Bulletin Board

This spring has been very cold and the fishing unpredictable however there are plenty of fish to be caught. There are numerous rudd upto 6oz and if you can get among the carp, a big catch can be had. Avoiding the rudd is the problem as they are taking quite large baits. This makes for interesting match fishing at the moment because it is a difficult choice wether to go for numerous small fish or sit out for the carp that can top 6lb. Now the fish have finished spawning I think there will be some very big catches for anglers who get it right. I expect the 4-hour match record of 37lb to be smashed this summer. However it is not so easy to catch the carp as it used to be. They learn quite fast. Well-balanced tackle should be used. It also means that for matches it is a requirement to spread out more because these big carp fight. Anglers, please remember to use barbless hooks and hook-lengths at least 20% weaker than the main line to stop carp being tethered. (You also get to keep more floats that way too).