Innholdsfortegnelse for 3214 i Angling Times

A QUEST of almost 20 years in search of new personal bests for two of the UK’s most cherished fish ended in style as Mike Lyddon landed huge tench and crucians. First, the Gardner-backed angler headed to a Surrey club water in an effort to top his crucian best of 4lb 3oz that had stood for two years. Finding an old stream bed around 50 yards out, he laced it with a carpet of groundbait and cast a flatbed Method feeder over the top. His fake caster hookbaits soon caught the attention of crucians weighing 3lb 10oz and 3lb 13oz. A lull in sport during the night seemed to indicate he had had the best of the sport, but a sudden flurry of action reactivated the session, and he told…

TROUT & Salmon Magazine is celebrating its 60th anniversary in style after the Prince of Wales congratulated staff on reaching the landmark. Six decades of effort have not gone unnoticed, with the Prince penning a special letter to applaud the magazine on its momentous achievement. To celebrate the milestone in its history, T&S – which first appeared in 1955 – has now launched the ‘Save our Salmon’ campaign, and editor Andrew Flitcroft said: “It is a great privilege to edit the 60th Anniversary issue of this iconic magazine and I am indebted to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales for his generous letter of congratulation. “As custodians of Britain’s wild fish, it is our duty to protect them and help reverse the decline in wild fish stocks, and Save…

OPERATION TRAVERSE LAUNCHED under the umbrella of the National Wildlife Crime Unit’s anti-poaching initiative, Project Trespass, Traverse was created in partnership with the Angling Trust, the Environment Agency and the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) along with the police to target poaching and illegal angling in the Fens. Increased patrols by police and EA officers have already led to successful convictions. The Angling Trust enforcement team, led by former policeman Dilip Sarkar, are now in talks with other police forces with a view to cover other parts of the country. BUILDING BRIDGES THE Angling Trust-led scheme has been running for a number of years and was set up to educate and integrate migrant anglers with UK anglers and clubs to help reduce the number of those who fish without a licence,…

EVERY angler loves a challenge, and fisheries that give visitors different options are thriving. Gone are the days when anglers would be happy to catch a big net of carp each session – the demand for variety seems to be greater than ever. North Yorkshire’s Pool Bridge Farm has adapted to the modern day scene, and each of the four day-ticket lakes offers visitors something completely different. The Old Coarse Lake was the original water and was dug in the 1960s, although it underwent a major overhaul in 2009 when it was re-pegged and given a new batch of fish. A small Method feeder or the long pole towards any of the features will score well for carp to double figures. Horseshoe is stuffed with roach and big ide that…

THE new season is just around the corner. Why not celebrate by taking a friend fishing... for free? We’ve joined forces with this year’s Take A Friend Fishing scheme (TAFF) to offer a beginner angler a free one-day rod licence when accompanied by a licence-holding adult. The TAFF scheme, run by the Angling Trades Association with the support of the Environment Agency, aims to encourage full UK rod licence holders to give family members and friends the chance to have a go at fishing between June 16 and 21. The beginner angler gets a free one-day rod licence which can be used on any UK river or stillwater. In support of the scheme, 25 clubs and fisheries are providing extra day-ticket offers for those taking part. And don’t forget our…

WITH just days remaining before the all in, river anglers are busy checking their tackle at the prospect of returning to running water. As excitement builds, some anglers will already know where they will be starting their river campaigns but if you are new to the sport or looking for a change of scenery come June 16 how about trying one of these top 20 stretches in the opening days of the new season? NORTH RIVER CALDER, WOOD LANE, MIRFIELD, W YORKS Big bags of roach, chub, bream and even barbel are possible. At the top of the stretch above Pear Tree Inn Bridge, on Old Bank Working Men’s Club water, it is all about the chub, dace and roach. Here a stick float is a great way to start…

1 Thread a metre of mainline on a size 18 eyed hook so that it is around 30cm from one end. 2 Tie a 15mm loop with the hook running freely inside it to help it sit correctly and look natural. 3 Place your fingers 3ins either side of the loop and twist in opposite directions. 4 Hold the line together and tie another loop to create the stiffi sh paternoster. 5 Add a drop shot weight to the shorter length of line and a pole float as a bite indicator. 6 The final ‘drop shot’ rig is a valuable component of any commercial angler’s armoury.…

Catch carp on sloppy pellets GET on sloppy pellets! If you’re fishing on a stillwater then you’ve got to try this simple polefishing tactic – it’s perfect for catching carp and F1s from shallow water. In this exclusive Angling Times video Steve reveals how you can make the perfect pellets and the best way to feed them to draw fish into your swim and keep them there. He also shows you why heavier rigs are crucial for success and explains how you can set up his rig. Bag up on bomb and pellet ANGLERS travel from far and wide to fish Boddington Reservoir, which in the past has produced match weights over 500lb. A variety of tactics work on big waters such as Boddington, but one of the most consistent…

MAINLINE Korum Xpert reel line, 10lb breaking strain. KORUM ADJUSTABLE HELI RIG Dai replaces the swivel provided with a Korum Quick Change swivel which allows him to alternate hooklinks. These are pre-tied and house a selection of different hookbaits. A piece of supple rig tubing covers the swivel and ensures the hooklink remains in place. FEEDER LINK Six to eight inches of 10lb Maxima attached to a Drennan E-S-P Oval Rig Ring. This is incredibly abrasion-resistant, which is vital when the feeder is being retrieved across gravel and other debris that could cause damage to the line. HOOKLINK Six inches of 10lb Korum Xpert Power Mono. This line is extremely supple and allows you to use a higher breaking strain without compromising bait presentation. HOOK AND BAIT Size 10 Korum…

