Tips on spooling up line without twist

Here's a new one on us... Dave Lumb's turned his attention to gizmos which help you spool up your reels without getting line twist - not to mention a gadget for swopping line between reels when you're turning round braid.

Click here to read it on the excellent Lumbland multi-species blog.

Loch Lomond maps for pike anglers

Coloured maps of Loch Lomond have been produced by the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association.

"This map is the only colour angling map ever likely to be needed for those who fish Loch Lomond either for game or coarse species," the blurb on their website says.

"The Coarse section was done by well-known pike experts with input from other leading experts in coarse fish. All the well-known hot spots for pike and other less known parts that produce great pike are all listed."

Make your own planer for pike fishing

Planer boards have been an open secret for years. More and more pike anglers are using these rudder-like bits of kit for trolling and even so-called walk-trolling along rivers, drains and canals .

Some have dabbled with making their own. This US website has plans and instructions for the DIY-minded.

Hat tip the excellent Trollscot for flagging it up, here's an article on using planers. The rest of the site is well worth a look if you're into fishing big waters.

Hear, hear - US site on pike lure sounds

We've all heard of buzzbaits and lures which are designed to kick out vibes to attract the pike.

Now Mepps have put some audio clips on their website, to give you an idea of how different lures make different noises.

"It's pretty easy to see the flash of a Mepps spinner blade as it's pulled through the water, but hearing just what it sounds like has been a well kept secret up until now," the site says.

"It took us a while, but we've managed to digitally capture the sound of several Mepps spinners as they are retrieved. And, what we recorded even managed to surprise us.

"Remember, what you are about to hear are the actual sounds produced by Mepps spinners as they are retrieved. These sounds have not been enhanced or altered in any way. We make no claim as to how fish interpret these sounds, but fish do hear them."

Of its Aglia "Musky Killer" spinner, it adds: "The sound of the #5 Aglia blade is steady and deep with a rapid repetitive thump. The Magnum Musky Killer blade sounds similar, but, the thump is deeper and slower.

"Both sound like a slow moving locomotive, and both are very easy to hear underwater."

Click here to go to the sound clips, then just roll you cursor over each spinner to hear what it sounds like.

Smart tip for colouring pike spoons

Here's a tip we haven't seen before - use an indelible pen to colour up a plain silver spoon.



Or Click here.

Mick Brown on single hooks for pike fishing

Mick Brown has a thought-provoking piece on why he's incresingly turning to using single hooks for his pike fishing on his website.

Click here for the first installment.

Get in the picture

PAC Pike Angler of the Year, Graham Slater, has provided some helpful tips for taking photos of your pike while fishing alone for the PAC website. Although he seems to have forgotten to pick the fish up for the shot on the right!

You can read the page here.

Stay safe when you go afloat

The deaths of two men whose boat overturned in Ireland at the weekend (BBC story here) serves as a tragic reminder that you can never be too careful when going afloat - no matter how experienced you might be.

The bodies of Declan Swift, 47, and Martin Steele, 48, were recovered from Lough Erne on Sunday.

Both had been missing since their 16ft boat overturned on the lough, near Enniskillen, the previous day.

Witnesses said the vessel capsized during a sharp turn and it appeared its 30hp engine was not properly secured.

Neither man was wearing a life jacket when their bodies were located by divers.

There is a boat safety advice page available on the PAC site, along with other tips for boat owners, that should help your boat fishing experiences run smoothly and, most importantly, safely.

Tip of the day for July 27, 2007

Gloucestershire based piker Rob Shallcroft says: "With Health and Safety at work ever increasing, there are firms who will make plastic drip trays to any size for industrial enviroments to collect oil and chemical drips and spills.

"Measure up the back of your car/van/bling mobile and get one made, they are tougher and much cheaper than the flimsy moulded ones made by the car companies. Handy for the Piker with the odd wet wintery thing in the back of the car."

Tip of the day for July 22, 2007

Ryan Fawcett's got a simple tip for anyone who cares about the state of their fisheries.

