Playing the odds is something we do all the time when we go fishing and it is true to say that the odds are, that most of the fish will be feeding close to the bottom for most of the time. So it makes a lot of sense to fish our baits as near to…

Before we go fishing most Sea Anglers will check out what the tide is doing, is it a big tide? is it a small tide? what time is high water? what time is low water? so that favourite marks can be fished and still be home for “match of the day!”The simple advice given to…

This is the time when the fish feel much more confident about moving into the shallower water on the beaches, when they hunt in the undertow a rod length or two from the rocks and boulders. In the quiet of dusk you will often find fish behind you when wading a shadow danced cove or…

Skippers hate those big plastic boxes, there is never enough room for a full Charter Boat crew to take one each, they slide around getting in everyone’s way in a rough sea and take up so much deck space that the boat always seems crowded. A soft bag with just enough tackle in a rig…

Fortunately this is the easiest of all the rings on a rod to replace, provided it hasn’t been done before by someone using epoxy or superglue. Professional rod builders always glue top eyes to the rod tip using a form of “hot melt” glue. Fuji make a small tube of hot melt glue in a…

If you should find a rod ring that is cracked or grooved, do not hesitate to replace it, because waiting could cost you the fish of a lifetime and at the very least totally ruin the line you are using. Truthfully you have two choices. One is to take the rod to a rod builder…

Fishing from rocks and over rough ground is logically where some of the best fish are to be found, problem is, that by casting a baited trace into such ground you are taking the risk that you will never see that trace again. If the cast is no more than a gentle lob then you…

Many clubs and commercial organisations have tried to install swims for the disadvantaged and often made minor mistakes that have had to be rectified later. One such club is my local one, Feltham P.S. who not only have put in disabled swims but put their money where their mouth is by investing thousands in a…

‘Back On The Stream’ An Oyster catcher flew screaming from the sandy pebbly shoreline with that lovely haunting call, then disappeared into the dusk. I was making my way back to the car after a delightful evening on the river Eden. I had hooked and released five nice brown trout between 13 and 16 inches,…

If you were seriously into carp or tench fifteen years ago you would have been messing around with special pastes, and one of the best was trout pellet paste laced with molasses. Trout pellets then disappeared for a decade before reappearing as the wonder bait on match carp waters. Over the last five years we…