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BRITAIN'S GREATEST FISHERIES 22-PAGE SPECIAL
How barbel are powering the return of the Trent & the rig to catch them
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High altitude carp
Discover the hilltop paradise that's home to Britain's rarest fish
Wild water
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TOP TIPS z How to catch at
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50 BEST VENUES REVEALED BRITAIN'S FINEST, MOST SCENIC, WEIRDEST AND MOST DAUNTING FISHERIES ISSUE 267 – December 26, 2012 - January 23, 2013 £3.35
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Rig secrets: The flavour cone P22
NEW WINTER CARP BAIT How garlic gets bites in the cold Plus – Pump pellets with baby milk!
WAIST DEEP IN
CHUB Discover the paradise float swims that make the River Wye magic
METHOD MASTER Phil Ringer's dead maggot tactic for winter bream and carp
"THERE'S MORE ROACH THAN WATER" The incredible day-ticket lake where silverfish fight for your bait!
Dock of
dreams Port Talbot docks is hardly a typical coarse fishing venue, but Iain Swanson reckons the angling it offers can be second to none… Words Mark Parker Photography Lloyd Rogers
4 • IYCF Issue 258
As the sun began to fade the sport got better and better IYCF April 18 – May 16, 2012 • 5
Dock of dreams with Iain Swanson
A
S THE sun slowly set and the darkness of night started its inevitable decent, the view began to take on the hue of a scene from a Ridley Scott film rather than a fishing venue. The Bladerunner-cum-Alien vista along the distant bank was produced by the stark outline of a steel works, not something you would expect to see towering over a great coarse fishing location. But then, this is no ordinary place to come coarse fishing. The docks at Port Talbot offer the visiting angler the very essence of bran-tub fishing. Literally paved with decent-sized bream, skimmers and roach, the docks also host many other species. Although silverfish fishing makes up the main part of the dock’s match and pleasure weights, within its deep, warm waters swim big carp, perch, pike and tench, with just as many mullet, bass, flatties and conger as there are freshwater fish. One regular face on the banks of the waterfront is Ebbw Vale-based Iain Swanson. Iain has only been fishing here for just over two years, but was initially drawn by the reports of big silverfish weights, caught even in the depths of the harshest winters. It was a place that the Welsh matchman just had to check out for himself. “Once experienced you will find it hard not to fall in love with the place,” he told us. Joining him for an afternoon and evening session, Iain set about showing just how good this strange-looking fishery can be…
Out of the ordinary!
Covering around 500 acres, the docks actually comprise two main areas, a set of floating inner docks – the older of the two, completed in 1834 and also the place that Iain was fishing – and the outer tidal basin, which was built in 1970. As well as a host of heavy industry surrounding the waterway, including the Port Talbot steelworks, the docks is one of the few UK harbours capable of handling Capesize vessels of up to 170,000 metric tons deadweight – some very, very big boats in layman’s terms! As well as being deep – around 40ft-50ft – the inner docks never freeze even in the coldest winter due to the inflow of hot water often released by the steelworks. This makes it not only popular with the local anglers, but the fish also do well. Oddly, the water can be so warm that the National Anguilla Club stage one of their fishins every February when eels should normally be all but hibernating in the silt. An offshoot of the River Afan flows into the inner dock and there is a huge set of dock gates that can be opened for the passage of vessels. This means that the water is brackish – slightly salty – and although the theory would indicate otherwise, freshwater fish are actually thriving with plenty of large specimens being regularly caught. For added interest anglers often are broken off by unknown creatures taking their bait. Together with hordes of silverfish, carp, tench and pike, the docks hold a massive head of sea fish. Iain impales two red maggots on a size 16 hook
The hooklink is 3ft-4ft so that it encourages fish sitting mid-water to move down to the bottom Fixed paternoster style, the feeder is taped so that most groundbait reaches the deck
6 • IYCF Issue 258
The fishable pegs are all along the bottom of the peninsula
“The brackish water doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference to the coarse fish. In fact, many of them seem to survive better in this environment than pure freshwater,” said Iain. “The main difference is that the roach and bream tend to be a little rough to the touch, rather than slippery-smooth like their freshwater cousins.” Iain puts this down to the salty water possibly affecting their skin. Another characteristic Iain has noted is the pleasing lack of disease and lesions affecting the fish. This, again, is probably due to the salt content in the water. It is well known among koi keepers that salt baths help ailing fish as it thickens the natural coating of mucus helping to get rid of external parasites as well as purifying fish kidneys.
Sitting on the dock of the bay
Situated on the South Wales coast, the docks can be a cruel environment because the prevailing south-westerly wind can make fishing difficult at times.
