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Fishing Tips and Helpful Information

 

Three tips that are common sense really but its surprising how many anglers forget!

 

FISHING LICENCE

Make sure you have an up-to-date licence and carry it at all times!  The price of a licence is far cheaper than the fine (up to £2,500) if you get caught without one. Plus your licence fee goes towards looking after the waters and fish etc.

 Buy your Fishing Licence

 

CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Before you set off on your fishing trip check that you have everything, i.e. fishing tackle, bait and your wallet if you need to pay for a day ticket. Nothing is worse than getting there, setting up and finding you've no bait to put on your hook.

 

OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CABLES

Check for overhead electric cables because many are high voltage and using carbon fishing rods or poles near them can cause electric to arc and KILL YOU !

 

Ok, now here's some tips that may be of help:

 

FISHING ON YOUR OWN !

If you will be fishing on your own always tell someone where you are going and what time you will be back. Accidents do happen but if someone knows where you went and you didn't return at the time you said they could raise the alarm.

 

 

Extra's to carry in your tackle box that may come in handy
Tipex (typewriter correction fluid - see 'Cant see your float')
black marker pen - see 'Cant see your float')
small first aid kit
scissors

sharp pocket knife

 

Unhooking an eel

Stop your float drifting

Bubble float hook length

Worm fishing

Feeding correctly

Discard old hooks and line

Using a stick float

Can't see your float

Deeply hooked fish

Bites dry up when trotting

Plumb the depth

Fishing with Bread

Chewed maggots

Missing fish 'on the drop'

Fishing with Dead Maggots

Flavours and Colourings

Raking for tench

 

Lack of bites

Bubble float

 

 

 

 

Unhooking an eel
You have all caught an eel at sometime and know the hassle you have with keeping it still to unhook it!  The answer is to mark a big cross onto your unhooking mat and drop it onto it. Why?  Well this is what an old angler told me many years ago when I was a young lad just starting fishing. At first I thought he was just taking the mickey out of me for being a novice. BUT!!  I had hooked an eel.  Ok, he said, draw a cross on a flat part of the bank using a stick or the side of your bootThis I did.  Now, reel in the eel and lower it onto the cross (on its back if you can).  I did and within seconds it stopped moving, as if it was dead!!!  Now you have time to unhook it and return it to the water. The old mans story / reason for this was: The cross represents a crucifix. The eel is the fish of the Devil and like the Devil if it is faced with a cross it is subdued. (probably a load of baloney but it has worked every time for me) TRY IT YOURSELF

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Worm fishing
When fishing with worms nip off the tail end. This gets them wriggling more and also adds more flavour and smell to your swim. A good tip for winter fishing.

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Using a stick float
When using a stick float always use 3 float rubbers. If one snaps slide the third into its place. This means you don't have to tackle up all over again

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Bites dry up when trotting
When your trotting and catching fish and the bites dry up, try altering the depth. The fish are probably still there but higher or lower in the water

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Chewed maggots
If you get chewed maggots shorten the hook length or move the bottom shot nearer to the hook. If this doesn't work try hooking the maggot in the middle (handlebar style)

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Flavours & Colourings
When your husband/wife or partner goes shopping to your local supermarket surprise her/him and say, ' Wait a minute, I'll come and help you darling'. (ha ha). When you get there have a look round the food flavours & colouring shelves. There are loads and they are a lot cheaper than the commercial ones sold in tackle shops just for anglers. I use mainly vanilla, curry powder and turmeric and I've had good success with them. For red colour I use cochineal. Also try custard powder in with your maggots. It lumps up a bit but don't worry about this.

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Lack of bites
If your not getting bites try twitching the bait. This sometimes makes all the difference

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Stop your float drifting
When waggler fishing on a stillwater if there is a breeze or its windy and your float keeps drifting, try overcastting and winding back with the rod tip under the water. This helps sink your line and stops your float being pulled out of position

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Feeding correctly
When feeding, don't throw lots of bait in at the start and sit on it, little and often is often best.