WHAT would be the best method for fishing a river with a very rocky bed on a sweeping bend which is deeper over towards the far bank? Stuart Francis via e-mail THIS sounds like feeder territory. A float can be used, but with a rocky bottom it will be easily dragged under and may be difficult to control on a sweeping bend. The feeder is so much easier to use, allowing you to present a still bait and ensure some feed is always close to the hookbait. Spend time casting about to find the deepest spot – do this by counting how long it takes the feeder to hit the bottom. Next choice is what type of feeder to use, and this depends on the species. If it’s bream and…

I STRUGGLE to plumb the depth accurately on the waggler. Is there a right and a wrong way? Bob Cleary, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire FISHING with rod and line means you can’t get the depth of the swim as accurately as you can on the pole, and many problems arise from how the float is attached to the line when plumbing up. With a stick float, this isn’t difficult as you’re effectively using a large pole float and by holding a tight line you can get an accurate measurement. Bottom end only wagglers, however, are a different matter because of the angle created from the line going into the water to where it runs off the float down into the depths. Casting out with the float hanging normally won’t give you a…

HOW often should I be casting a Method feeder at this time of year? Simon Beddington, Church Stretton, Shropshire IN THE height of summer fish are ravenous and you need to be casting every couple of minutes, but we’ve still to have a really warm spell and so their appetites may not be quite so keen. A lot boils down to how often to cast when not much is happening. If bites are regular, obviously so will your casts be, but if you chuck out and nothing happens how long should you leave the feeder in? If you are getting knocks on the tip but no hooked fish, that’s a signal that carp are in the area but not yet feeding. Casting every few minutes will keep bait going in…

3 STEPS TO SUCCESS 1 LEARN THE SKILLS Read this guide – it has all the rigs, baits and tips to help you complete your challenge... 2 CATCH A FISH Pick a suitable fishery near you and then get out there and catch your target fish... 3 CLAIM YOUR PRIZE Take a pic of your catch and email it to us – we’ll send you a special certificate to show your mates! COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE AND GET AN EXCLUSIVE CERTIFICATE EMAIL CHALLENGE@ANGLINGTIMES.CO.UK  WITH YOUR PICTURES “MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS TO CATCH A BIG LAKE TENCH ON THE FLOAT!”Martin Bowler, the UK’s leading specialist angler…

ANGLING CHARITY Get Hooked on Fishing is one step away from winning £10,000 after it reached the final of the Aviva Community Fund Awards. The group, which offers angling opportunities to young and under-privileged people, is up against three other contenders to win the cash pot after hundreds of the charity’s supporters voted online. If it wins, GHoF plans to spend the money on introducing angling to hundreds of care workers and youngsters by running numerous events at Cudmore Fishery in Staffordshire.…

A HANDFUL of lobworms were all that Joe Royffe used for hookbait during an incredible month on the bank of a local lake. The warehouse employee was struggling to catch using a standard specimen carp rig, so he decided to overhaul his tactics and use an inline Drennan maggot feeder to transform his fortunes. It proved a master stroke for the Hertford rod, with the following three sessions resulting in tench weighing 9lb 10oz, 9lb 8oz and 8lb 6oz, along with a 4lb 2oz eel and a 34lb 9oz carp, all falling to his simple lobworm approach.…

A LONG drive to Pitsford Reservoir paid off handsomely for Paul Parnell when he banked this 4lb 1oz perch. The 31-year-old Reading-based lure specialist made the 180-mile round trip to the Northamptonshire fishery to take part in a Lure Anglers Society match. His efforts proved to be more than worthwhile as the predator helped Paul win the event. The all-important bite came as the fish fell for a Zman Slim SwimZ lure with a 7g jighead flavoured with Pro-Cure Super Gel.…

ENVIRONMENT Agency staff have been given further training to help them understand the importance of several new operations designed to tackle poaching. Senior officials from the Angling Trust visited the EA call centre in Sheffield that deals with reports from fishermen to brief them on the latest initiatives. It is hoped the training will give EA staff the knowledge to deal with fish theft reports more efficiently. National Enforcement Manager Dilip Sarkar said: “EA staff are now more understanding of angling issues, and why it is vitally important to respond in the right manner.” To report an angling crime call 0800 807060.…

PAUL Whitehouse is a really smashing bloke, absolutely hilarious and the perfect person to help launch the new Fishinginfo.co.uk website. His ‘Brilliant Kid’ Fast Show character should get instant recognition from potential users. The whole concept of Fishinginfo.co.uk is excellent, but imagine the amount of work inputting details and then updating them. Like painting the Forth Bridge, it may never be complete, as fisheries come and go with great rapidity, but if it gets the support of the tackle trade, major retailers and local authorities (I’m thinking libraries and town hall information boards) it will prove a boon.…

