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John Bailey

John is one of our most experienced consultants, having fished in over sixty countries for literally scores of species.

His big fish list is equally impressive and John rates himself as very much an all-rounder with carp, pike, salmon and catfish all over thirty pounds to his credit!

John writes for all the major angling publications both in Europe and America and has over forty-five fishing books published.

John also works in film with several series on Sky and discovery to his credit. He runs a guiding company, 'Fisherman's Valley' which specializes in bespoke weekends on exclusive waters!

Working with Hardy & Greys is very much fulfilling John's childhood dream. To follow in the footsteps of such giants as Richard Walker and Fred Buller leaves him feeling both humbled and privileged.

It's Been a Prowla Christmas

"Because my partner, Sarah only had a couple of days off from managing her shop, it gave me a fair amount of time to get out in the mild weather and do some serious lure fishing. Of course, come the middle of winter, you're generally looking at bait but, given air temperatures of 11, 12 and even 13 degrees, I figured the predators would be on the prowl!

"My regular lure rods are the Greys Prowla Lure/Spin eight foot and the Greys Prowla Lure/Spin ten foot Number 1. For most of what I'm doing on small rivers and gravel pits, these fit the bill. They're incredibly tactile. Hugely sensitive but with real spine. And they work. They did for me.

"In three serious sessions, I picked up four twenty pound Pike up to a scraper twenty-five. Interestingly, I did get one or two jacks and a sprinkling of doubles but most of the fish were serious. I tend to use rubber lures and work them pretty slowly from mid-water downwards. Sometimes you can just let them rest on the bottom and give them the odd twitch. Don't expect big takes. Often you will just notice the line tighten suddenly and the rod tip nod. That's where the sensitivity comes in.

"The eight foot version worked brilliantly on my local River Wensum with tiny jigs, poppers and small plugs and the like. One outrageously warm Saturday afternoon saw me pick up two decent chub on poppers and a very near three pound perch on a tiny rubber lure. Once again, I used these with just a single hook like I do when I'm Pike fishing and this makes for painless removal time after time.

"There you have it. Two rods, appropriate reels, lines and a small bagful of rubber lures and you can pick up some brilliant fish if you really put your mind to it and conditions are on your side. Of course, if the weather had been much colder and the river and pits murky, I'd have had to have thought again and gone on to bait but when you get windows of opportunity like this, you've really got to go for them."

Piking Underway with Prowla

"Now that winter is truly here, ninety-five percent of my guiding, in truth, comes down to Pike fishing. Of course, here in Norfolk, I'm hugely lucky in having at least half a dozen waters that are private and exclusive and we all know how much that helps when it comes to the search for big fish.

"So far, I've had five dedicated days for the Pike and the results have been spectacular. We've had one thirty, four twenties and probably fifteen or so in the ten to eighteen pound bracket. Considering how short the days are now, I class that as top-drawer action.

"The one drawback is that the majority of the fish have actually come to dead baits rather than lure fishing which will always be my favourite. I've now got an armoury of Greys Prowla 11' 2.25lb TC rods which I lend out to most of my guys.

"They are perfect in book for ninety percent of Pike fishing scenarios. They happily punch big mackerel sixty yards plus even into a heavy wind. And what I like about them is that they will pick up line well and set the hooks reliably at this sort of range. And then, best of all, on a rod as responsive as this, you really do feel the fight. Okay, you always want a really big fish on the bank but it's still good to get some enjoyment out of the process of getting it there.

"I've been using the rods as a team now for a couple of years and they have taken a huge battering without any protest. Good, solid, reliable, well-thought out gear at a superb price. Good stuff, Greys!"

My Day with Sam...

"Sam Richardson entered the On Coarse competition a while back for a free day's fishing with me down here in Norfolk. I made contact with him, discussed what he'd like to do and booked him in for three night's accommodation at the Kingfisher Apartments. After all, Blackpool is a long way from Norfolk and we wanted to make the prize a real worthwhile break for him.

"Sam is a delight. Sixty-something, Carp-crazed but very open-minded about his fishing. As he's a member of the Prince Albert Club, he obviously has loads of rivers to go at and this was his prime objective on coming down for a day with me. Whilst he's been Carp fishing very successfully for a good twenty-five years now, he realises there are other things that he could enjoy doing. I really do think this is a trend these days. Whilst we'll always have our ‘pro carpers' a lot more of them do seem to relish fishing just a little bit out of the box. And that's great. Whilst none of these guys are going to desert their beloved Carp, they're beginning to realise that Chub, Barbel, Tench, Roach and even Pike all have their own delights.

"Sam arrived on Monday 31st October with his charming wife, Beryl, and on the 1st November we met up at 9am. It was a glorious day. From mid-morning, it developed into one of those splendid wall-to-wall sunshine events with glistening, pristine autumnal colours along the Wensum Valley. Sam and I talked all day long - Sam in particular! - and the conversation wasn't just about fishing.

"Sam hails from the northwest where I spent my early days and we talked a lot about the waters when he was a kid, the Roman Lakes at Marple being a prime example. We'd both fished the Dane, Redesmere, the canals and even Poynton Pool. I guess the only bone of contention was one that we quickly buried: Sam is a Man City fan whilst I, of course, I'm a died-in-the-wool Red. After the drubbing City had just given us, I wasn't that keen to bring the subject of soccer onto the riverbank.

"We fished both the float and with the lead. I say lead but, because of the very low conditions, it was possible to fish on the bottom with a single SSG and hold easily. The new Hardy Marksman Supero Bomb Rod was the tool for the bottom-fished bait whilst I was keen to try out the new Hardy Marksman XT thirteen foot Power Float Rod for the trotted bait. I have to say, allied with the Hardy Conquest Centrepin, the XT really was a formidable tool. I think Sam appreciated both rods and both approaches and her certainly quickly settled into the groove.

"The trotted maggot approach probably won in the end and definitely caught more fish. Three pound main line straight through to a small stick float and a size 16 hook did the job throughout the day. In fact, it didn't matter where we fished along the Kingfisher stretch, Roach, Dace and small Chub almost continually obliged. Two big Chub were hooked and lost - both by me! You can't blame the tackle though I'd like to think not the angler either. Simply, they caught me off-guard and broke me before I could even blink. Not good fishing, though, and I'm not pleased with myself.

"We pulled off about four thirty as the temperatures dropped along with the sun. I think we both lamented the farewell to British Summer Time that had so curtailed our afternoon. I left Sam and Beryl in the warmth of their apartment, knowing that he was looking forward to fishing the Kingfisher Lakes for Carp the following day.

