Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3656 i Angling Times

ONE OF the best things about this time of year is that the first few signs that spring isn’t far away become more apparent daily. Daylight hours are increasing noticeably, the first snowdrops and aconites are out, and the temperature has started to creep up a few degrees. Watching nature slowly reawaken after winter, and witnessing the transformations at our favourite venues over the coming weeks, is a joy to behold. That said, it’s important to remember that while it may feel milder, the water will need more than just a couple of sunny days to really start to warm up again. Because they might not need their thermal winter coats any more, anglers often make the mistake of starting to ramp up the quantities of bait they introduce. It’s…

STORM ISHA NO MATCH FOR SEB! SEB Easton braved the recent Storm Isha for a session on the River Wye – and was rewarded for his efforts with a new personal best chub of 6lb 2oz. Fishing with his dad, Matt, the nine-year-old spent the first half of the day targeting pike on the Herefordshire waterway. Using sink and draw tactics with joey mackerel deadbaits, he tempted an impressive predator of 10lb 8oz. Matt told Angling Times:“We then spent the afternoon quivertipping for chub with a maggot feeder and a bunch of red maggots on the hook. “This resulted in a number of fish being caught, topped by Seb’s new PB. It proved to be a great trip, and well worth braving the blustery conditions!” SEND IN YOUR PICTURES Email…

A LITTLE over a month of the river fishing season remains – a month widely regarded as one of the best of the year for catching plenty of fish. Warming weather and longer days trigger a feeding reaction, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t cash in on this bonanza. The best swim and the best bait will count for little if your rigs aren’t up to scratch. That’s why we’ve recruited four anglers with a fine pedigree on running water to help steer you in the right direction... CHUB ON THE WAGGLER DAVE HARRELL Chub love to be in the main flow, which can mean taking on some fast water! That can still be tackled with the waggler, though, it just needs a slight change with regards to the…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING AN ARMY of anglers turned scientists have spent the last year testing the water of England’s rivers, and have gathered data that could change our faltering environmental laws. The Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN) was set up by the Angling Trust a year ago and equipped volunteers with test kits that identify the nutrients in a river. It’s been a roaring success, with over 600 individuals from 240 clubs getting involved, actively monitoring pollution on no fewer than 190 rivers. The first report has been released on the ‘citizen science project’, revealing that an appalling 83 per cent of rivers regularly tested failed to meet the phosphate standard for good ecological status in at least one sample. The figures shed…

WHEN we think of fishing tuition, an image of youngsters on seatboxes or match anglers brushing up on their skills generally comes to mind. However, proactive Berkshire club Reading and District AA is now looking to coach the next generation of specialist anglers through its new ‘Improve Your Fishing Skills’ sessions. Designed to develop the abilities of existing anglers, helping them to catch more and bigger fish, the tutorials start in April. They’ll cover a range of angling disciplines, including lure fishing for perch, targeting specimen tench, and stick float fishing. “Each session will have three angling mentors, who are experts in the chosen species or method,” RDAA told us. “Students will be able to fish with their own tackle and stay on afterwards, putting what they’ve learned to…

PRESTON INNOVATIONS SUPERA X ROD BANDS WHAT THEY SAY: These bands are perfect for storing ready-made rods. The neoprene straps simply wrap around each end of your rod and bond together with Velcro straps. The larger band of the two has an external pocket which is designed to store the feeder/lead on your line safely, without the risk of breaking rod tips or eyes. WHAT WE SAY: A simple yet highly effective pair of straps for securing rods in transit. We love the small pocket that will hold even a stemmed feeder securely in place. Price: £7.99, www.prestoninnovations.com DAIWA TOURNAMENT EVA FEEDER CASES WHAT THEY SAY: Two new feeder cases in rigid EVA with clear zip-round lids, and pre-fitted with multi-compartment inserts. The smaller two-litre version measures 190mm x 150mm…

THERE can be few more famous – or picturesque – rivers than the Warks Avon, running through the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon. Whether you want to catch chub, pike, bream or a net of small fish, it’s got the lot. And while the Recreation Ground stretch in front of the town centre’s Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre grabs the headlines for its prolific bream fishing, head just out of town to escape the hustle and bustle of tourists and you’ll find a little oasis of calm. That’s provided by the Lido stretch, only a few miles upstream of the town, but it’ll seem like a different world. Surrounded by chocolate box countryside scenery, the Avon twists and turns its way across fields, creating the ideal habitat for a range of species. Some…

