Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3699 i Angling Times

AS SOON as I saw the news on Facebook that Rob Hales, owner of RH Fisheries, had stocked a 64lb common into one of his lakes, a wry smile crept across my face before I then clicked to read the comments. And, as predictable as an I’m a Celeb contestant gagging on a kangaroo’s nether regions, there was no shortage of anglers who were up in arms. Cries of “it will never count as a record”, “this fish has no history, it’s basically a pet” and other similar sentiments were all there in a classic example of carp fishing politics Bingo! In fairness, there were also plenty of comments complimenting Rob on growing such an incredible-looking fish. I get that we are all passionate about our sport, but it often…

THE EDGE JOIN TOP match anglers Lee Kerry and Rob Wootton each week as they unveil the tactics and techniques that really make a difference CARP can be fickle creatures once winter bites, spending much of their time balled up in tight shoals, which they rarely leave to go in search of food. On bigger venues, such as Boddington Reservoir and Barston Lakes, the fish will push well away from the bank, and you must be prepared to go and find them if you’re to enjoy success. Grabbing the beefiest rod that you own, and firing a feeder as far as you possibly can, may seem like the obvious thing to do, but there is much more to it than that if you want to maximise the potential of your…

How can I get bites in clear water when the pole isn’t working? Gordon Newman, Ely MOST anglers reach for the feeder when they can’t catch on the pole, but it can be a little too selective at a time of year when a lot of species are eating very little. The answer may well be to turn to the waggler, and I’ve had lots of brilliant days using the tactic. There are several reasons it can work so well when the water in commercials turns cold and clear, one of the biggest being that there’s no long length of carbon waving over the fish’s heads. So you won’t spook the shoal. ESSENTIAL TACKLE Almost all my winter waggler fishing for mixed bags is done with the rig set to…

GIVEN the massive variety of shapes, colours and types of lures on offer, it’s not surprising that novice predator anglers can sometimes get confused. But once you understand the main characteristics of different patterns, lure fishing is actually not that complicated at all. Many of the types are simply a different tackle company’s take on a similar theme. The real sticking point with lures can be that what may work brilliantly one day may not work anywhere near as well the next. Light levels, temperature, water clarity, depth and maybe even atmospheric pressure can all affect how predators react to a pattern, type or colour. This is one of the reasons that pike anglers collect so many ‘artificials’, just like squirrels gather nuts. Or it may just be that they…

Albert Hollinshead 14lb barbel, River Nene, Peterborough, Cambs, boilie Charlie Brown 16lb 2oz pike, Trent and Mersey Canal, livebait Adam Fuller 23lb common carp, Marsh Trail Lakes, Suffolk, pop-up Zach Downie 4lb 8oz common carp, Farview Fishery, Yorkshire, maggot Zachary Williamson 8lb common carp, Roughton Fishery, Norfolk Vinnie Williamson 9lb pike, undisclosed stillwater, Suffolk Teddy Williamson 5lb common carp, undisclosed stillwater, Essex Rafe Norris Perch, River Stort, Essex, lure tactics Ralph Hyde 10lb 11oz barbel, River Derwent, Derbyshire, meat Isabelle Dammery 12lb 1oz pike, local reservoir, Essex, deadbait Jack Hanslip 10lb 4oz common carp, Dandy Fords, Romsey, Hants Josh Bowden 2lb 8oz perch, Covey Fishery, Somerset, worm Atti O’Hagan Montagu Mixed bag, River Weaver, Cheshire, maggot Ben Bradley 4lb pike, undisclosed canal, lure tactics Eva-Grace Fahy 2lb 1oz tench, private…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING FOR MANY anglers, canal fishing conjures images of scratching around for a net of tiddlers – but last week one man well and truly blew that misconception out of the water by taking an incredible haul of big perch. Taylor McCrossan was fishing the Grand Union Canal when he slipped the net under not one, but three perch over the 4lb mark, topped by a stripey of 4lb 8oz, and all taken in a memorable 20-minute spell. In addition, he landed a few other ‘threes’, while his friend Zach Cooper also got in on the action, landing fish to a best of 3lb 8oz. “I’d been on the canal the evening before and lost a huge perch as it neared…

A COUPLE whose relationship has been shaped by angling recently got married and, of course, they had a fishing-themed ceremony! Andy and Laura Swarbrooke first met as teenagers, when they enjoyed fishing together on their local stretch of the Fossdyke Canal. After going their separate ways, they met again 23 years later, with both having continued their love affair with the sport in the interim. Instantly, they reconnected, and this year they tied the knot on the banks of the canal where they first learned to fish. Their wedding ceremony was filled with angling-themed decorations, with floats and lures adorning the tables. “We wanted to share our story, as sometimes we pinch ourselves when we realise how lucky we are to have each other and our shared passion,” they…

THE GAME CHANGER DRENNAN CUP CATCHES OF THE WEEK 2024 - 2025 SEASON Ian Potts – 18lb 10oz barbel “THIS season I’ve had some great barbel fishing on the River Trent, but over the past week or two things have got much harder. “There have been a few frosts, and water temperatures have started to plummet. As a result, the fish aren’t feeding anywhere near as hard but, by tweaking my tactics and being patient, I managed to catch a new PB of 18lb 10oz. “I was out on a guiding session and noticed that the water temperature had dropped by 1.5ºC from the week before. I’d enjoyed a prolific session then, landing 10 barbel, eight of which were ‘doubles’, capped by a specimen of 17lb 3oz. But this time,…

