| QUESTION OF THE WEEK – THE DOWNSIDE OF NOT USING A KEEPNET? A Watkinson (AWatki5752@aol.com) wins a bulk spool of Shimano Catana mono for: Do you think fish would remain healthier by using keepnets on commercial fisheries instead of keep returning and catching the same fish over and over again in the same session? |
| GRAHAM, FM EDITOR, ANSWERS This is a really interesting question and gives the keepnet debate a lot more food for thought. On the one hand we have anglers who say that keepnets should be banned because of the potential damage they can cause to fish. Me, and many others like me, say that modern keepnets do not cause damage if used correctly. That is a fact that applies to many things in life, in or out of fishing, that there are things that can cause damage to human and animal life if they are not used correctly. I have always maintained that that is not a reason for banning them but a reason for more education in their use. On the other hand we have commercial fisheries, most of which are stuffed to the gunnels with fish, where they are so desperately hungry they feed without the normal caution usually shown by fish. As a consequence they are hooked a hell of a lot more often than fish are normally hooked. This can only be exacerbated when the fish are returned immediately, for they will undoubtedly get hooked again and again throughout that same day. Much of the mouth damage caused to carp on commercial fisheries is put down to the use of barbed hooks, hence the reason why most commercials ban them, but isn’t multiple hooking as much, if not more, to blame? And wouldn’t the use of keepnets give the fish some respite from this? Of course, the real answer is to restrict the number of fish that a commercial can stock, but we all know that will never happen. So the question is very relevant: would fish remain healthier by using keepnets on commercial fisheries instead of keep returning and catching the same fish over and over again in the same session? I reckon the proper use of keepnets would be kinder. |
| RUNNER-UP PRIZE – MILK FROM MAIZE Dave Feeney (Feeney.David@btinternet.com) wins a spool of Shimano Exage mono for: After soaking chopped up maize for 2 days and cooking it for 30mins I get a lovely white syrup with the maize, which is obviously the sugar. But when I bag it up and freeze it, it loses all the syrup and comes out on the dry side. It’s still good, but is there anything I can add before or after freezing that will retain this syrup as it makes a wonderful cloud affect (when fresh) in the water? |
| DAVE DOWDING (MR WRIGGLES) ANSWERS You are so right about the effectiveness of the milk given off by any particles when cooked, fish love it! My favourite way of retaining as much of this magic liquid as possible is to drain off what is left after bagging up the particles and pour it into a separate plastic bag. Or better still, use one of the plastic 1 and 2 pint milk bottles. If you use bags make sure you make a good knot in the top. This is also labelled, dated and frozen for later use. When I get some particles out for use I can then thaw some of the liquid out as well. I then add this back to the thawing particles so that they reabsorb some of it. This is also a perfect way of adding the particle juice to my groundbait especially when I am using it in conjunction with particles. Just thaw some out, put it in a plastic bottle, and there you have it, the perfect groundbait booster and you have already paid for it! |
GROUNDBAIT WITH A LOWER FOOD CONTENT I know that breadcrumb is the basis for most groundbait mixes, which in turn has a high feed content. Are there any other products out there that can be used as groundbait that have a lower feed content? |
| DAVE DOWDING (MR WRIGGLES) ANSWERS You are quite right in what you say regarding the breadcrumb Mark, a lot of UK style groundbaits are based around a crumb mix normally of medium texture. This gives a good binding mix but as you say, also a high feed content. Unfortunately this is the purpose of the crumb in any mix, to act as a carrier/binder for full groundbaits and as a feed in crumb mixes. Apart from using a biscuit base I am not aware of any other alternatives as a general base. The only other thing that comes to mind is molehill dirt, leam, that kind of thing. This is often used by match anglers as a binder but it also gives a good clouding effect for clear cold water conditions and, of course, has no food value. If you want very fine mixes then you have two options, the first is to use a continental style crumb mix, these are often specifically designed to be low feed content for match style fishing and are often made up with a high proportion of ground biscuit. This can be so finely ground that it resembles a dust and is also a perfect sweetener! The texture of the crumb used on the continent is also very fine so this could be a perfect base for you to work with. There are a few UK bait suppliers – Mr Wriggles included – that are now offering various textures of crumb with fine and medium being the most popular for the very same reasons as you mention. The DIY option is of course to talk nicely to the guvnor and borrow the liquidiser, this will grind your groundbaits as fine as you want. |
STILLWATER BARBEL AND CHUB Two summers back I caught several barbel around 7-8 lbs from a stillwater lake (Makins, Wolvey) and chub to 5lb. Given that these fish do not have to expend energy fighting flow or current, what is the potential effect on their growth rate, lifespan and fitness likely to be. Will we truly see the 20lb barbel and 10lb chub records come from a lake in the near future? |
| DR PAUL GARNER, PhD IN FISHERIES ECOLOGY AND SUCCESSFUL SPECIALIST ANGLER, ANSWERS Although I reckon we will see 20lb barbel and chub approaching 10lbs in the not too distant future (after all they already reach these weights in mainland Europe) I don’t think they will come from lakes. Chub obviously do okay in stillwaters and can grow very large. Barbel seem to naturally turn up in lakes much less frequently. Apart from a couple of rumours I can’t think of a single very large barbel caught from a stillwater. Perhaps they will grow big in time, but most stillwater barbel are in heavily stocked fisheries, with so many mouths to feed the chances of a giant are pretty slim. Perhaps if they were in a richer environment specimens might be more common? We actually know very little about how life in stillwater effects these two species. Some research into condition and stamina is currently underway, but hasn’t been released yet. At the Environment Agency’s Calverton fish farm the fish destined for stocking into rivers are put in ponds with a circulating flow to get them used to swimming against the current. This does seem to help them settle down once introduced to flowing water. There are a few studies from Europe that have looked at changes at the population level when rivers have been dammed. Apart from riverine species becoming increasingly rare, growth rate doesn’t seem to change dramatically. These fish are probably still free to move into flowing side-streams to spawn though. Perhaps the biggest single factor could be the linked to their inability to spawn. Eggs will still be produced each year, but there is likely to be an energy saving by not spawning. This could potentially lead to bigger fish, but on current form I think it is quite unlikely. |
