Fishing Exstream

2011-08-03T23:48:00.002+01:00

Pellet Fishing

2011-08-03T23:46:00.010+01:00

Pellets are probably the cheapest and most widely available bait of them all. It will be difficult to cover every aspect of pellet fishing in detail within one article, so what I will try and do is talk through the basics of a few different ways of fishing the pellet with a view to returning to a few of them in more detail at a later date.
I find the term ‘natural bait’ a strange one, as to the majority of fish in Britain’s commercial fisheries pellets will be the most natural bait of all, as these are what they are reared on from birth in the fish farms. A lot of people look at a worm or a maggot and assume that this looks natural to a fish, when in actual fact a pellet may seem far more familiar.
For this reason, there are very few times in the calendar year when pellets won’t work, with anglers who think that they are just a summer bait often losing out. Indeed, at venues such as Tunnel Barn Farm and Garbolino Lindholme Lakes, anglers catch on pellets even in the depths of winter. Being successful with the pellet is largely about confidence, and having the faith to fish with them when other anglers fish far more negative baits.
I can remember Nick Speed winning his section in a Winter League at Hallcroft with 15lb of skimmers on the pellet on a day when the majority of anglers resorted to fishing bloodworm for small roach!
Of course, as an angler you have to adapt your feeding and presentation to suit the quantity and type of fish you are looking to catch. As I mentioned last month, it is best to avoid the ‘one size fits all’ mentality when it comes to rigs, there is no such thing as a dedicated pellet rig, don’t be afraid to adapt you rig to suit the circumstances and the type of fish you are looking to catch.

Expander Pellets

This is probably the most common way in which pellet is fished, and one of the easiest for beginners to master. If you look on the shelves of your local tackle shop you will see a vast array of pellets of different colours, shapes and sizes. In all honesty these are more to catch anglers than fish, and are no better in my opinion than pellets that you can buy in the bag and soak yourself.
Van Den Eydne RS Elite Expander pellets are a good place to start, with 4mm being a nice size for all round commercial carp fishing. You really can’t go wrong preparing these pellets for the hook, soak them in water for around an hour and they swell up to a perfect size. You can leave them in water once they have swollen, and it is often best to do this especially on a warm day.
When prepared in this way the pellets will float, but the weight of your hook will make them sink and they will fall appetizingly through the water.
Personally, I don’t use expander pellets as feed pellets, but should you want to do this use a pellet pump to make the expanders sink, or let them swell up as as above and then squeeze the air out of them by hand. The times that you can do this are limited in the modern climate however, as the vast majority of commercial fisheries make you use there feed pellets.
The best way to prepare these for feeding is simply to soak them for a while on the bank side. I know a while may sound like a vague term, but it really does depend on the kind of pellets that the fishery is supplying. What you are looking for is a soft pellet which remain single and don’t cling together. A good way of keeping them separate is dusting them with a fishmeal groundbait such as Ringers after they have been soaked, and this can also help create a fish attracting cloud as they drop through the water.

Rigs

The thing to bear in mind when rigging up to fish with soft pellets is that it is a delicate bait, and therefore your rigs need to be as sensitive as possible. The best way to achieve this is to present your bait as close to dead depth as conditions allow, and have shot as close to your hook as you can. This is why methods such as the ‘hook in the loop’ are so successful, as they provide maximum sensitivity.
I an ideal world, you would present your pellet just touching bottom with a bulk around six inches from your hook with no droppers, as then bites will be really positive. Unfortunately fish won’t always have bait presented as crudely as this however and you often have to compromise sensitivity in order to achieve better presentation and get bites, so as with worm fishing a bulk with two droppers is often a good place to start. Again, I would recommend the use of Preston Stotz, as these allow you to adjust your shotting very easily by simply sliding them about on the line.
This winter I started traveling with fellow Star contributor Matt Godfrey, who is awesome at all types of fishing, and we attended quite a few matches at Kiveton Waters, where pellet is the predominant method. Matt taught me a trick that has proved invaluable to all my fishing, but in particular pellet fishing. It’s to do with how you lower your rig in.
As I say, pellet is a sensitive bait, and where possible it helps if you can read your rig from the moment your pellet touches the water. What Matt showed me (which like all the best ideas in angling seems obvious when you think about it) is to lower your rig to half way down in the water before letting your rig straighten out, i.e. let the droppers fall so the rig is as it would be on the bottom, then inch the rig through the last couple of feet of water. Sometimes the fish will just pull the elastic out before the rig even settles, and when they don’t bites normally come very quickly after the pellet has touched bottom.
An added bonus when fishing like this and feeding with a toss pot, is that it gives the pellets that you have fed through the pot the chance to settle on the bottom before your hook bait reaches them, reducing the occurance of line bites.
In terms of what floats and hooks to use, I would recommend Kamasan B911 as a good all round pellet hook, with Tubetini 808’s being a good model for winter work and Preston PR28’s being a suitable heavier gauge model. Preston Chianti’s are a good float for pellet work in depths to 5ft, though I would thread a rubber over the bristle instead of using the side eye to avoid the eye pulling out, and in deeper water KC Carpa Porths work well.