Iain’s Port Talbot dock rig
Iain shows off a dockcaught roach just under the 2lb mark
“Iain approaches the place in the more time-honoured fashion that he might display when fishing a commercial” Iain recalled one occasion when he could only fish around 20 yards out due to the force of the head wind. He still caught well though, proving that the elements are worth braving because of the results you can get. With 25 pegs along the south side of the central peninsular, the visiting angler is somewhat restricted to swim locations. More important, though, is the time of year that you are fishing. Although plenty of large tench are caught on the pole during the height of summer, this tactic hardly gets get a look-in between October and May. The name of the game for eight months of the year is feeder fishing, and usually into the deeper water. “Due to the ships coming and going, there is a dramatic shelf about 20 yards out from the bank,” Iain explained. “With this in mind I usually look to fish at around 40 turns of my reel – 35 yards, give or take. This gets you well into the deeper water where a lot of the shoals tend to sit.” Otherwise, it’s textbook fishing, according to Iain, with bream feeding better when there is a
ripple on the water or the day is overcast. The water is often very clear but this can rapidly change into muddy turmoil if the steelworks releases water. One surprising element is that the docks suffer from very little ‘tow’ unless there is a water release or the dock gates are opened.
A blast from the past
To fish the docks, Iain approaches the place in the more time-honoured fashion that he might display when fishing one of his local commercial pools. For a start, the rig set-up is a fixed paternoster, rather than free-running. This may be a blast from the 1970s but Iain reckons it improves the sensitivity of direct contact with fish in deep water. The hooklink is also very ‘old-school’ being around 3ft-4ft of thin mono – 0.14mm (4lb 6oz) Silstar Match Team mono. “Because the water is so deep there are many thermoclines – layers of water where the temperature differs. Relatively warmer layers may sit above cool water so the fish will often be sat well off the bottom,” Iain explained.
At Port Talbot docks the view is industrial and rugged but outstanding fishing compensates
“By having a long hooklink, when the feeder gets cast in, rather than sinking like a stone, it will tend to flutter to the bottom. “With the long hooklink dragging behind, fish sat mid-water will see the bait fall past and follow it to the bottom. Even if they don’t go down straight away, they soon will because greed overcomes their natural caution.” IYCF April 18 – May 16, 2012 • 7
Dock of dreams with Iain Swanson
Iain prefers a size 16 Drennan Red Maggot hook because the fish are not hook-shy and in the deep water they will not be able to pick out the hook anyway. In any case Iain has rarely experienced shy bites, with even the roach practically pulling the rod off the rest. Unusually, Iain casts his feeder in a manner that would normally be dismissed as incorrect! On a typical commercial you would cast and hold the rod vertically before the rig hits the water so the rod can be placed on the rodrest without moving the feeder. But when fishing the docks Iain casts his rig but leaves his rod pointing horizontally towards the water. He will then wait to feel the thump through the rod as the feeder hits the bottom. At this point, he will gently drag his rod to the side before placing it on to the rodrest. As well as moving the feeder, helping to deposit the contents on the bottom, it also enables Iain to straighten his long hooklink. When it comes to bait Iain again adopts
At dusk, the docks really come alive
8 • IYCF Issue 258
old-school bream tactics, with his main groundbait feed made up of a 50:50 mixture of plain brown crumb and Supercup. To this, Iain then adds a 100ml-150ml of Liquid Brasem, a sweet vanilla-smelling additive which was hugely popular among bream anglers prior to the fishmeal explosion. “I really like sweet groundbaits,” said Iain. “It is something I have always preferred, but it is really a personally choice. There is nothing wrong with using fishmeals, as the bream will still respond to it. I think you could use almost any groundbait and still get a few bites.” To bulk out the flavoured groundbait Iain will add a pinch of casters to any ball he is about to introduce. If you added a pint or two all at once at the start of your session, you cannot remove them. This means that you have reduced your options on the day, especially if the fish do not want a lot of particles. For hookbaits, Iain sticks to tried and tested baits – maggots, casters and floating maggots.
In deep water Iain tapes up holes in his feeder so the bait reaches bottom before spilling out
“I like to use a couple of floating maggots on the hook to negate the weight of the hook and prevent the hookbait from burying itself in the silt,” he added. To make maggots float, Iain places a handful in a bait tub then just covers them with water before placing the lid on top. Adding a little water forces the maggots to suck in air and after a couple of minutes this makes them float. It can also be done using a can of carbonated drink.