"I like to think the prize had been a success. Certainly Sam was full of the river, the lakes and the apartments and we're all hoping to see him again down here come the spring. And, more and more, I'm appreciating the new Hardy Marksman ranges. There's no doubt that the new Bomb rod does hit more tentative roach bites than its predecessors and I'm increasingly impressed with the XT. For the money, it's hard to think of a better rod.

"And, lastly when it comes to kit, Sam was very impressed with my breathable chestwaders. Like so many coarse anglers, he couldn't get his head round why he'd never invested in the past. As I said, these breathable chesties tend to be thought of as a game only purchase. How wrong can you conceivably be? I'm looking forward to seeing him dolled up in his Hardy EWS Mk2 Breathable Waders the next time I see him. Bless you Sam. Get back here soon."

Competition winner, Sam Richardson said;

"I was thrilled to learn I'd won the competition in On Coarse and now had the chance to fish with legendary angler John Bailey - what a fantastic few days! John is the nicest individual I've ever met on the bank, his knowledge of coarse angling is second to none. The way he helped me to better identify bite recognition, and the long conversations we had of our childhood fishing the river Weaver will stay with me for a long time - thanks John."

A Day with the Maestro

"I'm hugely looking forward to a day out on the Kingfisher stretch of river with my old mate, float maestro, Phil Humm. He's expressed a real desire to ‘river test' the new Marksman Supero Float Rods. I'll be taking the thirteen and fourteen foot versions. I'm more of a thirteen foot man myself but Phil has a bit more confidence (and ability) with the longer version. He loves the original Marksman Float Rods and can't really believe that the new ones can possibly be better. I think he's in for a surprise and I'll be reporting back on this.

"What makes Phil so good? I remember being massively impressed with him nearly twenty years ago back on the River Wye when he was trotting a huge swim for Chub and picking up big fish at up to eighty and even ninety yards range. His float control that day was absolutely exquisite and it's got better over the years.

"Some guys just seem to be born to run a float down a river. It's a physical gift in the same way that Beckham can curl a football. You can learn to trot a float but unless you've got that innate ability, you'll never be up there with the very best. Of course, that doesn't matter. You can be like me, practise a lot and be good enough. Believe me, it doesn't diminish your enjoyment in any way, shape or form.

"What I am pleased about is that some of the Kingfisher Club members are doing more varied things in their fishing life. Carp-wise, they're spending more time using floaters and even centrepins close-in. There's also a bit more interest in pike and ain river fishing. I think this is to be applauded. In my view, being a jack of all trades, means that you can enjoy everything the fishing year throws at you. And enjoyment just doesn't come better than trotting a float, let me tell you.

"I'll report back on how Phil found the new Hardy Marksman rods and what we caught."

CHUB OBSESSED

"It's no secret that at this moment in the autumn, I'm simply obsessed with Wensum Chub. The water is low, clear and you can see the fish - many of which are seriously big. I picked up three sixes in the last ten days and I'm hot after a seven or even bigger.

"BUT - and it's a massive but - these fish are not easy. I've discovered two serious ways of getting to them. The first is to bait heavily with loose-fed maggots and then put a float down to them once you've got them feeding confidently. However, the float really has to be as light as you can get away with, probably just supporting two number 4s. Next, I put these number 4s well up the line, close to the float. I'll probably use three pound line straight through to a size 16 or 14 and on the hook put a single red worm or brandling. The worm falls tantalisingly down through the water column and, because it's a bit heavier than the loose-fed maggots, the weight of the hook doesn't make it behave too obviously unnaturally. You tend to find Chub simply roll over for this approach.

"If I want to fish a bait on the bottom - say a crayfish tail, a piece of flake or a worm again, I'll use a quiver, four pound line straight through and a weight no bigger than a BB. In these low flow conditions, you can simply flick the rig in with barely a splash and the current takes it down to the bottom, close-in to your near bank. The scare factor is absolutely minimised and even the biggest, cleverest fish fall for the approach.

"There is a plug but it's for your own good! Initially, I was sceptical of a second Hardy Marksman Coarse range but I've been using the Marksman XT thirteen foot Power Float and found it tremendous. Obviously, it's light and precise with feel but it's got just that little bit of robustness that helps me muscle these big fish away from the marginal snags and out from underneath rafts of weed. It truly does a most nerve-wracking job beautifully. You've almost got to ally it with the Conquest and together, I just never expect to lose a fish.

"The new Hardy ten foot Bomb rod is simply perfect for the bottom fished bait. It collapses under any sort of bite and hits pretty well all of them. Once again, though, it is totally man enough for the job.

"These really are the tactics and the tools for the biggest, craftiest chub in the country. As I said to Sarah at the weekend, these Wensum fish make Avon Chub really look like dunces! They are THAT clever."

SPANISH BARBEL AT LIGHTNING SPEED

"I have to fly over to Spain for just a couple of days to complete the sale of my house there - I've done very well! Only lost sixty percent of its original buying price! I'm so sick of that, I'm determined to do just a little bit of Barbel fishing, probably for just three or four hours in the afternoon after I've seen the solicitors.

"EasyJet being what they are, I'm trying to cut down completely on luggage and not put anything in the hold. I'll go over wearing a Hardy Marksman fishing jacket, multi-pocketed shirt, fishing trousers and stout trainers. If I take my camera bag I can fit in a couple of reels along with spare socks and the like.

"Best of all, if I take a Hardy Smuggler Spinning rod at ten foot and a Marksman eight-foot, four-weight fly rod, they both break down into two-foot sections. As my camera bag is two-foot three-inches long, they will rest in there snugly. Fixed spool reel and fly reel, a few hooks, flies and that will be it. Job done.

"If you don't know this already, the Spanish Barbel fishing can be just fantastic. There are numerous different species and they are often plentiful as the Spanish just don't target them. I'll be going down south and the Andalucían Barbel have tummies coloured like canaries. They fight like mad things, rise to a dry fly but take lumps of bread and piece so sweetcorn. Could you have a more obliging fish?

"So it's in and out on a journey that won't cost the earth and I suspect will see me having a bit of super sport. Rock on!"

A WENSUM AFTERNOON

"I'm not going to delve into the question marks around the River Wensum because they are all too widely written about. What I am going to say, though, is whatever the problems of predation, each and every summer there are a lot of small fish about. 2011 is no exception.

"So, when Miller and I had an afternoon trotting with float, maggots and centrepins, we knew we'd have a bit of sport. We didn't expect a fish a chuck, though, which is pretty much what we got.
"We ended up with a fine collection of Roach, Chublets, Dace, Minnows, Gudgeon, Perch and a decent Pike that snaffled a dace of mine on the way in.

"Here's the point of the piece. We used our Hardy Marksman 13 foot float rods. They're just beautiful for a Dace of two or three ounces but they also handled an 8 lb Pike and, in my fortunate case, 3¼ lb Perch. You see, if you're after pristine smaller fish like these, then you want to make the whole experience fun. It's all about precision and control and sensitivity and feel. Fish with nice gear it doesn't really matter if the Roach is four ounces or 3½ lbs. with everything in balance, you can enjoy a day in Lilliput just as much as a day after monsters.

