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ANGLER’S MAIL JOINS HUNT FOR MR CRABTREE TV STARS!

tknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:59:18 +0000

Mr Crabtree and Peter, as they were. A TV series will go in their footsteps... the hunt is on to find four juniors to star in a show each!

A UNIQIUE new competition has just launched to find four youngsters to star in a new TV series alongside our brilliant columnist, John Bailey.

Who will star with Angler's Mail columnist John Bailey (right) in the new TV series?

Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing sold millions of copies and the cartoon character was alive in the pages of the Daily Mirror for 25 years.

Now he’s back! In the Footsteps of Mr Crabtree will appear on TV later this year.

Filming starts in March.

And right now the hunt is on for youngsters between eight and 14 to appear in the shows.

Entries need to be done online by a parent or guardian and enter online.

Angler's Mail magazine launches the "Search for Peter" this week - the great issue on sale now!

More details are in Angler’s Mail magazine, the top weekly – starting with the issue pictured with the special Mr Crabtree cover.

The Daily Mirror newspaper is also covering this exciting project.

Follow our lively Angler’s Mail magazine (priced £1.80) over the weeks and months ahead for more Mr Crabtree project news. And of course you’ll be able to enjoy our experienced angling expert, John Bailey’s regular column.

Here are some useful internet links to stay bang in touch with everything that’s happening, and to enter…

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE > CLICK HERE

FOLLOW IT ALL ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER

You can also stay up to date with snippets via the two main social networks…

Facebook – become a fan of mrcrabtreegoesfishing and AnglersMailMagazine

Twitter – follow @mrcrabtree and @AnglersMail

COOLBAGS FOR DEADBAITS – TESTED

rhoward — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:00:42 +0000

Tested by DUNCAN CHARMAN

COTSWOLD AQUARIUS DLX

£15.99
Measuring 14.5 x 10.5 x 3.3 cm this simple but effective cool bag will appeal to many a pike angler and has a capacity to carry more than enough deadbaits plus an ice pack. The satchel style single compartment has a flap which is secured with two Velcro pads and incorporates a single quality zip to the slightly padded, fully insulated and lined compartment which unfortunately isn’t the easiest to clean. (Also available The Aquarius Delux Cool Bag £34.99)
SCORE: 26/30

NASH COMPACT

£25.99
Measuring 40 x 25 x 20 cm this compact cool bag is ideal for the piker. The three-sided zipped lid offers easy access to a good sized main compartment plus an outer zipped pocket is ideal for oils and flavours. There’s a fully insulated easy wipe-clean inner, heavy-duty made-to-last zips throughout, tough durable material, hard wearing water-resistant base, neoprene carrying handles and luxury neoprene shoulder strap (non-detachable).
SCORE: 26/30

GARDNER XL BAIT BUCKET

£24.99
Unique collapsible bucket with a diameter of 32 cm and a height of 32 cm incorporating high quality zips on the lid for easy access to a slightly oversized inner compartment for the general pike angler. Fully insulated inner including thick foam base which secures the Ice-Gel freezer Block that’s included, plus there’s an additional pocket to the inside of the lid for an additional ice block. Removable Easi-Clean and fully washable lining eliminates bait contamination to the fully waterproof polyester material. Comfortable foam tubular carrying handles and heavy-duty waterproof base.
SCORE: 27/30

30PLUS IQ BOILIE/BAIT FRESH

£13.99
Measuring 35 x 33 x 2 cm this simple but effective cool bag will appeal to many a pike angler and has a capacity to carry more than enough deadbaits plus an ice pack that can be placed within one of the two loose internal pockets. The satchel style single compartment has a flap with is secured by a strip of Velcro and incorporates a single quality zip to the fully insulated and plastic covered compartment, which is easy to wipe down. A little bit bigger and it would have scored an extra mark.
SCORE: 28/30

TRAKKER NXG CHILLA

£29.99
Another compact cool bag which measures 37 x 25 x 24 cm. It’s well suited to carry a selection of deadbaits. The three-sided zipped lid offers easy access to a good sized main compartment plus three outer pockets, two mesh style and one zipped, ideal for oils and flavours. Fully insulated it has a removable ‘easy-clean’ PVC inner. There are quality zips throughout, the material is tough and durable, but there’s no hard wearing base. Comes with neoprene carrying handles and a removable padded shoulder strap.
SCORE: 27/30

