Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3674 från Angling Times

THIS WEEK ON THE last day of a family fishing trip, 14-year-old JJ Johnson was blown away when he banked this 5lb 2oz perch. His dad, Leighton, had taken JJ for a weekend at Devon’s Clawford Lakes. He’d landed a few carp over the trip but, on the last morning before heading home, something much more impressive took his maggot hookbait. “JJ wanted to fish on in the rain as we were packing the suitcases, and I suddenly heard him shout ‘this one feels bigger’”, Leighton told us. “He was only using a little rod – I thought it was going to snap! When he eventually landed it, the beam on his face was priceless. “Afterwards, the fishery staff told us that people had travelled from far and wide…

THE BIG WIN Fish O’Mania qualifier Hallcroft Fishery, Bridge, Croft, Moat & Reed Lakes NICK Speed made a favoured draw count in style by winning the latest Fish O’Mania qualifier at Hallcroft Fishery. Drawn on highly fancied peg 6 on the outer bank of Moat Pool, the Dynamite Baits and Shimano-backed star gave his opponents at the Notts complex no chance whatsoever – his 286lb 9oz total was more than 100lb clear of the nearest chaser. Putting a big weight together was never in doubt off the end peg, but the comfortable victory was all down to Nick’s management of the swim. He takes up the story... SLOW START “Peg 6 on the outer bank of Moat is brilliant because it has so much cover and the fish always live…

WALK the banks of most commercial fisheries and you’ll be dazzled by the number of top kits and rods on show. It’s not uncommon for anglers to have half-a-dozen prepared, ready to plunder different depths and areas of their swims. Of course, if you’re competing in matches, such preparation is understandable, but for pleasure anglers, it can be a bit of a case of overkill. AT News Editor, Freddie Sandford, is fed up with lugging a pile of tackle to his swim, and instead brings just one rod to the bank. “With the evenings drawing out, it’s a great time to pop down to your local lake for a few hours of an evening , but the last thing you want to do is waste your time setting up a…

CARPSKILLS IT OFTEN seems that modern-day carp fishing has become increasingly complex and technical. But does it really need to be that way? Whenever I go fishing , I watch the lake religiously, and, providing nobody else is fishing in the area where I’ve spotted the fish, I can nearly always ‘get on’ the carp. Once this has been done, my tactical approach is remarkably simple – put the rigs into areas where the fish are showing , with as little disturbance as possible, then catapult a few pouchfuls of boilies around them. It’s a style of fishing that has almost been forgotten about, but it works as well as it ever did, and it’s definitely my ‘default’ tactic. The current obsession with marker rods and Spombs has, in my…

OUR MAN ON THE BANK IN LESS than a week’s time the rivers will be open again, and many anglers will be trying their luck on running water, some for the very first time. So naturally I expect a barrage of questions on how to succeed. Well, having taken many guide days on the river with anglers of both sexes aged from 10 to 90, I can safely say the biggest mistake they make is not feeding correctly or, more accurately, not feeding enough. Often, as we’re packing up, the angler with me will say: “I can’t believe the amount of loosefeed you put in, even when you’re not catching.” That just about sums up the secret to success, which is to feed regardless of whether or not you are…

THIS WEEK EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING IMAGINE fishing with an arm tied behind your back. What could you catch? Perhaps a few tiny fish, or maybe a docile skimmer? Peter Monk, born with just his right arm, is catching monsters in the face of adversity, having just returned from a trip to Thailand where he landed Siamese carp to 90lb – plus an almighty 180lb arapaima! The Hertfordshire rod started fishing when he was six, catching small species on a roach pole. At 20 he drifted from the sport but now, aged 59, he’s caught the bug again. When he’s at home, Peter spends his time targeting carp, but his recent results in Thailand compelled him to encourage other disabled anglers to do the…

“FISHING WITH A FLOAT CAN BE DEADLY!” Daniel Bouskila – 8lb 6oz tench “I’M LUCKY to have some old untouched gravel pits within striking distance of my home, and I love to spend time on them in spring, targeting tench. “Fishing in the margins with a float can be deadly, and I think when the fish are fickle, a sensitive float can be an advantage over the more popular feeder approach. Don’t get me wrong, heli-rigs and such are the way to go when the fish are feeding confidently, but on the float you can detect the lightest of bites. “I don’t feed much bait, introducing a small handful of red maggots in a few swims to get things going and waiting for the tell-tale bubbles to appear! Then, I’ll…

FLOATFISHING is a favourite tactic of mine, as it allows you to cover so much water. When faced with a swim boasting numerous areas where the fish could be held up, there’s no better way to explore and exploit it. Imagine a far bank with deep runs close to overhanging trees, or a central track where big clumps of streamer weed are plentiful – the chub could be sat anywhere! There are plenty of things that you need to try to master if you are to catch these early-season river fish, with rig control, feeding and watercraft all being central to success. GIVE IT A GO 1 FISH ‘STRAIGHT THROUGH’ TO THE HOOK Hook big chub close to cover and you’ll need to take charge quickly. They’ll head straight for…

