BUMPER HOLIDAY FISHING GUIDE

November 14 2023 - £2.60

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HOOKED ON FISHING
Discover the charity boosting
participation & changing lives

NEVER MISS A ROACH FILL YOUR NET IN

BITE ON THE FEEDER ANY WEATHER
WINTER CLOTHING GUIDE Steve Ringer on how to hit Six steps to make your next
Quality clobber to lightning-fast redfin takes session one to remember
beat the elements
 is on
Trustworthy reviews to help you buy the right kit
Easy tactical advice to catch you more
Learn from the biggest names in the sport

The best place to watch all the latest tackle

reviews and discover new tactics to try

INSIDE THIS WEEK
BRITAIN’S MOST TRUSTED VOICE IN FISHING
Martin Bowler leaves the
modern world behind in his
20 quest for old estate lake carp.
A DOUBLE
HEADER OF TV
CARP TREATS!
O
VER the last week I’ve enjoyed
watching new videos from two of
my favourite carp anglers – Terry
Hearn and Danny Fairbrass.
Although each film covered very different
venues and styles of fishing, I found them
inspirational in equal measure.
It was the writings of Terry Hearn that
really got me into carp fishing in the late
nineties/early noughties, and Danny’s
Underwater DVDs taught me so much about
rigs and fishing over different lakebed types
as I got more into my carping.
And 20-odd years later I still enjoy listening
to these two legends of the sport.
Terry is without a doubt one of the sport’s
best story-tellers. He has a natural ability to
make you feel like you’re on the campaign
with him. He also makes tackling the
challenging, low-stock pits he can often be
found on seem almost easy! His watercraft
NOVEMBER 14, 2023
skills are on another level, and I find
listening to how he works out the habits of
the fish he’s targeting and pinpoints certain
areas of the lake to target fascinating. I just
wish I was half as good as he is at putting it
all into practice!
There’s nothing particularly complicated
about the tactics he uses, it’s purely down to
good, solid angling. Anyone who’s best at
what they do makes it look so easy – Terry is
one of those people.
Danny, on the other hand, is someone I’d
describe as an excellent technical angler. I
don’t think there are many better ‘rig
mechanics’ out there. He’s always looking
for that next little tweak that will make his
presentation even more effective, and the
knowledge that he’s gained, and shared
from various underwater filming shoots,
will have undoubtedly changed the way
many of us fish or think about our rigs.
So, if you’ve never watched these guys in
action, I urge you to do so. No matter what
style of fishing you’re into, you can’t help
but learn a thing or three from them!
James Furness
Editor
BEST CATCHES
4 TOP STORIES An astonishing week of big perch
action from rivers and stillwaters alike
6 NEWS EXCLUSIVE We speak to the team at the
Get Hooked on Fishing charity to find out how they’re
growing participation in angling
8 TOP CATCHES Your best big fish celebrated as we
round up the week’s most notable catches
11 DRENNAN CUP Specimen fish of the week
12 GET READY WITH RINGER Steve looks at when
and why to use different types of pole pot
TOP TACKLE
14 BUYERS GUIDE Stay dry and warm with our pick
of the best winter clothing sets on the market
18 ON OUR RADAR The lowdown on the latest kit
to hit tackle shop shelves this week
STAY & FISH
25 WHERE TO FISH SPECIAL Bumper section
packed with details of some of the best locations for
your next angling holiday in the UK
YOUR STORIES
34 LETTERS What’s on your minds this week
35 DES TAYLOR Angling has evolved but old-school
tackle and baits still very much have their place
36 KINGFISHER CLUB Kids’ top catches
37 ARTHUR’S ARCHIVE Keith reflects on some
unsavoury practices in the 1970s which are thankfully
now a thing of the past
EXPERT ADVICE
20 MARTIN BOWLER Our top all-rounder embarks
on an autumn carp session at an old estate lake
38 IF YOU TRY ONE THING Josh Duffy reveals how
to cash in on marina entrance canal pegs
40 ASK THE EXPERTS Our team of top anglers help
you catch more this weekend with their expert advice
42 RINGER TO THE RESCUE Steve comes to a
reader’s aid who is struggling to hit fast bites when
feeder fishing for stillwater roach
MATCH NEWS
48 MATCH SCENE Luke Hawksworth beats a strong
field to win the Daiwa Autumn Classic title
50 FAULT FIXERS Alex Dockerty is on hand to show
how to keep the bites coming at commercials
52 FIVE WAYS TO WIN By building a substantial
weight with small fish
BECOME AN
MEMBER & CATCH MORE!
S C A N H E R E T O S TA R T
E N J OY I N G YOU R
M E M B E R S H I P T O D AY
FROM JUST 99P!
 2023 - 2024 SEASON
“I’LL REMEMBER THIS CATCH
UNTIL THE DAY THAT I DIE!”
Pair of five-pounders landed – plus an historic haul of river perch
W
ILD weather may have
battered Britain
recently, but that hasn’t
stopped the nation’s perch
fishing fanatics from kicking up
a storm of their own by making
some truly sublime catches.
Huge fish have been reported
from a wide variety of venues,
from secluded syndicate waters
to rivers – and even a holiday
park – in what has been a
landmark week for the species.
Among those to hit the big-fish
trail was Durham specialist
4 NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Simon Ashton, who slipped the
net under a magnificent 5lb 4oz
fish from the same northern
stillwater where he landed a PB
of 4lb 8oz a few weeks earlier.
“Conditions weren’t ideal,
with bright sunshine forecast all
day,” he told us.
“My tactic was to fish a
feeder with a worm hookbait,
popped-up slightly, over a bed
of groundbait laced with
chopped worm and casters.”
Initially, Simon was pestered
by pike which took a fancy
to his lively hookbait, but a
2023 - 2024 SEAS
ON 3lb 12oz perch then signalled a
change in fortunes.
“I had a take that saw line
pulled from my Baitrunner,”
he added. “I’d have
wagered £100 that it
was another pike, as
it flat-rodded me. But
That’s no pike!
Simon Ashton.
 2023 - 2024 SEAS
ON

Tommy Pickering
is hoping for a bold
show from his squad.

FREESTYLE FEEDER TEAM

John Power with his
4lb 8oz perch – the
highlight of his haul.
second chuck, my Squirmz
pattern fished on a Ned rig was
smashed! Hugo, my seven-year-
old son, netted the fish, and
while I was a little nervous, he
scooped it up first time.”
Possibly the most significant
catch of the week was made by
Yorkshire angler John Power,
who had a phenomenal haul of
perch from a river in his home
county. In one memorable
RARING TO GO IN SPAIN!
ENGLAND’S new Freestyle
Feeder team has been given
a huge boost ahead of their
first World Champs after
signing sponsorship deals
with both Ringer Baits and
Dragon Energy.
The side, captained by
angling legend Tommy
Pickering, is set to compete
in Valencia, Spain, on
November 18 and 19.
This unique event will allow
Method, banjo and pellet
feeders to be used, alongside
short hooklinks and pellet
and boilie hookbaits.
“Support like this makes a
massive difference to our
ability to focus and perform
at international level,” said
skipper Tommy.
“I can’t thank Geoff and the
team at Ringer Baits, plus
Chris at Dragon Energy,
enough for their backing.
We’ll be giving it all on the
bank this week!”

BARBEL
morning’s fishing, John banked
fish of 4lb 8oz, 4lb 1oz and 4lb
exactly, plus eight three-

IS PILING
pounders and ten ‘twos’, in
what is one of the biggest bags
of river perch ever reported.

Gary’s son, Hugo,
netted the 5lb 5oz
perch first time!
when the fish broke surface, I
saw a flash of red and that
unmistakable dorsal fin, and
nearly did my pants right there!”
Another to get in on the action
was Gary Spillard, who landed a
whopping 5lb 5oz fish from
Devon’s Clawford Lakes, which is
also a holiday resort and spa!
He was at the fishery on a carp
fishing holiday with his kids, but
after speaking to staff, he learned
of a massive perch in Lodge
Lake, where he was fishing.
“We started early on the
second day and landed plenty of
carp,” Gary, told us.
“I decided to have a few casts
with the lure rod, and on the
“I saw that unmistakable dorsal fin
ON THE
“The river was fining down
after floods but was still around
2ft up,” John explained. “I’d
arrived at first light, armed with
a light tip rod and 30
lobworms, and found some
POUNDS!
dace topping in a slack. I
reckoned the perch would be
there too, so set up a 2SSG link
leger. However, I found the fish
grouped in the main flow, so I
added an extra SSG.”
“A wild few hours followed – I MANY river fish gain weight caught that same fish again,
reckon most of the perch in the
through the autumn months, but this time it weighed a
stretch were grouped in that
swim. I had three of the
but we’ve had one fish mammoth 19lb 3oz. That’s
three-pounders on the drop!” reported that, if it continues its nearly a pound and a half in
Interestingly, John didn’t feed current growth rate, will be just under four months.
a thing on his session, relying pushing the British Record “I used an inline lead with a
solely on the attraction of his come March! fluorocarbon hooklink to a size
hookbait, something he often In August, Berkshire angler 8 wide gape hook,” Jack told
does when targeting the species.
Jack Jacura landed a superb us. “I’ve had a great few
barbel from the Thames, months on the river, landing
weighing 17lb 12oz – an late multiple doubles plus eels to

and nearly did my pants right there!”

summer fish that was clearly 5lb and perch to 3lb. But this
spawned out. Well, he’s just beast is the stand-out!”
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 5
N E WS E XC LU S IV E
MUCH MORE
THAN JUST
‘TEACH THEM
TO FISH’– WE
IMPACT LIVES!”
Meet Sarah Collins
and Keith Arthur
of Get Hooked on
Fishing, one of
Britain’s longest-
running angling
charities...
W
HETHER it’s taking a
first-timer fishing or
vital hands-on work to
help fisheries, where would
angling be without the vast
army of people pitching in to
make things better? From
getting kids on the bank to
helping those battling mental
health issues, many anglers
have an interest in taking part
but never quite get round to it.
So, what’s really involved?
To get a deeper insight into
one of angling’s oldest and most
successful charities, we caught
up with Sarah Collins and Keith
Arthur of Get Hooked on Fishing
(GHoF). Existing since 2000, it
has made a huge difference to
the lives of children across the
country through angling.
Nor can there be many more
knowledgeable people in the
sector than CEO Sarah Collins,
and our own Keith Arthur, who
is Chair of Trustees.
BIG IMPACTS
As both Sarah and Keith will tell
you, taking people fishing is
only one part of the huge role
our charities play.
It’s just as much about
developing potential and
connecting people with the
environment. This is where
broader experience really comes
6 NOVEMBER 14, 2023
A GHoF coaching
session on pole
fishing in full swing.
in, a point worth noting for
those with professional
backgrounds well outside
angling who’d love to work in
the sport.
Sarah Collins hails from the
education sector. “I previously
worked as a head teacher, and
had experienced first-hand the
impact that fishing could have
on an individual’s health,
well-being, relationships,
behaviour and attainment,” she
said. After a volunteering stint in
2011, Sarah could see big
potential in her local area of
Ealing, graduating from a part
time role to CEO in 2012.
Keith’s connection to GHoF is
even longer, stemming from his
“ Much of our work involves troubled
young people with many issues”
time as a TV and radio host.
It was a no brainer to become
a trustee once his media
workload lightened. “Ever since
I began working in the angling
industry in the mid-1970s, I’d
done everything I could to
advance the sport, and the
invitation seemed too good to
turn down,” he told us. “When
the ‘Chair of Trustees’ vacancy
arose and I was voted in, it gave
me still more opportunities to
help steer the ship, working
with Sarah, who really puts her
soul into the task.”
To this day, it’s the positive
change he sees on the bank that
is so powerful for Keith.
“I gain immense satisfaction
We all know Keith
Arthur – less well
known is his role
with GHoF.
from the fact that we can really
make a positive impact on
people’s lives,” he said. “It’s so
much more than ‘teach them to
fish’, which is what some folk
think is all we do.”
NO TWO DAYS ARE THE SAME!
For anyone who fancies work
in an angling charity, Sarah
Collins offers both
encouragement and caution.
“Every day is different at Get
Hooked on Fishing!” she said.
“As a small charity, there’s a
real mixture of activity that
takes place. This can range from
dealing with funders and
donors, to negotiating the
legalities of the game – but,
ultimately, everything is about
harnessing the positives of
angling.”
“There are many highs and
lows, but the best part is hearing
how our sessions have made a
difference to someone’s life.
Hearing these very personal
accounts from those we work
with is thrilling.”
As for the most difficult part,
Sarah says it’s those situations
where they’d love to help but
cannot. “It’s disappointing
when we receive an enquiry
where we could make a real
difference but don’t have the
resources or funding available in
that area,” she added.
Connected to this is the
ever-present challenge of
constantly fundraising – which
is a must long before anyone can

HOW MIGHT I
GET INVOLVED
IN ANGLING
CHARITY
WORK?
WHILE anyone can get
involved in charity and
volunteering projects, our
GHoF experts have some
great advice for starting out.
l For anyone looking to
give back, volunteering
is the ideal entry point.
However, be clear and
realistic about the level of
time commitment you have
and when it’s likely to be
available.
l A love of fishing is a great
start, but also consider
what other skills you have
that might benefit a charity.
Think about it like writing
a job CV. Whether it’s
website management or
event promotion, charities
thrive on those with wider
experience.
l Could your employer
get involved? More and
more are encouraging staff
to volunteer for charities
during their working time
as part of their corporate
social responsibility strategy.
There’s no harm in asking!
l If you struggle for time,
there are other ways to
support angling charities.
Perhaps you could offer a
donation, or some unused
tackle to help?
For anyone wishing to
explore charity involvement
further, visit five-minute
guides for charity trustees -
GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
To find out more on Get
Hooked on Fishing, visit
www.ghof.org.uk
TACKLE TO MEND BROKEN LIVES
WANT to give a shout-out this week to a man
I
Sarah Collins is no
mean angler herself who made an incredibly kind gesture for a great
as this pike proves.
cause. Angling’s a pretty benevolent sport, and
there are plenty of occasions where the generosity of
so much as wet a line! support groups, individuals and clubs goes over and
When it comes to success,
beyond the call of duty.
what would feature at the top of
the list? “Fishing is an amazing
One particular cause that’s very close to my heart is
vehicle to help develop personal Phoenix Heroes. They offer a support mechanism for
and social skills,” said Sarah. serving soldiers and ex-servicemen who are dealing
“Working with young people with injuries sustained in service and, so often, the
facing challenges, helping them consequential PTSD that comes with them.
to re-engage with their That support extends to families, too, and is proving
education and communities and
to be hugely successful. It has on more than one
diverting them away from crime
is immensely satisfying.”
occasion been lifesaving. As all those who have served
For Keith, one case stands out, will know, peer support and an understanding of the
and ‘put a lump in my throat’. military world is crucial.
“Much of our work involves Phoenix uses angling at its core to bring people
troubled young people with together. But it needs equipment to function and, while
many issues. One time I was
supported by some generous
helping a youngster who was
so proud of catching his first
companies like Nash and Outlaw Pro, “Generous
fish, and when we returned to
the classroom, his teacher
it’s reliant on donations for its Tackle
for Heroes equipment library.
gesture
asked him what he had caught,” Kit is donated and dished out to new over and
Keith recalled.
“He didn’t respond so, calling
anglers through this scheme, and
when they reach the next stage in
above
him by name, I asked: ‘How fishing, they bring it back and replace the call
many did you catch, was it eight
or nine?’ He said he thought it
it with an upgrade – a great system, of duty”
was eight, so I asked if he
but it always needs replenishing.
Recently, an angler called Nicholas
recalled what they were. ‘It was
five roach and three of the Burton died and left all his fishing kit to Phoenix. It was
others (rudd),’ he replied. an incredibly generous gesture and one that all of us at
“The teacher praised him, then Phoenix are most grateful for. Some of the kit has been
took me to one side and told me given to individuals but the lion’s share has gone up to
it was the first time he’d ever
the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) in
heard him speak, as at school he
was non-verbal.”
Leicestershire where a new angling unit has been set
Such is the impact GHoF has up by Phoenix and the doctors there now prescribe
made that some youngsters fishing as a rehabilitation treatment.
referred to the charity have This individual gesture will have a huge impact on the
since gained their own coaching ability to get the angling section at DMRC up and
badges, while others have gone running. Thank you, Nick and family.
on to apprenticeships and
If anyone would like to donate to Phoenix Heroes, visit
employment. As the saying
goes, there is so much more to
www.phoenixheroes.co.uk
our sport than just catching fish.
“What we do know is, being
involved in a fishing charity is a
tremendously rewarding and
amazing way of being able to
give something back,”
concluded Sarah.
Could you be one of
tomorrow’s difference-makers?
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 7
THE BEST FISH YOU’VE
LANDED THIS WEEK