"Of course I'm hoping that the Wensum comes back to the river that I knew back in the 70s. Of course I'd love to wallop into 2 lb Roach every other cast. Naturally, I'd like to do battle with 7 lb Chub, 1 lb Dace and 4 lb Perch. But what I'm trying to say is if you've got really nice gear then you can truly enjoy a day with fish that aren't going to win the Angler's Mail catch of the week award.

"And just one tip, if you fish with artificial maggots, they don't get shredded as quickly by the minnows and do seem to select the better specimens."

THE TRUE RUDD

"Rudd are as quintessentially English as Hardy itself. Think of both and you think of the English countryside at its very best. It's a shame that Rudd have suffered so much of late. They've been bullied out by Carp. They've lost a lot of their little meres and farm ponds to development. There's been a serious loss of true Rudd waters through hybridization. So, it was with absolute delight, that I find the quintessential Rudd lake just a few days ago.

"Deep in woodland, no sound of car noise and established decades ago, this is the perfect Rudd venue. Through the day I picked up a number from a few ounces to just short of a few pounds but saw fish substantially bigger. And what glorious fish they were. Perfect in every single detail.

"Crust is the way to catch Rudd there is no doubt. I used my beautiful eleven foot, ten inch Hardy float rod for the job. It's so light, so tactile, so delicate but with just that little bit of power to ease a really big fish out of the weed. It casts a piece of crust with absolute precision. It makes a perfect day even more so if that's possible!

A couple of things. Even the biggest Rudd can be amazingly cautious. You will just see the water hump a little and even a decent crust will go down with barely a sound. Secondly, when you do hook a big Rudd, be prepared! Big rudd fight harder than almost any other fish ounce for ounce. They certainly put Roach to shame.

"Yep, I'm totally in love with them. When I get the ‘three' you'll be the first to know."

Teaching Ben

"I've just had a great day out with Ben Ellis, nine years old and keen as mustard. I took him onto the Kingfisher lakes where there is a whole array of options to go for. In short, we were after catching as many species of fish as we could land.

"Things went a bit awry because we lost a really serious Carp taken on floating crust. Not Ben's fault - father Tim probably applied a bit too much side strain and you could hear the line part like a pistol shot.
Then Ben hooked into and lost an extremely good Perch. Again, not his fault. I seized the rod to try and turn it from under some tree roots and the hook pulled.

"Ben looked on tolerantly and, in truth, was quite happy catching silver fish. There are plenty of those - in fact it was a fish a chuck - and we all enjoyed the sport immensely. Sometimes, when you're with kids, you try to put your ambitions onto them and it's all a bit much. Remember that a nine year old is often quite, totally relaxed with catching fish of just nine inches long. For example, we took a great deal of interest in examining the differences between small Roach and small Rudd. Ben had his fish identification book with him and it's great when the living fish corresponds with the illustration on the page.

"I'm also a great believer in starting kids off with the best. One of the nice things about the Marksman range is their lightness. Okay, you probably won't fork that amount of money out on a child kicking off in the sport but if you've got Hardy Marksman gear yourself, then learn to hand it over.

"Ben took great delight in using the eleven foot, ten inch float rod because it is just so light and so manoeuvrable. There's no doubt about it, using a rod like this enhances the experience and makes things a lot nicer for everybody

"So, a nice warm day, loads of fish and lots of interest on the banksides. We saw some incredible exotic frogs - hopped in from somewhere much further south, I guess! We got intrigued over some massive caterpillars and took great interest in the different forms of birdlife.

"Brilliant. It's awesome when a nine year old fishes for nine hours and simply can't bear to leave. Ben, hurry back."

Thumbs up for Greys!

You can't do better than this, I guess, for an endorsement of our products!

Stuart Davidson is one of the stars of the Kingfisher syndicate down at Lyng in the Wensum Valley in mid-Norfolk. He's a great Carp angler with a long list of seriously big fish to his credit.

It was surprising, then, that just the other day a group of the lads were gathered around his pitch having a good old laugh at his rods. These happened to be three battered Greys X-Flites. Yes, the varnish was cracked and the handles were tatty but Stuart explained more.

"I've had these rods for five years. They've done at least fifteen hundred nights. They've landed a hundred and sixty-odd fish with fifty of them over thirty! They cast big baits long distances in all weathers and pull rigs out of weed and over gravel bars. I've broken one of the other two or three times! All my own fault. On each occasion, the Greys' team have had them returned to me, mended, within forty-eight hours. The rods have got the power I need and the tips are delicate enough to map every pebble on the bottom. Laugh on lads, I won't be changing these!"

Stuart isn't alone on the water. At the very least, fifty percent of the Kingfisher Club members are Greys fans, probably more. This is a very serious, professional group of Carpers and these statistics say a great deal about the reputation of our rods.

LAST GASP PIKING...

"As far as I'm concerned, the Piking season is slowly winding down now. A lot of the fish, despite these cold easterlies, are thinking about spawning and it will soon be time to leave them alone. The other interesting thing is that as spawning does come closer, Pike get increasingly finicky. You've really got to push yourself to get positive runs from the fish at this time of the year. It's no good being lazy and it's no good thinking any technique and tactic will do.

"This weekend just past, explains exactly what I mean. First off was David Mutten at the Kingfisher Lakes. He fished incredibly light with just a tiny float and a tiny single hook on a wire trace. Bait was a minute Dace, no larger than granddad minnow! His thinking was that the Pike had been feeding on fry for a long while and had become preoccupied with them. Bigger baits were just being totally ignored but this truly fine fish was a justified reward.

"Dave Lambert tried a different approach forsaking the lakes altogether and hitting our stretch of river. He kept on the move, twitching back small dead baits and this near twenty pound river Pike proved the success of his techniques. He had a few more doubles to back this glorious fish up as well.

"Dave is adamant that you've got to cover all bases at this time of the year. "You've got to keep working," Dave says, "If you're going to get the very best of what backend Piking can give you. All your terminal rigs have to be absolutely perfect and that's why invariably use Prowla Wire these days. I've got no doubt that Pike have wised up to cruder, heavier wire that isn't as limp and doesn't lie as nicely. It's common to think that pike are way down the fish intelligence scale but this isn't the case at all. If you underestimate Pike, you really do so at your peril. It's often little things like trace wire choice that can make the difference."

Al's 25

"My friend, Al and I go a long way back. In fact, I guess he came over to Norfolk first for a bit of guiding nearly twenty years ago. Since then we've been all over the UK and Europe. And Al is still one of the few Brits, I guess, to have caught a seriously big Huchen. That was an achievement of a few years back that I don't think any of us present at the time will ever forget.

