Wherever salmon fly-fishing is practised throughout the world there are constant reminders of its birth and development in Scotland. Many traditional patterns of salmon flies were developed on the banks of Scotlands famous rivers – flies like Dunkeld (named after the small county town in Perthshire on the banks of the mighty River Tay and…

Over the Easter holiday, some people spent their time driving to the coast or sitting in traffic jams, others were in the garden or being DIY enthusiasts. Some fished the lakes and canals for the coarse fish, others chased the rainbows on the many stillwaters countrywide. A few fished the rivers and streams for the…

Dave Roberts is the livewire skipper of the AlyKat, a sparkling 35 foot “Bullet” hulled charter boat out of Minehead which works the fish rich waters of the Bristol Channel. I didnt need a second invitation, the crabs were quickly organised, tank up my venerable Peugeot, sort through my tackle bag and get an early…

First of all I will look at the centrepin reel and the techniques and uses we can use one for. The centrepin reel, or Nottingham Reel, so-called due to the fact that its modern coarse fishing design was invented in Nottingham for use on the Trent, has a variety of uses not just in rivers…

Species that appreciate warmer water, particularly carp and tench, go from being just about catchable to ‘well up for it’. For tench in particular the difference between one week and the next can be incredible, and so it was for us this year. Normally I find it difficult to maintain my interest in a water…

I was ecstatic and wanted to try to catch bigger ones. Last year I went with a friend to a lake in France that, while being a prominent carp water, holds a fair head of cats. I decided to fish two rods for the carp and two for cats, while my friend was only after…

Despite their diminutive size, many of my local rivers suddenly seem to become filled with superb dace fishing as we head towards the end of the season. I’ve seen the same thing elsewhere. In rivers as diverse as the Thames and Frome, dace can provide a most interesting days sport when little else will feed….

Anglers tried to keep these baits secret as they often devastated a fishery. These baits still work well today for those anglers willing to go to the trouble of preparing their own bait. The bait gets its name from the fact that it is prepared from the sweet called “Angels Delight”. Anyone who has tried…

BOILED BAITSBy far the easiest way of taking them over to the continent is in the form of ready-mades. These probably account for the downfall of more big French carp than any other type of bait. They are convenient, smell and taste good, and are relatively cheap if purchased in bulk. However, always buy good…

Its nearly summer and that means we can start putting some bait in again. For a bait junkie like me this is the signal to dust down the spodding gear and mix up a big bucket of sloppy stuff to get the fish feeding hard. Why use a spod though? Isnt it just as easy…