A guest session and The Trent By Tommi Jackson

Luckily, I had managed to get a guest session on a local syndicate so made my way down to the lake with my friend who had got me the session. The lake is 4 acres in size and contains around 80 fish; the biggest being around 32lb. The lake is mainly clear but has a good number of silty pockets and weedy spots dotted around it, with depths averaging around 10ft. Its shape is hard to describe but it is quite long and about 70 yards wide at the widest point, with most of the fishing being done from one bank as you normally cast over to the other side to a reed and tree lined margin.

I had a walk around the lake a couple of times and saw a few fish. A guy known as "Chops" was fishing in the drink after talking to him his left rod which was in the bay he had a run on which resulted in a 19lb 14oz common, he was packing up then packed a couple of his rods away and put his 3rd rod on the floor he just was going to start reeling when the tip went around this then resulted in a 15lb mirror. So I had decided to fish a swim called the drink which had a nice little bay opposite and to the left hand side which was tree lined and had a few big beds of lily’s, I had decided to fish this swim as you can walk around and lower your rigs in to make sure they are laid out and presented correctly, also I could go and check on the spots to see if fish was feeding or if there was any signs of fish going into the area.

A stunning sunset down on the trent

After setting up in the swim I cast a rod to the far side I then went up the tree with the rig in my hand, I let the bait runner be loose so I could pull some line of when I needed to, the spot was a couple of feet deep and I had put some cc moore pellets and some groundbait onto the spot which I also added some corn. The rig was 6 inches of fluorocarbon with a couple of bits of putty on just to nail it down, I then had a short supple section which was tied KD style to a Nash size 8 fang x hook, hook bait was a cc moore hell raiser chopped down with a little bit of fake corn on top of. It had taken me a couple of tries until I was happy with it after pulling it back on the clear spot the bait was sinking nice and slow only just sitting on the bottom, the lead was a 4oz flat pear on a simple lead clip as there was a couple of cabbages behind the spot and a post a little further up that margin, if the fish was big enough the lead would drop of if it was a stockie then it would not drop.

After putting the first rod out I had decided to cast on a hump in the left bay after a couple of tries with different rigs I got the rig on top of it I had put the naked chod on with the slow sinking corn again this just sat on top of the weed and would not look to obvious on the hump, corn, pellets and groundbait was placed on and around the hump. I had decided to put the final rod over to some reeds on a chod rig with a pink pop up from cc moore this was fished as a single hook bait, I was hoping that the fish might just go for it as it was a warm muggy day and fish was clearly patrolling the reeds going in and out of them.

At around 5pm I had a take of the spot with the corn and cc moore pop up it was only a stockie weighing 5lb 8oz guess it had just saved me a blank though ! I had got the rod straight back out onto the spot and went to see Mike and Paul (my friend) who was just up the bank I ended up staying up there as we was all sat with Mike who was in the middle of us so we was not too far from the rods. I went to bed and got woken up by Paul who had told me that someone further up had caught a 26lb common known as "No Pecs", we was packed up for around 9am when Paul suggested we go to the river Trent I thought it was a good idea as I have only fished it once and not done any good. Paul dropped me of at home for a couple of hours so we could both get refreshed.

We called at the local pet store at around 12pm and got some pellets some 10mm standard pellets and 6mm high oil pellets which I could also mix into the cc moore pellets and put in the pva bags. We got there after getting lost thanks to Paul’s great driving skills which took us to Lincoln and it was quite busy the weir was 200yards up the river and there was a lot of people in front of the car park so we both decided to barrow further up to peg 15 which gave us a lot of water up and down the stretch. I took the left side of the swim and Paul took the right side. I made a couple of rigs up with simple coated braid size 7 Nash fang twister hooks which was about 12 inch long attached to a 10oz gripper I wanted the rig to be on the bottom and not to be moving anywhere the bait was a standard bottom bait tipped with a CC Moore baits hellraiser pop up boilies.. I had not noticed but there was a little island about 15 yards from Paul’s swim I had decided to put another rod down there, I had changed the rig a little putting a size 10 fang x hook with a cc moore hellraiser chopped down tipped with a little bit of corn I also was adding a bag of pellets to the rods when casting out also. I then had a take around 6pm on the rod near the little island this turned out to be a bream about 7lb, I was putting pellets in upstream and groundbait every 30 mins until about 11pm when I got my head down.

