Nash 2013 e-zine by Simon McCabe

JANUARY 2013

30 YEARS OF INNOVATION

HELLO AGAIN AND WELCOME TO OUR FIRST E-ZINE OF 2013!

E-ZINE

ISSUE

012

THE H-GUN RANGE FEATURES - DURABLE SLICK GUIDES - RED TIPPINGS - ISOTOPE SLOT IN BUTT CAP - IMPROVED ACTIONS - QUALITY DURABLE BLANK - BLACK HIGH QUALITY REEL SEAT

MORE INSIDE

- ABBREVIATED HANDLE

LIFE AT NASH

ZIG BUGS

SIREN

NASH E-ZINE

E-ZINEE-ZINE NASH 2 NASH 30 YEARS OF INNOVATION

In the mix -

HELLO AGAIN AND WELCOME TO OUR FIRST E-ZINE OF 2013! JANUARY AND FEBRUARY CAN BE A TOUGH TIME TO CATCH A CARP. BUT ONCE MARCH ARRIVES, NATURE GRADUALLY STARTS TO WAKE UP AND SO DO THE CARP. SO FAR THIS WINTER THE WEATHER HAS BEEN UNPREDICTABLE AND HARSH AT TIMES AND THE FISHING PATCHY AND FAR FROM PRODUCTIVE. BUT IT’S NOT ALL BAD, OUR ZT CLOTHING, SHELTERS AND SLEEP SYSTEMS WILL ENSURE THERE’S NO NEED TO BE COLD AND UNCOMFORTABLE. NASH BAIT ALSO HAS A WELL PROVEN AND UNRIVALLED WINTER TRACK RECORD SO IF WE FISH WELL WE CAN EXPECT TO CATCH RATHER THAN JUST HOPE. DIFFUSION MAIN LINE AND END TACKLE ALSO MAXIMISES CONCEALMENT EVEN IN GIN CLEAR WATER, ALL OF WHICH COMBINE TO MAXIMISE THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS AND MAKE WINTER FISHING AN ENJOYABLE AND SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN A FRUITLESS ENDURANCE TEST! THE OFFICE TEAM HAVE BEEN OUT THERE EITHER GETTING A REGULAR BEND IN THE ROD OR PERUSING A TARGET FISH AND AS YOU’D EXPECT THERE’S BEEN A FEW HIGHS AND LOWS ALONG THE WAY AND A FEW SPECIAL CAPTURES TOO.

CONTINUED NASH E-ZINE

In the mix -

TOP TIPS WITHIN THESE PAGES YOU’LL FIND PLENTY OF ADVICE AND INFORMATION ON WINTER BAIT CHOICE AND TIPS ON HOW TO GET THE VERY BEST OUT OF YOUR CHOSEN NASH PRODUCTS. BAIT CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING THAT MANY PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH DURING THE COLDER MONTHS. SOME ANGLERS SEEM TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE WINTER CHOPPING AND CHANGING BAITS AS THEY SEARCH FOR SUCCESS. THIS KIND OF APPROACH RARELY BRINGS CONSISTENCY AND OFTEN LEADS TO AN EVER DECREASING SPIRAL OF POOR RESULTS AND LOW CONFIDENCE, AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE? A BETTER OPTION IS TO CHOOSE A PROVEN WINTER BAIT FROM THE RANGE, STICK WITH IT THROUGH THE HIGHS AND LOWS, EXPERIMENT, FINE TUNE, FISH WELL AND MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU. REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS OR ISSUES WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

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In the mix -

WINTER BAITING I usually pre- bait with just boilies during the winter months, the main reason being that Nash boilies are designed to ‘gas up’ and float to the surface if for some reason they don’t get eaten. This rarely happens in the summer but mid winter it’s so easy to get baiting levels wrong and I don’t want to ruin a potential hot spot with

rotten uneaten bait. With water temperatures at a seasonal low, freezer bait probably won’t pop up for a week or so, shelf lifes could sit on the bottom longer. So my raked and prepared spots should stay clean and attractive all winter. A while back on one particular lake I discovered a couple of margin spots that had been filled in with some kind

of particle and pellet mix. Very little if any of that bait has since been eaten and it has now gone seriously off, just out of interest recently I scooped out some weed, silt and bait residue from the area and it smelt absolutely rancid! The spots are being regularly fished but I doubt if any carp will be visiting and feeding on them – food for thought. NASH E-ZINE

NO TIME TO WASTE I’ve been fishing lots of short sessions recently, some anglers seem to look upon these as the easy winter option. But scraping ice off the windscreen in what seems like the middle of the night, arriving at one of my target venues at first light, crunching across a frosty field and setting up rigs and fine tuning hook baits with icy cold painful fingers still takes plenty of commitment. But I get a real buzz from it and when success does come its all the more rewarding! For me, the new Scope rods and luggage have really come into their own this winter. On short hyperactive day sessions when there’s no time to waste, two made up rods, collapsible landing net, Sirens and other essentials are stored in the tiny 44inch Scope Sling, extra clothing, tea making gear, survival rations and large bait bucket are stuffed into the new 100 litre rucksack. Day chair and Elevator mat are strapped together which makes everything simple and easy to carry and set up. When I find fish or 6

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drop onto a baited spot I can be fishing in seconds, I can also be packed up and on the move equally as quick when needed. Winter camping can be just as rewarding and I also enjoy this type of fishing when time allows, although looking back at my winter diaries over the last few years, the short mobile sessions have often proven much more productive. So this winter I’ve also adopted the Scope carry-all for the longer visits, bait and all the essentials go in the bottom compartment and the made up rods are stored in the easy access top layer of the bag. When I arrive at the lake, the carp care gear, brolley and bed chair are quickly lobbed on the trolley and the Scope carryall sits on the top. I can fish mobile off the barrow for a few hours and then drop into a swim before it gets dark, in the morning if there’s not much going on I can quickly pack up and go on the prowl, Scope keeps you fit too!

In the mix -

LOOKING AHEAD Whatever your targets or aspirations might be for the rest of the winter and regardless of whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a serious campaign or just fishing for fun, the most important thing is to enjoy it. Alternatively for those who are taking time out to recharge the batteries, if you look really- really hard, the first signs of spring usually start to emerge towards the end of February â&#x20AC;&#x201C; spring 2013 bring it on!

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LIFE @

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LIFE @ NASH

KEVIN NASH

Happy New Year! I would like to take this opportunity to wish all friends and customers of Nash a fantastic 2013; and one that I trust will be full of happiness, good health and good fortune. 13 is my lucky number and so I am optimistic about this year – or at least I will be when I deem my year starts sometime in February after the plaster is taken off my broken arm. I have never broken a limb before and it is doing my head. I can live with the pain – it’s the inconvenience that really hurts. I didn’t realise how hard it is to do the normal stuff like cleaning your teeth with your left hand, and try spraying deodorant under your left arm, which is also holding the can! But the real bummer is my winter fishing has gone down the toilet, and this winter thus far has been amazingly mild which has kept the carp feeding. That is my ‘feeling sorry for myself bit’ over with – time to get positive, and I am most positive about getting back onto my Zig fishing and learning mission. I am so absorbed in Zig fishing now and I can’t wait to continue experimenting with different bugs and critters. For those of you who are getting out, or intend to in the next couple of months, I will say just one thing to you – Zig Bugs. I have been conducting an interesting survey on the Church Lake, and for the last month I can tell you the fish have never been on the bottom. They are always sitting mid water. So my tip for early spring is don’t sit there blanking on bottom bait rigs – get up in mid water. Be lucky!

