Seeing as we have a great new fishing forum I thought why not start a thread on hints and tips etc etc

You never know it may just help someone catch a fish or achieve a catch of a lifetime

Or maybe you have a question about something

I'll start the ball rollin for you

Right up till a few years ago I hooked my worm especially for my bream fishing in various ways but still suffered with the worm coming off unless you added a maggot or similar to hold it on.Now considering you can have your bait out for an eternity its useless if the worm as come off

Then a friend shown me how he does it

Take your worm,be it a red or a dendra between your thumb and your forefinger with just its head showing and gently flick it.I kid you not,the worm opens its mouth and you can then thread the hook down and bring it out further down the side of the worm masking the shank.It works especially well when using small barbless hooks and helps hook a bigger worm than usual on a small hook and the worm stays on alot more frequent than it used to

And my last for today is if you use groundbait try using marvel milk powder in it.You will have to experiment with the amounts but it leaves a great hovering cloud in the water.If you also add flavouring it makes a great fish attractor especially for carp on the method

Tight lines

Owd

From when i used to fish with old man on the place called the black rock near lunan bay bout a mile off, perfect place for cod, and the occasional spurdog. I used a mixture of parton crab legs removed shell removed with a lug on the end. to save it on cast out i used elastic twine to hold the bait on. Saves having it float off and nibbled off, and smells like curry to a piss head for fish, well up north.


Edited to add also when boat fishing bounce your bait off the bottom of the bed around 6" or just so u can feel it bob. ive caught near 15 fish ranging from 8lb upto 15lb cod

Wow cool I'm gonna try that one.



Not sure if this is right but I think I read that milk is a very bad pollutant. I know it's only a little in your grounbait, but lots of littles makes a lot


My tip, when after Pike, is to get all the fish heads and tails from the fishmarket, liquidize them, make them into orange sized balls, freeze them, then use them as groundbait. Much easier than trying to lob handfuls of chopped up sprat out.


By the way, ACE idea for a new thread Owderb. I can see this one running and running.

If you want to fish the incoming tide on a beach, dig several holes and fill with manky old fish bits etc and then recover with the sand (quite loose). The incoming tide will uncover the ground bait bit by bit as long as it not deeply buried ......

RAZ

Don't bother cooking and eating your sandeel bait. They taste like shit.

Wheras lamprey are really quite tasty

my arse, yes it bloody well was

I thought they needed some pepper, about a LB of the shit

RAZ

a good gaff and some dynamite usually does the trick.

prebaiting for pike is easy

just get a load of sprats bang them in a food blender until there cut up good then add some groundbait until the stuff binds up then bang balls of this in the freezer once frozen throw them into your favorite swim if its a good drag to ya water keep them frozen in a cool bag

this seems to work ok down the street we have done this a few days prior to fishing it seems to pull them in

tuna is also good for prebait the carp love it

peppi

hi raz

i bet a old sack or something with added bricks would have a similar effect to the above you could even tie a ballon to it so you could see were it was !!

peppi

But.... I used to go Roach bashing a lot on hempseed and tares in my local fens and drains back in the day - I always did wonder.... has anyone tried home-made cannabis flavoured boilies or just hooking a hunk of weed and trying that

B

'edit' - top tip with the worm Owd

apparently adding chillies to the water hemp etc is soaked in is good for most coarse fish

peppi

OK it may not be the world's greatest fishing tip, but last time i went carping, prawns worked when all the rest failed.

Hello, I went Carp fishing on a local water and used 2 'sugar puffs' hair rigged to an inline lead, popped up 5 inch. The out come was a 17.5 common carp, I ground baited with Alpen and Shredded wheat (pulped) fished over a bed of hemp. Great looking fish I may add!

I like the tip about blending Sprat for pike ground bait... Must try that next time I go.

Nice chatting to you

Regards

Grinder

Never park your car anywhere where Nigfis is waving a 6oz weight about, he never misses ......

RAZ

peppi

Wrong time of year I know, but if your into your big eels in the summer, I've found THE best bait. Kicks lobs and deads right out the door.

Whiskas Chunks

I tried it this year, 3 rods set out, 1 with half a 3 inch roach, 1 with a bunch of lobs, and 1 with Whiskas, all on size 2 long shank bait gripper hooks,10"of 16lb line, to a swivel, then a drilled bullet, and 20lb main line , except for the roach which had 20lb wire on iin case of the pike. (I don't play light, the canal is full of crap. )

Had 1 2lb (ish) eel on the lobs, a small jack on the roach, and 5 eels up to around 3.5lb on the whiskas.


Another eel tip, rather than squeezing them through the landing net when unhooking, or using a rag (VERY bad for the fish) , make a groove in the ground before you start fishing, about 2ft long, 1 inch deep, and when you catch, just lay the eel on it's back in the groove. It's almost like they go to sleep, and can be easily unhooked.

