Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3680 i Angling Times

THIS WEEK LAST year, 232 local fishing projects were given a boost by the Environment Agency’s Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP), with both rivers and stillwaters benefitting, it has been revealed. Since the FIP was launched in 2015 over £20m has been invested in 1,300 projects. The programme generates funds through rod licence sales, providing everything from community events to new angling facilities. “A few examples of work completed this year included providing aeration units at Pulborough Angling Society’s Goose Green Lake, and doing habitat enhancement on the River Loddon,” said the EA. This year, £955,543 of rod licence income was reinvested through the scheme, and a further £1m secured through match funding from partners.…

LAVENDER Hall’s Oak Pool had a major overhaul just over two years ago, and the clever redesign has resulted in each swim offering a plethora of options to explore. Once a match and general pleasure pool, it was converted into a carp runs water in 2022. Most of the fish are now in the 10lb-20lb bracket. Rather than simply remove the existing stock and replace them with bigger samples, the lake was drained to allow a revamp of the features below the waterline. Snags were removed, underwater bars created in each swim, and access to undercut banks improved before it was filled back up. Lily pads and reedbeds are plentiful and, although the pool may be small, with just five swims, it is big in character and a solid bet…

SEND YOUR PICS AND LETTERS TO: ATLETTERS@BAUERMEDIA.CO.UK ON THE River Swale, when legering cheesepaste for chub, every now and then I’ll toss the odd small piece of crust into the swim and watch it float downstream. If one’s taken, I'll quickly float a piece down containing a hook. This often results in a bonus fish. This morning I was watching the crust make its way downriver when it was taken. But in no way did this resemble the usual chub take. The fish seemed to take the bread in a porpoising motion, with most of its body breaching the surface before disappearing below. I threw in a couple of more pieces and the same thing happened, only this time I noticed that there appeared to be two fish.…

(* indicates an anagram) ACROSS 1 Reel with extra drag system for altering tension (*eels proof) (4,5)6 Shrink __, when heated makes protective sheath over various joints (4)8 Spinner with fake male deer hair (*a club kit) (8)9 Craig ___, in 2023 caught Single Scale at 56lb – his 100th Avenue carp (6) 10 Killer whale – inside mirror carp! (4)11 Treasure trove, stash (*or had) (5)13 Weights a float so only its top shows (4)14 Sticky stuff, like tungsten putty (8) 16 Uses hot water vapour to heat e.g. 6ac. (6)18 Country that won World Feeder Champs 2022 (6)20 Chris ____ all-round angler, guide and bailiff (*for ponds) (8)22 Welsh river: in English, "Dovey" (4)24 Get on your benders e.g. to take photo of fish (5)26 Flat... bit of rare vendace (4)27 Relationship of John to…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING YOUNG Finley Drew became the envy of anglers nationwide this week after landing a remarkable roach weighing a whopping 3lb 12oz. The six-year-old was fishing with his dad, Tom, at Devon’s Old Mill Reservoir, when the fish took a grain of corn fished under a float in the margin. The catch epitomises the wonderful unpredictability of fishing , and proves that, if in the right place at the right time, it’s possible for anyone to bank the fish of a lifetime. The pair were on a 24-hour carp session, and Finley was fishing the float to keep himself occupied. “He’d woken me up at 5am, keen to get the float rod out,” said Tom. “We’d found a spot where there…

A NUMBER of Pink salmon which are thought to have escaped from a Russian fish farm have been caught from one of Britain’s most iconic game fishing rivers. The non-native species were taken from the River Spey – one of Scotland’s ‘big four’ rivers, globally famous for its Atlantic salmon. Pink salmon originate in the Pacific Ocean and can be easily identified by the large black oval spots on their tail, as well as their dark mouth and tongue. “Pink salmon raise many concerns for our native species, particularly threatened Atlantic salmon,” a spokesperson from the Angling Trust said. “Any caught should be immediately dispatched and retained (but not taken home). Also, the captor should contact the Environment Agency right away on 0800 807060.”…

“WE KNEW THE BARBEL WOULD BE HOLDING THERE” Johnny Potts and Koi Croydon – 15lb 2oz barbel “I FISHED the upper Trent the other day with my mate, Johnny Potts. “With the river running low and clear, we looked for an area where the fish had some cover, and settled in a snaggy peg. We knew the fish would be holding up there, and so it proved, when Johnny hooked and landed this fish of 15lb 2oz. “A freshwater shrimp-flavoured boilie wrapped in matching paste did the trick, and a size 10 hook complemented it nicely.” “I’D NEVER CAUGHT A PERCH OF THIS SIZE BEFORE” David Lord – 4lb 2oz perch “I WENT on my last pike session for a while the other day, as the river temperatures were beginning…