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OLI DAVIES

Well, finally our work is complete! The 2013 Nash DVD has gone off to the media plant to be manufactured and will be available for the first show of the year in mid-January. This is one not to miss, especially as it doesn’t cost a penny – it’s totally free! This year has been a bumper year and the DVD is packed full of fish captures, underwater footage, and of course blockbuster new products. It’s been a labour of love for myself and Mr Nash TV Winston, who has been burning the midnight oil to get it finished on time and to his exacting standards. We hope you enjoy it – it’s been great fun to make and we hope you’ll agree it’s a little bit different from your average fishing DVD. When the cold weather arrives I don’t hang up the rods and hibernate, I’m even keener to get out on the bank for although the carp bites might be hard to come by there are plenty of other

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species to fish for. In the last two weeks despite time being short I’ve caught chub, perch, dace, roach, grayling and brown trout. It is always possible to get that fishing fix, you just have to modify your objectives slightly and it makes you appreciate the carp when they do decide to play ball. There are still carp to be caught however and last week my winter venue threw up two fish to other anglers in the space of 5 hours. This is after a month without a single capture. Bizarrely this was on the coldest day of the year, perhaps the extreme temperatures had forced them closer to the lakebed and the waiting traps. It does make me think that the fish are spending the vast majority of their time off the bottom, and I have spent the last two trips fishing Zig Bugs on all rods. I haven’t had one yet but I know if I can get on them there is every chance of a coldwater carp. I’ll let you know how I get on!

LIFE @ NASH

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MIKE WILSON 14

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LIFE @ NASH

Nash HQ and there’s a huge amount of work that’s been noted on the calendar already. It’s exciting for me because it’s the start of my first full year here at Nash. I’ve already been involved in some of the major projects including the Zed-Bed, Cyber-Shot and of course the blockbuster we now know as Scope. There’s plenty of exciting new products in the pipeline for the 2013/2014 season. I can’t tell you too much but be sure to keep your eyes peeled for products that have certainly changed my fishing during the testing and development programmes. The Winter carp shows also take up plenty of time, there is still a few to go including Brentwood and of course the new Northern Angling show which I’m really excited about as its going to be huge! Its interesting meeting our valued customers, the feedback we receive also helps us the get the products right. I didn’t fish during the Xmas break so I couldn’t wait to get back out there in the new year, the Zig Bugs will bring me some winter success I’m sure of that. I want to talk about zigs briefly because most people think they are only a summer tactic but I can assure you they are not! I’ve proven to myself that although we think of carp as bottom feeders they actually spend most of their time anywhere but. Zigs certainly provide a big edge throughout the winter, if you fish them properly you’ll catch more winter fish than those anglers who ignore them – that’s a fact! Hopefully I’ll catch you soon on the bank or at one of our shows, but for now its rods out, kettle on and eyes glued to the water - tight lines! NASH E-ZINE

STEVE MCLOUGHLIN

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LIFE @ NASH It was a surprisingly warm December day, with Christmas still at the fore front of everyone’s mind I managed to slip off for a few hours to check on a section of river I had been baiting and fishing(when time was available, which during December is very rare!) to put a little bit more bait in on my spots. Upon arriving and walking down to the river bank I could see a carp just off the back of my baited spot! This sparked a wave of excitement and nerves as I have been chasing a river carp from this section for a while! It also proved to me that my baiting campaign was working and the fish were getting their heads down on the bait. Now normally I would have only had my bait with me as its quite a walk to get to the section of river I’m fishing, but as I had recently got a set of Scopes I decided to take them with me, as it always seems to be the way ‘when you haven’t got a rod the fish are everywhere’. Now the few carp that are in this bit of river are notoriously spooky, so I literally got down on to my hands and knees and ever so slowly crept through the bushes and reeds and peered over the top into the water. And there it was! Only a small carp but this wasn’t about size this was about principle. I have been chasing a carp from here for a long time and around 3 weeks ago I

had lost a fish which, in my head, I was sure was one of the elusive carp. As I sat there watching it slowly cruising near my pre baited spot, I took a handful of boilies and one by one as gently as possible flicked them out onto my spot. I then quickly extended my scope rod and flicked my rig into position. Then as if the subtle splash on the water was acting like a dinner bell the carp came steaming back into my swim, directly towards my bait. Being a crystal clear section of river I waited breath held as it stopped over the top of my bait and dropped its head and started feeding. My jaw hit the floor as I watched it eat one of my freebies, then on to the next , then on to another one. The next one in line was my hook bait, could this be the moment I have been waiting for? Then just at that moment the S5 came to life screaming off with the rod bending and the clutch spinning like mad! After a 10 minute battle a little stunner slipped into the bottom of my net! Not the biggest but the pure feeling of accomplishment, from locating, to pre baiting to having a run to finally catching one, put a massive smile on my face. I left the river shortly afterwards, sure there may have been a chance of another fish, but my battle for the day was done and I was the victor!!

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RICHARD (ditch) BALLARD As water temperatures plummet during November and December, the action on many still waters tends to slow but on the rivers, moving water keeps the fish active which also means they have to feed. This year I have been focusing on the River Lea, I started my campaign by putting in plenty of legwork in October. I knew that carp inhabited the stretch in question, but I needed to find them before trying to catch one. After a few walks along the river I found a fairly slow moving and much more heavily silted section which I was sure would be full of natural food and attractive to carp. Throughout November I steadily introduced a new boilie on test, applying roughly a kilo twice a week. As a reward for all my efforts, on my first session in early December I had three carp, all lovely commons weighing between 8lb and 16lb and a few big chub which were clearly making the most of the free dinners I was supplying. My next session drew a blank which was strange but on my next trip I found a huge bed of weed

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LIFE @ NASH which had floated down the river and come to rest in the margin a short way downstream of my spot. I could just make out the odd tail or dorsal fin poking through the strands of subsurface vegetation the fish were obviously using it to rest up in. I baited again and on my next trip two double figure commons were landed during a short evening session. This is more like it, I thought to myself! So in went some more food ready for my next visit which turned out to be New Years Eve, but unfortunately the weed had floated away and the carp had done the off. That’s the nature of river fishing there are so many variables which can make it a real love hate relationship, but even so I love it! I eventually got the rods out after finding them nearer my original spot but by 11pm I had landed five chub, and although they were a decent size, it wasn’t really what I was after. I re-did my rods and was just getting into the sleeping bag when my right hand rod went into meltdown – clearly this was no chub. A lively fight ensued and a few minutes later a beautifully scaled double figure mirror lay in the folds of my landing net. The Sirens have really given me an edge. On sensitivity level 1 those buzzers are immense! I ONLY get a bleep when there is a fish on the end or if a tree floating down the river wipes my rods out! NOT once did I get a false bleep from wind or flowing water etc. I’ve also been having a go for a new passion of mine, barbel. On Christmas Day I found a 2 hour window before dinner, conditions were absolutely perfect, with the floodwater just starting to subside, flow levels returning to normal and a serious amount of turbidity in what is usually a crystal clear river. It was more than worth the effort as I was rewarded with my first double figure barbel weighing in at 11lbs 2oz which was one of my best Christmas presents ever!

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TOM FORMAN

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LIFE @ NASH

I can’t believe it’s early January as I sit at my desk

writing this whilst looking out the window at sunny blue

skies, mild temperatures and fish constantly rolling and bubbling in one of the ponds at Nash HQ. It’s even harder to believe that only a few weeks ago we were hit by freezing temperatures and snow. With this sudden burst of good weather and a serious lack of angling on my part so far this winter, I didn’t need telling twice to get out and catch some carp. As always with this time of year my carp fishing tends to consist of short sessions, on high stock commercial type venues. The reason being, I want to catch fish! For me size is not important at this time of the year, it’s all about getting the bites, keeping active and catching a few carp. Prior to Christmas I managed to get out a few times with our main man Oli Davies and shoot a couple of features, including a hectic 24 hours at Chestnut pool in Bedfordshire where I managed to land over 20 fish. Unfortunately my fishing time will be limited over the coming months as “show season” is upon us. The first weekend of December saw the annual Carp society’s winter show at Sandown take place, and once again it didn’t disappoint. There’s always a great buzz at Sandown as it’s the first “big” show of the year. January through to March sees several of the other “big” shows take place and once again Nash will be there in force showing off the new gear for 2013. Working

on the shows means lots of hard work, long weekends and a lot travelling, but all the effort is more than worthwhile. With the Norfolk Show, the carp spectacular at Brentwood, The Big One at Farnborough and the brilliant Carpin’ On at Five Lakes, all taking place over the coming few months, it’s going to be a hectic start to 2013 but as always I’m looking forward to it and can’t wait to get going. I’m also incredibly excited about the new Great Northern Angling Show, the guys up North have been demanding a show closer to home for years and finally they will be getting one in March, and a special one at that. The majority of you guys are probably now aware that my good friend Nick ‘Reedy’ Maddix recently left us and is now living “up north” and working for the Great Northern Show angling team which also includes Nash consultant and good friend Jamie Clossick. I wish them all the best on their venture and I’m sure it will be a great event. So if you’re visiting a show over the coming months be sure to come over to the Nash stand and say hello to the team. I look forward to seeing you there.

