dannyash

Hi guys, im midlands based and fancied a little bash at some trout on the small rivers and streams. I cannot decipher the Gov guidelines to what im allowed to do, this is taken from the gov website. These 3 local byelaws also apply. 1. Where the coarse fish close season applies and you are fishing for eels, trout or salmon, you must not: use any float or bait (including ground bait) other than artificial or natural fly (excluding bloodworms, jokers and other midge larvae), spinners, minnows, worms, prawns or shrimps use a keepnet or keepsack in waters where the close season for coarse fish applies (15 March to 15 June) 2. You must not keep salmon (including salmon parr) or trout in a keepnet or keepsack. 3. In addition to the national byelaws on fishing for eels, if you fish for eels during the coarse fish close season, you must not use a hook with a gape of less than 12.7mm (0.5in). Iv been battered by some fly anglers on facebook, other parts of the country can use artificial lure as well, in the midlands it states I can only uses, minnows, worms, prawns/shrimps and spinners. My interpretation of a spinner is pictured below? I just wanted to try and get some clarification as these fly anglers done seem keen on me fishing to be honest, id love some help on this please lads. thanks and take care, Dash

Good enough for me mate, appreciate the feedback. Dash

The 9FT esp stalker rods have caught my eye to be honest mate, seems good value for money at £65, would be interested to hear what you thought about them. Dash

Evening chaps. Im in the market for a pair of 9 foot carp rods, iv looked at various brands including century, sonik, wychwood and Nash, iv never given the Nash scope range a chance having never had any experience with any of their tackle or gear. Naturally after looking for a compact set of Rods I was drawn to the Nash scope rods but know nothing about them, after trying to do a little research iv found people are massive fans of these rods and a set of people who either don't like them or have had issues in the past with them. Which had me struggling to find a good unbiased review of them. So really I'm looking for anyone who has had or has these rods and could give a genuine review/opinion for someone who is looking at buying a pair now. Thanks Dash

Evening chaps, i hope this post finds you well during these strange times. The reason for the post is basically during a mornings pike fishing on Saturday, as the rain, sleet and snow battered me along the canal I noticed my whole body was perfectly warm and happy to sit in the -4 wind chill conditions apart from my feet, despite wearing the skeetex wellie with a brand new thermal liner inside. Id layered up as I would normally do which consists of, a thermal base layer, trakker 2 piece base layer, joggers and a thick hoodie, fortis bib and brace trousers and a fj9 jacket, coupled with some army surplus waterproofs over the top. Given the temperature rating for the skee tex wellie iv never been hugely impressed with them out on the bank. On pondering if there were better options on the market I came across a post on facebook about the new fortis wellies, retailing at around the £109.99, the comments consisted of 95% tearing them apart for the claimed ( ridiculous price and carp tax ) The remaining 5% were people claiming that £109.99 was cheap for a good quality warm boot and claimed the Le Chameau boots were the ones to buy. Id be interested to see what your boot/wellie of choice is during the colder months, any vouches or ones to stay clear of. Much appreciated Take care Dash

Appreciate the info Nick, I went for one of my 9ft 2.75tc carp rods in the end. Seems to feel like a nice balanced setup. Unfortunately no fish to report but there's always next session. Many thanks. Dan

Evening gents. Im putting together a little bit of kit so I can have a go at float fishing for pike, nothing to heavy duty. Im just looking to fish a simple float setup fishing baits like small sprats ext, fishing venues like canals, small rivers and ponds. I feel a big 12ft 3.5tc pike rod would be overkill for what Im going to be doing. I feel a smaller rod would fit me better, maybe around the 7/8foot mark given the venues I'm looking to fish, could a light/medium jerk bait rod be used for this? Coupled with a 3000/4000 sized reel? If anyone has a similar scaled down setup id like to hear what your using, or if you can recommend me anything that would be great, many thanks Dan

I know what you mean mate, so your giving your rod the ideal casting weight to suit the distances required. Im just pondering on weather upping the lead size for my application will be a help or hinderance. I would say distances would max out at 100 yards on this particular venue, I may end up fishing opposite ends of the spectrum on 2 rods when it comes to lead size and see which one does the business ( hopefully anyway ) Appreciate your feedback mate. Dan