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Can't see your float
If the light makes it hard to see the flouro tip of your float do as I do;
Carry a black marker pen and a bottle of tipex (typewriter correction fluid bought from your local stationary shop). If there is not much light or its overcast paint the tip with 2 - 3 coats (it dries quickly) and you have an easily seen white tipped float. If the light is bright, after painting the tip as I've said, colour the tip with the marker pen, you then have an easily seen black tipped float. Also it is easy to use your thumbnail to scrape off the tipex back to the original tip.

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Plumb the depth - this works depending on the length of your rod and depth you are fishing
Once you've plumbed the depth of the water you're going to be fishing, put your hook onto the rod ring nearest the reel and tighten the line (reel in the loose line). Using tipex (typewriter correction fluid bought from your local stationary shop), mark on your rod the position of your float. Now if you alter the depth or get snapped off all you have to do is put your hook back on the rod ring, slide your float to the tipex mark on your rod and you've got the original depth you were fishing at.

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Missing fish, 'on the drop'

If the fish are up in the water and taking maggots 'on the drop' and your missing the bites then instead of hooking your maggots through the end as normal try hooking them in the middle.

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Raking for tench
If you are going tench fishing, take a rake with you. Before you set up your tackle rake around the bottom of your swim. (ask the fishery owner if this is ok to do first!). It attracts the Tench and they seem to love searching for food in the murky water of a freshly raked swim.  See Raking for Tench

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Bubble float - which to buy
Some anglers still use a bubble float when fishing for carp that are feeding on the top of the water. Do you buy a clear one or a coloured one? Tip: buy the clear ones. Fishing within seeing distance of the bubble float you can watch the bait for bites. Fishing further out and depending on the light you can always use the old faithful tipex to colour it white and marker pen over the tipex to colour it black.

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Bubble float hook length or no hook length
Some agree with this some do not. Fishing for carp that are feeding on the top of the water in a reedy or weedy water some anglers fish a 'Straight Through' line of say 10lb or 15lb to give them a better chance of landing the fish if one is hooked and gets into the weeds; but what happens if it snaps off?  the fish can be left with the hook in its mouth trailing the float around. I always use a hook length from the bubble float of 3/4 (75%) of the breaking strain of the main line. This line is then the weakest link and more likely to snap than the mainline. Thus if it does snap the fish isn't left trailing the float around

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Discard old hooks and line
Your line and hook are the two most important items of your fishing tackle. When I finish a session I will pull off the reel 3 or 4 yards (3 or 4 metres) of line, wrap it round my hand, tie it up and put it in my tackle box. This line could be frayed or weakened. When I get home I always discard the line AND the hooks I've used. They WILL be blunt and for what they cost I do not want to miss the probable catch of a lifetime because of weak line or a blunt hook. Hooks used for sea fishing are a different case as most of these can be re-sharpened but I still discard 3 or 4 yards (3 or 4 metres) of line.

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Deeply hooked fish
If the fish has obviously swallowed the bait right down and you can't get it out with your disgorger or forceps, simply cut the line off as close to the hook as possible and allow the fish to swim away. The fish will usually be able to get rid of the hook itself, especially if it has no barb, or it will be dissolved. Never pull on the line of a gut hooked fish in an attempt to recover your hook, this will severely injure the fish and will probably kill it.

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Fishing with Bread

This tip was sent in by Mark Dodson. Thanks Mark.
If you intend surface fishing with bread in the summer why not try preparing the bread baits the night before. Simply mould or cut your bread into the shape of how you want it, whether it be round (boilie style), basic torn style or cut into pieces. White or brown bread can be used  (I prefer using thick sliced white bread. Once you have styled your bread leave on a large baking tray to dry out naturally overnight. You will end up with a white toast effect bread that is still quite soft in the centre. This method will make the bread float twice as long and will stay on the hook better for more distance casting.

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Dead Maggots

When fishing with maggots, dead maggots can be good to add to groundbait as they will not bury themselves into the mud / silt. They can sometimes make a good bait change for the hook as well.

 

 

 

If you have any tips or helpful info please click the link below or send them to

jim@fish-uk.com

 

send in your fishing tips

All tips published will be credited to the sender.

 

 

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