Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3697 från Angling Times

I‘VE ALWAYS seen casting as something of an art form. It’s a skill that looks simple, but actually requires a lot of practice in terms of timing and mastering the many variables that need to be considered to be consistently accurate. So I was certainly intrigued when I heard about a fishery which has banned casting. I’ve come across all sorts of different rules, but this was a new one on me. I have to admit, my initial reaction was that it’s just another sign of how technology (bait boats, in this instance) is gradually replacing core angling skills. Of course, there are always two sides to every story and, after reading why the fishery owner made the decision, it made sense to me. His lake, and the fish in…

IS IT TIME TO SPICE UP MATCHES? II’M JUST back from a carp tournament in France that was really good fun – seven full days and nights of angling, a hefty field of 50 anglers and a prize table of just over £20k to boot. The event was held at Crete Lakes, an impressive five-water complex. It started off as a social event at the end of the holiday season, then became a knock-up among mates, and is now a full-on, high profile big-carp match... but with a difference. Carp matches are usually bog-standard, biggest weight events. The only variation is in International Rules, where it’s a team event with section points. To keep things spicy, and to give everyone a chance of competing, the Crete Lakes match is different.…

RIVER WYE FESTIVAL (WEDS-FRI)Hereford (72 pegs) AFIELD of 72 hopefuls turned out to try to get their name on one of the most prestigious trophies in river fishing, and it was Welsh international Chris Jones who ultimately triumphed in the annual three-day River Wye festival. Daiwa’s Hadrian Whittle was aiming to win the event for the third year on the trot, but Bait-Tech-backed Jones put a stop to his domination with three impressive performances. Chris worked with several approaches to finish on a four-point total, and here he reveals how he became the 2024 River Wye Festival champion. DAY ONE – PEG 16 “Where I drew isn’t the end of town where all the big weights come from, and anyone who was pegged down there knew they’d have to be…

FOR MANY YEARS, Daiwa has been at the very forefront of pole technology. Their poles are known for their high build quality, performance and supreme longevity, and in buying one you’re making a career-long investment with Daiwa. All of the company’s top-end poles are designed and made in the UK, ensuring the optimum product for the country’s anglers and the best customer service, with a fast and plentiful supply of spare and replacement sections available. AIR Z PRO 16M The AIR family represents the highest level of Daiwa’s technology and design capability. Without question, the AIR Z pole surpasses its very own supreme standards by bringing additional improvements in the shape of the PRO edition. Like all UK made models this pole is supplied with the clever 2.4m Professional 4mm…

AT MAVER HQ, we’re always thinking about making life easier for any Maver pole owners. This is why we’ve ensured that interchangeability is a key factor within our ranges, so upgrading to a newer model is nothing short of efficient and worthwhile. Plus, for anyone buying a Maver pole for the very first time, it opens up a door to a world of easily accessible, interchangeable spare sections. A whole host of pole sections from our previous Reglass ranges, including the Oculus, MV-R Performance and Competition, Definition XS, Signature, and Signature Pro all interchange, not only with the models in their respective ranges, but now also with our new MV-R1-4 poles too. So, for anyone wanting a new pole to take out on the bank, their previous pole can become…

LESSONS LEARNED! THIS week I went to Aston Park Fisheries for the Angling Trust Silverfish qualifier, and I was delighted to draw peg 11 on Split. I’d drawn just two swims away a couple of weeks earlier, and felt that I’d learned a lot. It gave me the chance to put all that into practice and the plan was simple – a short and a long pole line. Catching the right stamp fish was going to be key, as the lake is full of ide, fish that are renowned for feeding aggressively before shutting up shop. I needed to make sure they were getting to the bait ahead of smaller silvers. I kicked off short, but I didn’t get a bite for 10 minutes. It became apparent that I needed…

THIS WEEK DRENNAN CUP CATCHES OF THE WEEK 2024 - 2025 SEASON EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE WORLD OF FISHING PERCH anglers look primed for another memorable winter on England’s reservoirs if the glut of huge fish reported over the past few weeks is anything to go by. The biggest of the lot, by some distance, is this magnificent perch weighing 5lb 4oz, which was caught by Ryan Hayden. He landed it, alongside others of 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz, and 4lb 2oz, plus two ‘threes’, using lure tactics during a recent session afloat. “Perch were the first species I targeted when I started specimen fishing , so a five-pounder is my dream fish,” Ryan told us. “Landing it achieves a lifetime goal, and although I caught one…

IT’S already been an amazing season for big dace catches, with numerous fish over the 1lb mark having been reported to us. But the biggest of the year has just been caught by Matt Adams, who landed this superb fish of 1lb 3oz – just a couple of ounces off Simon Ashton’s current 1lb 5oz 2dr British best. It was taken from the Dorset Stour which, impressively, is the third river from which Matt has had a dace over 1lb. “I set up two rods – one with a waggler, the other a stick float – which allowed me to present my bait well should the flow change,” he told us. “After spraying maggots, I had a bite on the third run down, and initially thought I’d hooked a…

POLLITT IS CROWNED RIVER CHAMP A HIGHLY impressive pot of £16,000 was paid out to the framing anglers during the Northern River Masters final, and it was Dave Pollitt that walked away with the lion’s share of that sum. The two-day event was staged on Yorkshire’s River Calder, with weight deciding the overall champion. Dave got off to a flying start with 10lb 13oz on day one, and he backed that up in style on day two with 13lb 6oz. That gave him a total of 24lb 3oz to bag the £6,000 winner’s cheque and push Tony Marshall’s 23lb effort into the runner-up spot. MARSDEN DOMINATES AT WESTWOOD KIERAN Marsden’s year to remember got even better with a win in the latest festival at Westwood Lakes in Lincolnshire. The Matrix-backed…