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EDM

TERRY MONDS

LIFE @ NASH

Making the change from Nash consultant to full

time employee and leaving my past career of 23

years behind represents a big change for me. My new role in the team involves managing the development of Nash rods, it’s a new challenge and one that I’m really looking forward to. The first three months have already been very busy indeed. The Scope range is already proving to be a massive success, the whole concept is aimed towards speed and mobility, in these incredible busy times, having more chances to get out on the bank fishing has to be good, Scope is an on-going project so keep a look out for further developments in the near future. I have also been working on new additions to the Entity range including a spod/marker and a 13ft 3.5 tc rod that’s coming very soon. I’m really impressed with the performance, the new Entities will be the distance rod within the price range and the spod/marker performs brilliantly at all ranges. My casting tuitions have also been very busy, and I have been overwhelmed with the positive feedback that I have received. This is an area of my work that I really enjoy, and to see the massive improvements in distance gained by my clients is extremely satisfying. During these tuitions the anglers get the chance to try the NR rods and again the response has been brilliant 99% of the time the longest casts have come on the NRXD. The NR’s are becoming firmly established in the market place as the top end rods for the serious caster, I’m also working on some really exciting new developments for the future. Fishing time has been extremely limited due to casting tuitions and of course starting my new job, but in the last week or so I’ve managed to get out in the never ending rain, and bag a couple of upper doubles from a local club lake which was very welcome. The weather has been so mild of late, and as I write I’m getting ready for an overnighter in between work, never ideal, but if it’s the only time available, you have to give it a go! NASH E-ZINE

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ZERO TOLERANCE WINTER 2013

ATTITUDE TO ADVERSE ELEMENTS www.nashtackle.co.uk/ZT www.nashtv.co.uk www.facebook.com/OfficialNashTackle @nashtackleuk

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BAITTALK

BAIT TALK

WITH GARY BAYES

Last season I fished a lot of short evening sessions due to work and other commitments so was looking for quick bites. This entailed using several hookbait types and doing a lot of re-casting, it’s what I call busy fishing. Most of these sessions were fishing with and teaching Bobby, my mate’s boy the ropes so I wanted to cover as many methods as possible so he doesn’t end up as a carp camper. The standard approach was to get a bed of bait on the most likely looking spot in a swim but if we saw a fish show elsewhere one of us would get a rod on it or we would even move swim if there was room to do so.

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BAITTALK Instead of PVA or Chain Reaction, both of which kept getting wet in the abysmal weather I decided to spruce our hook baits up using stiff and sticky dips. It took a bit of messing about to get them right so we could reel in, re-dip and cast them out quickly. Most dips don’t stick to a wet boilie and we didn’t want to waste time drying the hook baits out so I kept re-formulating them until they did. It also got a bit messy casting them with the dip dripping all over us so I started to coat the dipped hook baits with fine powders to form a kind of crust which unless you go too mad stops the drips. Once in the right spot the powder and dip needs to come off the bait quick to get working but doesn’t need to drift upward too fast so I made the dips quite heavy, similar to another semi proven project I’m working on designed for rivers and flowing water. We tried out lots of different attractors in the

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dips but found the 4 we now call the Magma Glugs to be the best for a quick bite. They are very “fish” attractive and we caught every species in my lake on them using a variety of presentations, straight bottom baits, snowman, off the lead pop ups, zig rigs, float fished maggot and method mixes, mainly using them as they are intended but often adding them to method and spod mixes to speed the fishing up. Because of the gulls it was difficult to catapult anything except black or dark coloured boilies out (the gulls hardly ever nick black free offerings) so I knocked up several combinations of hook bats to use over the top of black and other dull coloured free offerings. Snowman and other double bait presentations suited the Magna Glugs well as there is a nice gap to fill between the 2 hook baits. The bright 10mm snowman top baits add visual attraction and combine well with 15mm bottom baits to create the perfect presentation.

Double baits also cast better than PVA or Chain Reactions so the rig will fish better and can be re-cast or re-used very quickly after a bite. We had up to 3 consecutive fish on the same hook bait which in limited fishing time is a must, it could have been 2 fish instead of 3 if we had to attach a new rig and hook bait. My lake isn’t the easiest water to catch consistently from and they hate the rain which we had in abundance but most evenings we had at least one chance and often several chances up to 6 on our best evening. That was often not in the best swim either. Bobby caught his personal best 34lb 4oz and a 19 pounder within minutes of moving into a vacated swim one evening on single baits and I’m sure we would have had more if we could have got the swim earlier. The thing is changing the hook baits about and being quick about it definitely caught us extra fish.

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We tried out lots of different attractors in the dips but found the 4 we now call the Magma Glugs to be the best for a quick bite.

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I soak the bottom baits and some free offerings in the dip to create a taste link from the free offerings to the hook bait but leave pop ups bright and dry.

Nash Bait Snowpots available to buy NASH E-ZINE

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AVAILABLE IN CLEAR & CARPY BROWN colouration Breaking strains AVAILABLE: 8LB (0.25mm) - 10LB (0.28mm) - 12LB (0.30mm) - 15LB (0.35mm) - 300M SPOOLS & 1/4LB SPOOLS

www.nashtackle.co.uk www.nashtv.co.uk www.facebook.com/OfficialNashTackle www.facebook.com/KEVINNASHCARPANGLER

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GET ON THE DWARFS!

GET ON THE

DWARFS! DWARF RODS FEATURE REVOLUTIONARY RETRACTABLE BUTT SECTIONS, ENABLING A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE OVERALL PACK DOWN LENGTH OF YOUR RODS; OPENING UP NEW HORIZONS IN COMPACT TACKLE TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE, AS WELL AS A FISHING LIFESTYLE!

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warf

cool. NASH E-ZINE

GET ON THE DWARFS!

Your Dwarfs will store in the most compact of car boots securely and out of sight, so you can pop into your lake on the way home from work ready to catch that opportunist carp, and still be home in time for tea. Youngsters can jump on their bikes and cycle effortlessly through the town to the canal or hop on the train to the city carp pool. In addition Dwarf rods challenge traditional thinking of how long a rod should be â&#x20AC;&#x201C; why do you need a cumbersome 12ft carp rod when a Dwarf will cast over 150yards, be more accurate at casting to that gap in the reeds on the far margin, whilst playing and landing carp is an effortless pleasure. Whether you are urban carping, walking the banks of an inland sea, or off to foreign shores â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dwarf is cool.

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PEG ONE NEWS. It has been an incredibly busy autumn and winter for the Peg one lads, with product testing to be completed on all of the new range for 2013, new baits to fine-tune and plenty of fishing to be done! Despite the fishing being challenging, mainly because of the poor weather, the lads have been catching specimens of a variety of species. Here is a roundup of what has been going on.

Seventh 2012 forty for Ted. Many anglers go their whole lives without catching a forty pound carp, but one angler who makes the feat look relatively easy is Peg Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ted Bryan. All-rounder Ted decided to spend much of his fishing time this year going back to his roots and fishing for carp on venues around the South East of the country. Using a combination of Scopex Squid and IC1 boilies, Ted has been having an absolute dream of a season catching big fish with incredible regularity and hardly a week has gone passed without him reporting a big fish.

Now the big man has hung up his carp rods for the winter and is in pursuit of a variety of different species over the coming months and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it will be very long before more big fish start rolling into his net! 36

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Get on the Whiskey! We might have said it before, but the Whiskey Magic Mix really is THE additive to be using through the winter months, especially if you are targeting carp and barbel. One angler who knows this only too well is Paul Garner who recently visited a day ticket carp fishery for an exploratory look at the lakes roach potential. Bait was maggots flavoured with whiskey that were actually left over from a barbel trip. The roach showed in numbers, with Paul taking some lovely specimens to over the pound mark, but the lakes carp also found his maggot hookbaits much to their liking with a succession of fish falling for the whiskey grubs. If you are looking for a flavour that is really going to give you an edge through the colder months then do yourself a favour and get a bottle of the whiskey!