WE HAVE an incredible array of fishing tackle at our disposal in the UK. Want a great tench rod? I can name a dozen. Want a distance feeder rod? I’ll ask you what kind of species you want to catch before listing at least 30! Need a seriously strong commercial pole at a modest price, that performs well enough at 16m to be used in big-money matches? I’ll excitedly blurt out the Daiwa Connoisseur G90 as my first choice. That’s not just my opinion, though. When that question is asked at a tackle shop, at the draw of a match or even online, it never fails to surprise me how often the G90 comes up. Everything about it is dead right. It has the strength to tackle any peg ,…

THE Bybrook meanders gently through Wiltshire’s beautiful countryside, in no particular rush to reach its parent river, the Bristol Avon. From the moment it rises through the limestone it’s a haven for everything from bugs to birds, but today it was what lived beneath the surface that interested me. I must admit, though, that despite my being local, I’d not given it a second glance up until when my wife showed me a small article in our parish magazine that said the Two Mills Fly Fishers club was looking for members, and highlighted the brown trout fishing available. I just glanced over it and carried on planning my next two-hour journey up the motorway, but something drew me back – a wish to help a local club or perhaps save…

BAIT CLINIC Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank FISH love eating other fish and invertebrates. Even roach, which we tend to think of as more like sheep than wolves, get most of their diet from eating tiny invertebrate animals, and they certainly won’t turn their noses up at eating other small fish. I can well remember fishing Claydon Lake for catfish many years ago and finding that my half-mackerel deadbaits were stripped back to the bone by the venue’s shoals of bream. No wonder, then, that fish and invertebrate baits and additives work so well. Coarse fish recognise these additives as food from the amino acids and other molecules that they exude, creating brilliant attraction. You may well be using…

AMID all the so-so days anglers have, very occasionally comes that unforgettable one in a hundred. Such was my outing last week. The oddest part is that it began so badly. I fancied wandering along a local canal in the sun, with the main aim just some peaceful escapism. So much for that, with weed clearing operations kicking up a stink at my chosen spot! An important job, but the clear water I craved was getting totally smashed up. Beating a retreat, I drove to a less fancied section where at least the fish were still visible – and that’s when it all started to happen. It was one of those hot, brooding days when the weather feels oppressive and prone to sudden change. Using a small, sinking fly, I…

Golden Reel Angling Championships Qualifier Larford Lakes, Match & Specimen Lakes (Sat) LARFORD Lakes was on fire for the latest big-money qualifier, where the top five shared over 1,400lb of hefty carp. It was too close to call at the weigh-in, but it was reigning champion Andy Power who just about took the win with a mammoth 304lb 2oz net. Drawn on peg 13 on the burr bank of the famous Specimen Lake, it was an area that the Preston Innovations and SonuBaits star didn’t initially fancy – but, by sticking to a simple yet highly effective two-pronged plan, he soon had the carp interested. Andy picks up the story… STARTING SHALLOW “The early plan was to try and draw some fish into the area by fishing shallow and rattling…

SINCE its introduction earlier this year, Nufish’s Detexion line has caused a big stir, and loads of anglers are now switching to using it. And not just for their feeder fishing, but for floatfishing as well. But is it really that special, and why are so many people raving about it? Luckily, I received a few sample spools just before its release, so I feel I’m in a great position to tell you more about it. First, it’s low stretch. This is an attribute known to be of big benefit when conventional feeder fishing , as it allows for more accurate casting and increased bite detection – hence the name Detexion. It has also been designed as an alternative to braid, which can be too harsh when fishing at close…

THE BREAM fishing potential of some of Britain’s biggest stillwaters is immense, but the sheer size of these venues is enough to deter many anglers from giving them a crack. Featureless, and often covering hundreds of acres, finding the fish within what many would describe as an inland sea feels like an impossible task. England Freestyle Feeder international Joe Jaggar understands the fear that such giant waters instil in people, but believes the majority of anglers have the know-how and ability to unlock their true potential. “There are enormous venues all over the country that are packed with fish, and it is often down to using the watercraft skills that you already have in your armoury to locate and catch them,” explained Joe. “Bream travel around in big shoals and,…

I OFTEN hear it said that some of us river anglers steer clear of stillwaters, preferring the wild feel of moving water. I understand that – indeed, I spend most of my time on rivers too. But I do think a lot of river anglers are missing a trick by fishing for just the one species – that species in most cases being barbel. Now don’t get me wrong , I love my barbel fishing and I love doing my barbel guide days, introducing my customers to the joys of rivers, nature and these wonderful fish. But there’s so much more to the river than sticking two rods up in the air on buzzers, waiting for a barbel to pull the tip over. Many other species are there for you…

SOME things never change. In December 1998, Angling Times’ technical expert Dave Woodmansey, who was also the main tackle reviewer, wrote about how cheap tackle was going to be, thanks to a financial crisis in the Far East. Well, 25 years later, it’s still going on! “Today’s reels for under £30 knock spots off their predecessors...” Dave writes about £60-£70 rods that would have been more than double that in the recent past. Well, now, a quarter of a century later, rods of similar quality remain in that same price bracket. Obviously, this isn’t the place to name names, but even the very top brands have budget ranges that knock spots off similarly priced items from the past, so much so I’m convinced that this is a prime reason for…