Feeding

The best way to feed pellets is invariably little and often, feeding to your bites. Putting too much bait in when fishing with this bait is the most common mistake that anglers make, as they draw too many fish into their pegs and then proceed to fowl hook them and often spook what are there and lose them.
I would kick start a session on the pellet with a kinder pot full of bait, and wait for an indication, if none were forthcoming I would be reluctant to feed again in that area for at least half an hour. The best way of looking at pellet fishing is that you are trying to catch a fish, then after you have caught one try and catch another one, rather than trying to draw a load of fish into your peg in one go.
If all goes to plan and you go in and get a fish off your first tosspot full of feed I would feed the same amount again, and keep doing this until line bites become a problem, at which point stop cut back on your feed accordingly. A useful tip for feeding pellets when you are really bagging is to fill your pot up, ship out but don’t feed, see if you get a bite straight away, if you do and you hook a fish tap your pole and feed the pellets in the pot . this way, by the time you land the fish and go back out the fish will be nicely settled over the pellets you have just fed.
Another important thing to consider with pellet fishing is the way in which you strike or, to be more specific don’t strike. All you should do is gently lift your pole so your rig comes about a pole float length out of the water, if you don’t get a fish lower it back in, that way your pellet will never come off the hook, unless of course there is a fish on!

Hard Pellets

As I mentioned in my introduction to this piece there are lots of different ways of fishing pellet in the modern commercial climate, and the way in which hard pellets are often fished is very different to the softly softly approach described above which is required for soft pellets.
On southern match waters, most notably at White Acres, it is very rare to see any anglers fishing with expander pellets, except for silver fish, all carp fishing is done with big, hard pellets, with feeding done either by catapult or by hand.
These can either be attached to the hook by a hair rig, a band or by a lasso, which is effectively a hair rigged slip knot.
In terms of feeding, the emphasis again is on feeding to your bites, with firing a couple of pellets every few seconds being the most common way of doing it, with southerners often referring to this as ‘pinging’.
Rigs used for fishing pellets in this way on the pole generally involve just a bulk a couple of feet away from the hook, with rigs often being set to three or four depths to find where the fish are in the water, with the aim being to catch shallow eventually.
If you have a feature to present bait to, or even plenty of open water to go at, the bomb and pellet waggler really come into there own however, and most of the massive weights you see from southern baggin meccas are taken on one of these two methods.
The real beauty of both these methods is there simplicity, as long as you keep feeding if the fish are there you will catch them. That is not to say that there is no skill in fishing them, as the pellet waggler for example takes a lot of skill to master.
I was fortunate enough to be shown the basics of this method by Spro Sponsored angler Stewart Lister, and though I wouldn’t claim to be an expert there are a few tips that I can pass on that may well be useful to readers.
Firstly, in terms of waggler choice avoid loaded wagglers as these have a tendancy to dive and spook the fish. The best type to go for are the Styrene straight wagglers, they may lack the glossy professional look of some models but have a look at the floats that most top anglers use and you will see that nine times out of ten it is one of these.
Another tip that helps prevent your float from diving is to put the bulk of your shot above the float, with one locking shot underneath. Don’t worry about sinking your line, as the waggler is rarely in the water long enough for skim to become a problem.
As a basic rule of thumb though if you don’t get a bite within a minute cast in again and feed, and keep doing this until you get bites. It is not a method you can sit on and wait for it to go under, you should expect to catch fairly quickly on it, if you don’t go back on the straight lead.

