Displaying items by tag: fishing

Milton Keynes Disabled Angling Club

The Milton Keynes Disabled Angling Club was formed to encourage people with disabilities to fish. This includes those who used to fish and those who want to try it for the first time.

Their equal oportunity policy makes disability include any loss of facilty due to the passing of time. The club boasts three licensed coaches.

MATCH FISHING - By Ergo

It’s time to put your fishing skills to use and bring home some coin – but what steps need to be taken to get on the match-fishing ladder? Ergo reveals the info you’ll need...

Many pole anglers spend countless hours bashing away at their local venues. But what if you could actually make some money from it? Well, many anglers have the same thought week in, week out and when it comes to fishing a competitive match the world is your oyster.

The first decision you must make is what kind of match you want to enter. Generally, club matches are best for the match fishing ‘virgin’ because they allow you to sample competition fishing but on a small scale and with less risk to your wallet. There are literally hundreds of clubs around the UK and the chances are you’ll be in the catchment area of a dozen or so just sat where you are. Above anything else, club matches are all about anglers getting together for fun. However, the fun element doesn’t mean that the matches will be no good. On the contrary, clubs often have regular matches on some of the best waters around the UK and will offer the beginner to match fishing a chance to fish well-known venues without having to face the open-match regulars who are highly skilled.

The other alternative is to go straight into open matches. Opens bring together the cream of match fishing, whether it’s from the local circuit or anglers who travel from far and wide. The major pitfall here is that you will generally be up against the best that match fishing has to offer. Those who do compete will be familiar with every peg, technique and opportunity that arises, making them very hard to beat. On the plus side, payouts are much higher and the purse for a winning angler can be in the hundreds of pounds, rather than the £50 or so you’ll win from a 25-peg club match. The basic fact to remember is to choose a match on a venue that you will feel comfortable fishing. If you’re a canal angler who rarely fishes for carp, then it may be too big a step to jump straight into a circuit based on the major commercial venues of this world. Instead, why not stick to what you are good at, be it canals, rivers or carping. If you are moving into an area that’s unfamiliar to you, then practise – after all, it will save you money in the long run.

The qualities of the field and the venue aren’t the only factors to consider though. Location and entry cost are two that can’t be overlooked. Don’t travel too far because:

a.. It is daunting to travel 100 miles or so, because those nerves will have time to build up and,
b.. You may not be able to do the journey regularly, leaving you up in the air as to whether you’ll get to grips with a venue.

Also, cost has to be taken into account. Tot up your petrol, entry cost and bait bill before you start and work out whether it will be a viable option.

The weekly angling press is the best place to start when choosing a match. There are many opens run every weekend and also through the week. If you are a member of a club, then your club newsletter will let you know the where's and the when's, making it a much easier prospect to get fishing. All in all, match fishing can be a rewarding experience, whether it’s serious open fishing or the more relaxed atmosphere of a local club.

Whatever the match, enjoy the fishing! Remember...

a.. Set your goal. Is it the money that’s your motivation or just the kudos of beating other anglers?
b.. The weeklies are your guides to the matches to be held over the coming week. Read the match reports and make your mind up from there.
c.. Join a club. Club fishing is the most popular form of match fishing and it’s easy to see why – high turnouts, affordable entry fees and the emphasis on fun.
d.. Stick to what you know. Don’t jump feet first into a match that you know you’ll do badly in. Instead, use your skills as your strength and fish matches on similar venues to those you regularly frequent.
e.. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Make sure you cover every eventuality with regard to rigs, bait and even down to filling the car up with petrol – it’s no good if everything else is perfect but your car runs out of fuel on the way!

Edited By Paul Orford - UK Fisherman
More excellent advice from Ergo. So if any of you fancy giving match fishing a try, you now know all you need to get started.

What does your swim look like underwater?

Find out with M & B Contour Map Fishing

M & B Contour Mapping specializes in producing accurate coloured contour depth maps of lakes and Fisheries. The maps show any variations in depth, the position of ledges, holes, sunken islands or any other features. The pegs or swims are shown precisely in the correct position so the fishermen can see exactly what the water depths are like all around his swim.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A LICENCE BEFORE HEADING TO THE RIVER:

Submitted by Adrian Westwood at The Environment Agency

Anglers eagerly anticipating the opening of the coarse fishing season on June 16 should make sure they have a valid rod licence before heading for the river.

The reminder comes as 270 anglers were prosecuted by the Environment Agency in May, resulting in more than £38,000 in fines and costs. In addition three anglers received cautions.

LESSONS FOR ANGLERS FROM A FISHY EDUCATION:

By Rex Bledsoe

Humans have a tendency to believe most animals are relatively stupid - especially fish. When anglers believe fish have limited powers of observation and intelligence, they tend to exclude the lessons most schools of fish teach their young. When they do so, they continue to believe old wives tales and misguided assumptions about fish behavior. In particular, they underestimate the capacity of the fish they are pursuing to practice the hook-avoidance techniques that are a regular part of a fishy education.

