Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3663 i Angling Times

BANKSIDE PROMISE • • Genuine on-the-bank tests• By anglers, for anglers• Unrivalled insight Every week HOW WE TEST OUR GEAR Our team of tackle experts use their years of angling experience to test new gear to its limitsDan Webb, Tackle Reviewer WHAT do you get when you combine the collective know-how of feeder international and former Feedermasters Champion Darren Cox, newly-crowned Masters Feeder World Champ Simon Fry and French international and national champion Michael Letscher? If you said “three full keepnets”, you’d be right, but that wasn’t the answer I was looking for! Essential Legend is the upgraded collection of top-end rods from Garbolino. The range consists of no fewer than 17 rods, covering every commercial, stillwater or river fishing method and scenario imaginable! We’ll hopefully be taking a closer…

HOW AMAZING is spring? Gone are the short, dark, depressing days of the year’s end as the natural world reawakens, and this fresh start is mirrored in my angling exploits! We all deserve a lift after the winter just gone, and I’m already imagining the warm sun on my face and the air scented by pollen and petals. The only issue I have is what to fish for, but for now I’ll mention just three target species to tempt you out on the water and help you enjoy some memorable moments. I write for Angling Times, a magazine that embraces all aspects of the sport, so I have no problems in mentioning trout fishing. I don’t know why it should have had such a rough ride in recent years, because…

WOODSIDE FISHERY, CLEOBURY MORTIMER, SHROPSHIRE Island and Woodside Pools have hit the headlines thanks to their perch, which run to over 4lb. Plumbing up and looking for around 2ft of water is the key. This depth works because the carp aren’t yet comfortable in it, giving the perch free rein to gorge on any prawns, worms and casters introduced into the shallow margins. Tel: 07967 750580 VIADUCT FISHERY, SOMERTON, SOMERSET Cary Lake holds perch to well over 3lb, and fishing either down the margins or just a couple of rodlengths in front is advised, with prawns and lobworms the best hookbaits. The action tends to be best early and late in the day, when the lower light levels trigger a feeding response. Tel: 01458 274022 MILTON POOLS, OXFORD, OXON House…

FUTURE ‘RECORD BREAKER’ NEVILLE FICKLING, 1970 WHETHER this Angling Times photo of a very young Neville Fickling was the first time his angling exploits had dragged him into the public spotlight is hard for me to say. What I do know is that the ensuing 54 years have seen him recognised as one of the leading authorities in UK predator fishing. He’s held the British record for both pike and zander, I believe uniquely (and I’m sure he’ll soon put me right if I’m not!), and is the go-to font of knowledge for both species. “Neville has held the British record for both pike and zander” Neville has written and had published at least six major works on his specialist subject and, as he has reminded me a few times,…

QUALIFIER season had come around again, as this opening clash to be crowned Maver Match This champion descended on Partridge Lakes and welcomed 100 anglers to do battle – the honours going, not to a big name, but one of the Cheshire fishery’s locals. That was Rob Parker, who made up for finishing fourth in last year’s corresponding fixture at Partridge with a 122-9-0 net of mainly F1s from peg 56 on Covey Canal 3. The bulk of that catch was taken shallow on maggots fished down the middle. Closest to him was a man who knows what it takes to win these big events, former Fish O’Mania champion Neil Machin, who tackled peg 12 on Covey Canal 1 with maggots for a 95-4-0 net of small F1s. Mike McGrath…

THIS WEEK EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING ASPATE of sewage releases into a world-renowned river have driven river keepers and a host of other groups to publicly protest. The River Test, famed for its trout fishing , is a Site of Special Scientific Interest but, despite its status, sewage discharges into the river have been witnessed regularly from Southern Water’s Fullerton wastewater treatment works. The utility company denies the spills, but large, suspended solids and macerated toilet paper have been seen tainting the Test’s usually crystal-clear water, and heavy fungus is smothering the riverbed. The campaigners – a coalition including the Hampshire River Keepers Association (HRKA), the Test & Itchen Association, Activist Anglers, the Angling Trust, Fish Legal and WildFish – are calling for immediate…

THIS WEEK A DISPLAY of rare items belonging to angling icon Dick Walker are currently on exhibition – and you can go to see them. One of the first to apply scientific thought to fishing, Dick caught many specimen fish and invented numerous game-changing items of tackle, including the Arlesey bomb. The current display features many of his personal possessions in the North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin – Walker’s home town. “The exhibition has shown how people still hold Dick in fond regard, and many people have shared with us their personal memories of him,” said assistant curator Matthew Platt. “Among the items on display are his 9ft Hardy fly rod and his carp-shaped ash tray.” The exhibition runs until April 7, open Tuesday-Sunday.…

SEND US YOUR PICS • • newsdesk@anglingtimes.co.uk• Make sure your pics are hi-res and that you are in them “THE ONLY BITE OF THE DAY!” Ryan Hayden – 4lb 4oz perch “I MANAGED to get out for a day’s perch fishing at the end of the river season and although I only had one bite over the whole session, when it’s from a fish like this, who cares! “It was my first perch from this particular bit of river, on only my second trip to the stretch. “A small livebait was the successful offering, floatfished on a simple rig incorporating 6lb mainline, an 8g Loafer shotted with an olivette, a 5lb fluorocarbon hooklink and a size 4 hook. “The bite came towards the end of the day, just as cloud…