"Al hasn't been too well of late so it's really good to see him out on the water, braving the cold that we know gets to him. The lovely thing about guiding Al is that it doesn't really, deeply matter to him how the day goes. His smile is as bright after a fishless day as it is after one of triumph. But, still, thank the Lord that he smiled upon us a couple of days back and granted Al his PB Pike...coming in four ounces over twenty-five pounds.

"Al worked for that fish. We all did. John Gilman, bless him, another magnificent friend, showed the way, beating out a swim in a miserably exposed part of the lake. We were all knee deep in water, the margins were absolutely soaked through and there was persistent drizzle in the air. With air temperatures down to 3°C, I don't think any of us were that confident.

"But you can never write off these Wensum gravel pits. Just before mid-day, Al's float dipped and the line slowly began to peel off the reel. The rest, as they say, is history.

"I love the photograph of me and Al and that fish. But look how we are cocooned in waterproofs. We've both got Hardy and Greys chestwaders on - absolutely essential kit for winter piking in my view. Without them you know, and this is being totally honest, we couldn't have got into that swim in the first place. We often spend too long obsessing on rods, reels and rigs without looking at basic essentials like clothing, I guess.

"But let's forget all that. Simply well done Al. One of the best guys on Planet Fishing."

PROWLA PERFECT

"Since the bad weather has receded, my guiding days have really stepped up. I've never really regarded myself as a guide but, hey, a day on the waterside in agreeable company doing exactly what you love and picking up a bit of money for it...can't be that bad!

"But it's all been a bit serious of late. Friends who have come along with me have wanted monster Pike. They've really got the bug for big fish. And, if you have a guy with you who is into a mega-Pike, you really, really want to see it in the net.

"Yep, this is a plug for Greys Prowla gear but at this level you really want to harbour no doubts about your tackle whatsoever.

"I love the Prowla rods but it's all the terminal gear that really makes for a comparatively stress-free life!

"When Ian hooked into this thirty-seven pound, four ounce monster, I knew instantly this was going to be a serious capture. The way it fought deep. The length of its runs. Everything pointed to a thirty plus. Of course, things can go wrong with a big fish like this that hugs bottom. Hook pulls or snags are always deep-seated fears. But you know, with Prowla terminal gear you stand the best possible chance. And with fish like this, there really is no margin for error. Fish like this really are serious. For Ian Jackson, bless him, this monster is a life-changing capture.

"And, bless him; he's beaten my personal best by a massive fourteen ounces! But I'm happy to forgive him."

JONNY NO MATES

"The plan was for a group of the boys to join me for the day after my birthday on one of our favourite Pike waters. At least four or five of them, as usual, were going to join me but for one reason or another they all fell by the wayside. So there I was in splendid isolation.

"However, having pencilled the day off work, I decided to go anyway. I felt I could work on the water, sitting behind the rods just as easily as I could in my study at home.

"These days, I nearly always fish in company, generally guiding, filming or doing photo shoots. It was actually a treat to be on my own just for once. I had time to think, to contemplate and form a bond with the water that I often don't actually achieve.

"And, interestingly, being on my own I saw far more wildlife than normal. What I didn't want to see particularly was an Otter but there it was hunting quite unafraid because of the lack of noise and disturbance.

"What was interesting was The Bay...a lot of the biggest Pike in the water tend to hold up into a very deep, dark bay about half the size of a tennis court. Normally two or three of us fish The Bay and generally the fish will come out. However, because of the disturbance three anglers make, I was beginning to feel that we were harming each others' chances.

"So, alone, I snuck in there and it was a fascinating day. I just put out two small baits and left them. The result was three runs...two twenties and a dropped big fish. Of course, it's arguable that we would have done as well or even better as a group but, somehow, I doubt it.

"The moral of the story is that Pike are sensitive, just as sensitive as Carp, Barbel or Chub. If you charge around on a bankside not realising how easily Pike can be spooked you could easily be shooting yourself in the foot. So, even when my mates join me in the coming weeks, I'll suggest that we all tone down the volume, cut down on the movement and stand way, way back from the bankside. It will be interesting to see just how the results compare."

GREYS IN INDIA

"I suppose this is advertising but in total truth, I only ever commend products that I totally believe in. So, it wasn't that much of a surprise when we landed in our Indian camp on the Cauvery River to discover that there were at least five, if not six, Greys Uptiders on show. The guides approved. It's not every rod that's as tough as boots yet light and sensitive. Perhaps, though, out of all of us, it was Neill Stephen who used his Greys Uptider to the maximum benefit.

"Neill is a great guy, a good friend and a fabulous fisherman. Though it was his first trip to India, I was in no doubt that he'd both enjoy it and maximise his opportunities. That is how it was.

"As far as I'm concerned, he fished exactly as a young, dedicated angler should fish on a major expedition. He fished hard, long but always in control. It's a fine dividing line between dedication and obsession but Neill got it right. Whilst he probably put in something like fourteen hours a day on the bank, he still managed to sleep and he still managed to socialise. And both those latter activities are important. Lose out on your sleep and you make mistakes. Miss out on the campfire chat and you're not part of the team. And if you sign up for a group trip, you have an obligation to play that part. Moreover, Neill applauded every other capture made by group members and that too is significant. Feel and show resentment and you do nothing but shoot yourself in your own foot. Neill has the sense to realise that you can't be king of the river each and every day.

"Mind you, he had two exceptional triumphs. Early on he had a big thirty, a fabulous first fish by anybody's standards and, right at the end of the trip he had a big silver weigh over sixty. The general feeling is that something went wrong in the weigh-in and the fish was probably ten pounds heavier. We'll never know and Neill has the good sense not to care.

"I suppose Neill's approach to this trip was ideal. You go out on any major expedition with the right kit, the right attitude and the willingness to learn from those with experience. Get those things right and there's every chance that you will land back at Heathrow an angler complete and satisfied."

WHAT A SPORT THIS IS!

"On 2nd January, I took my usual walk round the Kingfisher Lake in the Wensum Valley, Norfolk. It was a freezing day.

"Never above 3° and the lake was pretty well still frozen. Coots and Swans had kept a small are ice-free at the tip of the island and, you've guessed it, there sat a bivvy with three rods pointed out into the icy wasteland.

"The lone angler! What resilience! What ambition! I was on my way to see him when another flurry of sleet came in from the north and, coward-like, I hurried to the car. Later that night, the temperatures hovered around zero and I thought of our angler against the frosts. I hope he succeeded. For one thing is sure: Carp caught in mid-winter are magnificently coloured and conditioned, they're at their very best. So who knows, our brave friend might just have caught the fish of a lifetime. He deserves it."