Which Pellets?

As I mentioned in the early part of this article, selecting which pellets to use can at times seem a daunting task, as there are that many on the market all claiming to be responsible for hundreds of ton up bags.
Don’t be confused or daunted by the different sizes and colours, find a type you are confident with and stick with it. By the same token,, don’t be afraid to experiment, as you would be amazed at the difference a subtle change can make. As a general rule though, the old saying holds true: If it aint broke don’t fix it!

Hartbeespoort Dam

2011-07-04T13:10:00.000+01:00

With a catchment area of over 4100 square kilometers and a wall of 59 metres tall, Hartbeespoort Dam has always been one of the favorite and most visited dams in South Africa. Since it's relatively close to Johannesburg and Pretoria, it receives the water enthusiast by the masses every day and boils over every weekend. It was built on the farm Hatbeestpoort which was owned by General Hendrik Schoeman in the 19th Century but has seen a number of revisions and upgrades until it was completed and opened in 1923. It lies between the Magalies and Witwaters mountain range and the name literally means "Pass of the Hartbees."
The Wall is 150 meters long and was built over a gorge in the Magalies which resulted in 57km of bank all around the water. From extremely deep cliffs to shallow stretched banks for every type of fishing. The Dam still serves primarily as an irrigation reservoir but due to the size of the water surface, has quickly become the ultimate playground for all types of water fans with Yacht clubs probably being the oldest attraction to the water.

Regrettably for the fisherman a lot of these banks have seen new developments which seems to be the new quick build-to-sell money making scheme in SA, where we lost out on quite a substantial amount of fish-able locations to new high priced houses and estates with price tags only foreigners could afford. More and more speculators and construction companies target land along the water, resulting in fewer fishing possibilities with each new addition. We've received news that Rust de Winter was the next to fall and the land has already been sold.
What most people might not have heard of, is that the shoreline around Harties now has almost NO aquatic plants anymore because of these developments. These plants you might come across in most dams, play an important part in a very delicate eco system, and last we heard, an astounding 98% of a 57km shoreline has been destroyed at Harties.
Now it's no secret that Harties has some of the filthiest most disgusting water in the whole country. Apart from the unbearable smell which might put a smile on every angler's face when he thinks of all the residents who "stole" his fishing spot with their fancy houses and waterfront gardens, it just can't be comfortable paying that kind of money for a "piece of heaven" and receiving somebody's "processed" meal as a housewarming gift. Harties always had a problem with pollution but this escalated to an unmanageable capacity in the last couple of years. So much that the local authorities have almost given up.
So what seems to be the main problem here? For one, you're not allowed to blame it on any human waste whatsoever! You can come up with alternative theories, as long as you don't mention sewage. It doesn't matter who comes up with whichever theory though, the biggest problem in Harties as it is so with numerous dams in SA, IS human waste, and our local governing bodies' inability to manage this effectively. While it is by far the biggest problem it's not the only big problem in Harties.
I might mention an interesting piece of gossip I was told by one of the residents on the Harties banks who was informed of a solution which he then told us about. A certain American company contacted the authorities at Harties to tell them about this new water treatment plant or machines or system channels which would improve the water quality back to the acceptable levels in quick time. While this company offered to do this whole operation for free (as an initial offer), the local government declined this. He couldn't tell me why they didn't accept or what the terms of this offer was, but we will have an opinion on this as soon as we receive the facts. Let's hope this was only temporarily postponed, or that it was by chance similar to their own almost implemented action plan, ha ha!
We do however take our hats off to the residents who now have started their own operation which means they pay for this themselves. According to studies, the algae and the stink you smell when driving past there, is a result from diminishing zoo plankton in the water, which in turn is destroyed by fish like Carp and Canaries. Now for them to get the zoo plankton back, they need to establish enough islands or floating plant islands. With this operation, they've decided to take out 2 tons of fish per day from Harties and this fish is then given to the local communities in the vicinity. Whether they know that this fish is sold on the streets or not, I personally doubt if this should be seen as a "service" since some people are getting money for the fish, but the majority of the community has to buy it then. The other issue is when the day comes when the fish hand-outs suddenly stop. Are these recipients going to quote Douglas Adams and simply say "So long, and thanks for the fish"? I highly doubt that! And with the lacklustre way of dealing with the increasing netting problem, let's hope these folks don't miss the fish too much.
For those who have heard of the authorities (sure it's still DWAF) that now have started another project called "Metsi a me" which is now in full operation, we honestly hope this works as it all sound very promising. While this might sound exactly like the program the residents have started, Metsi a me doesn't stop here.
First off, we all understand that sediment unavoidably builds up over time in any dam, and even if the dam has these weirs to dispose of some of the sediment, it only temporarily moves the problem, it doesn't solve it. While this sediment not only takes up the place of the water it traps nutrients which are vital to the Eco system of the dam which in turn eliminates some of the algae growth.
Also that there are now plans to pump these algae out of the dam in certain sections is good news for all. Isn't it nice to hear some good news for a change? The question we would like to know is, how much algae are we talking about here, and how long will this take?
Some more good news!
Since the sediment layers on the bottom of the dam trap all kinds of good and bad elements, plans are to pipe into these sediments to get to the good stuff and release it, like nutrients which in turn will improve the zoo plankton growth. Also it's been proposed to look for any idea how to utilize the sediment to somehow turn it into profit, thus not only lowering the percentage level these layers occupy, but to create a continuous offset for this pumped resource.
Back to the fishing in Harties.
Taking out fish in Harties or not, the fishing has always been substantially good. While some say it's a bad idea, there are others that is of the opinion that there's too many smaller fish which would result in bigger fish if you get the balance right.
Harties has never been a shy dam when it comes to big Carp. Mostly the full scale Carp but big Carp! I don't think there's another dam in SA that has seen more 16 footers in its life than Harties. With quite a few popular fishing venues around Harties, it remains the anglers' choice where he would like to target these fish. Apart from technology that has shorten the length of the 16 ft rods, the distances now reached has improved which normally results in decent bags of fish. However the last few years has seen these numbers go down quite dramatically with more and more people telling me that they blanked for a whole weekend. It has become nothing unusual if an angler didn't get a single bite for a day, but a whole weekend might break the poor man.

