Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3644 i Angling Times

THE LONG-AWAITED return of international match fishing to the UK proved to be a resounding success, with England emerging victorious on both the team and individual front at the inaugural Euro Feeder Cup. Fishing over three days at the famous Barston Lakes in the West Midlands, a strong Drennan Team England Aqua romped to victory, winning two out of the three days and securing all the individual podium places into the bargain! For several decades now anglers have been calling out for a major international event to be held in the UK again, so special congratulations must go out to organiser Lee Kerry for making this competition happen. I hope this will be the first of many to be held in this country over the coming years. I’m sure the…

FRENCH LESSON IN WATER SUPPLY THIS AUTUMN has been pretty wet so far. A good few rivers have burst their banks already, and the flooding has started. Those of us that love our river fishing are facing challenges associated with the winter months, way ahead of their usual occurrence, and things are not looking good for people living in flood zones. Wind the clock back to autumn last year and the situation was completely the opposite. Rivers were down to their bones – low, rather than high, water was the problem. It seems that we regularly have either too much or not enough water in this country. Our storage capacity to hold water back until it’s needed, or release it on a measured basis to prevent flooding, is average at…

FISHERIES ON FIRE • Local know-how for bumper nets• Your tried & tested top waters• Expert venue tactics LINDHOLME LAKES, EPWORTH, LINCOLNSHIRE You’ll find quality F1s on numerous lakes at this superb complex, with Bennys, Laurels and Loco all worth a go. Maggots are a sure-fire cold-water winner. Contact: 01427 875555 THE CUNNERIES, CHORLEY, LANCASHIRE There are several lakes to choose from at this fantastic F1 venue, where rotating swims can be key to keeping the bites coming. Contact: 01257 451461 BRAFFERTON FISHERIES, YORK, NORTH YORKSHIRE The F1 Lake is unsurprisingly a good choice for the species, but you’ll also find some good ones in Spring Lake, fish which can be caught on the feeder. Contact: 07984 412896 PACKINGTON SOMERS, COVENTRY, WEST MIDLANDS Little Geary’s is home to some massive…

THE other night, barbel fishing with my mate from Evesham, Wayne Langston, we got to talking about which species gives us the most exciting take or bite in UK waters. In truth, all fish give me a buzz when they take the bait. I sit there, getting liners on the quivertip and remembering Ivan Marks’ great advice to “sit on your hands and wait for the tip to go round proper” – and eventually it does – but the wait between that first liner and that proper bream bite seems like a lifetime. All the while you’re holding your breath until that tip finally pulls round. Then again, when you’re legering bread, there’s that first little quiver on the tip as the chub says “hello”, then it comes again, a…

CARPSKILLS Give the carp a decent feed while the water remains relatively warm CONDITIONS this year have been perfect for carp fishing. The water temperatures have remained high, and this has created the ideal opportunity for feeding. My tactical approach normally revolves around ‘trapping’ individual carp on the waters I tend to fish, but conditions have been so good that I’ve managed to catch 80 carp in just four sessions on some big-fish waters. It’s important to realise that the ecosystem that the carp live in – including the availability of natural food – doesn’t start to slow down until it drops below about 12ºC. Being aware of this is essential as we move into the colder months, when the fishing will become a lot harder. However, just remember, that…

SEND US YOUR PICS •newsdesk@anglingtimes.co.uk• Make sure your pics are hi-res and that you are in them “THE STARS ALIGNED” Mark Erdwin – 15lb 2oz barbel “I’VE BEEN keeping an eye out for a slight change in humidity while targeting what can be a very moody stretch of the River Loddon. “One recent evening the stars aligned, with 98 per cent humidity and some very light rainfall – absolutely perfect for barbel. “Having lightly fed the swim, I cast a paste-wrapped and hardened dumbell boilie into position and, within 20 minutes, I received an indication that fish were around when I landed a chub that had eyes bigger than its belly! “Recasting, I had a quick wrap-round on the rod-tip before it sprang back to its initial position. Ten minutes…

RIVER WELLAND, LINCOLNSHIRE There’s a stretch just upstream of the village of Ketton that has a long history of freaking fishermen out. The nature of the incidents at this rural location is always the same. Anglers report hearing the eerie voice of a woman crying, right behind them. On turning round, the fields are always empty. It’s even happened to our very own news editor, Freddie Sandford, who admitted to being so spooked by the occurrence one night, he packed up and headed home straight away, despite it approaching bite time for the resident chub! RIVER AIRE, WEST YORKSHIRE The bit of the Aire that runs through Leeds down to Kirkstall Abbey offers excellent fishing for roach, chub and barbel. But if you’re wetting a line by the abbey, beware…

Kingfisher Club TOP CATCH FIRST CATFISH AT HIS EIGHTH ATTEMPT! PERSEVERANCE paid off for Eduardo Cesar de Sa when he landed this 24lb 12oz catfish. The 15-year-old had fished seven times previously at Tom’s Pond in Otley, West Yorkshire, in a bid to catch his first catfish but had blanked on each occasion. “I decided to fish it for one more night and, if I blanked again, I’d find somewhere else to try and catch my first cat,” Eduardo told Angling Times. Just as darkness fell, he had a screaming take on a halibut pellet hookbait tipped off with a pop-up. “It was a hard fight but eventually I slipped my first-ever cat into the landing net. This is the biggest fish of any species I’ve ever caught, and…