CHUB, CHUB, GLORIOUS CHUB!

"I hate to keep banging on about Chub but they really are the saviours on so many desperately cold, heavily flooded winter days. If the last couple of weeks are anything to go by, we're in for a hard three months and it could be that Chub will light up many days to come before the spring arrives and the tenching begins.

"This weekend with friends Ian, Tim and John G was a case in point. The cold weather was wavering a little bit but there were still only air temperatures of about 4°. Also, snowmelt was going into the river, rising and colouring it on an hourly basis. Even Chub were going to be difficult to tempt. However, even on days like this, very tight, very close trotting can often wheedle out a bite or two. I'm obviously going to recommend the Hardy Marksman 13" Float rod for this sort of thing. The Hardy Conquest Centrepin marries perfectly but it was interesting to see John Gilman use his old Greys Bewick reel. These are lovely reels and often overlooked. They're classically simple with a tremendous feel about them. Beautifully light, beautifully responsive and, in my book, an overlooked gem. Conquest, Bewick or whatever, a centrepin, though, is in my book absolutely essential. You just can't present a bait as tidily with a fixed spool reel in this style of fishing.

"Swim choice is essential. You're obviously looking for slightly slower water where the current is just off full bore. You might be looking at bends, eddies, slacker areas behind trees. Chub won't be far from the main flow but they like some respite from it. Take your time to choose your swim. Think it out. Time spent at this stage is never wasted.
Maggots are almost invariably my bait of choice providing the water isn't really coloured. This weekend there was visibility of a couple of feet which was perfect for the maggot attack. The great thing about the gear I've recommended is that you can get away with two to three pound hook lengths and size 13 hooks. The outfit is just so forgiving you can muscle even big fish with absolute safety once you've got confidence in your tackle and its limits.

"Feeding is also important...I'll trickle in maggots each and every cast. Not huge amounts but a steady, enticing flow. But the method's all about presentation. This isn't long trotting. You're covering lengths of water no more than five or ten yards in front of you.
The whole key is to slow the float down, to hold it back, to fish deep, to tweak the bait up through the water column, to do anything to entice a bite. It's really absorbing fishing. It demands all your concentration and all your skill. You never lose control. You're always master of the float journey through the swim.

"My tip is to fish around about an hour and if nothing happens, move on. It's possible to fish five or six swims in a short winter's day and hope for at least three or four bites. As they generally simply bury the float, you won't be missing them. Once the fish are hooked, being Chub, they'll almost certainly rocket for the margins so you've got to hang on. Trust your gear and it should be a chub ion the net each and every time."

A LIFE OF CONTRASTS

"The week beginning the 15th November I was spinning a north Indian Mahseer river in temperatures of 30° Centigrade. The water was crystal, I was using tiny plugs and I could see the takes. We had fish well up to twenty pounds in weight, we saw Tigers, an Elephant or two and the fishing was more dramatic than you can shake a stick at. Actually, the stick we did shake was, as ever, the Greys Missionary Spin. I don't think there can have ever been a more tireless work-horse worldwide than this particular range.

"Week beginning 22nd November I was back in Norfolk guiding and on photo shoots. The temperature hovered between 0 and 5°. Snow was in the air. I was fishing for Perch primarily with tiny little rubber lures on the lightest possible stick this time - a Greys G-Lite 6' 6" of pure magic. Takes so gentle they were just a nod on the rod tip on even a wand like this. Not a Tiger in sight, just flurries of snow.

"Great fish. Amazing contrasts. I know how lucky I am, if only to be an angler.

"On a totally practical front, remember these baby rubbers are just awesome for winter Perch. Work them very deep, often bumping bottom, and very, very slow. Expect plucks and knocks and strike at anything that's more like a tug. Ring changes in size and colour of the rubber and always keep the hooks as sharp as possible. Vary the retrieve and concentrate as if your life depends on it. And remember, never fish perch rubbers without a wire trace: there are bound to be Pike about!"

PERCHING SEASON ON FIRE!

“As many of you know, I do a lot of my coarse fishing out of the Kingfisher Lakes down in the Wensum valley and I have to say these lakes and the adjoining Wensum valley pits are absolutely scorching when it comes to Perch. I was guiding once again this weekend and the waters threw up several twos and a scintillating three pound eight personal best for our best mate Alex Whitelaw. There is a God, I think. Al has been very ill of late but been so brave that you kind of think that this Perch was his own personal reward.

“But though there are lots of big Perch about, what they are not, ever, is easily caught. You’re constantly thinking of new approaches and new bait combinations. For example, if you fish maggots, you can use a couple on a size sixteen as bait but it’s also really important to ring the changes. Every half an hour or so, try a worm on an eight or a really small dead fish on a size six. Or put a little lure through the area. Or move altogether. Keep four or five perchy holes baited up whether on river or lake.

“Lures and jigs really do work but you’ve got to fish them really intelligently and really sensitively. At the trade show, Tackle and Guns I waggled the new Hardy range of spinning rods and they seemed so delicious that I’m saving up now! Gear like this really can make a difference. For example, a lot of my stillwater float fishing for these big stripys is with the Marksman 11” 6’ Float rod. It’s so incredibly delicate with light lines and yet it’s got the backbone to turn a big Perch away from the snags – where they invariably head for.

“So, yes, there are more big Perch around than I can remember at any time since the early 1970s but that doesn’t mean to say that they give themselves up. Work on location, baits and approach and make sure your tackle is as near perfect as you can get it.”

LONG TROTTING FOR CHUB

"There can't be any better way of fishing for Chub through the autumn and winter than long trotting. The advantages are enormous.

"You're covering far more water than if you're sitting glued to a quivertip. And location, as with all fishing, is vital. Long trotting really does put your bait in front of more fish. Long trotting done well is a much easier way to fool spooky fish than with a bait hard on the bottom. Most Chub are less used to seeing moving baits than static ones and that puts you ahead of the game. Above all, it's exciting. Hit a good Chub at eighty yards range and your heart is in your mouth from the moment the rod bends round.

"So here, in no particular order are my briefest of tips.

"Gear. You really can't long trot successfully with any other reel but a centrepin such as the Hardy Conquest reel. If it's going to be a hundred percent correct you've got to try and master the pin. I'm not being traditionalist, old fuddy-duddy or anything but realistic here. I've fished rivers for forty-odd years with every type of reel and this recommendation is totally built on experience.

"Chestwaders are vital. Most riverbanks aren't particularly well tended and to trot successfully, you need to be as close to the water as possible and often in it. I was guiding at the weekend and I swear my client wouldn't have caught his fish if he'd been wearing ordinary water boots.

"Use a decent-sized float. This gives you more control when you're mending the line.