“IT GAVE ME A
BATTERING!”
Matt Buttery –
30lb 14oz pike
“ON OUR first trip to Chew
Valley Lake, my boat partner,
Dom, and I headed to a
popular area. Once we’d
found some baitfish, we
dropped anchor then cast
out mackerel hookbaits.
“All that followed were a
few dropped runs and a big
rainbow trout, so we moved “THE FISH OF MY LIFETIME” headed for the far bank.
“Following a powerful battle in the main flow I had it
near me, but as I went to net it, I almost slid down the
to one of the bays, where we
noticed a number of baitfish Pedro Santos – 19lb 6oz barbel bank and into the river!
being chased about 80 yards “I UNEXPECTEDLY had a day off, so headed to the “Regaining my composure, this time a massive
from the bank. Warwickshire Avon in search of barbel. fish went into the net and I felt a huge rush of relief
“Here, there was a drop-off “After baiting a swim with chilli hemp, I cast a boilie and emotion.
into around 11ft of water. hookbait over the top, and an hour later, the rod “I gave the fish a good rest before weighing it at
We anchored up and got hammered over and I hooked a fish that immediately 19lb 6oz. It’s my PB, and the fish of my lifetime.”
the rods out, and within 10
minutes one of my floats
Pedro’s top tip: Spend time
disappeared.
baiting up before you start
“I wound down and struck
fishing. I fed the swim for two
into what I knew was a good
hours before I cast out.
fish. It gave me a battering!
Multiple times, it tried to go
around the anchor rope, but
thankfully Dom managed to
get that out of the way.
“When the fish finally went
into the net, neither of us
could believe what we were
looking at. Pike season made
on the first session!”

Matt’s top tip: Keep an eye out

for baitfish being chased. These
are a brilliant indicator as to
where the pike will be.

8 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 SEND US
“MY TIMING HAD TO BE PERFECT”
Dave Robinson – 16lb 4oz barbel

YOUR PICS
l newsdesk@anglingtimes.co.uk
l Make sure your pics are hi-res
and that you are in them
“AFTER an intense summer of punishment
in search of elusive eels, I was keen to dust
off the barbel rods.
“We’d had a lot of rain, and I was keeping
a close eye on the river levels. I knew my
timing had to be perfect, and I decided
to string together three consecutive trips
while the Lea was bursting its banks.
“My tried-and-tested method during
these conditions is roving with big cubes of
meat. I’ve found this approach to be highly
effective, especially during the
hours of darkness, spending no more than
15 minutes in each swim.
“Three evening sessions produced Dave’s top tip: In flooded rivers, heavy artillery is needed
half-a-dozen bites, the icing on the cake – 20lb mainline, size 6 hooks and 4oz leads are the order
being this incredible 16lb 4oz Lea whisker.” of the day.

“I COULDN’T WAIT
ANY LONGER!”
Dean Ransford – 6lb 15oz chub
I’VE always done well on South
Yorkshire’s River Rother, and for
this trip I’d cleared the peg out a
week earlier and baited with hemp.
“On arrival I spent time feeding
more hemp for half-an-hour, with
no lines in the water. But I couldn’t
wait any longer to start fishing, so
moulded a piece of cheesepaste on
to the hook and dropped it into the
nearside margin, right on the spot.
“Around 30 minutes later I was
into what turned out to be this
6lb 15oz chub.”

Dean’s top tip: Get down to your

stretch before you fish it and
prebait it, if possible. It can give
you a massive advantage.

James’
“I’M STILL SHAKING AFTER THIS FISH” top tip:
Keep
Joe Froggett – 3lb 2oz roach your rigs
simple
“ON a trip to a southern river I caught this 3lb 2oz roach. It beats my
previous PB by 1oz, a fish caught back in 2018. for chub.
“I’m still shaking after this fish, which was caught on a crease along I used
the near side, where I’d fed hemp and maggots for half-an-hour before I 6lb line,
started to catch roach and dace on a float that I made myself. a size 8
“At the end of a long trot I hooked what I knew immediately to be a big hook, and
roach. It took an age to bring to the net. Catching it was made even more a basic
special by the fact it was my 53rd wedding anniversary. swan shot
“The trip cost me roses and a Chinese meal – but it was worth every link leger
single penny! to hold
“I dedicate bottom.
the roach to
my brother,
George,
who I lost after
“JUST AFTER DARK, THE TIP PULLED ROUND”
four years in James Berry – 6lb 9oz chub
end-of-life “I’VE been targeting chub on the Warwickshire Avon for a while, my
care.” most recent result being this 6lb 9oz specimen.
“It was taken from a slack on a rising river on what had been an
Joe’s top tip: In high otherwise tough day. Little had happened, and with the colour in
rivers, look for slack the water, I thought I should’ve been barbel fishing.
water. This is often “But, just after dark, the tip pulled round. The cub put up a good
down the near margin. fight down the edge and under the bank.”

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 9

THE GAME
CHANGER
2023 - 2024 SEASON
“CLOUDING-UP THE SWIM
RESULTED IN A PB DACE!”
ROGER MELTON – 1LB 2OZ DACE
“A LITTLE river in Surrey, a Thames
tributary, holds some lovely dace,
and fish often gather here in the
colder months.
“It can lose its colour very
quickly after rain, but I’ve learned
to prepare for these clear-water
conditions. By using a unique
groundbait mix, I’m able to keep
the bites coming.
Roger used coconut
milk to cloud up his
groundbait mix.
“Autumn leaves were falling
into the river, carrying lots of little
grubs with them, so I added a
good helping of maggots.
“My chosen swim had some
overhangs and a bit of depth, and I
threw in 10 balls of groundbait just
“On a recent trip the river was upstream of me. Instantly, I could
running gin-clear, but I wasn’t too see bleak boiling on the surface,
worried – I broke out my mix, the and I suspected a few larger fish
bulk of which consists of three would be sitting below them.
loaves of liquidised bread. There’s “My tactic was to fish a 2g stick
a playground upstream where float, a 3lb hooklink and a size 16
parents bring their kids to feed the hook with double white maggot.
ducks, so bread is a natural choice. “First cast it buried with a roach
But rather than mix it with water, of around 10oz, and over the next
I use coconut milk. This creates few hours I put a steady stream of
a large white cloud, emulating fish into the net before I ran out of
coloured river conditions. groundbait. Knowing the action
would slow if the water cleared,
I decided to create a cloud of a
different kind.
“I was stood in the river, so I
shuffled my feet around to agitate
the bottom and send a cloud of
“I shuffled my feet around to
agitate the bottom and send a
cloud of mud downstream”
mud downstream. I still had plenty
of maggots, so I began feeding a
handful every cast into the muddy
cloud I was creating.
“The swim became alive with
fish! The float was burying seconds
after casting, and I landed quality
dace almost every chuck.
“I was feeding mixed maggots,
but the dace were only coughing
up whites, so switched to using just
these on the hook. I had another
run of good fish before the bleak
moved in. In desperation I switched
to reds and I was back into the big
dace! They all seemed to be over
10oz – superb fish.
“Then I hit into something much
heavier and, as I netted the fish, I
realised it was a massive dace. On
the scales, it weighed 1lb 2oz.
“Four hours after starting I’d run
out of bait, but what a session -
19lb of roach and dace, seven of
these between 14oz and 1lb 2oz.
“I believe that, had I not
prepared for the river conditions
and used my cloudy groundbait
mix, it could’ve been just an
average session. Experimenting
with my additives and approach
transformed the day.”
 2023 - 2024 SEASON

ROGER’S SIMON DALEY

TOP 5 TIPS
l TRY A TRIBUTARY
As temperatures drop, fish will
often shoal up in small feeder
rivers and streams. Give one a
go this winter.
l EXPERIMENT WITH
YOUR FEED
We’ve all got groundbaits we’re
confident in, but using a mix
to suit the conditions can be a
real edge.
l SEE WHAT THEY’RE EATING
Dace and chub will often
cough up bait. See if they
have a preference in your
feed and adapt your hookbait
accordingly.
l BALANCE YOUR KIT
You can get away with light
hooklinks and small hooks as
long as your rod is soft enough
to cushion them, so be sure to
have ‘balance’ in your tackle.
l GIVE THEM SOME BAIT
‘THAMES MONSTER’
IN STORMY CONDITIONS
BRITAIN has been battered by various
storms over recent weeks, resulting in
near perfect big-barbel conditions on
many rivers.
Two-time Drennan Cup champion
Simon Daley took advantage by heading
to the Thames as a low-pressure front
rolled in with Storm Ciaran, and ended up
banking this new PB of 18lb 10oz.
After arriving at the stretch, the
Hampshire roofer settled into a swim
and positioned his two paste-wrapped
homemade milk protein boilie hookbaits
just where the slack water met the edge
of the main flow. Simon’s had good
results on these baits this season, and
was confident they’d produce again.
Although usually a fan of using short
hooklinks for barbel, Simon went for
18lb 10oz barbel
2ft of fluorocarbon on this occasion to
minimise the chances of detritus fouling
his size 6 Gardner Talon Tip hook.
An uneventful night followed, with lots
of leaves and twigs gathering on his lines.
But, just before first light, Simon received
a savage bite and connected with a fish
that took a good amount of line. He knew
it was a hefty fish by its solid headshakes
and sheer weight, with it giving him
one of the best fights he’s had from the
species. On several occasions he was
convinced the fish had snagged him,
when it was really just hugging bottom in
the strong flow!
As soon as the fish surfaced, Simon
knew he was connected to his biggest-
ever barbel, which measured 37ins and
was, in his words, a ‘Thames monster’.
Running since 1985, the
Drennan Cup is Britain’s

1 2
When it’s really cold, small CATCH a big coarse fish
by design. Take a picture
amounts of feed can work, but
(no blurred or altered
if you’ve got lots of fish in your backgrounds please),
swim, feed them! and forward it to us.
3
DRENNAN picks its favourites.
For your first award you
win £80, plus a Drennan
Weekly Winner’s cap
and badge.
AT the end of the
season, readers pick their
favourite catches, and the
winning angler scoops a cool
£2,000!
No1 weekly catch
competition which
rewards anglers who
target big coarse fish by
design.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 11

 G ET R EA DY W IT H

WHICH
POT AND
WHEN?
T
HERE are plenty of
different sizes and types
of pole pot out there –
from big cups that go on to the
end of a cupping kit to tiny
thimble-sized ones to pop just a
few maggots or pellets into the
swim each time. When does
each type and size work?
For me, that’s fairly simple. It’s
governed by how much bait I
want to feed. That sounds
obvious, but what I mean is that
by using the correct size of pot
and filling it up, I remove the
temptation to feed more than I
need to, something that can
happen if I was to stick to, say, a
big pot, and overfill it slightly.
Big pole cups are best left for
the summer, when heavy hits of
bait are needed – now, you need
to be thinking about the little
cups that slot on to the end of
your top kit.

G IV E IT A G O

1 BREAK OUT THE BIG POT 2 DRIP THE BAIT IN

There are two instances when I’ll
use a big pole cup. The first is for
‘dump potting’ lots of bait to keep
the fish on the deck in summer.
The second is to fish for one fish at
a time, feeding six grains of corn
and a few pellets, nailing my rig on
top and waiting for a bite.
I tend to use a small pot on
the pole when I’m trying to pull
fish into the peg. Dripping bait in
allows any fish in the area to see
it falling through the water and
then move in to investigate. This is
very much the way I suggest you
should be feeding now.
3 WHAT SIZE POT?
As regards Kinder pots, I tend
to let how much I want to feed
govern the pot size I use. Putting
a big pot on and half, or even
quarter, filling it isn’t an option for
me – I’ll fill the right size pot so
that I know I’m feeding precisely
the right amount.
4 TYPES OF LID
Small pots come with different
types of lid. A sprinkle-type lid
with several holes is best for baits
such as maggots, pinkies and
small pellets. A lid with a single,
medium-sized hole is for bigger
particles like corn, nuggets of
groundbait or 6mm pellets.

12 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 THE WORLDíS Æ
WARMEST BASELAYER
Japanese baselayer brand Zerofit has created a range of game-changing products that allow anglers to stay heated and keep fishing
in comfort this autumn and winter, even in the coldest of conditions on the river, lake, canal or ocean. Designed by a passionate
team of innovators and baselayer specialists, the Zerofit Heatrub Ultimate – now available in a new ‘Forest Green’ colourway - is the
most technically advanced baselayer on the planet and completely different to any other product you’ve ever worn before.

WHAT MAKES IT SO GOOD? Five times

1. It’s five times warmer than a
standard baselayer
That is quite a claim, but it’s a fact. Tested
at the iconic Boken Institute in Osaka, the
Heatrub Ultimate baselayer recorded a
Heat Retention Rating of 0.78; a standard
product would have a rating of between 0.1
to 0.14, while a jumper would typically have
a rating of 0.3. The Ultimate performs best
in a temperature range of -10° Celsius thru
10° Celsius making it an essential piece of
kit this cold season.
warmer than
No need for
multiple
a standard additional layers –
3. Fewer layers, greater warmth baselayer a game-changer
and freedom to move
The Ultimate is the ideal product for anglers
who dislike traditional tight baselayers. Over
the years, you may well have ‘layered up’ in
order to combat the effects of cold
weather, but this is where we are changing
the game. The Heatrub Ultimate is so good
at keeping you warm, you won’t need these
additional layers. In short, fewer layers yet
greater warmth, as well as maximum
flexibility for stretching and casting.

2. Instant warmth the moment 4.Toasty warm Heat Threads

you put it on
A standard baselayer traps body heat
between your skin and the material, so it
takes a little time before you feel the
benefits. With Zerofit, five separate fabrics,
along with a patented knitting process,
create instant warmth as soon as you pull it
on. While other brands rely on compression
for heat, our unique fabric mix means you
don’t need the tightness in order for it to
work, making it super comfortable too.
from top to toe
Innovative ‘Heat Threads’ positioned on
the inside of the garment gently rub
against your skin which creates positive
warmth across your body, and this
technology means the heat is retained for
the duration of your day’s fishing.
We also make Ultimate Leggings and
Ultimate Socks that are made from the
Instant heat Heating
same material and work in the same way, the moment from top
giving you top-to-toe warmth. you put it on to toe

RE A D
Buy
ER O
FFER
an
FRE y Zerofi
E tb
Wor THER aselay
th £ M
20 u AL B r and
sing
co
e
!
OBB recei
v
hec de FRE LE H e a
at c
kou
t
EHA A
TA T
T

Zerofit Heatrub Ultimate baselayer (available in Black, White, Grey, Green, Navy and Red) – £55 Q Zerofit Heatrub Ultimate leggings (available in Black) – £55
Q Zerofit Heatrub Ultimate socks (available in Black) - £25 Q Zerofit Heatrub Move baselayer (available in Black, White, Titanium, Dayglo and Navy) - £40

FOLLOW US! @ZerofitUKIRE Instagram: @zerofiteurope FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE CONTACT info@zerofit.co.uk or call 02896-013757.

