Korum Fishing Made Easy 2015

GETTING JIGGY READY, STEADY, FISH!

75

NEW PRODUCTS

CONSUMER GUIDE 2015

Fishing Made Easy plus

DROPSHOTTING MADE EASY

INSIDER KNOWLEDGE FROM ED MATTHEWS

TENCH MASTERCLASS

A LOOK INTO DAI GRIBBLE'S TACKLE AND TACTICS

TIPS AND TRI CKS FEATURING

FROM THE EX PERTS

ADE KIDDELL • GARY KNOWLES • DAI GRIBBLE • CHRIS PONSFORD • PHIL SPINKS • MAT WOODS SHAUN HODGES • ED MATTHEWS • NIGEL BOTHERWAY • ROB THOMPSON • ADAM FIRTH

cover all

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specimen rods available in: • Barbel 12ft 1.75lb • Barbel 12ft 2lb • NEW Quiver 12ft • • NEW Barbel Quiver 12ft • NEW All-Rounder 12ft 1.5lb •

Fishing Made Easy

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FISHING MADE EASY Korum 2015

Fishing Made Easy As you read this you’ll no doubt be preparing for another great season of fishing. And within these pages you will find all manner of tackle ideas and tactical tips from the best specimen team in the business to help you along the way. The Korum lads all enjoyed a prolific 2014 and from what I’m hearing so far, 2015 looks like being a winner too.

On the tackle front you’ll notice some

lovely new additions to the Korum range this year, from new items of luggage to handy accessories that will make a difference to your fishing. Also new for Spring 2015 are our impressive Front Force reels. These 3000 and 4000 sized gems are suitable for a massive range of angling styles.

We also have new gear in our Snapper range, like new rods for Dropshotting and Jigging, along with the tackle you

need to catch more fish with them. If you haven’t tried this light lure fishing technique yet, 2015 is the year to start!

It’s never been easier to get started.

There are loads of new bits that suit the modern specimen angler and in this year’s magazine there’s more advice on how to use it than ever before. So get out there and enjoy your fishing!

Life always feels better with a bend in the rod.

t a M s d o o W Korum & Avid Carp Brand Manager

FISHING MADE EASY

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Fishing Made Easy 2015

Welcome

W hat an exciting issue w e' v e g o t f or yo u t h is year! I've spent the past 12 months closely following the top team of Kor um consultants on their various fishing exploits around the country. I've visited Linear Fisheries for an incredible fishing session, walked the banks of the infamous River Wye, spent time afloat on a boat at inland sea, Blithfield Reservoir, and enjoyed a crisp winter's day on an intimate commercial fishery. It's been extremely busy, but when we can bring you, the reader, a jam-packed magazine like this, it's well worth it!

korum.co.uk

KorumFishing

korum.angling

Not only have we managed to pack over 75 new products into the pages of this magazine, but we've also included a whole host of features from the Korum team, designed to make your fishing more effective and help you catch more, and bigger fish.

Opening the show is tench maes tro, D a i G ri b ble.

Dai has finally revealed his closely guarded tench fishing tactics, and with a list of double figure tench like Dai's it's one not to miss.

I spent two days with Dai and most of that was spent with my jaw on the floor.

@KorumFishing

@korumfishing

Editor Mat Woods Deputy Editor Adam Firth Additional Material Ade Kiddell Gary Knowles Designer Helen Holloway UK Address Unit 1, Highbridge Court, Stafford Park 1, Telford, Shropshire TF3 3BD Tel 01952 290520 Fax 01952 291974 info@korum.co.uk European Distribution Centre Primo Distribution B.V., Kelvin Ring 27B-29, 2952 BG Alblasserdam, Netherlands Tel 0031 78 6999593 Fax 0031 78 6999594

m a d A th Fir Korum Media Coordinator

All Korum products are covered by intellectual property rights. Specifications and prices are correct as of April 2015. All specifications are approximate and may vary or be modified.

2015 Preston Innovations Limited

Š

04

2015

His tench tactics are so simple, but as you'll find out incredibly effective!

Join Shaun Hodges and Nigel Botherway on the banks of the stunning River Wye at Symonds Yat. For those that don't know just how impressive this place is, I suggest you check out the Seven Sisters Fishery on anglingdreams.co.uk.

We've set both anglers an interesting challenge that I'm sure many river anglers will enjoy reading.

It seems that a huge amount of anglers have been hooked by the lure fishing bug this year. The popularity of

dropshotting and jigging has seen a huge increase and once forgotten canals and natural venues now have freshly worn banks. We've included three dif ferent features about dropshotting, jigging and lure fishing to help you catch more predators.

Myself, Gary Knowles and Ed Matthews will show you how, along with the tackle you need to make your fishing more effective!

Whether you are a beginner wanting to try out a new method or just want some other tips and tricks to try in your fishing this year; these features have it all. Enjoy!

2015 Fishing Made Easy cover shot Chris Ponsford with a 16lb common carp Photo: Adam Firth

026 LEAD VS FEEDER

Shaun Hodges and Nigel Botherway head-to-head on the River Wye FEATURES:

017 SILVER SURFER

Phil Spinks shares his secrets to catching big roach

040 BITES GALORE

Chris Ponsford shows how he catches a netful every time

058 EURO ADVENTURE 076 LURE FISH LIKE A PRO Ade Kiddell recounts his three week barbel roadtrip

Gary Knowles on effectively using lures to boost your catch rate

ALSO:

06 TARGET TINCAS

050 COMMERICAL TIPS

012 RIG PRINCIPLES 101

054 EARN YOUR STRIPES

036 THE FISH OF A LIFETIME

080 GET JIGGY

Dai Gribble reveals his tench fishing secrets

Mat Woods shows how simple rigs can be more technically sound

Gary Knowles looks back on his huge personal best chub capture FISHING MADE EASY

Team Korum's top tips for commercial fisheries

Rob Thompson explains how to catch large perch on commercials

Adam Firth catches predators using the mobile style of fishing

068 DROPSHOTTING MADE EASY

Ed Matthews guides you through the techniques needed to catch bigger perch korum.co.uk

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Target Tincas DAI GRIBBLE

target

tincas 06

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DAI GRIBBLE Target Tincas

dai gribble Occupation: EA Senior Environment Officer Favourite venue: Large still waters

We delve into the tackle box of specimen tench lover, Dai Gribble to find out how he catches so many big fish!

