Up at 5:30am to head to the river trying for a Barbel. Beautiful morning and as misty as anything u too about 8am.
The rod wrapped around at 7:45 and so thought I had a Barbel but alas it was a Chub. Not bad at 3lb but the thing headed straight to the trees and I got snagged - at one point I was tugging on the line and I was pulling the fish head-first out the water as my line was trapped in a low branch. Luckily I got it out and all was OK with the fish.
The day was then far too bright and clear and I didnāt have another bite, a beautiful day though none the less. Celebrated with a Hoyo San Juan cigar later by the bank.
Itās a lake run brown, about 10 lbs.
The rod is a Kagerow Rod made to order by sensei Ishida Hideto, who says:
āI may not be able to make a bamboo rod that would suit every fisherman perfectly. Yet I do believe, If I make a rod that one fisherman finds great, I shall continue my work. I am making these bamboo rods for people who love rivers, fish and spend their time amongst beautiful Mother Natue.ā
Yes, Iām a member of Verulam
But tomorrow Iāll be at the Hooks Marsh end, itās a pound for the day, the lock is still on the combination lock so I can stay after the public have gone home
River Lea Relief Channel on Sunday pooped up half mackerel
A very tentative bite, I was wondering if it was a line bite, but as always with pike fishing I always hit it early and risk a lost fish rather than the bigger risk of a deep hooked Pike
Wasnāt a lost fish, a small pike graced the net, not a monster probably about 7-8lb, didnāt bother weighing it at this level only took his pic cos it was the last day of the season, then popped him back in the river
Total novice here, and I suspect this is beyond me.
We stayed in a cottage that leads down to a private shared man-made lake last year. Unfortunately due to the lockdown their lakeside shed which I suspect had communal rods/tackle was locked. They had also posted that their insurance had changed and no longer allowed use of the boat. I travelled to a local tackle shop as my son wanted to try fishing but found myself totally bamboozled by what was on offer and the lad minding the shop said his grandfather was the expert but had gone to dinner!
We have booked an adjacent cottage for Easter, simply a tranquil place.
The write-ups suggest trying your hand at carp fishing, which after a bit of research seems a completely unfeasible challenge for a novice.
So with that in mind, can anyone recommend a good basic rod/tackle set that would be practical for a small man-made fishing area even if we caught nothing! I assume there must be smaller freshwater fish there that the carp could prey on.
Thereās loads of what we call Carp puddles all across the country
Ok slightly disparaging term although I imagine itās given by hardcore Carpers that fish for one particular fish in a massive gravel pit
Terry Hearns is a good example he did a 180 night session without leaving the lake to catch the Burghfield common
Back to you
I would look at Fox for most of your tackle
2 carp rods 2.5 or 2.75lb test curve will do
2 bait runner reels
2 bite alarms and bobbins
Unhooking mat, a must for fish care
Landing net 42 inch
A decent rucksack and tackle box
Ready made rigs
Lead weights and terminal tackle
Now youāre getting a load of stuff so it might be useful to know what itās for and how to use it
Look on eBay for Fox carp dvds, thereās 3 of them and Fox millennial carp dvds another 3
A good tackle shop will be a real help also never be afraid to ask, anglers will generally help
What part of the world are you in, I might be able to help on the tackle shop
Iāll also mention the Carp puddles generally have a lot of fish in the 5-15lb bracket
Itās an ideal place to learn how to catch a fish, play it and land it, treat it responsibly on the bank and return it
The last thing you want to do is hook in a 30+ at this stage
And even if you donāt get on with fishing the Fox stuff is easily sold on eBay
Hopefully you get into it and Iāll enjoy giving you tips as you progress
Many thanks Lyndon, quite a lot of kit needed by the sound of it. If not necessarily going for carp, would some kind of beginner set/kit be advisable for smaller fish? My concern is inadvertently hooking a big fish too strong for a cheap setup.
When did rod licences come in?
The property is in West Wales with a few local tackle shops not too far away, though wondering if they or local ones are actually allowed to open currently.