SEE THE FULL RANGE AT WWW.ZEROFIT.CO.UK

 WINTER
CLOTHING
SPECIAL
DRESS TO IMPRESS!
Breathability is also worth considering. A
plastic bag, for example, is 100 per cent
waterproof, but sit outside in one and you
will soon end up soaked in condensation
and sweat! The winner in both the water
Our pick of the best clothing to keep you dry in any weather resistance and breathability categories is
Gore-Tex – the ultimate all-weather material.
As with any waterproofs, material choice If you are an occasional angler who mostly

Y
OU can have the warmest clothing
money can buy, but if you let it get
wet, it becomes next to useless.
Most anglers opt for an all-season
waterproof set that can be used for lighter
summer use, or as an outer shell over your
warmer layers in winter.
needs to be your first port of call. A 5K fabric
will keep you dry in moderate rain, while
10K to 15K will withstand heavy storms.
But 20K+ is the gold standard, and the only
choice if you are planning on sitting out in a
downpour all day without a brolly.
fishes in fair weather, or a carper with a
shelter, a cheap suit will suffice, but if you
fish all year-round, and in all weathers, look
to invest in Gore-Tex, as it will still be
keeping you warm and dry many years after
other materials have long since failed.

MATCH & PLEASURE FISHING SUITS

DRENNAN 25K
NAMED after its substantial
25,000mm hydrostatic head
rating, there is no compromising
with this quality set.
The jacket features a peaked
adjustable hood, high collar,
full-length YKK zip with rain
baffle, elasticated neoprene cuffs,
two waterproof external pockets
and a handy internal pocket for
keeping your personal belongings
safe and dry.
For your lower half, there is the
choice of salopettes or trousers,
both with elasticated waists,
zipped water-resistant pockets,
LIGHT
AND
water-resistant boot zips and COMFY
Velcro adjustable straps.
There is even a quilted thermal
option for winter.
WHAT WE SAY: While companies
produce several suits to cover
various budgets, there is no
compromising with Drennan – the
company simply doesn’t want
anglers in its gear to get wet!
Smart and functional, in sizes to
fit even the biggest anglers.
Sizes: S-XXXXL
Price: Jacket £169.99,
Salopettes £159,
Overtousers £114.99,
www.drennantackle.com

ALL YEAR
ROUND
PROTECTION

PRESTON INNOVATIONS DF HYDROTECH

NEW to the market last autumn, this lightweight 15K waterproof
two-piece suit has been designed to allow for layering and will keep
you dry in all seasons at a reasonable cost.
The jacket features a high neck, waterproof hood with stiffened
peak, neoprene cuffs with thumb holes and three large external
pockets. The bib & brace has a reinforced knee and seat area,
waterproof zips with storm flaps and pullers, wide opening ankle
areas and adjustable shoulder straps.
WHAT WE SAY: Smart and functional at a very pleasing price. The
lightweight material gives it a comfortable feel and allows full and
unrestricted movement. Although it doesn’t have the waterproof
rating of the most expensive suits, it is more than adequate for
most anglers’ needs for most months of the year.
Sizes: S-XXXXL
Price: £164.99, www.prestoninnovations.com

14 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 NO
COMPROMISE
ON QUALITY &
COMFORT
HALKON HUNT
GORE-TEX
TAILOR-MADE premium quality three-layer
Gore-Tex waterproofs, specifically designed
for the rigours of top-level angling and the SMART,
most demanding of weather. PRACTICAL
Choose from two different cuts of jacket to AND TOTALLY
go with your bib & brace and/or overtrousers, WATERPROOF
all of which are available in off-the-peg sizes
or made to measure in any colour scheme.
They can even be embroidered with your
name, club and team if required!
Each type of jacket has removable and
two-way adjustable hoods, adjustable
neoprene cuffs, elasticated back, two
external pockets, double storm flapped front
zip, reinforced elbows and extra-high collar.
Both styles of trouser have reinforced
knees and adjustable over-boot ankle areas,
with the bib & brace having additional
pockets and adjustable straps.
WHAT WE SAY: The best you can buy, from
the company that makes our own Angling
Times wet weather gear. It’s incredibly
comfortable, and designed specifically for
anglers by a company with 30 years
experience, but the durability is immense –
anglers fishing twice a week often find a MATRIX TRI-LAYER 25K CLOTHING
suit will last 15 years or more. A superb THE range includes a choice panels, plus waterproof YKK wear. Neoprene cuffs help
after-sales service offers alterations and of jacket, salopettes and zips, ankle straps and part stop water running up your
repairs, along with a two-year warranty. overtousers, all made in elasticated waist, result in a arms when shipping and
Sizes: M-XXL or tailor-made durable triple-layer PU comfortable and durable suit casting. A great set of
Price: Three-quarter Jacket £300, Pole coated reinforced nylon outer for all seasons. all-season clothing.
Jacket £275, Bib & Brace £275, fabric with an impressive 25K WHAT WE SAY: Smart, thin Sizes: S-XXXL
Overtrousers £175, water resistance. and lightweight material, Price: Jacket £130,
www.halkonhunt.com Fully taped seams, with loads of Velcro and Salopettes £130,
reinforced high-abrasion elasticated adjusters, makes Overtrousers £119.99,
resistant knee and seat these really comfortable to www.fishmatrix.co.uk

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 15

 GARBOLINO MATCH WATERPROOFS
QUALITY match-style clothing as part of a full range which includes
SMART AND fleeces, smocks, hoodies and shirts. Smartly presented in breathable
REASONABLY three-layer durable fabric with external and internal pockets,
PRICED drawstring waists, reinforcement in key wear areas, Velcro storms cuffs
with neoprene inners and an elasticated removable hood.
WHAT WE SAY: A smartly presented and well-designed set of clothing.
The longer three-quarter length jacket prevents water pooling in the
crotch area, and a high collar prevents drafts. A great set of clothing
for all-round use in a discreet yet professional looking design.
Sizes: S-XXXXL
Price: Jacket £174.99, Salopettes £164.99, www.garbolino.co.uk

PREMIUM
QUALITY IN
A HUGE RANGE
OF SIZES

DAIWA MATCHMAN
A FULLY waterproof jacket and GOOD
bib & brace set with sealed VALUE FOR
seams and a 5K rating. Both items MONEY
are fully lined and feature a
two-way zip with Velcro and
stud fastening storm flaps.
The bib and brace has
elasticated adjustable
braces, an elasticated
waist and a front pocket,
while the jacket has a
detachable hood with
MAVER MV-R 25 WATERPROOFS Velcro closure and
A CLASSY addition to the popular match range, made from a adjustable draw cord, inner
heavy-duty waterproof material with discreet contrast colorations. It zipped pocket and adjustable
boasts storm cuffs, a storm hood, high neck protection, rubber zip Velcro cuffs.
pullers, taped seams, Velcro fasteners and a drawstring waist, along WHAT WE SAY: If you are on a
with storm flap-protected external pockets. budget, then this exceptional-
WHAT WE SAY: A generously proportioned set, leaving plenty of value set is well worth taking a
room to move and for extra layers. The longer-designed jacket is close look at and will go a long
ideal for taller anglers, and the grey and black colouring with green way towards keeping you on the
trims is striking yet not too ‘in your face’. Reinforced areas and a bank as the colder months begin
quality construction mean these waterproofs should last several to close in.
seasons of heavy use, or far longer for the less frequent angler. Sizes: M-XXL
Sizes: M-XXXXL Price: £114.99,
Price: Jacket £129.99, Bib & Brace £119.99, www.mavermatch.co.uk www.daiwasports.co.uk

16 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

CARP & SPECIMEN
ANGLER SUITS
NASH ZT EXTREME CAMO
DESIGNED to protect from the worst
VERY the weather can throw at you, the
STYLISH & three-ply TPU membrane has a
MEGA 10,000mm hydrostatic head, taped
WARM! seams throughout and 100 per cent
waterproof high-performance zips.
Packed full of features, the jacket
has an extended storm collar to
keep your neck warm, a peaked
storm hood with elastic toggle
adjustments, zipped weatherproof
hip pockets, zipped internal pocket
for phone and valuables, elastic
toggle waist and elasticated cuffs.
The trousers also have zipped
PACKED
IDEAL waterproof hip pockets, a zipped
FULL OF
FOR ACTIVE cargo pocket, zipped access to FEATURES
ANGLING AND under trousers, double thickness
ROVING oversized knee reinforcement,
variable elastic and Velcro tab waist
adjustment and microfleece waistband.
KORUM NEOTERIC WHAT WE SAY: Trendy yet highly

WATERPROOFS functional, these brand new stylish

waterproofs offer carpers all they need
A RESILIENT and hardwearing set of to tackle wet weather.
FORTIS TUNDRA 5,000mm waterproofs, designed to Sizes: S-XXXL
BRAND new out, and billed as Fortis’s withstand the rigours of walking long Prices: Jacket £129.99, Trousers
warmest gear ever! Made with 100 per distances, accessing difficult swims and £109.99, www.nashtackle.co.uk
cent 25,000mm waterproof, windproof stalking big fish. Incredibly lightweight, these
and breathable two-layer Triflex, lined waterproofs pack down easily to fit into a
with Primaloft insulation to keep you bag. The jacket features an adjustable hood
warm in temperatures as low as -20°C. system, Velcro cuffs, side pockets and a
The jacket features a storm-proof handy phone-sized breast pocket, while the
stiffened peak with adjustable hood, trousers include a click-lock buckle belt and
two-way front zip with external storm pockets with storm flaps.
flap, two handwarmer pockets, internal WHAT WE SAY: Light and comfortable to
large stash mesh pockets, internal wear, preventing you from feeling bogged
phone/bite alarm receiver pocket, down on the bank and also kind on the
drawcord hem and adjustable cuffs wallet. A great set to carry with you to guard
with integrated gaiters. against that unexpected storm or to wear all
The salopettes have ankle zips and a session long on those damp and drizzly days.
further two handwarmer pockets. Sizes: M-XXL
WHAT WE SAY: If you’re planning on Price: Jacket £59.99, Trousers £54.99,
embarking on a winter carp fishing www.korum.co.uk
campaign, this is the
perfect suit for long
sessions on the bank
and is as waterproof
as it is warm! TRAKKER CR DOWNPOUR STORM
PROTECTION
More than capable A LIGHTWEIGHT and breathable carp fishing ON A BUDGET!
of handling the jacket and trousers with a 5,000mm
worst weather a waterproof rating. Both can be used as part of a
British winter can layering system in winter or on top of a T-shirt in
throw at it, both summer. The jacket features reversed adjustable
items are available cuffs, a peaked fold-away hood, vents to reduce
in either olive sweating and zipped pockets for storage.
green or a The trousers are adjustable at the ankles, which are
camoflage DPM big enough to be secured over the top of boots to
pattern. create a seal, and also feature zipped side pockets.
Sizes: M-XXXL Both come with a stuff sack for compact storage.
Prices: Jacket WHAT WE SAY: Lightweight and comfortable, with a
£249.99, generous fit, these are easy to pull on when that
Salopettes shower comes or you need to recast or net a fish.
£189.99, Alternatively, they offer the comfort required to be
www. worn all day long in the most miserable weather.
fortiseyewear. Sizes: S-XXXL
co.uk Prices: Jacket £79.99, Trousers £59.99,
www.trakkerproducts.com

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 17

 SI WI MAGIC ROACH POLE FLOAT
WHAT THEY SAY: Designed and distributed by England
International Simon Willsmore, these sensitive silverfish pole
floats are for use with smaller baits such as squatts, pinkies,
Our pick of the latest maggots, bloodworm or joker. Suited to slow-moving or
goodies to hit the banks stillwater venues, they have vibrant fibre tips and stable wire
stems. Sizes available: 0.4g, 0.6g, 0.8g, 1.0g, 1.5g, 2g.
WHAT WE SAY: Fans of natural water roach fishing will love
these. Very similar to the now discontinued Preston Series 6
Magic, they have arrived in tackle shops just in time for winter
drain and canal sport.
Price: £2.50

DAIWA TOURNAMENT
10FT SLR FEEDER ROD
WHAT THEY SAY: The highly sought-after
GURU top-end SLR range of feeder rods now

TUNGSTEN OLIVETTES includes a 10ft model.

WHAT THEY SAY: These Guru
Olivettes are for use on pole
fishing rigs, providing the bulk of
the float’s shotting capacity in a
single, neat and condensed weight.
Made from a super-dense tungsten
material, they are significantly
smaller than many other olivettes
on the market.
This means they offer less
resistance, better presentation and
a more discreet set-up.
Sizes available: 0.5g, 0.75g, 1g,
1.25g, 1.5g, 1.75g, 2.25g, 2.75g, 3g.
WHAT WE SAY: Tungsten is very
expensive, which is why nobody
has been brave enough to make
olivettes out of them – until now!
They might be on the pricey side,
but they are the smallest that we
have seen by quite a long way.
If you are after every edge
available to your fishing, you will
want some of these for shotting up
your big pole rigs.
Price: £4.99 for five,
www.tackleguru.com
This allows for a slightly lighter approach,
while still packing a formidable 75g casting
weight, and it comes with 1.5oz, 2oz and
2.5oz improved SLR tips.
Featuring the same X45 Full Shield and
HVF Nanoplus carbon fibre as the rest of
the range, along with V-joint, Fuji VSS
reel seat and lightweight Seaguide TDG
Guides, this exceptional 10-footer
completes Daiwa’s ‘best ever’ range of
feeder rods.
WHAT WE SAY: Daiwa’s Super
Long-Range rods are many things to
so many top anglers. For some, they
are a stunning collection of natural
water rods, while for others they
are simply the best long-range
Method feeder tools ever built.
The new 10ft’er will find favour
among anglers needing to
punch Method feeders to
mid-range distances with
unrivalled accuracy, or crank
heavy weights from deep
waters at shorter ranges.
Price: £540,
www.daiwasports.co.uk
MATRIX EVA
AIRFLOW BOWL
WHAT THEY SAY: Ideal for storing
live baits such as maggots or
worms, each bowl is zip-secured
with a fine mesh material in the
lid to allow maximum air flow. The
EVA-mounted base is round to stop
bait getting stuck, and tapered to
allow stacking. Made from 1mm
EVA in 7.5 litre (15.8 pint) and 5
litre (10.5 pint) capacities.
WHAT WE SAY: Getting large
quantities of maggots to the bank
without them sweating up has
been an issue for many years.
Sized to take huge quantities of
live bait, they will be popular with
river and F1 anglers alike.
Price: £20.99 - £22.99,
www.fishmatrix.com

DYNAMITE BAITS WOWSERS SPRAY

WHAT THEY SAY: The Wowsers range just got bigger, thanks to the addition
of matching booster sprays. Available in each of the five Wowsers essential
oil feeding triggers – ES-P, ES-F1, ES-Z, ES-L and ES-B. Simply apply a few
squirts directly into your hookbait pots for a long-lasting flavour boost, or to
loaded Method feeders for an instant coating of liquid attraction. Great for
adding to water when mixing groundbaits or pumping expander pellets, too.
WHAT WE SAY: Don’t be thrown by the names – these sprays are simply the
same colours and flavours that we all love in the Wowsers range of wafting
hookbaits. We can see anglers finding all sorts of creative uses for these.
Price: £4.99, www.dynamitebaits.com

Fishing Insurance
Specialist cover – choose from 3 policy types to suit you!