BEST BUY

GREYS PROWLA

£29.99
Measuring 34 x 33 x 20 cm this compact specially designed pike deadbait cool bag is difficult to fault. It has a decent zipped main compartment with an outer zipped pocket for oils and flavours. Plus it comes with a moulded plastic inner container with a Greys Klip-Lok sealable lid for your deadbaits, which is easily washed and replaced. The Prowla also comes with a Cool-style lined inner, quality zips throughout, stylish cosmetics plus a water resistant fabric base with rubber feet to prevent water absorption. There’s a carry handle and shoulder strap too.
SCORE: 30/30

NOTE: All products tested November 2011. All prices correct at the time of going to Press. Angler’s Mail do not take responsibility for price or product changes or current availability.

>> CHECK OUT OUR BEST PIKE TRACE GUIDE HERE

BEST WINTER BAITS

rholroyd — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:17:48 +0000

Tempting lethargic fish to feed in winter is tricky as most species’ metabolism slows right down in colder water.

They need far less food than they require during the rest of the year when they are much more active, so to cajole them into feeding you need to alter your feeding approach as well as selecting the right bait.

Here Angler’s Mail reveals ten great baits that have a top reputation of catching even the most stubborn of fish in tough winter conditions.

1 Salt
The addition of salt to baits is a great attractor at any time of year, but it really comes into its own during cooler conditions when you want to create a small area of maximum attraction. Forget chemical-laden table salt and opt instead for sea or rock salt which is easily incorporated into pastes or groundbaits or sprinkled onto maggots, casters, pellets, hemp or corn. Small PVA bags of pure salt are perfect to use with any hook bait and are a little-used but devastatingly effective winter edge.

2 Bread
Bread is a top winter bait especially on the rivers where chub and roach both adore flake, crust or punch. Although mashed bread is widely used as groundbait when bread fishing, for winter use a finely liquidised white, sliced loaf which produces smaller particle sizes and is less likely to fill up a feeding fish; remove crusts from the slices for an even finer mix if the going is really tough. A PVA stick of compressed crumb is a little used but brilliantly effective winter carp tactic – use in conjunction with a single grain of white, rubber corn.

3 Chocolate malt
Choccy malt breaks all the rules. Unlike all other flavours which can be counter-productive if used in excess, it is impossible to add too much. For a brilliant winter carp puller add 20 ml of the gorgeously sweet liquid to an egg and mix up with a proprietary fluoro-white pop-up mix to create small – 10 mm is ideal – pop up boilies. Reserve a bit for paste too.

4 Lecithin and alcohol
Oil-based flavours and attractors and fishmeals lose their attractiveness as oils become more viscous in cool temperatures. To ensure flavours leach out and are not locked into bait add lecithin granules (from a health food shop) to fishmeal groundbaits and pastes. Alternatively, mix up paste baits with alcohol to ensure excellent dispersal – a tot of the odourless vodka is the usual choice but experiment with whisky or gin for a really different scent.

5 Maggots
One of the very best coldwater carp catchers. A mesh PVA bag of maggots, in conjunction with a bunch of grubs on a hair-rigged maggot clip, is one of the most reliable of winter carp tactics. Maggots are easily digested, colourful and loved by carp. Cast regularly and tightly to build an area and don’t forget to include a couple of rubber grubs on the rig to balance the weight of the hook.

6 Spices
Spicy flavours have long had an association with winter fishing and with the proliferation of Asian stores there is a bewildering range of brilliant additives with which to spice up your baits. A sprinkling of turmeric on maggots, a shake of garam masala in groundbait, chilli-laced hemp, coriander flavoured corn, meat dusted with garlic salt and pastes made with belachan paste are just some of the spicy options – which are only limited by your imagination.

7 Paste
Hi-attract paste hook baits are only one part of the winter paste story as the versatility of the bait lends itself to a number of different applications. Most notably it can be used as a ‘plug’ for watch-style leads or as a wrap around for any bomb or hook bait; it can even be ‘blobbed’ onto PVA stringers. The paste used in this way gives a longer-term leakage of flavour-charged particles into the swim and acts as a great fish-puller, especially in the rivers. To give a more rapid breakdown for non-hook bait applications mix pastes with water rather than eggs.

8 Corn
For coldwater commercial carping there are few baits to beat a simple grain or two of sweetcorn. Corn is easily digested, highly visible – even in coloured water – and, unlike maggots, resistant to the attentions of small silvers. A couple of grains hair-rigged through the middle sit perfectly on an 18 but, if the going is really tough, a single grain presented lengthwise on a size 20 should do the trick.

