American Signal Cray fish, how to avoid catching them when fishing.

Cray fish and how to avoid them.

Is it just me or is any one else having serious nightmares about these beasts lets get this off my chest, once these things get in a water that’s it, fishing and the whole balance is wiped out and quick and there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do about it yes when you get them out you can take great pleasure in killing them but this is rather like building a sand castle to stop the tide coming in as for eating them this could end up fuelling the spread.

The American signal Cray is red and larger than our native white cray if you are lucky enough to find one of ours then release him unharmed as their rightfully protected and will soon be extinct due to the American signal.

The American Signal Cray fish

  Always ensure the corpse is no where near any water as they are usually full of eggs, as usual you get the uneducated public breading them or something next thing you no their in the water table and its goodbye fish their favourite food is yes you guessed it fish roe as far as I’m aware no one has even been prosecuted for them getting into a water.

How to avoid catching the Cray fish when fishing can be difficult the best way to stop Cray fish taking a bait is to use an anti-Crab rig which is used by sea anglers there is a nice length of foam on these which I use for putting on my Pike,Carp rigs to lift the bait from the bottom.

These can also be used with fishing with a pencil float for Pike.

 Killing and binning them is in line with the environment agency guide lines, they must be humanely dispatched i.e. a sharp blow to the head, personally I find the best is the thermal wellington boot with fleece lining particularly in size 8 or 9! Crushed quickly, it’s instant.

 It is also illegal to trap and transport these heavy feeders.

Notice the foam insert to keep the bait above the Cray fish on this rig.

If you decide to fish water with these creatures in then take plenty of tackle accessories, hooks, lines, floats, non toxic shot as they can often take the bait before big Carp do.

Time will tell I shudder to think

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How to catch big Carp on the best particle baits such as flavoured sweet corn, glug tips for boilies ground baits and pellets.

These days it’s easy to get carried away with the current trends for secrets on how to catch big Carp and Tench.

Matt Haze, Bob Nudd and the like would have you believe in their DVD collections that it is essential you use Van den eynde ground baits, (Nudd owns the company!), Fox bait runners and total fishing gear, etc,

In this post I will give away free all you need to know without breaking the the bank on all the commercial tackle hype, unless of course you wish to do so!

While fishing a Carp lake in the north east, Middlesbrough, I began using Cotswold baits, with their nutty ground bait, cooked hemp; we will take a look at how to cook hemp in my next free post, fished over the top with hair rigged Tiger nut sweetcorn.  I started bagging up immediately and found this to be the best method on feeder tactics.

Bluebellangling.com Marine halibut glug, a little goes a long way!

Most of us are aware of the fruit and crab glugs as attractants of catching big Carp and Tench, a few drops of say, Raspberry or Marine Halibut glug into groundbait or luncheon meat dipped is always the best for big carp Tench and Bream.

Always hair rig sweetcorn and meat as this will always result in the biggest fish.

I consider hair rigged sweet corn  the best method for all big fish, I used flavoured and coloured sweetcorn with tiger nut and strawberry being the best, for excellent results.

Slide on the corn using a baiting needle and hair stop.

First push a piece of tinned sweet corn onto the bait needle, then two kernels of flavoured sweetcorn and finally your hair stop.

Fill your feeder with the sweetcorn and groundbait, mix and add a few drops of your favourite glug.

Tiger nut corn hair rigged its deadly.

The subject of the best feeder rig comes up every now and then with the likes of bob Nudd and Will Raisin trying to promote new tackle from their sponsors for Bob Nudd of course he is now sponsored by Fox tackle so you will see him telling you that’s the best tackle to use and not Browning as he is no longer sponsored by them.

Four times world champion Bob often indicates a sliding feeder on a loop stopped with beads and fishing knots etc, with a long up to 2ft, don t try it you will get many tangles and missed bites a plenty. 

Note the hair rig and feeder combination,showing the incorrect sliding hook length.

How to tie the four turn water knot

For many years I have tried various feeder rigs but have never found any better than the simple one particular using a three turn water knot this is also the best knot for tying droppers onto fly leaders for fishing a team of wet flys and lures. The best hook length for feeder fishing is around 12” to 18 inches, any more than this will result in tangles and missed bites.
An 8 or 10 inch hook length can often result in savage takes, rest your hand on the rod while its in the rest! 

Correct way to tie your feeder rig using a  three turn water knot.

For those of us who like to fine down a spade end Carp hook tied correctly with a hook tier or by hand(see video)  can pay dividends here, however an eyed hook or hook to nylon is fine.

A couple of hours session on Tiger nut corn resulted in this nice mixed bag.

Over thirty years of fishing has resulted in these being the best methods and bait, ground bait, combinations for me for big Carp, Tench, Bream and more.

Try them and see for yourself….

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How to use a stick float, stick float fishing.

Stick float fishing out steams and rivers is one of the most pleasing aspects of our sport, while  using bodied wagglers from the bank running down stream under willows and fixtures on the far bank picking up bonus Chub through out the day.

Set of Middy stick floats

Shot the sticks shirt button style with each shot around 6 inches apart say number six shot with two number eight nearest the hook.  Be sure to use three float rubbers on the stick float, I find middy stick floats weighted just right first float rubber goes just under the red cap of the float, second sits right below the body and third sits right on the bottom end of your fishing float, thus giving the right clearance.
most bites will come six to eight feet from the bank.

Perfect 3 piece float rod for  rivers and lakes without breaking the bank!

Shot, hooks and swivels can be carried in a compartment bits box as this is much easier to locate in the waist coat pocket, a good selection of hooks and shot are essential. 

