Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3652 i Angling Times

HAPPY New Year! I hope you all had a good break and haven’t broken any of your resolutions yet?! After a whirlwind 2023 which left us with no shortage of outstanding fish, big stories and exciting tackle launches to report, I’m optimistic that the next 12 months will be equally as exciting. But who know’s what’s in store! There are certainly some big topics within angling that need addressing and I would like to think that in a year’s time there will have been progress made in areas such as the appalling amount of sewage going into our rivers. Fish Legal worked incredibly hard in 2023, taking numerous polluters to court and all of us here are fully behind their Anglers Against Pollution campaign. Perhaps we’ll even see some movement…

ANGLERS are being warned not to fall foul of the glut of online retailers peddling illegal fishing items. Suppliers such as Temu and Ali Express have been busy this festive period putting out social media adverts offering the illicit items. “Goods arrive from China in days and there are no checks for compliance with UK legal fishing methods,” warned the Angling Trades Association’s Andrew Race. Of particular concern are items like gill nets, fish stringers and short keepnets, all of which bailiffs are already on the look out for. Andrew added that his organisation is pushing for better recognition of UK laws from both buyers and sellers.…

GURU FEEDER BOX BUNDLES WHAT THEY SAY: Two Feeder Box Bundles give anglers an amazing opportunity to buy all the kit they need for feeder fishing in one go, gaining big savings along the way! Choose between a Commercial Feeder Box Bundle suited to carp, F1s, Method and Hybrid Feeder style angling, and a Natural Feeder Box Bundle for natural venues and traditional feeder work. They contain everything from feeders in various sizes and types, through to extra rig attachments such as X-Safe Stems, Feeder Links, Heli Swivels, Line Stops, and a selection of pre-tied hooklengths – all with inserts tailored to the contents. WHAT WE SAY: Ever walked into a tackle shop, bought a bagful of small essentials and found you’ve spend a packet? Yes, terminal gear isn’t cheap,…

YORKSHIRE BRACE IS SNOW JOKE! Tom Davies – 36lb 12oz & 36lb 2oz TEMPERATURES of minus five degrees and snow showers weren’t enough to stop Tom Davies from banking an incredible 73lb brace from Ladywood Lakes. Fishing from peg 1 at the 10-acre Yorkshire venue, the eagle-eyed 31 year-old spotted a carp poke its head out in an area of deeper water at around 20 wraps’ range. He said: “I cast a lead to the area and found a perfect spot to position two rods over. Within 24 hours the left hand rod produced a 36lb 12oz mirror, which was then followed by a 22lb catfish.” His ‘unforgettable winter session’ was completed just as he was packing up with a stunning 36lb 2oz common. Both fish fell to DNA Baits…

Now is a great time to press the ‘reset’ button on your carp fishing mojo and make plans! THERE’S a Chinese proverb that says “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now”. That’s true of many things, and now is a great time to plant that angling-based tree. Whether it’s pressing re-set before the end of the river season or revving up for a fresh campaign, New Year resolutions are a great time to ‘turn a page’. 2023 may have been a good or a bad year for us individually, but the opportunity to correct or capitalise is upon us with the changing of the calendar. MASTER A NEW SKILL Mastering a new skill keeps the angling brain ticking. We may…

IT LOOKS set to be another incredibly busy year for the big-match scene, with the list of major events that anglers can take part in seeming to keep on growing every 12 months! It proves that there really has never been a better time to be a match angler and, although team fishing might be struggling a little, on the individual front there’s more than enough to fill your calendar whether you fish commercials, rivers or canals. Most of these competitions also offer a big enough prize pot to make the time and effort all extremely worthwhile. Get in quick, though, because several competitions will begin their qualification processes in just a couple of months’ time. It may be possible to get a ticket closer to the match, but you…

LAST CAST WITH DOM FOR THOSE of us who enjoy something a little different through the cooler months and the old closed season, rainbow trout are a great target. Far from being a rich man’s quarry, they’re quite accessible and obliging. Indeed, if you can outwit a wily old chub or specimen carp, rainbows hardly possess boss-level intelligence. But they are definitely beautiful and hard-fighting enough to warrant a winter session or two. The scene has opened up to more anglers, thanks to savvy fisheries allowing lure tactics. A shift away from sniffy “fly only” attitudes has to be welcomed. But can the fisheries themselves survive? I’ve just come back from a brilliant half day at North Devon’s Simpson Valley, but it’s significant that I now have to drive an…