A double figure tench is one of the most highly sought after specimens in fishing. The species, of ten know as Tincas or the Dr Fish are highly regarded in the specimen fishing world.

One angler that loves catching big tench is Dai Gribble, his list of double figure tench is envied by many. We join him on a spring day to find out how he manages to catch so many big fish on a regular basis.

Having chosen your venue it's time go fishing for big fish! “Finding out where the fish are can play a big part in tench fishing. If the fish aren't about, you're not going to catch many, if any at all. Getting to the lake early in the morning is the best way to find out where the fish are. I like to arrive just on first light. The morning is often a very good time to spot where the fish are. Tench like to roll on the surface of the water, giving away their presence.

Where the fish are most active is the best LOCATION, LOCATION, starting point in where to fish!

LOCATION Speaking to carp anglers is often When looking to target tench you a good way to find the fish. They are need to pick a suitable venue. Gravel always forthcoming when telling you pits or natural venues are a good place how a nuisance tench has picked up to start. Tench love weed beds, a feature their boilie hookbait.� explains Dai as that is often found in clearer water. his barrow is unloaded.

Looking out over Manor Farm Lake at Linear Fisheries

THE MORNING IS OFTEN A V E RY GOO D TI M E TO TO SPOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. DAI GRIBBLE FISHING MADE EASY

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Target Tincas DAI GRIBBLE

RIGGING UP The first item of tackle to come out are Dai's rods. “You don't need big beefy rods for tench fishing, my rod of choice is the 1.75lb Xpert rod. This rod will cope with anything I throw at it. Should I need to fish at long range it has the power to punch out a big feeder, but is still soft enough to make playing fish an enjoyable experience!” remarks Dai. It's clear to see that Dai's rig of choice is a helicopter rig. All three of his rods are set-up with the same simple helicopter rig comprising a Korum Ready-Heli Kit, a small rig ring, an Avid Speedlink and a Korum Combi Feeder.

“The helicopter rig is perfect for tench fishing. It allows me to be completely confident that my rig is sat tangle-free on the lake bed. I like to place a small rig ring underneath the Ready-Heli Kit. This keeps the rig from sliding down to the feeder while I'm playing a fish. The heavy feeder swinging about can work against you and sometimes pop the hook out!”

A short hooklength of 6lb Xpert Mono and size 10 Xpert Specimen hook is attached to the swivel on Dai's ReadyHeli Kit, before sliding the Anti-Tangle sleeve over the swivel.

“Attached to the hair rig are two artificial maggots, rigged so that they sit out at an angle. This makes them look more natural when sat on the lake bed.

The artificial maggots will withstand the attentions of small fish in the swim. If I'm on a venue with no small fish I may

anything that you put in the swim, the tench can be a little more picky. I use a mixture of small pellets, maggots and hemp. Most waters that hold big tench will probably also hold big carp.

BAIT CHOICE These fish will see a lot of fishmeal baits, Unlike bream, that will often eat therefore adding some small pellets to change my rig to include real maggots on the hook. Sometimes this simple change can make a big difference to your catch rate.

the mix will help pull the fish into the swim. Maggots speak for themselves, they have been catching big tench for many years; and the final bait is hemp, the perfect particle to keep the fish grubbing about.

All of the baits are mixed together

HOW TO MAKE

Dai's Tench Bait Mix

1 Add a mixture of Sonubaits 2mm Krill Feed Pellets and 2mm S-Pellet Feed to a groundbait bowl 2 Next, add a tin of Sonubaits Natural Hemp to the bowl 3 A large handful of red maggots are added to the mix 4 Mix all of the baits together and you are ready to go!

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2015

DAI GRIBBLE Target Tincas

DAI'S

TACKLE Rod Xpert 12ft 1.75lb

Rig Ready Heli-Kit Standard Swivel

Line 10lb Xpert Reel Line

End Tackle 6lb Xpert Mono Xpert Specimen hooks Combi Feeder

Tench fish ing doesn't ne e d to be dif ficult, o r T his simple complicated. should help to follow advice you to catc h bigger tench this ye brilliant tim ar. T he spring is a e to target ten by choosin g your ven ch, and u e wisely you will en joy your fishing mo re!

before being introduced to the swim. I'm looking to find a clear area between the weed when tench fishing. The tench love weed and will happily feed with their heads buried into it, but by targeting the clear areas you will be 100% confident that your rigs are presented perfectly. I will kick off the swim with 10 spods full of my mix. This will gradually be topped up by including this mix in the feeder. If you feel that the number of fish in the swim is getting less and less it can be worth introducing some more bait via the spod. On popular venues this won't affect the fishing too much and you'll soon have specimen sized tench queuing up!

FISHING MADE EASY

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Are You Sitting Comfortably? KORUM CHAIRS

?

sitting comfortably

new look

010

Supa-Lite Chair

EZ Chair Lite

Arguably the lightest adjustable specimen fishing chair on the market and will suit the pleasure or specialist angler.