9 Liquids
Solid PVA bags are not just for filling with solid baits. The tactic of filling bags with neat liquid flavours and attractors has brought me winter bites by giving a massive explosion of attraction with no feed. Make sure you use PVA-friendly mixes and experiment with different mixes: condensed milk combined with chocolate malt is a good starter for carp.

10 Peperami
The spicy meat snack checks all of the boxes when it comes to winter fishing, despite the fact it is on the oily side. Highly attractive to carp, chub and barbel it can be whittled down to tiny chunks for use with scaled down line and small hooks, yet it still packs a serious punch in terms of attraction once the outer skin is sliced off. Try a thin slice as a topper for half a 10 mm pop-up boilie for excellent winter carp results.

JOlN OUR 14,000+ FANS ON FACEBOOK!

tknight — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:04:31 +0000

Facebook - become a fan of "Angler's Mail magazine"

The Angler’s Mail Facebook page recently clocked up a massive 14,000 fans… and we’re well on the way to 15,000.

That’s more than any fishing magazine or any other fishing publication outside of the United States of America. And the fan numbers just keep on growing every day.

Angler’s Mail magazine editor Tim Knight said: ‘We’re delighted to reach another milestone in our Facebook and online activity.

‘The team at the magazine is determined to enhance the experience of all anglers – be they long-time regular Mail readers or newcomers to the sport who have just discovered Angler’s Mail. Not forgetting their friends and family.

‘We have created a “club” feel that is welcoming to everyone.

‘We make all sorts of regular posts on our Facebook, and run free entry competitions.

‘By encouraging Angler’s Mail fans to be active – asking their own questions, talking about their own fishing, and giving their feedback, we have very quickly created a lively community on our Facebook wall.

‘Come and join us!’

If you haven’t become a Facebook fan yet – click here and then click LIKE.

REPORT YOUR CATCH TO US – NOW!

tknight — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:09:04 +0000

If YOU or a friend has caught something decent… be sure to report the details and pictures quickly – and exclusively – to Angler’s Mail.

You could appear in our magazine!

AND THE EXTRA GOOD NEWS IS…. we have lots of great prizes, with the Angler’s Mail Specimen Cup, ACE Carp Cup, Fish of the Week, Daiwa Top Rod and “Jonny Foreigner”.

Report your catches rapidly by e-mail, with best image, to this e-mail address: anglersmail@ipcmedia.com

Please include a daytime telephone number.

John Turner, one of our 13,000+ fans on Facebook and a regular Mail reader, is the lucky occupant of this special slot. He’s seen here with his 15 lb 3 oz River Anker barbel ratified as the new venue record at the end of 2011. Report your catches direct by email to anglersmail@ipcmedia.com and it could be YOU starring with the Mail!

If you don’t make it into the mag, you may appear on this website’s Big Fish gallery which is regularly updated. Click here to see our regularly updated gallery.

NEED MORE HELP IN REPORTING A CATCH? CLICK HERE!

TYING A KNOTLESS KNOT

rholroyd — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:26:13 +0000

1 Start off by tying a simple overhand loop at one end of the hook length; this loop is the end of the hair and will act as the anchor point for the hair stop which will hold your bait in place.

2 Using a baiting needle thread your chosen bait over the loop and onto the hair then secure it in place with a hair stop.

3 Thread the hook length through the eye of the hook from the back to the front then adjust the length of the hair to suit the hook bait you are using and your requirement. Allow a gap of at least 5 mm from the top of your bait to the bend of the hook but experiment to find what works best.

4 Keeping the hair trapped tightly to the back of the hook take the other end of the hook length and begin to whip it downwards along the shank, trapping the hair beneath a series of tight, even coils.

5 Keep whipping downwards, stopping when the whipping is roughly opposite the point of the hook. How many turns this will require depends upon the shank length of the hook you are using but try to ensure you get a minimum of five or six turns.

6 Once you have completed the turns trap the whipping firmly between finger and thumb and pass the end of the hook length back through the eye of the hook from back to front, ensuring the line comes out from the front of the hook.

7 Gently pulling the hook length tight locks the turns of line against the shank of the hook and completes the knot. You can now tie the other end of the hook length to a swivel or make a loop in it to allow it to be attached to a hook length clip to finish your rig.