18 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 Fishing
GARBOLINO SUPRA
Insurance
MATCH RODS Catch a reel deal with an
WHAT THEY SAY: A range of
mid-priced rods to cover all award-winning Insurer!
floatfishing scenarios. Two-
piece, 10ft and 11ft 6ins models
cover pellet waggler and lighter
traditional waggler work, while
a pair of two-piece 13ft models in
light/medium and medium/power
ratings cover silverfish and power floatfishing
for carp or big river fish. The final two models, at 14ft and 15ft, are ideal
for slider fishing or giving extra control on running water. IM carbon
construction, stand-off guides, and mixed EVA/cork handle with screw
down reel seats and hook-keepers, finish off this fantastic range of rods.
WHAT WE SAY: These rods are serious bits of kit aimed at the
experienced angler who appreciates quality, yet doesn’t want to pay
through the nose for it.
Slim and lightweight, with quality fixtures and fittings, they are the
perfect tools for both natural and commercial waters.
Price: £99.99 - £174.99, www.garbolinouk.co.uk

PRESTON INNOVATIONS
THERMATECH HEATED CUSHION SEAT
WHAT THEY SAY: A comfortable padded cushion which features
Thermatech heated elements, providing much-needed warmth
on the coldest of days. With its secure branded strap and robust
clip, the cushion can be securely fitted to any seatbox or chair. An
easily accessible control button means you can scroll between the
four power levels and the ‘off’ setting with ease.
A metre-long power cable allows you to store your chosen power
bank away from the elements. Compatible with 5V/2A/10W power
banks with a USB connection.
WHAT WE SAY: Keeping warm and comfortable on the bank
during the winter is an ongoing issue. While many anglers are now
SPECIAL 5% OFF
PROMO CODE: WHOPPER99
turning to heated clothing, it’s not for everyone. Not available in conjunction with any other promo code,
Although primarily designed for a seatbox, we can see these ends 31/12/2023
being used on chairs and in bivvies by anglers wanting a little
extra luxury during their sessions.
Price: £41.99, www.prestoninnovations.com Visit theinsurancemporium.co.uk/AT99
or call 03300 244 086 today!
 KEEP CALM AND I
N THE last 50 years –
nearly my entire lifetime
– the world has become
an ever-more turbulent place.

GO CARPING!
But even when the Gulf War
started, and social media took
off to a degree nobody could
ever have foreseen, life on a
small estate lake carried on as it
always had.
The carp continued to grow,
As tensions mount in the modern world, beneath the surface neither knowing nor caring
carp swim unconcerned as they have done for decades what we were up to, only that

20 NOVEMBER 14, 2023


the water was clean, well
oxygenated and rich in food.
Maybe my increasingly
complex world and the placid
existence of those ancient fish
should have never collided, but
I couldn’t pass up an invitation
to visit this lake and discover
whether its inhabitants still
swam unmolested after all
these years.
Autumn was in full swing, the
trees ablaze with copper, bronze
THE JOY
OF FISHING
WITH MARTIN BOWLER
Look at the tail
on this amazing
old common!
and gold. It was a final hurrah
before winter closed in, and
even a butterfly late to emerge
seemed content.
I tried to tread quietly as I
approached the water, but stiff
fallen leaves crunched at my
every footfall. A coot clacked an
alarm and fled to the other side
of the pool, alerting everything
that a stranger had arrived.
Continued over the page
An ancient common
decked out in all its
autumnal finery.

22 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 I needed to sit quietly and
become part of the scenery,
watching the lake for any sign of
fish, be it a carp brushing against
lily stems or a clump of bubbles
giving the game away.
For an hour I waited patiently
without any signals, so I broke
bits off the crusty bakery loaf I’d
brought with me and threw a
few chunks on to the surface.
My concentration was broken
as I noticed a robin, more than
happy to reveal itself if I gave it
some food. Then a sound
behind me made me turn back
to the lake, where I was certain
that receding ripples indicated
where a piece of crust had been
sitting only seconds before.
I could have kicked myself for
not paying more attention, but
what else could it be other than
a fish? I threw in a further four
pieces of bread in the direction
of the disturbance and for five
tense minutes I imagined what
might be going on below.
Time slowed down as a pair of
lips sucked in the food,
devouring it in one go! Carp
were here, inviting me to come
back the next day, but this time
with my tackle.
I didn’t need to arrive too early,
because I felt I needed sun on
the water for surface fishing so
late in the year. Armed with a
fresh loaf, I threw in a few more
chunks of crust and awaited the
outcome. Casting too soon
would be a waste of time and
only spook the carp.
Over the next half-hour the
pieces of bread seemed to gather
and drift into a bay full of
floating leaves and patches of
weed yet to die down.
I was just about to throw in
some more food when
something down there nudged a
large chunk and engulfed it with
Floating crust is
the ultimate
instant bait.
Time to pause
and suss out the
lake’s features.
a wonderful slurping noise that
echoed around the pool.
Time for a cast? Not quite,
because I wanted one more
piece to be taken. I’m glad I did
wait, because two bits of bread
were taken simultaneously by
two different carp. Now was the
time to react.
Hastily I rigged up a 10ft, 2¼lb
test curve rod and a big pit reel
loaded with 12lb Bullet mono.
The rig couldn’t have been more
simple – a size 6 Flota Claw hook
tied on via a grinner knot. That
was it!
With shaking hands I broke off
a piece of crust and nicked it on
so the flake would hang
tantalisingly beneath. Why do I
get so excited in situations like
this? It made no sense to behave
as though this was the first-ever
My end tackle
– just a strong
size 6 hook.
“ Is there a nicer way to catch carp
than on floating crust? Surely not”
cast of my angling career.
As I quickly dunked the bread
in the water to add casting
weight, childhood memories of
early mornings on the canal
flooded my mind. Is there a
nicer way to catch carp than on
floating crust? I didn’t think so
when I was a kid, and I still don’t
think so now.
Kneeling between gorse
bushes and a tree, there were
plenty of obstacles wanting to
grab the line, so I made an
underarm cast, taking care to
ensure nothing would impede
the bait.
How I love these moments
– they have nothing to do with
the size of the fish I might catch,
just the thrill of the chase.
To my left, two carp appeared
before parting company around
a weedbed. Suddenly a common
was under my rod-tip and
within touching distance! Here it
paused before slurping down
one of my free offerings. Should
I leave my hookbait where it
was, or draw it back to me,
closer to this feeding carp?
The temptation to act was too
great, although I tried not to
make much of a wake with the
crust as I reeled it towards me.
Three feet away from the
target, I stopped and allowed
the momentum to do the rest
until the crust was only a foot
away from my quarry. At this
point the fish’s senses went into
overdrive as it picked up the
taste of the bread.
A golden back humped out of
the water and my bait was
swallowed in one go.
I should have waited for a
couple of seconds but only got
to the count of one. No matter
– the water heaved, the line
tightened and the rod bent. It
was so exciting, and the roller
coaster ride continued with a
screaming clutch, tail slaps and
a desperate angler praying for a
good hookhold.
Everything held firm and, with
some relief, I scooped my prize
into the landing net.
This was an epic carp, not all
that big, but it had a tale to tell
with its black back shading to a
golden tail, clearly a fish that
had lived as long as I had.
Until now we had been
unaware of each other’s
existence, but for a minute or
two our worlds had collided
before I released her back into
her watery domain.
I was tempted to return to the
pool and join battle with another
of its residents, but enough was
enough. Peace needed to return
to these lovely old carp,
blissfully unaware of the
increasingly uncertain world
above the surface.
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 23
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 TO P
VENUE S FOR
FAMILY
FUN!

Your guide to Britain’s best fishing holiday hotspots

INSIDE YOUR GUIDE...

l Blackthorn Gate l Rookery Waters l Taswood Lakes l Tinney Waters
l Meadow Lakes l Springfield Meadows l Woodland Waters l ...and more!
 BITES GALORE AT
EAST
Reepham Fishery,
Norwich Road,
Reepham,
Norwich, Norfolk,
NR10 3NR

NORFOLK GEM
Reepham offers a fish-filled week in one of Britain’s best spots

T
HE well-established Reepham
Fishery is incredibly popular
with holidaymakers, match and
pleasure anglers alike.
You’ll find four healthily stocked
spring-fed lakes on site, filled with all
types of carp, plus roach, rudd, tench,
and F1s.
Match-style tactics score, with the
pole, waggler and feeder all working
on their day, meaning you can fish in
a way you enjoy and always be sure
of a few bites.
There’s a range of accommodation
on offer here, with quality lodges
overlooking the fishing lakes that’ll
sleep up to four people. These are
equipped with all the amenities you’ll
need for a comfortable stay.
Static homes are an alternative
option, and these overlook the lakes,
with private parking for each unit.
Finally, there are touring caravan
pitches, all with electric and water
hook-ups provided. As a bonus, the
fishing is included in the holiday price
for staying guests, so you can pay for
your accommodation and fish to your
heart’s content.
One of the real joys of Reepham,
though, is its location – you’ll find no
shortage of superb pubs and cafés
within a short distance.
Norwich is less than 14 miles away
and is a superb place to spend a day,
should you fancy a break from the
prolific fishing.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, F1s, TENCH, RUDD,
ROACH, SKIMMERS, CRUCIANS
Facilities: Wide range of
accommodation, electric
and water hook-ups, great
amenities nearby
Rules: Nets, mats and slings
all provided by the fishery, no
heavy carp gear - 1.75tc rod
maximum, barbless hooks only.
See website for full list
Prices: £12 day ticket, fishing
included in holiday price
Contact: 01603 870829/
enquiries@reephamfishery.
co.uk

GLAMPING BY TWO
MIDS
Fair Farm
Hideaway Ltd,
Melton Road,
Leicestershire,
LE14 4AJ

STUNNING LAKES
Shepherd’s hut accommodation in the peaceful Leicestershire Wolds

G
ET away from the hustle and
bustle of modern life, stay in a
bespoke shepherd’s hut, and
enjoy exclusive fishing at Fair Farm
Hideaway.
Located in the beautiful
Leicestershire Wolds, this quiet rural
farm offers luxury glamping in a
tranquil setting. Ten bespoke huts are
surrounded by gorgeous wildflower
meadows on a site carefully created
by local landscapers.
Each hut is furnished with a double
bed, kitchenette and en-suite, as
well as a fire pit and barbecue. In
addition, they all offer a private
Scandinavian-style wood-fired
hot tub – relax and watch the
sunset, amid the scent of twisting
woodsmoke after a day on the bank.
The fishing on two well-established
coarse fishing lakes is reserved
exclusively for residents. Dug 23
years ago, these have matured nicely,
containing a range of fish in superb
condition, including carp to 17lb.
Fair Farm Hideaway is within
walking distance of The Royal
Horseshoes pub, serving cracking
real ales. Jump in the car, and you
have no shortage of other options for
dining a short distance away.
There’s plenty to do in the local
area, too, with the historic town of
Melton Mowbray nearby, as well as
the historic Belvoir Castle.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, TENCH, CHUB, RUDD
Facilities: Bespoke shepherd’s
huts, all with double bed,
kitchenette, en-suite, barbecue.
Towels and bedding supplied.
All huts have private deck and
wood-fired hot tubs
Rules: No keepnets, barbless
hooks only, two rods max,
don’t throw fish back, no night
fishing, no loud bite alarms,
guests must bring their own kit
Prices: £5 for one rod, £7.50
for two
Contact: 01664 511071 or
www.fairfarm.co.uk

26 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 CREAM OF SPORT
SOUTH
Meadow Lakes
Holiday Park,
St Austell,
Cornwall PL26 7JG
IN CORNWALL!
A family-friendly park, ideal for escaping the stresses of everyday life
M
EADOW Lakes is located
near St Austell, just outside
Mevagissey, surrounded by
56 acres of stunning, rural Cornish
countryside.
What makes this complex special is
the owners’ philosophy of spending
more time together, taking a slower
pace of life, and simply enjoying the
outdoors.
As a family-run business, being
a family-friendly holiday park is
their core focus at Meadow Lakes,
which offers a fabulous selection
of accommodation and tenting and
touring pitches to suit all budgets,
meaming there’s plenty of choice for
everyone!
The park is not only named after
the rolling meadows it’s nestled
in, but the four beautiful, natural
lakes on site – each a different size
and shape and offering a healthy
selection of fish to catch. The lakes
have been generously restocked
lately. The team are passionate about
letting visitors the ability to sit back,
relax and enjoy the peace and quiet
only being surrounded by nature can
bring.
But it’s not just fishing you can
enjoy here – visitors can find
everything they would need for their
tranquil escape, including indoor
and outdoor play areas, the pets’
corner to keep the kids (and animal
loving adults!) entertained, a heated
outdoor pool, on-site shop, and Cosy
Café.
Meadow Lakes is the perfect
escape for those looking to get back
to nature, with the stunning coastline
and many of Cornwall’s most loved
attractions only a short distance
away. Book your fishing holiday with
Meadow Lakes today to relax, unwind
and truly enjoy the great Cornish
outdoors at its finest!
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, BREAM, ROACH,
RUDD, TENCH
Facilities: Four coarse fishing
lakes, on-site shop, outdoor
& indoor play areas, heated
outdoor pool (open mid-May
– mid-September), Cosy Café,
dog walking field, woodland
walk, ample space to relax and
unwind
Price: Free fishing for guests or
£10 day-ticket pass
Contact: 01726 882540/www.
meadow-lakes.co.uk/info@
meadow-lakes.co.uk
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 27
 PETS CAN ENJOY
SOUTH
Tinney Waters,
Pyworthy,
Holsworthy,
Devon, EX22 6LF
THE HOLIDAY TOO!
Tinney Waters offers three lakes in five acres of Devon countryside
F
ISHERIES these days are, in many
places, busier than ever, and
finding a bit of exclusive fishing
is becoming increasingly difficult.
But at Tinney Waters, you can
do just that. You’ll find three lakes
here, containing lots of quality carp,
alongside roach, rudd, bream, tench
and perch. The Top Lake is a great
RURAL RETREAT IN
MIDS
Waterloo Farm
Leisure, Market
Harborough,
Leicestershire,
LE16 8NB
HEART OF ENGLAND
Top fishing, accommodation and food in beautiiful Northamptonshire
S
ET in gently rolling
countryside on the border
of Northamptonshire and
Leicestershire is the family-run
Waterloo Farm Leisure – the perfect
angling getaway for the countryside
lover.
Established in 2006, the team here
pride themselves on offering the
best of care to their guests, and love
nothing more than sharing their slice
of green belt countryside.
28 NOVEMBER 14, 2023
bet for some leisurely sport, as it’s
filled with a whole host of species.
Fishing maggots will provide loads
of bites, with the chance of a quality
fish muscling in on the action.
Fans of bream should head to the
Middle Lake, as you’ll find some
quality ‘slabs’ in here, while the
Bottom Lake is an ideal choice if you
It’s a picturesque resort, offering
the angler a host of options. The
large Waterloo Lake is the original
and biggest on site and is ideally
suited to pleasure anglers. Here,
you’ll find carp to over 25lb, plus
crucians, tench, bream and silverfish.
There’s exclusive fishing for guests
on Wellington Lake, reserved for
those staying in the lakeside caravan
pitches adjacent to the water’s edge.
This is the perfect choice for those
fancy a little seclusion, as it’s the
furthest from the accommodation.
There are homely cottages on site
that have been superbly kitted out.
These feature everything you need
for a stay, as well as coming with a
private hot tub – the perfect place
to relax after a day on the bank. In
addition, there are fishing lodges, set
right by the lakes.
One thing that stands out about
Tinney Waters is the quality of their
testimonials. Guests report having
homely and relaxing stays in a
location to die for.
There’s no shortage of things to
do nearby either, with the traditional
market town of Holsworthy just a
10-minute drive away. Here, you’ll
find shops, inns, and tea rooms.
But, judging by the quality of the
accommodation and fishing, you
might not want to leave!
wanting a long fishing trip, and there
are loads of bites to be had, with
100lb bags on the cards.
Alongside the lakeside pitches,
Waterloo Farm also offers two
authentic Scandinavian-style log
cabins that can be rented.
These have been recently
refurbished and have superb
facilities, including a balcony area
to dine from. In addition, there’s
the Butterfly Lodge, which is
luxurious, modern and furnished with
everything you could want.
A popular feature at the resort
is the Waterloo Tearoom. It’s a
converted Dutch barn with a large
conservatory area. Here they serve
superb food, including a fantastic
Sunday lunch.
In addition, the fishery has a direct
link to the Brampton Valley Way,
which makes getting into town a
breeze.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, CRUCIANS, ROACH,
RUDD, BREAM, TENCH, PERCH
Facilities: Hot tubs, pet-friendly,
free WiFi, private parking with
cottages
Rules: Barbless hooks only, two
rod max, dip landing nets on
arrival. See full list on website
Price: Free fishing exclusive to
guests
Contact: 01409 271362 /
07703 487176 /
sally@tinneywaters.co.uk /
www.tinneycottages.co.uk
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, CRUCIANS, TENCH, CHUB,
BARBEL, BREAM, ROACH, RUDD
Contact: 01858 434098/info@
waterloofarmleisure.co.uk/
www.waterloofarmleisure.co.uk
Prices: £10 day ticket, £8
concessions, £6 juniors.
Discounted tickets for guests
and free for those staying in the
log cabins
Rules: One rod max, barbless
hooks only, no floating baits.
See website for full list
Facilities: Tearoom serving
hot food and drink, range of
well-equipped accommodation,
Green Man cabin sells a wide
range of goods and gifts
 WILD NORTHERN
NORTH
Blackthorn Gate,
Eastfields Farm,
Nunthorpe,
N Yorks
TS7 0PB