Iain shows how it’s done…
Fishing to the line clip at 40 turns of the reel, he kickstarted the swim with half a dozen feeders of his sweetened groundbait with a pinch of casters added, before baiting the hook and making a seventh cast. It took a handful of casts – every five to 10 minutes – to get his first bite, from a small plump roach. But this was no shy, tentative pluck, but a full blooded wraparound of the light quivertip. A dozen others, all in pristine condition, quickly followed. After going quiet for a couple of casts, Iain had a savage bite, which turned out to be a good roach close to the magical 2lb. This proved the last of the roach sport, as the skimmers moved in. Now regularly catching 1lb-2lb fish, Iain was unlocking the potential of Port Talbot docks. It may look like daunting venue, but you shouldn’t be intimidated. Anyone who overcomes their initial doubts will find the rewards very rich indeed.
The pristine nature of Iain’s catch shows how productive brackish water can be
Factfile
Day tickets cost £5 for up to two rods. Contact Head Bailiff Dai Morgan on 07886 301754 the day before visiting to make arrangements IYCF April 18 – May 16, 2012 • 9
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Tackle That Swim Going for big fish on canals
‘Welly’ and weed for canal crackers! The nation’s canals contain an untapped wealth of neglected big fish – great sport if you have the tackle and tactics to catch them. Shakespeare Superteam matchman Darren Massey explains
I
Words Dave Woodmansey Photography Lloyd Rogers
F YOU thought canal angling was all about size 24 hooks, 5oz bottoms and thirty fingerling fish to the pound, think again. These days Shakespeare Superteam matchman Darren Massey reaches for his commercial carp kit when he visits the canal to target big, elasticstretching bream and tench that are rarely landed on ‘traditional’ towpath tackle. The 40-year-old canal ace told IYCF: “There are increasing numbers of big, powerful fish in every canal in the country. Depending on the venue it could be bream, tench, chub or carp, but they’re there – and rarely get fished for.
96 • IYCF Issue 261
“When they are hooked accidently by anglers using traditional light canal gear there’s usually only one outcome. Anglers get smashed up and go home with tales of the one that got away! “I come ready for a fight with the same gear I’d normally use on a commercial carp water – that’s Power Top 2 kits with size 16-18 rated elastics, heavy line and powerful, forged hooks. It might sound well over the top for a canal but, believe me, once you’ve hooked a 5lb tench that bores its way straight into dense weed, you’ll be glad of this kind of firepower. Canal crackers like these need a bit of welly to get them out!”
Darren Massey reckons you need to give tench like this a bit of ‘welly’ to pull them out of weed
IYCF July 11 – August 8, 2012 • 97
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Darren has brought the IYCF cameras to a section of the Wyrley and Essington Canal in the West Midlands town of Brownhills just north of Birmingham. He’s never fished this stretch before but his clued-up Shakespeare Superteam buddies have told him it holds a healthy population of big bream and tench. The canal here is seven feet deep, gin clear and polarising glasses reveal irregular patches of heavy, vertical weed growth. With bright sunshine and clear water, conditions are far from ideal. Darren aims to establish three different lines at 10 o’clock, 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock in front of him (see swim diagram, below right). This will give him the opportunity to try the three best baits for big canal fish – worm, caster and bread. It is imperative that you try all three baits because canal fish can show a marked preference for one or the other on the day, explains Darren. Careful plumbing up is the first, and most important job. Darren locates two relatively weed-free spots at 11m at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock ‘down the track’ in the deepest part of the canal channel. A third line will be straight ahead at 12 o’clock at 14.5m in the shade of overhanging bushes. In the bright, clear-water conditions fish could seek the protection of this shade to hide away from overhead predators like cormorants. All his rigs will be fished three to four inches overdepth which is perfect for predominantly bottom-feeding species like bream and tench.