Stick float rig for catching at all depths of  water.

Full set of Middy wagglers and stick floats

Always cast the stick float under arm as an over head cast will result in tangles.

Stick float rig for catching in bottom section of
river

Using a size 18 or 20 hook completes the full set up.

Bodied wagglers are the best for casting to the far bank using a bulk shot at the float and three or four shot fifteen inches from the hook, this will produce many chub and barbel.

 When casting under the willows a good selection of shot should always be carried in the waist coat pocket with dinsmores shot always being the best quality.

Travelling light and moving from peg to peg until coarse fish or even trout if permitted are found.

Feeder fishing, casting techniques, best baits and more.

The best way to set up you feeder fishing tackle is first of all to have the correct size reel.

Most match reels are superb for this task. Using a four pound breaking strain line for the reel.

I see many reels set with the reel filled well below the lip of the spool, this will reduce the distance of the cast considerable and more importantly accuracy will be affected.

Bait runner reel showing spool correctly filled

The line on any fixed spool reel should always be around six millimetres below the lip of the spool. 

Always remember to leave enough clearance between rod tip and fishing tackle when preparing for the cast two feet between rod tip and and tackle is ideal.

The Avanti Argenta heavy feeder rod  perfect for rivers and lakes.

Rods should be feeder rods or  2.75lb to 3lb test curve Carp rods, 12 ft depending on the method preferred. Use a Carp rod with bait runner reel as a sleeper out fit while Waggler fishing will often through up large bonus Tench and Carp. This completes the full set up for the day.

The Shakespeare Zeta two tip feeder rod

Best baits are still the original luncheon meat and sweetcorn  for Carp, bream, skimmers and big Tench.
Flavoured corn will often add bonus fish to the catch with Tiger nut being my personal favourite. 

Luncheon meat bagged and steeped in Glug over night

The meat punch in action ,simple and effective

Full set up of loaded Wagglers

The best way to prepare this bait is to first cube a tin full with a meat cutter, bag in a freezer bag and pop in the fridge over night with a few drops of your favourite glug.This is best then fished over the top with a piece of punched luncheon meat prepared with a set of meat punches on a hair rig if fishing for Carp and Tench or direct to hook when float fishing with loaded wagglers.

How to prepare luncheon meat with a meat cutter

In my next post we will reveal our tips on using the best hook baits for commercial lake fishing for big carp in the margins and the six meter pole or whip line.
Watch out for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

sea fishing how to use the lineaffe gct multiplier reel from bluebellangling.com

Using a multiplier? Read on:
Never be put off using a multiplier reel, more distance can be achieved, relatively easy by using one of these following a few basic rules:-
Most shore casting multiplier are suitable for light boat fishing for wreck and heavy sea fishing a more brutus reel is need with a steel spool.
Graphite spools are and casings are corrosion proof.

First trap the spool with the right thumb, assuming you are right handed, next put the reel into free spool, try a smooth cast at first rather than distance lifting the thumb off the spool to allow the lead to travel skywards in the normal way, now look down and watch the spool revolving any build up of loops of line means the breaks are set to slack and the spool could be slowed with the thumb in this instance.
Best fishing line to use Stren at around 25lb to 30lb breaking strain or Leeda with a 12 to 14ft beach, shore casting rod, using a twin hook rig will slow the weight down slightly but then again this double the chance of a hook up!

Next cast turn the casting brake adjusting knob very slightly , this is the silver knob behind the star drag, finally once the brakes are set correctly its simply a matter of watching the lead travel towards the sea and stop the spool dead with the thumb as the lead looks to be about one metre above the water or if fishing after dark watch the spool with your headlamp , this can then be seen by the spool slowing and a loop of line coming up off the spool , this is the signal to stop the spool dead with the thumb, then lift off the thumb to allow the lead to travel to the sea bed.

Easy once tried a few times.

loch ken secrets

 Secrets of loch ken

Full Pike and Carp set up

 

Trusted dead bait rigs, floats and lures used 

After fishing from the shore for some years and then mooring a boat on loch ken I feel its time to reveal its secrets , but more of this later with out a dought she holds many many pike of all sizes fishing the loch when she is not in flood will guarantee pike from 4 lb upwards on deads both on float and ledger tactics areas around the camp site are very popular with fishing from the small play ground down to the first fence being excellent there is an area easily seen from the shore with a length of buoys
View Larger Map

A 22lb Pike caught on the tackle pictured Sardine was the successful bait


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Casting anywhere near there  will result in lost tackle however anywhere else is just about snag free 70 yards down from the tree is a slight bay 10ft wide which is flat enough for a bevy and rods for 2 anglers casting with large lead and strong snap tackles are the order of the day here I use the type with the variable top treble personally as they can be adjusted easily for the length of bait being used further down stream is where the fence enters the water and around here can also produce many doubles are caught here every few weeks in the summer with a good sprinkling of 20lb pike and many doubles with many fish in the 5 to 10 lb bracket per session the opposite bank is also superb from the shore pull in at one of the lay-bys from the gravel bank which comes to a slight point a short cast from here to the left where  Lilly bed hides away until may is excellent and a secret spawning bay for twill produce the goods on the float lamprey smelt and sardine being superb all along this bank will produce all manner of essox all these marks are good in both summer and winter view my second posting for more success storeys covering boat and lure fishing for pike and big perch with the deadly method on this loch bar none and where to head when this gem is flooded how does 28lb and 30lb fish twenty minutes from here sound ?