RURAL ESCAPE
The perfect getaway in one of England’s most stunning spots

W
E’RE all in need of a bit of
peace and quiet, and at
Blackthorn Gate you can have
it in abundance.
Located on the North Yorkshire
Moors, this family farm has been
converted to the perfect rural retreat,
ideal for anglers.
There are seven ponds on the
estate, four of these reserved for
wildlife, while the other three are
filled with carp to 15lb, chub, bream,
tench, roach and crucians.
The best thing of all is that these
are reserved for guests only, so you
can look forward to some blissful
peace and quiet, which is hard to
come by these days when most
fisheries are busier than ever!
And when you’ve finished your
fishing, you can retreat to a light, airy
pine cabin and gaze over a backdrop
of rolling fields and meandering
hedgerows.
Or you can take a dip in the hot tub
and relax in the sauna.
In addition to being in prime
walking territory, you’re also a short
distance from places such as Whitby,
an idyllic coastal town.
Blackthorn Gate offers a range
of wooden lodges, including both
single level cabins sleeping four
and mezzanine level cabins sleeping
up to five.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, CHUB, BREAM, TENCH,
ROACH, CRUCIANS, IDE
Facilities: Tackle shops nearby,
cabins contain fully equipped
kitchens, hot tub, sauna, drying
room
Rules: Barbless hooks only, no
keepnets, two rods maximum,
don’t feed birds. Full list on
website
Prices: Free for guests
Contact: 01642 324496
or visit www.blackthorn gate.
co.uk

SPOILT FOR CHOICE

EAST
Taswood Lakes,
Mill Road,
Flordon,
Norfolk, NR15 1L

AT TASWOOD LAKES
Seven lakes on offer at this Norfolk gem, with gorgeous holiday lodges

S
ITUATED beside the gorgeous
River Tas in the heart of Norfolk
is some of the best coarse and
carp fishing available in the region
– find it at the idyllic Taswood Lakes
complex.
There’s something for every
angler here. Four carp lakes hold
immaculate specimens to over 40lb,
not to mention three coarse lakes
filled with tench, crucians, bream
and roach. On these coarse lakes you
can fish in natural settings, and you’ll
never know what’ll be on the end
when the float goes under or the rod
tip flies round.
On the venue’s four lakes dedicated
to carp you’ll find commons, mirrors
and ghosties to pit your wits against.
One of the challenges anglers
can face when going on holiday is
knowing what bait and tackle to
bring. But at Taswood, you’ll find a
well-stocked tackle shop, containing
baits and tackle from all the leading
brands.
Add to that knowledgeable staff
who’ll put you on to the in-form
methods, and you’re all set for a
week’s fishing to remember.
In terms of accommodation, there
are four gorgeous lakeside lodges
available to rent weekly. These
overlook Osprey Lake and are kitted
out with fully-equipped kitchens and
comfortable living areas.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, TENCH, BREAM, ROACH, RUDD,
PERCH, PIKE, EELS, BARBEL,
CRUCIAN CARP
Facilities: Toilets, showers,
tackle and convenience
shop, charging stations, fully
equipped lakeside lodges, food
delivery
Rules: Barbless hooks only,
no fixed rigs, no leadcore, no
braided mainline (except for
marker/spod rods). See website
for full list
Contact: 01508 470919 / info@
taswoodlakes.co.uk or visit
www.taswoodlakes.co.uk

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 29

 FISH IN STUNNING
SOUTH
WEST
Springfield
Meadows,
Halwill, Devon,
EX21 5UF

SURROUNDINGS
Springfield Meadows in Devon offers everything an angler could want

I
N THE heart of Devon is a hidden
gem, where superb fishing can
be enjoyed amid an abundance
of wildlife.
Springfield Meadows, set in 14
acres of beautiful countryside, is
perfect for a relaxing holiday. Three
of the lakes on site that are reserved
exclusively for guests and are home
to some stunning carp to 30lb. Night
fishing can be arranged, and those
who prefer a mix of species will find
plenty of variety.
Crucians, tench, bream, perch and
roach are all present, many of them
growing to specimen size.
The newly renovated two-bedroom
holiday homes are a huge draw in
themselves. They’ve been fitted to
the highest standard and have new
boilers, providing central heating on
chilly winter evenings.
On arrival, you’ll find a tasty treat,
as well as all the essentials to make
a hot drink. A meal or a drink can be
enjoyed on the veranda after a day’s
fishing, where you can watch the sun
set over tranquil countryside.
If you fancy a day away from the
bank there is no shortage of things to
do in the local area.
There are lots of walking routes
nearby, not to mention The Junction
Inn pub, that serves fantastic food
and is just a 15-minute walk from the
fishery. Horse riding is one of many
other activities on offer in the area.
If you’re looking to plan a fishing
getaway, look no further than
Springfield Meadows. It truly offers
everything an angler could want.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, CRUCIANS, TENCH,
BREAM, ROACH, PERCH,
RUDD, CHUB
Rules: Barbless hooks only,
no keepnets, no fixed rigs, no
nuts, night fishing by prior
arrangement only. See website
for full list of rules
Prices: Exclusive for guests,
tickets included in price
Contacts: 01409 221723,
or info@springfieldmeadows.
co.uk

BOOK YOUR QUIET

EAST
Rookery Waters,
Fen Rd, Pidley,
Cambridgeshire,
PE28 3DF

LAKESIDE HOLIDAY
Rookery Waters offers exclusive fishing pegs to lodge residents

S
ITUATED in a secluded rural
area of Cambridgeshire,
Rookery Waters is a family-run
seven-lake fishery with an on-site
tackle shop, café and self-catering
holiday lodges.
Residents who stay in one of the
open-plan lodges get to fish from
their own exclusive fishing platform
on Rook Lake – a luxury that’s fully
included in the price!
This lake is well stocked with carp
to 28lb, as well as tench, bream,
perch and rudd.
Once you’ve discovered what Rook
has to offer, why not give one of the
four other lakes a try, including the
30-peg Raven Lake?
This one is 13m wide, and perfect
for anglers who love pole fishing and
sacking up with carp.
Jackdaw is also ideal for kids or
beginners looking to enjoy plenty of
bites from silverfish.
As an added bonus, the on-site
‘Tackle & Bates’ tackle shop can
supply and advise you on all your
fishing needs, and is stocked with
all the major brands for coarse and
match fishing.
The café serves a superb quality
full English breakfast using sausages
from the local butchers – what more
could a hungry angler wish for?
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, TENCH, BREAM, PERCH, RUDD
Facilities: Lodges and caravan
site, café, tackle shop, exclusive
fishing pegs for residents, free
Wi-Fi, dog- and child-friendly
Rules: Barbless hooks only,
no braid, leadcore, floating
baits, bolt rigs, night fishing or
keepnets
Prices: £8 a day adults,
£6 concessions and juniors,
extra rod £2
Contact: 07824 878492/07884
180768 for accommodation and
café. Visit the website at
www.rookerywaters.co.uk

30 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 OVER 200 WATERS
NORTH
Prince Albert
AS, based in the
North West,
waters all
across the UK

TO CHOOSE FROM
Prince Albert caters for every taste with its huge choice of fishing

W
ITH more than 220 waters in
its portfolio, Prince Albert AS
is pretty special. The society
offers fishing right through the
season and provides great value.
Every member has access to
secluded meres, big stillwaters and
rivers holding everything from trout
and salmon to carp and bream.
It actively provides angling tuition
for juniors, with free coaching days,
and an extensive match calendar to
get youngsters into fishing. Waters
controlled by the club stretch from
the Scottish Borders down to South
West Wales. Night fishing is available
on many of these venues. Because
the club does not operate a day-
ticket system, you’ll often have a
venue all to yourself.
Famous rivers on offer include
the Esk, Eden, Ribble, Trent, Wye
and Dee, plus smaller, intimate wild
waters in England and Wales. Fly
anglers are well catered for too.
Over 60 stillwaters on the club
card range from 100-acre lakes, to
canals, to small ponds. In these are
carp to over 40lb specimen tench,
bream, and monster perch or pike.
Members can also visit a number
of commercial trout fisheries. All
members receive an exclusive guide
where each water is depicted on an
Ordnance Survey map with a full
description on the reverse, including
directions, access and parking.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, ROACH, BARBEL, CHUB,
SALMON, TROUT
Rules: No tins or glass bottles,
alcohol, fires or guns. Anglers
must hold a current EA rod
licence. Specimen anglers must
use an unhooking mat
Prices: Adult members £130
per annum (plus £100 joining
fee), juniors £15, intermediates
£50 (plus £50 joining fee),
OAPs £90. Over-80s get free
membership after qualifying
period. Apply online at www.
paas.co.uk
Contact: 0161 4854770 or
email secretary@paas.co.uk

PLEASURE FISHING
SOUTH
WEST
Luccombes
Coarse Fishery,
Exminster,
Devon,

HEAVEN IN DEVON
EX6 8AY

Enjoy top-class sport across five ponds in glorious countryside MAIN SPECIES

A
RE YOU looking for a bit of
exclusive fishing in one of the
UK’s most attractive regions?
Then check out Luccombes Coarse
Fishery in Devon, where those
staying on site can enjoy day and
night fishing in idyllic surroundings.
The five fishing lakes are suited to
anglers of all abilities. A favourite of
many is Larch Pond, offering a wide
range of species, including carp to
14lb. For fans of silverfish, Birch Pond
is a great bet, holding tench and
crucians plus plenty of silvers. For
those looking for extra tranquillity,
the feature-filled Oak Pond allows
you to target quality carp in the
shade of mature willow and pine
trees. You’ll find self-catering static
caravans not far from the ponds, with
all the facilities you need for a great
stay. The fishery boasts a tackle shop
stocked with ample tackle should
you forget any, plus fresh maggots
and shelf-life bait. There’s also a café
serving hot food and drinks.
If that’s not enough, there’s a host
of pubs and shops in the local area.
The popular city of Exeter is just five
miles away, with great opportunities
for shopping and sightseeing. The
seaside town of Dawlish, on the
South Devon coastline, is a short
drive from the fishery - the perfect
place to chill out if you fancy a break
from the fishing.
TENCH, CRUCIANS, CARP, BREAM,
PERCH, ROACH, RUDD,
SKIMMERS
Facilities: Self-catering static
caravans, camp site with
hardstanding pitches and EHU,
shower & toilets, tackle shop,
café
Rules: Two-rod limit on all
ponds, barbless hooks only,
no leadcore or fixed feeders,
no nuts or artificial baits, no
outside nets or keepnets.
Landing nets and mats are
provided (just bring a handle),
cradles, slings and triangular
nets are available for the larger
carp pond
Prices: Day tickets inclusive for
holiday guests staying in static
caravans
Contact: 01392 833571/
www.luccombes-fishery.co.uk

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 31

 FIVE LAKES SET IN
EAST
Woodland
Waters,
Grantham, Lincs
NG32 3RT

A WOODED VALLEY
Great sport for all the family, with on-site food and a tackle shop

T
HESE stunningly attractive and
mature lakes, set in 72 acres of
a beautiful wooded valley, are a
delightfully pleasant place to spend
some serious quality time.
Nine three-bed lodges overlook some
of the best swims, and six two-bed
lodges nestle in surrounding woodland.
There are also ample touring pitches,
Woody’s Bar and Restaurant, even
a well-stocked tackle shop! The five
interesting waters to explore include
the 14-acre Specimen Lake, seven-acre
Match Lake, the Carp and Birch Lakes,
not forgetting the Roach Pool.
The Specimen Lake is a well-known
“runs water” with large numbers of
doubles and bigger carp into the high
twenties. This is also a noted bream
and silverfish water, attracting pike to
nearly 30lb, some more elusive tench
and some surprisingly big eels.
The Match Lake next door offers
the same wide range of species,
with ton-up hauls of carp and bream
common. More tench show up in this
here, along with superb roach, perch
and hybrids to over 2lb.
The smaller lakes are fun places to
enjoy, dominated by carp but also
heaving with quality silvers, especially
in winter.
The Carp Lake holds a big head of
gudgeon, which are quite rare to find
in such large numbers these days.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, BREAM, ROACH, RUDD,
HYBRIDS, PERCH, TENCH
Rules: Barbless hooks only, 10lb
minimum line for carp, no tiger
nuts, bloodworm or joker, no
keepnets or groundbait in the
small lakes, under-14s must be
accompanied by an adult.
Prices: Coarse: £7 for one rod
or £9 for two. Concessionary
£5.50 for one rod, £7.50 for
two. Carp: £9 for one rod or
£11 for two. Concessionary
£7 for one rod or £9 for two.
£25 for 24 hours, concessionary
£20.
Contacts: 01400 230888
or visit woodlandwaters.co.uk

GO WEST FOR A
S WEST
South Farm,
Blackborough,
Cullompton,
Devon, EX15 2JE

QUALITY HOLIDAY
There’s something for everyone and excellent accommodation

S
OUTH Farm holiday cottages
and fishery is on the edge
of Devon’s Blackdown Hills,
where you can fish three lakes
and stay in top-class, dog-friendly
accommodation.
Fishing is free for guests, with the
choice of eight cottages, from a
farmhouse that sleeps 10 to Swallow
Cottage sleeping two. Prices start
at just £260 for a weekend break in
Swallow Cottage.
All the self-catering cottages are
close to Home Lake – approximate
distances are Lake Cottage 30m,
Carp 50m, Oaktree 70m, Coshes
Garden 80m, Cinders Cottage 90m,
Stables Cottage 95m and the Farm
House 50m. Add 250m to get to
Lower Ram and Upper Ram.
The lakes are spring-fed and hold
a fine stock of carp up to 20lb,
specimen roach, tench, bream, perch
and crucians to 3lb 8oz. Home Lake is
exclusive to holiday guests and holds
mirror, common and koi cross carp,
plus tench to 5lb 8oz, perch to 3lb
8oz, roach to 2lb-plus, bream, golden
rudd and crucians. Lower Ram, the
largest lake, is stocked with common
and mirror carp, roach, perch, tench
and crucians, while Upper Ram has
loads of small carp and silvers, and is
an ideal lake for novice anglers.
MAIN SPECIES
CARP, CRUCIANS, ROACH, BREAM,
TENCH, PERCH, GOLDEN RUDD
Facilities: Accommodation,
swimming pool, play barn, small
gym, Wi-Fi
Rules: Barbless hooks,
unhooking mats essential
Prices: From £1,470 for a
week’s stay in the farmhouse
and £260 for a short break in
Swallow Cottage. Please visit
the website for booking
information
Contact: 01823 681078 or visit
www.southfarm.co.uk

