Fishing UK Specialist Angler & Angling Writer, Andrew Kennedy | Pike Perch Barbel Carp Lure Coarse British angler writing about fishing and specialist angling

Lure fishing really is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours and if the predators are in the mood, it can be even more productive than bait fishing for them!  By frequently moving swims – and of course by fishing a moving bait – a lot of water can be covered in a relatively short space of time, meaning you’re sure to be pulling a lure past a fish before too long and if it’s hungry, it will generally have a go.  The range of freshwater species you can target with lures in is amazing; besides the usual suspects pike, perch and zander, you can also catch chub, trout, salmon (if you’re really lucky!) and if you get really adventurous, even carp, barbel and bream! Lure fishing in the UK has been a massive sport for a few years now and seems likely to continue to grow in popularity, but knowing where to begin can be bewildering.  As with any faction of angling, everyone has their own preferences toward methods, tackle and of course, lures; so with this article I’ll try to cover some basics of lure angling, so if you’ve never tried it you’ll get an idea of …

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Firstly big apologies, I have a post about a brilliant fishing trip in April which I’ve been struggling time-wise to finish, but it’ll be on here ASAP. For now though, I think it’s important to bring to your attention the fact that the “Fish Fight Early Day Motion” (yes, that of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s TV programme fame) is going to be debated in the House of Commons THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON!  So, to ensure the issue gets the amount of attention and thought it deserves, we all need to make sure our MPs know that their constituents consider it to be a very important issue.  Click on the link below, which will take you to the Fish Fight website.  Follow the instructions and within 2 minutes you will have emailed your MP with a basic message, urging them to give the issue their support: http://fishfightnews.net/interface/external_view_email.php?P898860083645777142114542318&utm_campaign=Fish%2BFight%2BNewsletter%2B-%2BMay%2B2011&utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email Personally, I think that overfishing in general has/is raping our sea fish stocks, so over-quota discard is only a small part of the overall problem, but this motion getting seen in the Commons is a start.  If it grabs the nation’s attention and can start to change attitudes of both politicians and the fish-buying public then our seas might just …

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Despite never pledging allegiance to any “specimen angler’s code” I consider myself, by-and-large, to be a “specimen hunter” – or the more modern term “specialist angler“. Although that very term can seem a little restrictive. The angling weeklies would generally have you believe that specimen hunting is a coarse fishing-only pursuit.  Surely a specimen is a specimen though, no matter what? So why limit ourselves to just coarse species and methods? I think that a spot of sea fishing or fly fishing now and then can be rewarding in more ways than one; it provides the opportunity to set some new PBs and pick up some new skills along the way. I’ve always held the view that improving on your skills with one method or species can be of greater benefit your angling skills in general.  Maybe “all-rounder” covers this philosophy better by definition, although I would hesitate to consider myself one of these, because it implies a certain all-round capability, whereas I’m more of a trier than an achiever!  Anyway, digressions aside, after neglecting fly fishing somewhat in recent years, I had a couple of tries for perch on the fly last year and managed fish up to almost …

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