Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3653 i Angling Times

I THINK it’s fair to say that there won’t be too many anglers who rank January as their favourite month in the fishing calendar! Although we’re past the shortest day in terms of daylight hours, we’re still nowhere near seeing any really noticeable difference. The weather invariably scuppers our plans, and even though we have plenty of cold-water species to target, bites can often be tricky to come by. Besides, I’m sure many of us are having to let our bank accounts recover from Christmas. But it isn’t all doom and gloom. If you readjust your expectations accordingly then you can still enjoy your January sessions. We’re fortunate these days to have such good quality clothing available that there’s no reason to be cold on the bank, no matter what…

IN A BID to encourage more youngsters to fish in their local area, a generous tackle shop is donating over 100 angling club memberships to juniors. St Helens Tackle & Bait purchased 136 junior permits from St Helens AA, who hold the rights to a selection of stillwater, canal and river fisheries close to the town. The cost of the permits (£680) was generated through the shop’s Christmas match and raffles, with donations from kind anglers also helping the cause. “It’s been brilliant to see so many juniors in the shop collecting their free permits,” said shop manager Martin Stokes. “At the turn of the year we had around 60 left, so if anyone is interested in one, just call into the shop.”…

ONE OF the first things I learned when I started working for Angling Times was that, despite the natural water side of the sport now being considerably smaller than the commercial side, those anglers who fish big lakes, reservoirs, rivers and canals are by far the most vocal! Generate just that little bit too much commercial fishery content in print (or online, for that matter) and the complaints will flood in. Even if you do get the balance right, most natural water anglers will continue to tell you there’s still far too much bias towards commercial tackle. The change in our sport is noticeable in the magazines we read and the tackle we buy. The term ‘roach pole’ died well over 20 years ago and, not long after that, the…

THE NEGLECT of park lakes is the reason sport on so many of them has declined over the years – but there has been no such slump at a stunning hotspot in Kent. Mote Park, in Maidstone, covers over 30 acres and has been well maintained on all levels by the local angling club. Fish stocks are thriving, so whether you fancy putting together a huge net of big bream, working with the waggler for quality roach or sitting it out for a personal-best carp or pike, this place is for you. Wooden pegs have been installed on both sides of the lake, most of them set well away from where pedestrians pass so that you are able to enjoy your day’s sport without being constantly interrupted. Day tickets cost…

IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT! I RECENTLY watched a post on Google about cheesepaste. I'm not quite sure what this guy had been making, but it bore no resemblance to any cheesepaste I’m familiar with. The number of ingredients this chap used made the final product look more suited to a Jamie Oliver restaurant than the river bed, and probably just as expensive. My own cheesepaste mix has remained the same for over 40 years – a grated block of Stilton and grated slices of fresh, crustless bread. More bread for a stiffer paste, less for a softer paste. That’s all cheesepaste is. I may on occasion, if the water’s carrying a bit of colour, add a secondary scent for extra attraction, but only sparingly so as not…

NOWADAYS, a 50-peg match is considered a pretty decent size. In the heyday of river fishing, however, 500-peggers were by no means rare, especially in the Fens. But, I’ll bet very few, if any, of you have ever fished a 5,000-plus peg match! In the report from this 1983 issue of Angling Times, I read that Whitmore Reans angler Kevin Corns – just 21 at the time – beat almost 2,000 others to with the Birmingham Anglers Association Annual Contest, universally known as ‘The Big ’Un’. So I asked my old pal, former Leicester Likely Lad and now match angling historian, John Essex, about just how big this event had been in its prime. He recounted how, in the mid-1950s, the match had to be restricted to a field of…

MOST toothy predators are caught on lures or fish baits, but this 14lb zander had a taste for something a little smaller, as it took a bunch of feeder-fished maggots! It was landed by Karolis Stankunas from a stretch of the Great Ouse at Littleport. He’d enjoyed a day catching silverfish when, as it got dark, he changed to a larger hook and hookbait in the hope of a late-on ‘bonus’. “I tied a size 10 hook to a 0.14mm hooklink and added seven white maggots as bait,” he said. “I felt there was a chance of a bigger fish, as bites from smaller silvers had slowed down, but I couldn’t believe it when I hooked this zander! It’s the biggest I’ve caught, and it put a great bend in…

“UNTIL THIS, ALL I’D MANAGED WERE JACK PIKE” Darren Bradbury – 24lb pike “I’VE been fishing the Wharf Fishery in Cardiff for the past three seasons, targeting pike. I’ve heard of big ones caught from there, but all I’d managed were jacks, with the occasional larger fish making an appearance. “Not to be deterred, I kept at it, getting out whenever I had a bit of free time. The other week my persistence finally paid off, when, during a night-time session, I had a subtle hit on the lure. “The fish battled at close quarters, and when it surfaced, I couldn’t believe my eyes! It weighed 24lb and I was blown away. What a sense of achievement after all the effort.” Darren’s top tip: Pike are well worth targeting at…

OUR MAN ON THE BANK DOWN the pub just before Christmas I was having a pint with a couple of other anglers when the subject turned to flavours and additives. Sadly, the general opinion was that they catch more fishermen than they do fish! I say ‘sadly’ because, although there are products out there that do just that, others will genuinely help to improve your catches. This week I’ll mention just a couple of my favourites. In winter you want to attract fish but not overfeed them. I’ve only been using ‘Splop’ from Willy Worms for a couple of years, but it really is my go-to attractant for perch, and indeed for tench in the summer. This product is based around worm casts from the company’s own worm farm. I…