32 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 SEND YOUR PICS
AND LETTERS TO:
ATLETTERS@BAUERMEDIA.CO.UK

HOW TO
WHILE fishing a natural lake in the New Forest
GET IN TOUCH
I found several good fish in the margins, where
a westerly wind had blown all sorts of floating
debris into the bank. Several casts later, I'd Media House,
spooked two of the better fish. Lynchwood,
Opting to play the waiting game, I soaked Peterborough,
some floaters and bread crusts in a liquid Cambs PE2 6EA
flavouring and threw them into the margin
under some trees. Soon I heard a carp sucking
Editor
at my free offerings, so I gently cast a piece of James Furness
crust just ahead of two nice fish. The pair took james.furness@bauermedia.co.uk
Associate Editor
turns nudging it, only to decide my bait wasn't Stephen Stones
safe, and turned away. stephen.stones@bauermedia.co.uk
Tackle Editor
I noticed that the carp were refusing to take Mark Sawyer – 01733 395107
mark.sawyer@bauermedia.co.uk
my baited hook a foot or so off the reeds, but would carp knock it off the stem and take it? Features Editor
were actually mugging me right under my feet. Well, yes, they did! Several times over. And Richard Grange – 01733 395109
richard.grange@bauermedia.co.uk
My throwing action had resulted in bits of crust what a fight they gave from under the rod-tip. News Editor
getting stuck in between the marginal reed This technique has worked several times Freddie Sandford – 07707 286660
freddie.sandford@bauermedia.co.uk
stems, and the crafty beggars were nudging the since, so there you go – I've made a fish come Content Lead
stems to dislodge them. Believing them to be out the water to take my bait! Dick Walker Tony Grigorjevs 01733 395100
tony.grigorjevs@bauermedia.co.uk
free of any hook, they took them. would have been proud. Carpfeed Editor
Chris Haydon – 01733 395103
Then I had a ‘Dick Walker’ moment. If I Ronald Brooke, email chris.haydon@bauermedia.co.uk
Tackle Tester
Dan Webb
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Staff Writer
Dominic Garnett
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27 Nut drill 28 Derg 29 Chirk 31 Taff 32 Cranks 33 Extended. Down: 2 Leicester
3 Clonker 4 Rig 5/25 Crystal clear 6 Tie up 7 Bivalve 8 Rinse 13 Abyss 17 Croft
18 Rawcliffe 20 Shotgun 21 Arnside 23 Barston 26 Socks 30 Kit. NOVEMBER 14, 2023 34
 Old lures

OUR MAN ON THE BANK hanging above

my cased trout.

DES TAYLOR

“Incredible how our

costs any more, and most Crackle Back, among a collection
modern-day anglers have never of lures I received for winning
even seen a wasp grub, let alone the TG Lure Championship back

sport has moved on!”

fished with one.
That got me thinking about all
the other baits and items of
tackle I used to fish with that
have since fallen out of favour.
Time waits for no man, but old-school tackle In my area, a bait that was
and the baits I once used are still very special bought by the gallon in the
1980s was cooked hemp.
In those days I spent my In Mal Storey’s shops in
in 1988?
That was when, for most of us,
lure fishing meant a couple of
copper spoons, a few ABU Tobys
and a couple of Mepps. Those
were the days before I travelled
to Germany to fish a contest
with a local lure angler. I used
livebaits and he used lures, and

W
HEN I saw that photo
last week in Angling
Times showing a
favourite bait of yesteryear, the
wasp grub, it brought back fond
memories.
An angler had taken over 100lb
of chub on grubs, and I recall me
and my mate Ken Aldis doing
much the same on the Severn
using floatfished grubs.
winters on the upper reaches of
the river. Petrol was cheap, so
lots of Black Country and
Brummie anglers went up there,
where the Birmingham Anglers
Association had lots of water.
How things have changed! The
BAA has let many of its waters
up there go because so many
anglers can’t afford the travel
Memories of
days past in the
Tackle Den.
Kidderminster and Halesowen
there was a chap on hand all
day, cooking hemp, and yet
sometimes they still ran out.
A standard order for a match
angler fishing for barbel in those
days would be a gallon of hemp
and six pints of casters, and a
specimen angler like me went
through even more. I reckon I
don’t use that quantity of hemp
and casters in a year nowadays
– it’s been replaced, of course, by
pellets and boilies.
In my Tackle Den I am
surrounded by stuff that has
been retired but, in its day,
caught me a load of fish.
It reminds me of what this
great sport has given me over
the years – in fact every item, no
matter how small, can tell its
own story. I’m looking at those
lures hanging up over the cased
trout – patterns like the old ABU
Atom, Hi Lo and Moruum. I
used these in Ireland when I was
15 – and what about the Heddon
he thrashed me 10 fish to two.
That was my first introduction
to soft rubber lures and jig heads
– my god, how we have moved
on since those days!
And look at those floats up on
the wooden dresser – not a
crystal float in sight, and yet
those are all I use for 95 per cent
of my floatfishing nowadays.
Back in the day I used floats
made of cane, balsa, cork, even
plastic straws. Looking back,
some of the shapes are almost
laughable, yet somehow those
floats have ‘soul’, as did a lot of
tackle from yesteryear. Now we
are in an era of ‘use it and throw
it’, whereas years back lots of
stuff was made to last.
Because of that it has become
highly collectable. Check out the
photos and you’ll see many old
items that you may well have
used yourself.
Hopefully they will bring back
warm memories, just as they do
for me.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 35

KINGFISHER CLUB
CELEBRATING BRITAIN’S KIDS AND THEIR CLEVER CATCHES

SAM BEATS DAD SEND IN YOUR

TO THE SPOILS! PICTURES
Kingfisher Club SAMUEL Taylor didn’t waste
Email us your child’s details,
TOP CATCH any time in showing his dad
Paul how to catch the elusive including their name, the weight
chub and crucians in his local of the fish, where and how
Glossop Anglers Club water. they caught it, along with a
Despite having been a club photograph, to
member for the past couple kingfisherclub@anglingtimes.
of years, Paul had failed to
co.uk
catch any of the crucians
from one of the club’s smaller • Open to children up to 16.
floatfishing-only waters.
“As well as the crucians, I’d
heard that there were also
some good chub in the pond,
although they were said to be
as rare as hens’ teeth,” Paul
told Angling Times.
“On a recent session,
beginner’s luck struck for my
son Samuel, who ended up
catching both a crucian and
a chub. I wasn’t jealous in the
slightest!” he added.
Samuel Taylor Both Sam’s fish were caught
beat his dad to on double maggot hookbaits
the pool’s chub. fished on a short pole line. Ralphie Gray
1lb 8oz crucian, Redbridge Lakes,
Essex, luncheon meat

Reggie Gray Riley Gray Kieran Bird Harry Hedden

13lb 1oz common carp, Redbridge 10lb 6oz mirror carp, Redbridge Crucian (unweighed), Cotswold 12lb mirror carp, Gwinear
Lakes, Essex, luncheon meat Lakes, Essex, luncheon meat Water Park, Glos, caster Fisheries, Cornwall, dog biscuit

Albie Callicott Layton Roach Reuben Fryett Anna-Catalina Cucuruzan

5lb common carp, Warwick Wold 19lb 8oz mirror, Pastures Pond, Perch (unweighed), local lake, 2lb rainbow trout, Meon Springs
Fisheries, Redhill, Surrey Halsham, East Yorks, Chum Mixer Devon, sweetcorn Fly Fishery, East Meon, nymph
36 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

ARTHUR’S
Keith looks back to when eating coarse fish
was far more common than it is today
J
UST recently I was going
through two sets of
tackle that had been
generously donated to Get
Hooked on Fishing.
Both of them contained an
item I’d not seen for donkey’s
years – a pike gag!
When I was a boy, it was
common practice to kill pike
and take them home to eat.
ARCHIVE
A gag was used to keep the
fish’s jaws apart while removing
the hooks.
The original version, which
had twin spikes to keep it in
place, was replaced by the
‘humane’ gag (manufacturer’s
description) which used a bar,
often covered with a plastic
sleeve, that wedged inside the
lip. Dr Barrie Rickards’ piece in
an early 1977 Angling Times
piece explains why they weren’t
a good idea.
Ironically, the main story on
this page is Dick Walker writing
about coarse fish being offered
for sale in fishmongers.
Reading comments on social
media, it’s easy to imagine that
seeing carp in supermarkets is
new but, in many areas of the
UK, freshwater fish were in
some demand.
Jewish émigrés from both
World Wars settled in many
areas, and the traditional
ingredient of ‘gefilte’ fish was
largely coarse fish, especially
carp and pike, but also bream.
In his article, Dick Walker
suggests eating perch, zander
and eels from clean rivers, and
that pike “… can make
reasonable fish cakes.”
PIKE GAGS AND
‘COARSE FISH FOR
THE TABLE’, 1977
He also writes about the taste
of many other coarse fish,
confessing he’d tasted every
species “… except barbel,
bullheads and burbot.”
As for bream, he opined that
“… anyone eating (a bream)
would be unlikely to be back
for more.”
He also cites that in the US,
most fish caught are eaten but,
to be fair to our cousins across
the pond, that isn’t necessarily
true. They classify fish
differently, with ‘sport fish’
generally being returned alive,
‘pan’ fish being “released to the
grease” (cooked and eaten) and
all other species being either
bait (roach and rudd-type fish
are ‘shiners’, for example) or
‘trash fish’, considered no good
for any of the above. I’ve not yet
seen a US category that fits
bream. I can only imagine...
“It was common
to kill pike and
take them home
to eat...”
WHAT ELSE WAS
HAPPENING?
PARTY TIME!
Street parties and parades
flood streets across the
land on June 7 – declared a
one-off bank holiday – to
mark the Silver Jubilee of
Queen Elizabeth II, who
came to the throne in 1952.
WADE’S WIMBLEDON
England’s Virginia Wade
wins the women's singles
title at Wimbledon, after
coming back from a set
down to win the next two.
She remains the last British
woman to lift the trophy.
COMEDY CLASSIC
The Morecambe & Wise
Christmas Show on BBC1
attracts an audience of
over 28 million, the highest
ever recorded for a comedy
show in TV history.
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 37
 CATCH SHORT EARLY ON
Small fish are your target to
begin with. The best place to
catch them is down the middle
on pinkies over groundbait.
IF YOU TRY ONE THING THIS WEEK...
MAKE THE MOST OF A
MARINA SWIM!
A peg in the mouth of a canal marina is prime real estate – just keep it simple,
says Junior World Champ Josh Duffy. We join him on the Stainforth and Keadby...
W
ALK along a canal and
Decent perch are
most of the swims will
always likely to
turn up in marinas. look uninviting, with
bare far banks and perhaps a
straggly bush overhanging the
water if you’re lucky. Find a peg
that’s in the mouth of a marina,
however, and it’s an altogether
different story!
Wider and deeper than the
pegs around it, this type of swim
also offers cover in the shape of
moored boats, and acts as a
magnet for fish shoaling up
ahead of the winter weather.
Small fish are present in
abundance, along with plenty of
‘bonuses’ like big perch and
38 NOVEMBER 14, 2023
BUILD THE CASTER LINE
Look to fish up the far-side
slope with casters but don’t
be in a rush to target here –
a couple of hours of steady
loosefeeding should have
the fish lined up.
skimmers to provide something
that pulls back a bit. Yet such a
swim can be confusing, given so
many options to explore.
That’s why I will always keep
things as simple as I can when
faced with such a peg. This is
based around allowing me to
target sizes of fish throughout
the day as, at this time of year,
bigger fish always show later,
with smaller fish being the first
to get their heads down.
Put simply, I’ll have three lines
on the go from the off. It’s
knowing when to make the
change, but also keep the areas
I’m not fishing simmering away,
 BAG MORE GIVE IT A GO...
THIS WEEK!
l Tactics to take to your water
l Tricks & tips for bigger bags
l Trusted knowledge
l Every week

START ON GROUNDBAIT DELAY THE LOOSEFEED

Four balls will go in at the I’ll only pick the catapult
start. That sounds a lot, but I up to loosefeed once my
want to catch over this for as initial run of bites over the
long as possible, so there’s groundbait has faded. Bronze
no point in scrimping. A pinkies are best on the
dark mix (I use Target Baits Stainforth & Keadby Canal.
Fab SilverFish Black) is best, I’ll catapult in around 20-30
GIVE THE FEEDER A GO especially in clearing water. pinkies each time.
Casting a small cage feeder into
the mouth of a marina might
not be the most fashionable of
methods on canals, but it can
pick off skimmers that are well
beyond long pole range.

FISH POSITIVE FLOATS BOOST THE SWIM

In keeping with the attacking
theme on the pinkie line, my
float is a 0.6g SiWi Roach
Josh with a fine pattern with a tapered
mixed bag of shotting pattern to get the
canal silvers. bait down fast but allow it to
fall slower in the final 18ins,
where I expect the fish to be.
I will regularly loosefeed
casters on both long pole
lines, but sometimes the
swims will need a boost
from chopped worm. A small
helping will encourage the
fish to feed, and can also pull
in bonus perch and skimmers.

TRY A LIGHT CASTER CONSIDER THE DEPTH

that’s the important bit. I’d
never abandon a line unless it
was completely lifeless, so
always keeping some feed going
in is crucial.
For small fish like roach, little
perch and hybrids, it’s good old
groundbait and pinkies, fished
in the main depth of the canal,
so bang down the middle where,
with boat traffic dropping off,
the fish shouldn’t get disturbed.
I feed positively with
groundbait at the start and then
loosefeed pinkies. Ideally, I
won’t need to feed any more
groundbait after that as the
pinkies should keep the fish
interested. Two hours’ fishing
here is more than long enough
before it needs a bit of a rest.
And by this point, swim number
two should begin kicking in.
Fished at 14.5m, going up the
far-bank slope slightly, I’ll use
and feed casters here, looking
for a better stamp of fish.
Half a big pot goes in at the
start, followed by a regular
loosefeed of a dozen casters
every few minutes. Once I
change to fishing here, I’m
looking for an instant response.
If nothing happens, five minutes
will be long enough before I go
back to the pinkie swim, which
Traditionally, a dark caster is
best for the hook, but I prefer
a lighter brown bait. I bury
the hook inside the caster
on trickier days, hooking it
like a maggot only when the
fishing is good and there are
lots of bites to be had.
I’ll have kept on feeding while
on the casters.
It then becomes a simple
matter of rotating both swims,
always feeding and judging if I
am catching as well as I should
be. If bites fade, that tells me a
rest is needed and it’s time to
swap swims, but by the final
hour or so of the session, the
caster line should have got ever
stronger, and I should be able to
focus on fishing here.
That leaves swim number
On my caster lines, the
float I choose relates to the
depth. On the ‘Stainy’ there’s
normally a good 6ft to go
at. This means a bigger than
normal float for this style of
fishing – a slim, Chianti-type
pattern taking around 0.5g.
three, a bit of a flyer, and that’s a
tiny little feeder cast into the
mouth of the marina. Skimmers
can almost always be found here
and a few short chucks with a
small cage feeder on a short rod
with dead maggots on the hook
might just nick a 2lb fish.
NEXT WEEK
Mark Pollard explains why you
should never ignore an island!

