is a term banded around in angling more than ever these days, and from a fishery and environmental standpoint, that’s great news. For too long the water companies, OFWAT (the government regulator) and the Environment Agency have been getting away with, or at least letting others get away with, environmental murder. The water companies are the main polluters. OFWAT should be governing what they do, but they don’t. The EA should be holding back permits and prosecuting the wrongdoers. They don’t. The system has failed and the whole chain seems to be avoiding their responsibilities or shrugging their shoulders. Public awareness of the issue is at a high point though, and the world now knows just how serious the situation is. I think…

DECIDING what length of hooklink to use can be confusing, but getting it right can be vital when it comes to getting more bites. So many times, I’ve made a change and gone from catching nothing to getting a fish a chuck. The trouble is, many ready-tied hooks come with a long length of line and it’s easy to think that’s what you should be using, when in fact, it’s often not! It’s not too hard to start on the right hooklength – it’s how and when you make changes that will lead to catching more. For example, when bream fishing on the feeder, shortening the hooklength can catch quicker and turn iffy bites into proper ones, while on the pole, it’s down to the depth of water and how…

DAIWA MATCHMAN 2500/3000 Designed to complement the highly-rated, affordable Matchman range of rods. The 2500 is perfect for light feeder and float work, while the next size up, the 3000, is the most versatile, and as suited to float work such as pellet waggler fishing as it is feeder challenges. The UTD drag offers responsive control, ensuring you can set it just right for the set-up being used and the species you’re expecting to catch. PRICE: £49.99, www.daiwasports.co.uk SHIMANO AERO XR C3000/4000 Shimano’s top-end dedicated match reel features an anti-reverse, Hagane gear for ultra-smooth winding, cold forged AR-C spools, plus additional line reducer and X-Ship for increased cranking efficiency. Tough and lightweight thanks to its CI4+ body, X-Protect line roller and waterproof drag. The compact C3000 is the obvious choice…

I fish a reservoir which has loads of bream but also tiny roach which are a nightmare. What can I do to avoid them?Simon Peters, email THIS IS actually quite a common scenario and there are several things you can look at to try to avoid, or at least minimise, the effect that the nuisance silvers have. I’ve fished Southfield Reservoir near Doncaster a bit recently and there’s been an explosion of tiny roach that are a real pain! However, it’s still possible to catch plenty of bream, with the right plan. FIND DEEP WATER Firstly, you need to think about the depth that you’re fishing in. Small silvers of 1oz or less don’t like deep water, so if the venue offers a range of different depths, then this is…

THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING CARPING CAPERS! IT WAS a bit of a ‘Larford Lakes-fest’ this week, with a couple of matches at the Stourport water – and neither went to plan! First up was the On The Flyer TV Winter Classic qualifier, which I pegged. I put some swims on the end bank of the Specimen Lake, and then drew one of them, but it was rock hard and I limped to 35lb of roach and skimmers for nowhere. I couldn’t even catch a carp on a day when lots of people were being pestered by the things! The next day I was in the Golden Reel semi final, and a last shot at making the final. I drew the grass bank of the Match Lake with lots of…

LAST CAST WITH DOM THERE are worse things than being smashed about on a heaving sea, but I can’t think of many. This was my punishment last week, for going through with a trip out of Looe, Cornwall. I’d had an iffy stomach but, fishing fanatic that I am, I just didn’t want to miss out on what has become an annual pilgrimage with good friends. My assumption that all would be OK on the day was hopelessly naive. With the sea still lumpy from preceding storms, we were treated to a procession of lorry-sized waves aboard The Sowenna. The day had begun innocuously enough, to be fair, but then, Looe Bay is always like a duck pond compared to the open sea. Usually, I cope with this human yo-yo…

Bio-fuel When fish are processed, a lot of oily waste is produced. Why not press this to our advantage, quite literally, by pressing the oil for other uses? Fish oil is already a base ingredient for biofuel, powering everything from tractors to light aircraft! It might pong, but it’s also potentially more sustainable than fossil fuels. Leather If you thought that leather meant cowhide, or on rarer occasions things like crocodile or snake skin, there’s also such a thing as fish leather. Upcycling waste from the commercial fishing and farming industries, pioneering craftsmen and women have successfully made belts, wallets and much more out of the skin of salmon, sharks, cod and other fish. It’s surprisingly durable and neutral smelling, and as our columnist Dom Garnett will tell you, it…

KORUM CAMO GRUB FEEDER A flatbed, inline and interchangeable feeder with a clamshell opening. Each one features a convincing camo pattern and a ‘pop up pincher’ line clip on the top for presenting mega-short hooklinks. WHY WE LOVE THEM: A stealthy, slow-emptying feeder, that’s perfect for targeting big tench, roach, bream and eels, as well as cagey river chub where the line clip can be used to present baits right on top of the feeder. Sizes: one size Weights: 20g – 60g PRICE: £2.25 - £2.99 www.korum.co.uk KORUM COMBI FEEDER A sturdy feeder with a removable set of end-caps, allowing it to be used as either a maggot feeder or an open-ended groundbait feeder. WHY WE LOVE THEM: The wide-mesh sides ensure that the bait escapes quickly, whichever mode you…

l Local know-how for bumper nets l Your tried & tested top waters l Expert venue tactics ALEXANDRA PARK LAKE, OLDHAM, LANCASHIRE This mixed fishery is accessible on a day ticket and is controlled by Diggle Angling Club, whose memberships start at £45, with a £20 joining fee. More info: www.diggleac.co.uk THE ROSIE, FLINTSHIRE, NORTH WALES In this picturesque pool you’ll find true crucians, as well as a host of other species. Connah’s Quay AC controls the fishing, with membership costing £36. More info: www.connahsquayanglingclub.com LAYBOURNE LAKES, YORK, NORTH YORKSHIRE Three commercial-style lakes can be found at this York and District AA venue. There are plenty of carp to go at, plus lots of silverfish too. Membership is £47 a year. More info: www.ydaa.org.uk YADDLETHORPE PONDS, MESSINGHAM, LINCOLNSHIRE…