My First Trent Barbel

At 3am I had a ripper on the baited area rod after a couple of mins me and Paul both saw it was a barbel I was quite nervous as this is my first river Trent barbel, we got it in the net and it weighed in at just over 6lb not the biggest but my first barbel from the river Trent after a couple of photos where I looked dead, Paul reminded me of the Youtube carper Gollum (personal joke) where I managed to crack a smile. I tied a new rig and got the rod back out onto the spot and put my head down again where I woke up at 7am and we both decided to put some fresh bait on, after talking to a couple of lads there was only a couple of rudd caught so I thought I had done well getting a bream and a barbel.

That was the end of my weekend landing a stunning little stockie on a guest session, and my first every river Trent barbel.


Tommi Jackson

Catching Wels Catfish a Quick Guide

The Wels Catfish has a long scaleless body, like an eel, with a large head and mouth. The inside of the mouth has rows of tiny little like Velcro teeth on the top and bottom of its jaw, these are used to hold its prey before passing it to the two sets of crushing pads at the back of the throat. It has a small pointless looking dorsal fin whilst the anal fin stretches backwards until it almost reaches the tail. The colouration's vary from fish to fish but normally they are dark green or black body with creamy yellow sides given a mottled effect.

They have a large number of scent glands and vibration sensors all along their body, with greater concentrations around the lateral lines. These may help in detecting any vulnerable prey within their vicinity.

They have two long whiskers positioned on the upper jaw. These can be used to track live prey out in the flow of the river. They possess another four whiskers on the bottom jaw, which are used to scavenge around the river beds to detect smaller food items, such as crayfish, worms and leeches. Catfish do need their strong senses and glands in order to survive because they have very poor vision. Their eyes may just have enough focus to distinguish between day and night!

Wels Catfish often lay in quiet, dark lairs until ready to feed: overhanging trees, weed beds, lilies and hollows under the bank or on a lake or river bed provide ideal locations. They inhabit rivers and large lakes and ponds where they occupy both a scavenger and apex predator role.

Catfish have a well-developed sense of smell and are, for the most part, omnivorous which means that they will eat a wide variety of foods and are opportunistic feeders known to bite just about anything that is edible and some things that aren’t.

A Catfish’s natural diet consists mainly of fish, but is a predator with a considerable appetite and varied palate and will consume amphibians, worms, crayfish, leeches, small swimming mammals like mice, rats or voles, and water birds from chicks to adult ducks.

There are various methods to tempt the Catfish, one is to ledger deadbaits consisting of Roach, Rudd, Carp, Tench or eels. Look for any likely feature that the Catfish would patrol like marginal shelves, deep holes, old stream beds and snaggy areas and place your bait here and wait.

Livebaits if permitted is another favourite, fishing with the above fish baits but alive! The bait can be presented just below the surface using a dumbbell rig or if possible a weak link tied to the opposite bank. This method produces very violent takes, so make sure you are by the rods at all time!

Worms are a very underrated bait and can be devastating if fished just off the bottom, only to be used at night though as every other fish in the lake will want to eat them during the day.

The most common bait to be used on most commercial fisheries at the moment is the Halibut pellet. The pellets come in various sizes and are best fished with a few large pellets on a hair rig over a bed of smaller pellets.

The pellet rig is a basic carp rig but stepped up to withstand the abrasive teeth of the catfish. Use either 20lb amnesia or kevlar braid for the hook length. This is tied to a size two extra strong hook using a knottless knot creating a hair long enough to hold two or three large pellets. This rig is fished using a free running lead with a large running ring.

When fishing close to the near margins replace the heavy lead with a few swan shots on a link ledger. This creates a very efficient rig with almost no resistance. Although catfish are predators with large mouths they can still be very finicky when feeding, so if a bait is picked up but there is too much resistance the catfish may well drop it and move on.

