Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3693 från Angling Times

THIS WEEK FOR THE first time in its 140-year history, women can join the London-based Flyfishers Club. The historically men-only club, whose members have included Richard Walker and Hugh Falkus, had been criticised by leading female anglers Marina Gibson and Amie Battams, winner of ‘Best Influencer’ in Angling Times’ National Angling Awards 2022. Three-quarters of its members voted in favour of the rule change. Lucy Mantle, chair of City Flickers, an organisation pushing for more young people in the sport, said back in March: “At a time when the need to defend our environment and our precious rivers is paramount, the exclusion of half the population from entry to debate in the corridors of influence seems profoundly unwise.”…

THE NUMBER of anglers using lure tactics to target big perch has sky-rocketed over recent years, but there are still plenty of times when an old-school quivertip attack will outscore soft plastics, spinners and the like. If you locate a river swim with plenty of bankside cover, you can practically guarantee that a predator or two will be lying in wait for shoals of small silverfish – and ‘bait and wait’ tactics are often the answer to evoking a response from a hungry perch. Quivertipping is a simple, highly-mobile approach that requires very little tackle and, just as when you are lure fishing , you’ve got the freedom to up sticks and try another swim if the one you’re in doesn’t produce the goods within an hour or so. Almost…

OMC THERMA THINSULATE FLEECE LINED WINTER BOOTS A great solution to wet and muddy banks in winter, these 3M Thinsulate fleece-lined and insulated boots have a waterproof high-grip boot lower and a splash camo upper section. Quick and easy to get on and off, thanks to a Velcro fastening, they are functional yet stylish, with subtle embroidered OMC branding. It’s worth noting that OMC recommends choosing a size one to 1.5 times above your usual trainer size to achieve the best fit. Sizes: 7 – 14Price: £59.99, www.omctackle.com LEON ULTRALIGHT NON-SLIP BOOTS A soft and flexible EVA polymer makes these some of the lightest and most comfortable boots available. The warm and breathable lining is removable and machine-washable. Rated to minus 30ºC with a thick 40mm sole, they are suitable…

NOT too long ago, critics said Furzton Lake was all but finished as a roach venue – but the naysayers have now been silenced by an astonishing revival of form. The latest festival held there saw winner Michael Buchwalder bank over 100lb of roach during the three-day contest at the Milton Keynes AA-controlled fishery. And 10 others recorded over 50lb! The recent explosion in roach numbers has brought the lake back into the limelight after bream and big carp had dominated catches for many years. Furzton covers over 70 acres, and although walks to the pegs are inevitable on such a huge water, the three car parks and several free spots on nearby roads reduce the legwork needed, depending upon where you decide to pitch up. CATCH AT CLOSE QUARTERS…

ZANDER DIDN’T READ THE BOOK A FEW years ago you ran an excellent article about Martin Bowler and the late Bob Church catching lots of zander from the boils at Grafham Water, in Cambridgeshire. A few weeks after it was published I pulled into the car park at Grafham and found myself parked next to Martin’s truck. As the boats left the jetty, most headed to the boils, so I went the other way to the aeration tower. I was fishing seven-inch mackerel deadbaits on the bottom, in the hope of a big pike. I did not catch a pike but I did get a 13lb 8oz zander – this one clearly didn’t know that it wasn’t supposed to really like sea deadbaits! When I got back to the car…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING AS ANGLERS, we’ve probably all accepted that there will come a time when the years catch up with us and our fishing has to become a little more ‘comfortable’. But Malcolm Lancaster is not one to let age get in the way of his favourite hobby. Despite having just turned 90, Malcolm regularly spends whole weekends on the bank, camping out overnight while carp fishing. A few weeks ago, he celebrated his birthday weekend on the banks of Cuttle Mill Fishery on the outskirts of Birmingham. It’s a venue he’s fished for over 50 years with his son, Jeff, who told us a little more about his father’s angling journey. “We started going fishing together when I was five years…