WITH a great selection of poles and whips priced under £100, all of which are pre-bushed and some even already elasticated, there is no doubting that market newcomer Nytro offers some of the best value-for-money poles on the planet. POWER EDGE CARP 60 IF YOU’RE looking for the king of robust margin poles, then look no further! With its reinforced sections, extra wall thickness and toughened joints, the 6m Power Edge provides the perfect combination of strength and rigidity. It allows the angler to fish heavier elastics for catching bigger and more powerful fish, and is the perfect solution to challenging scenarios that need the strongest of poles. Ready to elasticate, the top kit comes pre-fitted with a PTFE bush and side puller with integral roller. Price: £79.99 KEY FEATURES…

N-GAUGE PRO ZERO 600 A true all-rounder, with a superb balance of performance and strength. Equally at home on both commercial and natural venues, the ultra-fast taper combined with the ZERO 600 tensile carbon construction is what gives this pole its stiffness and strength. Thanks to the Super Glide paint finish and friction-free matt tape finish, shipping in and out becomes an absolute dream. An essential part of all Guru poles – the N-Gauge Pro range being no exception – is the fact that the poles are truly full-length. When pole limits come into play on venues and competitions, it’s essential to ensure anglers are getting a full-length pole so they are fishing at maximum and true distances. This is achieved with the True Extensions that take the pole to…

JOIN TOP MATCH anglers Lee Kerry and Rob Wootton each week as they unveil the tactics and techniques that really make a difference BREAM fishing is an arm of the sport often associated with aggressive feeding. Grouped together in large numbers, they’re a species that can hoover up a bed of bait in no time at all, once they find it – but only if they are in the mood. Water temperatures have been dropping for several weeks now, and the arrival of ‘proper’ winter this past week has accelerated that process. As a result, bream, like most fish, are less interested in feeding and more focused on huddling up tighter than ever to gain some protection from the elements. That’s not to say that you can’t provoke a few…

How do I find where the carp are shoaled up in a large, open water lake? Stuart Matthews, Crewe THIS is a great question, because although the weather is currently still quite mild for the time of year, the carp in many lakes are definitely starting to show signs of grouping up in readiness for winter. This can create a problem because, in summer, I’m a big believer in being positive. In other words, casting regularly with a big feeder to try to get the carp to come to you. But that isn’t the situation right now. It’s very much a case of first finding the fish and then trying to stay in touch with them. “Trial and error is the key to success on some venues...” LOCATING THE SHOAL…

Louis Howarth Chub, Hampshire Avon, boilie hookbait Lottie Day Common carp, Beacroft Pool, Hinstock, Shropshire, maggot Lorcan Hempkin 8oz brown trout, Clanrye River, Co Down, worm Harrison Saunders 3lb 4oz perch, River Hull, East Yorkshire, livebait Angellica Zawada Sharp 9lb 8oz pike, unnamed boat yard, Norfolk Arthur Hellary 10lb 1oz common, Rectory Farm, Godmanchester, Hunts Kara Burke 5lb 8oz common carp, local lake, Henlow, Beds, corn Tom Harker 1lb 10oz roach, River Avon, Hampshire, bread Josh McGeown 28lb pike, Irish stillwater, deadbait Jacky Sheppard 17lb 8oz common carp, local club lake, wafter Teddy Glover 1oz roach, local pond, Wigan, Merseyside, maggot Roman Bentley 16lb mirror carp, Tunnel Barn Farm, Warwick, sweetcorn Jake & Dylan Greenhall 2lb 4oz common, Horam Manor, Heathfield, E Sussex Ben Baker 3lb 4oz tench, Coombewood Fishery,…

LATE-NIGHT DASH YIELDS A PERSONAL BEST Dave Robinson – 18lb 8oz barbel DAVE Robinson made a late-night dash for the barbel rods and headed to Kings Weir on the River Lea, where he was rewarded with one of the stretch’s giants. Fishing a 12mm fishmeal boilie on a long fluorocarbon hooklink below a 2oz lead, he hooked and landed this fish of 18lb 8oz, which he said “truly stopped me in my tracks.” Although he’s caught other memorable fish from the Lea this season, including a barbel of 17lb 4oz, he knew this one was on a different scale to the rest. It was just one of the highlights of an epic 2024 campaign for the Suffolk-based angler so far. SEVERN ROACH FALLS TO MAGGOTS David Marris – 2lb 10oz…

CREATED using the finest Japanese carbon technology, the Superium range of poles delivers unparalleled rigidity, strength and balance across all models, giving you the confidence you need to maximise your catches on the bank. Dura Wrap technology and reinforcements in all the right places give the poles superb strength and longevity, which is key when fishing today’s high catch rate venues. Superium X top kits have kept all the same fantastic features as before, but the depth markers have been updated, now displaying in one-inch increments – perfect for fine-tuning rigs on the bank. Top kits are also identical across all models, so whether you are fishing with the Superium X Margin or the flagship X95, you know that as well as being top quality, the kits are also…

STEVE RINGER World Feeder champ and a constantly successful matchman JAMIE CARTWRIGHT 2014 Drennan Cup winner and Northants Speci Group member MARK POLLARD England international and an expert on natural water fishing ADRIAN EVES Seasoned specimen hunter with a string of big fish to his name NICK SPEED Match legend and winner of multiple big titles ADAM PENNING Big-carp angler now running a tutorial and guiding business NEILL STEPHEN Big-fish ace who is joint holder of the British chub record I’m going to make some cheesepaste for chub – what items should I look to put in it, apart from the basic ingredients? Les Jacobs, email A My advice would be not to add any ‘extras’. I’ve always just used chunks of shortcrust pastry and Danish blue cheese, moulded together…