Personally I don't fish Harties if I don't have to. It's just one of those dams where it is imperative to have at least 2 spools of backup line as you are guaranteed to get hooked up, stuck or broken off with at least 1 out of every 3 casts if you use your normal 2-hook rigs. One always have to make some alterations or compromises when fishing at Harties.
If I can offer a few pointers, either catch with only one hook, or use dart bombs for sinkers. (Those plastic ground bait support that weighs almost nothing.)
What I also found that works for me, is if you reel in like a man possessed! Try and break the world line retrieve speed record. This somehow keeps your rig of the bottom which I am sure should look like a busy barber's floor in this day and age. Since fishing line doesn't disintegrate over time, I'm positive the banks around Harties contains more lines than the script for Othello.
All the conventional bait applies to Carp in Harties, it's a matter of what works for that day. From flour dough being the most used to mealies and worms, Carp in Harties take worms throughout the year.
Barbel is the one fish in Harties you can always rely on. No matter what the conditions you will always be able to catch a few. Normal bait applies too. Livers, crabs, worms, small fish, everything!

Kurper on the other hand has become quite a novelty in Harties as it is not seen so much as it was years ago. Even its size has declined over the years, but this we could probably write down to the selfishness of the average angler (not putting the fish back) combined with the effects of pollution and the impact of the Bass that has been in Harties for years now.
We do however see decent Three-spot Breams from time to time but it's been a while since we've come across a decent size Blue Kurper.
What you can bank on during the summer months are those aggressive Canaries which can provide hours of fun on spinners, worms and other smaller fish, or even small pieces of their own kind.
Bass on the other hand is a regular in Harties and I can remember us catching them on quite a few occasions. Those days we would still risk it and cook one of two but I think even medical aids these days stipulate on their contract prior to you joining that it would exclude Harties fish. Their numbers grew over the years but I won't go as far as saying that they're abundant in Harties, although I might recommend one popular place to maybe revise the venue name and change it to something more suitable, like Baars Hoekie or Bass Corner.
Harties gets its water mainly from 2 rivers, the Crocodile River and the Magalies, which also has some decent fishing around those rivers up to the intake at the dam. While there are still a few places to fish around Harties, one can however drive around the entire dam, including those places along the river in one drive as the road circles around all of them.