FEBRUARY can be a great time for carp angling, particularly for big fish, which can put in an appearance towards the end of the month. Daylight is the key and, by the middle of the month, we will have gained two full hours since Christmas. That’s quite a radical leap, and nature responds accordingly – you’ll clearly notice the difference in the volume and melody of birdsong. You will also notice that hatches occur in February – you'll see them in calm areas out of the wind that get the sunshine. Gulls can be seen taking advantage of the myriad insect life that emerges from the lakes at this time of year. Another big positive is that the water temperatures will have largely bottomed out. This means that, even with…

WHAT wonderful memories this old photo of Marlow Weir on the River Thames evokes. I had my biggest Thames match weight of 54lb there, as well as my biggest Thames barbel of 11lb 1oz, filming with David Seaman for Tight Lines. That match was the first time I met and had a proper chat with the remarkable Peter Stone, so when this photo accompanied a feature by the great man about the ‘forgotten bait’, silkweed, I couldn’t let it pass. Stoney gave some great advice and I know that under the right conditions silkweed still works. Sadly, many places where catching quality fish on a totally free bait is possible are now out of bounds, thanks to our good pals the Health & Safety mob. In fact, I can bring…

I’m really struggling with locating and catching carp on the feeder! Any tips? Jack Wallis, email LOCATION is key – everything else is irrelevant! If the fish aren’t there, you’ll not catch them. How, though, do you find them in the first place? The obvious answer is to look for bubbles or fish topping. That said, on some days this might be impossible due to a choppy surface or the fish being dormant. In this situation, there are other things to consider. WATCH THE WIND If it’s blowing from the east, it’ll be a cold one, so chances are that the fish will be out of the wind. Try to find a swim where it is coming off your back. The water will be warmer here and may well hold…

TWO GREAT DAYS OF FISHING! My drawing arm is well and truly on fire at the moment. This past week I drew two belters at Chester Lakes and Lingmere Fishery – no pressure then! Thankfully I won off both, with loads of bites. It seems the rise in water temperatures has got the fish on the feed again, which is good news and, hopefully, that’ll continue. The first trip was the midweek silverfish bash at Chester Lakes, where I drew the best peg on the complex, 13 on the Aldford Lake. Fishing my normal two lines, the long pole was a real struggle, but on the short swim at the bottom of the shelf, it was a different story. Maggot over groundbait with some minced worms and micro pellets got…

MATCH SCENE FISH South Winter Silverfish Qualifier (Sat) Southend Farm Fishery (20 pegs) THE RACE for a place in the final of this £10k winter silverfish event continued at the prolific Southend Farm in Essex, where skimmers were the main target for those anglers taking part. After five hours of fishing, it was former Essex County ace Chris Vandervleit who had bagged the most, but only just, to take the spoils on the day and book his slot. Weighing in 33-2-0 from peg 23, Drennan/Mainline Matchbacked Chris sneaked home by a little over 3lb from runner-up Mihail Burdia, who was fishing on next door peg 24. Billy Reynolds rounded off the podium places from peg 31, with a weight of 25-4-0. Winner Chris chose to go down the natural baits…

THIS WEEK A‘TON-UP’ match haul from any river is always noteworthy, so few anglers could fail to be impressed by this catch of bream from a narrow and shallow waterway that smashed that total with ease. The River Kenn in Somerset is a venue that not all anglers will know of, but at this time of year offers superb fishing – as Sam Johnson proved with a hefty 110lb 10oz bag of 15 bream to 8lb, plus a rogue big chub! He had the fish on maggot feeder tactics, casting two-thirds of the way across. Through the feeder, he introduced a bit of chopped worm too, and alternated between worms and maggots on the hook. “The catch beats the club’s previous match record of 99lb 12oz, but that was…

AS ANGLING enters dangerous, uncharted waters, it’s high time the sport pulled together to punch its weight. That’s the urgent message from Peterborough and District Angling Association (P&DAA) chairman, Rob Harris. In an open letter to the sport he pulls few punches in discussing angling’s pitiful record of division and apathy. “Not one elephant, but a herd of them,” is how Rob described the many issues we face, whether that’s pollution, predation or invasive species. It’s easy for people to complain or single out personal gripes, he said, yet it’s not passion we lack, but togetherness. “Angling is plagued by partisan and frankly selfish thinking,” he said. “We not only need to join up the problems but join up the audience! On that basis, we could do worse than take…