OUR MAN ON THE BANK R ECENTLY I had three days at sea, and didn’t get a single bite. My fishing mate down the pub said, “That must have knocked your confidence a bit, Des”, to which I replied, “Not really, I’ve been too busy planning my next trip, wrasse fishing, in two weeks’ time, and catching barbel on the Warwickshire Avon last night!” In any case, how can it have affected my confidence when, as the photo here shows, the dawn we were lucky to witness on one of those blanks out at sea was absolutely spellbinding. You see, scenes like that alone are hugely inspiring for me to just keep going fishing, and almost every session I embark upon holds a special memory. So often I hear anglers…

ENGLAND international Adam Wakelin got his qualification for this winter’s two big silverfish events done and dusted at the first time of asking, after winning through to both the On The Flyer TV Winter Classic and Angling Trust Zero Fit Silverfish finals in the same week! After taking out his zone at Larford Lakes in the midweek Winter Classic clash, the Daiwa-backed England Feeder Team ace turned his attentions to Boddington Reservoir for the 30-peg AT match and came out on top with a superb 47-7-0 bag of roach from end peg 92. That won both the match and his zone, with Richie Reynolds joining him in the final as the second zone winner and taking second place overall with another great roach net of 47-2-0, from peg 58. Ben…

AT THE END of August, London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone, initially designed to tackle air pollution in the capital’s centre, was expanded to every borough. The move has been met with an extraordinary backlash, also putting other areas of the country on alert. In London, the result is a £12.50 daily charge for drivers of the highest-polluting vehicles, should they enter the now abundant ULEZ zones, with many opting to completely replace their vehicles to comply. With similar schemes already being piloted and planned elsewhere in the country, fears of severe restrictions are rising. As a group reliant on travel and often using vans and older vehicles, many anglers view the latest developments as kick in the teeth. A BARRIER TO ANGLING? Keen London angler Eddie Edwards is just one of…

STOUR ‘SEVEN’ IS A MEMORABLE CAPTURE AFTER the sudden and unexpected death of his father several two weeks ago, Alfie Lane headed to the Dorset Stour to try to catch one of the venue’s bigger specimens by way of a fitting tribute, and it’s safe to say he did so when he slipped his net under a superb fish of 7lb 10oz. Alfie and his father used to fish the river together several times a week, but on this occasion he was in the company of local expert Paul Potter. A great session followed, with Alfie enjoying non-stop chub action, also banking a number of bream. All the fish fell to Klips boilie hookbaits, fished over micro pellets. Alfie said that the biggest of his haul gave a bite like…

PEG CHANGE LEADS TO MEGA CARP HAUL A CHANGE of swims proved to be a wise decision for Charlie Brennan, who went on to bag 18 carp including a new personal best in the form of this cracking 14lb 12oz common. Fishing on Willow Lake at Lawn Farm Fishery in Cambridgeshire, the eight-year-old endured a slow start to his session so, having baited up under an overhanging tree in a quiet corner of the venue as a back-up on his arrival, he decided to up sticks and give the new spot a try. After priming it with hemp and maize, he dropped his scaled-down carp rigs with light leads over the top, and the action was instant. His dad, Jake, told Angling Times: “He went on to bag 18 carp…

CHRIS’S BARBEL WAGGLER RIG Is it worth fishing bigger baits like meat on the float for barbel? Joe O’Shea, Rotherham A Absolutely, and this is something that I love doing on my local River Severn around Bridgnorth. Unlike when fishing with maggots and casters, it means that every fish I hook is going to be a proper one! A thick-topped waggler is essential for this approach, as it will allow you to sometimes go overdepth on the rig to slow it down as it trots through the swim. Also, it means that the bait can be fished just off-bottom at times, without pulling the float tip under repeatedly. For bait size, I don’t think that you can go too big, and a piece of meat that’s 2cm in diameter isn’t…

BAIT CLINIC Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank. THE LENGTHENING evenings have got me thinking about planning a barbel campaign on my local river. This is a great time to be on the bank, as you can fish into darkness and still be home at a reasonable hour... so it’s perfect for mid-week sorties! Barbel and chub can put on significant amounts of weight in autumn, and I’ve known individual barbel put on nearly 2lb in the space of a couple of months as they prepare for the lean winter months ahead. The fish will be feeding with real gusto now, especially when the rivers are carrying extra water, and this is a great time to cash in on the…

Frank Barlow Memorial (Weds) River Trent, Burton-on-Trent (61 pegs) THERE can have been few bigger characters in British match angling than the late Frank Barlow, with the larger-than-life Nottingham star commanding respect for his angling ability and humour wherever he went. So it was no surprise that 61 anglers lined up for this year’s memorial for the big man on the Burton sections of the Trent. A raffle with prizes from the likes of Drennan, Guru, Matrix, Preston Innovations, Daiwa, Garbolino, NuFish, Cadence, Milo, Dynamite Baits and Shimano helped see a massive £1,440 raised for the Nottingham City Hospital Cancer Ward where Frank was treated. On the fishing front, it needed double figures to frame and best of them with the only 20lb bag of the day was Derby rod…