From time to time, small dead animals such as mice, voles, rats, and birds will find their way into the water, all are readily eaten by catfish and can be good baits on certain waters.

A hungry cat will eat almost anything even if it doesn't occur naturally in its environment. By careful pre-baiting they can be encouraged to take most things, for instance sausages, liver, luncheon meat, squid, octopus or even shellfish will all catch especially if they have a strong smell. The attraction of this type of bait can be improved by soaking in flavours and oils, particularly the meaty or fishy ones.

So there you have a very quick guide to what is perhaps the most powerful fish in European freshwater. Wels catfish may not be the best looking fish that swims but they can't help that and it somehow only adds to their mystique.

Fishing For Tench

The tench is one of Britain's most distinguishable and loveable fish, with its olive green flanks, tiny red eyes and powerful grey-brown fins. Anglers cannot fail but recognise this beautiful species, but by the same token, non-anglers recognise the tench too, due to its distinctive shape, colour and size, and due to the fact that many tench are sold in garden centres as pond fish.

Tench Fishing can be one of the most rewarding types of fishing but at the same time one of the hardest. Tench are a very shy species of fish and they can become almost unfindable and uncatchable at certain times of the year. There are Tench in most lakes, rivers and gravel pits up and down the country, some that never ever get caught.

Tench are different to the carp. They are much shyer, more timid and more fussy when it comes to feeding. The tench will not compete for food in the same way that carp do and this makes them harder to catch. Tench prefer natural baits, that look natural. They can be caught on boilies and pellets, just like carp because in many lakes they have become a natural food source for the fish as anglers continue to use them.

Baits to catch Tench - Their natural foodstuff are bloodworms, small crustaceans and microscopic foods such as daphnia. But tench can quite easily be tempted by the likes of worms, sweetcorn, red maggot, casters and luncheon meat.

Targeting and finding tench in lakes can be quite easy during certain months of the year. Firstly, tench are never too far away from vegetation or underwater gullies. They are a bottom-feeding species that use the sides of ledges and the stems of underwater weed as cover.

Tench can produce streams of tiny bubbles when they are feeding. These are created when the tench crushes its food, and the bubbles escape through the gills. So, if you find series of these pin-prick bubbles breaking the surface you know you are not too far away from a feeding tench.

Binoculars will help enormously when searching for these signs, as will a high vantage point.
But if the water's devoid of any bubbles, watch for signs of reed knocking around, lilies moving, coloured water close to weed and calm patches within rippled water all denote the prescence of a tench or two.

Fish at the right time - You are best fishing for tench between July and October. This is because the tench are slightler slower to wake up from their winter sleep! Whereas carp and most other fish wake up around April -May time; the tench will not start feeding properly untill July.

Therefore if you are the type of angler that fishes for different fish throughout the year then make sure that you save some time inbetween these months to fish for tench.

Beginers Guide to lure fishing for Pike

Lure fishing for pike is a very mobile and active technique that requires very little tackle. All you need is a rod, reel, a few trace wires, Large landing net some forceps and wire cutters and you are all set.

Rods

So Lets start with the Rod. They are sometimes called spinning rods, sometimes called lure rods and sometimes called plugging rods – they all perform similarly in that they have plenty of power through the middle to the butt and have flexible tip sections.

They are short rods generally between 6ft and 10ft of varying power. The power of a lure rod is indicated by the rod’s casting weight. On the blank of the rod you’ll find some figures such as 5-25g, 15-40g or 30-60g. Those are the optimum weight of lures that the rod will cast, so the higher the weight, the more powerful the rod will be. Normally, the longer the lure rod is, the more powerful it tends to be.

The rods pictured above are Shimano Beastmaster BX 8ft med/heavy 14-40g Spining rods which would be ideal for a beginner to pike fishing.

Reels

Moving onto the Reel. There are two main types of lure fishing reels. Most anglers prefer the simplicity of a reliable fixed spool reel, while some prefer to use multiplier reels. I would strongly recommend that you avoid  multiplier reels if you are a newcomer to lure fishing as they are complicated to set up correctly and can cause a lot of problems when casting.