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Cold rivers mean chub. Most rivers havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been at their best just recently with a combination of floods and cold weather making the fishing tough, but as the waters return to normal winter level it will be time to get the chub gear out and make the most of some brilliant winter river fishing. Alan Storey lives within a stonesthrow of the upper Thames and has taken some massive chub from his local river on the simplest of approaches. His bait of choice is the awesome Monster Squid paste moulded around a small piece of cork on the hair to make it almost neutrally buoyant. Either touch legered or quiver tipped, if there is a chub in the swim the Monster Squid will catch it!

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Duncan Charman joins Nash Peg One Well known and widely respected specialist angler Duncan Charman is the latest high profile angler to join the Nash team. Duncan has been one of the most successful all-rounders in recent years, thanks to his meticulous approach and huge levels of stamina. In recent seasons he has also set up a successful guiding business, passing on much of his knowledge of fishing for species as diverse as chub, barbel, roach and zander. For more information check out Duncanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at: www.duncancharman.co.uk

Well, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about it for this time around, despite the cold weather this really is a great time to be out on the bank, and if you think carefully about your approach and which species to fish for then results can be fantastic. Everyone at Peg One would like to wish you a fantastic 2013!

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We are proud to announce that the following people are patrons supporting the work of the Predation Action Group:

Chris Ball

Bob Church

Chris Tarrant OBE

Chris Burt

Cliff Fox

Danny Fairbrass

Des Taylor

Jerry Hammond

Jim Davidson OBE

Julian Cundiff

Kevin Clifford

Kev Knight

Kevin Nash

Lee Jackson

Bill Cottam

Len Gurd

Les Webber MBE

Rob Hughes

Rob Maylin

Rod Hutchinson

Terry Hearn

The PAG need your support and your donations. Visit us online for more info: 40

www.PredationActionGroup.uk.org

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The effects of predation are a serious issue facing fishing in the UK, we are the people facing the issue.

NASH

_ NXT D CAM MONO

THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRST INVISIBLE MONO All the properties of the legendary Bullet mono with superior toughness, abrasion resistance, extra high knot strength PLUS D-cam (Diffusion Camo). D-Cam utilises our Diffusion Camo technology into the first mainline monofilament that completely disappears on any lakebed you fish.

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UP YOURS MATE! TOP TIPS

TO UP YOUR WINTER CATCH RATES

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U P YO U RS M AT E !

NIGEL SHARP For more years than I care to remember if the lakes and canals aren’t frozen I’ve been able to get the rods out and keep catching no matter what the weather has thrown at us. If I had to put my finger on why I have managed to achieve this it’s actually down to several reasons and the main one is staying motivated. For a lot of people it’s easier to make an excuse not to go fishing rather than just go, but for some strange reason I love fishing during the winter months so it never seems like a chore. I think the other reason why I have been so successful during the two coldest months of the year is because I keep it local, fish short sessions during bite times and always bait up lightly before leaving. By keeping my winter fishing local I’m able to do the little and often thing with the bait which I think is the key to my winter success. Once I remember reading something Kevin Nash himself wrote about making the effort to keep the bait going in over the Christmas break and it rang home with me so as sad as it might seem I to have made the effort to nip out during the festivities and it has paid off for me in the long run. On some waters like the famous Sandhurst venue this has been hard to achieve due to angling pressure over the holiday period so I’ve just simply stayed in touch with the water and watched to see where the bulk of the bait has been going in. By biding my time until the holidays are over I have also used this to great success and in early January reaped the rewards. So my tips are 1: keep motivated 2: keep the bait going in and 3: keep in touch with your chosen water.

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KEITH JONES Use washed out boilies, these being baits that have been soaked in lake water for 24 hours is my top tip. Winter carp in particular seem to find the soft texture instantly appealing which makes them perfect for the short sessions many of us fish at this time of the year. It’s by no means a new idea but an extra little tweak that I’ve developed during the soaking process has turned a good idea into an exceptional one. By adding the Top Rod Formula liquids to the lake water, as the baits soften, they also take on extra taste and attraction, additional sweetener and a pinch

NASH E-ZINE

of salt also seems to give the baits an extra edge too. I tend to think of it as ‘naturalising’ my bait, if you think about it, the carp’s natural food tends to have a very high water content and I think this is partly why soaked baits are so instantly appealing. I strongly recommend you try this quick and simple preparation – good luck!

U P YO U RS M AT E !

STEVE BRIGGS I seem to manage to catch carp through most months of the year these days but if I’m honest much of that has to do with the choice of water more than anything else. I learned a along time ago that some waters just switch off in the winter while on others the carp will feed right through. The better ones always seem to be the shallower lakes with not much in the way of weed – that’s if we’re talking UK waters of course, as many of my winter trips now involve travelling away. That’s not to say that they are always easy though as I’ve had to graft hard many times to get a winter result. It’s always vital to pinpoint where the fish are. They might not move much but a bait in front of them will often work. The feeding times are likely to be quite short too. It will vary from lake to lake but on one lake I fished the best time was always the first couple of hours of darkness and knowing that in advance I could cut my fishing time right down and just concentrate on being there when it mattered. The key was to get the baits out mid to late afternoon and then let everything calm down and settle for the prime time. Other people were recasting just on dusk and perhaps spoiling their chances. One very good tip is to keep the bait trickling in to one area. If they keep finding the bait then they will keep eating it. It doesn’t need to be lots as long as it’s always there for them and as long as it’s a bait that’s easy to digest such as the Amber Strawberry which will be my first choice this winter. NASH E-ZINE

SIMON CROW Of course carp won’t be moving as much as they do in the warmer months, but it’s not uncommon to see them active in the winter. At this time of the year I tend to slow down the amount of overnighters I fish in favour of day-sessions because some of my better catches have been from first light through to last light when the fish react to daytime temperature and light. I’ll put my faith in being mobile and looking for signs of fish activity. I pay particular attention to snaggy areas as well as weed beds and similar places of cover if I don’t see much activity. However, if the weather is abnormally warm or there’s been lots of rainfall, you might just see a few fish coming into the margins for a browse – shallow areas warm up much quicker than deeper spots and when the level is high, there’s lots of new areas for the carp to investigate. The message therefore is to not be static with your fishing because it’s amazing how quick fish react to the weather in the winter months, even at times of extreme cold.

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U P YO U RS M AT E !

RICH WILBY There are so many things you can do in the coldest months of the year to increase your chances of a bite, but my biggest tip would be to pre-bait an area of your chosen venue on a regular basis. Lakes that fish well consistently in the cold are nearly always busy lakes where the fish keep getting bait sprayed at them. If you can create this feeding activity on your own water in the cold it can pay off big time. On my own day-ticket fishery if bait stops going in the fish switch off very quickly, a week with no bait is all it takes to make things become hard. That is what happened last winter, but this year has been the complete opposite. A few lads have been regularly putting in quality boilies and getting their rewards on nearly every trip. And it’s not just them that are benefitting from their bait applications.

Anglers who are turning up out of the blue are also catching on their first trip down. That’s the deal with pre-baiting, you are not going to catch all the carp yourself and you will give other anglers a slight advantage, especially if they’re lucky enough to just drop on your spot. But they will very rarely be using the same bait as you so the carp will always respond quicker to the boilie they’re seeing the most of. Nash Strawberry Amber Attract is one of the best baits to use in this way. The carp really start to single these white boilies out after seeing them regularly for a few weeks. It is well worth teaming up with a couple of friends and keeping them going in your winter venue. It can make catching them so easy, especially on lakes where you know the winter holding areas. NASH E-ZINE

JULIAN CUNDIFF “You gotta move it,move it” -- No matter how prolific your water is without a shadow of doubt carp do not feed as strongly and for as long in the colder months, particularly at this time of year. And one thing I have noted is that they certainly don’t ‘move’ as much seeming to spend much of their time in one area, or certainly not travelling as they do April to October. For that reason unless I am fishing to small holes in the weed or can actually see the carp precisely over my end tackle I do not leave baits in one place for much more than 30 minutes, maybe 60 minutes at most. Whether I am fishing on the bottom or Zig rigging I will recast ‘searching’ for the carp. A couple

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of feet left or right, shorter or longer, if you do this with two or three rods you can soon cover a lot of water and opportunities in a day. Mid winter you get daylight hours 8am to 4pm so that’s a lot of searching, countless times I have wound a rod in, recast it and bingo fish on! Now its not for lazy anglers but there again those that work harder deserve the results. Today in bitter conditions I winkled two out just by moving my Nash White Chocolate pop ups. If I am recasting and want extra feed its only Nash White Chocolate Soluballs as I don’t want dozens of solid boilies littering the lake bed. Give it a try and it will catch you bonus fish I promise.