12 o’clock line Shallower but shady. Worm and caster line at 14.5m
10 o’clock line Down the ‘track’ at 11m in the deepest water. Worm and caster line
These are Darren’s all-time top big-fish canal baits. You must try them all on the day as fish can show a preference for one in particular
98 • IYCF Issue 261
2 o’clock line Down the ’track’ at 11m in the deepest water. Liquidised bread and red maggot line
RIG CONSTRUCTION Light rig
The float: This is a sensitive 4x14 Shakespeare ST8 with a bullet sight tip Shotting: Four No.8 shot are strung out evenly over the bottom half of the dual depth rig Line: Darren uses 0.14mm (4lb) Berkley XWR match line straight through with no hooklength Hook: This is size 13 Kamasan B711 barbed. Darren believes a barb is essential with so much weed about
Heavy rig
The float: This is a 4x14 Drennan Carp 2 pattern with a long thin sight tip Shotting: Again, four No.8 shot strung out over the bottom half of the dual depth rig Line: This heavy-duty rig has 0.16mm (6lb) Berkley XWR match straight through Hook:This is an ultra-strong Kamasan Animal size 14 to cope with the biggest fish and snags
Darren lowers all his rigs vertically down to avoid draping them over weed
On the day Darren’s 2 o’clock liquidised bread and red maggot line didn’t produce and was abandoned. He concentrated on the 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock lines with chopped worm and caster
He will lift the rig a foot and drop it slowly to entice bites
IYCF July 11 – August 8, 2012 • 99
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The 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock swims are each primed by cupping in half a pot of finely chopped dendrobaena worms and around 50 casters. The 2 o’clock swim gets a full cup of finely liquidised sliced bread containing a few red maggots. Darren points out that if he was angling for small canal fish he would use a bag of Punch Crumb because this light, fluffy product doesn’t fill up tiddlers. Solid, liquidised bread, on the other hand, does quickly fill up the nuisance ‘bits’ and leaves the table free for the big fish he’s targeting. Darren plans to use only two top kits to fish all three swims. The 11m swims ‘down the track’ at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock are identical depth and the 14.5m swim is a couple of feet shallower. Darren marks the depth of both with Tippex on each top kit. He only needs to push the float down to the lower mark when he fishes the shallower far bank swim, and back up again when he returns to deeper water on the two 11m lines. His ‘light’ rig comprises 0.14mm (4lb) line straight through to a size 13 Kamasan B711 hook. Float is a 4x14 Shakespeare ST8 with four No.8 shot strung out. There’s a stretchy size 16 hollow core elastic through the Power 2 kit. This will be Darren’s main catching rig to be fished with double caster, a piece of worm or an 8mm punch of bread. His ‘heavy’ rig has 0.16mm (6lb) line straight through to a size 14 Kamasan Animal hook. Float is a 4x14 Drennan Carp 2 pattern, again with four No.8 shot strung out. Elastic is Shakespeare Superteam solid size 16. This rig will be used when especially big
BAITING OPTIONS Bread punch 1 Use an 8mm or 10mm punch to create a disc like this from a fresh, medium-sliced loaf. It swells in water to twice its size and hides the large hook
100 • IYCF Issue 261
2
Even though depth varies between the two deeper 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock lines down the track and the shallower 12 o’clock swim, Darren has marked both depths on each top kit in Tippex
Casters Hide as much of the big hook as possible by mounting two casters like this. If fish are really ‘having it’ use three but leave the point showing
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By quickly sliding the floats up and down the line to the Tippex markers Darren can use both rigs to fish any of the three swims he’s established. This is especially useful if you have only two top kits
Worms Darren uses big dendrobaena worms hooked in the thick (head) and then cut in half with scissors to allow fish-attracting juices to escape
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Darren marks the depths of both swims in Tippex on his top kits
This is the mark for his two deeper swims This is the mark for his shallow swim
Keeping his elbow in line with the end of the pole ensures Darren is always fishing at the same length
“Who says big canal roach are tackle-shy? This cracking 1lb plus redfin fell to what is really a heavy commercial carp rig” fish are encountered, when the weed is extra heavy, or when he’s fishing hard up against lily pads. Baits will be treble caster or a large piece of worm. Facing so much weed, Darren holds his pole tip high and drops the rig directly down so that it slips between the upward-reaching fronds. If he lays the rig out in a line, the chances are that the hooklength will drape over weed and not be on the bottom where the target fish are located. Alternating between 8mm punched bread, a half dendrobaena worm or double caster and rotating the three swims soon starts to produce fish. Small roach and perch arrive first but Darren patiently keeps a trickle of bait falling through each line until the float buries and a lift strike meets solid resistance, followed by the size 16 elastic spilling out as a powerful fish bulldozes through dense underwater weed. After an epic battle that tests even the commercial carp gear he’s using, Darren has a gleaming, muscular 5lb tench in the landing net. A big pot of chopped worm and caster goes into the 10 o’clock line that produced the fish and Darren quickly goes back out on his 2 o’clock line. Caster and worm seem to be the top baits on the day with fish falling to both, but the 8mm bread punch fished over the liquidised bread line only results in a single
“If I’d been using delicate canal kit I’d probably never have caught this,” says Darren
small roach. Darren abandons this line and concentrates on the other two, as it is obvious that there are good fish on both. On another day, bread or red maggot could have been the killer bait and Darren impresses on us the need to experiment
until you find out exactly what the fish want. By early afternoon, bright sunshine and high temperatures have killed the tap-water clear swim but Darren has winkled out two nice tench, two bream and well over 10lb of ‘bits’ including roach to over 1lb (who says IYCF July 11 – August 8, 2012 • 101
Fake baits
THE REAL DEAL
Flaked maize
Rarely used these days, fake flaked maize is excellent for fishing over soft silt
From flight of fancy to fish-catching phenemenon in barely a decade fake baits are realistic, sophisticated and catch more fish than you’d think possible. Try them today
Fluoro corn
Hi-Vis baits and corn have caught thousands of carp. This is the perfect marriage of both
Words: Mark Parker Pics: Jaques Portal
There are six main reasons for faking it
1
Artificial offerings give you longevity. As any big-fish angler and fan of natural baits will know, it is often impossible to use small baits like maggots, casters and corn at venues containing masses of small silverfish. Real, delicate hookbaits can be devoured in seconds without your knowledge. Fake baits are great when casting long distances. Soft baits like sweetcorn or luncheon meat can easily fly off on the cast or be knocked off the hook when the rig hits the water. They offer an element of surprise, as they’re not a bait that the fish are used to seeing, especially if you are using a glow-in-the-dark or fluorescent offering. There is nothing in nature like these baits.