BRITAIN’S older anglers have reacted angrily to the Environment Agency’s plans to ditch rod licence cards, with some calling the move a ‘discrimination against the elderly’. Last month it was announced that the plastic-coated licences would be scrapped in a move to save the EA £230k, as well as make their operations more ‘environmentally friendly’. Licences will be issued in digital format only from May this year, with an A4 letter available for those without access to a smartphone. As expected, the plans have been met by a barrage of criticism, with a large number of readers contacting AT to voice concerns over the move. The most impassioned came from Jerry Alderson, a GP from North Yorkshire in his late 50s. He’s written to his local MP about the matter,…

A MIDLANDS club has been devastated by a pollution outbreak that claimed over 100,000 fish. The suspected chemical contamination hit the River Nene’s Goldie Cut, which is controlled by Peterborough & District AA, which scooped our Club of the Year award recently. “It couldn’t have happened at a worse time, or location,” the PDAA’s Rob Harris, told us, adding that silverfish pack into the area in winter. “The destruction was bank to bank, with fish everywhere, mostly roach but also pike, perch and bream. The sight was heartbreaking. Some of our long-standing volunteers were in tears.” The club are hoping that early intervention has prevented further spread. The Environment Agency and Anglian Water are both involved in ongoing tests to find out where the problem started. Despite speculation online,…

“IT’S HER FIRST EVER PIKE!” Jack Winter & Ellie Murphy – 17lb pike “MY girlfriend, Ellie, has been coming fishing with me for a month and has just caught her first-ever pike. It weighed 17lb! “We were fishing the River Rother, in East Sussex, using a roach deadbait on a float-leger rig. “It’s not a bad start to her pike fishing career!” “I WASN’T GOING TO LET THE RIVER BEAT ME!” Chris Price – 15lb 6oz pike “THERE’S a river in Sussex that’s produced some regular fish for me over the years. “I’ve been targeting its pike lately but it’d been tough going, and I’ve lost a few fish. I wasn’t going to let the river beat me, though, and on a morning session my persistence paid off with a…

HOW WE TEST OUR GEAR BANKSIDE PROMISE • Genuine on-the-bank tests• By anglers, for anglers• Unrivalled insight• Every week ONE OF the great benefits of feeder fishing is its simplicity. In good conditions, you can rock up at a venue with a rod, a reel, a few bits of terminal tackle and some bait, and catch all day. But for some reason, I often make things more complicated for myself, and stagger to the bank laden with rods of different lengths, plus a mountain of other kit that I rarely use. In a match fishing situation this ‘over-preparation’ is understandable, but for pleasure fishing, it’s a tad unnecessary! I only have myself to blame, as I favour a 9ft rod for short-range work and an 11-footer for longer chucks. So,…

THIS year I’ll be 53 (yes 53!) and I can’t believe how the time has flown. But, on a positive note, if I was hit by an asteroid tomorrow I couldn't complain that I didn’t get to fish enough! Still, it would be nice to add more adventures to my collection, and in 2024 I have no intention of slowing down. These weekly pages in Angling Times won’t stop, and although there are moments of pressure to hit deadlines they do keep me out on the bank, doing my thing. My collaboration with Nash has been great, and came at a time just over a year ago when I needed a fresh start and to be in contact with the company’s super-talented media team – who are also mad-keen anglers.…

Don’t get bogged down in detail, or bad habits, and you’ll bank more fish for sure! FISHING all different types of waters, from pressured day-ticket complexes to quieter syndicates, and holding many tutorial sessions throughout the year, I get to see an awful lot of anglers in action. There are definitely some common mistakes that I’ve spotted them making, often completely unknowingly, and without a doubt these have had an impact on their catches. Thankfully, they’re really easy to remedy and I guarantee that if you heed my advice given in this feature, you will definitely be fishing more effectively and increasing your chances of getting more bites, regularly. DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE LAKEBEDS A common thing that I see people getting wrong is that they aren’t fishing spots where they can…

OUR INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS WARRANTS MORE SUPPORT I WAS saddened to read that many of England’s international teams must fund themselves to compete in events such as the World Championships. These anglers are our elite performers and they shouldn’t have to stump up to showcase our talent internationally. When you look at England’s success over the years, we’re one of the world leaders, with most disciplines and age groups securing medals. I just wish more businesses from outside of our sport would realise what a wonderful opportunity there is to sponsor a successful team. Richard Graham, email THE ANGLER'S CROSSWORD ACROSS 1___ Pickering, 2 x National Champ, 3 x times FishO Ladies champ (4)4PVA bag that lowers gently over e.g. weed – used by paratrooper! (9)9See 28ac.10 Alan ____, canal specialist,…

IT’S EASY to look at the sports pages of a national newspaper, or sports news website, these days and not be aware that calls for a new England football manager are a regular thing. At one stage our match fishing situation was the same. Hindered for years by antiquated rules wanting to ‘give everyone a chance’, to fish for England an angler had to be in a team that finished in the top five in the National Championships which, until 1972, had just the one match. So, on a match fished on a bream river, on weight, a chap who’d won the match fishing bread on the bomb had a chance of being selected to fish a match that, by definition, was float only and bread wasn’t allowed as bait!…