FACT Launches two posters to save Nation’s fisheries

Fish theft and spread of disease have been the big issues for Britain ’s anglers over the last two years. The Fish Welfare Group, a working committee of Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT), recently launched two posters carrying key messages for the health of our fisheries;

Not Such A Great Fishery !!

Uk Fisherman was recently contacted by Gareth Scutt who wanted to pass on his concerns regarding a fishery in Cheshire and the condition of the fish there.

Gareth said:

I would like to inform your readers about an appalling incident involving what I have always thought to be a great fishery.

I visited Cheshire Fisheries, Nr Tattenhall, Cheshire and upon arrival I noticed that the surface of the smallest course lake was covered with fish gasping for air. It was obvious to me that there was a serious problem so being the kind-hearted gent that I am, I thought I better make sure the owners were aware.

I approached one of the gentlemen behind the shop counter and asked, "have you seen your fish mate, they don't look to good." He said to me, "yeah the pipe is blocked because people leave litter and what do mean have I seen them, do you think I'm F***ing blind!"

I was shocked at his attitude and later further shocked that they were still selling tickets to that lake. Children and parents with kids who thought great, look at all these fish, we'll have a great day. Little did they know that these fish were all close to death and would not be feeding?

Very unprofessional and a complete outrage that they let things get so bad to begin with.

Editor: Gareth has two justifiable reasons to be upset, the state of the fish and the reaction to his concern form the guy in the shop. If you are connected to, or know Cheshire Fisheries and would like to comment on this article, please contact UK Fisherman through the contact page

** Please note the views expressed here are not necessarily endorsed by UK Fisherman

Challenging Disadvantage

Challenging disadvantage by changing young lives for the better, offering friendship, experience, diversion, caring and mentoring...

At 121 Youth Befriending we recruit and train volunteers from the local community to provide the necessary skills and support to young people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

There is an increasing call on the services of 121 as young people are finding it more and more difficult to cope with the complex business of growing up and coping with the pressures of our modern society.

The Wels Catfish

Description
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 100s of tiny little velcro like 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 six barbules, two long ones on the upper jaw for detecting its prey and four shorter ones on the lower jaw. It has a small almost pointless looking dorsal fin whilst the anal fin stretches backwards until it almost reaches the tail.

The colouration of the Wels can vary from fish to fish but normally they have dark eyes with a dark greeny black body with creamy yellowish sides creating a mottled effect. Albino looking catfish are sometimes found but are very rare, these have red eyes and a yellow/creamy colouration to its body.

How to catch a Wels Catfish
There are various methods to tempt the Catfish, one is to ledger deadbaits consisting of Roach, Rudd, Carp, Tench or eels. From the information i have found it is best to 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 are another top 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. I have been told this method produces very violent takes, so make sure you are by the rods at all time!

Worms are a very underated 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.

Location
Catfish like to hide away in dark quiet places until they are ready to feed, which is not very often. Look out for overhanging trees, weed beds, lilies and hollows under the bank, a bait placed near any of these areas is a good bet. Anglers do say that when a catfish is on the feed it will come to you and will not be a fussy eater either.

Wels Catfish uk record
62lb (28.123 kilo’s) 1997: R Garner from Withy Pool, Henlow, Bedfordshire.

Recommended Catfish Venue
Carpenwater, Clacton-On-Sea, Essex, England
Contact Phil on 01255 479918 or email to Carpenwater@btinternet.com

Source: www.welscatfish.co.uk

Many thanks to Phil at welscatfish.co.uk for kindly allowing UK Fisherman to use this article.

CARP FISHING WITH MARC - By Marc

Seasonal Changes 2006 - Part 2

Thinking About Baits

Welcome to part two in which I’m going to talk about baits & the successes I have had of late.

In the late eighties I never bought used shop made baits. I allways rolled my own & I’m sure many of you will appreciate just how long this takes. Many hours I spent in the garden shed after getting banned from the kitchen mixing, rolling & boiling boilies. Yes pre-made boilies have come along way since then but I just preferred making my own on the basis that I had control of what went into my final bait, colour, flavour levels etc.

Most of my boilies were made from BFM (big fish mix) with various flavours/colours, until I stumbled across the amazing flavour of cranberry. This flavour was & still is today a top fish attractor. I did mess around with maple too but it just didn’t match cranberry.

As you maybe aware BFM is a brownish red colour & with a small amount of red robin a lovely dark red colour was formed. Red, purple & brown are apparently some strongest colours found in the carps colour spectrum - worth remembering!

I wasn’t heavily into particles at this time, a few tiger nuts, sweet corn & hemp were used occasionally and I had massive confidence in my boilies so I stuck with them.

During my brief encounter with marriage I had to sacrifice a bit of my carp fishing, the long hours bait making was one of the first to go & my over night sessions were cut down too. The birth of my daughter Annalise really limited my time on the bank, but as many of you dads will agree is a well worth sacrifice.

This was when I really had to find a pre-made bait that lived up to my expectations!

Friends & magazines really made my decision easier; everyone seemed to be raving on about Mainline baits! So my next trip to the tackle shop saw me leave laden with 10 kilo’s of Assina8 (freezer boilies). They looked good, smelt good & tasted great, yes I eat my boilies. Not regularly honest, but I believe if I like them the carp will too.