2 3
Glow worm! They may look ludicrous, but glowin-the-dark baits are excellent for producing curiosity takes from wary fish, often the big ones!
34 • IYCF Issue 257
The only way a fish can find out what this strange object is and whether it is edible, is by picking it up in its mouth. By this time it’s too late and they’re hooked! Most artificial baits are very soft and they feel ‘right’ to the fish, as well as looking very realistic. They may appear unnatural to the human eye when laid in your hand, but when they are in the water surrounded by the debris kicked up by feeding fish it becomes difficult to tell fake baits from the real thing. Fake baits can also be buoyant, perfect for popping-up a bait off the bottom or with a zig rig, or for negating the weight of the hook you’re using.
4 5 6
For stockist details contact: ENTERPRISE TACKLE: www.enterprisetackle.co.uk or 01767 691231 AVID: www.avidcarp.com or 01952 290520 NASH: www.nashtackle.co.uk or 01702 233232
Snails
An Enterprise Tackle, oddity, this offering is doing very well for carp anglers
Tiger nuts
A superb edge where nuts have been banned from a water
Maggots
Great for targeting bigger fish, fake maggots cannot be destroyed by tiddlers
Boilies
Produced in a range of bold colours these Avid baits can trigger curiosity feeding
Corn stops
Tipping off boilie hookbaits with corn is a great edge and these corn hair stops do the same job IYCF March 21 – April 18, 2012 • 35
Depend on
DACRON More anglers are coming to recognise the advantages of Dacron pole elastic connectors over conventional methods of attachment
D
UMP your old-fashioned pole connectors and depend on Dacron, says England International and former World Champion angler Tommy Pickering. The Yorkshire ace has used standard connectors since first picking up a pole as a lad, but now swears the new style Dacron connectors are superior in every department. Tommy reckons a Dacron connector is neater, virtually tangle-free when
fishing and far lighter than traditional connectors – an important factor when fishing at length. Not long ago it was a DIY job to make your own but now you can buy readymade, colour-coded Dacron connectors to fit all sizes of elastic ‘off the shelf’. The advantages of using Dacron connectors far outweigh what initially looks like a difficult method of attaching your pole rigs, says Tommy.
Dacron connectors come in a variety of sizes
“This method may seem fiddly but the advantages are worth the effort”
Dacron connectors can be used with hollow (above) or solid (right) elastics
28 • IYCF Issue 258
How to attach the dacron connector to the pole
2
3
Thread the elastic through your top kit and form a simple, double-overhand knot in the elastic that comes out of the tip section
Wet the knot with saliva. This prevents friction damage when you tighten it. Tighten and cut off the tag end close to the knot
Pull the bead to the end of the knot and open the Dacron loop. Twist the Dacron over on itself to form two small loops like this
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Now pull the two small loops forward so they butt up together. This creates the doubledup loop you see here. It’s easy with practice
Pass the elastic (knot first) through the centre of the doubled-up loop so that it protrudes by about 2cm (0.75in)
Wet the Dacron and pull tight to the knot in the elastic. Now push the bead down to cover the knot and streamline the rig. Done!