Afternoon all, hope your enjoying a better Saturday than me ( Im a stoke fan ) Im currently fishing a gravel pit that has a fairly unknown stock of fish, its fed by the Trent so fish do come and go during floods, fairly standard gravel pit, gin clear water, hard bottom with a light silty covering. The stock is unknown but the fish that are in there aren't really under that much angling pressure, it crossed my mind weather upping my lead size from a normal 2oz lead to something bigger 4/5oz even. This got me thinking about how different anglers have a different opinion on this subject, for example, frank Warwick has stated that one of his biggest edges is using leads of 5oz minimum size. However another angler will quote that using light leads have given him such an advantage. Is it a simple case of its only an edge if its not the norm on that given lake, is it only an edge because it is the opposite of what everyone else is doing? Or am I simply reading too much into this 🤣 I feel for my given situation fishing for un-pressured fish, fishing with a bigger lead would be better as the fish would more than likely bolt after feeling the lead, rather than sitting the spot trying to spit the hook. I think it would be interesting to see how each of our opinions and experiences differ or how similar they are. Cheers Guys

Spot on mate, appreciate you getting back to me, really looking forward to getting stuck into it now. Il hopefully try to keep a bit of a running update going. Many thanks for your help Dan

Id suggest maybe trying something different for a bit mate, I had a wobble about 18 months ago, so I started fishing the rivers for chub and barbel and really enjoyed a new challenge, through winter I then started targeting perch using u/L spinning methods catching fish to just over 2lb, I then moved over to the canal during the close season just fishing for bits, then hooked into a canal carp, successfully landing it. The carp fishing buzz is now back for me and as strong as ever, im now preparing for a autumn/winter campaign on the canal, which again is a totally new challenge. It all came full circle in the end. Try something new mate, hopefully you will enjoy a new style of fishing and hopefully make it full circle and crack on with your carp fishing again.

Appreciate the reply mate, some cracking info there which I'm going to implement into my fishing. Iv only done 2 sessions targeting the carp on the canal in my life so its a nice challenge for me and something totally new! What would be your reason for baiting the baron stretch of canal? Opposed to the stretch with near and far side cover? Main reason I ask is the 2 fish sightings/captures have come in the central section of the stretch that is the most tree lined and has the most overhead cover, this is where I was thinking of starting to bait, the main reason for me is access, I drive over this part of the canal daily, which means it is very simple to park up and trickle a bit of bait into and its far less fished and much safer than other parts of the canal. Actual baiting would you spread your bait out in a good sized area instead of localising under one bush for example? Due to the snaggy nature and having to fish locked up in some situations, would you be too concerned beefing up your tackle, I imagine you can be a little more crude with the rigs, to a certain point, bigger hooks, bigger leads ext. Another thing I was thinking, due to hooking 2 carp float fishing maggots for perch im tempted to still incorporate maggots into my mix, I feel on the previous sessions the disturbance of the smaller fish eventually got the carp interested enough to move in. I look forward to hearing from you mate, all the best Dan