THIS WEEK’S 2 FOR 1 WATERS Cheshire Fishing, Cheshire Hallcroft Fishery, N Notts Moss Farm Fisheries, Manchester Heronbrook Fisheries, Staffs Makins Fishery, Warks Smeatons Lakes, Notts Broadfields Fishery, Worcs Honeypot Lakes, Essex New Claygate Lakes, Kent Willinghurst Fisheries, Surrey Turn to find out how these waters are fishing, plus loads more in your area…

CANALS CAULDON CANAL, STOKE-ON-TRENT, STAFFS The Lichfield Street stretch of the cut is worth a visit for a net of small silverfish. You can catch easily on a whip or the pole with maggots or hemp. Contact:Goms Mill AC, 01782 318173 Prices:£3 a day on the bank, Goms Mill AC CHESTERFIELD CANAL, RANBY, NOTTS Breadpunch and pinkies always work well for the roach here in the summer. The canal also holds plenty of tench, which can be caught on luncheon meat from the pegs at Bridge 53. Contact:South Yorks Police AC, 07908 739237 Prices:£15 a year, canal only membership, South Yorks Police AC GRAND UNION CANAL, GLEN PARVA, LEICESTER, LEICS Anglers are catching plenty of rudd and roach on pinkie fished over groundbait. The odd tench is also coming out…

CANALS BRIDGWATER AND TAUNTON CANAL, TAUNTON, SOMERSET The stretch at Charlton Road is one of the better areas, where tench to over 4lb and perch to over 2lb have shown in recent weeks. Contact:Enterprise Angling, 01823 282623 Prices:£7 a day from local tackle shops, Taunton AA GLOUCESTER CANAL, PURTON, GLOS There have been some huge nets to over 50lb of skimmers landed here, with groundbait feeder working well. Contact:Gloucester Angling Centre, 01452 520074 Prices:£4 a day on the bank, Winget Angling Club GRAND UNION CANAL, BULBOURNE, HERTS The New Ground Bridge stretch fished well in a recent club match, with 20lb bags of skimmers being caught on pellets or breadpunch. Contact:Old Town Angling, 01442 252373 Prices:£5 on the bank, Tring Anglers KENNET & AVON CANAL, SEEND PARK, WILTS This stretch…

1 BIRMINGHAM ANGLERS ASSOCIATION The association runs several sections offering some of the best sport in the Midlands. Buying a Birmingham AA book gives you access to rivers such as the Severn, Trent, Wye, Avon, Lugg and Teme. Price:£40 a year Contact:01562 882116, www.baa.uk.com 2 BRADFORD NO1 ANGLING ASSOCIATION Joining this club allows you access to some prime northern rivers including the Wharfe, Swale, Nidd, Aire and Ouse, all noted barbel waters. Price:£46 a year Contact:01706 526356, www.bradfordno1.com 3 CHRISTCHURCH ANGLING CLUB Some of the best river fishing in the land is available on this club book, including the classic big-fish stretches of the Hampshire Avon and Dorset Stour, making the slightly pricey membership fee more than worthwhile. Price:£140 a year Contact:01202 480009, www.christchurchac.org.uk 4 GLAMORGAN ANGLERS CLUB Coarse fishing…

EVERY now and again an item of gear comes along that you realise is very special and will help you put more fish in your net. The new Hybrid feeder certainly falls into that category. For those who don’t know, the best way I can think to describe it is as a cross between a conventional Method feeder and a banjo feeder, hence the name ‘Hybrid’. The Hybrid actually started from an idea that Guru brand manager Adam Rooney and I had, and with the help of some design tweaks from top commercial angler Paul Holland we went about creating the perfect feeder. Months of testing followed, and I can honestly say the results with it, for me personally, have been exceptional, starting with a winter match win at Boddington…

IT’S now officially summer, and although the weather has only just started to catch up, our lakes and pools are already blossoming. While we might love warm sunny days, under the surface the environment dances to a very different tune. Changes in day length drive much of the underwater world. From when fish spawn, to the availability of natural food, the hours of daylight are the key agent of change. Already natural venues are bursting with natural food items. The fish can begin to wax fat on these, and very often they will become fixated on just one type of food to the exclusion of all others. This can make fishing much trickier than just a few weeks ago – but by mimicking the size and types of food that…

CAN you actually hair-rig a worm and if so, how? Jason Cawley, Sandbach, Cheshire YOU can, and it’s a devastating way to catch fish that have seen it all before! The trouble with worms as a hookbait is that they can easily turn over the hookpoint, leading to bumped fish, but hair-rigging ensures they sit well clear of the hook and all bites are c onverted into fish in the net. A whole worm or just a small segment can be hair-rigged, depending on the size of fish you’re after. Steve Ringer is a massive fan of using two pieces of worm on a hair when feeder fishing for bream and skimmers. However, it’s on the pole, when carp and F1s are the target on commercial fisheries, that hair-rigged worm…

HOW much would it cost to buy all the tackle needed to compete in a Fish O’Mania qualifier on an equal footing with the others? Alan Pickering, Preston, Lancashire MODERN tackle is as good as it’s ever been, and for a relatively small outlay you can get some brilliant gear – but don’t expect a £100 pole to perform miracles! Aim for mid-priced tackle. That means a 14.5m pole (around £700), a seatbox (£300) and rods costing typically £100 apiece. It sounds a lot but this gear will last many seasons. It’s in the realm of terminal tackle where the pounds will really start to add up. If you limit yourself to one type of venue, you can cut right back on floats, hook patterns and lines. Basically, fishing can…

