Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3706 i Angling Times

THERE’S just something about perch, isn’t there? These voracious little predators are often the first species caught by newcomers to the sport, yet they still manage to thrill and excite even the most seasoned of anglers! With their spiked dorsal fins, insatiable appetites and bold personalities, they’ve rightly earned a reputation as the rebels of the waterways. Over the last decade or so their popularity among anglers has soared, and for anyone looking to dip their toe into the world of predator fishing, they offer fantastic sport without having to deal with the countless sharp teeth found within the jaws of a pike! It seems crazy to think that between the late 1960s and early 1980s the UK’s perch population was almost wiped out by a devastating virus, which began…

THINGS are kicking off a bit in the perch world at the moment. To be fair, there’s often a bit of thunder rumbling around somewhere or other, typically disputes over the claimed weight of fish held at arm’s length for the camera. But this latest furore is an interesting one, and it surrounds the retention of fish. There’s a school of thought that says if you return a perch straight after capture, it will go back to the shoal it came from, tell its mates what a terrible time it’s just had, and they’ll all ‘do the off’. This leaves the once-smiling captor looking down the barrel of a lean spell or an enforced move. It’s a long-standing view, and without the benefit of tracking systems and underwater cameras, almost…

METHOD or Hybrid feeders both work a treat on commercials. However, they are quite selective as to what species they will catch, with carp and bream tending to dominate. But if you want to catch everything that swims – roach, perch, tench and barbel, with the odd bonus carp and bream thrown in for good measure – you need to turn back the clock and break out a maggot feeder. Despite not being as popular as it once was, this remains one of the most effective tools to keep bites coming in the depths of winter. So, arm yourself with one rod and a couple of pints of grubs and give it a go. I can guarantee you won’t come away disappointed! GIVE IT A GO 1 USE BIG FEEDERS…

LURE-FISHING REELS OKUMA JAW 30 A compact, lightweight reel suitable for all freshwater spinning applications. It has three ball-bearings plus a roller bearing, precision machine-cut brass pinion, corrosion-resistant graphite body, machined aluminium anodised spool, a steel bail-arm, and high-tech affordable technologies like Cyclonic Flow Rotor, which reduces the chances of corrosion damage. The RESII Computerbalanced Rotor Equalising System eliminates wobble and gives the smoothest wind possible for the price. WHY WE LOVE IT: We are still trying to get our heads around how a reel this good can cost so little! It’s ideal for beginners, or anglers looking to try out some lightweight lure fishing or drop shotting. Price: £35.49, www.okumafishing.com FOX RAGE PRISM X 4000 Boasting new aesthetics to perfectly match the Prism X range of rods, Prism X…

Join top match anglers Lee Kerry and Rob Wootton each week as they unveil the tactics and techniques that really make a difference WINTER is associated with relatively quiet, slow sessions, but even if you aren’t catching, you’ve got to remain active in one way or another. I’d always advocate a cautious approach in the cold, but many anglers misinterpret what I mean by this, especially when silverfish are the target. This week I created a YouTube video on the topic to try and encourage anglers to make the right decisions that will ultimately help them put more roach, perch and skimmers in their net under challenging conditions. SCALING DOWN A lot of anglers will resort to using a smaller cage feeder when it’s cold, and this is a sensible…

DO YOU NEED RINGER’S HELP? Send your question to: askringer@anglingtimes.co.uk What are your favourite shotting patterns when pole fishing? Oliver Clayton, Scunthorpe THE shotting pattern that you use will have a big say in how successful your session is. I think a lot of anglers struggle to understand what their shotting is actually doing , and therefore don’t pay enough attention to where on the line it sits. You don’t have to remember a lot of different shotting patterns, though, and simplicity is key, regardless of what species you’re fishing for. CARP FISHING WINNER If you asked me now and 30 years ago what my favourite pattern for carp fishing would be, you’d get the same answer – because I’ve never seen a reason to change. A bulk where all…

DOBBING RIG I read about match anglers catching well while ‘dobbing’ – but what is this exactly? Greg Yates, email A Dobbing involves feeding nothing while trying to catch mainly carp and F1s that are sat off the deck. It’s often the only approach that will score when the fish aren’t that interested in feeding, and the aim is to regularly lift and drop the rig to try and place the bait directly in front of them. The hookbait must sink slowly, as the fish could be sat anywhere in the water column. Set the rig to what you believe to be dead depth, but don’t plumb up, as this can risk spooking fish that are already cagey. Bread works well, as do maggots. Place nearly all the shot directly…

Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank CATCHING carp is possible right through the winter months, and sport can even be better than in summer – as long as you get your tactics right. Location has to be spot-on, as the fish won’t be moving around anything like as much. Baits, too, need to be matched to the conditions to make the most of any short feeding windows. Natural baits really come into their own at this time of the year. Not only are they very attractive to carp, but they attract less attention from small fish, making them a viable option. THE MAGIC OF MAGGOTS Perhaps the best known natural bait is maggots. Carp love them, and a small amount…