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 39

 ALAN
BARNES
River roach specialist and
THE ADVICE YOU NEED TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR FISHING acclaimed all-round matchman

JA M IE ’S BO M B AN D BR EA D RI G
Is it time to fish bomb and bread for carp yet?
Stan Wells, Bedford 1 MAINLINE
The effectiveness of this tactic is all down to water clarity 6lb or 8lb Matrix Horizon X
A and the lethargy of the fish, so the short answer is no, it isn’t 2 BOMB
time yet. Carp are still very active and the water coloured. 15g to 20g leger weight
However, we are at that time of year when a run of colder nights running on the line
and a few frosts can knock colour out of the water quickly and 3 HOOKLENGTH:
force the fish to begin to ball up. This is when it’s time to think Between 6ins and 20ins
about bread. Certainly, by the end of the month I think you’ll of 0.19mm Matrix Power
begin reading about people catching on it. Micron X
When it’s time to fish bread, the key is to make quick casts to
locate the fish. When you do, a bite is normally very quick in 4 HOOK
coming. That’s why I’ll use a light bomb, so I can be in and out Size 12 or 14 Preston
quickly without making too much disturbance. Innovations KKM-B
The second bit to get right is knowing what depth the fish are 5 HOOKBAIT
sat at. Using three discs of bread on the hook will pop them right Three discs of hair-rigged
up off bottom, but the carp might be only 6ins off the deck or as 8mm punched bread
much as 20ins. Keep varying your hooklengths until you begin to
get signs or you start catching.
Jamie Hughes

1 3 4

Would you ever Do I need strong

fish breadpunch or light elastic for
overdepth? catching skimmers in
James Lyall, Cannock very deep water?
A The depths I fish breadpunch
at on canals are decided by
Dean Forbes, Worksop
Small skimmers always
the fish I am after, and it’s very
similar to if I was using maggots.
A have the habit of coming
off just seconds after the strike if
For bigger fish like skimmers and
your elastic is too powerful, so I
bream, I go overdepth at three
wouldn’t fish too heavy, despite
inches laid on, whereas for smaller
the depth. Middy’s pink grade
fish like roach, when I’m expecting
Reactacore, which is around
to catch numbers of them,
an 8-12 grade in old money, is
anything from dead depth to eight
just about perfect, being soft
inches off bottom can work. Unlike
enough on the initial strike but
maggots and pinkies, breadpunch
then powering up to bring fish
is a bait that can catch when fished
up from the depths.
at a range of depths, so don’t be
afraid to come off bottom. Nick Speed
Alan Barnes
40 NOVEMBER 14, 2023
 NICK DAI KAYLEIGH
SPEED GRIBBLE DOWD
Match fishing legend and 2022 Two-time Drennan Cup England International and twice
Golden Rod Champion champion and ace all-rounder Ladies National champ

Should I fish a bulk

or a strung-out
shotting pattern
for F1s?
Dave Bland, Croydon
For a 4x10 float, I’d rig
A up with six No11 Stotz
set two inches apart to begin
with. If I then feel that the fish
are well off-bottom, the shots
will be pushed further apart to
give a slower fall of the bait,
giving me the chance to catch
as it drops or, more normally,
just as it settles. Also, because I
want to be moving the shot on
the rig about, I’ve found that
Stotz are better than split shot,
as they’re easier to move and
don’t damage the line as much.
Kieran Marsden When should I fish shallow for silverfish on
commercials?
Sean Fields, Oldham
There can be a number of reasons to shallow up, but generally, if
A I’m getting pestered by little fish or am missing bites just as the
5 rig settles, then both things point towards needing to change depth.
However, rather than slide the float up the line, I’ll have a dedicated
rig for fishing shallow set up, using a much lighter Chianti float with
just a few small shot set a half-depth. Once I change to this, I can then
make minor adjustments until I find where the fish are feeding best.
Kayleigh Dowd

Is it worth colouring my
cheesepaste for chub?
Jim Ellis, email
Although every angler will
A have a slightly different
recipe for how they whip up their
cheesepaste, the vast majority will
finish up with a dull yellow colour.
This will work, of course, but the
paste I make is bright red, and I do
this by adding powdered colouring
during the mixing process.
The bright colour stands out
better underwater and, when you
combine that with a flavour that
chub are widely known to adore,
then you are on to a winner.
Martin Barnatt

TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE ADVICE FROM OUR EXPERTS

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 41

 CHAMPION ANGLER STEVE

How can I turn knocks on the tip into proper

bites from skimmers? Hitting bites from roach on
the feeder is a nightmare!
Trevor Ford, Dunstable
Skimmers will mouth the bait and take a second or two before
A swallowing it, and a sensitive rod-tip has a good chance of
detecting that pick-up. However, striking at the first indication
is unlikely to lead to setting the hook. With the tip slackened off,

Any advice you can give?

such bites are unlikely to register. The line only tightens and the tip
will only move once the fish has properly taken the bait. Reduced
tip tension will also cut down on the number of line bites you’ll get.
William Raison

JASON ALLEN, TAMWORTH

When would a feeder work on the braid being direct, pretty

H
ITTING roach bites on big
a snake lake? natural waters is far more
difficult than most
Malcolm Grant, Manchester
anglers realise! There’s definitely
A There are only a few times
when a feeder would be an art to it.
best, mainly when it is blowing a Roach bite fast, giving sharp
gale and presentation is ruined.
Another is in clear water, when
taps and pulls on the tip that so
often lead to us striking into thin
the fish become easily spooked air or picking up the rod, totally
by a pole over their heads.
confident that a fish is on, only
However, your approach needs
to be scaled back quite a bit to wind back with nothing. That
from what you’d gear up with said, there are a few things you
for feeder fishing on a big, open can do to stack the odds more in
water lake, so we’re talking about your favour!
short 9ft rods and very light 20g
Method feeders. SWITCH TO BRAID
Jimmy Brooks Fishing braided mainline ‘direct’
means zero stretch, allowing
you to read the bites far better.
When I say direct, I mean just
that – even a mono shockleader
massively dulls the sensitivity
so, if I do need a leader, I’ll
always go for a braided one.
GET TIGHT!
Roach tend to prefer to feed off
the bottom, so bites often come
within the first 30 seconds after
casting. Because of this, it is
imperative you get tight to the
feeder as quickly as possible,
On a flooded river, where are the barbel most otherwise you risk not even
seeing the bite.
likely to be sat? To do this, while I’m waiting
for the feeder to hit the bottom I
Rich Yardley, Bristol
The first floods wash grass and litter into the river, so the fish point the rod straight in front of
A will often look for cover, making slacks, overhanging trees me, and straight at the feeder.
and areas just past the ‘crease’ good areas to target. Later in the The second it hits the deck, I
season, when the rubbish has been washed out of the river, barbel sweep the rod round on to the
can tolerate quite a lot of flow, so don’t discount mid-river areas. rest, picking up the slack. This
These can be really productive, especially if conditions are mild. movement, in conjunction with
Dai Gribble
much allows me to get tight
instantly, and able to see those
early bites as the hookbait falls
through the water.
BIN OFF THOSE FIXED RIGS!
Lots of hardcore feeder anglers
love fixed rigs such as the
helicopter or paternoster, but for
me, as far as roach fishing is
concerned, a running
paternoster has no equal.
If you don’t believe me, then
set two rods up at the same
distance, one with a fixed rig
and one with the running
paternoster, and alternate
between the two. I guarantee
you will notice a difference.
On the running paternoster
bites are far smoother and easier
to read, and you are also far
more direct on the strike, as you
don’t have to strike through the
feeder first.
TIE MY RUNNING RIG
The way I set my running
paternoster up is simplicity itself.
I thread a two-inch feeder link on
to the braid and then tie in a
length of 0.22mm Pure
Fluorocarbon using a four-turn
water knot.
The fluorocarbon acts as my
boom – being stiff, it helps to
prevent tangles and kicks the
hookbait away. Separation
between feeder and hookbait
makes a huge difference to bite
detection, which is why the

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR EXPERTS?

They can solve it! Email your fishing queries to
“For roach, as far as I’m concerned, a
newsdesk@anglingtimes.co.uk and we’ll do the rest...
running paternoster has no equal”
42 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

TAKES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT YOUR ANGLING PROBLEMS
fluorocarbon is so important.
The fluorocarbon boom is
seven inches long, with a loop in
the end to attach my hooklength
to. The link rests on the knot to
cast – a very simple yet effective
set-up that’s caught me an awful
lot of roach over the years.
SLACKEN OFF
Roach hate tension in the tip, so
a bowstring-taut quivertip is a
nightmare when trying to hit
bites. If you are too tight when
roach fishing, the fish will
bounce themselves off the hook
due to the tension. You will see
this happening in the form of
sharp jags on the tip.
When I say “fish slack”, I don’t
mean totally slack, more that
you are just tight to the feeder,
with the merest bend in the tip.
This way you will find the bites
are much smoother and will
develop far better.
BE PATIENT!
Discipline is key when roach
fishing, so you must learn what
type of bite you need to pick up
on. Striking at every tiny
D O YO U N E E D
RINGER’S HE
Send you
LP ?
askringe r questi
r@anglin on to:
gtimes.co
.uk
3 STEPS TO SUCCESS
SEE EVERY
MOVEMENT
Fish with a mono
mainline and you won’t
see many of your bites,
or certainly won’t hit as
many! Changing to a
braided mainline will
transform things. The
lack of stretch means
that every knock on the
tip is magnified in an
exaggerated fashion,
allowing you to judge
better when to pick up.
GO EASY ON
THE TIP
A rod-tip that is
locked up will mean
indication on the tip is a huge
you’re unable to see
no-no, as you will miss bite after the bite, and any fish
bite! Instead, you need to be you do hook will come
looking for smooth, continuous off, as the tension in
movements on the tip. the braid results in the
If you’re in doubt, wait an hook pulling almost
extra second to make sure. It’s immediately. Always
much better to delay that little have just a slight bend
bit longer to be sure of in the tip. The less
connecting than pick up too tension placed on it,
the better.
early and waste a cast. Roach
fishing is about being efficient
– once you grasp that concept,
speed will naturally follow.
FISH A BIG HOOK
BIGGER
Roach in big reservoirs are wild HOOKS RULE!
fish, so they don’t tend to be
line- or hook-shy. It’s for this To further improve
how many bites
reason that I love a big hook
you hit, it’s worth
with a small hookbait. My hook using a big hook,
is a size 12 Guru Pole Special, even as late as
then a single or double maggot November! I’ll
either hooked through the think nothing of
middle or threaded on. By fishing a size 12
hooking the maggot in either of with one or two
the above ways it is much harder maggots, a big
for a roach to get away with it! hook being harder
for the roach to
A single maggot on a size 12,
spit back out.
hooked in this way, may look
terrible, but it’s highly effective
and will see you hit more bites!
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 43
 BAIT CLINIC
DR PAUL GARNER
Honest advice to help you to
catch more fish on every trip,
without breaking the bank.
BREAD –
THE ULTIMATE
ALL-ROUNDER
This versatile and cheap offering has a
multitude of uses for loads of species
A
BAIT that has staged a
dramatic comeback in
recent years is bread.
Once thought of as being quite
tricky to use, and often usurped
by more modern alternatives,
the classic sliced loaf has made
a big impact on the modern
match scene.
I recall filming my friend Jim
Hall fishing a match in the
middle of a massive autumn
storm, when he landed carp
to almost 20lb on simple
popped-up bread.
Similarly, if I am wandering my
local rivers in search of chub, I
will always have some bread in
my rucksack.
Modern sliced bread is quite
easy to use because it contains
quite a lot of gluten, and this
helps to bind it together.
Make flake with
bread from the
centre of a loaf.
44 NOVEMBER 14, 2023
My choice, along with that of
most anglers I know, is the
distinctive orange packaging of a
Warburtons Toastie Loaf. This
bread has just the right
consistency for bait, and can be
used in lots of different ways.
PUNCHED CRUST
One of the easiest ways to make
a tough, buoyant hookbait is to
punch the crust from the loaf.
These baits are more resilient
than the inner slices, making
them ideal for popping-up bread
discs for carp, or using as an
anchored, buoyant bait for chub.
I like to compress the bread
“A Warburtons Toastie Loaf has
just the right consistency for bait”
Fold a piece in
half and slightly
compress it.
Dust slices of
bread with
pellet powder.
using a large punch. This
toughens it up and allows you to
control the amount of buoyancy.
Cast out quickly after
compressing the bread and it
will absorb water, while staying
Hook it through
the squeezed
end only.
Spread the
powder into a
thin coating.
quite firm, and remaining
semi-buoyant.
If you want a softer bait, then
punched flake from the centre
slices of bread is perfect.
This soft bait is quite buoyant,
but bear in mind that it will
absorb water quite quickly, and
then the weight of the hook will
pull it down.
This makes bread from the
centre of a loaf ideal for creating
wafter hookbaits. Try using a
size 12 hook with a 10mm bread
disc for a slow-sinker, switching
to a size 16 if you want a pop-up.
FLAKE BAITS
I love flake, because there’s no
limit to the size of hookbait you
can create with it.
This soft offering is easy for
even quite small-mouthed fish
to inhale, giving you a large
 TEN-MINUTE MAKE
Mashed Bread Feed
This simple mashed bread is a great feed for chub and big river
roach. It is quite stiff, so is ideal in faster-flowing and deep rivers,
where you want the bait to get down quickly before it breaks up.

Blitz several slices of white bread with

the crusts removed to act as feed. 1 2

Remove the crusts from a few Add half-a-teaspoonful of

slices of bread and tear the rest Garlic & Cheese flavour to a pint
You should end up with liquidised bread into rough pieces. of cold water.
that has a fine, fluffy texture.

3 4

Liquidised bread is brilliant when packed

into a cage feeder. Soak the pieces of bread flake in Mash the sodden bread pieces
the flavoured water for around up with your fingers to create a
untouched. This bait will stay on 10 minutes. loose, wet mix.
the hook well, ideal for both the
float and leger. Use quite a large
hook to help hold the bait in 5
place. A size 14 is about right for
even small hookbaits.