"Always use fresh bread on your hook and staler bread to mix up as ground bait. And don't overdo amounts. A piece of bread about the size of a conker on a size six is perfect for most situations but be adaptable.

"When you do get a bite, wait two to three seconds for the line to tighten before striking with a big, controlled, far-back action. Then keep the rod down and hustle the fish out of danger.

"Guide your float close to chubby-looking snags by all means but you'll also pick them up in what looks like clear, dead, uninteresting water. Until Chub speak, we won't know what turns them on!"

BLIMEY O’REILLY!

“A big Carp on the top is what we’re all desperate for. When I was a kid, I realised that as the summer dies away into autumn and the weather begins to cool down, the Carp are really up for it. Even through the first frosts, they will be feeding avidly and often on the surface. This is what I found last Saturday.

“There was a big fish, his back showing in one of the bays. I was using a Hardy Marksman Avon 11” 6’ with twelve pound line, a size four hook and a piece of crust.

“At first, the Carp couldn’t find the crust because of the flotilla of leaves around it. It could sense and smell it but it took a good minute of searching before it found it. Straight in, line tightening and a good, firm strike. I missed!

“The piece of crust made its way back to the surface and blow me the Carp came back for it! Never have I been so unbelievably lucky! Out goes another smaller piece of crust and bingo, this time I’m in.

“I recognised the Carp as a forty-two pounder caught from the same venue eighteen months ago. As a result, we weighed the fish and in a sack it bangs down a set of forty pound scales with a reassuring thump. We return the fish knowing its weight thereabouts. It’s only later in the day when I look at the photographs that I realise it’s not the same fish at all. I’m still pondering whether it matters that I returned potentially my biggest English Carp without proper measurements or not!

“Upon reflection, I guess I was just desperate to get the fish back as soon as possible. In essence, the welfare of the fish is much more important than a notch on my personal big fish list. Big Carp are just so precious that to jeopardise them in any way is quite unforgivable. Even the photographs were a rush to a degree. I guess the fish was out of the water for a maximum of two minutes and I really didn’t want to prolong its ordeal by searching for different scales or being more exact with those that I had. Providing the fish lives on untroubled, then I can live with the uncertainty of its weight.

“I know this is blatant advertising but I can’t help but comment on the immaculate performance of these Hardy Avon rods from the Marksman stable. For this type of close-in fishing with really big fish, the through action of these rods is of immeasurable benefit. The pit is very deep in the margins and some of the dives where almost unstoppable. Because of the rod’s forgiving nature, I never felt in any danger of a hook pull or a line breakage. I don’t think I’d have been nearly as confident with a stiffer, more traditional-type rod.”

WYE BONANZA

“Well, the tactics I described last week did actually work. The big baits really got them going and, providing you located the fish the action was pretty consistent. If you catch a couple of fish and then go, you know you can go back to the same swim on following days and do the same thing all over again. Hammer a swim and that will be it, dead for the season.

“As I said last week, the Hardy Marksman Avons were the tools for the job yet again. There was a brilliant sequence as the sun was setting on one of the days when Geoff was playing his first and his biggest Barbel. I took some great shots of the Marksman 11” 6’ Avon bending into its truly gorgeous fighting curve. These rods are so powerful and so forgiving and Geoff absolutely loved it.”

BARBEL MELTDOWN

“I should have known better. I should have realised the summer was over and autumn is on its way. Anyway, I got down to the River Wye to find it twelve feet up from its normal level, coloured like chocolate and going like a train. In short, it looked hideous and the guys on my course regarded it with dismay.

“The Wye is a big river in flood but there are still things you can do about fishing it. Firstly, you look for comparatively slack water, comparatively close in. However, you’ve got to locate these areas close to where Barbel live most of the time. Odds are that given a big flood, they will simply shift position across the current a few yards and take up an easier residence. I KNOW that some anglers think the Barbel remain exactly where they always are, rooted to the bottom whatever goes over their heads. This can be the case, and it certainly is the case in small rivers, but on the Wye they certainly like slacker conditions.

“Look also for sheltered areas behind bushes, behind pilings, behind bridges, behind anything that just deflects the current to a degree.

“But bait is one of the biggest issues. It’s got to be big and it’s got to be smelly. No matter how good Halibut pellets are under normal conditions, once the river is up and running and coloured, give me meat! And I don’t personally think you can do better than spam.

“But here’s the rub! You’ve got to give them a lot of meat. I like to use a size four hook and three pieces of meat, each the size of a conker, up the line from it. It’s quite easy to thread on with a baiting needle. Don’t use too light a lead either. Sometimes it’s quite good to let this meat trundle around until it quite literally bumps up against a fish!

“I’ve got to say all my Barbeling these days is done with the Hardy Marksman Avon range. During normal conditions I’ll probably use the lighter, 11” smugglers. As the water rises, I’m probably looking more at the 11" 6' versions. In either form, believe me, they’re just the best barbel rods ever.

“In my next blog, I’ll tell you how we got on.”

A CROCK OF GOLD - PART 2 of 2

"So off I set, desperate for a Crucian, inspired by Peter Rolfe. The first pool I get to however I'm told by a farmer that it has recently been illegally netted a couple of times. I'm heartbroken.

"The second pool, an old favourite of mine from childhood, sounds more promising. The Crucians are still there but my fellow angler is more savvy than we used to be. ‘You can call them Crucians if you like' he tells me, ‘but most of them I guess are crosses with wild Carp and probably Goldfish'.

"I'm choosing a close-in swim sandwiched between lily pads and rushes just out from the rod tip. I'm baiting with two and four ml halibut pellets and I'm using Sonubait hooker pellets on an eighteen. A tiny little Andrew Field stick float is put on three pound line straight through. I've plumbed the exact depth and set the number six telltale shot four inches from the hook. I‘m using my Hardy Marksman Avon 13" Float rod but I'm fishing so close, probably the 11" 10' would have been a better choice.

"With steady and light baiting, the Crucian bubbles soon begin to rise and one or two largish fish roll in that particular, slapping way of theirs. The float begins to lift and dither and finally dips and, after one hell of a struggle, an eight ounce Crucian is in the net. For people who say Crucians don't fight, I say think again.

"Especially after what happened next. Twenty minutes later, I'm absolutely beaten all ends up by a Crucian that I guess is two and a half pounds. It's definitely not a wild Carp because it's just too deep and, though it might have a little bit of Carp DNA in it somewhere, I'm still gutted at its loss. Truly, I lost a guestimated 35lb mirror ten days ago but this is upsetting me more.

"Crucians are so undervalued, so little understood and they are so in threat from so many sources. They are a part of the English country scene that is just too precious to lose."