KORUM DELUXE RIVER TRIPOD WITH a twin-framed combination of anti-twist extrusions and cam-lock adjusters, this tripod is both stable and versatile. The frame is extendable when in use but packs away neatly, making it compact to transport. It weighs just 2kg. Chunky buzz bars are attached via cam switches for quick set-up and pack-down. Two points of attachment remove any twist or imbalance perfectly. The front legs can be adjusted to almost any angle, and also feature height adjustment cam lock switches. All legs extend from 1m to 1.85m. Price: £99.99, www.korum.co.uk SHIMANO ULTEGRA 5500 XSD WITH Loads of cranking power in a compact mini-pit design that won’t unbalance lighter speci-style rods, the Ultegra 5500 XSD is everything you need in a reel to target big fish on large rivers.…

WHERE TO FISH RIVER DON, SPROTBROUGH, SOUTH YORKSHIRE Head above the weir and fish the pole, feeding groundbait and fishing maggots on the hook for roach. Contact: Independent Fishing Tackle & Bait, 01302 376689 RIVER RIBBLE, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE The free stretch just off London Road is in blistering form this season, with huge bags of roach, dace and chub on the cards. Contact: Wayne’s Tackle, 01772 729229 NEWHAM DRAIN, SIBSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE On this drain you can fish for free and catch loads of perch. You’ll tempt tiddlers on maggots, but lobworms can produce fish to 3lb. Contact: Hungry Pike Tackle, 07903 764073 RIVER TRENT, BURTON JOYCE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE On the road stretch at Stoke Bardolph you can park behind your peg and get bites on the pole, feeder or float. Day…

OUR MAN ON THE BANK OVER the years I have enjoyed fishing for pike everywhere, from canals to big trout reservoirs, small rivers, Irish loughs, gravel pits and even carp lakes. To me a pike is a pike, and I have never played the snobbery card of telling people that one fish is more worthy of capture than the next. Some anglers, though, try to make out that a pike caught from a ‘natural’ water requires more angling skill than one from a trout water. I think the opposite is often the case but, as I said, a pike is a pike, wherever it happens to be caught. I’ve fished natural waters that no-one else can, and a couple of times had three twenties in a day. Those were the…

BAIT CLINIC Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank BAIT flavours in fishing are nothing new. Izaak Walton wrote about them in The Compleat Angler, published in 1653, and I can still remember the heady smell of Continental groundbaits from my youth, 40 years ago. You would imagine that we’d have a definitive answer about whether they make a difference by now, yet nothing in fishing is that simple, and often the effect can be quite subtle. Some years ago a friend and I conducted some tank testing of popular flavours and additives. In a large tank, coarse fish often showed a really strong reaction to some scents, while other, often widely-used additives, elicited no response at all. Interestingly, we couldn’t…

THINGS are hotting up nicely in the Bait-Tech Feedermasters Winter Pairs series at Hallcroft Fishery, after the penultimate round saw new leaders and a few pairings rocket up the leader board, Adam Wakelin and Rob Wootton being one of them. A superb combined 45-6-0 on the day helped the England duo move into fifth spot overall, while Luke Armitage and Brian Searle took over at the top. But, on 138-9-0 they are just 10oz in front of Lee Kerry and Will Freeman with one match to go. Adam and Rob both took good nets of fish, with Rob’s 17-4-0 seeing him finish just outside the frame, while Adam’s 28-2-0 net from peg 23 on the outer of the Moat Pool won him the match outright. Second went to Oliver Scotthorne…

LAST CAST WITH DOM AFTER a mediocre showing in last year’s local match league, the opening fixture of 2024 came as a welcome chance to wipe the slate clean. Or at least cleaner than my rather grubby kit, which by late winter looks like a fight in a muddy field. It’s always great to catch up with old friends after a layoff. The draw with the Tiverton AC lads was its usual hubbub of 30 anglers’ hopes, gripes and gossip. My peg, number 26, looked nice and sheltered, if slightly nondescript. But how would the canal respond after yo-yoing conditions? Before I’d even mixed my groundbait, there were signs of life. A swirl in the middle suggested pike, which surely meant silverfish? Moments later, a jack attacked my plummet as…