Where once bloodworm ruled supreme, bread and hemp seem to dominate on Alan Scotthorne’s local canal. We met him to see how he utilises two of the best roach catchers available.
I have fished my local Stainforth & Keadby Canal for many years because it is so close to my South Yorkshire home and offers such consistent sport. Roach are always the main species, with just the occasional match won with skimmers and bream.
Alan Scotthorne On The Slider
There are few anglers better than Alan Scotthorne on the slider float, so here’s a masterclass at Chesterfield’s Poolsbrook Reservoir with the five-time world champ!
One method that always seems to arouse plenty of interest and discussion, yet you rarely see being used in England, is the slider. The single main reason why it is not widely fished is because feeder fishing is normally allowed too. You can fish a feeder effectively in almost any conditions you are faced with, whereas the slider takes a bit more effort.
One thing’s for sure, though, it’s something you have to master if you ever want to represent your country! The feeder is banned in most international events and that opens the door to this brilliant float-fishing tactic.
Des Shipp’s Pellet Waggler Masterclass
Des Shipp explains when fishing the waggler can give you the edge over other methods…
Fishing the waggler is a tactic that requires almost unparalleled hard work and perseverance. However, done correctly, in the right situation it can prove to be devastating, just as I proved in a recent Maver Match This qualifier at Gold Valley Lakes, where I qualified for the £65,000 grand final!
Why The Waggler?
The first and probably most obvious reason for choosing to fish a waggler over the pole is its versatility and range. You can simply fish much further out using a waggler than you can the pole; it is therefore suited perfectly for large lakes or up to features where the pole cannot reach or using a feeder isn’t suitable.
It also thrives on tightly pegged venues where fishing the waggler can create space for yourself by fishing an area of the lake nobody else is venturing into.
Accuracy is crucial in any form of feeder fishing, but how do you maintain accuracy in a strong side wind? Garbolino-backed Darren Cox is the man with the answers.
When fishing at long range for big slabs, Dynamite Baits’ Ian Smith reckons the window feeder is a tactic that takes some beating…
With ‘traditional’ feeders you used to have the choice of either a blockend (maggot) feeder or an open-ended one. These days there sits in the middle what is known as a window feeder.
These are more a hybrid of the two. Having started their existence in Ireland, in the last few years they have become more and more popular in this country.
Joe Carass looks back on the recent success of the Match Fishing Drawbags!
It has been a few weeks since my last blog but a load of stuff, good and bad has happened. First of all though I must tell you about the last two rounds of the Tunnel Barn Winter League.
As you may know with two rounds to go we had overtook Barston and claimed top spot. Points were hard fought though and even though we had opened up a bit of a lead we could take nothing for granted.
Garbolino Lindholme’s Alex Docherty reflects on the differing approaches that top anglers take to winning matches. .
Working at Lindholme Lakes places me in the fortunate position that I get to see Aaron Grantham every weekend… not to mention many top match anglers. This has really helped me in my own fishing and I’ve learnt loads through the years by watching and speaking to them (the anglers, not Aaron).
Frankie Gianoncelli recalls two brilliant recent matches, when worms have worked well for him!I’m afraid that fishing has had to take a bit of a back seat to my university degree over the past few months. Thankfully that’s out of the way now, and it’s time to get some serious fishing done. I believe that at this time of year fish are starting to prepare themselves for the strenuous and stressful spawning period, which all anglers are familiar with. I have a theory that the fish need protein and sustenance in order to prepare themselves and build their energy levels up for spawning.