A CROCK OF GOLD - PART 1of 2

“A book fell through my letter box the other day – Crock of Gold – Seeking the Crucian Carp by Peter Rolfe. It’s not often these days that an angling book grabs me but this one has. I’ve nearly devoured it cover to cover in just three days.

“Crucian Carp. Where’s the drama in them you’d think? Two pounds is a corker and three pounds a fish of dreams. Forget four and five pounders please. Well, as Peter so eloquently makes out, Crucian Carp are all about intimacy of fishing and love of fish. You just can’t help but be attracted by Crucians and be fascinated with them. Of course, you could catch crucians on feeders and fixed rigs but it would, somehow, be criminal.

“No, Crucians are all about float fishing the margins, settling under willows, baiting by lilies and rushes. Crucians are all about watching lazy bubbles rise to the surface and a float, preferably a quill, rising, falling and wavering to the under-surface rhythms.

“Crucian fishing is all about delicacy and that’s why I would never go after Crucians without my Hardy Marksman 13’ Float rod and Hardy Conquest reel. Centrepins are everything to the Crucian man.

“So inspired have I been by Peter’s book that I took the afternoon off, in warm autumnal sunshine, to make a tour to our crucian ponds. I contacted a couple of owners, checked my permissions were still in place and set about getting my Crucian tackle up to speed. I’m excited: my diaries tell me I haven’t landed a crucian for over five years. That’s an eternity. In my next blog, if I’m successful, I’ll tell you how."

Check back for part 2 of John Bailey's 'A Crock of Gold' article next week.

AUGUST DOLDRUMS

“I guess most of us would agree that August is the hardest of all the benign months – give us March, April, May or even November any time – algae blooms and daphnia build-up can cripple stillwaters. You find low, stale water in both lakes and rivers. Weed growth is probably at its peak and there’s masses of insect food for the fish. It’s a nightmare.

“I’ve just fished Fisherman’s Valley at the weekend (www.fishermansvalley.co.uk) and for the first time in history, I haven’t had to take out a camera. It’s about the first time, too, I’ve felt totally defeated. Carp the first day and late summer Pike the next and we achieved virtually zilch. The problem is I had absolutely no answers and was totally humiliated. By four p.m. both days I’d simply run out of ideas.

“It’s sometimes good to know fishing can be like this. If you’re struggling, believe me, you’re not alone. And if you are fishless, the hot days of September and October are just round the corner.

“Thanks goodness for the Sea Bass! I know this is a coarse blog but Bass are all about coarse fishing technique. You are fishing to features. You’re probably lure fishing. You’re using watercraft, often with the very gear that you will be spinning for Pike with in the autumn. Going out this month, we managed to land some absolutely superb, mint-perfect Bass that have fought like furies. They’ve really lifted our spirits...and once again, shown the extraordinary versatility of the Hardy Marksman Avon rod range. We use nothing else for our light lure fishing and providing you wash your Avon down religiously after each use at sea, there are absolutely no ill effects that we’ve experienced after two or three years of hard use. A further testimony to the rod’s ruggedness.”

Tricky Tench

"On Friday 13th August John Gilman and I were fishing for Tench on a three acre pit that was new to us. We were fishing an arm about six to seven feet deep. The water’s visibility was about twelve to fifteen inches and there was little bottom weed or obstruction. There were many Tench swimming in front of us and good fish roll consistently between seven and eleven a.m. Ledgering using the Hardy Marksman Avon rods we didn’t get a single strikable bite. Between us we have caught thousands of Tench in the past but why were we beaten?

"Was it the weather? It was cold, windy with drizzles of wet. A falling barometer is just no good. Was our bait wrong? We were fishing quite a lot of corn and seed. Perhaps we should have been looking at small boilies or pellets. JG tried this late in the morning but again without success. I’d always favoured a maggot attack but there were a lot of silver fish in the lake.

"Was it our feeders? For a lot of the Spring, we were using fixed block-ends with maggots which produced great bites. On Friday we had running feeders and we’re only getting flicks and nudges.
Were our hooks and hook links not right? On some of the rods we had hairs, on others, buoyant artificial. We had braid hook lengths on at least two rods. We were using as small a hook size as we could get away with. Was there something we had overlooked?

"Should we have been thinking of using a float? It’s the most traditional way to catch Tench and it still works. But I have to say, hand on heart, I’ve found float Tench more tricky than legered ones.

"Almost certainly pre-baiting would have done the trick for us, I guess. If I’d managed to have put bait in regularly three or four days beforehand, it might have been a different matter.
But it’s the challenge we love. If we knew the outcome of every single session then we just would not bother.

"The threat of failure is partly why we’re here."

IAN'S BIG WEEKEND

"There are a million reasons why I like guiding – meeting nice people, swapping ideas, catching great fish, being on beautiful watersides and seeing anglers thrilled to bits are just some of them.

"This weekend it was Ian Jackson’s turn, an old mate from many trips both here and abroad.

"Because of the weather, we decided to fish almost exclusively off the top. We’d booked on a couple of Carp lakes and on the river Wensum the second day so it was a case of buying crusty loaf after crusty loaf.

"The photographs tell the tale. Four double figure commons, a seriously big mirror and a couple of reasonable Chub. Ian fished superbly well...only two chances missed out of nine.

"Several things emerged: firstly, I’m a great fan personally of floating bread over floating particles. Bread’s that much easier to cast – I’m never a fan of controllers to be honest – and you can get away with just the one bait. It’s easy to over-face even big fish if they’re not feeling hungry.

"Also, bread is such a natural bait: there are hardly any waters or any fish that don’t see it frequently. Also, you can so easily adjust the size of the bait you use. If you want to cast long distances, use a large piece obviously. If the fish are spooky, you can go down to a piece the size of a thumbnail. Bread is constantly adaptable and if you mount it correctly on the hook, it will stay there for a good half an hour or more.

"And, because bread is heavy, it allows you to mend the line against it without pulling a chunk of course. As we all know, a floating bait skating unnaturally across the surface stands no chance.

"The biggest problem with floating bread is simply striking too early and that’s how the majority of fish are missed. That’s what Ian got right from the start: he wouldn’t strike at the take but rather wait for the line to tighten up. That’s when you wind down and hit hard, especially if you’re fishing at range.

"Here comes the tackle plug – but it’s totally justified. Throughout the two days, Ian used the eleven foot six Hardy Marksman Avon Specimen rod. It didn’t overwhelm a three pound chub and it coped perfectly with a seriously big Carp. Some of the commons fought like thunderclaps but Ian was always in control.

"I’ve been saying this forever: there can’t be a more versatile rod on the market than the Hardy Marksman Avon. I use mine for probably ninety percent of all the fishing I do – and that includes sea bassing! Ian just loved the finish of the rods, the look of the rods but above all their delicacy and through-action power. Years ago, I said to Managing Director Richard Sanderson that these are the rods the market needed. Sure, they’re a big investment but one you’ll never regret."