1
How to attach your pole rig to the dacron connector
2
3
Form a double overhand knot to create a loop about 5cm (2in) like this on the end of the line on your pole rig
Wet the knot and pull tight, then cut the tag end close to the knot. We’ve used thick, bright coloured sea fishing line for clarity
Now create a smaller loop in the larger loop (the smaller the better) using the same wetted, double overhand knot
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Make a loop in the rig line, just below the double loop, and pass that loop through the larger of the two knotted loops you created
Rig line loop goes over Dacron. Grip Dacron knot and pull mainline until loop bites. Wet finger and slide tight to loop against Dacron
The pole rig is now in place and you can fish. To remove the rig from the connector, just pull the small loop and it comes undone
1
IYCF April 18 – May 16, 2012 • 29
Tackle TACKLE SPECIAL
Xxx xxx xxx xxx xxxxx x xx
SHOP HONEST OPINIONS AND PROPER TESTS ON TACKLE WITH DAVE WOODMANSEY
“This creates a steady beat and vibration said to be irresistible to hunting predators” 58 • IYCF Issue 256
Rapala Clackin’ Rap predator lures (RRP £12.99)
PREDATOR lures like these have developed into mini works of art with textured translucent and holographic effect bodies, internal multicolour custom paint jobs, 3D effect eyes and internal sound chambers. These colourful Clackin’ Rap patterns from legendary Finnish lure company Rapala feature a metal-on-metal Cadence Rattle or ‘clacking
noise’ generated by a single ball bearing bouncing off the walls of an exposed steel sound chamber built into the lure. This metal ‘noise maker’ creates a steady beat and vibration as the lure is retrieved and is said to be irresistible to hunting predators like pike, zander, perch and chub. The lures come in lengths
of 2.5in-3.5in and casting weights up to just over 1oz so they’re suitable for light to medium spinning/baitcasting rods. The lipless design and topmounted trace attachment gives the lure a swimming action with the internal holographic foil producing the predator-attracting flash of a sickly prey fish wobbling in the water. RRP £12.99.
In this issue... Our award goes to super warm Cyclotherm suits 60
New Fox Stalker rod pod is clever and well-equipped 62 Tackle special: A dozen umbrellas from £17.50 64 New gear: centrepin, clever chair pack, Krimp Tool 68 On-the-bank test: Desperado rod tames big carp 70 New gear: rig bits and a vacuum storage system 72 On-the-bank test: MAP Flat V roller is a breakthrough 74 Reader offer: You won’t find a better 12.5m pole for £60 76 Dave Woodmansey has been a pleasure and specialist angler for over 40 years. He’s been testing new tackle as a full-time job every week for the last 15 years and has probably fished with more new kit than any other angler in the UK. Dave is passionate about angling and prides himself on helping readers with honesty and integrity.
Visit www.gofishing.co.uk for all the latest tackle news IYCF February 22 – March 21, 2012 • 59
NEW GEAR
FOX ROYALE 1 MAN DINNER SET RRP £34.99
If you fish on your own it’s pointless carrying a standard, two-man cooking set. This compact, one-man model is far better. Contents include stainless steel knife, fork, spoon and teaspoon,
square black Melamine plate with Fox logo, mug, corkscrew, chopping board, one large and one small screw top tubs and a micro fleece towel. The kit is contained in a tough carry case. www.foxint.com
“If you fish on your own a oneman cooking set is what you need”
The whole kit fits neatly into a small carry-case
BERKLEY GULP RED CRUSTACEAN BOILIES RRP from £5.99
These deep red boilies get their colour from the genuine ‘Haith’s Robin Red’ spice mix it includes. The crustacean part of the name comes from the added mixture of shrimp, crayfish and krill. Liver extract and soluble fish extracts give them four-season instant attraction. Pay £10.99 for 1kg in 12mm, 16mm, 20mm and 24mm, and now available in new 400g packs in 12mm or 16mm costing £5.99. www.berkley-fishing.co.uk
MAVER PRO FLEECE RRP £69.99
Angling clothing is becoming ever smarter and this tasteful and practical fleece jacket will look as good in the pub as it does on the bank. The soft and warm jacket is fully lined and ideal as an outer garment in summer/autumn or as a mid-layer under an outer shell garment. Sizes M-XXL. www.maver.co.uk
MAVER ELITE CARP POLE
RRP from £699.99 This stunning new addition to Maver’s acclaimed Elite pole range has been built to handle big elastics and powerful match carp. It’s available as a 13m package with an introductory offer price of £699.99, or £799.99 for the £14.5m package. Package includes four ‘Easy Flow’ Power Kits (including one in the pole), Cupping Kit and Cups, Mini Extension, Holdall, Tubes and user DVD. www.maver.co.uk
76 • IYCF Issue 258
KAMASAN B911 F1 HOOKS RRP £1.25
The legendary Kamasan B911 hook pattern is now available in a lighter gauge pattern developed especially for shy-biting F1 carp. The F1 hook retains the famous strength of the original B911 which has deservedly become one of the most popular hook patterns on commercials. Barbless, spade-end B911 F1 hooks come in sizes 10-22. A pack of 10 hooks costs £1.25.
