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

Just recently I managed a days pike fishing on the River Trent and found the fish in a feeding frenzy! I started the day off lure fishing, using a home-made lure which had so far been my most successful home-made pattern. This time out, it wasn’t to disappoint. On my third cast, I felt the familiar ‘bump’, signalling a take from a pike. Before long, I had played my first fish of the day to the bank. Seeing that the hooks were held in a safe position, I decided to hand-land the fish, which I quickly returned. I estimated the weight at around four pounds. The new homemade lure I was using soon rewarded me for my hard work! On the very next cast, I had turned the reel handle only a couple of times when the resistance went solid. Upon striking, the rod took on a healthy bend and the fish stayed deep, signalling that I’d hooked a good fish.Because I use barbless trebles on my lures, I always keep a tight drag, which means that not many of the fish I hook on lures actually take any line during the fight. This fish, however, managed to power away …

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Riverfly Monitoring – A Multimedia CD-ROM Tutorial – Review Please note: this article is now a few years old and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the contact information below. I only continue to host the review for archival purposes. This DVD was released by Aquascience consultancy Limited. More info can be found on their website. A Guide to Riverfly Monitoring, by Dr Nick Everall and Doctor Cyril Bennett is a well thought-out, step-by-step guide to sampling invertebrate life in rivers. This may sound an extremely specialist subject, but with a few basic pieces of equipment and an understanding gained from using this tutorial, I think many groups of people would see a benefit from being able to examine and monitor the natural food sources present in their waters. The most obvious groups of people who would benefit are serious fly anglers, fishery managers/owners and anyone involved with aquatic ecology or conservation. For the fly angler, knowing what insects feature in a particular river and knowing what they look like up-close can be invaluable when choosing or tying flies. Whereas fishery managers and aquatic ecologists will learn which species will only inhabit the cleanest water, allowing water quality and pollution …

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October 2005 arrived, and with it my first serious piking sessions of the season. The deadbait rods came out to accompany my lure rods as I prepared for what shall hopefully be a very successful Autumn and Winter’s pike fishing. Sometimes pike can seem like one of the easiest fish to catch, but very often they can seem almost impossible to catch. Just when you think you’ve got the species worked out, they turn things on their head and leave you scratching yours. If you haven’t pike fished before, but would like to have a go, then please first go with an experienced pike angler, the main reason for this is pike welfare. Everything from the timing of your strike to the unhooking of pike must be done correctly because an angler can pose a serious risk to the pike’s life if they do not know what they’re doing. I can tell you that already this autumn I’ve had some success with my piking, but to find out exactly how I’ve fared, you shall have to read on! Due to the inconsistency of the weather, I have fished a variety of venues with my regular fishing partner, Matt. The first …

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