Search results

I would like to echo Dave Taylor's words of wisdom - don't try to run before you can walk. Enjoy the fun of the learning curve!

For too long now the EA have been more interested in PR than telling anglers the truth. As old Abe Lincoln once said 'You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time!'

Hi Rich - have you actually tried on a pair of the ESP trousers? I recently bought the salopettes and despite being 6ft tall I had to have them shortened.

Last year I decided to fork out on the ESP Supergrade jacket and salopettes - not cheap but not as dear as Gore-Tex. I'm more than happy with them and can vouch for the waterproof and windproof qualities. I have one criticism though - the legs on the salopettes were too long and I'm 6ft tall. My...

My local Aldi has once again got fishing gear in stock. Most of it is rubbish but their tackle bags are great value. I've just bought another Baseball cap with integral LED's - at just £3.99 they are super value especially when the batteries alone cost £4 at Tesco! Get yourselves down there...

To see such a small barbel is a rarity never mind catching it on a fly! That's a naturally spawned fish as no stocking has been carried out on the Rae Brook. I've forwarded the picture to Angus Rae who's been been working closely with Shropshire Wildlife in their work on this Severn tributary.

Why on earth should we be discussing re-stocking our rivers? The Environment Agency's P.R. bods have been telling us for quite a while now that our rivers have never been healthier - surely they wouldn't lie to us poor innocent little angling chaps!

All serious fishermen should have a range of rods to cater for all eventualities. There’s little point in trying to cast heavy swimfeeders using a rod fitted with a light quiver-tip as the rod will bend right over, bounce all over the place and render accurate distance casting out of the...

A new report states that just 17% of our rivers are judged to be in good health. The EA have previously given the impression that the quality of our waterways was rapidly improving. We anglers have suspected for some time now that the wool has been pulled over our eyes and that it has not...

I pressed the mute button on my Sky remote control and the programme immediately improved. There's another button in the top right hand corner of the remote - I pressed that and my TV screen went completely blank. I poured out a glass of Old Speckled Hen, took a large mouthful and stretched out...

Here are a couple from my library.

I know this subject has been touched on before, but for any newcomers to angling who may be considering which manufacturers' reel to buy then I would always recommend Shimano as their after-sales service is superb! One of my old baitrunners recently developed a problem with the bail arm so I...

Lob worms are expensive, but it's easy to collect them for free! In the spring months, when the weather is warm and rain dampens the earth, go out when it's dark and crawl about on your neighbours' freshly mowed lawns, or even better a cricket pitch where the grass is cut short. Use a torch with...

I remember fishing a match on the Severn in the mid-seventies. One of the bank runners said that a lad pegged a mile or so downstream had caught an enormous barbel. Several of us hacked our way along the riverbank and arrived just in time to see it weighed. The needle on the scales span round...

I like to fish an hour or so into dark because seemingly dead swims can very often come alive. I've never been a fan of all nighters though, because if you're tired, night fishing can get too much like hard work. Also, I want to be in control of my rods and not use alarms. I'm one of the...

Earlier this year, our local paper reported on the fact that a pair of swans had lost all four of their cygnets over a very short period of time, blaming possible vandals. Strangely enough the area where the swans were living is somewhere that I regularly see otters. Is that a coincidence or not?

Hello Shaun. I've been a river fisherman all my life and running water fishing is very dear to me. Despite what the EA claim, many of our rivers are a shadow of their former selves. Over the last five years or so, there seems to be a marked decline in barbel numbers. Probably many factors have...

What is the attraction with the Abu 54's and 55's? I bought a pair of each in the early eighties - they were OK but the spools were small and line would sometimes wrap around the spool release button, so I filed a radius on mine to alleviate the problem. After a while, they were dispatched to my...

I saw an angler using one of these feeders yesterday. As you say Steve, the low profile seems like a good idea but they really aren't much use for delivering any significant volume of bait. I hope not too many anglers start using them on my local river Severn - the fish will certainly not be...

Hello Leon. I'm a voluntary bailiff for Shropshire Anglers' Federation and we control several miles of fishing around the town, including Sydney Avenue. The annual ticket is fantastic value at £35 per season. Day tickets can be purchased at our local tackle shop Total Angling (loads of stuff to...