He says: "If you want to help look after your fisheries you should add the pollution hotline number (0800 807060) to your phone in case you should come across any instances of pollution. Report any pollution incident immediately as the sooner it gets reported the sooner the clean up operation can begin."

Tip of the day for July 21, 2007

Andy "Kosh" Kershaw, of the rag tag band known as the Glossop region, saves a fortune on lures by fishing with Simon Crump.

He makes a mental note of where Crumpy snags his lures on the other bank, then drives round at the end of the day to collect some freebies.

"Save debloons on fox lures by fishing twith thee crump ..!!!!! , just popp a mem of ry to where he snaggs onto tother bank !!!!!! and at of day drive round and collect hey prest of O , a few foxy bits of sh**te for nowt "

Tip of the day for July 20, 2007

Mega Pike and Return of Mega Pike author Eddie Turner's all for doing something out of the ordinary - even something daft.

"During a days pike fishing do something "stupid". Surface fishing......small bait.....big bait........margins......mates swim.....upside down bait...any thing different from the norm.......it works for me..."

Tip of the day for July 19, 2007

Teeside piker Darron Nixon has some tips for loading multiplier reels with braid.

"When loading a multiplier reel with braid make sure it goes on really tight," he says. "That way the loaded braid won't bed in to the spool. It makes casting much easier and helps prevent tangles and overruns.

"Before loading the spool attach it by tying on then adding a small piece of tape. Now the non stretch braid won't spin on the spool making you think the clutch is wrongly set.

"This does not happen with nylon monofilament as the line stetches and clings to the spool, making slips less likely."

Tip of the day for July 18, 2007

Lincolnshire-based pike angler Graham Slater says: "I always take a lure rod with me, in addition to my bait rods, no matter where I'm going.

"If it's a long walk I might only take a couple of lures with me but it's amazing the amount of bonus fish this has produced over the last few years, worth a try on any water."

Many bait anglers also swear by working a lure around their baits. As well as giving you something to do, there are those who believe the twin-pronged approach could attract a fish into your swim which might then decide to pick up a dead, even if it's not in the mood to smash a lure.

Tip of the day for Tuesday, July 17

Paul Williams says: "Never neglect the margins, there seems to be an obsession with casting 100+ yards these days,keep things quiet and you might find the fish of your dreams could well be right under your feet..."

Tip of the day for July 14, 2007

Jimmy Minors from Norwich has a neat little nudge for people who use the popular Salmo Slider jerk baits and find the top treble tangles with the trace either on the cast or with certain retrieves.


"Thread a small,thin elastic band through the rear hook hanger & attach the ends to two of the belly treble prongs.

"If you squeeze these prongs together a little,reducing the angle between them the remaining prong is promoted a little further from the lure's body. I like the idea of having a prong in this semi fixed position."

Tip of the day for July 13, 2007

Broadland boat angler Andy frost says: "Boat anglers who rely on petrol outboards should ALWAYS carry a few tools with you, most importantly a spanner that removes your recoil starter, and a length of spare starter cord.

"It is then possible to manually start your motor should the rope or spring fail."

Tip of the day for July 11, 2007

Lincs-based piker Graham Slater on the advantages of travelling light:

"Do you really need to carry all of those leads, spare floats, trace making stuff etc. ? Lightening the load makes it far easier, and thus more appealing, to move and will result in more fish.

"Leave a box of spares in the car and just take the essentials on the bank with you."

Tip of the day for July 9, 2007

Drifting's the way to lure fish from a boat on large waters, writes dave Lumb. It's certainly a way to cover some water.

"And it creates far less disturbance than does trolling - even using an electric outboard," he says. "If the wind gets too strong and the drift becomes too fast, you can always put a drogue out to slow the boat down. Casting lures ahead of a slowly drifting boat catches a lot of pike."

Click here for the article.

Tip of the day for July 8, 2007

"You can never be sure how pike are going to behave, and you should try to be prepared for every eventuality," says Dave Lumb in an excellent article on river fishing.

"Just because conditions look like one method will score, it ain't necessarily so. This applies to just about any pike water, but is especially applicable to the moody waters that are our rivers."

Click here to read it.