PAUL Bailey was incredibly surprised to hook and land this barbel on a lure from a river in West Yorkshire. He was fishing a Ned rig – a tactic that involves working a soft plastic pattern slowly along the deck – when he connected with the hard fighting ‘whiskers’. “I’d landed two nice chub and a small pike on a black creature bait in the first 30 minutes of the session,” he told us. “Having flicked the lure downstream, close to the bank, I began the stop-start retrieve when something hit the lure hard. Initially, I thought it was a big pike, but it felt all wrong. “It was a while before I caught sight of the fish, which rather shocked me. I didn’t weigh it, but I took…

“A HAT-TRICK OF SPECIMEN PERCH” Thomas Finney – 4lb 6oz perch “ON A RECENT day of testing of an upcoming range of Wychwood lure rods, I headed to a big southern reservoir. “Targeting predators, I had a slow start to the day, with nothing landed in the first four hours. “Moving to a different area, I cast out a 9cm shad and had barely made a few turns of the reel when I felt as though I was snagged. But I struck and the rod hooped over. “After a short scrap, a perch of 4lb 2oz lay in the net. On the very next cast I hooked another, but this one fought harder and weighed 4lb 6oz. It had a very empty belly, so it has the potential to be…

PARKDEAN MASTERS FINAL White Acres, Jenny’s Lake (24 pegs) JENNY’S Lake proved a tough nut to crack for the qualifiers to this annual showdown, but it was Wayne Kearney who adjusted best to take the silverware and walk away with the £15,000 winner’s cheque. The top 24 in the Preston Innovations festival that had been staged at the complex in the week leading up to the final all qualified, and it took just 50lb 14oz for Manchester-based Wayne to bag the glory. Every bite counted – runner up Rob Swan was breathing down the winner’s neck all day, before ultimately falling just short at the weigh-in with 48lb 12oz. Wayne picks up the story to reveal how he went about outwitting a whole host of the nation’s finest anglers... LOW…

HOW WE TEST OUR GEAR Our team of tackle experts use their years of angling experience to test new gear to its limits. Mark Sawyer, Tackle Editor IT’S NOT very often that you get to test a new tackle item that comes with the reputation of being the very best in its price bracket. But that’s exactly how Shimano’s Aero Power Margin 850 is seen by many anglers in the know. I got a close look at this pole when Shimano hosted a press day at Tunnel Barn Farm in early spring. Sure enough, I, along with others in the trade, proclaimed the new and as yet generally unseen Aero Power Margin 850 to be a likely best-seller, and certainly the finest margin pole in its class this year. So…

AFTER what feels like six months of monsoons, many river anglers are currently likely to be enjoying – or perhaps enduring – flooded or swollen waterways. If high water is caused by cold rain or, worse still, snow, then a lake or canal might be the best option for your next trip. But if the rivers are energised by a southerly or south-westerly wind then, no matter how high or coloured the water may be, there’s more than a good chance of a bite! So let’s take a look at three ways you can keep your rod bent into fish over the next few months! There is one obvious candidate when the river bursts its banks and flows like coffee over the surrounding land. It’s my favourite time to fish…

ACROSS 1Nick___, won inaugural On the Flyer TV Feeder Champs 2024 (5)4 Spiny fish of mackerel family (*Hoody jnr) (4,4)8 ____ strain, force/weight needed to snap line (8)9 Bivouac, in short (5)10 __ Palmer and __ Pitcher of England Team in World Carp Champs 2024 (4)11 Thames tributary and London borough (5)12 Another name for crankbait's lip (4)14 Crushed, it makes an oily groundbait additive (8)16 Dave ___, World Champ 1981, Locslide dibber inventor (*has MOT) (6)17 Frank, fished 53 'Nationals' since 1953 (died 2008) (6)19/24dn. Coarse Angling Ladies World Champ in Portugal 2024 (8,3)21 19-peg lake at Weston Pools, also river barrier (4)22 Yellowish-white colour of fresh casters (5)23 Fish __, for commercial breeding (4)24 Prebaiting rocket-shaped tubes (5)25 Jordan __, angling coach and FishO’ 2024 finalist (8)26 Craig…