Afternoon all, I spent the close season fishing the canal, after fishing the rivers for a season, targeting the perch mainly, with some good catches of perch around the 2lb mark, with loads of fish over 1lb. During a later session, torrential rain for most of the morning, after a succession of smaller perch, which were causing me some issues swallowing the hook ext, I thought il target the better fish, out comes the size 10 hook, 4lb bottom with 5lb line on the reel, bunch of maggots fished at 1 1/2 foot over to the far margin, shortly after I cast in the float shot under, upon striking the bite a scaley mirror shot out of the water, with it only being 18inches deep over the far side, I jumped out of my chair and was in connection with a carp, after getting caught up in vegetation above me, several branches were uprooted from the bottom of the canal during the battle, I managed to land the carp. It turned out to be a cracking little mirror, had no scales on me but I estimate maybe around the 15/16lb mark! This got me thinking, would it be worth putting a bit of time down there and go out to specifically target the carp with proper carp gear. I didn't act on this at the time and me and my dad were back down the same strip of canal a few weeks later, again targeting the perch, looking to have a little match. We had both been fishing for about an hour, both catching a few perch each, I was just edging it with a slightly better fish. A short while later I look over to see my dad in connection with what I thought was a large branch, or large snag on the bottom, I laughed to myself, turned back to my own swim, he then shouts over " I'm in to one, carp " obviously he's joking due to me hooking that carp the other week. A few minutes later I look back over and he's still hooped into something, he was actually in connection with another carp, I went over to assist with the netting, playing it very gingerly due to the light match tackle, he did manage to get the carp to the surface, we both saw the fish, it was a cracking common, much larger than the mirror I had last time, it shot off again in search of a nice snag in hope to free itself, the battle continued for a few minutes, he managed to play the fish back towards the bank where I was patiently waiting with the net, I got into position, the fish was surfacing, it then took one last searing dive and it was off!!!! Gutted! After seeing that common on the surface and then looking at the fish I managed to land, we were in agreement that the common was easily a 20lb fish!! It was now time to take this a bit more seriously, iv always overlooked that canal, even tho I do drive past it daily to work! What are the chances of the only 2 carp in that stretch of canal being hooked by us in the space of 2 weeks!! Im not sure of the numbers in the canal but it has to be worth a go!! Anyways, there's the scene set, now lets get down to the fishing! Iv done 2 sessions now, on the same strip with nothing to report, not too surprised as I knew from the start it would be a challenging campaign. Im happy that my stretch of canal is the right choice, the first 3 miles of the canal stretch is a baron strip, no cover, very open and industrial, not to say the fish don't make there way up here, I don't think its the place to target, the part im fishing is very accessible for me to trickle a bit of bait in to some likely areas, which may or may not be beneficial? Both carp have been hooked on maggots, bream are present so would it be wise to pre bait with a mixture of maggots and boilies, I strongly believe them carp were drawn into the swim due to us spraying maggots around, catching bream, roach and perch. its a sheltered part of the canal that runs though a residential estate, its the first bit of cover ( treelined both sides, overhanging cover ) This may prove well during the winter months also, just providing that little extra cover. So im happy with the location, im happy with my gear, im not sure about rig choice? Due to the location it is extremely snaggy in all areas, bar going down and raking a section im not sure what to do? Its littered with binbags, crisp packets, branches, old tow ropes ext, proper canal. I would of liked to be a little less conspicuous than raking the swim really, maybe fish, long multi rigs with 2" popped up sections to keep the bait free from the silt? My bait choice is the pacific tuna boilie with the matching white popups? Don't think it matters? Maybe introduce some maggots or breadcrumb just to create some disturbance when baiting? Cant wait to hear some feedback from you, canal carping is brand new to me, I know the concept is the same but its a whole new ballgame for me! All the best, anything you can think of that will help me will be much appreciated. Cheers Dan

Afternoon everyone, back after a session on the river churnet, had a selection of small fish including, grayling, dace and brown trout up to around half a pound, used a standard Avon rod and small 3000 Shimano reel, this setup did catch fish but I felt like I did lose a fair few fish shortly after hooking them, it was also a huge battle through the undergrowth carrying a 11 foot rod, I wanted to know if there is a smaller softer rod on the market that would suit this sort of fishing? Fish don't go much over 4/5lb in here, I will be mainly float fishing/trotting and using a single shot and feeling the line for bites, would a small fly rod be suitable for this style of fishing? Any tips or ideas would be much appreciated, Cheers Dan

Evening all, looking at kicking in with some river fishing this year, always wanted to start but never have until now, so at the moment I'm just looking at getting some kit together. The only item I'm unsure about is the rod choice really, everything else I can cobble together from the other gear I have. Weather it makes a difference to what rod to use or not but I will be mainly targeting the Trent, Dove, Severn. Iv been looking at the free spirit barbel tamer 1.5lb/tc?? Weather this is suitable or not test curve wise? Any input or feedback would be ideal, any general pointers with river fishing on the whole also would be much appreciated. Plenty of time yet but it will be nice to get some gear ready sooner rather than later, many thanks. Dan

