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

For the past five years I’ve really enjoyed lure fishing for pike, but this season I have had unprecedented success with lures. I don’t know if my lure-fishing ability has improved or I’ve simply had great luck but, either way, the lure has been my ‘fall-back’ method when my success is dwindling using other approaches. So, when I started blanking fishing for barbel, I decided to have an evening exploring a new stretch of river with the lure rod, to save my sanity. I arrived on the river with only an hour and a half of daylight remaining, so I moved from swim to swim quickly, without spending too much time in any one place. I happened upon a very picturesque weir and decided to have a few casts into the fast water. After trying crankbaits for a while, I clipped on a fairly universal fast-water spinner – a Mepps Aglia Long no.3. On this I had the chance of Pike, Perch or Chub and the lure is quite stable and easy to fish, even in a fast current. As always, I used a long wire trace, because there was a chance of hopefully hooking a pike. After a few …

Read More »

A new personal best Since the start of the river season, I have focused mainly on barbel – trying to ‘up’ my personal best – and on my second session I managed a new PB with a barbel of 7lb 13oz – beating my old best by five ounces. Obviously I’m thrilled by this, but I’m still hoping for a double-figure barbel before the end of the season. A new personal best barbel for me, at 7lb 13oz Variety Most of my summer fishing sessions are restricted to weekdays after work, so when I got a day off, I decided it was time for a little variety and visit a new venue, noted for its tench stocks. Tackling up for tench I also took along my light spinning tackle and a barbel rod just in case I fancied a change later on. Arriving at the lake there was a large tent erected near the water, with recent campfires, disposable barbecues, a bow saw, a rubber mallet and loads of litter nearby. It literally looked as if someone had taken up residence. But there was no-one around! Very odd. Then when I looked into the crystal clear water, which was only …

Read More »

The “Smart Float” – Review When I first received the ‘Smart Float’ to review, I must admit I was cynical, but curious. It’s a strange-looking piece of kit, but I love new tackle innovations, so I gave the float a test-run at my pond. The concept is basically a battery-powered LED float designed for night fishing. It has a built-in spring loaded mechanism which changes the colour the LED from green to red when you get a bite! The float is quite large and will cast a very long way but the LED is visible from a great distance, so the float can be used at whatever range you can cast it. Unfortunately, the red LED stays illuminated while ever there is a battery fitted. There is no ‘on/off’ switch which is a bit of a nuisance, because to turn the float off you must open it with the supplied spanner and completely remove the battery (which is included). LEDs themselves have an immense lifespan, so a bonus is that you will never have to ‘change the bulb’ in your float – only the battery. The instructions suggest positioning the float using rubber float stops, but I found these slipped …

Read More »