Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3703 i Angling Times

HAPPY New Year, and welcome to the first issue of Angling Times for 2025. I hope you all had a good festive period and managed to get out on the bank at some point. To help you get your year off to the best possible start, we’ve compiled a fantastic rig guide for you in this week’s magazine. We’ve selected a certain species and an accompanying rig for each of the next 12 months, so hopefully you won’t be left wondering what to fish for and what presentation to use. Now, I have to confess to being a little bit of a rig ‘geek’ – especially when it comes to carp fishing. There’s something therapeutic about tying rigs, and I find few things more satisfying than a well-stocked and neatly…

TWO SESSIONS, TWO BARBEL FOR 40LB! Nathan Buckingham – 20lb 9oz barbel ANOTHER barbel over 20lb has been landed from Kings Weir Fishery on the River Lea, this time by Nathan Buckingam, who slipped the net under this specimen weighing 20lb 9oz. It was caught just a few days after he landed another biggun of 19lb 8oz – giving him two barbel for an ounce over 40lb! He had the fish from an area that many anglers walk past. It doesn’t scream fish, so it gets little attention. But on his first session, Nathan had found a slightly deeper hole in the swim that produced the 19-pounder. This time, he was fishing one evening after work and cast a single lump of luncheon meat into the same depression, with no…

FOLLOWING on from last week’s look at record fish, there’s been a bit of chatter about credibility. Some fear that Kings Weir will now be hammered by trophy hunters and the record barbel will either lose weight, die, or simply re-take the record an ounce or two heavier. But would the same fish re-taking the record make it less credible? The Traveller, that huge barbel from the Great Ouse, did exactly that. It was what I call a ‘baton-passing’ record fish. Anglers know where it lives, and queue up to catch it. Each time that fish adds an ounce or two in weight the record is broken, and a new name is added to the history books. We have seen this happen for a very long time in the carp…

THE FRUGAL feeding regime that most commercial fishery anglers adopt during winter often goes out of the window when one particular species is on the agenda. Tentatively tapping a few maggots and pellets in seems the obvious approach for carp and F1s, but the big cup and larger quantities of bait suddenly come into play when skimmers are the target. However, this can be a mistake. Analyse the catch returns of top anglers and you’ll see that they continue with the ‘negative feeding mantra’ when fishing for skimmers on commercials. So, adopt this conservative mindset this winter, and you won’t ruin your chances before you’ve even got going! GIVE IT A GO 1 TINY NUGGETS RULE Feeding just 20 micro pellets and a tiny marble-sized nugget of groundbait at the…

SPECIES: Tench The Lift Method IF ONE rig is synonymous with tench fishing, it’s the lift (float) method. The main principle of the tactic is that the float – attached at the base with a float rubber – is cocked with shot twice as heavy as the waggler’s stated shot loading, or rating. The shot should be squeezed on to the line four inches from the hook and will sit on the lakebed. When a tench picks up the bait and the shot is lifted, the now unweighted, buoyant float will lift up out of the water before lying flat or sliding beneath the surface. The great thing with this rig is that it doesn’t require complicated shotting patterns and, when you strike, you will usually connect with the fish.…

DO YOU NEED RINGER’S HELP? Send your question to: askringer@anglingtimes.co.uk How should I fish at range on a natural venue where groundbait is ineffective? Allan Minton, Telford WHEN feeder fishing on large expanses of water for roach and skimmers, it’s true that most anglers use groundbait. But, as you’ve found out, there are some venues where the stocks simply don’t respond to it all of the time. The simple answer to the conundrum is to rely on loosefeeding baits such as maggots, casters and pinkies, and a window feeder is the perfect vehicle for this. KEY BENEFITS The design of a window feeder is what makes it so effective for delivering plenty of wriggling , live baits. It has far fewer holes than a cage feeder, so the contents can’t…

FOR A supposedly peaceful hobby, there are moments of ridiculous excitement in angling. In fact, I can’t think of another pastime which is simultaneously so relaxing and yet exciting. Football? It’s thrilling but stressful, especially if you support an underdog team. Unless you actually fish, the pleasure can be hard to grasp. Sure, we like to relax on the bank and it’s great to connect with nature, but what keeps me coming back to predator fishing is not being part of a still life painting , but suddenly being attached to a stick of dynamite with teeth. If I had to pin down the buzz to one specific moment, it would be that rush of adrenalin when you connect with a good fish. Even if it’s not as huge as…

SPECIES: Mixed Strung out shot pole rig ROACH and bream can be very fickle feeders, so it is essential that you turn to a pole rig that offers plenty of finesse. The slightest hint of a fish picking up the hookbait should be registered, giving it little chance to escape once it has fallen for the trap. Silvers are renowned for sitting at different depths, so pinning your hookbait to the bottom is likely to have a detrimental effect on your results. Your shotting pattern is key to giving fish at all depths the chance to nibble the hookbait. If you use a bulk of shot close to the hooklength, the hookbait will bomb through at pace, giving anything sitting off bottom little chance of snapping it up. To alleviate…

