Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3690 från Angling Times

A FISHING match hosted by England football legend David Seaman MBE has raised over £18k for Willow – a charity that helps many young adults living with serious illness. Over two days, 35 anglers took part at Oxford’s Linear Fisheries, the winners being the captors of the biggest carp and catfish. Adam Garrett took the carp prize with a 34lb fish, whilst Chris Wilkins’ 55lb moggie earned him the catfish honours. “It was incredible to host my very first Willow event and to introduce new supporters to the charity,” David said. “I’d like to say a special thank you to all of our sponsors and everyone who attended to help make the weekend a great success. I can’t wait for next year!”…

“ROACH ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN” Lee Rackstraw – 2lb 1oz roach “I’VE MANAGED to catch a few quality roach down the years from a stretch of river I know quite well. “A lot of the fishing involves staying mobile to try and locate the shoal of bigger fish. In this river, roach are few and far between, let alone specimens that run to over the 2lb mark. “However, with hard work and determination they can be caught, which makes it all worthwhile when one finally ends up in the net. “On a recent trip I managed to find a few fish and lowered my breadflake hookbait through a hole in the weed and on to a small gravel strip. “It didn’t take long for a bite to come, and…

RiverFest FinalRiver Trent, Burton Joyce (96 pegs) HISTORY was made in the 2024 Angling Trust RiverFest final as Mike Bedding became the first angler to bag the prestigious title twice. The Bait-Tech and Cadencebacked angler first tasted victory in 2017, and secured the double this time with an impressive 115lb 9oz total. A field of 96 anglers descended upon the Ashfield Anglers stretch of the Trent at Burton Joyce for the showdown, where big fish dominated proceedings. Roach and dace only showed in pockets, making barbel and bream the key species. Mike was one of the few to find big fish on both days, and he revealed to Angling Times just how he went about bagging the £14,000 winner’s cheque and the coveted trophy. DAY ONE “Peg 65 stuck to…

WHILE the appetites of many river species start to dwindle slightly as autumn moves on, roach become much more confident about feeding. Right now is approaching the prime time to put together a double-figure netful, as most running waterways are home to a thriving population of these colourful redfins. Shoals are often made up of fish ranging from small fingerlings weighing just an ounce or two, right through to mature, 1lb-plus examples, and it’s down to the angler to make sure that they use appropriate tactics to get among the better stamp. MAP’s Ben Lawrence is a seasoned river angler, and this style of fishing suits him down to the ground. He takes along just two baits with him for every session, and the way he presents them ensures he…

NO MATTER where in the UK you live, chances are you’re not a million miles from a river, canal or stillwater that holds a population of perch. With their bold black stripes and needle-sharp dorsal fin, they’re an aggressive species that put up a solid scrap – especially when they run to over the 2lb mark. Autumn and winter are by far the best times to target big perch and, while trotting or legering lobworms continues to be a popular tactic for these predators, many anglers are now taking up lure fishing to improve their chances of catching a real specimen. Lure fishing is all about taking minimal gear to the bank. That way, you can stay mobile and keep in touch with your quarry. To kick-start your autumn perch…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING THE ANGLING community is being called upon to help report any sightings of dangerous blue-green algae, which is proving a growing threat on UK waterways. Generally caused by agricultural run-off or sewage effluent, blue-green algae can pose a serious health risk to anglers as it contains toxins that can cause rashes, vomiting , even liver and kidney damage. In addition, it can lead to de-oxygenation of the water, which can be one of the main contributing factors to devastating fish kills. Although it’s usually associated with warm weather, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is warning of a continued risk of algal blooms over the coming months. It has developed a free app, ‘Bloomin’ Algae’, through which pictures…

TEAM ENGLAND finished eighth in the 2024 World Champs, held on France’s Canal D’Aire last week. The main species to feed were tiny gobies – a fish we don’t have in the UK, and one that made the event a low-weight affair. Despite a section win for Matt Godfrey on day one, plus thirds for Will Raison and James Dent, overall the team drew pegs that held few gobies, with Steve Hemingray and Cameron Hughes returning 11 and 13-point scores. That deficit proved too big to overturn, despite a better day two performance. “The leading teams were very consistent, with third and fourth places across the board, which were aided by their better knowledge of fishing for gobies,” said manager Mark Downes. Croatia took gold with 31 points, Italy…

THE GAME CHANGER Angling Times DRENNAN CUP CATCHES OF THE WEEK 2024 - 2025 SEASON Ryan Hayden – 3lb 2oz rudd “CERTAIN species are synonymous with specific seasons, and when it comes to rudd, for many anglers they’re a summer fish. “Plenty were reported over the early weeks of the river season, but I’ve found that one of the best times to fish for them is when temperatures cool a little. “Early in the year, the fish are often down in weight and out of condition after spawning. It’s hot, too, and the banks are busier. Plus, the Fenland rivers I target them on are awash with boat traffic. “Come autumn there are far fewer people on the banks, and the fish are also a little heavier. So, lately I’ve put a…