I have been told, tho, that if you leave them like this for more than a minute, it will kill them. Don't know if thats the truth, and I don't intend to find out.

i think its more the texture of the hempseed that works rather than taste dude. as far as i know, hemp seed resembles small water snails or summat like that, being black and crunchy. then again, the oil given out when its boiled and soaked draws the fish in too so i aint exactly sure.
try dunking your pop-up in some pure hash oil and see what happens

I'd be diving in after the bastard meself!

Heres my top tip :

Don't drive 20 feckin miles to the lake and then realise you've left yer bait at home

When we went on the 420 meet, Nigfis and I went fishing to a remote spot. Walked for a mile or so then went down a huge mountainside, arriving at a wicked spot I released i'de left my tackle box in the car.

RAZ

Heres another good carp fishing tip :

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Get on the Poachers!

another handy hint that could save you a lot of heartache

is to take a first aid kit in your tackle i learned the hard way i fell over on the edge of a peg my hands went into the lake straight onto a broken bottle i sat there all day with a towel ( i use this to dry my rigs and leads when using pva ) wrapped round my hand i should have had it stitched really but hey i was fishing so..........another time me and a mate met a fella one the bank who had sat on a baiting needle it was sticking out of his leg but hey he was fishing so......................

peppi

Have to agree with you there Peppi. Last Season I cut my finger almost down to the bone on a tin lid, luckily I had plasters with me cos there is absolutely no way I could have fished on otherwise, me bivvy was almost full of blood as it was!

And a couple of hours later I had a 20, never leave home without at least some plasters now!

likewise matey ive got bandages the lot coz you never know you could end up in big trouble if your bleeding heavily out in the middle of no where


but hey you live and you learn

peppi

Dog Days Summer, stillwater and Trout tip:
So you been flogging yourself all day and not had a touch. You can see the beggars, but can't touch them? This tip was learned the hard way and tested over several sessions at Dever Springs, a rather pricey and posh Trout haunt.
The Tip: Wait for some ripple and spot where it breaks shore. Then get opposite the point where the ripple breaks onto the shore. Tie up a huge Muddlered Daddy-Long-Legs, and with a dry line on the reel and a very strong leader (10lb) cast almost to the shore and start to strip the muddler back across the top like mad, as fast as you can. Watch for bow waves following and when seen, increase speed (do NOT decrease) and get yer feet well planted. BANG! Take like a lead cosh and a fight that is quite memorable. Bagged out with 8 fish in 8 chucks last time I tried it at Dever. The smallest was 7.5

Very interesting Arnold, you seem the fly fishing type anyway!

Although I have to say I am a little dissapointed as when I started reading it I thought you were going to expose yourself as a trout tickler!

when your catching loads of mackeral off the rocks try putting one on a big hook ( nick him on the back) fished under a float about 6 foot .its ok the mackeral dont go into the rocks . and wait for the bass. if they are about dont strike too early he will hit it once to stun it. then he will turn and come back so its hold on tactics just leave the mackeral swim holding your thumb on spool while its out of gear .when he comes back leave him run then slowly start adding the pressure to the spool.ihave caught a lot of bass in my time .all the biggies on this method .best fish 11lb off shore

Nice one tanglefoot,
Also, when the mackerel are about, take a light rod and as light a set of tackle as you dare. Mackerel, given a sporting chance, are a fantastic fish to catch.

when im fishing for winter pike on still water with deadbaits i find 80% of my catch is with lamprey .the last pic in the other thread was with this bait. only thing is it costs alot more then herrings n mackeral (cant spell) most fishing shops sell pks of 5 pieces for around £5 but if u have a famly run fishmongers go there n get them 2 order u a box . half stone or a stone .then frezz them in bads of 10. my frezzer has 1 stone lamprey,1 stone mackerel,1 stone herring, then mix bags of roach,rudd,spratts,trout .i used to be a fishmonger yrs ago and still great friends with my old boss so get fish cheap hes the pike i had with the lamprey

hi hotdogz

sprats ????

i really dont get on with sprats they fall off etc etc etc on me lake here they seem to pull in jackies more than anything so i tend to stick with the bigger deads but i think ill give they lampreys a go soon

peppi

when cookin hemp dont, just fill a flask with hemp seed then top up with boilin water n leave over nite .it cooks inside the flask over nite .when u get up its done perfect n cooled down .stops your kitchen stinkin .o yes once u have used a flask for this u can never have a brew again out of the flask .it taste like shit take it from me ive done it yuk .once a hemp flask allways a hemp flask .

hi B A here ive had a great time on commercials ect
using an in line method feeder, (free running)

3ib tc reccomended for starters (rod test curve)

a normal 12ft carp rod will perform poor

dynamite baits method mix

any decent hallibut or trout pellets if allowed
hair rigged, i use 2 14mm

mix hemp seed and diff size pellets
into the method mix not too much
it will break apart when casting in

mainly carp & tench on this method
the dynamite range is tip top for bait

tails up BOMBED AGAIN

Heres a bob-on tip to catch when nothing else seems to work when deadbaiting for pike...