ALTHOUGH you should never come off a swim with feeding fish in it, in winter, fishing it to a standstill can be the worst thing to do. If you’ve gone from a bite every two minutes to one every five or six, it’s time to move to a second line in the same depth. Never ignore fishing down the middle in the deep water. It’s an area that might give you a final run of fish, big ones at that. A typical winter commercial fishery swim has clear water, minimal vegetation and no signs of fish topping. We’re all taught that carp love cover, or a feature to hang around – in summer, that’s absolutely true, but in the cold the fish, as well as the angler, need to adapt.…

CARPSKILLS Don’t let the cold curtail your winter carp catches – these tips will keep them coming! AT THIS time of year the water in most venues will be at its coldest. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still put a few carp on the bank. In recent winters I’ve managed to enjoy some successful sessions on my local waters by following a few simple rules… STUDY THE WEATHER I watch it every single day, multiple times, without fail. The details I’m looking for are the temperature – in particular any rises – the air pressure, and the moon phases. Any steep changes from cold to warmer fronts is a great time to be out angling. The carp will respond to these and they’ll usually wake them from their winter…

AS IF Andy Bennett hadn’t won enough in 2023, he ended the year with another big win in the bag, taking out the massive 123-peg Partridge Lakes Christmas match with a winning 81-0-0 net of F1s and small carp. Lining up in horrendous weather, battered by strong winds and rain, Andy kept picking off fish from three lines throughout the day at peg 60 on Covey Canal 3 to finish the match over 10lb in front of runner-up Paul Coyle’s 68-12-0 from peg 2 on the Spey Canal. Colin Scott completed the top three with 66-0-0 off peg 95 on Covey Canal 4. Here winner Andy gives us a blow-by-blow account of his memorable day’s fishing... AT THE PEG “Drawing peg 60 on Covey 3, I felt that if the…

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Riley Bradley well and truly secured the bragging rights over his dad after slipping his net under this 12lb 5oz River Severn barbel. The fishing-mad youngster has enjoyed numerous trips over recent months, working his way up from catching tiny minnows through to roach, perch and chub. But the size of his catches took an almighty leap during his latest trip when he tempted the impressive barbel on a lump of garlic-flavoured luncheon meat. The bait had been in the water for just five minutes before the rod hooped over, and it soon became clear that Riley had hooked something substantial, with his dad having to hold onto his jacket to stop him being pulled into the river! “I’ve been fishing the Severn for a long time…

THE BIG INTERVIEW OF ALL the characters in the fishing world, Dr Mark Everard is one of our most surprising. Obsessed with water for a lifetime, he has written on everything from ruffe to mahseer. Busy as ever banging the drum for freshwater fisheries, the last year has been a return to basics and smaller species in his angling, in part due to his recovery from prostate cancer. “I’ve had a lot to process this last year – I might not have made it to Christmas!” he said. “Angling will need to survive by showing its value in pound signs” “You start to re-evaluate what’s important and what’s not. A lot of the aspiration of catching more and bigger fish doesn’t matter any more.” The species-hunting bug is something that…

THE GAME CHANGER PAUL WRIGHT – 226LB CARP HAUL “ANYONE watching me catapult 8mm pellets over a pellet waggler every minute on a freezing cold day could be forgiven for thinking that I’d lost the plot. “But, after weighing in 226lb of carp in a recent match, I proved there was method to my madness! “Hayfield Lakes in South Yorkshire is one of the deepest commercials in the land, and when I drew a swim with 18ft of water in front of me, I knew exactly what I had to do. “Experience of the venue has taught me that the carp never sit close to the bottom in winter – you’d need a very long hooklength for a popped-up bait to get anywhere near them. “The shoal is often spread…

AIRE & CALDER CANAL, POLLINGTON, EAST YORKS This deep canal is home to plenty of perch and pike that will keep you on your toes. Trying plenty of different areas is key, but exploring the depths is equally important. On some days the fish could be within striking distance of the bottom, while on others they could be comfortable at half depth. Tel: Boothferry Aire & Calder JCC, 07523 184554 RIVER BAIN, HORNCASTLE, LINCOLNSHIRE This free-to-fish stretch holds a good head of roach in the 1lb-2lb bracket, but its fairly featureless nature means they rarely hold up in one spot. Fishing for short spells in each area will boost your chances of finding a specimen, with a light waggler or stick float being the best tactic on this slow flowing…

CHANGE TO A LOADED FLOAT GONE are the days of fishing floats that have big split shot locking them on either side. Constantly changing depth during the day makes these prone to tangles and line damage. Loaded wagglers that cast like an arrow and make little disturbance when hitting the water are much better – an insert or straight pattern with a load of around 4g to 6g will hit the mark in most situations. FISH A STAND-OUT BAIT THE water is clear, and that means carp will be feeding on sight, so it makes sense to give them a bait that’s extremely visible. A grain of corn is knockout in this scenario, but don’t overlook a piece of punched luncheon meat or even a disc or two of punched…