Finally, punch
and hair-rig two
or three discs.
visible bait, but one that will
bring easy-to-hit bites.
To make it, break off a piece of
flake from the centre of a slice
and fold it in half. Hook the bait
through the compressed
section, leaving the fluffy part
SIMPLE PASTE
By dampening bread flake you
can make a simple, tough paste
that stays on the hook well, or
which can be moulded on to a
hair. Bread paste is also easy to
flavour and colour, and a whole
host of additives can be added,
not just the traditional cheese.
While paste is normally Stiffen with brown crumb to a groundbait-like consistency that can
thought of solely as a chub bait, be moulded into balls and fed by hand.
why not try using it for

Q U IC K T IP
commercial carp as well?
Normal bread paste is quite
sticky, which can make it
TRY dipping
difficult to strike through. You
punched crust
baits in liquid foods can make a softer paste by using
to add loads of liquidised bread as the base,
flavour and even adding just a small amount of
instantly change water to help bind it together.
the colour of the This extra step is worth the
hookbait. effort for a more consistent bait.
LIQUIDISED OR MASHED?
There are two bread feeds that I
commonly use, and they have
very different properties.
Liquidised bread, with its
fluffy texture that breaks down
quickly, is ideal for packing into
a cage feeder or for creating a
cloud in stillwaters.
Alternatively, use mashed
bread. This is best used in
faster-flowing rivers, especially
when trotting, thanks to its
heavier composition, which
means it sinks quickly and takes
longer to break down.
NEXT WEEK
Unlock the secrets of
high-attract carp baits

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 45

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NOVEMBER 14, 2023 47
 THE
THE VOICE OF MATCH FISHING
BWIG
IN

INSIDE LINE

AN UNUSUAL
MATCH…
HAWKSWORTH
IT’S VERY much ‘off
season’ for me now,
with not a lot to go at,

TAKES HIS FIRST

so I’m trying out a few
venues I don’t normally
visit that often, starting
with Blundell’s Fishery

WESTWOOD WIN
near Warrington,
Last time I went, the
matches were rovers,
but now you can

WITH A PERFECT
nominate the lake you
want to fish, then draw
from a bag of pegs

SCORE!
specific for that lake.
I quite like that, as you
can fish the match you
want – be that for F1s or
big carp, in open water
or on a snake lake – and Three sections wins secure
try to get a swim that’s
going to be sheltered
Daiwa Classic glory for Luke
from any bad weather. in a star-studded field
I fancied a crack at Trio
Pool and drew end peg
weight netted him the £800

59 with an island 19m
away! I was never going
to reach there, but
could fish at 16m, albeit
awkwardly, as there was
only 3m of bank behind
me to unship on!
Thinking it would be
carp and a few F1s, I
went for a hard pellet
approach, but caught
carassio instead.
There’s been a bit of
I
T CAN sometimes take
an angler several visits
to a new venue to get
in tune with what’s required to
win – but Luke Hawksworth
soon worked that out at
Lincolnshire’s Westwood
Lakes to take the 89-peg
Daiwa Autumn Classic title on
his very first visit.
Fishing over three days
against a very strong field, the
31-year-old from Northallerton
returned three section wins,
the same as Andy Bennett and
Jimmy Brooks, but overall
main prize plus a £400 Daiwa
tackle voucher as he totalled
355-13-0 against the 335-9-0 of
Andy and 319-12-0 of Jimmy.
Two section wins and an
overall lake win on the second
day of action further boosted

BARBEL WIN MIDWEEK WYE

an explosion of these,
getting on for 2lb each.
The opening four
hours got me 25

CLASH FOR HOLLOWAY

of them, and a few
skimmers, before I
rounded off the day on
maggot and groundbait
in 3ft 6ins of water River Wye Running Line
down the edge to nab Challenge (Weds)
eight big F1s and a few River Wye, Hereford (57 pegs)
small carp for 87lb and
second overall, so all
THIS new event drew a good
good. This is definitely
somewhere I need to crowd who were all limited to
take a second look at in float or feeder. No poles or
the next few weeks! whips were allowed and, with
bleak not counting either, that

48 NOVEMBER 14, 2023


his winnings, although it was
still tight at the end. No-one was
quite sure who had won – until
the calculators came out, that is!
Luke takes up the story...
DAY 1
Peg: Falcon Lake 18
Weight: 145-5-0
Score: One point
“I wanted to catch on the
mudline across, but it didn’t
happen for the first two hours,
so I chopped and changed down
the middle and on the short pole
line with maggots for some F1s.
Finally, I began to catch across.
“Expander pellet over micros
and groundbait tight to the mud
at 14m was the method, and
once the F1s arrived and settled
it was lovely steady fishing,
shipping back a fish most
drop-ins for 145lb, a section win.
More importantly, it was a good
bit of weight, just in case it came
down to total weight in the end.”
DAY 2
Peg: Hawk Lake 8
Weight: 150-14-0
Score: One point
“I was told this wasn’t the best
peg in the section, but they all
looked the same to me!
“I went for the same approach
as the day before, expanders
over micros and groundbait
tight across at 14.5m to the far
bank, but before that I started
on a top kit with maggots for a
few barbel.
“Once I moved across it was
really good fishing, catching
carp and F1s, roughly a 50/50
split, on the bottom and up in
the water – basically just
following the fish around.
“I also had a resting line to the
aerator, where I caught a little
run of F1s in a 30-minute spell.
It all added up to 150lb, another
left barbel as the main target on
a high and coloured river
following rain and releases of
dam water from upstream.
This being ‘big fish or bust’,
many dry-netted. The main
action was centred on pegs at the
end of the tennis courts section
where Joe Holloway and Jim
Brockie slugged it out, Joe
winning with 39-8-0 against the
33-11-0 of Jim.
Drawing end peg 102, Bewdley
rod Joe fished blockend feeder
with maggot for nine barbel, one
ahead of Jim on nearby peg 100.
ISSUE
OVERALL RESULT:
1 C Hawksworth, Northallerton, 3pts
408
(355-13-0); 2 A Bennett, Guru/Blakes Bait,
3 (335-9-0); 3 J Brooks, SonuBaits, 3
(319-12-0); 4 P Cooper, Shimano, 4
(374-3-0); 5 C Law, Guru/Mainline Match,
4 (292-11-0); 6 R Dawber, Matrix Leigh
Tackle & Bait, 5.
section win and a lake win,
which put me in front overall.”
DAY 3
Peg: Skylark Lake 11
Weight: 59-10-0
Score: One point
“Speaking to Tom Edwards, he
told me this was an average peg
and that I wanted to be a little
further down the lake really, so I
was expecting a bit of a battle.
“I don’t think any of us could
have predicted just how hard
the lake would fish, though.
“Starting off dobbing bread
across, I never had a bite. Only
when I changed to pellet, micros
and groundbait did I catch, and
then it was only three carp.
“These were the only fish I
caught on the long pole, mainly
NEW ISSUE
because the wind got up and
made it impossible to present
the rig over there.
“I’d also got swims on a top kit
OUT NOW!
and one section close-in and
down the edge, so I rotated
these two lines for the rest of the
day, feeding and fishing
maggots. It was never solid, but
Top tactics to
I kept picking fish off, mainly
F1s, with a few better 6lb carp.
“At the scales, I couldn’t say
how I’d done, and it was close, master this autumn:
but I’d got the win. Then it was
all about waiting, as I quickly Nick Speed’s top tips for
found out that Andy and Jimmy silvers on the pole
had won their sections. With
that weight advantage from the Bag bream-a-chuck with a
first two days, though, I thought
I’d got enough in the bag to win.
handful of bait
“And, happily, so it proved!”
Essential skills all
newcomers need to learn
Tie a tangle-proof rig for big
RESULT:
barbel
1 J Holloway, Bewdley, 39-8-0;
2 J Brockie, Worcester, 33-11-0;
3 T Watling, Stanjay Tackle, 30-8-0;
4 T Moreton, Preston Innovations, The best brollies
23-10-0; 5 P Kaye, Wizards, 18-8-0;
6 M Jones, Tredegar Tackle, 17-6-0. and shelters to
keep you dry
He was one of the few to catch
smaller fish – roach and dace
on stick float and maggot.
That left third spot to be
decided, and Tony Watling
nabbed that with 30-8-0
izes
of barbel on the feeder from Daiwa tackle pr
peg 4 at Upper Belmont. worth m or e th an
abs
£1,000 up for gr iwa
in our m on th ly Da
ion
Mission competit
 FAULT FIXERS
ALEX DOCKERTY
Expert help to
give your match fishing
the edge

THE TUTOR
ALEX DOCKERTY
Drennan and Dynamite
Baits-backed former Golden
Rod champion, Lindholme
Lakes shop manager and
England Freestyle Feeder
team man.

“FILL YOUR NET WHATEVER TH

November tends to start warm and finish cold, and that can play havoc with your fishing. Not if yo

T H E L E SS O N

1 2
TIGHT TO THE ISLAND MUD
Features are a bonus with winter
approaching, and islands fall
into that category. Many anglers
think the water is too shallow
around an island to hold enough
fish – they’re right if we’re talking
only 6ins of depth! So plumb up
thoroughly along and around the
island, identifying the deepest
areas. These should ideally be tight
to the island mud, to prevent fish
from swimming behind the rig and
giving false indications. Between
2ft and 3ft is just about perfect.
PING OR POT?
Feeding with a pot guarantees
accuracy and lets you regulate how
much bait is going in. The catapult
still plays a part, though, but very
much as a bit of a ‘get out of jail’
card for when the response from
potting isn’t what you’re after.
Just 10 minutes spent firing a few
pellets in can be enough to trigger
a response by making some noise,
often when the fish aren’t going
mad for bait. When you begin
catching again, revert to the pot to
tighten things up.
3 4
VARY YOUR PELLET SIZE
Scaling down on bait size as it gets
colder makes sense, but until it
freezes, I think the rules of a few
months ago with regard to size
of pellet still apply. For F1s and
smaller carp, that’s a 4mm, but I’ll
always have some 6mms with me.
They’re aimed at bigger carp, for
when you end up being plagued
by small silverfish or, if your lakes
have just stocked them, newly-
introduced carp. Bites on a 6mm
pellets may be fewer, but every fish
hooked is likely to be a good one.
DON’T JUST SIT THERE!
The way I feed for carp and F1s at
this time of year is different to a
lot of other anglers in that I prefer
to be in and out, feeding a small
helping of micro pellets in one
go, waiting five minutes and then
feeding again. This is effectively
setting a trap with a dollop of bait
that’s just enough to make one
fish come in, feed and allow me
to catch it. This way, I feel I have a
better idea of what’s in the swim
compared to if I’d sprinkled bait in
over several minutes.

50 NOVEMBER 14, 2023


HE WEATHER!”
ou box a bit clever, according to Alex Dockerty…
5 6
LIFT AND DROP THE RIG
Many anglers moan about the fish
being off bottom and uncatchable
– but the second part of that
statement isn’t true! Carp will sit
off bottom, watching your feed
and hookbait sink past them.
Simply sitting and waiting is no
good. Instead, I’ll ‘work’ the rig,
lifting it 6ins clear of the water
and lowering it back in four or five
times. This allows the bait to keep
dropping past fish – basically, I’m
trying to trigger their curiosity
quickly and get them to have a go.
November doesn’t mean
you need settle for
reduced catches. You just
need to think like a fish to
stay ahead of the game!
PREP A SHORT POLE LINE
Always have a second or third
line on the go, so if you need to
rest a swim you can swap and
know you’re going to get bites
immediately. It’s still possible to
catch well on the short pole, often
late in the day when the light levels
begin to fade, so I’d always feed
here with an eye to some bigger
carp too. There’s little to beat
maggots, but I’d cup them in rather
than throw them, simply to keep
things tight and accurate, feeding
from the very start of the session.
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 51
 GET OFF TO A QUICK START
FEEDING groundbait will immediately focus the fish in one
part of the swim, where you can then catch them. How
much to feed is the million-dollar question, and this is all
dependent on how many fish you are expecting to catch.
On prolific rivers, where this may be getting on for 200
small fish, potting or throwing in four large balls packed
with particles isn’t too much. On the flip side, if it’s a
harder venue with 60 fish the target, one or two balls is a
better bet. After that initial hit, look for signs telling you
when to top up the swim again with more groundbait.
ALWAYS FEED HEMP
YOU may not plan on fishing it on
These normally include the fish drifting down the peg, the the hook, but hemp is a great feed
arrival of small perch, or bites beginning to slow up. If any when you’re on numbers of small
of these things happen, put more bait in! fish. Once it’s time to loosefeed, fire
in hemp and maggots or pinkies each
time. The hemp has the knack of
holding fish in the peg for longer and
attracting some bigger specimens.
If you are catching well at the
midway point in a match, but feel a
few bigger fish are needed, that’s the
time to try hemp on the hook, but
only for a couple of run-throughs,
just to see if it’s worth sticking with.

WAYS TO WIN WITH SET UP MULTIPLE RIGS

WEIGHT-BUILDERS
IDEALLY, you’ll catch on one rig
all day, but a lot of things can
change in a five-hour session.
The fish might come off bottom,
or they might only take a bait that
falls a little more slowly through
As much as we all like to catch big fish, it’s the tiddlers, and lots of the water. Set up several rigs
them, that are often the key to success on running water… with floats of different sizes and
shotting patterns and you’ll be
covered. Start on a positive big
rig with the shotting well down
the line after feeding groundbait
to catch quickly.
If bites fade and those you do
get are holding the bait up on the
way down or coming just as the
rig settles, try a lighter float and a
different type of presentation.

START WITH IT WORKS FOR ME!

READER
A BIG BAIT
TRY A WORM
Joe Carr, Reading RECOMMENDED
WHEN the day is likely to be a “WHERE large
numbers game, a few better fish can numbers of small
make a big difference at the scales. fish are present, there

LAY OFF THE LOOSEFEED EARLY ON These are normally present early in
the session, which is why beginning
LOOSEFEEDING over the groundbait from the start will defeat the with a bigger bait makes sense.
point of what you’re trying to achieve. Instead, pick up the catapult Double pinkie, double maggot or
only when you’ve topped up a couple of times and the swim is showing even a caster may just pick out
signs of not getting any stronger. This is when feed drifting down the half-a-dozen better roach or even a
peg will pull fish sat below the feed up on to the spot that you’ve been skimmer, and the bites will be a lot
fishing. It’s also well worth dropping the rig in well upstream of where more positive too.
you’re feeding, as a lot of fish will move up above the main area to get However, don’t stick to a bigger
at the loosefeed first. This gives you two chances to catch, either in the bait for too long. Once things slow,
loosefeed or a little further down the peg, over the groundbait. it’s time to scale down, get your head
down and fish for bites.
are always going to be some
predators, especially big perch.
So often I’ve stopped catching,
only to hook into a perch on my
light pole rig soon afterwards!
“Now I have a dedicated worm
rig set up and, when the swim
dies suddenly, I put in a little bit
of chopped worm and fish a piece
of the same over the top.
“A 1lb-plus perch is always a
most welcome little bonus.”

52 NOVEMBER 14, 2023

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 LAST CAST WITH DOM
Dom Garnett – one man determined to keep the pleasure in angling

LRF fishing is
compelling, if
somewhat nerdy.

“It’s somewhere between a

entire subs bench.
Eventually, though, the species
list jumped higher. There were
cute rock cook wrasse,

science field trip and a lucky dip”

aggressive gobies and host of
others. Jack even had a superb
miniature cuckoo wrasse – and a
lot of the takes could be enjoyed
enthusiasm and you get it right pier somewhere in Torbay. Out in plain sight under our feet.

T
HERE’S a definite place
for specimen hunting in back. If you want treasure, of something as huge as the He’d even brought a mini
miniature. Mini beasts someone will often draw you a coast, crazily specific viewing tank – a must for many
such as ruffe and dragonets will map, even if you have to bring instructions emerge, like “aim anglers these days to retain and
often win as many admiring your own shovel. for 20 yards from the last photograph smaller fish.
glances as much larger fish like Most recently, it was news of groyne” or “try under the fourth By the time my parking ticket
carp or pike. rare leopard spot gobies that got lamp post.” ran out, there’d been so many
Every year, I try to expand my me driving back to the sea. The challenge this time, bites, laughter and happy
personal species tally. From the Joined by Jack Perks, we hoped though, was not getting bites nonsense, I’d virtually forgotten
scrawlings in my diary, you can to find one of these unusual fish but finding genuine treasure about the leopard spot goby.
see various targets I’ve hit and before it got too wintry. among the more common Which is a neat excuse to come
missed. It’s a never-ending I’ve often likened the process species. For the first hour, all I back another day.
process, but suffice to say the of catching mini species to could catch were small pollack
list of fish species in my home collecting football stickers. It’s and pouting. Great sport, and for
county alone could keep a fish somewhere between a science anyone who’s only ever played
geek busy for decades. field trip and a lucky dip. It’s these fish on standard gear,
One magical factor in these compelling stuff, and with the doing battle on a toothpick rod
adventures is the lure fishing massive array of fish in our is a giddy world away.
community. LRF fans are as coastal waters, you’ll probably Excellent fun, but it took a
nerdy and obsessive as never complete the album. while to beat the pout. To revert
birdwatchers, and incredibly On this occasion, we found to Panini Premier League sticker
friendly. You ask a question, you ourselves pitching tiny lures and terms, I was hoping for Erling
get an answer. You bring scraps of bait under a concrete Haaland but picked up Burnley’s

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