THIS WEEK IN A BID to help boost angling participation, the successful Take a Friend Fishing (TAFF) drive is being rolled out again over the Christmas period. Running from December 21 until January 5, the initiative allows rod licence holders to register for a free one-day fishing licence to take someone they know fishing. The campaign was a big success this summer, and its organisers – The Angling Trades Association (ATA), Angling Trust and Environment Agency – hope to continue that growth. “I am looking forward to building momentum throughout the extended 2024/5 programme,” said Andrew Race, chairman of the ATA. “Take a Friend Fishing can make such a difference to the long-term development of angling recruitment and to people’s lives. Angling is a proven therapy, both…

EVERYBODY loves a big sporting rivalry. Whether it’s Real Madrid v Barcelona in football, or Federer and Nadal rocketing balls at each other across a net, such spectacles have an added spice to them. The intensity of these events leads to a mix of emotions filling the air. Passion, pride and perhaps a touch of temporary hatred all come into play. But for every world-famous rivalry, there are thousands more played out well away from the glare of the cameras… and we reckon we’ve uncovered angling’s most intense ‘underground’ team grudge! The Martin and Reynolds families have been lightheartedly bickering for years about which is the best in Essex. With over 50 years separating the youngest and oldest angler from each family, this squabble has rumbled on for decades, and…

KORUM TACKLE TRAY WHAT THEY SAY: This unique accessory can be attached to Korum river tripods and pods, or used as a side tray on Korum S23 chairs. Sized to accept Korum bait tubs and Blox products, it also comes with inserts for Korum tripods, 23mm and 25mm round, and 23mm square profiles. The tray size is 30cm x 32cm. WHAT WE SAY: This tray can be angled to sit level when fitted to tripods, pods or chairs. It’s ideal for making sessions that bit more comfortable and organised. Price: £32.99, www.korum.co.uk MATRIX THERMA FOIL WINTER SUIT WHAT THEY SAY: Our popular winter suit has been redesigned using new technologies to make it our warmest ever. The main fabric is 5K waterproof and 3K breathable, with a thick Sherpa lined…

THERE are many good reasons to reach for a stick float or waggler to tackle your favourite river swim, but both floats have their limitations. Yet, whenever the situation doesn’t seem to suit them, most anglers resort to Plan B, which is to fish with a feeder or straight lead. But, if you’re craving a day on the float, why not try the Bolo? A winner in deeper swims, or when the wind is making the stick or wag unfishable, it can really unlock your swim. River maestro Hadrian Whittle proved just how effective the Bolo can be by using one to win the prestigious Wye Team Champs with over 70lb of silvers. “It’s an approach that I rely on a lot in autumn, and it’s helped me bag up…

LAKE WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT, CUMBRIA This vast venue has produced colossal bags of bream this year, with large fish on the cards. It’s free to fish but by no means a pushover. Prebait, and go with feeder tactics. Be positive with your tackle – there’s no need to refine things for these wild fish! Contact: 01539 724555 WOODLAND WATERS, ANCASTER, LINCOLNSHIRE The Specimen and Match Lakes hold numbers of quality bream. Try pole tactics, making sure to tie up heavy floats on long rigs, as both these waters are deep in places. Groundbait and natural baits can produce, but soft pellets and corn are also worth taking. Contact: 01400 230888 PATSHULL PARK, PATTINGHAM, WARWICKSHIRE Good nets of bream have won recent matches at this scenic venue, with the deeper water…

I RECALL giving Dick Clegg some very unwanted advice on team selection while on a bus taking us from the Killyhevlin section of Lough Erne back to HQ. This was at a time when southern anglers were (at last!) being given a crack of the whip, following decades of being ignored, but I challenged one of Dick’s choices. Thankfully he ignored me and, as ever, did what he thought was best for his team. My opinion was more or less unilateral, and England returned with team gold! However, not many years later it seemed as if most of match fishing and the angling media were on Dick’s case. It was decreed that for the 1988 World Championships, to be fished on a difficult Belgian canal, team selection was to be…