GET READY WITH JULIAN CUNDIFF THE TRANSITION from summer to autumn is one of the best spells in the carp angling calendar. Despite this being a real time of plenty, you can almost guarantee that, on all but the most prolific and popular of waters, the number of anglers fishing for carp during October and November will be way down from the April to August period. While the big autumn feeding spells of years gone by may be less common, I do find that the carp become more predictable, now that factors such as spawning , algal blooms, oxygen crashes and the abundance of natural food are generally ruled out of the equation. So, don’t be in a rush to pack your carp rods away just yet. Instead, make sure…

(* indicates an anagram) ACROSS 1 He became Fish O’ champion in 2024 - his fourth final (*advises her) (4,6)7 River joining the Ouse at York – some UFOs seen! (4)9 Revolved like a centrepin (7)10 Jack __, in England Youth Fly Fishing team for third time (*by lake) (6)11 An arm bone (4)12 Spread e.g. vaseline on rod rings (5)13 Wiltshire river joining the Wylye – part of bait illegal! (4)14 Glasgow’s river (5)15 Country hosting 2024 World Club Float Champs (*as in love) (8)17 It secures e.g. tiger nuts on a hair (*boat tips) (4,4)20 Lough __ ... in Seine a ghost! (5)22 Folklore giant (*gore) (4)23 ___ syrup, a good additive for tench (5)24 Port and river at Humber estuary (4)26 Ali, co-star of TV’s ‘Grand Fishing…

ATTILA Forbauer has just had the carp session of a lifetime, landing 50 over 40lb and six over 60lb – all on feeder gear! He hit the headlines last autumn with a carp of 72lb caught on similar tackle, and he’s just returned from Croatia’s Lake Tribalj, where he had his latest momentous haul. His love of using competition-style tactics to target specimen carp has been inspired by the catch rate of match anglers. “I used 4.2m feeder rods with 75g Preston Innovations ICS feeders, loaded with 2mm pellets and groundbait, and 10mm wafter hookbaits,” he said. “Casting 110m-130m out, bites came regularly over the 10-day trip. “Local anglers advised me to prebait and fish conventional carp tactics, but I decided to search for fish, regularly recasting and introducing…

THE PERILOUS state of Britain’s independent tackle shop sector was brought into sharp focus last week after BobCo Tackle, one of the nation’s leading outlets, announced that it was closing its doors for the last time. With a large online presence, reputable 24-year-old brand plus a sizeable, well-stocked unit offering an diverse array of tackle in Leeds, BobCo seemed, from an outside perspective, to be doing everything required of a modern-day shop to survive. We contacted the owners to find the reason for the closure and were simply told that the company was in administration and that they couldn’t reveal any further details. BobCo’s exit highlights the harsh reality that, for the vast majority of the UK tackle market, life is incredibly hard. By contrast, the Angling Direct group continues…

TACKLE GUIDE HOW WE TEST OUR GEAR Our team of tackle experts use their years of angling experience to test new gear to its limits. Dan Webb, Tackle Tester BE IT teasing a stick float down the river, making a Bolo dance, or flirting a waggler against a set of bushes, the only thing more crucial to float control than the skill of the angler is the mainline he or she is using. I’m not talking about some kind of space-age, high-tech monofilament, spooled in the heart of a dying star, beamed to Earth and sold for £8.99. Although buoyancy, durability, stretch and finish all play a part, it’s the diameter of a line that is key. One that is too thick catches the wind and tow. It bosses your…

THE JOY OF FISHING CONDITIONS on the river were perfect – warm winds, overcast skies and a splash of rain 48 hours earlier. Unsurprisingly, my thoughts turned to a species I hadn’t caught for a while, and zander seemed the perfect fit. So I loaded up the van in darkness for an early start, and raided the freezer for some coarse fish deadbaits before setting off on my latest adventure, brimful with confidence. As I arrived on the bank, the sun broke through the cloud cover for all of 30 seconds, and that was it – a blanket was thrown over the sky and rain seemed imminent. I tackled up eagerly, knowing the zander would be feeding if I’d located the right spot. The swim had form for an early-season…

LEGERING is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to present a deadbait for big pike, especially on large, windswept venues where you might want to fish at distance, or the undertow would make floatfishing too difficult. This rig is ideal for venues where the bottom is quite silty, or there’s some light weed remaining , as will often be the case this early in the winter ‘predator season’. The Buoyant Leger Stem helps to keep the mainline braid slightly above any debris and keeps the rig free-running. As with all pike rigs, use a very strong mainline braid for safety. In the event of the hooks becoming snagged, the strong braid means that the rig can be retrieved when you straighten the hooks by pointing the rod at…

TROUT WATERS START OPENING UP TO COARSE ANGLERS, 1986 THIS winter headline from almost 40 years ago caused a bit of a ruckus at the time, not so much from trout fishers as from coarse anglers demanding access to exclusively fly-fishing reservoirs, mostly in the Anglian Water group. Some trials were held on Rutland Water, but I don’t recall a single fish being caught. Of course, the excuses were manifold: “I was on the wrong part of the lake,” or “the wind changed,” or “the fish were not used to seeing bait,” and so on. But of the massive (and I’ve seen them) shoals of rudd, roach, bream and perch, not a single one was spied. Much has changed since then, perhaps the biggest difference being that perch, pike, and…