Tuesday, April 19th – Partridge Lakes Open I decided to visit Partridge Lakes on the open match for a practice before the Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier the following day. I drew Peg 107 on Covey 5, not the best of draws, with the weather nice and sunny for a change.
On most of my visits to Partridge I seem to draw on Covey 5, so it’s probably a lake I know the best, having won a few quid off it. The stamp of F1s seems to be a lot smaller compared with Covey 1 to 4.
In last month’s issue, Des Shipp showed us a great tactic for catching wary carp that are sitting over your groundbait in the margins. This time, he’s at the beautiful Shearwater Lake and he’s showing how he adopts a similar approach to his winter feeder fishing.
We all love new bits of kit so here is guest blogger Steve Cooke’s verdict on his latest acquisition. . . I have just received some of my new Garbolino bits so I thought, why not start my blog on a review of some kit? Anglers that know me appreciate that I do not compromise on my kit.
Commercial master Andy Bennett reveals the lessons he has learnt to bag up using the pellet waggler.
Refining the pellet waggler is the key to continued success with this popular approach. Just like any attack, the anglers who perfect it and make it their own will be incredibly hard to beat. One angler who springs immediately to mind is Andy Power; he has years of experience on the method and just keeps on catching with it.
With the recent influx of silver fish, Dynamite Baits’ Rob Perkins reckons there has never been a better time to pole fish the River Trent.
I have been lucky enough to live within walking distance of the mighty River Trent all my life, and as a result I have witnessed the changes it’s undergone – some for better and some for worse. Currently, and happily, the river is in the best form it has ever been, with lots of roach, perch and dace along with all the bigger species the river holds all being found in abundance.
Regarding this, methods have traditionally revolved around rod-and-line techniques; however, in recent years there has been a shift toward more pole fishing, especially as the roach and dace shoals have increased tenfold.
Milo-backed anglers Andy Neal and Danny Ashington tackle a silver fish stuffed venue, where Andy is using the long pole and Danny is limited to fishing the whip to see which approach is king!
Practising is a big part of top-level fishing, but how can you get the most out of your practice sessions? We caught up with Michael Buchwalder to find out…
Fish 'O' Mania champion, Andy Geldart, talks preparation. . . There used to be a time I when would turn up on the bank with just a handful of rigs and not many hooklengths tied.
With the big money Match This final playing host to a superb line up of hopefuls this weekend promises to be a good one. Pole Fishing editor Jon Arthur will be there competing in the runners-up £5,000 final on the specimen lake and Joe Carass will be sat behind Lee Kerry as his wingman for the day. Tom Scholey, Pole Fishing’s editorial assistant, will be sat with with Stuart Lister hoping he can coach Stu to a big pay-day win. I, on the other hand, will be at Roy Marlow’s fantastic Glebe and Mallory Park complex fishing in the annual AT Masters event.
Words and pics: Steve Haywood
River master Joe Oakes visits the River Soar to demonstrate how to put together a match-winning weight of perch.
Perch are abundant in natural venues and regularly take part in the weighing-in ceremony, sometimes in the starring role or maybe a bit part in a well-rehearsed silvers’ onslaught, but on some days they can be the saviour of a very difficult day.
But how much attention do we give the perch? The role they play is definitely forced by the matchman’s hand and it’s the specifics of the venue and a careful nod to the conditions that will determine their appearance.
Today we are on the River Soar in Leicestershire and here the perch will always figure to some extent in match weights, and Middy’s Joe Oakes is certainly a fan.
Darren Cox takes an intriguing look into the world of specialist carp fishing and how one of their techniques can be adapted to help you catch more carp in matches.
Although the Method feeder is a deadly tactic, on some venues – like Barston – it’s losing its effectiveness, with PVA bagging taking over. Angling legend Phil Ringer is your guide…
