Happy New Year Piscators And Non-Piscators!

Bernard Venable's Mr Crabtree.

A belated happy New Year to one and all. I’ve not had much chance to go fishing this month, just one session on 12 January at Beechwood where I caught Roach and, despite the chilly weather and clear water, a small Carp on red maggots.

Another sparse month of vintage fishing, so following from last month's blog, here’s some more information about other baits and flavourings.

Fruit: Most fruits - banana, Apple, Elderberry, Blackberry have been used to catch fish. It's a good idea to see if anything like elderberries are growing by the water, which is a good indication that fish will be eating these as they fall into the water.

Slugs/Snails: Bait for large Chub, and ideal when stalking for Chub usually best fished on a free line (just using the Slug or Snail on the hook, no weights or float).

Unusual baits: Cheese, chocolate, potato, crisps, shellfish, nuts; the list is almost endless; strong flavours or smells or bright colours; they are all highly attractive to fish, so give them a try.

Cocktails: A mixture of baits on the hook; if bites are not coming using conventional baits, then it is worth giving a cocktail a try. This can result in more bites or even tempting that elusive bigger fish. Common cocktails are worm and caster, maggot and sweetcorn or worm and maggot; it’s just a case of having a go.

Curry powder and Turmeric are also great additives if you want to try a spicy mix for carp, and if roach are your number one target, track down some powdered coriander.