Where to start then? If at all possible I would urge a newcomer to pike fishing to ask an experienced piker if they could tag along for a session or two. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, it is to be shown how to handle a pike on the bank. It is…

Driving there, it started to rain very heavily which made me think that the river would be coloured and a waste of time. The previous year, Neville had tipped me off about a couple of bays on Corrib from which it was possible to bank fish, so it was to there that I headed. Neville…

Mark Ackerley’s Pike Report – Lake of Menteith – Sat 6th November40 anglers from all over the country assembled for the 9 am kick-off. Weather was good initially but a strong wind blew up later. Fishing was with lures and deadbaits only. All fish under seven pounds were transferred to another water, all other fish…

Mask Pt 3 – Methods and Tackle by Mark Ackerley, Thursday 1st July, 1999 Articles related by topic: Bait, Coarse, Lure/Plug/Spoon/Spinner/Jig/Pi, Predator, Stillwater/Lake/Pond, Tackle, Terminal Tackle/knots/rigs Articles related by species: Pike 1994 will be remembered by me as the year when work seriously got in the way of pike fishing. I in fact spent most…

The knots that we have traditionally used to tie our hooks, swivels and booms to monofilament are the all time favourite Blood Knot, and the Uni knot.Both of these knots consist of coils of monofilament jambing tightly against one another to provide the grip necessary for a safe and secure knot.When nylon monofilament is pulled…

Salt water rod rings go rusty!! It is a simple fact of life, all you can do is slow the rusting process till one day you either dump the rod or stump up fifty pounds for a custom rod builder to re-ring the rod for you.Modern roller ring frames are made from plated brass or,…

It seems almost as if the 12 foot beachcaster has become a badge of office, a status symbol, for the aspiring shore angler, for those that know, nothing could be further from the truth.Floatfishing a sandeel bait in the magenta half light of dawn or working a prawn behind a limpid swell tinted with the…

Replacing trebles on plugs can cause all sorts of problems if you do not replace them with virtually the same style and weight of hook. The manufacturer of the lure will have finely balanced and tuned the plug to ensure that it “swims” correctly with the original hooks. So it makes a lot of sense…

Besides the usual “buy me” stands and stalls from the big name tackle manufacturers, there were actually some very interesting items of fishing tackle from trendsetter companies which will cause the well established names to look to their laurels. On the other hand, maybe not, because many of us are acutely aware that most of…

It’s been a long day, the Sun has shone, the fish came out to play, someone else was driving so you had a pint or two on the way home…what a brilliant day out.Two or three days later its time to sort your tackle bag out and have a clean up. Its then that you…