U P YO U RS M AT E !

MARK WATSON With winter carp being lethargic and slower moving, paying extra attention to bite indication will catch you extra fish. Taking every angle you can out of the line so the Siren has a direct connection with the end tackle is the way to do this. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have the rods on single bank sticks and point each one at the hookbait

with the rod tip about a foot above the water. I have the rod tip like this so once the alarm has registered a single bleep I can look directly at the line for any irregular movements. If there is any then I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate in striking the offending rod. Staying alert and not writing off single bleeps as wind or liners will without doubt, catch you more fish through the winter. The way the Sirens work using line speed

rather than distance moved, gives a great edge in the winter. False bleeps are almost eliminated so every single indication, no matter how small, warrants further investigation. Where weed and snags are not an issue, running leads will be my first choice. To ensure they work as intended I fish with at least a 3oz lead and semi slack lines. If the line is too tight the lead will be felt by the fish on the take, too slack (which seems to be the fashion right now) and the fish will have to move too far to register a take. NASH E-ZINE

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Custom Rods WITH TERRY EDMONDS

OUR IN HOUSE CASTING EXPERT TERRY EDMONDS LOOKS AT THE NR CUSTOM ROD OPTIONS The NR Range has been a big success and pushes the boundaries between strength and lightness with ultra- fast performance. Using an overhead cast, the action actually helps the average angler cast further and more accurately, they also give excellent feel to the cast.

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The rods are available as factory builds, the handle spacing is perfect for most anglers and the rings are placed to utilise performance, casting is trouble free and smooth, I use them for all of my casting tuitions and angling There is also the option of having your rods customised or personalised by a legend in rod building Nick Buss. There are many options to choose from which I will take you through now, first option to choose is what TC rod is best for your fishing. 12ft 3lb NRD is a stunning all-rounder that will fish from margins to 130 yards optimum cast weight 3.5ounce 12ft 3.5lb NRXD slightly more powerful in the butt it can be used close in but also has extra casting power, 3.75 – 4 ounce leads optimum for distance casting 13ft 3.5lb NRXD the biggest casting rod of the range but not overly stiff, I use mine for zig fishing and light hook links no problem, I class it as a ‘fishing rod’ that can cast, 4 ounce is the optimum casting weight. After you have chosen the rod that suits your angling the next step is to choose your favourite handle type, there are 4 types to choose from, the Nash custom service offers - Abbreviated (standard factory build) - Full Cork - Full shrink - Full Duplon The next choice is the tipping colours, depending on your handle choice, these can be placed at the top of the reel seat and either side of the writing on the blank. These are popular choices, but again it’s really up to you.

“

There is also the option of having your rods customised or personalised by a legend in rod building Nick Buss.

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Colour options - Silver - Purple - Gold - Green - Blue - Red

CUSTOM RODS

If you use line clips these can be placed anywhere on the blank, just state your preferred position. A back clip which is Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferred addition can be used with the abbreviated handles, this keeps the rods secure even with the most ferocious takes. When fishing with the tips in the air they also stop the rod slipping backwards if placed in front of the rear rest. Your custom built NR can also be personalised by adding your name or other words of your choice to the blank. The final and possibly most popular option is to have the butt and tip marked with matching numbers, this ensures that the two sections which are machined to very close tolerances stay perfectly matched. That just about covers the popular custom options, but if you have other requirements, just about anything is possible. http://nrrods.nashtackle.co.uk/build.php https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/ TerryEdmondsLongRangeAngler I can also answer any questions on casting and long range fishing tactics on my facebook page, please feel free to get in touch. NASH E-ZINE

WINTER 54

BAIT EDGES

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BAIT EDGE BAIT EDGES

ALTERNATIVE FREEBIES

Many anglers use special or boosted hook baits, making the hook bait stand out from your winter freebies is a popular tactic that can dramatically decrease the amount of time you have to wait for that first bite. But not many anglers use or have grasped the potential offered by boosted or alternative freebies. On those difficult winter sessions that we all have to endure from time to time high attract freebies can provide a real edge.

Soaking any Nash boilie in the matching Food Dip is a well proven winter bait boosting tactic, although just soaking ready made baits in this magic liquid can be very effective it works even better ‘in’ the bait rather than ‘on’ it. Here’s a red hot tactic that’s proven to boost winter catch rates.

METHOD 1 The first thing we need to make is some boilie paste.

2 We meet quite a few anglers at the Nash Road Shows who have

had a half hearted attempt at making their own boilies and have run into problems trying to produce a none sticky easy to role paste and have given it up. Nash Bait ready made boilie paste is ideal for the novice bait maker, as the name suggests it’s ready to go and with a few additional liquids and powdered extracts, it can be used as a base to produce some very effective specials.

Start by flattening 200 grams of boilie paste in the bottom of a small mixing bowl and pour in 10ml of matching Food Dip. Knead the paste and add more liquid if needed until the paste is completely saturated.

4 Roll the paste to the required size and shape

5 Drop into boiling water and gently simmer until cooked

6 Remove the baits from the water and allow them to cool dry and

harden slightly for 24 hours and they are ready to use, you can also freeze some ready for your next session

7 Loaded with attraction - a special hook bait could produce a special

fish!

8 The hardest bit is the washing up!

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3 5 1

2 7

4 6

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BAIT EDGES

COOKING TIMES For 15mm baits a cooking time of around 50 seconds will produce a soft-ish bait that oozes irresistible food smells and tastes, but the outer skin will be tough enough to resist small nuisance fish such as winter roach. If you prefer a slightly harder bait, another thirty seconds in the pan will do it but over many years of using high liquid content specials Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found that the shorter the boiling time the more attractive they seem to be.

TOP TIPS On the lakebed, the Food Dip specials leak off an incredibly attractive scent trail, any carp in the nearby vicinity will immediately know they are there. The Food Dip is a very dense liquid so it also seeps into the lake bed leaving behind a kind of food smell residue. Carp can often be seen ripping up the bottom long

after all the bait has been eaten as they search for the elusive smell of food. For this reason when fishing a lake regularly it pays to use the specials for prebaiting winter feeding spots as carp will regularly visit them and feed. When you arrive, just drop a hook bait and a few freebies onto a pre- baited spot and you can fish confidently expecting to catch rather than just hoping.

The unboiled paste is also perfect for moulding around the boilie hook bait that you will fish over the top of the special freebies, within seconds the paste starts to slowly dissolve into the surrounding water producing massive irresistible food signals. A much faster dissolving time can be created by loading the paste with additional Food Dip or other liquids and attractors.

NASH READY MADE PASTE Remember, this is the exact same paste used to manufacture the Top Rod boilies. Available in both frozen and shelf life options and packed in handy 200 gram screw top pots, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a winter essential for many of our top sponsored anglers and consultants.

NASH FOOD DIPS Nash Food Dips are dense bottom hugging liquids that carp find almost impossible to ignore. The water born food signals created by the Food Dips permeate even the coldest water and have the proven potential to instantly switch lethargic winter carp into instant search and feed mode. The Food Dips are winter bait bucket essentials for many top anglers, they are proven to boost catch rates and provide plenty of options for the thinking angler looking to gain a winter edge.