Weighing in at 3kg it is compatible with Korum Any Chair Adaptors and mega comfortable. The ideal chair for the roving angler. Compatible with the Korum Ruckbag.

Provides two vertical legs to take Korum Chair Accessories which can also be adjusted to be wider or taller depending on your needs or nature of the backside terrain. Ultra-versatile chair that offers a functional angling station and easy to carry, weighing in at under 5kg.

2015

KORUM CHAIRS Are You Sitting Comfortably?

FISHING MADE EASY

Accessory Chair

Deluxe Accessory Chair

Boasting an updated look and more com f or t able p adding. W i t h i t s independently adjustable legs and accessory compatibility, it is the choice of thousands of anglers around the country. It is particularly useful when used in combination with the Korum Ruck Bag.

This awesome chair has a more comfortable padding layout and a boosted pillow area for maximum comfort. The legs have a meaty, beefier profile to give you more stability and strength in this top-of-the-range chair.

Great when you need comfort on longer day sessions.

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Rig Principles 101 MAT WOODS

back to basics

Korum Carper Mat Woods reveals why simple rigs can be far more technically sound than you might think. Keep it simple and improve your results!

Rig Principles

101 mat woods Occupation: Korum & Avid Carp Brand Manager Favourite venue: Weston Park @MatWoodsKorum @woodzzz3

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MAT WOODS Rig Principles 101 Is your hook sticky sharp? It’s a crucial element for success Inset: Mat’s using Korum Carp Braided Hair Rigs, they stick to his simple principle

Carp rigs – the two words that launched a million articles, a thousand products and hundreds of sleepless nights as anglers around the world analysed and developed new ideas to help catch more carp.

I must admit, I’m probably as guilty as anybody else of getting too technical in my fishing, and some of the rigs I’ve used over the years would definitely support that! But as I grow older and wiser, I’ve come to realise that overcomplicating the situation simply isn’t the way to go.

I’ve noticed over the years that most of the better anglers I’ve been fortunate to fish with have kept things incredibly simple. Seemingly too simple! You go out with these guys hoping to find some big secret in their tackle box or bait box, but the fact is, there isn’t one.

There are, however, a few crucial things to keep in mind when it comes to rig selection. These are simple tests, I suppose, that will ensure you’re giving yourself the best chance of catching more carp.

SHARPER THAN AVERAGE It’s a bit of a cliché now, but yes, here we go again! A great rig is founded on a super sharp hook, so check every one you use. I tend to see if the hook will nick and grab the grains of my fingerprint.

You tend to find that the sharpest hooks grab and ‘stick’ whilst others feel smooth and not quite so ‘sticky’. I know some anglers test their hooks on the back of their fingernails. The hook should grab and not slide. Most hooks are more than sharp enough out of the packet for this, but you do get the odd rogue and they can blunt quickly when out in the lake.

Never leave this to chance. Never think ‘that’ll do’. If you’re sat with a lost fish under your belt having neglected to use a sharp hook, it’s your fault, not the tackle

FISHING MADE EASY

manufacturers!

T he other thing with hooks is to use a pattern that suits the material you’re using. I ’ve found inturned-eye hooks, especially curved patterns, are best with braided rigs. You can use them without any complicated shrink tubing over the eye – they work with a standard knotless knot without issue. In fact, I’d go as far to say that in my own fishing, I find myself using very simple rigs with braid, often with just a bit of silicone on the shank to keep the hair neat and tidy, preventing the hookbait from tangling around the hook.

For stiffer materials like mono or fluorocarbon, out-turned eye hooks are your best bet. The angle from the eye is really positive like this and makes the hook want to turn and grab. Meaning your ‘sticky’ hook has more potential to snare an unsuspecting carp!

Straight eyed hooks can be used with all sorts of materials, meanwhile, though there are an ever-reducing number of these available for carp fishing these days. Does that tell you something?

WHY BRAID For me, braid has become an increasingly useful material in my fishing.

I fish very pressured, busy day ticket waters and most anglers are either using a Chod rig, or a coated hooklink material.

Or a combination of both with a hinged stiff rig. Both rigs are effective, but on venues where everyone is using the same thing, I have found it to be far better to do the exact opposite. I use braid with a standard leadclip setup, no PVA bags or solid bags, just the braid and a hookbait. Why? It’s a new set

of circumstances for those fish and it works. Look at Simon Crow, one of the UK’s most successful carp anglers. He’s been using the same br aide d lin e aligner rig for 30 years and he’s caught more 30s and 40s than most people can ever dream about.

Braid is so unique because of how natural it allows the hookbait to behave. It leaves the hook free to move around and grab hold, and the better sinking versions hug the lakebed, whatever the makeup of the bottom.

On this session at St John’s I’m actually using a Korum Carp ready-tied Braided Hair Rig. It’s tied up exactly how I would use it myself, so why not?

The person who tied this rig probably ties more rigs in a week than I will in a year, so it’s dependable and I know the components are good because I have tested them extensively.

RIG LENGTH The rig is around 6 inches long.

Personally, that’s just right for the majority of situations. Whether fishing PVA bags, over boilie baited areas, or over particle mixes, that length will serve you well. It’s a good starting point, whatever the lakebed is like.

I find that going too long with braid can lead to poor hookholds, the rig not pulling ‘tight’ in time before the fish realises it’s attached to a lead and a dirty great carp angler! Too short and the bait doesn’t go far enough into the carp’s mouth for a positive hookhold.

The other thing you’ll note is the small anti-tangle sleeve kicker. I use these in conjunction with a quick-change swivel, meaning I can change rigs easily without tackling down or tying any new knots. I have found these reduce tangles massively – in fact, since I began using

The anti-tangle sleeve drastically reduces tangles on the cast

these anti-tangle sleeves 10 years ago, I can’t remember ever reeling in a tangled rig. A bold claim, but seriously, I can’t remember a single occasion!

