Strongest Ever is the theme as Pikelines goes to the printers and we look back on the PAC's monumental 30th birthday bash.But Chas White reminds us there are plenty of challenges ahead in a President's Shield interview.
"We need a strong PAC to face them," he says.
"Issues like the removal of fish for the table, increased access to rivers by canoeists, attacks on our right to livebait to name but a few will continue to arise and without a strong PAC the future would be indeed bleak."
Rob Shallcroft's got plenty to say about river fishing, in an article called Queens, Blind Spots & Leopard's Eyes.
"Once you are tuned into the vibe of your river, constant groundwork will be covered; access routes, paths and walkways, the look and the feel will become a frequency and a buzz," he says.
"Covering water, looking for signs, acting on hunches and snippets of information. Left and right turns, and the occasional swerve when piecing it all together becomes an all-consuming winter journey."
Stephen Harper's got a few words to the wise when it comes to growing older.
"I think that often, as you get older, the less important the big fish become, and the more important are the friends and enjoyment. I suppose that applies to me as much as anyone."
Talking of which, Chris Donovan's got a few thoughts on the origins of some of the rigs we take for granted these days: "John Bickerdyke details a pike paternoster rig which he describes as "a most deadly piece of tackle’. The illustration shows not only an Arlesey bomb but also an up-trace.
"Well that’s a turn up for the books, all these years we modern pikers have been under the illusion that Walker and Sidley were the great inventors and all along it was standard tackle in the 30’s on the Thames and most probably before!"
Elsewhere you can win a day's fishing with Mick Brown, a freezer full of deadbaits or one of the latest creations from Zoota Lures in one of our great competitions.
There's also an update on our growing callender of PAC events and booking forms for Quays Gravel Pit, Loch Fad, Cobbinshaw Reservoir, Ecton Lakes and Hykeham Gravel Pit - not to mention all the usual news, reviews and updates from the PAC