Bait Fishing For Bass With Ragworm.

2011-06-27T14:47:00.002+01:00

Of all the baits used by anglers aiming to catch bass in the UK, the humble rag worm appears to be the favourite. Fished on a long flowing pulley rig or with the flowing trace method, ragworm is the number 1 bait for bass around these parts. Favoured hook sizes are between 1/o and 3/o and lead weights used are usually between 2 and 5 ounce grip leads.

Ragworm is a great fishing bait for bass from both rock and beach marks. It is advisable to vary casting distances although more often than not bass are caught very close to shore. As with all methods the best times for Bass fishing from the shore are either first light of the day at dawn or last light on an evening.

2011-06-27T14:41:00.001+01:00

Best Reels in the Business

2011-06-20T15:52:00.000+01:00

Atlas Reel Company, LLC, a leading manufacturer of single speed saltwater fishing reels, has recently announced “The Best Guarantee in Fishing,” and possibly in all of retail. Atlas is so confident in their product and accompanying guarantee that they have actually filed for a patent to protect the structure of the offer.

In addition to their industry standard product warranty for their acclaimed Legend 200 and Legend 400 saltwater reels, Atlas has rolled out their exclusive business process patent pending guarantee which states the following:

“Anyone who purchases a Legend Series Reel to receive the reel and try it out, if they are not satisfied with the reel quality we at Atlas Reels will take the reel back and authorized the purchase a replacement reel of a value of up to 10% greater than the reel purchased from Atlas. For a Legend Series exchange the customer must exchange their reel at the place of purchase and covers any brand’s single speed lever drag model. The customer must make the decision to exchange the product within 6 weeks of purchase and return the reel in “new” condition as determined by the shop employees. The offer is void if there is any “policy abuse**” as deemed by the Atlas Reel Company.”

The leadership team at Atlas Reels is confident that this exceptional offer provides consumers with complete confidence in purchasing their Legend Series reels and truly sets their company apart from even the largest competing manufacturers.

CEO of Atlas Reel Company, LLC, Bobby Bowden explains, “We believe the Legend Series is the best single speed fishing reel available and we’re willing to back it up with the best guarantee in fishing which really makes a statement in how confident we are in Atlas’ quality and performance—this guarantee does just that.”

Atlas Reel Company recently introduced their first product line, The Legend Series regionally up and down the eastern seaboard and has received much acclaim from casual to competitive anglers, including winning several tournaments. Atlas Reels also donates a portion of all sales to organizations who are dedicated to preserving saltwater habitat and the rights of recreational fishermen.

2011-06-18T17:48:00.001+01:00

2011-06-16T21:38:00.001+01:00

3 Blondes sitting by the river....

2011-06-14T21:52:00.002+01:00

Three blondes are sitting by the side of a river holding fishing poles with the lines in the water. A Game Warden comes up behind them, taps them on the shoulder and says, "Excuse me, ladies, I'd like to see your fishing licenses."

"We don't have any." replied the first blonde.

"Well, if your going to fish, you need fishing licenses." said the Game Warden.

"But officer," replied the second blonde,"we aren't fishing. All we have are magnets at the end of our lines and we're collecting debris off the ottom of the river."

The Game Warden lifted up all the lines and, sure enough, there were horseshoe magnets tied on the end of each line. "Well, I know of no law against it," said the Game Warden, "take all the debris you want." And with that, the Game Warden left.

As soon as the Game Warden was out of sight, the three blondes started laughing hysterically. "What a dumb Fish Cop," the second blonde said to the other two, "doesn't he know that there are steelhead in this river?!"

Line Size...

2011-06-13T13:28:00.000+01:00

Baitcast reels can handle heavier line and actually allow for longer casts than spinning gear in the same size range.

