The Anglers Mail .

The Angler Mail for September 2nd has a reader offer of 2 for the price of one and included in the list of venues is Dodford Lake, Christian Malford, Swindon.

It states that margin fishing or surface baits are popular methods in summer.It goes on to list the baits that work well.

As this lake opened for the first time on the 23 August this year, I do wonder where they got so much information in such a short time.

Of course what they suggest would be good methods and baits on very many waters at this time of the year but on this lake, maybe, maybe not.

I was also a little amused having read their review of various barbel rods and to see that they recomended the most expensive at nearly £200, to read the interview with Fred Crouch a little further on where he still uses his old split cane rod and a centre pin reel.

For the benefit of younger anglers, Fred Crouch is just about Mr Barbel, it is very unlikely that anyone has caught anywhere near the number of barbel that he has and it was nice to see that he will have nothing to do with hair rigs and scaled down carp tackle, and still uses an open ended feeder running free on the line, stopped by a swivel to which the hook length is attached.,puts the rod in a rest and uses the ratchet on the centre pin for bite detection.

Sometimes the old tried and tested methods are still the best it would seem.

Steady on Chris!

Tin hats at the ready.........

Probably 8.30am ish tomorow you will need one!

Greg, don't do it /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Whilst I've not yet resorted to the cane, I have to say all my recent successes, with decent fish,including a new PB barbel, have been caught on the simplest method of all.

Straight through to size 4 hook, from my recently acquired bequeath, a Purist II, with a big bait fished down the inside! Now that is magic.

Must find the AM

I should also say, that if any of you ever see a chance to get to a Fred Crouch presentation, then go, the man is terrific exponent of our sport, and will hold many spellbound with his tales.

On the whole I think that the Anglers mail is a good read.

I am certainly not an experienced angler, so do learn things from it, and enjoy the various aspects of angling which it covers.

Chris,

To keep sales moving forward, we shall always re invent the wheel,and new rods. So your comments (and I really did enjoy the article by Fred Crouch also) are of course true.

It happens with cars or most consumer products, markets have to be stimulated, and we LOVE to buy!

I guess buying come down to a matter of choice.

Now I shall get off fishing in my VERY old peugeot, with no radio (bust) or owt else to be honest, whilst my neighbor drives off to work in his new Lexus 4x4.

Tight lines...AND BUY THE ANGLERS MAIL...ITS PROPER BO!

Hey Deanos, I bet the ol'boy with the Lexus, still uses a cane & centrepin/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

The reason Deanos neighbor has a 4x4 id because he is a baker and its the only way he can fit in all off deanos daily pie rations when he delivers them ?

Do what? /forum/smilies/disappointed_smiley.gif

Whatever it is Greg, it must be your fault!

I see Greg has dropped in to "check out" the opposition /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif.

I don't know if this is what happened, but my mate Ron Rutter, who owns Claygate Fishery, allowed loads of us to fish that water, long before it was officially opened to day ticket fishing. It was easy to describe what the fishing was like, and since he had dug out the specimen lake and the horsehoe shaped lake around it, he could tell you with a great deal of accuracy the depth, where it would be deeper or shallower etc.

I expect the same applies to Dodford Lake.

Personally, I stopped reading the Times and Mail a long time ago, too much advertising, too much about the South and not enough about what was going on locally. I miss the East Midlands Angler and the Northern Coarse Angler, pity poor Keith couldn't keep them going, they were always a good read.

Even stopped my subscription to Improve your Coarse Fishing at the same time!

Nowadays, I get all I need to know from the Internet!

Tight Lines mes amis,

Don

anglers mail is a better read than the times half the times is taken up with the newyour catch pages what a waste of time they are.