THE RECENT icy blast marked the true arrival of winter, meaning you must now choose wisely which species you’re going to target. Some are quite unreliable in the cold but, if you go in search of chub, you can taste success, no matter how low the temperatures drop. You’re unlikely to find a huge shoal of them balled up in one spot, though, and staying mobile is vital to help you find pockets of fish. That means travelling light with nothing other than the bare essentials, so that you can comfortably cover plenty of ground without fatigue kicking in. Put your thermals on, pack a flask of tea, and head down to your local river to experience plenty of rod-bending action while others stare down the barrel of a blank.…

RIVERS tend to be ‘made’ for certain fish and, in the case of the Hampshire Avon, those fish are big roach. But conjuring up images of silver flanks dancing over swaying fronds of weed in chalk-filtered water is one thing... catching these fish is quite another! Because the Avon flows through my neighbouring county I am drawn to this challenge – often blanking , but with the odd red-letter day. Before the Avon Roach Project bore fruit, fishing for roach was like chasing ghosts, but slowly and surely the stocks have recovered, giving an outside chance of a 2lb fish once again. One stretch stands head and shoulders above the rest, namely Winkton, at the lower end of the Avon. Under the stewardship of Christchurch Angling Club and the keepering…

STEVE RINGER World Feeder champ and a constantly successful matchman JAMIE HUGHES Match ace who’s a three-time winner of Fish O’Mania PAUL GARNER Angling Times columnist and bait expert DARRAN GOULDER Youngest-ever Drennan Cup winner and all-round angler DARREN COX Team England Feeder squad member hailing from Yorkshire BOB NUDD Four-times World Champion who’s still active on the Fens ADAM PENNING Big-carp angler now running a tutorial and guiding business BACKSHOTTED POLE RIG When pole fishing, I keep bringing back sucked maggots on the hook, yet I don’t see the bites. What’s going on? Graham Brady, email A How your rig sits underwater is key to how many fish you put in the net, and it’s all about making it ultra-sensitive if you’re not to miss any bites. If your…

Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank LAST weekend I dusted down my roach fishing gear in readiness for the months ahead. While roach are among our most ‘generalist’ species, both in terms of what they eat and the time of year that we can catch them, I tend to target them mainly over the colder months, when options for other species are perhaps more limited. Chilly weather allows us to take advantage of a peculiarity of the behaviour of roach shoals. In low temperatures, roach tend to mix with fish of a similar size. This makes targeting the larger fish, even with small baits, much easier. YEAR-ROUND HEMP Small roach seem to shoal up close to cover, for safety from…

IS THERE anything more delightful than the sudden sighting of a fish? Whether or not we catch it, the whole ‘hide and seek’ element of angling is something quite magical. It lights a primal spark in our brains that was surely the same for our distant ancestors. Granted, they were looking for a meal rather than a bend in the rod, but that crackle of excitement is unchanged. Fish spotting is an art in its own right, and for so many of us, so-called ‘sight fishing’ is the purest angling pleasure of all. Dare I say it, this also lends the modern era of murky, heavily-stocked ponds a slightly tragic air, as we deprive ourselves of this most basic angling joy. For my part, disproportionate chunks of angling time have…

TODAY, angling is more specialised than ever before, making it increasingly difficult to carve out a career as an all-rounder. But one man who’s done that to the very highest standard is Darren Cox. He’s best known for his match fishing exploits which, in recent years, have largely revolved around feeder fishing – first with the England Feeder team, with whom he picked up gold, and now with the Masters side, where he was part of the side that picked up a silver medal earlier this year. He’s also had huge success on the commercial fishery scene, competing in big-money finals and winning numerous festivals. In 2017 he won the prestigious Feeder Masters title, and a few years later was runner-up in the Golden Rod final. But Darren’s also an…

TWO BIG BARBEL IN QUICK SUCCESSION Garth Ethelston – 17lb 13oz barbel WITH day temperatures dropping, Garth Ethelston was unsure if it was worth going barbel fishing that evening. But having seen that the moon phase was good, he visited the River Thames and just five minutes after casting out landed a lovely fish of 11lb 14oz. He recast and fed two handfuls of boilies over the top, and 40 minutes later his rod was nearly pulled from the rests! The fish took line before locking him up in a snag midriver, but by walking downstream to get a different angle, Garth managed to free it and after a heavy fight a specimen weighing 17lb 13oz rolled over the net cord. Paste-wrapped Blakes Baits Krinella boilies did the trick for…

A WINTER WINNER! A SERIES of winter silverfish matches are staged at Chester Lakes each year, and I love getting involved in these contests. They are very deep lakes, and that keeps you on your toes and makes you think about how you are going to get the next run of bites. My first visit of this campaign came this week, and I drew peg 11 on Eccleston Lake. There are a lot of smaller skimmers in this lake and, if you get it right, you can enjoy plenty of bites throughout the day. My plan was to fish a long pole line with worms and groundbait, and short with casters over groundbait. A small, very sticky ball of groundbait packed with chopped worm went long to start, and things…