BRIDGES AND BOMB RODS

"I’ve just got back from my second trip of the season down on the River Wye and what a slog it was. The very low, clear weather has really done damage and a lot of the Barbel had moved out of the shallower, quicker water that they generally like for the oxygen and food there.

"Interestingly, I managed to locate fish beneath most of the bridges. We all know bridge swims can be good but it seems in low water conditions like these, they give extra shade and security. In fact, the majority of Barbel on this particular trip came from these deeper, darker pools.

"I also managed to give the Hardy Ultralite Bomb Rod MK II rod a good work out. You might think that these rods are too flimsy for eight or ten pound barbel but they’re actually not. There’s real backbone there as well as delicacy and what I like about them is that tip really shows every flicker of interest. Do remember, not all Barbel bites are wrap rounds by any stretch of the imagination. Often, hitting that nudge can make the difference between a blank and the fish of a season.

"Anglers are all too quick to write small movements off as attention from lesser fish. But I ask this. If your bait has lain there untouched for fifteen or twenty minutes and the tip suddenly trembles and then remains still again, why should a small fish have taken sudden and short-lived interest? No, in my book, time and time again, this is a Barbel coming in to investigate, picking up a bait, not liking what it feels, putting it back down and disappearing. Hit those trembles and you’ll miss less enquiries, I promise."

Lovely Chubly!

"I was fishing with Andrew Field, the increasingly renowned float-maker. He’d never caught a Chub before and that was our mission. Beyond that, his girlfriend had just bought him a 14’ Hardy Marksman Float rod and an accompanying Hardy Conquest Centrepin reel – an absolute ideal kit for a spot of stick float fishing in the late afternoon of a winter’s day.

"You can get a lot wrong when you’re fishing on days like this. Too many maggots and you will over-feed the fish. Too many maggots and you can even spook them. Too few maggots, though, and they will simply ignore them altogether. In cold, shallow, clear water bait going right in over the head of a Chub can alarm it for the rest of the day. That’s where float fishing comes in. That’s the exquisite beauty of a stick float that presents your bait perfectly and gives you the most minute of bite indications.

"Andrew hooked his first Chub on a size 16, double maggot and a three pound hook length. Like all Chub, it belted for the far margins and I had to plead with him to pile on the power. Remember, he’d never used the rod / reel combination so he didn’t really know its capabilities. But above all, he didn’t realise just how forgiving the Hardy Marksman Float range is with light hook lengths like this. His rod was hooped over – I could sense his anguish – but I knew there was very little chance of a breakage. The real fear was that the Chub would get snagged. Constant, to Andrew almost unbelievable pressure, forced that Chub out into mid-water where it was successfully landed.

"It’s no secret that I adore the Hardy Marksman Float rod range. It seems we have another convert."

The Magnificent Marksmans

"The Marksman range really has done deservedly well and the various models have dominated most of my bait fishing activities for the past three or four years. However, in truth, if I had to pick one rod out of the range that really does me for most things, then it has to be the Avon series.

"I use my battery of Avons for barbel fishing, chub fishing, light carp fishing, light lure fishing and even for bass fishing around the coast! This weekend, however, Fisherman's Valley (www.fishermansvalley.co.uk) had a fish-in at Kingfishers Lake in Lyng and virtually all the participants were using Marksman Avons of one sort or another.

"And they're just brilliant. They've got enough power to punch an inline two and a half ounce feeder sixty or seventy yards with ease. They've got enough power to pick up line and set a hook in a good tench at ranges well in excess of this. Yet, they've got the mix of delicacy and power which allows you to land big tench in a calm, controlled fashion and to enjoy every second of the fight and every manoeuvre of the fish.

"They're light, they're precise, they look good and they feel great. In short, there were eighteen rods out on the water and fourteen of them were Marksman Avons of one sort or another. Me? If I have a favourite, actually it's the Marksman Smuggler eleven foot range and, do you know, my absolute favourite is the Ultralite. Okay, it's just a tad less gutsy than its brothers and sisters in the range but for me it's just the most delightful of tools. In fact, after a fishing career that spans half a century, I can't think of a rod in which I am more in love!

"Advertising you'd say? Well, I'd say it's simply the truth. These must be the best general, all-round bait rods ever made."

Wading on a Wet Sunday

"I’ll never understand why breathable chestwaders aren’t a constant feature of coarse anglers’ kit. It’s not just that you can wade in them. With a good quality waterproof top and hat, you’re totally rainproof and windproof. You can sit on wet banks, so you don’t need to carry seats if you want to be mobile. You can walk for miles without working up a sweat in the summer and in the winter, if it’s really cold, just put on a couple of insulated base layers.

"I’ve been a Hardy EWS Breathable Waders fan for years and so, now, is Sarah. Sunday was wet, cold and with a sniping wind. But we were both snug as bugs and that allowed us to stay out a little bit longer and catch a Chub or two that, otherwise, we would have missed. And best of all, they were big chub, too.

"My big tip is the soles of the boots. I know felt is traditional and only really comes to grief in snowy conditions when you get a real build-up and feel as though you’re walking on stilts. However, for all-round surety of foot, I recommend cleated rubber soles with a sprinkling of studs. Mud, ice, slippery rocks...it just doesn’t seem to matter.

"Words of warning. You shouldn’t really wade when you’re on your own and it’s always good to have a pal in case of emergency. And never wade in cloudy water when you can’t see the bed. Don’t wade out of your depth and certainly don’t wade in fast currents. Always wear a buoyancy aid / lifejacket and it’s never a bad idea to go out with a wading stick. Waders are there to change your fishing life and not end it!"

Best One Ever?

“One of the beauties of keeping a fishing diary is that at the end of the year you can go through all the days filming, photographing, guiding and simply pleasure fishing and form a really accurate picture of how well you have done and what has stood out.

“Well, one of the real highlights has been the role my Hardy Marksman Specialist 11 foot Avon Smuggler has played in my fishing life this year. What hasn’t it done?!

“I see it’s been a star when spinning for Bass. It did really well in March with Spanish Barbel. During the spring and early summer it was a maestro when it came to tench. Later on, as summer developed, it really handled Barbel on the Wye to perfection.

“I took a wild Carp water apart and the Smuggler relished the challenge. A six pound Chub on a free-lined slug from the Avon. Great. Then some big Carp – low twenties anyway – on floating crust and it was never once out of its depth.

“Come the autumn and I found it was a cracker for lighter Pike spinning and for twitching a worm for Perch...it just couldn’t be beaten.

“Hard to beat at anything. If it’s a one-stop rod you’re after, you’ve got your answer. And, of course, you can hide it under a car seat or slip it into a piece of hand luggage. Brilliant.”