Following the Herd

 As any angler will tell you a carp that feels pressured will shy away from any fishing line. A slack line is one way to try and overcome the problem but the best is through education. Spend a few days using unabaited lines so the fish no longer feel threatened, then go in for catch at a later date. Although being effective there is a problem. Time. The technique only works on a week-long session and not many of the keenest anglers could or would give up a week for the technique but there is a solution, herding.

The technique involves three rods, two with a tight line and another with a looser baited line. The idea is to entice the carp into a false sense of security using the tighter lines. The first step is casting your tight line, I recommend using a bright coloured line to exaggerate it, cast it near a bank to ward off any carp at the edge. The next tight line, again in a bright colour should be thrown at another position, like the edge of an island. The point of the second line is to herd the fish into a more centralised point. Place these two rods on a stand to keep them in place. Then the fishing can begin.

The yellow lines indicate the position of the tight line. 

With your two tight lines on a stand moving the carp into position cast your loose rod at some point in between them and wait for the catch. This is an advanced technique and requires some setting up and getting used to but if done correctly it can lead to some good catches. 

The arrows show the direction the fish will travel, the green line shows your loose line. 

Fly High with our Get Started Guide

Fly fishing is an interesting form of fishing where trout are mainly caught. The interesting thing is that you can fly fish anywhere from rivers to still water and in some instances the sea. The most important thing is to make sure to get permission from the land owner before you fish, there are plenty of fisheries that accommodate this form of fishing so these are probably the best places to go. The next thing to remember is to have a rod license from the Environment Agency, everybody over the age of 12 is required to have one before fishing, more information can be found on https://www.gov.uk/buy-a-uk-fishing-rod-licence.

If you're a beginner then the first step is choosing a rod and with all the different types things can get confusing. If you're planning on starting your ventures at a fishery your best bet is to phone up and see if they have any recommendations. As a rough guide a piece of still water measuring 1-5 acres (again phone up to find out the lake size) a 9' #4 larger areas of water a 10' #7 or #8 would be more appropriate. For river fishing an 8' #4 would be best, but you could get away with your 9' #4 if your budget can't stretch.

Next is the choice of reel, and the first and easiest choice is whether you're reeling with your right or left hand. After that things get more complex as your reel needs to balance with the weight or the rod. If you're ordering online then this can be difficult to judge so going into a shop will be best for getting the balance right. After weight comes the type, a click reel will be sufficient for most types of fish but in more powerful waters a disk drag is recommended. Finally and it sounds obvious is make sure the reel can hold the amount of line for the fishing you want to do.

The next thing needed is the line itself and again there are many types  depending on the water that will be fished in. Fly lines use the AFTM scale with 1 being the smallest of fish on the stillest of waters with 16 being for monsters of the sea. To aid casting the lines come in different tapers with a weight forward tapering being the most popular pushing the double tapered lines out.

As the name applies you'll need flies to help you catch the fish and there are thousands of types there are even sessions wear you can make your own. The three main types though are:

• Dry Flies, which look like insects on the water
• Nymphs, look like the larval stage of an insect
• Lures, these can look like bait or just consist of colours that excite the fish

A selection of 20 will be a good start. 

Now the rod is dealt with there are some other accessories that you need to take out with you.

• Glasses, as nobody wants a hook in their eye.
• A hat, again offers protection
• Sensible clothing for the weather, and remember you may get a bit smelly so don't bring out you latest Gucci jacket
• Scissors for cutting line
• Floatant is a liquid that keeps you flies floating
• Sinkant, the opposite of floatant
• Spare line
• A landing net for catching the fish when you bring them to shore. Rubber is the best as they don't hold the smell as much.
• A priest for delivering last rights to your fish. (No you don't have to go to the local church it's the name of a tool used to kill fish)

If you are a novice then I would recommend buying equipment second hand until you get a feel for the sport as new equipment can cost a fortune. If the sport is for you then you'll probably want some new equipment, please look at our partners at Leeda and in particular their Wychwood range for the best in fishing equipment. We have included a range of links for further reading. 

Wikipedia on Fly Fishing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_fishing

Leeda the Ultimate Angling Collection: http://www.leeda.co.uk/

Wychwood fishing supplies: http://www.wychwood-game.co.uk/homePage.aspx

Welcome

If you have found us on our website (http://anglingunlimited.org.uk/) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angling-Unlimited/196564550353730)  then you probably know all about the work we do. If you have found us elsewhere we are a small charity based in Bournville that uses the sport of fishing to educate and involve.

Recently we acquired some funding from Inspired facilities to redo Rowheath Pool a link to the story can be found here (https://www.bvt.org.uk/news-and-events/angling-unlimited/) and we have a cabin at Alvechurch Fisheries that we will soon start using for educational purposes.

The point of this blog is to keep everyone updated in our activities as well as discussing fishing relating topics and analyzing the news of the fishing world. We'll be updating this blog at least once a week so keep checking or even better subscribe so you never miss a post. 

Hopefully you'll enjoy the blog any suggestions let us know. Keep Angling.