These Korum Carp rigs come with everything you need to set up the rig. The lead clip, tail rubber, quick change swivel and the rig itself, which comes complete with one of our innovative Quickstop Boilie Stops. You actually push these directly through the hookbait, meaning you won’t ever lose a fiddly boilie stop ever again. They’re mega durable and push through almost any bait.

A few white baits amongst the Code Red

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Rig Principles 101 MAT WOODS Absolutely nailed on a white Code Red Wafter Inset: Aim high with the stick. Wait till dark to avoid the gulls

mouth. Point down, eye Speaking of which, hookbait down, prone selection is another element of rig choice and ready to that can make a big difference. I’m of grab hold! the opinion that a bait too large for a If using a small hook can increase the potential pop-up, I just for hookpulls, whilst a hook that looks use a split shot too large for the bait can actually make to weigh the bait for better hookholds. As a general rule, I down. I’m never happy would use a 10-12mm bait with a size 8, that rig putty will stay on when range a 12mm-16mm with a size 6 and anything fishing. I’d rather use the shot and know over 16mm I would use a size 4. On An old pressured carp falls this trip at St John’s I’m catching using to super simple tactics Sonubaits 12mm Code Red Wafters over a scattering of Code Red Boilies and White Chocolate boilies that I’ve included in the mix as ‘sprinkles’. I find baiting up with both bright and dull baits gives the fish something to think about, and helps me catch both the inquisitive and more cautious carp. It also gives me hookbait options.

I like braided rigs with balanced hookbaits – either a wafter, snowman or pop-up. They work well with bottom baits, but I prefer the Korum Carp AntiTangle Rigs for that, which are tied from a semi-stiff mono material.

I find the balanced hookbait is another thing giving you a better chance of a bite. It behaves more naturally, goes further into a carp’s mouth and allows the rig to behave as you want it to in their

HOOKBAITS

SETTING UP A

Korum Carp Braided Rig 014

2015

my bait is balanced well.

As a general guide, the less bait I’m fishing over, the more balanced I want the hookbait to be. So if single hookbait or small PVA bag fishing, I’ll make it so the bait sinks very slowly indeed. Over a bit of bait, a bit faster. It just seems to suit how carp feed in different situations, meaning you can use the same simple rig, but just tweak the buoyancy of your hookbait to suit what you’re doing.

On this trip I’ve got t wo baited areas.

One baited with the scattering of dif ferent boilies and another with Sonubaits Hemp & Corn.

The boilies have been best so far with a run of fish to 25lb, all nailed on the Korum Carp rigs.

These are pressured fish in this lake and some of the other anglers can’t

IT PAYS TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND HAVE AN EFFECTIVE RIG. MAT WOODS believe I’m using rigs straight from a packet. By explaining to them the basic principles I’m sticking to, and as I’m planning to catch a lot of fish on this trip, it pays to keep it simple and have an effective rig in the lake, rather than a complicated one still on the bank as I add more bells and whistles to the setup.

Keep it simple. See you on the bank some time!

MAT WOODS Rig Principles 101

MAT'S

TACKLE Rod Avid Carp DSK 12'

Reel Avid Carp 12000CC

Rig Korum Carp Ready-Tied Braided Hair Rig

End Tackle Specialist Anti Tangle Kit Specialist Boilie Stops

Luggage ITM Rucksack

Bait Sonubaits Code Red Boilies and Code Red Wafters The business end. It’s complicated in that mouth, but don’t let that stress you out!

Inset: Match the bait size to the hook for better hooking potential

1 First, thread the supplied lead clip onto your main line or leader.

2 Now tie your main line to the swivel attached to the rig.

3 Click the lead clip into place over the swivel till it locks in position.

4 Attach your chosen lead. Mat uses a Flat Swivel for sloped lakebeds.

5 Take the Quickstop Needle and place it in the Quickstop on the rig.

6 Push this through your chosen bait and locate to secure it. Done!

FISHING MADE EASY

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015

Lets Accessorise CHAIR ACCESSORIES

lets

accessorise Chair accessories designed to make your fishing experience easier 1 Accessory Side Tray 2 Brolly Arm 3 Pole Crook 4 Tilt Rest 5 Single Rod Butt Rest 6 Universal Arm 7 Telescopic Feeder Arm 016

2015

PHIL SPINKS Silver Surfer

phil spinks Occupation: Tackle Shop Manager Favourite venue: Broadland Rivers @KorumFishing

silver silver surfer Catching big roach comes naturally to Phil Spinks. Read on to find out what his secret is to catching these big silver specimens...

Catching roach of large sizes isn't always an easy task, but once accomplished, the sight of a 2lb plus roach lying on your mat gives you a great sense of achievement, a fish of over 3lb is the catch of a lifetime for many anglers! When targeted specifically, using the correct tackle a big roach will get your adrenaline pumping as it nears your net!

FISHING MADE EASY

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Silver Surfer PHIL SPINKS

STARTING OUT

Not the intended species, but proof of the effectiveness of these tactics

So where do you start when looking to catch these big fish? The first thing to do is set yourself a target that you want to hit. If you set yourself a target of 3lb to start out, there may only be one venue nearby to you. You will probably find many more venues with a smaller target of a 2lb+ roach.

Venue choice is very important, you won't catch big roach in just any venue.

Spend a bit of time looking at the internet and various magazines. Most big roach seem to come from large gravel pits, but commercial fisheries are also worth looking at. These fish don't seem to get caught very often with most anglers targeting the easier to catch carp.