| HOW DO I BECOME AN ANGLING JOURNALIST? Ben Hennessy (BenHennessy@aol.com) asks: I have just finished the second year of my degree, (media & cultural studies) and I was wondering about how to get involved in angling journalism. I have been a very keen angler since the age of 12, and have picked up a broad knowledge of angling, and related issues, mainly through reading the weekly angling press. I have a lot of thoughts and issues regarding the state of coarse fishing today, and feel I could contribute new thinking to what I feel has largely become a ‘boys own’ and ‘closed shop’ scene, which is, I believe, detrimental to the future of the sport. Anyway! I’m not sure the best way of getting involved in the journalistic side of angling, and would really like some feedback on how to do so! |
| GRAHAM, FM EDITOR, ANSWERS There are two ways, the first, and easiest way, is to get a divorce (if you’re married), buy a camera, and then go on the dole and camp out on the best waters in the country (popularly known as the circuit waters). That way you will catch some of the biggest fish in the country, possibly even break a record, tell the weeklies and websites all about it and send in pictures to accompany the report. Then write articles for any journal of your choice (don’t worry about the grammar, if you catch big enough fish that will be taken care of by a sub-editor. He’ll probably write it for you anyway, following a quick chat on the phone) and tell the angling world what a great angler you are – I mean, how could you not be with a string of specimen fish like that to your credit? The second way is to do it the hard way by learning how to fish properly and consistently catching good fish for your area, and even nationally. Then learn how to write interesting articles with decent grammar, and how to present them in such a way it pleases the editor. Learn how to take good photographs, not just mug-shots, but sharp illustrative shots, and then take a long time to check and rewrite and make sure the article is the best you can possibly do before submitting it. The advantage of the former is that it is usually a quick hit where you will cream off some decent fees for articles, books and videos, but in a relatively short time you’ll lose interest in fishing and go back to propping up the bar. Unless, that is, you go into an angling related business where your name will sell whatever it is you’re selling. The advantage of the latter is that you have always loved fishing for just what it is, and you will continue to love and enjoy it for the rest of your life. It doesn’t matter which route you choose, for most of the angling public won’t recognise the difference between one or the other. To most, a Streisand and a Spice Girl are one and the same. It’s good that you feel you could contribute new thinking to what you feel has largely become a ‘boys own’ and ‘closed shop’ scene, and it would be pleasing to think you could make a difference. The trouble is, you have to convince the publisher that what you have to offer will sell more copy than what he is already publishing. Being a good angler, a good writer, a good photographer, and with new thinking to offer, doesn’t necessarily weigh too much in your favour. I apologise for sounding so negative, but that’s the way I see it. |
MAKING A WORMERY Could you please tell me the best way to make a wormery, hopefully for brandlings? (Tony). And what is the best way to make a wormery, so I can have a constant supply of bait, ie, materials, food, bedding, etc? (Darryl). | |||
| DAVE DOWDING (MR WRIGGLES) ANSWERS By far the best wormery for brandlings especially, is to get friendly with someone who owns an allotment or stables, as both of these people will have piles(!) of the perfect bedding for brandlings. Brandlings are most at home in manure heaps with the best being horse or donkey manure. They also share their habitat with redworms, another excellent fish catcher, so if you know where some of this is then you have a guaranteed supply of worms. All you need is a fork and a bucket, and a low sense of smell is a bonus! If you still want to have a supply of worms close at hand it couldn’t be easier.It is as simple as going to your chosen heap getting a couple of good forkfuls of muck in a bucket (don’t use a metal bucket) then select your worms, put them in the bucket and take them home. Once you have them home just cover the bucket with some sacking, which is ideal, and keep it in a shady part of the garden. If you want a wormery for your brandlings on a larger scale then you can either build your own muck/compost heap in the garden and introduce your worms. Or find a crate, or something similar, and half fill it with manure. Make a lid to stop it becoming too waterlogged should it rain and they will be perfectly happy. As your worm stock goes down, or as a treat, every couple of weeks spread a new layer of manure complete with new worms onto the manure and away it goes again.When the box starts to get full give it a good clean out and refill as before. You will have an excellent garden fertilizer each time too. A few pointers when selecting your manure heap: Don’t bother with a steaming heap; this is fresh manure that will have too high a core temperature for the worms. Also important to note is the fact that most animals are now regularly wormed and this medicine is passed through with their excrement making it very inhospitable for any worms for anything up to a month. Ideally you are looking for an established heap that has stopped steaming and has started to break down. This will be quite obvious as the heap will feel ‘loose’ and drier than a new one. Once you have found a heap like this then normally a forkful off the surface near the bottom half will show worms underneath. | |||
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