Recent content by Dan Whitelock

For years I had in in my head I needed a big car for fishing so have had XC90, Freelander 2, Audi estate etc... earlier in the year I needed a cheap car as I had worn out my old one, ended up getting an old swb Grand Vitara 1.6vvt for £150... somehow it carries all my gear, goes anywhere, owes...

Why would it be a huge story? It's a creature living quite happily in the wild, in the countryside, doing it's best to avoid humans... Much like me really... Look at all the other invasive species that roam freely and folk don't bat an eyelid. If it was an elephant taken up residence on Hyde...

There is quite a lot of clear pictures, videos - both daytime and thermal - and carcasses of these cats, very few are widely available to find online,most of the reports that come to our area of research are requested to be kept private, usually by landowners for fear of trophy hunters and...

I keep looking at these online but want to try one out... I've got an old Fox adjusta level which has served me well but it's starting to give me backache so in the market for something a bit more luxurious. Have you had yours for long?

I've got Monday to Wednesday booked off work, will be out tomorrow evening for a wander about with a rod, really looking forward to this season. Best of luck all.

Do we know when the samples were taken? We stopped spinning on nitrogen and phosphates on the land a couple of months ago now, plus we don't apply the stuff with risk of run off because it's very expensive and also illegal.

Slight thread drift but this caught my eye... I rarely use a hooklength shorter than 4ft on the Ouse and Nene. I don't trust my casting skills despite fishing for over thirty years so the solution on the occasions I fish near overhanging branches: baiting pole. It can be a faff if there's a bit...

I get it Clive, it's very similar for me with my fishing with the Gt Ouse. I live 15 minutes from the Nene nowadays, it's lovely and I rarely blank on my visits, but when I fish the Ouse and I catch it's just worth so much more to me, it's why I keep going back. I've been and fished the Trent...

There's a really interesting podcast called Big Cat Conversations on Spotify, definitely worth a listen... I'm part of a team of researchers for Cambs/Beds/Northants... Some of the reports we get coming in are very credible and a stark eye opener to how many of these cats are about. It's an...

Usually around 6ft of fluoro with a soft braid combi for the last inch. Usually no more than an ounce lead... It's rare I fish more than a rod length out, often just a couple of feet, rod tip down by the surface pretty much pointing towards the bait. If on a rare occasion I fish on the far bank...

Agreed the member's section below Kings Weir really does have an atmosphere, the last season I was on there it just really freaked me out and I've no idea why, to the point I was head down and almost running to unlock and get through that gate one evening. The only real spooky occurrence I've...

Never really given it much thought as I use very long hook lengths and I'm 99% sure that I'm drawing fish from downstream so they get to the bait before the line. Plus it's usually dark when I fish anyway... If I do fish during the daylight then I try to keep the bait as far from the line as I...

Dinsmores 36" triangle net from my local shop. Not a trendy brand but for £20 and bombproof it's perfect. Also comes in a really ghastly carpy camo style so the barbel can't see it.... Much prefer triangle nets nowadays as the river runs slow where I fish and I like the fact I can just roll it...

Very very sad news. He was a good friend and mentor. I will miss him. Sleep well my friend.

I've used Drennan Continental Boilie hooks for years now and just don't ever look for anything else. They've never let me down and I'm confident every time I swing a bait in. I've never felt the need to sharpen them when barbel fishing however I often sharpen other hook patterns when carp...