Well its mid March and  its time to start doing the usual end of season clean up. With the River season drawing to close take the time to clean up you tackle bags and ensure you have all the required items for next season.

 

At the end of the month new EA rod licenses will start so please don’t forget to renew. I did a few weeks ago using the telephone and the process was simple I’m just waiting for the license to arrive in the post.  You can also renew online. The rod license details can can be found at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/recreation/fishing/31497.aspx

 

For those of you with club memberships don’t forget to check your renewal date or like me you do everything as a last minute panic and struggle to find the cash

Here at fishing fools we are looking forward to another new season on the river in June but with the weather warming  we will be out on the lakes looking to bag some good fish maybe I’ll get that double figure Carp I have bee waiting for for so long

 

Any way good luck for the new season and see you soon.

In another Fishing Fools First, and in the wake of the Hantsweb awards, it seems the interview we had with Judy Goodlet from BBC Radio Solent got aired today at 11am.

 

For any one who missed it, you can listen again to our Radio Broadcast  ... Blimey do we really sound like that

Well what an exciting day  After months of judging, and shortlisting Fishing Fools finally attended the 7th Hantsweb Awards ceremony at the splendid venue of INTECH Science Centre and Planetarium in Winchester.  After a morning session of Coffee and Danish pastries (+3),  and the obligatory stint on the amazing array of interactive science displays it was down to the nitty gritty of the awards.  We were nominated in the category of "Best Special Interest Website" along with "Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust" and "Matt and Cat's Isle of Wight Easting Out Guide" (Was very exciting to actually meet the faces behind the top secret Matt and Cat ).  Well as you can imagine, it was sweaty palms time, while waiting for the results to be called out in our category ! For which we are completely chuffed to bit's to have received the runner's up award  We really didn't expect to get this far, considering we run the site in our spare time and fund it on left over beer money (not much :D ) Thanks have to go to Hampshire County Council for running theses awards to support and recognise good web practice and innovation - Fishing Fools will definitely be entering again next year to see if we can be one of the coveted winning sites.

You see, this is one of the exciting things about Fishing ! you never quite know what your gonna find on the end of your hook - there is always that apprehensive moment as you reel the line in to get the first glimpse of the fish breaking the water.  Now I'm sure you've all been there with the 50th roach, the obligatory coke can, the snagged shopping trolley, or various bits of tree branch - but a recent trip to a local Hampshire lake had Fishing Fools seriously confused as we pulled what looked like a small lobster out of the water, with it being firmly attached to a hair rigged boiley ! A quick bit of googling revealed that we had actually been snagged by one of the invaders to our water ways - the American Signal Crayfish !

Find out more by clicking the Read More button...

So here at Fishing Fools we are always keen to try out new fishing methods, equipment and techniques to try and avoid those frustrating "blanking" sessions, and to ensure our lines are tight  So, since being on the Rivers, we have been trying out the quiver tip as an alternative to trotting, which has proved fantastic during the summer months when the rivers were slow and shallow - but now in the winter the Quiver, even with the 4oz tip, is flicking around like no one's business as the line gets pulled in the current .

The solution we think is to use an Avon tip rod, but after searching Google for hours, there seems to be varying opinions on the web about what an Avon tip rod is, and when it should be used - which has really caused much confusion (doesn't take much ). We thought that asking on the site would be a opertunity to get some of you experienced river anglers opinions on Avon tip versus quiver tip - and hopefully then an informed new rod purchase can be made. 

To look at the questions we have, click on "Read More" below - you can then submit a reply using the comments feature.

I was fishing a few weeks ago on the Throop, it was a cold day and the fish just weren't biting and this gave me some time to reflect. Whilst sitting back and relaxing watching my quiver tip I noticed the scenery around me and realised that fishing wasn't just about fishing but it was also about getting to know our natural surrounding.

Since starting fishing not only have I caught fish but I have spend time walking around lakes and up and down rivers on some occasions more than 6 miles so I hopefully and getting fitter with all this walking. Whilst walking I am carrying a huge bag of bat which is rather heavy.

I have found out that Robins love maggots and swans love any bait going. But One of the most interesting things I have seen was a number of Kingfishers nesting on the Throop and what a great thing it was to see. Growing up it was very rare to see Kingfishers but I have seen the blue and red flashes almost every time I am on a river.

So for those of you that have never fished get out there and you may find that you find a lot of new and exciting adventures can be had. 

any way see you soon

Well what can we say - All the fishing hopes of catching new record fish in 2010 all goes to pot given the current state of weather in Hampshire currently.  We seem to be struck by some freakish Snow storms that are severe enough to keep Fishing Fools indoors.  On our travels we spotted an eager fisherman who didn't heed the weather warnings, and seems to have turned out worse for wear following a Night Fishing session  Hopefully a good cuppa tea should thor him out ... Anyway, according to the weather forecast this Snow might be with us through the weekend, so there will be challenging times ahead on the rivers.

We here at Fishing Fools are constantly looking for new baits to try and catch those allusive fish - It's so easy to get carried away with the costly commercial bait offerings, and overlook the good old fashioned basic natural baits.  One of our favourites is the Cheese and Bread mix.  You can use it as a hook bait, or make into a dissolving ground bait mix for feeder fishing - you can add your own flavourings however with a good bit of cheese, you won't need to add much.

Ingredients Needed

• Bread
• Cheese
• Water

 

1) Start by breaking down the bread into almost powder. You can do this by either grating the bread, using your hands to break it up, or using a grinder / blender.

 

2) Place your Bread into a tub / bucket. Use as much bread as you wish, depending on how much bait you want to make!

Since I've started Fishing, I've been dieing to try the pursuit of Fly Fishing out ( It just looks so much fun ) - Well luckily a few days ago, that wish came true and a visit was planned to the superb venue of Moorhen Trout Fishery.  The proprietors of the venue were very accommodating, and a warm welcome with free tea and coffee and a well kitted club house to sit and chat awaited  After a safety briefing, it was down to the nitty gritty of learning to fish with a fly rod ! We had a superb instructor who was keen to show the basics, so you could get on the water fishing with little delay. Surprisingly I was able to cope with the casting and keeping the fly line in the air easier than I was anticipating - there was certainly no hideous knot balls of line flying around... The hardest part I found of fly fishing was the discipline needed in holding and casting the line - It was a completely different mind set and style to coarse fishing, and took some time to get use to - you basically had to hold and work the rod vertically between 12 o'clock and 10 o'clock, moving it in synchronization to the line flailing above your head  Well after a few hours of this, we managed to land two nice trout both in the 2lb-3lb range, and after a coshing round the head with a metal priest, were ready for the fun of gutting and cooking.

We are pleased to report that following a recent fly fishing session, we have updated myfools web with a new Fishing Venue - Moorhen Trout Fishery located in the meon valley in Hampshire in the village of Warnford - The venue provided a very warm welcome, excellent facilities and a really great days fishing.  Fishing fools felt the venue catered very well for beginners, providing a good introduction into how to fly fish, with the objective of getting you on the water catching top of the list.  You can find the full details of the venue along with directions and links [ HERE ]