By far the best choice would be a small fixed spool reel in the 2500 and 3000 size. A compact front drag model is ideal as they are small and lightweight, but a rear drag reel will definitely suffice.

The right line

Given the choice between using mono or braid, I would choose braid every time. This supple, ultra-thin material is the perfect choice because it has no stretch. This means that as soon as you begin winding the reel’s handle after casting, or as soon as you flick the rod tip down, your lure will move, making it jerk rapidly, flick over slowly, rise up gracefully and dive down rapidly. What’s more,  you will be able to feel any plucks upon the lure because braid has the unique ability to transmit indications from the lure to the rod tip.

Wire Trace

A vital piece of kit that every lure angler should use as they prevent the fish biting through the line and trailing lures around in their mouths. Traces can be bought at very little cost, or they can be made at home to your own specifications using only a few components.

The perfect lure fishing trace wire should be supple, 10in long, 30lb breaking strain and feature a swivel at one end and a snap link at the other so you can change your style or size of lure in a second without having to re-tie a trace.

The right lures

There are literally thousands of different lures on the market – all manner of different shapes, sizes, weights, configurations and patterns. Some are plastic, some are metal, others are rubber while some are wooden. But whatever the make-up they are all designed to do one thing – imitate an injured fish or water creature to make the pike react, think it’s an easy meal approaching and snap at it.

How To Catch More Fish (Beginner Tips)

By Ian G Burden
It can be frustrating and tiresome not to be getting any fishing action but sometimes all it takes is to change the speed that you retrieve your line.

The predatory instincts of most fish are triggered by anything that resembles an injured and easy meal. There's less work to be done chasing after something that's swimming a few strokes, pausing, lilting on its side, then slowly moving on again. To mimic that effect, try pausing the retrieve for a few seconds with floating crank baits. These lures are made with balsa for their obvious buoyant reasons. The front lip has an angle pulls them underwater to the desired depth for swimming, but as soon as you stop they will begin their ascent to the surface. It is at that point that any fish interested in having your lure will usually thrust their hungry violence upon it. Muskie and Northern Pike are especially good at appearing from nowhere and its no wonder with an attack speed of around 3 meters a second. Trout are a little more wary and zigzag behind the lures before deciding they'll take, often just as you're out of line and straight under the rod.
If you're not the most patient of an angler, then you'll find chilling on that retrieve will work better than a normal constant retrieve.

Spoons work well with a steady retrieve and it can be frustrating to lose fish that you know are hitting the lure but just not the right way. Sea trout are famous for this. They love the kinds of spoons that deflect their angle of attack more often than not and you only need to add an extra ring or two to the treble on the back to guarantee more sport.

If you're the kind that likes to fish after crappie and bass with a pole over the tangles of waterlogged and gnarled roots of flooded forests, then try dangling softbaits like craw daddies and small frogs. Mice are also extremely lethal, but be very prepared for the specimens to hit the latter. Fish that lurk deep and dark will often see the large silhouette of a protein packed meal such as a mouse and hit it with a vengeance before speeding back to the cover they came from.
These techniques will often trigger feeding instincts from the shyest fish in most places on any day and in any weather.

You have nothing to lose by adding a marabou tail feather to a lure or crank bait, or even swapping a feathered treble or hook from another fishing lure to one you're using can get your dead lines tight again.
Your hook size could also be the problem so if you feel like you've had a hit, but missed it, change down to a smaller size and see if it helps.

When all else is failing over a day, consider using natural baits. You may have decided not to bring any, but grabbing a tuft of grass and giving it a good shake can easily dig up worms. There's plenty life underground and grubs or centipedes can also make a great meal for any fish. Like good golfers make sure you return your divots firmly afterwards and don't leave your fishing area looking like a moonscape.

Understanding thermoclines is also an important factor in nailing fish on those off fishing days. There are special fishing thermometers that can measure layers for you and more advanced anglers have been satisfied by knowing more about the science in these methods for catching fish. It's a little technical but worthwhile depending in how committed you want to get about increasing your sporting chances.