Evening chaps, haven't fished white acres for 4 years now, just looking for any info on nelsons pool which is normally my preferred lake choice as pats is very heavily fished. Just some general info would be ideal as i can't find much info on the internet. Condition of the lake, any weed ext? Heavily fished or quiet as the last 2 trips were in the middle of summer and this time last year and we virtually shared the lake with a couple of lads? Bait pointer, what quantity ext? Any help would be appreciated, just to give me an idea of what tackle to take before going. Thanks, Dan

Iv never really felt confident using the setup to be honest, maybe I'm stuck in my ways. I will be taking the lead choice onboard. For the majority of my fishing iv used the lead clip arrangement and changed the rig to suit the situation, maybe its time to give the helicopter a go? Fish that on one and my standard setup on the other and compare the results. Dan

Afternoon everyone, just getting a few bits and bobs ready for a fishing trip in the next couple of weeks at cuttle mill. I did a day session a few weeks ago which was my first time at the lake, no fish landed but had one take which in which i struck into nothing. Because of the silt i had dropped my lead size down to 1oz and fished a standard rig lead clip style, id normally use a substantial lead 3-4oz but id reduced the size to combat the silt. This got me thinking if id used a larger lead would this of set the hook more than the 1oz, i know that once the leads plugged into the silt it weighs more but i couldn't help but think this. Im just curious to what and how you guys tackle a silty venue??? personally i try to avoid a helicopter setup where possible, I'm thinking of reverting back to the rig i used at abbey lakes earlier on in the season fished over blanket weed, which was a stiff hinge rig around 10" long fished with a critically balanced hook bait and a soft coated braid, this was hooked into a pva mesh bag of rig foam to keep the rig bolt up right then allow it to settle down afterwards, I'm thinking this would allow the lead to bury into the silt and let the rig fall into position but still allowing the bait to be presented correctly. Any thoughts guys let me know, look forward to listening to your ideas. Apologies for the long winded explanation for a relatively simple question Cheers, Dan.

Afternoon everyone, did a day on cuttle mill last sunday, had one run but struck into nothingness, its been back open after being shut for 2 years for 12 months now. No fish were caught but id like to get some more sessions in on there and was wondering if anyone has some prior knowledge on the lake as i can't find much about and the site gives little if any info. Any info would be much appreciated, if its areas to avoid, depths of the lake, popular methods ext. Any pointers would be great. Many thanks, Dan

Hello everyone, just had my shimano ultegras back from a shimano service, iv spooled one reel up and it the taper of the line is tapering from low at the back to high at the front of the reel. Hopefully the picture gives you a better idea, i was wondering if there is a way to adjust the taper to match the taper of the spool itself as the spool is full at the top and under filled at the bottom. Cheers

Hello everyone, after a little bit of advice about taking pictures at night. I have the nikon D3200 camera and I'm struggling to take a good nighttime fish shot. Im getting allot of glare back off the fish, I'm guessing this is going from darkness straight to a flash from the camera, we've tried using head torches and things. What I'm wondering is there was some form of attachment that fits on the camera that acts as light/torch that gives a consistent light before the flash kicks in? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Iv had the solar pair for ages now and seem to be a good standard compared to some others i have bought in the past.

thanks mate, any info is great, I'm coming down from stoke mate. Couple of the lads have been before, just looking to get an edge on them

Hello everyone, I'm sure you've probably seen thousands of topics on drayton, I'm going down on the 8th of march with a group of lads who have fished it previously. Were having a little match between ourselves, what method would you chose? I know its stuffed full of fish, i just unsure of how it fished at this time of year, any tips would be appreciated. Thanks

HI mate, me and my old man are going Willow Lakes in France. large cottage 10feet from a 2 and a half acre lake with a nice head of carp and cats. Carp to just over 50lb and cats to 70. The lake is yours for yourself for the whole week. Unfortunately no pool but i would take a look at it. Dan