Recent content by Mike Hodgkiss

As the rod appears to be a fly fishing rod the reel fittings are in that position for a reason , essentially to balance the rod for fly fishing . I would doubt that the rod would be of much use for coarse fishing for Chub and Barbel as its not designed for that purpose ,it would be too soft an...

Yes it is upsetting to see a seal eating the fish in the Thames but what do you expect it to do, order a happy meal ? These seal incursions in to freshwater are not uncommon and to be honest there isn't a great deal we can do about it . A few years a go there was one resident at the weir at...

OK , didn't realise it was Great Ouse , he wasn't specific , lots of Ouse's !

If your local river is the Yorkshire Ouse , pre baiting will attract Bream , there are large shoals of them in the river , if they turn up in enough numbers they can push out the Barbel

I would guess that very few anglers sterilise their mats after use . I can see the logic of a towel like material but have never seen a mat made of such material . As to grass , well if you can face the wrath of the mat police I don't see a problem with laying a fish on damp grass . The worse...

you need your chakras re aligning Daniel , once done your catch rate will soar !

My only question is what is the purpose of the double handled reel ? On the face of it it seems a pointless feature .

True Ben , but how do you learn where is the right place and when is the right time ?

I use both for Barbel fishing and have no issues with either , they are beautifully engineered and robust reels , clutches are pretty good as well , although can get a little snatchy if not serviced . The 55 is not massively bigger than the 54 , back in the day the 55 was seen as the reel for...

As Mr Craine has said , cane rods are nowhere near as fragile as people imagine , if looked after they are durable and very useable , however they have limitations . A cane rod would not be the right tool to cast a 6 oz feeder across the tidal trent , similary unless you are popeye , trotting a...

To be honest , if feeding Barbel, will eat almost anything that's put in front of them , bread included .I have caught Barbel both by design and by accident on sweetcorn , worms , maggots , casters, hemp , tares , spam , luncheon meat , meat balls , raw steak , pellets , boilies , wasp...

From my experience ' success ' in angling is down six factors , not in any order of importance : 1- Confidence 2-Persistence 3-the ability to learn from others and from ones own mistakes 4-luck 5-following ones instincts 6-proficiency in angling techniques / basic watercraft .e.g ' first find...

For Barbel ,Drennan continental boilie hooks size 8

Re wrapped knuckles , as you let go of the pouch , drop the hand holding the catapult downwards then it wont hit your hand

Harrison rod blanks are widely regarded as the best available, most of the custom rod builders use them .