Crayfish Questionaire

I've been asked by an academic from the University of Leeds to help get anglers to answer a questionnaire about how Crayfish can and have affected angling venues. Please read the below information and give the questionnaire a whirl. It would be greatly appreciated. Theres also the possibility of getting a few quid!

Trip #26 - Kippax Park, Rainbow Lake.

Kippax Park Lakes have featured quite heavily in the press over the last 6 months, and I have read accounts of good weights coming from both Lapwing and Skylark lakes. So with that in mind, I thought it about time that I get round to trying all the lakes on the complex for myself. As they are also partly owned by Leeds DASA it would also mean a cheaper session than on some other commercials in the area. Setting off, rigs tied and car packed I was expecting a carp filled day out on a busy and promising fishery.

The 3 open Kippax Park Lakes

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!

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...

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!

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.

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.

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.

Fishing Basics – Loop Tying

While fishing recently I was asked by a young angler if I would tie a hook on to his rig. On handing over his rig, and having a look at his set up I was alarmed at how his whole rig was set up. After a brief conversation I persuaded the young angler that some of the knots I knew may mean when he hooked a fish it was less likely to get away and over the next 5 minutes I slowly deconstructed his rig and then carefully put it all back together in a way which (he assured me) made sense and was helpful. But it got me thinking and on speaking to another of my angling friends I found out that only a few knots were consistently used while fishing. So I thought I may do a few posts, hopefully to try to demonstrate what I find the most useful and practical knots and how to tie them; with the hope that some people will find this information of benefit.

Trip #23 - Dickies Pond, Spring End Farm

As I’m sure I’ve said before fishing a new venue comes with a certain level of excitement. The unknown is a factor which means you usually have to prepare for all methods of fishing, and try what you believe is the best on the day. Having done a bit of research into this venue and thinking I had the measure of it from the help of Google Maps, I arrived at the lake in the late morning and instantly felt over prepared. The lake looked more like an overly large duck pond than a fishery. Never the less there were some people scattered around the pond so I knew I was in the right place. I wheeled my gear around to the conifer side of the lake and before long I was setting up wondering what this little lake was going to throw up.

Dickies Pond on arrival