Line size probably plays the most important roll in tackle selection. Whether fishermen realize it or not, pros are using baitcast tackle for a very specific reason. Baitcast reels can handle heavier line and actually allow for longer casts than spinning gear in the same size range. Anglers regularly use line in the 14- to 17-pound-test range. A small spinning reel has a smaller, narrower spool, which has a hard time with large diameter lines. Small baitcast reels can handle these lines and provide greater casting distance.

Baitcast rods usually have more backbone than spinning rods too. The backbone of a rod is the portion of the blank closest to the handle that gives the least when bent. When properly constructed, a casting rod's backbone will lie directly on top of the blank as the angler holds the rod. This backbone allows lures to be "ripped" through vegetation more easily, while also ensuring a more powerful hook-set than a spinning rod of the same class.

The arrival of braided line, with its thin diameter and much heavier breaking strength, brought some issues to light in fishing circles. This super-thin line causes problems on baitcast reels simply because it is so small in diameter. Setting the hook on a fish with braided line on a baitcasting reel tends to bury the line deep into the spool, a situation that will cause a major backlash on the very next cast. (Small line diameter is also why monofilament lines less than about 10-pound test are seldom found on baitcast reels.)

The availability of larger spinning reels with better drags accounts for the increased use of spinning tackle in saltwater applications.

Spinning tackle, on the other hand, usually handles braids much better. In fact, several manufacturers make reels that pick line up onto the spool in such a way that it can't bury itself into the spool on a hook set. That, coupled with the virtual no-stretch quality of braided line, has made spinning tackle more and more attractive to anglers.

From a saltwater perspective, anglers using baitcasting outfits can be seen more often these days fishing the inshore arena. The heavy use of artificial lures in backwaters coupled with reels that can now stand up to saltwater conditions have made baitcasters very popular today.

The spinning tackle used in saltwater today tends to be larger than that used in freshwater and consists of larger reels on heavier rods and line up to 30-pound test.

Anglers looking to make a choice between spinning tackle and baitcasting tackle need to look at their specific fishing techniques before making that choice. In reality the choice is not between which one an angler uses. It has become more of a choice of which of the two an angler will use in a given situation. In general, the lighter the line required in a given fishing situation, the more attractive spinning tackle becomes.

Live Bait

2011-06-13T13:14:00.002+01:00

A local fisherman returning from a fishing trip with 6 large size salmon in his creel. Nosy Parker comes along and asks if the man been fishing. "Yer!" replied our stalwart. Asked what bait he had been using our hero replied that he had used chewing tobacco. Nosey asked how one used chewing tobacco as bait, and our man replied, "I put the tobacco on the hook in the normal way, cast in the normal way and when the fish strikes I haul back on the line to hook it. When the fish comes up to spit, I hit it on the head with but of my rod!" Needless to say there were no more questions.

2011-06-12T23:40:00.001+01:00

Top 5 Fishing Lakes in France

2011-06-12T23:21:00.025+01:00

1. Gigantica

Right, I know we recommended Lake Genesis on the Carp Fishing Holidays page, but who can argue with a lake called “Gigantica”, with a name this big it just has to be first, don’t it? Gigantica was once called the rather boring and unimaginative “Domaine St Christophe”, French we think, means something like “Christopher’s Domain”, whoever this Christopher is, he is a bit selfish naming the whole thing after himself. Luckily in September 2008, the Lake was bought by Danny “Turtle” Turley or as he is known to the great unwashed who bow before him – “Le Grand Fromage”, which means “The Big Cheese” or to those of you who failed GCSE French, “The Great Munch Bunch”.
By buying the lake, Turtle/Cheese was fulfilling every anglers dream, it doesn’t get much better than owning your own lake, with a lake everyday is like a carp fishing holiday. When he took ownership, Turtle decided a name change was in order and not being a selfish b****** like that fella Christopher, he decided on the mahoosive godly name of…you might need a sit down for this, “GIGANTICAAAAAAAAAAA”, whoah sucker scared ya there sucker? Basically he named the lake, Gigantica because of the huge carp that swim there, like your local Greggs at lunchtime, there are nothing but heavyweights in this lake. Unlike Greggs there is plenty of room to move, Turtle dropped the maximum number of anglers from 26 down to just 12.
Located in the town of St Christophe Dodinicourt, Gigantic is about a 3 and a half hours from Calais.