Hydrographic maps of your fishing holes, lakes, rivers and seas are very useful if you can't manage to use or own a fish-finder. These maps are readily available in most places these days and will put the odds in your favour if you can see the underwater terrain where fish may be hiding out.

Above all, be aware of your surroundings. Fish love any kind of cover such as the boat mooring pier at the lake, underwater obstacles, submerged trees and many other place you might not think to set a hook in, on or under. Look there first and fish cautiously. Approaching your water with stealth and cunning on foot or boat will also see you enjoy a lot more sport. Tight lines.

British Bream Record Broken Again

The British bream record has been beaten following the capture of a fish weighing in at a colossal 23lb. Smashing the previous best for the species by nearly 3lb.

The huge fish was landed by specimen Carp angler Scot Crook from Cambridgeshire’s Ferry Lagoon, a water that has been well known for a number of years for its record breaking potential following the capture a British record in bream in 2005 at 19lb 10oz and of a 22lb 9oz bream in 2009 by carp angler Mark McKenna. It is believed that the fish is actually the same bream caught by Mark.

On its latest visit to the bank, the heavyweight specimen was taken with another huge bream weighing 18lb 8oz, enabling the Scot to lay claim to landing the biggest brace of the species in history, even though he wasn’t targeting them at the time.

The two fish are thought to be virtually the only bream in the 200-acre venue, which is located near Holywell in Cambridgeshire and is part of the complex of gravel pits that makes up the Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB reserve.

Most members of the syndicate which operates on Ferry Lagoon target its low stock of very large carp, and indeed the last three captures of record-busting bream have been taken by carp anglers.
Scot’s capture overtakes the previous official best for the species set last year by Simon Lavin of 20lb 2oz from a southern gravel pit.

Daiwa Exist 2012

The first thing you notice when you pick up the 2012 Exist is its weight. The machined Zaion body and rotor is incredibly light weight yet exhibits mores strength than magnesium or any alloys available, it is lighter and completely corrosion resistant. Its precision engineering

supports the re-vamped high accuracy Digigear II drive and silent oscillation system to produce smoother rotary efficiency and increased cranking power like never before, combine this with Magseal and CRBB’s and this is the smoothest, most powerful reel Daiwa has ever released.

The Exist uses Daiwa’s ultimate reel designs, like Magseal, Silent Oscillation II, Dura-aluminum machined main shaft, CRBB, titanium coated Twist Buster 2 line roller and rotor brakes to name a few. But the all new introduction into the new Exist is the Magsealed line roller. This introduction eliminates line roller bearing corrosion and helps eliminate line twist and wear.

Each Exist is individually constructed, serial numbered and is made with the highest quality materials available. Designed for the serious tournament angler, the Exist will set the standard for the ultimate in spinning reel technology.

Magseal

Given the popularity of saltwater fishing, sealing a reel is a major goal. No leakage means no corrosion, longer life and better performance. If saltwater penetrates a reel and dries, it crystallizes, and then erodes gears and bearings. In the past waterproof gaskets and “o rings’ prevented water intrusion, but they have the disadvantage of, producing friction and thus winding inertia.

In order to increase the durability of the reel, Daiwa had to make the waterproof structure an absolute priority. Through years of research and development, Daiwa found the solution – a membrane of magnetic oil which shuts out saltwater. By using magnetized oil in conjunction with magnets, the oil attaches itself to the metal surfaces to form a seal. Being magnetized this lubrication system avoids any friction, prevents dust or water intrusion, eliminating oil spray and improving reel life expectancy. We call it “Mag Seal”. You’ll call it magic and a transformation to long lasting, smooth rotary efficiency. Water intrusion is now a thing of the past.

Magseal debuted in 2010 Certate, cementing itself as the world’s most advanced spinning reel, this technology flowed on into Saltiga, Caldia and now Exist. But with the new Exist, Daiwa’s flagship reel, what better reel to introduce our new innovation and technology too…. For the first time ever Exist features a Mag Seal line roller. Line roller bearings are one of the hardest wearing parts in a reel. They are constant working and received the harshest punishment of any part of a reel. The pressure of the line, continual water and salt impregnation destroys roller bearings quickly. Now with Magseal technology this is an issue of the past.