MATRIX 3D-R FEEDER ARM ANGLE-ADJUSTABLE and extendable, you can be sure to get your rod set perfectly with this solidly-built rest. It will fit 25mm, 30mm and 36mm legs, and even has a quick-release thread insert to remove your chosen head for storage. Available in both long and short versions. WHY WE LOVE IT: Simple, quick, compact and lightweight – this easy-to-use arm has a strong cam-lock angle adjustment, and is ideal for the angler who wants to travel light. Price: £29.99, www.fishmatrix.co.uk PRESTON INNOVATIONS OFFBOX TELESCOPIC FEEDER ARM AN ULTRA-STABLE telescopic feeder arm boasting an adjustable angle tilt mechanism. Made from lightweight materials and available in three different lengths – 45cm to 70cm, 60cm to 101cm and 80cm to 137cm – meaning there is an arm to suit every…

WHERE TO FISH THERE are few greater sights in angling than a tench lake on a misty spring dawn, with fish rolling and fizzing all around your swim. We recently visited one water where you can enjoy just that. The four-acre North House Lake, in Wyboston, Bedfordshire, is a triangular shape, with good marginal weed growth and many mature willows separating approximately 25 swims. Depths range from 3ft to 10ft, and in its waters swim a fantastic head of tench, gorgeous scaly carp and a few large bream. It’s intimate enough to really get to know, yet not so small that you feel you’ve cracked it after a few sessions. With relatively simple tactics, though, a few quality fish are a realistic goal every session – anything from a couple…

TIPS & TACTICS BAG MORE THIS WEEK! • • Tactics to take to your water• Tricks & tips for bigger bags• Trusted knowledge• Every week A DREAM feeder session would be casting to the same spot every time and having the tip wrench round from a big carp within seconds of tightening up – the reality however, is altogether rather different. That’s especially true at this time of year, when carp and F1s aren’t quite into their stride with feeding. They’re kind of interested, but not going mad, and that means the fish can move about in your peg without you ever knowing about it! It’s not too dissimilar to what happens when pole fishing. You catch a few, the signs fade away and you’re sat biteless. The answer with…

Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank QUICK TIP TRY tipping a dark-coloured boilie with a 10mm white pop-up to draw attention to the hookbait when you’re fishing over a bed of bait. IN THE depths of a gravel pit, colours can seem very different to how they appear to us. Water absorbs red hues much faster than other colours, so, underwater, red turns to grey within a few metres of the surface, while blue persists much deeper. Eventually, though, all colours turn to shades of grey. Add the effect of silt or algae in the water, and colours can look quite different when underwater to how they do above the surface. Does bait colour matter, then? I think it does,…

DAIWA N’ZON FEEDER CHAIR WELL built, with a compact folding design and a fully adjustable backrest, this chair’s strong and stable 36mm front legs will take all sorts of heavy side trays and feeder arms. All four legs are adjustable, and compatible with Daiwa’s SYSTEM 36 range of accessories. Large tilting mudfeet, threaded end-caps on the legs and 180-degree swivelling handwheels are all great touches. Weight: 6.4kg Price: £150, www.daiwasports.co.uk MATRIX DELUXE ACCESSORY CHAIR WITH extensive padding and an improved back, this chair is designed for ultimate comfort. The lightweight aluminium and steel frame folds flat for easy transport and comes with a removable carry strap, making it a great choice if you have to walk to your peg. The rear leg extensions are designed to take any 3DR accessories…

Expert help to give your match fishing the edge THE TUTOR JAMIE HUGHES He’s won the lot and is showing no signs of slowing down! Simply put, he’s one of the best commercial fishery anglers the UK has ever seen. THE LESSON 1 KEEP A TIGHT LINE Many anglers won’t know they’ve had a bite, because their rig isn’t fishing properly. It’s vital to keep a tight line to the float, but any breeze makes it impossible without back shots. Two or three No8 shot spaced between float and pole-tip, but held off the water, will prevent the line from going slack, and make the rig more sensitive. 2 USE A LIGHT FLOAT F1s will move up and down in the water, so it’s rare to catch them with a…

MATCH SCENE FISH South Silverfish Winter Final (Sat)Southend Farm Fishery (24 pegs) WHEN you have to travel 236 miles to practise for a final, you might think your chances would be slim - but for Mikey Williams that wasn’t the case. Despite having to make the trek from his Carmarthen base to deepest Essex, the Guru/Mainline Match man left the rest standing with a 112-12-0 haul of skimmers and bream to win the handy £10,000 first prize off peg 1. Mikey held off the challenge of England skipper and former World Champion Will Raison on peg 19, who took 96-14-0 of bream and skimmers for the £3,000 runner-up spot. Third was Mikey’s travelling partner John Harvey on peg 19 next to Will, his 90-6-0 of bream and skimmers earning him…