WOULD it be worth adding fishmeal to my groundbait for river bream this season? Geoff Fox, Louth, Lincs THE jury is out on this – some rivers see their bream shoals gobble the stuff up while on others it proves to be a turn-off. It’s true that on rivers that see carp anglers feeding pellets, boilies and fishmeal groundbaits the bream will just as easily eat these offerings, so it’s worth asking around to see if any carpers are present. In most situations, sticking to a standard brown crumb and sweet groundbait mix is preferable. If fishmeal is a goer then don’t go in with all guns blazing using a 100 per cent fishmeal mix as this will be too strong for even the hungriest of bream. Dilute the groundbait…

RIG No1 PELLET WAGGLER SUMMER is here and the pellet waggler is well and truly coming into its own on commercial fisheries – and with your free Premier Floats waggler you can have your share of the action too! Easier to fish than a long pole and simple to set up, the pellet waggler remains the pleasure angler’s number one tactic for catching carp shallow, especially on big open-water lakes where the fish may be feeding at a fair distance. Match anglers have a sizeable place in their armoury for the ‘pellet wag’ as well, and it’s already accounted for plenty of 200lb-plus weights this month. An active method, the pellet waggler works well with repeated casting and feeding, fished from a few inches to several feet deep with a…

1 BLUEBELL LAKES, NORTHANTS Sandmartin Lake is renowned for big catches of tench, many around the 8lb mark. This large sandpit responds to baiting up but is deep, and that makes legering or feeder fishing best. You don’t need to cast that far. Top baits are boilies, corn or pellets. There’s also a good head of carp in this lake, so tackle needs to be up to the job. CONTACT: 01832 226042 POSTCODE: PE8 5HP 2 ST IVES LAKES, CAMBRIDGESHIRE Head for the Anderson’s Lake, one of the smaller lakes on this sprawling gravel pit complex. This classic tench water, packed with lilies and reed beds, is capable of producing multiple bags of tench in the 6lb to 8lb range. The lake lends itself to floatfishing at close range with…

THESE days fake baits are no longer considered new, and thousands of day-ticket carp probably get to see imitation grains of sweetcorn every day – but these Enterprise replica lupin beans might just offer them something completely different. Whether they differ enough in appearance from large plastic sweetcorn and maize baits is open to debate, but these almost kidney-shaped particles, in two sizes and flavours, could just make a difference on hard-fished waters. Price: £2.30…

POP-UPS AND LIQUIDS CRAFTY Catcher’s clever Tip-Off hookbaits are super-buoyant pop-ups designed to top boilie bottom baits or wafters. In four colours, they are ideal for snowman, critically balanced or zig rigs, and also make ideal Method feeder baits. Crafty Catcher liquids are famously potent, and new super-viscous Hemp Oil will be ideal for adding to spod mixes or boosting boilies and pellets. Hemp Oil in any stick mix or bag will indicate when fish are on the bait, as it sends up an oily flat slick. Price: Tip-Offs £4.99 Hemp Oil (250ml) £4.99 Nashbaits adds Ace Cards to the pack GARY Bayes and the guys at Nashbait have been burning the midnight oil to bring you these new Ace Cards carp bait additives. An extensive range of flavours can…

WITH fish like this, it’s easy to see why the Wasing Estate is one of the finest carp venues in the country. This 48lb 2oz specimen is a new lake-record common for Cranwells Lake and was caught by Daniel Gilbert during an overnight session at the Berkshire complex. The 34-year-old has been a member of the water, which also holds Britain’s biggest living carp at 64lb-plus, for six years, and ticked off a target fish with this capture. “I could see it was a very big common, which seemed to grow every time I looked at it,” said Daniel, “but despite knowing the fish well and seeing several photos in the past I didn’t realise straight away it was the lake’s biggest common at a new personal best and common…

WHEN Jack Grindrod’s girlfriend jetted back home to Australia, he went carp fishing to “clear his head”. Taking with him a shoebox of letters she had written for him to read during their months apart, the 24-year-old unfolded one marked ‘open when you go fishing’ and smiled as he saw the words “hope you catch a nice 40lb carp”. Moments later, one of his alarms beeped twice and he pulled into a 43lb mirror to set a new lake record and smash his 27lb personal best. Essex electrician Jack told Angling Times: “My girlfriend went back to Australia on Thursday, so I took the Friday off work and went out fishing at Myths Pool Fishery near Billericay to clear my head. It was a new lake for me and I’d…

DES GETS SET TO HIT YOUR TV SCREENS THIS WEEK’S CATCHES IN KINGFISHER CLUB TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN THIS WEEK’S QUIZ LET’S NOT FORGET THE GOOD WORK DONE BY ANGLERS ANGLING gets a lot of praise for what it does for society, but one thing that rarely gets mentioned is the sport’s sterling work for charity and other good causes. I’ve seen lots of matches arranged that have brought in thousands of pounds, nationwide tours of different waters, and recently Mick Grainger’s 48-hour stint on a seatbox that helped raise £2,000 for a sick colleague. It just goes to show what a caring bunch we anglers really are. Mark Diggle, Hatfield TURNED OFF BY ‘STUPID’ RULES I TOOK a look at the rules of a popular commercial fishery recently and…

