This has been one hell of a week! I was out of the country for a few days last week and upon my return at around midnight on Monday I realised that the River Severn was about to go into flood mode as it was right up to the top of the quayside a few…

For many years I have fished fast flowing rivers with float approaches. It’s a style of fishing I really enjoy as it’s challenging and very rewarding when you get it right. My apprenticeship saw me on rivers like the Derbyshire Derwent, the Upper Trent, the upper Avon, the Wye and, of course, the Severn. Whenever…

On Saturday I fished the Earlswood bream lake open and drew peg 72, which was the end peg nearest the boat club. With the wind blowing away from the dam and in my direction I quite fancied it. The only downside was that we’d had a lot of rain in the two days previous which…

Last Saturday I fished the match at Bewdley and when I drew peg 115, the pipe swim, I really fancied my chances of a big weight. I won off this peg on the first midweek match of the season with sixty-one pounds of barbel; I’ve had a successful magazine feature off it and done some…

I’ve been lucky really as my living quarters are above my garage area and as a consequence I’ve not had any water in my house. Yes it’s been inconvenient as I’ve needed waders to get out of my home but spare a thought for those poor soles that have had their homes flooded throughout. Many…

Last week the river was coming up fast and, along with most of the regulars, I decided against fishing the KDAA Wednesday match as it looked like being a ‘no hoper’. Only a few anglers bothered to turn up and the match was cancelled but what followed was quite a surprise to me when I…

The river has just burst its banks again after torrential rain over the last few days. This morning it looked like my garage was going to be flooded again but the levels are dropping now and we can see the road again! It’s really frustrating right now. I moved to Bewdley to get nearer to…

The straight waggler is probably the most versatile waggler float in the angler’s box. It can be used on lakes, rivers and canals and for a variety of species. The straight waggler can be made in a variety of materials. The most commonly used materials are peacock quill (which is my favourite, Sarcandas reed and…

This type of fishing is very specialised and originated at places like Drayton Reservoir and Arrow Valley lake. Big lakes such as these often require the angler to fish at distance and when the fish are up in the water the approach can result in some huge catches of carp. I must be honest at…

The thick straight waggler is a particular favourite of mine in two situations. The first is on fast flowing rivers where I need to drag line along the river bed without the float being constantly dragged under. The second situation where I favour the thick straight waggler is for ‘up in the water’ carp fishing…