Perhaps you use a lot of peeler crab for your cod fishing, or are prone to lashing on great offerings of mackerel to the hook in the hunt for a big, sulking conger eel. Below are some of the baits I tend to use for the majority of my fishing.MackerelUnless you have access to “fresh…

Often as soon as the word “conservation” appears in a title many anglers will shift their eyes or click their mouse to look for something else more interesting to read. I know because in the past I have done it myself.This sad lack of interest is often fuelled by the perception that our organisations, in…

With no rain either it was not the best of conditions but I had to go out. I rang my pal Gary and we set off for some pike fishing on the Thames. Since I had been with him last back in late November and early December there had hardly been any rain and the…

Absolutely central to pike conservation is the early detection of a ‘run’ or a ‘take’ and the more precise the rig you choose, therefore, the better the chances of detecting a ‘run’ before the pike swallows your bait. This always assumes, of course, that the angler is sitting close enough to the rod(s) to see…

When it really is that cold, and I do mean Siberian, only a couple of species of coarse fish can be relied upon to feed with gusto, that’s grayling and pike. I left home at 4am, headed north and east, aimed in the direction of the top of the East Anglian ‘bump’ as I think…

Carp, pike, salmon or catfish will usually feature, depending upon the anglers range of knowledge. If a sea angler is there he will probably chuck in a shark or two. (Tell him to shut up though because there are no freshwater sharks in this country). You cant blame people for getting it wrong because there…

Fishing for Spring Cod deep in the Western Approaches a couple of weeks ago we were using Calamari squid festooned off some Silverfisken and Diamond jigs. Then, for one reason or another, the fish just turned off. No matter how we worked the jigs, bouncing the bottom, drag and lift, none of the usually deadly…

Standard techniques such as early striking, minimum handling and correct unhooking procedure are well documented and passed on to others at RA meetings or on-the-bank fish-ins. Sadly, like most things in life, these conservation measures have been learned the hard way and a lot of fish have suffered due to bad practice which in turn…

If something is too big it wont fit and likewise if its too small it wont perform to its full capacity. Vauxhall Vectras dont win off-road rallies and you dont buy forty foot artics as the family run-around. All things are designed with a purpose. Similarly, some fishing rods are six feet long and others…

In this article, I hope to show readers how easy these baits are to prepare. All you need do is follow my step by step guide.As a generalisation, I use fish meal pastes for fishing close-in, either stalking or using a float whilst the boilie is legered on a hair with a self hooking rig….