Make a spliff

As soon as you have the mix laid out in the papers, just about to roll, you'll get a run. Guaranteed

Never ever fails.

When fishing with maggots get some strawberry flavoured nesquit milkshake powder and sprinkle it over them. The fish will go beserk for them.

yep if you fish for carp the same applies for if your cooking or making a brew or skinning up

peppi

having a piss normally works too, for that authentic "map of cornwall" effect down the front of your trousers

More of a heads up really than a tip

Right i dont fully understand this but you carpers will I'm sure.I read it in the Angling times written by Keith Arthur who knows his Onions

"I have seen many times,in many angling publications,some specialist rigs,that incorporate lead wire on the hooklink to"nail it down".

Can i just nail one thing down..This practice is illegal!

Lead wire is allowed only where it is an intrinsic part of an item,wrapped around a hook,as part of the base of a float or wrapped around a feeder.

If you are found by a EA bailiff using it on the line,you run the risk of prosecution"

I know it can be overlooked so like I say just a heads up

Owd

owd

this is to make sure your hooklink lie tight to the bottom so the fish dosent feel it with its lips ive done it myself but i use tungsten putty instead of lead wire theres stuff called kryston drop em which is purposely designed for the job you just run it up and down ya link its like a piece of dogbar it then coats the hooklink and makes it sink tight to the bottom (in theory of course ) coz ya always gonna get debris holding it off bottom

peppi

I thought it was summat like that but wasnt sure

Thanks for clearing it up for me Pep

Owd

I thought it was all lead replacement now for fresh water Owd?

RAZ

No mate you can still use lead but not small shots.Its very difficult to get hold of proper lead shot so thats why we dont use em but in the big sizes you can still use em if youve got em

Plus its nearly all lead on the feeders still

Owd

May have mentioned this already......
But
You can some fine fighting fishing for Pike by using a fly rod, about a No.10 I reckon is best - a true Lake caster, no chalkstream wand - a matching dry fly-line, trace and Salmon lure.
I've done the Yorlkshire Ouse that way a time or two. Helluva take from a pike, they seem to really get annoyed by a decent Salmon lure, and you need maximum concentration to stop them taking the rod clean out of yer mits if they are carrying some beef on 'em. And big river pike do carry some serious muscle when they get on in years!
Mind yer hands though, when removing the hooks. Pike have nasty shark like gobs - I know!

Ps
Always remove barbs from the trebles first. Dunno why they still forge them that way FFS.

Yep, 1st time I tried chinning a pike, it thrashed about, my grip relaxed a bit, and I got the teeth across 3 knuckles. Stung like a bastard and bled for about 5 hours, despite me trying to patch up with rizlas. I always have a strip of sticky plasters in my lure bag now.

best to just net them mate regardless of size

best way to sort old toothy out is roll him on his back between ya knees then get him under the chin then pull him up by the head this opens the mouth then in with the forceps

yep there sharp teeth alright you also need to be aware of the inside of the gills these are as sharp as the teeth trust me i found out the hard way ouch and plenty of blood

owd


yep your right there matey !!!

but go into any carp mag and you will see rigs using lead wire around hooklinks etc tut! tut! tut !they probably dont even realise its illegal i thought it was only actual ledgers that were made from lead now wasnt this something to do with swans eating shot and dying that started all this ?????

(but we will turn a blind eye to shot from shotgun cartridges )

peppi

tip for catching big cats.... when i fish frace 4 cats we use live eels and tench. works the best ells 2 ft long tench 1lb too 2lb . so i made myself a pond last summer not big 4ft round 3 ft deep .then went eel fishing 1 nite i have 30 ells from 10 oz too 6lb i put all the small eels in too a sake and took them hope too puth in pond .( note u need netting over pond or the ells will get out ) then week after i bought 20 8oz tench from a stock pool out of a mag .cost me about £78 . so this summer ive live tench and live eels for my uk cat fishing wkends.when i travel with live bait i keep them in a bin in back of van with a air pump running of van. ........ LATEST NEWS last nite had my mates van broken in to all my pikeing tackle was in the back was planing on going for 2 days 2day.3 rods 3 reals 3 alarms new bait boat my camo jacket n bottoms, tackle nets ,unhooking mat fish finder ,loads more around 4k im gutted. but just found out (THANK GOD THANK MOM ) IM COVERED ON THE HOUSE INSURERACE for 7k so looks like i mite get more hehe

Are you aware that that eel will be about 50 years old?
I hate it when people kill eels, just because it snotted up their line. They are one of the most remarkable fish about.

The eel population is declining rapidly, partly due to trapping, and partly because un-educated fishermen see them as just "Horrible nasty slimey twisty things".

Be nice to them