Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3696 i Angling Times

THIS WEEK THE RESURGENCE of bluefin tuna around UK shores is well known, but this week a smaller version of the species turned up on a beach in the South West. Mark Griffiths was digging for bait on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula when he noticed a commotion in shallow water being caused by a tuna of some sort. “It had become trapped by the falling tide and sadly died, so we took some pictures to get an ID on the fish,” he told us. Steve Murphy of the UK Bluefin Tuna Association, who confirmed the fish’s identity as a skipjack tuna – a species abundant near the equator – said: “This is another example of the major change in species distribution in the UK’s western waters over recent years.”…

PACKINGTON SOMERS MATRIX WINTER LEAGUE (SUN) Gearys, Little Gearys, Molands & Siblings (48 pegs) THE TOP TWO in this event finished with a sizeable cushion over the rest of the field, and it was Steve Bellion who eventually came out on top. Drawn on peg 36 of Gearys, he used his vast knowledge of the popular Midlands complex to get the job done, placing 96lb 5oz on the scales to just about see off the charge of Steve Brindley in second place with 91lb 6oz. Many consider Packington Somers to be quite a tough nut to crack, because despite it being very generously stocked, bites are never guaranteed. But Steve has shown on many occasions that a red-letter day is always on the cards if you make the right tactical…

GURU LARGE UMBRELLA With oversized 8mm fibre poles, two D-ring pegging points, a detachable angled centre pole and a mammoth 2.2m span, this is a brolly on steroids! It comes with two adjustable guy ropes, four threaded ground spikes with large T-bar grips, plus a handy bag to keep it all in. An extra-thick centre spike completes what is probably the toughest and most wind-resistant brolly on the market. WHY WE WOULD BUY ONE: It might not be all that cheap, but everything about it is thick, strong and built to last. Definitely a serious brolly for the serious angler who fishes in all weathers. Price: £109.99, www.tackleguru.com KORUM PROGRESS 50INS GRAPHITE BROLLY A discreetly-coloured 50ins brolly built on a tough graphite frame, this is the ideal choice for the…

LAST week I promised you the second part of my Scottish angling adventure – and what an experience it turned out to be! This time I would be concentrating solely on pike from a Highland loch. As I left the comfort of Ness Castle Lodges in darkness it had turned noticeably colder, with ice slush on the windscreen. It was a 45-minute journey across the Highlands, but by the time I pulled up in a lay-by the sky was clearing and a bright day was in the offing. Following the final directions I’d been given, I made my way under a railway bridge, and now I could see a large expanse of water with a backdrop of mountains. A bay to my right on a peninsula seemed to be the…

AVON/STICK FLOAT TROTTING RIG TROTTING is one of the most enjoyable ways to fish, and the two most common float patterns to employ for this tactic are Avons and sticks. A 3g Avon with a wire stem will cover most situations. For a natural fall of the bait, use a strung-out shotting pattern, but to get the bait down quickly (like when there’s extra water on), a bulk or olivette at three-quarters depth is better. Bait-wise, the classic combo of casters and hemp, or maggots if there aren’t lots of minnows about, will work well, but if the water is carrying colour after rain, breadpunch can work well too. If the fish are feeding hard, go up to a size 14 hook, or even a 12, but if you’re struggling,…

“A SLOW AND STEADY BITE” Matthew Fernandez – 3lb perch “I’VE BEEN targeting a new venue for perch, and this beauty is the biggest I’ve caught so far. Unfortunately, I forgot my scales, but I have a friend that caught the same fish not long ago at 3lb 4oz, so I’m happy to say it’s a three-pounder. “I caught it using basic link leger tactics with a prawn hookbait, fishing under a marginal snag over which I fed red maggots, little and often, until I received the slow and steady bite. The fight was phenomenal – I thought I’d hooked a small carp! “There are bigger ones in this venue, too, so I look forward to seeing what other treasures surface.” Matthew’s top tip: I dust my maggots in Red…

DYNAMITE BAITS BIG RIVER BARBEL PELLETS A PELLET specifically for barbel fishing, offering a pungent blend of highly attractive powders and liquids. Made from premium grade protein, these high-oil pellets have a slow breakdown rate but a fast flavour and attractor release, and can be used both as feed and pre-drilled hookbaits. Available in 12mm and 15mm sizes and in 1.8kg bags. WHY WE USE THEM: These new pellets are quite tough and dense in their make-up, providing minimal movement in the flow and helping to minimise damage from smaller silverfish. Price: £10.99, www.dynamitebaits.com MAINLINE MATCH ACTIVATED COARSE PELLETS SENDING out a stream of attractive food signals, these pellets – available in 2mm, 4mm, 6mm and 8mm sizes – send fish into a competitive feeding frenzy. The finest quality ingredients…

AT THE majority of modern commercial fisheries, one or more of the on-site lakes will feature an island. These are obvious target zones to attack, as the fish will take advantage of the cover they provide and hold up close-by for much of the day. George Parker has fished venues like these more times than he’s had hot dinners and, although he fully agrees that islands are productive areas that need to be fished, he also believes that it’s essential not to focus all of your attentions on them. “Most anglers will want to place their rig close to the feature from the off,” he said. “However, there are lots of other parts of your peg that can be good for producing plenty of bites too. “Today, I’ve set my…

CARPSKILLS AS THE vibrant hues of autumn fade into the crisp chill of early winter, carp anglers are faced with an increasing number of challenges when it comes to putting their quarry on the bank. We’re at a time of year where fish in busy day-ticket lakes will have seen a serious amount of pressure, most likely having being caught once or twice, and will have encountered a wide range of rigs and baits. For that reason their guard will be up as high as at any point in the year and, as the water temperature continues to fall, their appetite will follow suit. There are a good many things we can do, however, to increase the chances of a fish or two slipping up. THREE KEY TACTICS From late…