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Fishing deep pools in daytime – will they bite or will you have to wait until dusk?

of pools below a set Catﬁsh heaven: deep area with no commercial rapids in an isolated other human impact ﬁshing, mining or 3

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TONY BALFOUR CATFISH VIRGINS GREAT SPECIAL OFFERS WHEN YOU

Tony and Pete with Tony’s 150-pounder

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Set up on the Top Lake

In the water with the 150lb cat

CATFISH VIRGINS

Tony ‘Pieater’ Balfour tells of a ﬁrst

or we would have done but for wanted and could not have one unforeseen problem been we any closer to the riverbank. hadn’t thought of: being Spain not Gareth was with us for 7am and only do they drive on the wrong the plan for the week’s fishing side of the road but the steering took all of two minutes to wheel, gearstick and pedals sort out, of the with Gaz having one task, to hire cars are also in the wrong catch us some fish, simple’s. place! After a quick spin round the Both Pete and I had discussed Airport car park we were off and targets for the week and the two-hour drive was pretty agreed that a fish over the ton was much straightforward. Follow not the too much to ask, so with motorway out of Barcelona, this in turn mind we set to our task with left at Llieda and you are in gusto. If I’m honest, though, Mequinenza, so literally four and neither of us had caught half hours from leaving Liverpool a catfish before so any fish we caught we were in Mequi’s catfish would be a bonus. country. A quick phone call for directions and a flash of the ON N THE MOV MOVE headlights found us meeting Gaz, A spot was chosen opposite and another 10 minutes saw us in where the coloured waters of the the apartment with brew in hand. Segre meet the clear Rio Ebro. I was up early the following From the off we knew it was morning and while Pete slept on going to be a struggle as WRONG SIDE! sounding like a baby hippo, the – CALL 01430 440624 OR VISIT WWW.PIKEANDPREDATORS.CO.UK I was Segre was flowing at a fair Sat Nav set and away weGREAT SPECIAL OFFERS WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE in the shower thanking my rate of went – lucky knots, and the first four or stars we had separate rooms. five The hours of the trip were taken up apartment was fine for what we reeling lines back in to clear WWW.PIKEANDPREDATORS.CO.UK the

trip to the Ebro.

lease don’t think that by Doncaster boy Pete ‘Webbo’ reading this article, your Gareth is a catfish/carp-mad Webster, preparations were soon skills as a catfish angler Brummie and not the Gareth underway and a plan was are going to improve. This being Edwards of Welsh rugby is formed. A couple or three fame just a tale of a first trip guiding and once British pike record to the services were shortlisted River Ebro in pursuit of thanks holder, but of course that the to that new fangled gadget didn’t huge catfish that dwell the stop us ripping the mickey in the Interwebnet. The big English out of Ebro/Segre system. firms him all week. that we wanted were all fully With European and even We were informed by the booked for the week (in worldwide fishing destinations hindsight ever-helpful members of this was a bit of a godsend), the Pike becoming more and more but and Predators forum that eventually the one man band early accessible the decision to of May could be a hit or miss head Gareth Edwards and his affair abroad was an easy one. guiding with the fish having spawning Once a service under the name in willing fishing companion of Catfish mind rather than feeding, had Tours was contacted and but as I been found in the form of we were was going to catch nowt sitting in booked. I think it must be said that Wigan, 2nd to 9th May were the

UK DAVE MUTTON CATFISHING IN THE 2

CATFISHING IN THE UK

Tony’s ﬁrst ever cat at 54lb

dates allocated for our attack. As always at my age the days passed all too soon and, two hours after leaving Liverpool John Lennon Airport, I was in Barcelona. Twenty minutes after this the hire car was sorted, followed by a quick brew, and Pete was with me after ﬂying in from Doncaster’s Robin Hood Airport... no, I never knew Doncaster had an airport either.

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Above: Powerful rods and sturdy reels are required

Dave Thinking of having a go for wels catﬁsh? to tell you how. Mutton begins a two-part feature

Main: The sensor array of a catﬁsh

at sensing particle displacement if it did its mouth. This means that it in the water using its highly it could possesses a proper stomach, catfish not like the taste of a bait, y the time you get to lie up developed lateral line. The hook will gorge on food and then water reject it, even without the read this, the frosty days food can sense vibrations in the mouth. to digest it. The catfish finds and being anywhere near it’s of winter will be just a smell, such as a fish in distress, if you by combining its sense of it nears its This is worth thinking about in memory; a memory that move towards them. As using taste and by sensing vibration that will are going to target them two hopefully is full of fat pike prey, receptors in its barbules the water. The catfish has boat. the cat artificially flavoured baits. have graced the bank or pick up the vibrations and sets of nostrils and has an to do? As The catfish will actively hunt – in So what are you going starts to fine tune its approach. excellent sense of smell to the two for prey, particularly in warmer In Some of you may continue the catfish nears its victim, Britain only the eels’ is keener. can often be found in linked to months, and fish for pike through the long whiskers will point straight fish, smell is very closely many of rod, the upper layers of the water a highly warmer months, whilst ahead almost like a divining it taste and the catfish has it hunting for fish. This is when buds you, as soon as the days and when it gets within range of developed array of taste rays employs a third sense, that its cavernous its lengthened and the suns adept suddenly opens in which are located along its prey. vibration. The catfish is very around started to have some warmth mouth and simply engulf barbules as well as in and with a them, give a sigh tinged Unlike pike or zander, the rows of touch of sadness as the This 43-pounder is catfish does not possess wels has clearly capable of deadbait rods are put away proper teeth. Instead the taking very large palate again to sit there untouched baits pads in its upper and lower you may of tiny until October. Some of which consist of hundreds other these be after tench, bream or Velcro-like teeth. It uses may be it then species, whilst others pads to grip its prey which for targeting carp. I also fish passes back to four crushing but at those species on occasion, pads, two top and two bottom, to gain I never seem to be able the back of its throat. the same level of enthusiasm as I do for non-predatory fish TO THE LIMIT my to for predators. That is why So what tackle are you going and very summers are usually spent need to tackle this large key to targeting that other apex hard fighting species? The predator, the wels catfish. all catfishing tackle is reliability is The wels catfish can be and strength. The wels catfish all of described as a predatory very powerful and will test a scavenger, in that it will eat your gear to its limit. When baits, off huge variety of meat or fish hooked they will either surge natural run both alive and dead. Its on a seemingly unstoppable diet consists of fish, amphibians, that will have your reel screaming, to worms, waterfowl and small or hug the bottom refusing much hooped mammals. It will eat pretty move and the rod will be its very more anything that it can fit into over to the butt as you apply most to get large mouth. However, like and more pressure trying GREAT SPECIAL OFFERS WHEN YOU are predators its feeding spells SUBSCRIBE – CALL 01430 440624 OR VISIT WWW.PIKEANDPREDATORS.CO.UK infrequent and, as the catfish

GRAEME PULLEN CATFISH CAPERS IN BRITAIN

CATFISH CAPERS IN BRITAIN

After many years of not really paying attention, Graeme Pullen discovers catﬁshing alternative summer species for UK is a viable predator anglers.

hile I like my floater fishing for carp, I can see the attraction of avoiding Gerty the Thirty of the overcrowded carp world, in favour of Ton-up Tessie of the wels catfish world. It was while filming with Phil Williams in deepest Devon that I began to realise just how much of a cult fish the catfish has become. We were at Zyg Gregorek’s Angler’s Paradise, which I had never 2

ANGLERPROFILE ANGLERPRO

A sustainable food source exists in Devon, where Zyg Gregorek that the cats crash provides shoals of rudd into at night

Name: Graeme Pullen. Age: 59 Hometown: Hook, Hampshire. Favourite Venue: Royalty Fishery, Hampshire Avon.

Favourite Species: Barbel and pike. Most Memorable Catch: None, they are all totally awesome!

Cats are long so make sure you have a good sized unhooking mat – watch out for them snaking about

Young anglers are quickly zoning in on the catﬁsh, like Andrew Pillings took this 40lb-plus who from the lakes at Angler’s Paradise

one evening on a smaller lake and watched a guy walk down to a personal tally of several corner, lob out what I thought hundred tackle shows and meet with was catfish... many an enormous bait dropper, anglers who say they would then love walk back to his swim, feeding to catch a catfish, but they out Graeme Pullen: Give are not us line as he went. I sent Phil in many waters. However, off on a introduction on that is the history of the mission to find out. It turned not the case today. With out British catfish. I seem to over 500 he was using a half tin of recall the waters holding pork cats, most anglers first time I read of them was luncheon meat as a monstrous many are probably within striking years ago at a place called hair rigged cube. Now that’s distance of a suitable venue. what Woburn Abbey”. I call fishing! Phil got a 15-pounder, so he’s off the GP: Is the CCS an elite club, mark Simon Clarke: Yes, they or with a new PB, and although were can anybody join it? I introduced as a folly of the didn’t get my first cat I was aristocracy in the late 1800s suitably impressed with the into SC: It was started back in Woburn Abbey Lakes by 1984 by enthusiasm level, and as the Duke catfish enthusiasts. soon as Basically it’s a of Bedford at the time. It I got back I decided I needed wasn’t club to help beginners and to until the 1950s that their help learn more. understand the species. distribution expanded around There are the no real cat experts. Even country with some local though I clubs have fished for them for being given stock, and it more basically than 25 years I am still learning all started from there. something from every session I do. After all, that’s the magic GP: What sort of sizes were of they going fishing in the first place. running back then?