The first national rod licence was introduced by the National Rivers Authority in 1992, I believe. Prior to the NRA each of the 27 conservancy bodies ādid their own thingā. Some required licences, some didnāt. The NRA has since been superceded by the Environment Agency and they now require a licence be purchased for all over 16 year olds. From 13 to 16 years of age, you need an EA Junior Licence (itās free of charge). Under 13ās do not need a licence. Licences (8 day or annual) can be bought at most Post Offices.
You can find more info on the Gov.uk website.
I wouldnāt argue with @Lyndon with his list of equipment. I would say that for a complete beginner, you may find it to be quite a full-on, carp-specific package, and not suitable for many of the smaller species of fish (which carp do not actively pursue for food; theyāre not predatory).
Course angling bears a lot of similarities to hifi; it is possible to start off at a fairly modest level and if the bug bites you can gradually upgrade piece by piece along the way. Also like hifi, in terms of price, the sky can be the limit (some rods/poles can cost Ā£thousands).
A local tackle dealer (maybe the cottage owner could recommend someone suitable) should be able to āwalk you throughā the necessary kit. Without knowing your budget, local tactics/baits, size/species of fish, size/depth of water, etc, etc, weāre pretty much working on guesswork here.
These days thereās more to fishing then the old adage; āA worm at one end and a fool at the otherā!
I think at the moment itās a case of not wanting to spend too much, as itās more of an itch to scratch we didnt manage last time - he might get bored very quickly, weather may be awful, I really donāt know. If itās a private facility is a licence still needed? Heās under 13 currently but I guess Iād be having a go too or at least helping.
I had a look on Amazon last year and couldnāt believe there were sonar type devices you could buy to detect the fish! Probably how most people would view record cleaning machines
For many, carp angling can become an obsession, rather than a hobby. Weeks at a time in a bivvy (bivouac) in the hope of catching one particular (usually named) carp does not personally appeal to me. But hey, whatever floats your boat!
The EA used to adopt a very strict line on fishing licences; in the early days if you fished your own garden pond you were expected to have a valid licence. Although they seem to have relaxed that aspect a little since, the chances are that the fish stockings in a specific fishing lake/pond (as opposed to a purely decorative pond) would have involved the EA at some stage. For example (in theory) they have to approve any fish movements from one water to another, so they would insist on anglers having the correct licences.
Youāve probably noticed that there are many, many manufacturers of fishing tackle out there. Iām a little out of touch with the āstarterā equipment, but my experience is that the Drennan Red Range rods and reels offer exceptional vfm. Drennanās āend kitā (lines, hooks, weights, floats. feeders, etc) have also become a staple for many anglers at all levels.
You do not need a license for a child under 13 and only need a junior one for someone who is 13 - 16 and it is free but you still have to apply for one, if dad was to have a go then you would need your own license.
Regarding tackle and assuming itās only a small pond I would keep away from specialist Carp rods in the first instance a power waggler float rod might be more appropriate and there is nothing better when catching your first fish than watching a float slide away beneath the depths.
I know that the river season has only just finished but Iām already making plans for a proper campaign to extract a Barbel from the mighty river Trent when the new season starts in June.
First part of the plan get some bait in
Doing a bit of searching regarding licences, it dawned on me that if we are away at Easter might we be contravening āseasonal rulesā ? Found some links on Natural Resources Wales website which go into far too much detail to absorb at a first sitting, they seem to list lots of rules for different fish in different regions at different times, even down to what kind of bait you can use (Iād assumed anything - presumably restrictions on roe or crayfish are for sensible reasons such as spread of infection or non-native species).
Many many years ago as a kid on holiday in Devon or Cornwall my father decided he wanted to fish off a quay, he bought a long bamboo cane, some wire which he twisted and made into eyelets, and then bought some line and hooks. Possibly no reel. No idea what we used as bait. Was amazed that we caught several flatfish very quickly. As far as I know he didnāt do any coarse fishing or sea fishing normally.
Crabbing was my most frequent pastime on holiday.
Once caught an enormous spider crab off Bournemouth pier which scared the Dickens out of me when it came out of the water.
Iāve blanked most the summer but switched to Elips pellets (2 superglued to a hair over hemp) and hit a Barbel on my second outing. I loose-feed a few in the swim along with a paste-wrapped gripper lead.
A 1.8kg bag lasted me all season and still have loads left.
Tend to swap to boilies in the winter as the oil in pellets can fill fish up quickly.