I had some really good catches on this bait but something was missing. The carp loved the bait but often got bored & would start feeding in the silt around the boilies? I started asking questions, having thoughts about this to myself. I think it was a match angler friend who suggested loose feeding maggots & cutting down the amount of loose boilies offered. God did this work, the carp went crazy, the water was fizzing with activity & they readily picked up both baits. This is when I stumbled across chopping the boilies & feeding them with the maggots, yep I had cracked it. Bearing in mind this was during the nineties & I did get many a strange look from other anglers as I sat there chopping boilies into a bucket & mixing it all with maggots. Maggots are for Roach, Rudd etc aren’t they?

I skipped the introduction of the Activa8 although some of friends caught very well on them. I stuck with my current bait until Maple8 was released. This boilie was so close to my BFM bait I just had to move on to it.

There comes a time when every angler has to raise his targets & move on to new venues, I had six great seasons on Furnace Wood syndicate & Buckhurst Park Estate lakes, with me moving homes too made finding new waters easier.

This is where I found out about a 10 acre lake, little pressure from anglers & stocked with carp to mid thirties (Lake View). This was also around the time when I heard about a new bait from Mr Hearn, ‘The Source’ & I was lucky enough to get a few kilo’s before they hit the shop shelves. New water & new bait? After a few investigating walk rounds of my new water it was becoming clear that the few anglers who did fish here were getting smashed up the likes of sweet corn, hemp & maggot, this got me thinking about particles more.

So here I am sitting in front of a new piece of water, armed with ‘The Source’, a bucket of halibut pellet & a bucket of particles (sweet corn, maize, hemp, tares, chick peas & a pint of maggots). I was expecting too much on my first visit but after plopping the marker round around the swim I found three likely areas, one in the margins, so many still today forget how productive the margins can be. I love fishing the margins, you can guarantee your presentation is 100% & your baiting up is bang on.

I had very good night, very little sleep, an aching arm & two sacked up carp, I don’t usually sack for fish for more than a few hours but it was so close to day light & wanted to get some good pictures. I asked the first day angler on his arrival to assist me in accurately weighing & photographing the fish. He did look a bit bewildered with my request but agreed. On removing the first sack from the lake my new friend Gary asked how many fish were in the sack, I could only laugh & said “One Bro”, there was no reply until I transferred the carp from the sack to weigh sling then came his reply “Bloody hell, how big is that?” “The small one of the two” was my answer. The scales swung round to 24lb, pictures taken by a very excited photographer & the carp safely returned with the use of my floating mat ( I prefer to return big fish safely with the use of the mat, just in case they flip/wriggle).

The second sack was hoisted from the lake, I knew it was bigger, just how much I was unsure. On seeing the carp my friends comment is unprintable! The scales pulled round to 29lb 10oz, my heart sunk a little I was sure she would go thirty. Photographs taken, carp returned safely & friend asking all sorts of questions.

A year later Gary has become a total all out carp angler & has broken the twenty pound barrier, a very happy moment for both of us.

During the summer of 2005 a friend of mine bought two smallish waters (Hunters Lodge) & I was invited for a session in exchange for some work he wanted done. We only had rumours of twenty pound carp to fish for & we found some of them during the next few months.

I now had three new waters close to my home, not 100% sure of their total carp stock.

The start of 2006 I found myself using particles more & more, I changed boilies again due to ‘The Source’ becoming so popular (Top Bait). I was still catching lots of fish but the edge had gone, so I switched to Richworth’s ‘Multi-plex’. A truly worthy replacement to my last boilie.

My particle mix had now evolved big time with no less than 15 different pulses, seeds, nuts mixed within it. Four different sized, flavoured pellets were also introduced to the final bucket of goodies. It didn’t look very good but it smelt great & tasted even better. The safest way to get this bait into the swim was using a spod even though my bivvy has been covered with splatters & spills from casting out.

I was lucky enough to fish a swim with shallow clear water within the margins. I introduced a few handfuls under an overhanging bush & watched. After a short wait the water fizzed into a cloudy mess, the carp loved this stuff big time.

I added two more ingredients to the mix during the late summer - mashed up sardines & aniseed extract. The extra smell & oil content meant I could now use the mix as a sort of ‘Stik mix’ (oil based baits don’t melt pva bags/mesh).

To this day I’m still catching well on the baits.

Just to be a bit different I have fished some of the particles from my mix on the hair & the results have been amazing, the bigger fish seem to prefer small particle baits placed just off the baited area.

Up to this date I have safely landed fifteen different twenties, one thirty & numerous doubles from three venues.

I am sticking to my particle mix for the coming season but I’m looking into a new boilie for the coming season.

I hope you have enjoyed my latest article & found it useful. If you contact Paul @ Uk Fisherman I’m willing to share my mixes in more detail with you, but I recommend experimenting yourselves. There is nothing better than making your own bait mixes & catching big-time.

All the very best & tight lines as ever

Marc