The bit you should read.

I’ve always been an angler and after around the country moving I wanted to discover and document the best places to fish (where ever I might be) in the way of rivers, lakes, canals and ponds. When previously fishing in South Wales I often fished in club and winter league matches, however living up north presented me with new challenges, venues and angling clubs that I acquainted myself with. Now down in the South West I plan to do the same.

This fishing blog details my angling adventures around the UK (although depending where I am in the country I also sea fish from both Boat and Shore, Carp, Pike and Fly fish). I will be giving a summary of 3 values considered by most anglers as well as the additional Disabled Access rating. Since being diagnosed with CIDP and regaining my motor function Disabled angling and Disabled access is now something I always consider when visiting venues. They will all be rated on a scale of 1* to 5*;

1. Fishability *****

2. Accessability *****

3. Value for Money *****

4. Disabled Access *****

I think these 4 points are the key issues which are readily identifiable with all anglers. Feel free to take a look and add your own comments along the way!

Monday 26 March 2012

The EA in action!

I’ve lived in Leeds for just under 2 years now and since I have been here there has a huge build up of rubbish gathering behind a disused bridge off Milford Place. I’ve tweeted about it several times previously but nothing to my knowledge had been done about it. The mass of broken trees, rubbish and other debris that the river pushed underneath the bridge was made considerably larger by the torrential rain and storms Yorkshire experienced around the New Year. After checking on the build up recently it was getting perilously close to being a potential flood hazard, so, on meeting with an EA official I decided to visit this section of the river to discuss what, if anything could be done about it.

The rubbish before the storms around the New Year!

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Trip #25 - A nice place for a Bike ride and a Picnic

When I wrote recently that I was in need of a greater challenge I thought that this past weekend would be the answer to my prayers. It was the turn one of the many Leeds ASA waters, a stretch of the Aire and Calder Navigation Canal, just off Skelton Grange Road. From a young child my grandfather had told me about matches on venues which resembled this, the Grand Union canal and the Brecon – Monmouth Canal. Scratching for small fish, but still constantly catching, trying to get a bag full of silver bits to get that vital win in the section. Looking at this place on the map as well as my first impressions when I arrived I thought I had hit the nail on the head! Well...



Monday 19 March 2012

Blog Support!

I am happy to announce that Paul on Coarse Fishing is now supported by Fishtec! Thier website can be visited by the link on the right of my blog page. It also means that I will continue to deliver venue and Tackle store reviews, angling advice and pointers, as well as any other bankside observations which I think may be of interest to anglers!

I hope you've enjoyed my posts so far and I will try to keep the ones in the future as informative and enjoyable as possible!

Monday 12 March 2012

Trip #24 - Birkin Fishery

My initial plans for where I would be fishing this weekend were scuppered by a fault of my own doing. A careful inspection of the Leeds ASA handbook clearly says a key is needed to access the bolted gate of Sandwath Lake. But in my excitement to leave I had hastily over looked this point and arrived at the lake thoroughly perplexed and slightly frustrated. After speaking to an Angler leaving the lake I discovered that a key was needed and there was no way I would be fishing that lake on this day. So after 10 minutes, a minor melt down and with the help of Google I found that Birkin Fisheries wasn’t that far away and that a few hours fishing was better than no hours fishing.



Thursday 8 March 2012

Fishing Basics - Knot Tying - The Half Blood Knot

Following on from my recent post about tying the 5 Turn Grinner knot, this is another very reliable knot which can be used to attach hooks, swivels and clips to your line. The Half blood is a knot which ties down very small and is a good alternative to the Grinner. What’s more, it is easy to tie. Again for the purposes of post I will be attaching the line to a fairly large swivel.


Monday 5 March 2012

Fishing Basics - Knot Tying - 5 Turn Grinner.

Following on from one of my most recent posts I thought this time I would highlight how to tie one of the most heavily used knots in fishing. The 5 Turn Grinner knot. Tied correctly it is reliable, has a good knot strength and can be used to attach pretty much anything to your line! For the purposes of this post however I will be demonstrating using a fairly hefty swivel.