The best time to target big roach is usually throughout the winter months

V E N U E CH O ICE I S V E RY IMPORTANT, YOU WON'T CATCH BIG ROACH IN JUST ANY VENUE. PHIL SPINKS 018

2015

and into spring due to the methods that you will be using to catch them. You will have a lot less bother from other nuisance species in the cooler months!

Look to arrive at your chosen venue before dawn or on the evening. You may be able to spot the roach dimpling on the surface of the water. This dimpling will give you a good indication of where the roach will be. Normally you will be fishing out into open water. If there is weed in the lake, look to target a clear area in between the weed beds. The clear area will allow you to present your rigs well, not getting caught on the weed.

RIGS FOR ROACH I like to use Helicopter rigs for roach, these rigs have great anti-tangle properties, allowing the hooklength to rotate around my main line and not spin up the leader; they also fly through the air extremely well.

I use 6lb Korum Xpert Reel line, this low visability green line blends in very well on virtually any water. Onto the end of the line I slide a Korum Adjustable

PHIL SPINKS Silver Surfer

L: The Adjustable Heli Rig keeps your reel line protected

Heli Rig, this moulded rig bead creates a line-safe helicopter rig that is perfect for roach fishing. The top bead of the Heli Rig is removable, to make the rig safe.

This is slid up the main line, followed by the buffer bead.

All I need to do then is tie on a small Korum Mesh feeder and cover the swivel with the buffer bead. I then attach a short 4" hooklength of 4lb Xpert Power Mono and a size 14 Xpert Power hook to finish the rig. You need to place the Adjustable Heli Rig beads far enough up the reel line so that the 4" hooklink sits above the feeder. This will stop the hooklink tangling around the Mesh feeder, rendering your rig useless!

FISHING MADE EASY

R: The finished rig - all ready to catch a fish!

Supercrumb Lake and F1 Dark groundbait, both of these baits are packed full of additives that roach love. Into the groundbait I'll add casters, my boosted maggots and some Sonubaits F1 Corn.

This will create a nice bed on the bottom of the lake, perfect for the big roach to graze over.

To kick off the swim I will introduce some bait with a spod, usually 10 spods full with be enough to kick off the swim.

You've got to remember that you will also be putting more feed into the swim each time you cast your feeder out. I BAIT FOR BIG ROACH like to use a piece of F1 Corn on the Maggots are a great bait for hook, this is more resilient to small specimen roach, they provide the perfect roach that can cause problems when sized wriggling bed of bait for the fish. fishing with maggots.

The night before my session I will These simple tactics have helped add Sonubaits Supercrumb Lake to the me to land lots of specimen sized roach. maggots. They are then placed in the By doing your homework beforehand, fridge to keep them cool. Confidence you will save yourself a lot of time. is key for all fishing and I feel that this Get to the bank early and look out for flavour adds another dimension to my signs of fish dimpling. Locating the fish maggots. It also gives me the edge over before you start fishing will greatly other anglers that are just using maggots increase your chances of hooking into straight from the tackle shop. the fish of a lifetime. Get out there I like to mix up some Sonubaits and give it a go!

I use 1.1lb Xpert rods for all of my roach fishing. These allow me to punch out feeders to long distances should I need, but are very soft in the tip when playing large roach on light lines.

Having cast out to your desired spot and sunk the line between the rod tip and rig I place my rod onto my rod rests. I like to keep a tight line to the rig when roach fishing. A lot of the time the bites can be a drop back, but occasionally, when a big fish picks up the rig it can take line from the spool.

PHIL'S

BAIT

F1 Dark Groundbait

This black sweet fishmeal groundbait makes the fish feed more confidently

Supercrumb Lake - NEW! For a more active, lighter groundbait mix

F1 Corn - NEW! The ideal bait for hooking and feeding

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019

Haul With Heilcopter Rigs PHIL SPINKS' RIG

how to

Set up a Heli Rig

1 Thread the Adjustable Heli Rig top bead and swivel onto your reel line 2 Slide the Adjustable Heli Rig bead off the wire and onto your reel line 3 Slide the buffer bead onto your line and tie on your chosen feeder 4 Thread an Anti Tangle Sleeve onto your hooklink 5 Attach your hooklink to the swivel with a loop to loop knot 6 Slide the top bead onto the moulded ridge. Just add bait!

SONUBAITS CORN

Bait 020

2015

PHIL SPINKS' RIG Haul With Heilcopter Rigs

Haul with Helicopter Rigs Helicopter rigs have helped Phil Spinks to catch huge amounts of specimen sized fish.

Here's how to tie his anti tangle rig to help you catch more fish this year.

SIZE 14 XPERT POWER HOOKS

ADJUSTABLE HELI-RIG

MESH FEEDER

6LB XPERT REEL LINE

XPERT POWER MONO

What you will need FISHING MADE EASY

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TOUGH, RUGGED, RELIABLE. free spool 6000

Gear ratio 4.9:1 / 0.28mm/ 300m

free spool 8000 Gear ratio 4.9:1 / 0.30mm/ 300m

The perfect Free Spool reel for a multitude of modern coarse fishing applications. The FS6000 is tough, rugged and reliable.

With ergonomically designed features, it offers power and finesse in abundance.

• 5 Bearing System • Ergonomic reel handle • Understated black finish • • Fast-reaction free spool system • Quick drag front clutch •

Fishing Made Easy

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METHOD FEEDER ESSENTIALS On The Method

Power Band Hair Rigs Ideally suited to Method feeder fishing, they suit modern match and pleasure fishing styles perfectly.

Dura-Method Feeders & Moulds Provide a super strong feeder that ensures all of your bait gets to the lakebed thanks to its unique design and structure.