Far left: The amount of design detail is outstanding Centre: Even the dust cap on the ambidextrous handle is great Left: Drilling on the spool skirt is ace
MITCHELL MAG-PRO EXTREME REEL RRP £159.99
Reels don’t come much better looking than this latest piece of angling eye-candy from the famous Mitchell stable. Older anglers may detect features like the distinctive handle design borrowed from the legendary Mitchell Match model of the 80s.
This futuristic looking reel boasts lightweight magnesium body and rotor construction, carbon effect, double anodized aluminium spool with drilled skirts, 9+1 superior HPCR bearings and anti-twist titanium line roller. It has a fabulous, super
smooth, sealed front drag system. Supplied with a spare aluminium spool (capacity 300m of 0.25mm diameter mono for float/feeder or light spinning work) plus a protective Neoprene pouch. www.mitchell-fishing.co.uk
The 5.2:1 gearing retrieves 86cm (34in) of line for each full handle revolution
The multiwasher front drag mechanism is brilliant
A titanium roller is designed to reduce line twist on fast retrieves
Far left: The sleek lines of the Mag-Pro extend to every aspect of the reel Left: Older readers will recognise the old Mitchell Match handle tweeked with carbon-effect veneer IYCF April 18 – May 16, 2012 • 77
ON-THE-BANK
TACKLE TESTS
Dave Woodmansey has been a pleasure and specialist angler for over 40 years. He’s been testing new tackle as a full-time job every week for the last 15 years and has probably fished with more new kit than any other angler in the UK. Dave is passionate about angling and prides himself on helping readers with honesty and integrity.
THIS MONTH... Team Daiwa XR2 pole
Daiwa’s TDXR range of poles has been uprated for 2012. We test the brilliant mid-price TDXR2 model
Carbonactive Power Carp – P90 A new addition to Preston’s acclaimed Carbonactive Mini series of rods gives you vital extra casting range
Super Ultegra Multi Float – P92
Shimano’s classy new 15ft-17ft Super Ultegra silverfish rod is so good it will even land upper double-figure carp
We reveal who wins our Product of the Month Award – Page 94
When fishing near lily pads you need a pole with the strength to boss powerful fish...
88 • IYCF Issue 261
Built for fish that pull back – hard!
Daiwa’s gutsy XR2 pole gives you the confidence to bully big fish away from the sanctuary of snags TEAM DAIWA XR2 POLE (RRP £550, PROMO PRICE £450)
I
CAN’T remember the last time I No.5 section means it’s slick enough to slip fished a river or canal on the pole. All through the hands smoothly. my time is spent on the commercials I liked the TDXR2 as soon as I picked it up. where powerful fish pull back hard. That first impression was reinforced after So, for me, the most important features in I’d caught some nice carp – nothing massive, a pole are strength and balance. but chunky, hard fighting 3lb-4lb fish that If that pole can also handle occasional are typical of modern commercials. silverfish or delicate winter F1 work at a I needed 12.5 metres to fish tight up to far comfortable length on the carp pools, then bank lilies and every carp had to be bullied even better. into open water. The TDXR2 never missed a The new, improved 13m Team Daiwa beat and left me with a smile on my face. XR2 fits this bill nicely. Plug it together •There are six poles in the and squeeze the sections and you’ll get a improved TDXR range for 2012 reassuringly strong and solid feel from every with promotional prices from section, including the top kits. That feel is £199 to £999. better than bank notes in the hand to me because it gives me complete confidence. The package has a Match 3 kit in the pole, An honest pole with a nice three Power Top 2s, a Cupping Top 2 kit, a feel to it that will reversible Mini Extension and a pole holdall appeal to a lot of with rigid tubes. decent pleasure That allows four rigs to be set up – more and club than enough for the average match or anglers. I’d pleasure angler. Spare Match 3 kits are have one! £39.99 and Power 2 kits £34.99. z www. The TDXR2 will carry maximum size 20 daiwasports. elastics through the Power 2, and 14 through co.uk the Match 3, giving ample power to bank powerful fish. Large end bores on the Power Kits mean you don’t have to cut them back, even when fishing the biggest diameter elastics. The main sections of the pole take it to 12.5m but you need the supplied Mini The XR2 put a Extension to take it to the advertised smile on my face 13m. The Mini Extension is reversible to fit the No 8 section, or the butt. This gives you scope to tailor the length to suit the swim you’re fishing. Daiwa’s ‘Slide Easy’ finish down to the
Dave’s verdict
...so that when you hook them, like this, you can coax them away from danger
IYCF May 16 – June 13, 2012 • 89
TACKLE TO CATCH
Carp on the pellet waggler Everything you need to catch...