2. Lake Genesis Number 2 on our list has to go to the previously mentioned fishing holiday location of Lake Genesis. Genesis is surrounded by beauty and history, just 15 minutes away is the town of Carrouges with its 14 century chateau, which the English took great pleasure in destroying in 1367. Run by Eddy and Val, Lake Genesis is located about 4½ hours from Calais and 2 hours from Le Harve, so it is an alright distance whether you choose to get the ferry across or go through the tunnel. There is about 2 ton of carp in Lake Genesis so it makes for a good carp fishing holiday with plenty to catch, in the lake there are commons, mirrors and even a few Koi and a grass carp. Nice range of weights too, with fish ranging from 13lbs up to 35lbs.

3. Ribiere

Coming in at number 3 is Ribiere, no not the footballer with Frankenstein features, but the lake. Lake Ribiere is a large water of about 10 hectares with swims on both sides. A former gravel pit, check out my gravel pit, Ribiere has depths varying from 6 metres to 1.5 metres. All the pegs there are real wide with plenty of space, so much space they can comfortably accommodate 3 or 4 anglers without any unwanted man loving. Facilities are absolutely top notch, Ribiere really adds a bit of luxury to your fishing in France experience. At the lake there are 6 studio-apartments sleeping up to 4 people and only a mere 150 metres from the lake. The apartments feature double beds (handy for those of you who do enjoy man loving), en-suite shower room, kitchen dining area and all important, a couch. They have satellite TV but English channels aren’t up to much, you have a choice of BBC World, CNN and er Euronews, but hey less time in front of the box is more time spent on the lake. The most luxurious thing however has got to go to the fact you get exclusive use of heated swimming pool and sauna, it may sound more suited to that spa weekend you carted your missus off to, to go on this carp fishing holiday, but honestly they provide some sweet relief after a long day of catching carp. As for stock, the lake houses carp up to 50lbs, there are also a load of catfish present too. Ribiere is located in the south of France, just outside of Limoges.

4. Lac les Pins

At 4 is Lac les Pins, this one is an absolute beaut, set in such a stunning and idyllic location, the lake is set amongst a mass of pine trees. Previously this lake and its surrounding area were used to hunt wild boar, there are said to be a few of the beasts still around and also if you are lucky you may just spot a deer coming down for a drink from the lake at sunrise. A stream fed lake, so there is no need to worry about losing depths, the stream also feeds plenty of natural food resources into the lake (for the fish, not you). The stunning specimens of Carp are a mixture of mirrors and commons with weights ranging from 20lbs to 50lbs. There are 9 swims on the lake, which are accessible from all sides. To enhance the quality of your carp fishing holiday, the owners of the lake, only allow 6 anglers to fish at a time, giving each angler a larger area to fish. As for facilities, there are gas burners near the swims for hot drinks etc. Hot showers and luxury wash facilities are also available in a newly refurbished lodge. Lac les Pins is located in the Limousin area of France on the border with the Dordogne.

5. Etang La Ridelee

Finally comes Etang La Ridelee, which at first sounded a bit like a dogging site to us, but we were assured its not. Situated in the Mayenne region of Northern France, Etang La Ridelee is another beaut, a private tranquil 40 year old 5 acre fishing lake. Etang La Ridelee really is a private affair with just one log cabin that will accommodate up to 4 people. The cabin has all ya usual shower and toilet facilities, so you don’t have to go at one with nature. It also features a fridge-freezer, satellite TV, DVD and a kitchen. As for fish, it is a bit of a mixed bag, it currently has some middleweight carp with weights up to 36lb, it also has some Crucians, Zander, Catfish, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Pike and Perch.

2011-06-12T22:44:00.002+01:00

2011-06-12T00:13:00.001+01:00

The Abu Revo Fishing Reel.