Bolt Rig Dura Bead Allows you to semi-fix in-line feeders for a Bolt Rig. Moulded to fit most in-line feeders with our special Bolt-Clip.

AVAILABLE IN 6-15LB

on the method ESSENTIAL METHOD FEEDER TACKLE

8lb Xpert Reel Line This super smooth line can be used for a huge range of fishing styles, the green tinge makes the line blend in under the water, making sure the fish are less wary.

CS Series 10ft Feeder Rod Our most popular CS Series rod, perfect for feeder work on commercials.

Each rod in the range has a short handle for ease and comfort, whether fishing from a seatbox or a chair.

Front Force 3000 Designed and developed to suit a wide range of modern fishing situations. From feeder fishing, to lure fishing and even float fishing this reel can tackle it all. Its compact body, coupled with effortless winding make this reel a joy to use even during extended periods of time.

Folding Triangle Net This unique net is much easier to put together than traditional triangle nets. Simply screw it on and you are ready to fish. Packs down extremely easily into a dedicated sleeve for improved transportation.

FISHING MADE EASY

50:50 Method & Paste

Band'ums

This sticky groundbait is designed specifically for Method feeder fishing.

Easy to use and work brilliantly when used in conjunction with a Method feeder.

BAIT CHOICE korum.co.uk

023

Get Organised INTELLIGENT TACKLE MANAGEMENT

1 8 Compartment Box 2 Maxi Rig Manager 3 Maxi Rig Store 4 6 Compartment Clamshell Box 5 12 Compartment Clamshell Box 6 ITM Rig Tool Kit 7 4 Compartment Box 8 ITM Rig Track 9 Tackle Manager

Get

Organised 024

2015

INTELLIGENT TACKLE MANAGEMENT Get Organised

ITM Compatible Bags

Intelligent Tackle Management Intelligent Tackle Management: the three words which the entire Korum luggage and tackle box principle is based. Those who have embraced the ITM way of life tell us they are more organised and more efficient. Previously, tackle boxes have been large, cumbersome affairs, custom built to suit one manufacturers products and few others. ITM, meanwhile, is totally modular,

FISHING MADE EASY

portable and functional.

Our compartment boxes are built to fit inside our tackle boxes neatly, and then our luggage is built to fit our tackle boxes and accessory boxes in.

It’s simple, really, but with everything based around the same dimensions and shapes, it’s easy to pack your gear away, and even easier to get fishing in the first place.

1 ITM Rucksack 2 Tactical Bag 3 ITM Tabletop Carryall 4 Deluxe Ruckbag 5 SS Rucksack 6 ITM Daysack 7 Roving Rucksack 8 ITM Tackle & Bait Bag

korum.co.uk

025

Lead vs Feeder SHAUN HODGES & NIGEL BOTHERWAY

lead vs feeder We've challenged two anglers to a head-to-head match.

One using only a lead, the other only a feeder rig - what would the outcome be...?

We met two expert river anglers, Nigel Botherway and Shaun Hodges on the banks of the River Wye to set them a barbel-based challenge!

Each angler was only allowed one method, one would be using a running feeder rig, the other a straight lead.

The Seven Sisters stretch of the River Wye is run by Angling Dreams; this postcard worthy stretch of the Wye holds a good head of barbel and chub for the anglers to pit their wits against, with a myriad of fish holding features, bends and snags, this could be a very interesting battle between the methods.

The river was running very low and clear,

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and with bright sun under broken clouds the fishing could be difficult.

A coin was flipped to decide which angler would be fishing with which method. Shaun Hodges won and chose the straight lead, leaving Nigel with the feeder rig. Each angler chose their peg

and proceeded to set up their gear. Both anglers opted to use the 1.75lb Xpert rod, their rod of choice for all of their barbel fishing.

Shaun's rig was slightly different from what you would normally see on a barbel angler's rod. Instead of a running

HELICOPTER RIGS ARE GREAT FOR BARBEL FISHING. THEY CAST WELL AND GIVE YOU GREAT ANTI-TANGLE PROPERTIES. SHAUN HODGES

lead stopped by a bead, he opted for a helicopter rig made using the Korum XL Adjustable Heli Rig. “Helicopter rigs are great for barbel fishing. They cast well, while fishing on a big river such as the Wye and also give you great anti-tangle properties,� explains Shaun.

After sliding on the Heli bead, Shaun ties a 2oz K-Grip lead to the end of his main line before sliding the Buffer Bead over the swivel. "My hooklength of 10lb Xpert Power Mono and a size 8 Xpert Power hook attaches to the swivel on the rig via a loop to loop connection and is finished off with an Anti-tangle sleeve."

Nigel's rig varied greatly, opting for

SHAUN HODGES & NIGEL BOTHERWAY Lead vs Feeder

shaun hodges Occupation: Bait Baron Favourite venue: River Wye @KorumFishing

a free-running rig tied using a Running Rig Kit and a 60g medium Korum Mesh feeder. The 4ft hooklink was tied using 10lb Xpert Power Mono and a size 10 Xpert Power hook and attached to the swivel on the Running Rig Kit via a Grinner Knot. The Anti-Tangle sleeve included in the kit was then slid over the eye of the swivel. Nigel uses a medium Avid Carp Rig Drop on his hooklink.

“The small tungsten impregnated Rig FISHING MADE EASY

Drop helps keep the last little bit of my hooklength down on the bottom. Long hooklinks have a tendency to lift up off the bottom, but this will keep it down.

It makes me much more confident in my fishing when I include this on my rig."

After the third cast, Shaun's tip rattled, but nothing materialised. “I think I need to introduce some bait into the swim to really get the fish competing.