If you only try one new tactic this summer get on this deadly method
P
ELLET waggler is one of the most successful commercial carp catching tactics ever devised. And the method is at it’s most effective right now as fish cruise up in the warm water. The tactic is simple. A banded, hard 8mm pellet is fished shallow beneath a dumpy float while the angler catapults a constant drip of feed pellets over the top. Carp come to the sound of the splashes and intercept the slowly sinking pellets. The secret to success with this method is hard work! The angler must keep constantly feeding and casting. Most bites will come as the hook pellet sinks naturally under it’s own weight with no shot down the line, mimicking
the falling free offerings. Bites can come when the pellet is suspended under the float at the limit of its fall, but the best pellet waggler anglers only leave it static for a minute or so before recasting. A slowly falling bait is far more effective. Essential items of tackle are a rod with a soft action to prevent hook-pulls, good catapults to accurately fire tight groups of pellets around the float at up to 25m (you’ll need more Loaded: Basethan one in case the elastic weighted pellet snaps with heavy use) and wagglers fly well but the right kind of dumpy, dive on splashdown buoyant, Pellet Waggler unless feathered. float in loaded or unloaded From £1.60 versions.
2
1
Catapults: Buy good quality ’pults like these capable of delivering tight groups of pellets to about 25m. Accuracy is essential. From £5.99 Shot: 3 Big SSG and
AAA shot will be needed for unloaded pellet wagglers. Choose dispensers or single pots bander: A superb 4 Pellet tool to easily get slippery
bands on pellets. From £4.99
84 • IYCF Issue 261
These 5 Unloaded: floats need to be
shotted and, arguably, don’t cast as well as loaded versions, but don’t dive. From £1.20
Bait bands: 6 Essential for
attaching the hard pellet hookbaits. Buy good quality ones that won’t easily snap. From £1.20
Adaptors & 7 stops: Designed
to attach heavy pellet wagglers without damaging the line while allowing easy depth changes. From £1.99 Hooks: 8 Heavy-
duty hooks like these that can be hair-rigged or banded for a pellet bait are a must. They will take loads of stick with this type of fishing. From £1.20
A quality 9 Reel: reel with loads
of winding power and smooth clutch is needed. Spend as much as you can
Pellets: Good 10 quality plain or
Buy a powerful 11 Rod: Pellet Waggler rod
flavoured hard pellets in 4mm, 6mm and 8mm sizes are best. The bigger pellets obviously fire further. From £2.99 a bag
designed with a forgiving top section to prevent hook-pulls. From £100
IYCF July 11 – August 8, 2012 • 85
Instruction
CATCH MORE FISH - TACTICS
Why you must feather your cast
The hooklink and dropper shot are duly laid across the surface in a straight line to avoid tangles
Once the hooklink and dropper shot have been laid out the bait drops in a smooth arc that replicates the speed freebies fall at
A natural fall of the hookbait will earn you more bites ‘on-thedrop’ from species like roach, carp and skimmer bream
If it makes it to the bottom the hookbait will often be taken there by fish that have watched it sink smoothly
36 • IYCF Issue 261
Feathering the line to brake the flight of the float slows it down rapidly. This throws the hooklink past the float
As the float travels through the air the hookbait trails close behind it
Venue file
This feature was shot at the superb Oaks Pool at Wold Farm Fisheries near the Santa Pod Raceway in Northants For details call 07974 000230 or go to www.woldfarmfisheries.co.uk
Steve’s simple bait tips 1
If you’re using double maggots hook one through the thin (head) end and the other through the fat end so the bait spins less on the retrieve and tangles are reduced.
Feathering the line and casting accurately helped Mat to this great bag of bream and carp – his biggest ever catch by a mile!
2
Corn is a more selective bait than maggots. Hook it through the skin at the top. The hook grips it tightly to prevent it flying off on the cast.
3
To catch fish up in the water feed a pinch of bait every 3060 seconds, the pitterpatter draws fish high in the water. To get fish feeding on the bottom feed a pouchload every few minutes. The lower frequency attracts fewer small fish so bait has more chance of reaching the bottom.
WIN
10 DAIWA BOXES WORTH £1,500 – TURN THE PAGE IYCF July 11 – August 8, 2012 • 37