HOOKLENGTH: DAIWA TOURNAMENT FLUOROCARBON 0.25MM “Fluorocarbon is near-invisible in water, but not only that, it is heavy, pinning my line down and reducing the chances of spooking fish. “The length I use is all down to water clarity – coloured water calls for short 6ins -12ins hooklengths, giving ultimate hooking potential, while clearer waters require 18ins - 2ft, as fish watch the bait fall more readily.” Price: £8.75 ROD: DAIWA AIRITY X-SLIM 10FT 50G “Casting distances aren’t huge, so a big powerful rod is unnecessary. I prefer a shorter 10ft model, for the same reason anglers use short top kits – the fish come up closer when it comes to netting. The technology that goes into these rods is incredible – quite simply, it is the best rod available for…

THERE’S no shortage of great places to kick off the new river season, but one stretch where you can bank on opening your account with a bang is the Trent at Farndon. On this wide and relatively deep stretch of iconic waterway, the sheer variety of species on offer is the main reason that it comes up with the goods year after year. Roach, skimmers and perch can dominate the action one day, big bream the next. When they decide to have a chomp, 60lb-plus hauls are on the cards. There are also plenty of barbel in the area, some of them well into double figures. A convenience that many of us take for granted is easy parking , but it’s available behind all the 36 swims controlled by Newark…

WITH the pollution crisis showing no signs of relenting, this week official guidance has been offered to anglers to help ensure safe fishing on our rivers this season. Following a rise in illnesses caused by contact with sewage in our waterways, the Angling Trust has detailed six steps to minimise the risks for those tackling running water over the coming weeks. Bacteria such as E. coli and infections including Hepatitis A remain a real threat, as seen during the closed season when participants in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames were warned not to throw their cox into the water at the end, due to the high levels of bacteria present. Illnesses caused by contact with sewage pollution are “increasingly common and of great concern,” says the…

“POPPED-UP WORMS TEMPTED TWO TENCH, INCLUDING MY PB” MARK ERDWIN – 10LB 3OZ TENCH “ON A RECENT tench fishing session I used a little trick to help me catch fish of 10lb 3oz and 9lb 12oz from a heavily weeded swim. “After arriving at the mature southern gravel pit I broke out the rake and spent some time clearing some of the heavily matted weed – it was hard work, but well worth it. “I don’t like to rake a swim until it’s totally devoid of weed. Instead, I try to create a little gulley in which I can present my hookbait, stirring up the naturals to attract the fish. I’m not presenting my hookbait over a clear gravel spot, so baits fished hard on the bottom aren’t the best…

HOW WE TEST OUR GEAR Our team of tackle experts use their years of angling experience to test new gear to its limits. DURING my long tenure as Angling Times Tackle Editor, I can’t really recall live-testing two separate models from the same rod range. However, all that’s about to change because this week I am revisiting Daiwa’s mid-priced N’ZON Distance Special range. This time I’ll concentrate on the two-piece 12ft (90g casting weight) model. Daiwa’s match-product manager, Pemb Wrighting , had suggested that I take a look at the 11ft, 80g rod specifically designed for venues such as Barston Lakes, where you might want a shorter feeder rod that casts well and can cheerfully handle carp and bream of all sizes. To be fair, despite early reservations that the…

SO MUCH to do and not enough time to do it. As an angler, does that ring a bell? I’m constantly saying to myself ‘I must do that’ and ‘why haven’t I gone fishing?’ Yet I hope, when I make my last cast on Earth, I’ll be thinking the same thing. How great would that be? Never bored, never meeting all the challenges angling has to offer, but always dreaming of the next trip! That said, one long-overdue adventure couldn’t wait any longer, so I confirmed the date and got down to organising the tackle and bait. The Bristol Channel looks like liquid mud as you cross the Severn Bridge but, despite its unassuming appearance, it teems with marine life. True, the cod fishing is pitiful now, but every spring…

Honest advice to help you to catch more fish on every trip, without breaking the bank WITH less than a week to go until the start of the new river season, the excitement is building! I’m already well underway with planning how I’m going to spend the early part of my running-water campaign. The choices regarding species to target and tactical approaches to use are numerous, but this year carp and zander are likely to be top of my agenda, for a bit of a change. But, whether you’re looking to bank a PB barbel, a big haul of bream or enjoy a day’s chub fishing , bait selection is key. So, let’s take a look, then, at some early-season favourites that will guarantee you the best chance of success.…

GOVERNMENT’S POLLUTION PLEDGE, 1972 PEOPLE who discovered that we had a countryside and rivers during the Covid pandemic are, quite rightly, mortified by the current state of pollution. But it’s a long way from being ‘news’. Several industries have been major polluters for decades, but just recently the main targets are the privatised water utility companies. In 1972, Peter Walker MP — ultimately Baron Walker of Worcester – pledged £1.3bn over five years to clean things up. That’s £260m per annum… our money of course, raised by taxation or the old ‘water rates’. Industry was expected to be providing another £200m, Wales a further £130m. The government was proposing heavy fines, even jail, for serial polluters. It all sounds sadly familiar. The UK population then was just over 55 million,…

LIKE certain antisocial professions, successful specialist anglers tend to be out wetting a line when most sane folks are fast asleep or haven’t got out of bed yet. Could it be an essential quality of great anglers that they can operate on little sleep? I feel night-shift folk, the armed forces and blue light workers have an advantage here. Being fully alert at 2am is relatively normal for them, after all. For my own part, the best training I ever had at this was having a baby in the house. It put all my night fishing jaunts in perspective, not that it was great for my sanity. I can still remember my first overnighters after the birth of my daughter – almost hoping I didn’t get a single run, I…