I'm going to add some pellets and some

small bits of paste. I'll put these in a PVA bag and knick this onto my hook,” explains Shaun.

Nigel's rig puts more bait into the swim via the feeder. His groundbait is very meaty, putting lots of smell into the water. Nigel is leaving his rods in the water much longer, letting the fish come upstream on the bait. On only his second cast, the rod tip pulls around and the free spool system on his reel kicks into action.

Nigel lifts the rod into an angry fish, it's clear to see by the long runs that the fish is taking that it is an angry barbel on the end. After a five minute fight, the fish is ready for the net. A lovely fighting fit Wye barbel of around 6lb is soon having its picture taken.

Over in Shaun's swim the action has ceased. Shaun reels in his rod for a re-cast. “As well as the PVA bag, I'm going to plug the lead with paste. This korum.co.uk

027

Lead vs Feeder SHAUN HODGES & NIGEL BOTHERWAY

nigel botherway Occupation: TalkSport Presenter Favourite venue: River Wye @KorumFishing

I'VE HAD A RE-CAST WITH A CODE RED HARDENED DUMBELL AND HAD A BITE VERY SOON AFTER. NIGEL BOTHERWAY paste leaks off loads of flavour and will be perfect for boosting the swim for longer.” Just as Shaun's lead hits the water, Nigel shouts as he hooks another fish.

"It's getting later in the day now," begins Nigel. "It has been a while since I've had any indication. I've had a re-cast with a Code Red Hardened Dumbell and had a bite very soon after. This fish is fighting differently and I think it could be a chub."

After a spirited battle, the large mouth of a chub hits the surface and

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is guided over the net. “This fish has been in a few battles. It's got a couple of scars and scrapes, it's probably an old fish,” smiles Nigel as he pops the hook out of the fish's mouth.

It's coming into late afternoon now and the cloud cover has increased. It looks good for a bite now and both anglers are confident too.

Shaun has another re-cast, this time slightly closer to the large snag on the far bank. "I've stuck with the PVA bag and paste. This provides loads of attraction to pull the fish close to my hookbait."

After 10 minutes Shaun's tip pulls over. He is quickly on the rod, guiding the fish away from the snag into the open water. The fish tries its hardest to pull back but by keeping steady pressure on the fish Shaun is able to extract the fish, confident that the Xpert end tackle won't let him down.

An immaculate barbel of over 8lb hits the net. “That's an impressive fish!

It's taken a while to get a bite, but when I did get one it was worth it. Having confidence in your gear is essential to success. I knew that if I went closer I could get a bite and here's the result!” smiles Shaun as he slips the fish back into the river.

Both anglers decide to pack away.

The higher number of fish were caught on Nigel's running feeder approach, but Shaun's straight lead tactic managed to snare the biggest fish.

THE ULTIMATE TACKLE Barbel Essentials

barbel essentials

Folding Spoon Net This collapsible spoon net is great for roving anglers or coarse anglers short on space.

Transportable, strong and fishfriendly. Available in 22", 26" & 30".

Supa-Lite Chair Arguably the lightest adjustable specimen fishing chair on the market and will suit both the pleasure and specialist angler.

Weighing in at only 3kg it’s built from high quality aluminium and is the ideal chair for the roving angler.

AVAILABLE IN 6-15LB

Starlight Holder Visual bite detection at night on your rod tip. The inner sleeve gives versatility and added grip for a wider range of tip diameters.

Barbel Kit The ultimate kit for barbel fishing! Includes everything to get you started for this hardfighting river species.

Kit comes complete with: ■ 1.75lb Korum Barbel Rod ■ Korum Free Runner Reel ■ Korum Reel Line ■ Ready-tied River Hair Rigs ■ Feeders, Leads and End Tackle ■ Bankstick and Rod Rest

ALL YOU'LL NEED TO CATCH THIS HARD FIGHTING SPECIES

ITM Clamshell Boxes Maximise space and efficiency.

Pocket-sized to be used on its own, or as part of an ITM tackle box setup. 6 and 12 compartment versions available.

Deluxe Roll-A-Mat Features sides for added protection with dedicated leak off areas for excess water. Plenty of padding and rolls away perfectly to fit various Korum luggage.

FISHING MADE EASY

Barbel & Carp Paste

Pellet O's

Pungent paste designed to attract barbel in even the murkiest waters.

Pre-drilled pellets to make hair rigging easy.

BAIT CHOICE korum.co.uk

029

Ultimate Guide to Barbel Fishing DVD

starring

Ade Kiddell In this brilliant DVD, we join the Barbel Master himself, Ade Kiddell, on the banks of the River Severn, where he reveals his innermost secrets for targeting this hard-fighting river species. With over 25 years of barbel fishing experience, and having caught barbel from all over Europe, Ade is the perfect man for the job.

a barbel lovers

Paradise

In this hour-long DVD, Ade covers a wide range of barbel tactics, lifting the lid on all of his biggest edges. Whether it’s meat fishing on the marginal slope or fishing big feeders in the main current, Ade goes into detail about all his favourite methods and the baits he uses to such good effect all over the world, including his famous ‘Monkey Mix’. Watch and learn as Ade puts his approach to the test on a Birmingham Anglers Association stretch of the River Severn.

dvd coming MAY 2015 030

2015

DVD Ultimate Guide to Barbel Fishing

(ultima

KORUM'S

te)

guide Barbel fishing to

FISHING MADE EASY

korum.co.uk

031

Take Cover UMBRELLAS & SHELTERS

1 Man Carper This revolutionary lightweight bivvy is the first single-rib shelter ever made. An extending peak system offers full bivvystyle protection with less weight, whilst remaining completely stable. The whole system (shelter, groundsheet, pegs and tension bars) weights just 6kg.