AFTER qualifying for the semi-final of the £30,000 Erics Carp Champs at Shearwater Lake, Mark was keen to get some practice in for the big event and so booked a fact-finding trip to the Wiltshire venue. Expert advice was sought from some of carp fishing’s finest anglers, over £150 was spent at the tackle shop getting the essential rig bits, and he made the long journey to the water ready to get among its prolific carp stocks. It started well, too, and three hours of solid bites from the word ‘go’ proved the quality of fishing likely to be on offer at the semi. Unfortunately, and frustratingly, Mark couldn’t connect to a single take. Now Mark’s rigs are a thing of beauty – precisely tied with immaculate hairs of perfect…

REMEMBER last week I mentioned a TV commercial I was involved in for a major store? Here’s the story… MONDAY I spent Sunday night in a hotel in Staines, and my room overlooked the Thames. I sat on the balcony with a pint of bitter and reflected on how I started fishing on the local cut, catching stone loach. Tomorrow I would be acting a part, small though it might be, in a major advertising campaign for the Co-op superstore! I was in bed by ten, because a taxi was picking me up and taking me to the set at 5.45am. The taxi arrived on time and the guy simply said: “The fisherman for the Co-op ad?” I proudly said: “Yes mate, that’s me.” I was then taken to the…

Family Fishing pulls in eager newcomers THREE popular venues played host to the Angling Trust and Get Hooked on Fishing latest Family Fishing events. Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire, Orton Pond, in Peterborough, and Rib Valley Fishery, Herts, all saw families introduced to the delights of our sport, and there were smiles all round according to Sarah Collins, CEO of GHoF. “These events are very much about helping families on to the very first stepping stone of their angling careers,” explained Sarah. “So far this year the campaign has introduced over 200 new people to angling, most of them catching the usual small roach, rudd, skimmers and perch, but there have been a few surprises too! “One youngster, Oliver, aged 10, wondered what had taken a liking to his maggot at…

JOHN BIMSON, FARNBOROUGH, ASKS: Q How do you decide what type of groundbait to use when fishing the feeder on a skimmer venue new to you, and what type of feeder would work best? A If the water is a commercial or a popular pellet venue a fishmeal groundbait will be best. On a natural venue the chances are that a cereal mix will be more appropriate. My favourite cereal mix is the extremely popular Bait-Tech Pro Natural Bream, and I’ve had lots of success this year using Envy Green and Omen combined, so these are my fishmeal choices. The depth of the lake can be an issue, and if it’s a venue that's over 8ft deep I like to use stickier mixes like Envy and even Halibut Marine Method…

EASTERN 1 Paul Ashford 419pts 2 David Cooper 416pts 3 Colin Begbie 396pts 4 Ashley Kinsey 277pts 5 Steven Hillman 255pts 6 Matt Wiles 237pts 7= Chris Nicholson 195pts 7= Chris Cooper 195pts 9 David Jarvis 170pts 10 Alan Hilton 155pts SOUTH EAST 1 Lenny Goodwin 348pts 2 Jim McDowell 278pts 3 Brian Bathie 209pts 4 Maurice Leask 168pts 5 Del Gladwin 160pts 6 Lew Nightingale 153pts 7 Micky Lock 144pts 8 John Larraman 137pts 9 Dean Lock 132pts 10 Paul Lawton 127pts SOUTH WEST 1 Dave Haines 321pts 2 Sean Townsend 205pts 3 Norman Ferris 187pts 4 Jon Clark 185pts 5 Paul Elmes 180pts 6 Steve Dawson 132pts 7 Keith Bilder 126pts 8 Martin Rayet 113pts 9 Steve Rogers 106pts 10 John Andres 92pts WEST MIDLANDS 1 Mal Watson…

THE Basingstoke Canal AA are to revive one of their major blue ribbon contests after a gap of a few years as the summer Teams of Four League takes off on Saturday, July 4, with the Crookham Wharf and Barley Mow sections planned to be used. Additionally, there will be an individual match on Saturday, September 5 with £300 going to the winner from the Fox and Hounds to Swing Bridge sections. Finally, there’s a pairs contest worth £500 to the winners on Saturday, November 21 using the Fleet sections. Each match costs £20 per angler, including the peg fee. Full details and entry forms are available from Simon Clarke at Tackle Up, Fleet on 01252 614066 or email sales@tackleupfleet.com…

A SURVEY is to be conducted to help reveal how healthy fish stocks are in one of our finest river fisheries. The River Nene has produced big hauls of bream, barbel and roach in recent seasons and the Environment Agency has announced a series of studies to work out how many fish are present. Officials will be using netting equipment over a month-long period starting on June 15 to count fish numbers and sizes on stretches between Northampton’s Clifford Hill and Ferry Meadows. The results could be used to help the EA decide whether more fish need to be stocked in the winter.…

TOP TV funny man Paul Whitehouse is to spearhead a series of new Angling Trust adverts to help get more people into fishing. Keen angler Paul, who currently appears in fishing-based adverts for insurance company Aviva, will reprise his famous ‘Brilliant!’ character from the award-winning Fast Show programme as he tells viewers what’s great about our sport. The ads have been commissioned by the Angling Trust in partnership with the Environment Agency to help boost participation, with a brand new website called Fishinginfo.co.uk being launched as part of the project. Each will appear in print or on social media channels Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from today (June 9). Paul told Angling Times: “Kids are glued to phones and computers and junior rod licence sales are going down, so it’s important…