Air Rotor

Air Rotor is like no other, it is truly a revolution in sensitivity. The new rotor serves several functions. Firstly the main principle of the rotor is support the line roller, line is pulled instantaneously from the spool to the line roller creating stress and flexing to a concentrated section of the lower rotor. The new arch form disperses pressure to the entire lower entire section of the rotor, dramatically decreasing stress and flexing.

Sensitivity is one of the strongest attributes of Air Rotor. The rotor is made from a high sensitive Zaion that transmits vibration through the reel more efficiently than ever before. By hollowing out the rotor system, a lighter construction is created with more surface area, resulting in increased strength and greater transmission of vibration. With a decrease in weight the balance has been fine tuned, with a lower centre of gravity and precise centre of axis the rotor spins more efficiently with perfect balance. This decrease in weight, increased surface area and new Zaion construction transmits lure vibration to the angler like never before.

Zaion

“Zaion” is simply explained as a high density carbon resin. Zaion is a new material, composed of carbon resin and long carbon fibres. This high density material is light, strong and resists corrosion, used in many of Daiwa’s reels, it far exceeds the strength of magnesium in strength per unit weight comparison. Zaion transmits vibration through the reel more efficiently than ever before and it is lighter and stronger than a conventional reel made with similar resins or graphite’s.

The Trophy shot -5 Tips To Help You Get It Right

We look at 5 key things to avoid or remember when taking photos of carp, whether snapping your mates first 40 or your kid's first double the following will help to ensure the perfect Trophy Shot.

Bad Composition.

There's a number of sides to this. To state the obvious trophy shots are about the angler and the fish so as a general rule these should dominate the composition, i.e. be in the center and fill the frame. Now although it's always worth snapping a few different shots, the other people present, the fish being returned etc. but the shot the guy usually wants on his wall is the standard one seen in all the mags and consequently is the most important to get right.

When taking the picture for a trophy shot it’s very important that the frame is filled as much as possible. For instance, I always aim to have the fish’s lips and tail just millimetres from the left and right hand edge of the frame as you look through the view finder. I insist that the fish is slightly pushed out by the captor; this gives a better aspect to the trophy.

I always like to see the back on the fish somewhere around the top of the captor’s chest. The photographer’s position height in relation to the height that the fish is being held is very important. Once in the right position you will see that the elbows of the captor disappear.

The most common mistake on trophy shots is to stand too far back and have the angler and the fish too small in the center. By the same token avoid getting too close and chopping heads and tails off. You want the entire anglers head and fish in the frame.

Bad Background.

For most purposes a blank canvas of greenery a couple of metres behind the angler gives most prominence to the subject. Complicated backgrounds generally take something away from the composition and the things to definitely avoid are bivvys in the background, other people, cars etc.

This is one area where there are some notable exceptions. Flowered bushes or grasses can add some colour and look stunning without distracting the focus from the angler and their prized fish.

The sides of the swim are pretty much always the banker shots. The camera has a solid forward object to focus on and a rear focal point in the form of reeds or foliage, although these often soften out slightly (go out of focus). Remember always to have the sun coming over your shoulder whenever possible.

A black silhouette/Underexposed shots

Especially common with the returner photo this shot occurs when a bright background fools the camera into underexposing the focal point of the shot, i.e. the angler and fish. Depending on the camera there are a number of ways to avoid this.

Say you want to take a picture of a Carp being returned. There is water in the lower half or so of the picture, and sky in the upper half or so, with the Carp in the middle. If the Carp is slightly above the middle, the camera tries to adjust to the dark water and everything looks very bright.

If you put the Carp below the middle of the picture, the camera tries to adjust to the bright sky and everything gets darker. So the trick is to move the middle of the picture (usually indicated by a square, some “crosshairs”, a small circle, [brackets], or something) slightly above the horizon, and slightly below the horizon, until you get just the right brightness. You then half-press the button to “lock” those exposure settings, and don’t let your finger off. Finally, compose the picture the way you want and press the button the rest of the way down.

