welder

Unless you try you'll never know, Teo. Got to be worth a go. Personally, I'd pop into the nearest frozen food outlet and buy several bags of sweetcorn, cheap as you like and almost always effective. I'd bait up a few margin spots quite heavily and let the feeding fish clear some of the weed. Then I'd fish these cleared spots with several grains of corn on a hair rig. Ian.

Respect. Head down, stealth mode employed. Waiting game now...…. Ian

I got mine from an Ebay outlet, harpz. Ian.

Proper. Ian.

Then it's about time that somebody did. No better man for the job than you, mate. Get it fished. Ian.

Harpz, you might want to take a look at the Pallatrax Gripz range, too. Seriously sharp hooks! I spent a weekend tying rigs for an upcoming trip to France with them. My fingers have stopped bleeding now...…….. Ian.

Softly, softly catchee monkey. Oh, and that dark mirror...…….I find Google Earth Pro a very useful tool. Ian.

Hey, just do this. I've done quite a lot of "guesting" myself over the years. Where there's a will there's a way...…….. Ian.

Sid, are you referring to the pools which have a much larger one nearby, with an Italian restaurant at one corner of it? Ian.

As do I. Bonus is that you don't actually have to punch anyone's lights out....Hey, delete him from your Christmas card list. Ian.

It's the "hope you don't mind" bit that would have infuriated me. You have to laugh then choose better "mates". Ian

Did I hear the word "social"? Up for it wherever, whenever. I do like a social, made several good friends as a direct result of the many I've attended over the years. Ian

Josh, if the canal is fairly local to you I'd suggest that you persevere. I firmly believe that the inland waterways potentially hold good fish. A pal of mine lives full time on a narrowboat and tells me tales of huge fish. Sadly, he's not an angler. Damn fool! Ian.

Phil, have you considered putting a rod close under your feet, in the near margin? Easier to bait up and I remember having a conversation with you at one of the socials about never overlooking the margin. As you know, I always have at least one rod close to the edge. Ian.

I know what you mean about the call of fishing in France, Phil. It's addictive. I did Rushes Lake twice last year and this June Alan and I are on Windmill Lakes, just up the road from Rushes. Taking my nephew with us . He'll be celebrating his 40th birthday while we're there. You'll know all about self-employment being a potential obstacle to fishing in general. I certainly do. It's all about priorities whereas a booked trip to France is a specific and can be worked into the diary. Ian.

Can I guess what's on the menu soon? Ian.

"And hanged by the neck until he was dead". I banned him. Again. Ian.

The French fishery I'm on this June has a barbless rule, too. These hooks look ideally suited, I'll get some. Thanks. Ian.

Dead people? Ian.

I have the Procat, had it for years and it's never let me down. I bought it 2nd hand and it came with a hopper extension which simply sits inside the existing hopper. Without the extension the boat holds around three quarters of a kilo. With extension I can double that. It's all the boat I'll ever need, quite fast, steers and handles well. Here's a tip. I bought a large plastic-coated hook and welded onto it a 3/8ths BSF set pin (bolt). I can screw this into a spare landing net pole to lift the boat into or out of the water if the bank has a bit of a drop to the water. Another tip. When first using the boat to take out your terminal tackle, lead, hook etc DON'T make the mistake I made. I didn't open the bail arm on the reel, relying on a loosened clutch to allow line off. Massive line twist was the result!!! I learned my lesson, trust me...……... Ian

Just Googled it. The Walleye is also known as the Yellow Pike and is a close relative to the European Zander. Ian.

Cracking picture! Ian.

I've just had a good look at that, myself. I could do a week on there, no problem. Ian.

Never, ever had a problem. Ian.

These are the ones I use. Why pay more? Ian.