ANDREW Alsop’s amazing start to the season continued this week when he won the battle with this huge personal-best conger eel estimated to weigh over 100lb. The owner of the world famous White Water Charters, based in Milford Haven in Wales, was fishing with expert skipper Dave Harrison aboard his vessel Gemini II that operates out of the port of Dartmouth, when the huge specimen took Andrew’s whole pouting over a wreck 20 miles from shore. It’s a catch that follows an incredible season so far for the skipper who’s already landed a 206lb skate and a 380lb porbeagle shark. He boated five other congers over 50lb, including one weighing over 75lb. All the fish were safely returned.…

THE HEARTBREAK of losing a 12-hour battle with one of the world’s hardest fighting fish was finally forgotten by Jake Casson when he returned to bank a giant 150lb-plus specimen. A trip to Thailand’s Jurassic Mountain Fishery last month ended in devastation for the Sussex-based angler when the hook pulled out of a colossal Siamese carp over half a day after he got the bite. Determined to set the record straight, he arranged another 5,500-mile round trip to the complex and the long haul journey soon paid off. Jake said: “I took much more powerful rods with me this time round and I knew that if I hooked one of the big Siamese carp I would have a much better chance of winning the battle. “The plan worked, and I…

RUNNING-water fans are set to have more choice than ever when dozens of new stretches will open to angling on the first day of the new season, June 16. With the popularity of fishing running water back on the rise thanks to competitions like RiverFest, clubs across the country have snapped up vacant stretches of waterway to provide their members with even better value. As a result, countless areas that were previously inaccessible have now become readily available to anglers. With fish stocks thought to be at an all-time high and hundreds of clubs freezing their prices, it makes for an exciting prospect when the river season opens in a week’s time. Birmingham AA is among those that have secured new venues, and secretary John Williams told Angling Times: “Most…

THIS year has seen the biggest ever crackdown on illegal fishing and fish theft as more and more police forces strive to rid our river banks of poachers. The sport’s governing bodies are working especially hard on educating migrant anglers, and these efforts are starting to pay off with more and more of them adapting to UK catch-and-release. Meet 26-year-old Polish angler Lukasz, a reformed poacher who now advocates returning everything he catches. Angling Times caught up with him on the towpath of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal in Warwickshire to discover why he decided to change his ways. Q Why did you start poaching in the UK? A I came to England six years ago to work, and like a lot of my friends, I knew very little English.…

ONE group of anglers who really enjoy our rivers and canals are the recent immigrants from Eastern Europe. They have had a very bad press, thanks to their customary eating of coarse fish. In Poland, for example, the rod licence (which requires passing an exam before it’s issued) allows for some fish to be retained, under limits... just like most of our EA river regions did before June 2010, when the National Byelaws were introduced. There is no doubt that more and more of our ‘new’ anglers are falling into step with our rules and taking part in many events and we have to thank Radoslaw Papiewski and the Angling Trust Building Bridges project for that. Now, as you’ll see on pages 6 and 7, another Polish angler, Lukasz, has…

THIRTY years ago one of the more popular Grand Union Canal pounds in West London for matches was the stretch from Havelock Road in Osterley to Hayes. The breadpunch fishing was outstanding as long as it didn’t get too cold and freeze in winter, while in summer and autumn the hemp fishing was brilliant. I had a walk along there last weekend looking for a potential venue for a Tight Lines shot, and to say I was shocked would be a huge understatement. The water was so clear I could literally see every stone on the bottom, along with carrier bags, drinks cans and other debris. Where the bottom was silt, filamentous algae had taken hold, there were patches of ‘cabbage’, a few lilies and even long fronds of what…

CANALS CALDER AND HEBBLE CANAL, DEWSBURY, W YORKS Chopped worm and caster is working for the odd tench and perch, especially from the early pegs. Contact:Graham’s Tackle, 01924 442040 Prices:£3.50 in advance from Graham’s Tackle, Dewsbury AC HUDDERSFIELD BROAD CANAL, HUDDERSFIELD, W YORKS The fishing is fairly consistent at the moment on the match length. The pegs with features on the far bank are best for the chub. Catch them on caster and worm. Contact:Chris Roberts Fishing Tackle, 01484 545032 Prices:£3.50 or £25 a season from Chris Roberts Fishing Tackle, Mirfield AC LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL, LYDIATE, MERSEYSIDE The Eager Lane section is worth a visit, with plenty of bream and some tench being caught on bread. Try the sedge pegs. Contact:Johnsons Angling Centre, 0151 525 5574 Prices:£5 on the…

FLOAT This is held above the water and acts purely as a visible bite indicator, so you need to choose a fairly robust pattern that you can see even in poor light. MAINLINE Use a fairly stiff mainline to help keep the mainline away from the paternoster that hoids the hook. Craig’s choice is 0.20mm Middy Lo-viz mono. PATERNOSTER The paternoster is between 3ins and 4ins long, and formed from a twisted loop of mainline. A size 18 KM3 hook is in a running loop to get more bites. HOOKBAIT A 6mm or 8mm white banded pellet is Craigs’s favourite hookbait. Directly hook the bait band as opposed to presenting it on a hair rig. DROP SHOT WEIGHT This makes sure you’ll never miss a bite, as the fish hook…