INSIDE YOUR GUIDE... • Kinglakes • Luccombes Coarse Fishery • Riverside Caravan Park • Rookery Waters • Westwood Lakes LUXURY LIVING TO STAY, FISH, RELAX Self Catering Log Cabins and Fishing Lakes in Lincolnshire Westwood Lakes is located in Boston and offers a peaceful holiday experience with 31 luxury lodges ranging from 1 to 4 bedrooms, including hot tub and pet-friendly options. The complex is situated in an idyllic location, neighbouring 60 acres of stunning woodlands, such as Westgate Woods, it’s a great place to go for walks and take part in some bird watching. Guests can enjoy delicious homemade, locally sourced meals at the on-site café and relax and unwind at The Mallard Bar and Lounge. For fishing enthusiasts, there are seven well-stocked fishing lakes with day tickets available…

WHEN Kings Lynn AA stocked 97 zander into the Relief Channel they didn’t take long to spread, and were well up the Great Ouse system within 10 years. But when Anglian Water suggested it would be a good idea to stock them into Grafham Water in 1978, the balloon went up faster than an Elon Musk rocket! And when the man directly in charge of Grafham, which was the jewel in the crown of English trout fishing at the time, agreed with the plan, the mucky stuff really hit the fan. In a nutshell, the idea was that zander would help to reduce coarse fish numbers, allowing more natural food for the trout which, in those days, were stocked at around 12ins for rainbows and fingerling size for browns. Trout…

THIS WEEK MORE than 15,000 people descended on the streets of London last weekend to join the ‘March for Clean Water’ and call for an end to the ongoing pollution of Britain’s precious waterways. Over 130 different groups and organisations attended the rally, with those from the angling sector including the Angling Trust and Wild Trout Trust, not to mention representatives from tackle shops and angling clubs, plus numerous river keepers. Hundreds of everyday anglers also attended alongside some of the sport’s biggest names, with Angling Times columnist Des Taylor and River Monsters star Jeremy Wade both present. In one of the many impassioned speeches to take place on the day, Penny Gane from Fish Legal highlighted the long-term battle that anglers have faced in trying to make the…

THE NIGHTMARE scenario for any fishery owner or angling club is the outbreak of disease among their precious fish stocks. But now a new technology is set to minimise that risk and save countless specimens. In a groundbreaking development for fishing , water samples, taken with an easy-to-use kit, can now be analysed in a state-of-the-art, specialised laboratory, where specific organisms in a water body can be detected through the presence of their DNA. These range from tiny yet harmful parasites right through to widely known invasive species such as crayfish and mitten crabs. This new project can even help detect the likes of catfish and sturgeon! Supplied by the reputable Mainstream Fisheries – one of the UK’s leading companies in the fisheries and aquaculture industry – the sampling kits…

WINTER weather can cause rivers to change dramatically in the space of a few days, going from low and clear to up and coloured. While this can knock the chances of catching certain species on the head, there’s always a chance of roach. I’ve caught countless 20lb weights with snow on the ground and a river resembling tapwater. Equally, you can do the same when it’s pulling through and the colour of tea. Arguably, though, the best river conditions for roach are when there’s just a tinge of colour in the water. In this situation, there are few things that can beat the waggler. It can be trundled downriver or cast further out or closer in to stay in touch with the fish. GIVE IT A GO 1 Fish to…

DRENNAN ACOLYTE PRO LANDING NET HANDLES WHAT THEY SAY: These top-quality Acolyte landing net poles are extra-strong, extremely lightweight and ultra-rigid, with fully reinforced screw threads and textured handles. They have been extensively field-tested by top international anglers. The shortest 3m version is two-piece telescopic, ideal for fast and efficient netting from small platforms and confined pegs on commercial venues. The 4m version has two telescopic top sections and a take-apart third section so it can be used at two different lengths. The 5m version can be used at 3.3m or at its full length. WHAT WE SAY: An unusual design with a mixture of telescopic and take-apart sections, designed to enhance performance, but with the added benefit of preventing the handle coming apart during use, which we’re sure every…

AFTER a summer in which the skimmers failed to show in their usual large numbers, some anglers became a little bit disillusioned, and claimed that the once-prolific silverfish sport at Barston Lakes was at an end. Venue boss Nigel Harrhy publicly confirmed the loss of some fish during a heatwave, but assured anglers that stocks were still very healthy. And he’s been vindicated by the raft of impressive silverfish hauls taken in recent weeks at the Solihull, West Midlands, complex. Any lingering rumours of a downturn in sport were finally laid to rest when 28 anglers shared just shy of 1,000lb during the latest Angling Trust Silverfish qualifier. Pole and feeder tactics both scored well, with the fish seemingly well spread across the impressive 124-peg lake. WINTER WINNER With so…

SEND YOUR PICS AND LETTERS TO: ATLETTERS@BAUERMEDIA.CO.UK WORTH ALL THAT SLIME! THE OTHER day, I was fishing at my local lake – Rochford Reservoir in Essex – where I was targeting carp. Fishing in a deeper part of the venue, I used a 12mm pink pop-up, hair-rigged on a size 8 curve shank hook and a 7ins hooklink. It wasn’t long into the session when I received a drop-back bite and my line went slack. I quickly reeled in the slack line to catch up with the fish and, to my surprise, I had caught a ‘dream bream’. Weighing in at 10lb 11oz, it was a new personal best for the species – which I was delighted about, even though it left me covered in slime!…