SIMON SAYS

As fortune would have it my local Tackle Up fishing shop is owned and run by Simon Clarke, who is chairman of the Catfish Conservation Group and has a Chairman of the Catfish Conservation Group, Simon Clarke, with his recent UK PB cat of 56lb

fished before but we dropped in rather than being full of carp with a couple of cameras catfish is like a B&Q bucket, on the anglers, around so nno half of the big fish worries way back from a fruitless about whether they can guys were after catfish. session hoping to break eat it or not! Livebaiting at the Supposedly night feeders, the British porbeagle shark the fishery is not allowed, but record. catfish at Zyg’s complex didn’t Zyg has a very large head deadbaits are okay if you of seem to have read the books get catfish at the complex, running and them from Zyg. So, what many were coming out in do the from five-pounders up to broad anglers catch on? Top selling over daylight – blazing sun and bait 50lb, which I certainly consider blue in the site’s tackle shop was sky. the well worth catching. While giant sized halibut feed pellets. filming There were different In and catching everything fact many of the anglers from techniques, different rigs threaded golden tench to grass carp and them on a hair rig as doubles and some clonking great baits to ornamental koi I noticed in use make even bigger hookbaits. that, – the mouth on even a 20lb I fished a couple of hours for a cat

DAN WILLIAMS CAT CRAZY

GP: Let’s start with the tackle a beginner to cats would need. Start at the sharp end with hooks.

SC: Around 1970 the record was only some 31lb, so they started out small. There were supposed to be accounts that they reached up to 70lb, but there was a lack of photos. Now with the upsurge of commercial ﬁsheries and high protein baits going into the waters there has been a rapid increase in growth, so 30lb is no longer an exceptional ﬁsh.

SC: What you need is to match the size of hook to the size of bait. Invariably you will be using big baits – lobworms, meat, ﬁsh, squid, luncheon meat – and it can be very easy to mask the hook if you are not careful. What you

need isWHEN a hook YOU with aSUBSCRIBE nice wide – CALL 01430 440624 OR VISIT WWW.PIKEANDPREDATORS.CO.UK GREAT SPECIAL OFFERS gape,

CATFISH CARE GP: Now the sizes have increased are there many waters where the beginner to catﬁshing can go and have a reasonable chance of catching?

SC: 20 years ago I would have said there were less than 50 waters in the entire country; today there are over 500. I go to a lot of

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long point and long shank so it can sit nicely off the hook bait corner, or you can hair rig it. Catﬁsh have big bucket mouths. They come in and nab the bait so you need plenty of hook to go into that large and very hard jaw. An adequate size for a bunch of small worms would be a size 2 or 4. With a great bunch of lobworms then a 1 or 1/0 would match the

This being a catﬁsh special edition, occasional cat angler Dan Williams has a few tips and cat facts for other cat novices.

Despite their 3 fearsome looks, wels are usually quite docile on the bank

he wels catﬁsh is one the most impressive ﬁsh swimming and it deserves every bit of respect after it’s given us the pleasure of catching it.

WELS CATFISH FAC FACTS • • • •

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LANDING THE FISH

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A very large landing net is a must when cat fishing. It is one of very few species of fish that can swim backwards and they often do this when nearing the net in the final stages of the fight. If there are shallow margins then boots or waders should be used to ensure the catfish is landed properly. Fishing with someone else is an advantage as it can be a big task just getting a catfish into the landing net – a helping hand is always welcome. Be sure to check all fins are flat against its body and the hook is not in a position that will tear its mouth when lifted (slacken off).

It is important to care for all catﬁsh regardless of size

Catﬁsh are usually hooked in the corner of the mouth – take extra care with their sensitive whiskers

ON THE BANK Catfish are big so once the fish has been landed it should be place on a large, wet unhooking mat (multiple unhooking mats can be used). As a rough guide, a 10lb catfish is around 3ft long and a 60lb specimen can be around 5ft long so you can see why you need large unhooking areas and mats. A weigh sling should be wetted and zeroed on a set of scales which should be at the ready to ensure the catfish is out of the water for the minimum amount of time. The hook will most likely be set in the soft corner of the mouth. If you are wary of catfish then wearing gloves will help protect you

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capture and a sign of this can be seen by them changing colour and becoming lighter. If this happens then it is paramount to return them to the water straight away. Because the wels catfish has no scales they can get line marks during the fight, but these are not a long-term damage and do fade. Once it is time to return the fish, hold it upright in the water

and allow it to breathe, regain its strength and swim off strongly. Do not leave a ﬁsh unattended and take the time to ensure it swims off safely. You may need to hold and support them in some cases. It is very important to respect the ﬁsh you are fortunate enough to catch so that they can give other anglers the same joy you have experienced.

More information on catﬁsh care can be found at www.catﬁshconservationgroup.com

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• • •

A large unhooking mat is a must

A big cat is one of the hardest ﬁghting ﬁsh you’ll ever encounter

• •

•

against Velcro-like teeth – though these very rarely hurt the angler. Strong forceps or pliers can also be a good idea to help remove the hook if it is held firm. Catfish can feed in hot conditions so it is wise to unhook and photograph in a shady area, and a bucket or two of water should be at hand to keep the catfish moist. One of the most

important features of the catfish is its whiskers so take extra care to not damage them as they help the catfish survive. Ensure camera equipment is at the ready if you want a photograph. Some people can be frightened by catfish but they are docile and easy to handle on the bank if cared for correctly. However, they recover quickly if retained for a few hours for

•

photographing in daylight, and can become a proper handful. If your catch is particularly lively on the bank then covering its eyes will help it keep calm.

•

RETURNING THE FISH The catfish are very powerful fighters and will need a short rest before being returned. Catfish can also become very stressed during a

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DID YOU KNOW..?

The wels can live for at least 35 years. The wels has no scales. The wels can be found all over Europe. The wels is predatory and will anything from insects, rats, birds to fish. The wels prefers to stay in sheltered locations but can be found in both still and flowing water. The wels features a total of six barbules; two long ones on the upper jaw and four shorter ones on the lower jaw. The wels can change their colour depending on their environment. Dark in clear water and pale in turbid water. Female wels can produce up to 30,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight. When wels spawn they use a ‘nest’ positioned in tree roots or underwater vegetation. Wels eggs are around 3mm in diameter. Eggs can take less than five days to hatch. Only 10% of fry are likely to survive. Males guard the nest until the eggs hatch. The average growth rate of a UK wels is 1-2lb a year. The wels can grow to nearly 10 feet long and weigh more than 330lb in rare cases. You need special permission to stock wels in England from the Environment Agency and DEFRA. Young wels (under 30lb) flesh can be consumed as food. Wels eggs are poisonous and should not be consumed.

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• •

•

• •

•

The British record for the wels was closed to further claims on 23rd October 2000. The wels was introduced into the UK more than 100 years ago. The original stocking took place at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. Spain, Italy and France have all got established wels stocks. The wels thrives in warm temperatures where there is also an abundance of food. Prey is detected by both smell and vibration. Although predators, wels are also scavengers and will eat pretty much anything. Water temperature is a major factor in growth rates. Wels are ideal for controlling the numbers of crayfish in a water. The Latin name for the wels is Silurus glanis The wels is one of the biggest freshwater fish in the world. The wels is also known as the sheath-fish, sheat-fish or giant European catfish. The wels is just one of thousands of different catfish species across the world. The wels has fantastic hearing due to a sound amplification system called the Weberian apparatus. The wels has a highly developed sense of taste due to the whiskers and mouth/lips being covered in taste buds. Once a wels reaches around 50lb, it has no natural predators.