2011-06-11T18:15:00.001+01:00

The Abu Revo series are, without a doubt, awesome reels, but if you’re new to bait-casting you might not want to fork out over £100 for a reel. Introducing the Abu Garcia Max range, affordable low-profile, bait-casting reels that any angler can afford - the Silver Max, Black Max and the top of the Max range, the Pro Max.

The Abu ProMax features a similar profile to the Revo series reels and weighs just 225g. It features Swedish engineering, Duragear™ brass gears, a high speed retrieve of 6.2:1, cam lock, ADS (anti-distortion) waffle spool, instant anti-reverse, flipping switch, eight bearings, a Power Disk Drag system, and Abu Garcia's MagTrax™ Brake System.
Now let me put that into plain English! For not much money what you get is one hell of a Baitcaster - which takes inspiration from Abu’s world leading Revo reels –that has Swedish engineered, precision machined gears and bearings - a super-fast retrieve - a light-weight, super-strong hollow (waffle) spool - a “flipping switch” which lets you decided how the reel engages once you let go of the thumb bar spool release (On, and the gears automatically engage once the thumb bar is released, or Off, and the gears will only engage once the reel handle is turned) – and Abu Garcia’s patented “MagTrax” magnetic brake system. Featuring both a spool tension system (to tune the start of your cast) and a magnetic breaking system (to control the end of your cats) means that overruns are less likely and this makes the ProMax perfect for the newcomer to baitcasting or the occasional user.

The Abu ProMax is a seriously well made, perfectly priced, entry level Baitcaster that would be just at home in the hands of the spinning angler, like me, who likes to use a bait-casting reel from time to time!
The Abu ProMax Baitcaster

Seven ball bearings and one roller bearing
Power disk drag system
Duragear brass gears
MagTrax brake system
Gear Ratio: 6.2:1
Weight: 225g
Line capacity: 175yds/0.30mm

Available from
Cost £60.99

2011-06-11T18:09:00.001+01:00

Shimano Cruxis Baitcasting Reel

2011-06-11T16:39:00.000+01:00

The Shimano Cruxis Baitcasting Reel features Dartainium drag for the smoothest Shimano drag performance ever. And that's not even the half of it. Lo-Mass drilled spool system reduces the spool weight and lowers start-up inertia for more manageable casts with this Shimano fishing reel.

The Super Free bearing supported pinion gear system eliminates friction between the pinion gear and spool shaft. This Shimano fishing reel also High Efficiency Gearing, a Variable Brake System that uses centrifugal force rather than magnets to control the cast for increased distance, and a Super Stopper 1-way roller bearing eliminates backplay for solid hooksets. The Assist Stopper acts as a back-up anti-reverse system to reduce the stress placed on the 1-way roller bearing and increase durability.

Durability

Easy of Use

Cost/Value

Overall

African Tiger Fish

2011-06-10T16:55:00.002+01:00

Here is a nice big one!! Caught on Steel trace..

2011-06-10T16:51:00.002+01:00

Fish this rig on a slack line and the runs will develop. Also, this is not a good rig for windy days or when there is current pulling your line tight.

Game Warden

2011-06-09T19:40:00.001+01:00

A man was stopped by a game-warden in Northern Algonquin Park recently with two buckets of fish leaving a lake well known for its fishing

The game warden asked the man, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?"

The man replied to the game warden, "No, sir. These are my pet fish."

"Pet fish?!" the warden replied.

"Yes, sir. Every night I take these here fish down to the lake and let them swim around for a while. I whistle and they jump back into their buckets, and I take em home."

"That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that!"

The man looked at the game warden for a moment, and then said, "Here, I'll show you. It really works."

"O.K. I've GOT to see this!" The game warden was curious.

The man poured the fish in to the river and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to the man and said, "Well?"

"Well, what?" the man responded.

"When are you going to call them back?" the game warden prompted.

"Call who back?" the man asked.

"The FISH"

"What fish?" the man asked.

Sevington Lakes

2011-06-08T19:56:00.000+01:00

The lakes are natural, spring-fed and extend to around 2 acres. They are set within a mature woodland area of 3.5 acres in total. The lakes have recently undergone major improvements. We have 21 newly built level pitches around the lakes - many have car access making unloading/loading much easier. Toilet and hand washing facilities (seasonal)