Giant Fish Syndrome

Wide angle lenses, such as the 35mm lens on a standard compact, exaggerate distances.

This means that objects nearer the lens look proportionately bigger then further items. Getting in really close to the fish with a wide angle lens will make the fish look proportionately bigger. A 50mm lens is close to the natural eye view so gives a realistic fish size and is a popular focal length for people who take their fish shots seriously.

If the Captor pushes the carp out from their body this gives a better aspect to the trophy but it will also make the fish look bigger.

Camera Shake

The really important bit, of course, is taking the shot. In an ideal world, you would always lock off your shot (use a tripod) but in reality that’s never going to happen. You’ve got two living, breathing creatures going through a complex process in which one is held aloft, while the other battles to stay as still as possible. With the best will in the world the fish will still be battling and the captor struggling to hold it steady.

When taking a picture its absolutely essential that you hold the camera properly. With a heavier slr type camera a good position is down on one knee with your left hand under the lens and elbow propped on the other knee. Sort of a human tripod. Another trick is, just prior to taking the shot take a couple of short breath, then hold you breath and gently squeeze the button rather then push it. Often people push the button quite hard and jog the camera in the process!!!

And finally - There are so many variables when taking the trophy shot but one thing’s for sure. If you have given it thought and consideration beforehand you will deal with the situation in a much calmer, rational, organised manner, and that can only improve the results

Tips For Pike Fishing

To catch pike you first have to find where they are in a water, "easy right!" wrong in a large lake or river it can prove a big challenge. Typically, being a predatory fish, pike will be near the shoals of small fish that they feed on. If you can locate theses there's a good chance pike will be near by.

Look for features, pike feed by ambushing their prey and love hiding in weed, around fallen trees, or along gravel bars etc... On a new venue it is often worth spending time with a heavy lead and a Marker float to find the bars gullys and other areas that could hold fish.

Twitching your bait in a few feet every 10 minutes is a good way to encourage a wary pike to strike.

When ledgering popping a bait up with foam or air can make them more visible on weedy or silty waters.

Watch the water for fish, a feeding pike will often "swirl" or you may see bait fish jumping, it is always worth casting a rod to these areas.

To add a bit of extra flavour to your bait try injecting it with fish oil or approx 5ml of Chapel Baits blood n worm glug,

A wobbled bait can be very effective on waters where pike are feeding actively, try slowly twitching the bait so it mimics an injured fish.

Bait Seletion

Chosing the right bait is of course essential but there are no hard and fast rules on what bait is best. Maybe more a range of established baits that find favour with many anglers.

Live baits - Without a doubt one of the best, yet controversial, there isn’t a more effective way of catching a pike than a live bait if allowed.

Very Impotortant! - When using livebait always catch them from the water you are fishing, never transfer fish between waters, this can spread disease.

Deadbaits - The most common baits used are dead fish, either fresh water or sea fish work well. The fresher you can obtain and store your baits the more effective they will be.

Popula dead baits include - Rudd, Roach, Perch, Bream, Eels, Lamprey and even small Pike from freshwater.Mackerel, Herring, Sardines, Smelt, Scad, Spratts, and many more....

When you do catch a pike it is essential that you unhook it and get it back in the water as quickly as possible. Its a common misconception that pike are a tough fish, in fact the opposite is true. Pike are very fragile and can easily die if mistreated or kept out of the water for too long.

So when you are fishing make sure you have your net, unhooking mat and forceps or pliers close at hand. When handling pike try to stay calm and be confident; they do not “bite” people but it is easy to catch your hand on a tooth or the serrated bones behind their gills if you are not careful. The most important thing is to unhook a pike safely and quickly and get it back in the water. When you net the pike place it on your unhooking mat and try and see where the hooks are.

To hold a pike place a couple of fingers under the gill plate and lift the pikes head, wear a glove if you are not confident doing this. The mouth of the pike will open and you can remove the hooks with your pliers or forceps. You will need to be firm when removing hooks while doing so in a controlled way that will not harm the fish.

Once a Pike is unhooked it is important to return it to the water as quickly as possible. Always hold the fish until it is strong enough to swim away.