BREAM SMALL baits come into their own now, mini-particles and small pellets fed with a spod to avoid introducing too much groundbait. On prolific venues 8mm halibut pellets and corn are good hookbaits, but on more difficult waters I will try a small hair-rigged dendrobaena worm. CARP I BET most anglers will be using boilies right now, but switching to a particle approach can pay big dividends. Try a mixture of three parts mini-particles to one part mega-particles for best results. Plastic corn, or a combination of real and fake, is the ideal hookbait over this mix. TENCH I ALWAYS include hemp in my tench feed but especially now, when action on big baits can die off. Maggots and casters make up the rest of my feed, with three real…

1 You’ll need Quickstops, a baiting needle and an eyed as opposed to a spade end 2 Thread a Quickstop on the line and make a loop, holding the Quickstop inside it. 3 Secure the stop with a single overhand loop. Tighten by pushing needle through loop... 4 ...then by pulling the line tight over the needle to trap the stop in position. 5 Insert the needle into the Stop and push it through the middle of the worm section. 6 Remove needle and tie the hook on, leaving a long hair so the hookpoint isn’t masked.…

I HAVE read about pellets going rancid but don’t understand what this means. Do all pellets go off after a time, or is this only high oil content pellets? I store mine in airtight containers, but is this wrong? Mike Tavner via e-mail PROVIDED pellets are kept dry and in a sealed tub, they shouldn’t go off, but try to use as bag within a few weeks of opening, as fresh is always best. When pellets have liquid additives poured on them, though, this is when they will go mouldy as the dampness begins the breakdown process far quicker and without exposure to fresh air, they’ll rot. High oil pellets are no different. Oil does not naturally turn bad so you’re doing the right thing in storing them in airtight…

I FISH a lake full of small skimmers and when they’re feeding well, the swim fizzes with lots of bubbles but the float doesn’t go under! What’s going on? Dave Bartholomew, Coventry, Warks A FIZZING peg means lots of fish are present, but that can actually be a bad thing! Skimmers are ploughing the bottom up and they may well struggle to see the bait. When they do, the bite isn’t always obvious. The solution is to feed a little less and use a positive rig. Shotting consists of a bulk of No9 shot around 10ins from the hook with a single No8 shot set 4ins below. With an ultra-short hooklength you can plumb up using a ‘crocodile’ plummet attached to that No8 shot, and when you plumb up, make…

IT was 20 years ago when an up-and-coming Paul Whitehouse had the nation in stitches with his comic sketches and hilarious characters in The Fast Show. Unlucky Alf, Ron Manager and Anyone fancy a pint? were some of his trademark pieces, but fast forward to 2015 and the Londoner is back in the boots of his ‘Brilliant Kid’ – and it’s all in the aid of fishing! The character is the inspiration for a series of new promotional advertisements commissioned by the Angling Trust to encourage new blood to the sport and to highlight its FishingInfo website. Whitehouse, who also enjoyed success for his parts in the Harry Enfield programmes, took time out of filming schedules to talk about his own fishing career, his funniest incident on the bank and…

BECAUSE you’re fishing close in, there are likely to be a lot of snags that a hooked fish will do its best to bolt into. With that in mind, tackle needs to be substantial, but I’m not talking about carp fishing kit here. Tench still need a touch of finesse, especially when the water is clear, so aim to fish a sensibly strong mainline straight through to an eyed hook – this will give you a fighting chance if a carp does pick up your bait. Here are my seven essential items for tenching. FAKE BAITS Small fish are the bane of any specimen hunter’s life and when using natural offerings like maggots and worms, they can have you tearing your hair out. However, tench fishing is rarely instant ‘bite-a-cast’…

ONE OF the beauties of the tench is that it will happily accept a wide variety of baits. I have to admit I’m a fan of natural baits such as maggots and casters, but only when I can get away with them. If the venue holds a lot of small silvers, I might have to fish pellets or sweetcorn instead, to avoid the attentions of these fish. I’m also a fan of flavouring some of my baits to give them a boost. For example, I might add KG1 liquid and corn steep powder. Where you place your baits, however, is much more important than what you choose. Consider your swim contours carefully before baiting up. TRY THESE FOR EITHER THE HOOK, AS FEED OR IN SOME CASES, BOTH! RED MAGGOTS…

SUCH has been the success of the Fox Chunk clothing range that a stunning new collection has been released for summer. The latest catwalk additions to the popular menswear portfolio are cut from quality materials and tailored to very exacting standards. As with the original garments, Fox has taken its inspiration from the high street and, with a clever combination of colours and styles, has combined a very modern and cool look with practicality. Anglers can enjoy wearing smart clothing on the bank that in everyday use won’t be out of place among non anglers. In sizes S-XXXL. CHUNK RANGE Camo Pocket T-shirt £14.99 Camo/Khaki,Burgundy/Orange,Black/Grey T-shirt all £14.99 Burgundy/Orange,Black/Grey, Khaki Polo all £19.99 Ribbed Hoody Khaki, Grey, Burgundy all £39.99 Ribbed Jogger Khaki, Grey both £29.99 Heavy Twill Cargo Pants…