SPECIES: Crucians WHEN it comes to shy-biting species, crucians are right up there with the shyest of the lot! If you want to stand any chance of success with these finicky fish then your rig needs to be as sensitive as possible to ensure that any bites, no matter how delicate, are registered. To achieve this when fishing a float, we recommend pairing your waggler rod with a pole float. There are two things to remember when fishing this style. Firstly, this method is only suitable for fishing at up to 10m metres out and, secondly, it best suits fishing next to features such as weed, lilies, rushes or overhangs. If you have a feature to target, select part of that feature as your marker. For example, if you were…

JOIN TOP MATCH anglers Lee Kerry and Rob Wootton each week as they unveil the tactics and techniques that really make a difference NATURAL waters offer the best chance of keeping the bites coming during the toughest period of the year. Roach, perch and skimmers are what usually dominate, and they are among the most reliable feeders in the depths of winter. They often live well away from the bank on large expanses of water, and that means you need to work with a traditional feeder rig. Either a window, cage or maggot feeder will normally come into play, and they can all be brilliant – but there is one possible drawback. Unlike a Method feeder rig , they are prone to tangling , but only if you use them…

Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank CATCHING carp consistently at this time of the year can really get the grey matter working as, unlike during the warmer months, bites might not be as easy to come by. Carp will tend to be balled up tightly in just a few swims and not moving around much, so location has to be spot-on. What’s more, they may only feed for short spells and only be willing to eat very little. I have to admit that I really enjoy this slightly tougher fishing , because making small alterations to your tactics can have a considerable impact. POPPED-UP BREAD Carp spend a lot of time off the bottom right through the year but, especially…

ANGLER’S GOOD DEED I WAS fishing a stretch of the upper River Trent with my dad when I happened to see something blue splashing around in the shallow water near the bank. Upon closer inspection I realised it was a kingfisher. What had happened to it I don't know, but I climbed down, and using my landing net I was able to rescue it from the water. I checked it over to see if it was hurt, but there were no obvious signs of damage, so I gently got it out on to my hand and it stayed there for a while. I then placed it by a tree to recover, and when I checked on it later it had gone. It really was a rare encounter with a beautiful…

WHITMORE ON FORM LANCASHIRE’S Whitmore Fisheries continues to show why it is a popular winter haunt with match anglers, as Jay Phoenix needed 120lb 5oz to win the latest open event held there. Fishing the Method feeder from peg 21 on Coliseum Lake, he had 19 carp and three F1s, giving him a comfortable cushion over the nearest chaser Phil Bradshaw, whose 85lb 15oz net came from peg 18 on East Lake. LUCAS INTO MAJOR FINAL RISING star Brad Lucas secured his place in yet another big-money final as he qualified for the On The Flyer Winter Classic at Yorkshire’s Aston Park. The Matrixbacked angler drew peg 22 on Stable Lake and, like everyone else competing, he found bites hard to come by. But he persevered with maggots on several…

MAP CASUAL WEAR CLOTHING WHAT THEY SAY: A brand new set of highly functional clothing for year-round use, with subtle MAP branding throughout. The hoody is perfect for chilly days on the bank, and features a generous kangaroo pocket and lined hood with adjustable drawcord. The T-shirt is made from super-soft cotton and polyester mix and offers a relaxed fit for maximum comfort, while the polo shirt presents a smarter look, and has a zipped front. Joggers and the shorts complete the range, both with side pockets and a drawstring waist. WHAT WE SAY: A smart and practical set of clothing at a reasonable price. The discreet colours make them perfect for the bankside, and the subtle branding ensures you don’t end up looking like a walking advert! Price: T-shirt…

MY FLYING START DIED ON ME! IT’S BEEN a quiet time for me on the bank over the festive period. I made only the odd visit to the bank to wet a line and, of these, a live match with the Winning Ways cameras was the most interesting. I decided to try somewhere I rarely visit, and booked on to the midweek open at Alvechurch Fisheries, near Birmingham. This is a fantastic complex that’s packed with fish, but it’s quite a long drive for me, hence the irregular visits. Everyone was on the prolific Horseshoe Lake, where carp ranging from 2lb-10lb were the main targets on the day. My home for this particular foray was one of the few pegs where you can reach the island with the pole and,…

WELL, here we go again! It’s a new year, and although much of my fishing revolves around weather and water conditions, I also have fixed dates because of boat and accommodation bookings. I’m certainly looking forward to a trip I’ve just booked to Florida with my friend Jon Hettle, fishing for tarpon and goliath groupers. I’ve caught tarpon over there before, but Jon hasn’t, and I also wanted a monster grouper in my sights. So we teamed up and booked the trip for both species, adding on a few day trips to catch permit on the fly. After all, you only live once! Shock horror, I’m also going to be spending more time carp fishing this year, and less time on the river. Two reasons for this – one, I…