THE River Ancholme in Brigg is a real winter gem that can put a smile on the face of any visiting angler. A variety of different species pack into the backwater that runs through this Lincolnshire market town. So whether you fancy lure fishing for big perch, working with bread for a netful of roach, or a patient worm and caster approach for tench, the area has great potential. Controlled by Scunthorpe Amalgamated Anglers, it can be fished by both annual permit and day-ticket holders. WINTER WINNER Many venues have struggled for form since the turn of the year, but there have been no such issues in Brigg. If one species has failed to show an interest, another has plugged that gap, meaning uneventful sessions are few and far between.…

I DON’T necessarily agree that the best anglers have the most patience. But, that said, I still think it’s sometimes best to sit on your hands, set the stage and wait for the actors to appear. That makes more sense than constantly changing rigs and bait, trying to get that instant take. I can cite a hundred or more instances where I’ve sat and seen a plan through successfully, rather than chased or tried to force a bite. Only the other day I stuck with the same fly all day and yes, I had quiet spells, but then the trout came on again and I made the best-ever catch from this water. Another example was years ago, when I fished the River Kennet side by side with a chap who’d…

ACROSS 7 It allows quick change of hair rig bait (*steep spod) (5,4)9 Kent port famous for its white cliffs (5)10 Deadly fish parasite, ___ Agent (*to steer) (7)11 Bob __, won 'Outstanding Contribution to Angling' award 2024 (7)12 __ waders reach top of legs (5)14 Cornish river – in rainfall (3)15 __ Pro Street/Kayak League (*IT eel!) (5)17 Bait for surface fishing (7)19 Safe-keeping provided by e.g. rod tube (7)21 One of Lindholme Lakes – desert water-hole (5)23 __ - Nations: England, Wales, Holland Ladies Carp event (3)25 One thickness, e.g. of bait in double-skinning (5)27 It's not worth the catching? (7)29 Good stretch of lower Avon for roach (*known it) (7)31 Highland spate river for grilse and salmon (*vines) (5)32 Won his third Disabled Anglers National, 2024 (*Yo!…

WHEN temperatures plummet, fish farms enter their busiest time of year for stockings. But why? Dr Paul Garner explains. “Most coarse fish are stocked in the winter months when water temperatures are low. This is because they are less active and are easier to catch, transport and introduce. “Giving the fish chance to settle in before spring gives them time to acclimatise to the venue before the stressful period when water temperatures are rising. “Winter stocking does not necessarily guarantee that the fish are free from disease, though, and may actually mask some of the outward symptoms which only come to light in the warmer months. “Health checks are very important, along with considering the effect that the new fish will have on the existing stock of potentially very valuable…

MAIN TYPES OF POLE ELASTIC SOLID – The original stuff we all used years ago. It powers up quickly, which is great for keeping bigger silvers under control, but only has limited stretch, meaning an ‘accidental’ carp could easily bottom it out and break your line. HOLLOW – A premium product that lasts a very long time and has a huge amount of inherent stretch. This makes it ideal for mixed sizes of fish, especially when combined with a puller kit. HYBRID – An elastic that boasts many of the features of a hollow, but is actually a kind of solid. Lighter in your pole and cheaper than hollow, yet it still stretches more than a solid elastic will. PRESTON INNOVATIONS ORIGINAL SLIP UNBEATABLE FOR SILVERS This solid elastic is…

BACK TO LEAGUE DUTIES... IT’S BEEN at least a decade since I last fished a winter league, but I’ve bitten the bullet and got a place in this year’s event at Shropshire’s Weston Pools. Qualifying early for both the Silverfish and Winter Classic finals has opened up my winter, and it’s allowed me to spend more time targeting F1s than I usually would at this time of year. Round one saw me draw peg six on Canal Pool, and I was more than happy with my home for the day. This is an area of the lake that often houses plenty of skimmers, ide and smaller F1s which, given the fact that the water temperature on the day was a finger-numbing 2ºC, gave me confidence of a few bites. The…

RIVER HULL, BEVERLEY, EAST YORKSHIRE The shipyard stretch is good for roach. There are perch present, too. Pole, whip and stick float tactics all work. Contact: Hull Angling Centre, 01482 374201 RIVER CALDER, ALTOFTS, WEST YORKSHIRE This Mirfield AC stretch of the lower Calder offers good roach fishing. There are pike, perch and the odd chub too. Contact: Castleford Angling Supplies, 01977 550465 RIVER RIBBLE, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE The free stretch near London Road is a great winter spot. Roach and dace shoal up here in numbers, with stick float and waggler tactics often scoring. Contact: Wayne’s Tackle, 01772 729229 RIVER TRENT, STOKE BARDOLPH, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Accessible fishing for chub, bream, dace, roach, perch and barbel is available along the road at Stoke Bardolph. Day tickets on the bank. Contact: Ashfield AC,…

IS THERE any environment more changeable and dynamic than a river? After a winter of floods and storms, this change is especially apparent. Where there was a clear run, there is now a two-ton tree... where there was once a firm bank, there’s now a muddy undercut. You can look at this in two ways. On the one hand, we like stability. We fall in love with favourite swims, and even individual features. I recall one spot where big fish loved a particular houseboat – locals were virtually in mourning when it moved! Could it be this instability that keeps us coming back? The old saying that ‘when a man walks into the same river twice, it is not the same river and he is not the same man’ rings…