DEADBAIT FEEDER RIG My local river is often flooded when I want to fish. What's the best way to catch pike when water clarity is poor? James Grant, Telford A When river levels are high and the water becomes muddy, pike will find it far harder to hunt by sight, so it makes tactical sense to appeal to their other senses, primarily smell. A pungent deadbait is what you need in these conditions, and a great way to boost the scent trail even more is by swapping the lead on your rig for a large swimfeeder. I favour a metal cage model of at least 45g, which I pack with chopped fish and fishmeal-based crumb. It's also a great way to recycle your old baits! Another good shout in a…

Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank. CHUB are the ultimate all-rounder. They will eat almost anything that they can fit into their cavernous mouths, from tiny freshwater shrimps right through to surprisingly large fish. The range of baits that you can use to catch them is just as varied, and the best ones to use often depends on the conditions being faced. Whether you use old established favourites, or experiment with fresh variations – the choice really is yours, and very often I find it interesting to try out new baits on chub, as they rarely let me down. Are modern baits better than older ones? The answer has to be ‘sometimes’, because while modern baits are tailored to be…

MATCH SCENE Drennan Winter Pole Fishing Championship (Mon – Weds) Tunnel Barn Farm – House, High, New, Top, Jenny’s, Extension, Club & Canal Pools (122 pegs) MATCH angling phenomenon Andy Bennett claimed another big win to add to his bulging portfolio, taking out this year’s Drennan-backed Winter Pole Champs at Tunnel Barn with a perfect three section wins. Fishing against the cream of the UK commercial match scene, the Guru/Blakes Bait man, already a winner of the Angling Trust Silverfish and Maver Match This titles in 2023, added a third ‘biggie’ in fine style, signing off the three days of action with an overall match win. However, it wasn’t a clear victory, as three other anglers ended on three points, bringing total weight into play. But Andy’s 372-2-0 was…

BIG BOILES TEMPT TRENT BEAST HEAVY rain may not be the nicest weather to fish in, but it can certainly bring the big barbel out to play – as Ian Green found during a session on the River Trent, where he landed this 18lb 8oz cracker. It fell to a 20mm dumbell boilie fished over a loosefeed of mixed-sized boilies, which he introduced with a catapult. After casting out, Ian had to regularly recast due to debris coming downriver. At around 12.30pm, he had a little tap on one of his rods, before it hooped over and he lifted into what felt like a dead weight. All hell then broke loose as the huge fish stripped 70yds of line from Ian’s reel before he could subdue it! PB ZANDER FALLS…

WITH Europe’s best international feeder anglers descending upon Barston Lakes for the first European Feeder Cup last week, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to head over and find out what gear the competitors were using. With pellets, wafters and Method feeders banned, strict bait limits imposed, 50cm minimum hooklengths and running rigs, we were surprised to see a lot of very familiar gear on show… KAROLIS STANKUNAS TEAM VAN DEN EYNDE LITHUANIA Making his international debut, Karolis is just starting out on his international feeder fishing career DRENNAN ACOLYTE PLUS 11FT FEEDER ROD THE perfect all-round feeder rod for mid-range work, the 11ft model is my first choice for carp, bream or skimmers. Soft enough to avoid hook pulls, it has a slightly more powerful action than the…

FIRST MATCH SUCCESS I THOUGHT you might be interested in these pictures of my young granddaughter, Poppy, the youngest competitor in a junior match held on the Great Ouse at St Ives, Cambridgeshire last month. I was incredibly proud of Poppy as she came second overall in all age classes. All her fish were caught on maggots, and a jack pike also got in on the action. You really can't start fishing too young, and Poppy absolutely loves getting out on the bank and learning more about this great sport of ours. I thought this would make a nice little story for your brilliant publication! I’m one proud grandad! THE ANGLER'S CROSSWORD (* indicates an anagram) ACROSS 1A baitcaster reel lacks this feature (*a marble) (4,3)5 Release a line knot,…

DO YOU NEED RINGER’S HELP? Send your question to: askringer@anglingtimes.co.uk What’s better now that autumn is here – hard or soft pellets? Phil Todd, Bicester HARD PELLETS will catch plenty of carp, but for F1s, skimmers and a mix of silverfish, you need to look at expander pellets. These softer offerings can turn a peg that seems devoid of fish into one that’s a bite a chuck – especially with skimmers! ‘CRUSH’ THEM! A 4mm expander is the perfect hookbait option. However, I won’t feed these alone, as using them alongside groundbait can be brilliant. Ringers Crush, made from crushed pellets, gives me a great way to kick-start the swim. However, the mix does take on a lot of water, so you almost need to overwet it and let it…

THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING ONE I’VE YET TO WIN THE Drennan Winter Pole Champs title at Tunnel Barn Farm still eludes me! Things looked promising after day one, with a section win and sixth overall off peg 17 on Jenny’s Pool, catching carp across to the island on pellets, small F1s at 11m on maggots and then some bigger carp in the edge on maggot and groundbait for 117lb. Day two I was on a peg I’ve never fished before, 33 on House Pool. Pellet short got me a good start, but when I changed to maggot shallow, all I could catch were little F1s. Changing to pellet fished under a tree, I caught carp, but also caught a lot of branches, which made things tricky. A swap to…

LAST CAST WITH DOM EVERY angler can wax lyrical about their favourite method, but should there ever be some sort of hierarchy of styles? As far as I’m concerned, no. Dry fly fishing is not intrinsically better or purer than pole fishing or drop-shotting. Nor does everything have to be championed, slagged off or ranked. A great example of this occurred in my recent coaching. Quite often I get coarse anglers who want to learn to cast a fly but, in Matt Bone’s case, I had a capable fly angler who wanted to learn how to floatfish properly. How refreshing! For any fly purist who assumes bait fishing to be crude or easy, I’d love to see them try a long pole or a centrepin reel! Being a coach, you…