A UK record fish list is first, this is something that a lot of people have asked for in the past and comes to us courtesty of the British Record (rod caught) Fish Committee. I thought I knew my fish but there are species in there that I have never even heard of! New too…

The offenders were caught during a two day blitz last weekend (May 25-26). In total 740 waters across England and Wales were hit and 7,971 anglers checked. Dodgers made up 6.5 per cent of those quizzed – a drop in the evasion rate of almost 2 per cent on a similar blitz last year. They…

3MM ELECTRICAL TAPE I know of no other electrical tape on the market as good as this, and it has a variety of uses in fishing. One extremely useful use is to tape over the reel seat before attaching the reel (stops and prevents corrosion over a long period of time) and then, once the…

INSURANCEPersonal and travel insurance is vital. Your ferry company or travel agent will be able to arrange this, but you could find cheaper and better cover through a local broker or through your own insurance agent. I use a company called Direct Travel Insurance (www.direct-travel.co.uk), a Member of the General Insurance Standards Council. They provide…

There was a big doubt after long time sponsors John Smiths pulled the plug on their sponsorship that the event might not be on this year. However, the tackle trade has rallied round, loads of anglers have entered the qualifiers, and competition organiser Dick Derrington has worked hard to ensure the weekend is on again….

Chub [Species Menu] [Chub articles] Common name: Chub Latin name: Leuciscus cephalus Record weight: 8lb 10z, taken by P. Smith from the River Wear in 1994. Distribution: Found in England, except Cornwall, South Wales, and Southern Scotland. In Europe chub can be found from Scandinavia to Italy. Not reared as a food fish, so not…

Gudgeon [Species Menu] [Gudgeon articles] Common name: Gudgeon Latin name: Gobio gobio Record weight: 5 ounces caught by Mr D.H. Hull in 1990. Distribution: A common little fish in Europe, where it can be found from the Pyrenees right through to Scandinavia. Like so many coarse fish, gudgeon are only naturally found in the South…

The National Federation of Sea Anglers look after the paperwork for the BRFC – British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee. This all sounds like a Boilermakers Union meeting so far so I’ll get on with it. Anyway, the BRFC envelope contained an updated list of the latest record fish. I need these documents to check our…

Carp anglers often talk about using popped up baits over weed as a means of stopping the bait from becoming hidden. Time for a reality check here, most weed grows in thin strands, many of which can be several feet in length. Even when the weed is patchy most of it will be quite long….

It’s curious then, that no-one that I can bring to mind, has developed his assertion that to catch the right fish, you need to offer them the right music. Well, what a load of kibosh, you might think. But just hang on a minute, we’re talking here about Walker – THE Walker. He wasn’t often…