THIS WEEKEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING JUST a month after the British Record Fish Committee reopened applications for Wels catfish, a moggie that’d smash the current best has been landed. The 133lb beast was banked by Tomas Marcinkevicius and would obliterate the official 62lb record, caught from Withy Pool in 1997. Tomas had the whopper from Willowcroft Fishery in Wisbech. While the species is generally associated with warmer months, he’s had a few great sessions already this winter. “The weekend prior I visited Crow Green Fishery in Essex, where I landed a PB of 119lb plus 30 other cats,” he told us. “I didn’t think I’d beat that, but little did I know…” He arrived at Willowcroft with the plan to only stay…

WHAT is it with anglers and gear? Most of us acquire more than we need, and there are few fishing households without a desirable item or three. The value can be surprising, too. Whether it’s a classic rod or a box of lures – the best retro gear is indeed highly collectible. Negotiating the world of online sales can be tricky, however. It’s not just what you buy or sell, after all, but how and when you do so. Christmas and summer holidays are both peak times, for instance, not to mention the post-festive season, when hard-up sellers looking for much needed cash and others treat themselves to that item they wish they’d been gifted. RARITIES AND ROSE-TINTED SPECS Having seen every kind of item across the decades, collectible tackle…

GURU LWGF FEEDER SPECIAL READY RIG THE perfect bream feeder hook, supplied on an EVA foam spool that fits straight into Guru’s Rig Box storage system. A sweeping bend and inturned point give the black nickel pattern a great hookhold. At 1m long, they’re great as they are for river work, or they can be shortened down for stillwaters, or when fish are feeding confidently. Sizes: 20 to 0.11mm, 18 to 0.13mm, 16 to 0.13mm, 14 to 0.15mm, 12 to 0.15mm, 10 to 0.17mm, 10 to 0.19mm Price: £4.99 for 8, www.tackleguru.com GURU QM1 THE all-conquering Guru QM1 is considered to be the best-ever Method or Hybrid feeder hook for carp of all sizes. It comes pre-tied in 15ins and 4ins lengths with choices of banded, bait spike and Speedstop…

THE introduction of the F1 hybrid has had a massive impact on fishing in the UK. Some venues are now well known for the sport these fish provide – and top of that list would have to be Tunnel Barn Farm. Situated in the rolling hills of Warwickshire, ‘Tunnel’ has continued to expand since it first opened its doors back in the late 1990s. Nine lakes are now available to anglers, most of them packed with F1s, and big ones too! It’s not out of the question to land a 4lb fish, these reliable fish being bolstered by thousands of silverfish and a big head of carp. Come rain or shine, you can always expect a few bites on the pole, float or feeder. Six of the lakes – Jenny’s,…

WHETHER you want a shelter suited to a mobile approach, or need enough space to take everything but the kitchen sink, the selection in this month’s guide covers all the bases. For anglers embarking on longer sessions, a good quality bivvy system is essential. These ‘bankside homes’ are solid, comfortable and offer maximum protection against the elements. For shorter sessions with minimal kit, a brolly-style system would be more than adequate for most, but if you intend on fishing for an extended period of time with a fair amount of luggage and kit, you may want to consider a hybrid between the two shelter types, like those detailed here. TRAKKER TEMPEST 150 EV BIVVY Extremely quick and easy to erect, the Trakker Tempest 150 EV is ideal for those who…

TIPS & TACTICS IT’S NO coincidence that a lot of anglers, myself included, will give up on fishing for carp throughout the colder months, turning instead to the more reliable sport that silverfish in commercial fisheries can provide. And of all the species present in these lakes, it’s the roach that is one of the most willing feeders. Being shoal fish, they give you the chance to put a decent net together and get a load of bites into the bargain in conditions where fishing for a carp will often result in a blank. More good news comes in the shape of these roach being of a good average size, growing big on a diet of pellets fed for the carp. This means great sport on light pole tackle and,…

START OUT IN FRONT THERE’S always the temptation to go to straight to the most likely-looking spot on a far bank or around an island, looking for a fast start with a flurry of bites. The trouble is that if this spot isn’t straight in front of you, then you risk pushing the fish out of the swim! Start off fishing directly in front of you and then work left and right. This way you’ll get more ‘goes’ at plundering any shoal of carp that are present. TRY A LITTLE BIT OF FEED ALTHOUGH you don’t really feed anything while dobbing, it can be worth having a few micro pellets and bits of corn with you. It may well be that the carp get spooked after some of their mates…