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they Longe, slim and acrobatic, and roll have been known to jump with their in the surface splashing big tails; a very un-catfish-like fish is behaviour. In Bolivia this means known as saltador, which has a jumper. Piraiba sometimes the mysterious ‘milk’ gland at pectoral anterior upper part of its but in fins. Its function is unknown, Colombia this fish is therefore means known as lechero, which milkman.

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fantaStIc fanta f antaS anta St St tIIc fox prI prIzES pr IzES worth £169 E EvEry Ev vE v E month In oUr Where’s the CatCh? compEtItIon

will ever any freshwater fish you in the catfish that lodges itself 2500 encounter on rod and line! fish, t is estimated that over urethral openings of other the The piraiba is the largest species of fish occur in even animals or occasionally catfish in the Brachyplatystoma Amazon. The order for its humans(!), to the monstrous the genus, and is notorious reported Siluriformes (catfish) is piraiba, which has been voracious eating and solitary and second most diverse and to grow over nine feet long is the true giant of Many of lifestyle. This probably the most spectacular of weigh in excess of 150kg. With the Amazon with many stories group of Amazon species. of Amazonian Locals than the larger species fish weighing over 500lb! 14 families, including more catfish are migratory, extremely call the juvenile fish (those 1000 species, the Amazon active and aggressive predators of all weighing under 100lb) filhote. accounts for almost half in fast water. world! that live mainly are over 50kg, locals catfish are Once they the catfish species in the Pound for pound, these the call them piraiba. They range in size from – than as strong – if not stronger parasitic diabolical candirú, a tiny

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When they’re juveniles, with piraiba are light to dark grey down and Piraiba look for food as far small spots on their dorsal older, as 50 metres. They will scavenge lateral sides. As they get prey like top and but also actively hunt for they turn dark grey on the and small catfish, characins light grey/white on the bottom. big piranhas. Piraiba, like other This coloration aids in as the Amazonian catfish such camouflaging their massive jau, or redtail catfish, dourada and bodies as they hunt in midwater and think do not worry about the sharp shallow places. Most people fin dwellers, pungent dorsal and pectoral of catfish as true bottom for spines of small catfish. Examined but the opposite is the case shoveldourada and piraiba specimens piraiba, dourada and the revealed perforated and/or nosed catfish species. Piraiba likely the scarred stomachs most search for food throughout The at night caused by catfish spines. entire water column and no just slicing teeth of piranha are they can be caught at or they problem either, even though below the surface. where to inhabit the same waters Piraiba have an appetite hundreds of piranha school. bodies. thick match their massive these These giants have extremely Fishermen who’ve caught resists tough leathery skin that have found small they are massive giants inside. such attacks. By the time monkeys, birds and cats can monkeys five feet in length, piraiba While they don’t hunt for problem move freely in the deepest or birds, piraibas have no fear of Amazon waters without scavenging on already deceased predators.

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TERRY EDMONDS TAKES A LOOK AT SOME EXCITING NEW

H-GUN PRODUCTS 60

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H-Gun rods 12ft 2.75lb - £49.99

This is a brilliant players rod with inbuilt power in the butt section which provides great casting potential and improved control or stopping power when fishing near thick weed and snags. The action has been re-vamped a little which also makes it a superb floater rod. Attention to detail such as attractive red tippings and a very handy isotope slot in the butt cap ensures this rod really stands out from the crowd. Ideal lead size 2.5 to 3 ounce 12ft 3lb – £49.99 Another brilliant players rod and again revamped with a little bit more power for improved casting distance and more control over hard fighting powerful fish. I’ve actually chucked a lead over 150 yards, which makes it much more versatile particularly on bigger waters. Ideal lead size 2.5 to 3.5 ounce 12ft Spod/Marker – £49.99 This is a new concept for the H-gun range, the rod is a 4lb test curve so not over powerful, but even so, it will fire a Spod over 120 yards making it more than adequate for most situations. It’s very easy to compress, because of the power in the butt and the firm tip also makes it perfectly suited for marker and feature finding work. This rod will cast a marker and lead a long way, it’s also easy to ‘read’ when searching for those crucial fish holding features.

The H-Gun range features - - - - - - -

Durable Slick Guides Red tippings Isotope slot in butt cap Improved actions Quality durable blank Black high quality reel seat Abbreviated Handle

It takes a lot to impress me but I have to say the new H-guns have done precisely that. The blanks performed superbly during testing and despite some extreme abuse they’ve also proven to be durable and completely reliable.

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MULTI MAT What a product - does three jobs in one! Not only is the Multi Mat a superb ‘safety’ mat, thanks to its raised sides and heavy padding, the carry handles also mean that it can be used as a weigh sling without having to transfer the fish, reducing handling considerably. When moving between swims the Multi Mat also makes an excellent carry bag for awkward items, such as bags of bait, bank sticks, scales, you name it! Made using a wipe-clean fast drying outer with medium density foam padding throughout, the Multi Mat cradles the fish stopping it from sliding off the mat, and enables the fish to be carried back to the water safely before being released simply by unzipping one of the ends. A true multi-purpose product providing maximum fish care. • Large padded mat area • Raised sides stop fish from sliding off mat • Wipe clean surface • Inbuilt weigh / carry handles • Rubberised mesh drainage sections • Zipped ends for easy fish return • Pegging points

TOP TIP – The Multi-mat also makes a great carryall when stalking

H-GUN BARROW – SINGLE WHEEL This is a rugged barrow providing superb stability. Featuring fold-down front and side bars, and integrated barrow bag making it perfect for safely transporting your gear. Simple functional designs and quality materials combine to make H-Gun a modestly priced tackle range with a difference. 62

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G I R K L A T Featured this month

STEALTH AND CONCEALMENT: Diffusion Components Cling-on Leader

RESPOOLING - MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES: D-CAM Mono

NXT Bullet Braid Hardcore Mono

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RIG TALK

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DIFFUSION PROVIDES AN EDGE. Many waters during winter remain gin clear for long periods of time, this makes end tackle concealment vitally important. In these difficult conditions it can be virtually impossible to create low viz/low spook presentations with conventional solid colour components.

CLING ON LEADER Sometimes what carp can feel is just as likely to put them on their guard. And this is when our new Cling On leader material really comes into its own. This ground breaking material sinks just like the heaviest lead core but unlike lead core, a Cling On leader is ultra supple, so it moulds itself and clings to lakebed contours and undulations making it virtually undetectable.

Although some companies market a huge and often confusing range of weed gravel and silt colour options, in a real fishing situation components of this type rarely blend effectively. And even if you manage to get solid colour components to blend in the margins you can never be sure how it will look when cast further out into the pond. But Diffusion rig components are colour and light reactive, drop one of our leaders onto weed and it just vanishes, move it onto gravel or sand and it immediately lightens and appears to melt away. Our extensive tests have proven that Diffusion technology produces more bites and provides a vital winter edge.

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...Diffusion technology produces more bites and provides a vital winter edge.

RIG TALK RE SPOOLING - MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES D-CAM MONO For the serious carp angler not wanting to leave anything to chance, D-Cam ticks all the boxes. This line provides exceptional abrasion resistance and knot strength, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supple, casts like a dream and sinks quickly and reliably. D-Cam moulds itself to lakebed contours and Diffusion technology ensures that carp will find it virtually impossible to detect on the bottom.

BULLET BRAID The new generation Bullet Braid is a specialist product especially suited to slack line tactics. Bullet Braid provides almost bomb proof abrasion resistance and knot strength, zero stretch also maximises bite indication. Carp that are subjected to relentless angling pressure can easily be spooked by what they can feel, brushing against mainline in particular can really put them on edge. Bullet Braid is ultra supple, sinks exceptionally well and hugs any lakebed contours and undulations and virtually melts into the bottom.

HARDCORE MONO Not every angler or every angling situation requires the exceptional level of performance provided by De-Cam and this is where our new Hard Core mono really comes into its own. Hard Core is strong reliable and casts extremely well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available in clear and brown colour options and a modest price also means that the line can be changed regularly if required to maintain maximum performance. Our tests have shown that when compared to other similar priced materials, Hard Core really is an exceptional product.

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