BRADLEY Price set a new venue record at Yateley South Lake with this 40lb 8oz common. The primary school teacher had considered moving swims during his 48-hour session and was just about to pack up when he got the take. Bradley told Angling Times: “The first 24 hours were unproductive. I even thought about moving, as I had been told the bailiffs had recently removed a snag that attracted fish to the area. The swim had also been fished for a week straight beforehand with only one fish coming out.” Despite the odds looking poor, the 22-year-old stayed put and was rewarded with a 19lb mirror at 3am on his second night. He added: “At about 9am the next morning the left-hand rod screeched off. It was tight to the…

A YORKSHIRE fishery has been boosted by sponsorship from tackle company Chub. Ingmanthorpe Lake, which is owned by Dave Moore, has been stocked with 200 carp that are piling on the pounds. The current lake record stands at 35lb – a fish that was stocked at 16lb two and a half years ago. Chub spokesman Ed Betteridge said: “I’m really please Chub can help support a water like this, and I’m looking forward to watching the fish grow in size over the years.”…

Get out and enjoy your free floats! WITH floatfishing it doesn’t matter what’s on the end – carp, roach, bream or tench. The sight of a waggler responding to every nod of the fish’s head always makes me smile. This week our choice of two free floats allow you to experience that joy, and I’ve selected two of my favourite patterns for you. The clear waggler is the perfect choice for stillwaters.Fish on the bottom with corn, maggot, pellets and meat, or shallow up your rig and target roach and rudd up in the water. If carp are your target, it’s more a case of ‘cast, splash, feed and it’s fish on’ with our super-buoyant pellet waggler. I’ve also used them on rivers for catching chub with breadflake on the…

1 MILK TRAY  Smart suit, James Bond-esque sports car, and Des dropping through a country house’s skylight on an abseiling rope. And all because the lady loves… a tray of Milky Toffee boilies. Des is nailed on for this one. 2 CHANEL NO 5  Peg No5 on the canal is far more likely to appear in a posh perfume advert with supermodel Gisele Bündchen than our Des! 3 COMPARE THE MARKET  Given Des Taylor’s ‘love’ of otters on his beloved River Severn, those meerkats have got no chance. Simples! 4 CARLSBERG  If Carlsberg did fishing it’d probably be the best…oh, hang on, where’s all the beer gone? Where’s Des? 5 1980s LEVI’S JEANS  Instead of washing his denims, Des will have his fishing waterproofs spinning through the machines while he…

FOLLOW Angling Times on Twitter at @angling_timesand Angling Times Editor Steve Fitzpatrick on @AnglingTimesEdfor all the latest news and competitions. ‘Like’ our Facebook page www.facebook.com/anglingtimesfor weekly competitions, news, a first look at new products and much, much more. Fishing on the box Robson’s Extreme Fishing Challenge Tuesday, June 9, 8pm Robson Green travels to Peru to face an energy-sapping ascent of the Andes. There he meets a village chief who issues him with a challenge to fish for lake trout. The Big Fish Off Tuesday, June 9, 11:10pm Former England goalie David Seaman and British Superbike champ Tommy Hill join Ali Hamidi and Dean Macey on the banks of the Wye. The Fishing TV Show Wednesday, June 10, 5:30pm Rae Borras learns how to catch bass in the Bristol Channel…

55th Division, Lathom Fishery: 1 R Harwood, 48-0-0, pellet, carp; 2 P Lambert, 30-0-0; 3 P Ainsworth, 24-0-0. Ackworth AC, Ben Lee Lakes: 1 S Morgan, 33-8-0, worm, skimmers; 2 T Reeves, 13-11-0; 3 K Carter, 13-6-0. AJAX, Barston Lakes: 1 D Martin, 35-0-0, pellet, skimmers/carp; 2 M Price, 29-12-0; 3 D Tyson, 29-7-0. Alliance & Leicester Liverpool, Firswood Fishery: 1 T Stewart, 93-8-0, meat, carp; 2 M Wall, 93-0-0; 3 G Green, 86-8-0. Angle AC, Messingham Sands: 1 J Stones, 140-5-0, pellet, carp; 2 R Billam, 79-8-0; 3 F Turton, 62-10-0. Birmingham Thursday Club, Packington Somers: 1 W Macrara, 28-0-0, pellet, carp; 2 P Smithy, 23-2-0; 3 G Young, 19-8-0. Bulkington WMC, Toft Lakes: 1 B Hodgetts, 44-6-0, pellet, carp; 2 M Cowley, 20-1-0; 3 R Morgan, 15-14-0. Conisbrough…

White Acres Residents Rover (Thurs) All lakes (107 pegs) THE warm weather saw more than 100 anglers lining up for this one and it was Cumbrian rod Kevin Penfold who took the honours. He banked 128-7-0 of carp together with a few tench from peg 30 on the Twin Oaks Lake where he fished bomb and pellet feeder with banded pellet as hookbait. Sean Butler was on peg 45 of the Pollawyn Lake, where he caught shallow on pellet at 14.5m to seal second place with 126-14-0 of carp to 8lb. Result:1 K Penfold, Border Match Angling, 128-7-0; 2 S Butler, Notts AA, 126-14-0; 3 B Nicholas, White Acres, 124-14-0; 4 I Hughes, Egremont Ferry, 105-13-0; 5 T Heffernon, St Helen’s, 105-10-0; 6 R Penkethman, Bovington Lakes AC, 104-10-0. Lady:C…