However as with most so-called “new ideas” in fishing, there is in all truth nothing new about paste baits. Nearly a hundred years ago, both my Great Grandfather and Grandfather were regularly using special pastes. All we have done is develop these ideas using modern ingredients, most of which were not readily available at the…

Dace offer the angler a different challenge to other larger species. In dace fishing we are entering a world in miniature with its own very special demands. It is generally recognised that lightening reflexes with perfect presentation are key requirements. It is these special demands that have made dace fishing a special and stimulating aspect…

Few fish caught were less than half a pound and some were of a very good size. Pete actually took two fish which looked to be well over 2lb. We don’t usually weigh grayling, it wastes time to be honest. There is so much fun in catching these delightful little fish on fine tackle that…

Stillwater PerchIt may seem strange to choose perch as a species for targeting in December, but there is a very good reason for this. Perch continue to feed through the winter and they have a habit that helps us to locate the bigger fish much more easily than we can during the warmer months Ė…

Lack of weed cover plus an increase in flow pushing the fish into quieter and often more accessible swims are two obvious reasons for this, as is the fact that most barbel naturally attain their maximum body weight in the winter. But especially on the Hampshire Avon, where I do most of my barbel fishing,…

It was also likely that the weed would (or at least should) play a part in any tactical decision, though as I really did want to fish the float I decided I would put up with endlessly removing ribbons of weed from the hook. I was to be there purely for the pleasure of running…

The most important and spectacular sight that I ever experienced with river pike occurred when I was barbel fishing on the River Kennet at Thatcham. I had laid a carpet of hemp on the bottom of a deepish gravel run and was fishing over it with two casters, these were presented on a size 14…

BarbelNovember can be the best month of the season for barbel if the water temperature is kind to us. If we donít have too many really heavy frosts and a few spells of settled conditions, and especially with a touch of colour in the river, sport with barbel can be hectic. It is the month…

Kevin, Lez and Roman spent the nights in their individual dome tents whilst I preferred to sleep out under the stars, well protected by the mosquito net that was mounted on my bedchair and definitely cooler than the guys in the tents. The facilities in the camp were as one might expect; somewhat basic, although…

What I have never been able to understand is the mass killing of grayling that took place in the past on some of our rivers where they were treated as vermin, it was certainly a very backward attitude. Now some of these same streams where grayling were considered vermin are nothing more than put and…