Fibreglass 50" Umbrella Utilising a fibreglass frame that is not only lighter but stronger than the equivalent steel frame, this has been designed to offer exceptional protection with no weight penalty. Fitted with a heavy-duty 210D Oxford Nylon cover that has been fully taped sealed and has been reinforced at all potential wear points. Â

I NEVER GO FISHING WITHOUT A KORUM SHELTER, AS YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE WEATHER WILL TURN. KEVIN DURMAN 032

2015

UMBRELLAS & SHELTER Take Cover

Fibrespace Brolly The perfect brolly for the modern specialist angler to suit all your needs.

The increased headroom means you can sit on chairs with longer legs and higher backs and it’s also wide enough to accommodate a bed chair and your overnight fishing tackle. The fibreglass construction makes it strong and flexible in windy conditions, whilst the reduced spokes gives maximum headroom.

Day Session Shelter II

take

More coverage and stability than an umbrella, this provides a lightweight alternative. Easy to set up, it is large enough to accommodate two anglers, or the occasional over-nighter for one, simply by releasing the tension strap to increase the internal width enough for a bedchair.

There's something for everyone with our varied range of umbrellas and shelters FISHING MADE EASY

korum.co.uk

033

Learnto

FISH YOUR ANGLING JOURNEY STARTS HERE!

F

r e d ee

• Korum Elements 10ft Feeder rod • • preloaded Korum Elements 3000 reel • • a selection of feeders • disgorgers, ready-tied rigs & rig accessories • DVD & instructional guides •

It’s ‘Fishing Made Easy’ with Club Korum starter kits!

t a o l F

• Korum Elements 10ft Float rod • • preloaded Korum Elements 3000 reel • • a selection of floats • disgorgers, ready-tied rigs & rig accessories • DVD & instructional guides •

e l o P

• ■Elasticated Club Korum Elements 7m ES7000 Pole - ready to go! • 8 Pole Float Rigs • • disgorgers, ready-tied rigs & rig accessories • DVD & instructional guides •

CLUB KORUM Get Started

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started!

Join our Club!

If you're new to fishing, or know somebody who is, then the Starter Kits from Club Korum will provide a fantastic tackle solution! Each kit includes everything you will need to get started, whether pole, feeder or float fishing.

We’re passionate about getting new anglers into fishing and these kits make things incredibly easy. Club Korum tackle enables more people to go fishing, removing doubt and confusion about

FISHING MADE EASY

the technical side of the sport. These ready-to-go fishing sets include a DVD to get you up and running, along with a booklet and Wildlife Spotter guide – great for anglers young or old.

korum.co.uk

035

The Fish of a Lifetime GARY KNOWLES

the Fish of a

Lifetime

Big fish expert, Gary Knowles tells the tale behind the capture of a huge river specimen. A fish that made the 400 mile round trip to a venue he's never seen well worthwhile!

I had booked the last couple of days of the river season off work and, as was usually the case, had decided that chub would be the target. After some deliberation myself and my friend Stephen Plant decided on the River Lea, a venue neither of us had ever set eyes on but nonetheless one that had produced some enormous chub in recent weeks.

It was time to do some homework and the first port of call was to my good friend Terry Theobald. Terr y is a top bloke, really helpful and generous with his information. After 20 minutes on the phone I knew all I needed to know about the stretch that I would be f ish i n g. I n o w had two totally different approaches that I could try and I couldn’t wait to see the river for the first time.

The method of late had been boltrigged boilies on relatively light ‘barbel’ gear, using small strong hooks with the hair tight to the shank and 10mm boilies used as hookbaits. So, in the car went a Korum 0.75lb Xpert rod, this was matched with a KMR reel loaded with 8lb Xpert Power Mono, and would be set up with a 2oz fixed lead, short

fluorocarbon hooklink and size 10 Xpert Power hook. Having been given no advice on this whatsoever, I just had to take my standard chub gear, the set up that had caught me literally hundreds of large chub over the years. This consisted of a Korum 11ft Quiver Rod and KMR reel.

Normally, I fish 6lb mono on this set up but as the size of chub possible on this stretch were far and above what I could expect on my local rivers I

setup at some stage during the next couple of days providing the river seemed to suit this approach. As I mentioned earlier, I had not yet seen the Lea and as we had had a bit of rain recently, I still had no clue as to how much flow I would encounter and which one of the attacks I would be using.

It was a long drive, over 200 miles and we arrived late in the afternoon.

After offering to walk us around the stretch Andy, the fishery manager, kindly invited us to fish the hour that remained before dark. I was soon walking downriver, listening intently as he pointed out swims where large chub had been caught in the past. In my made the decision to increase the line research I had heard that many of the strength to 8lb, with a 7lb fluorocarbon stretches of the Lea are slow moving, hooklink. The size 6 Korum Specialist almost canalised, hence the successful hook is extremely sharp, so with this boilie/bolt rig approach, but this piece of attached at the business end, a short 4” water had just about the perfect amount paternoster stopped with a swivel and a of flow, it was exactly as I like it.

Korum Dura Bead completed the set up.

After much deliberation, I chose my Many times before I have stated swim, it had several things going for that there are only 2 ‘must have’ baits it, firstly there was a strong flow on for winter chub fishing - breadflake and the far bank which was lined entirely cheesepaste. My plan would be to fish with thick willows, as well as being one or both of these baits on this last an obvious safe corridor for the fish it

I SAT UP IN MY CHAIR, MY HAN D TIGHTEN ED O N TH E ROD, FINGER CURLED AROUND THE LINE, I QUICKLY LOOKED A RO U N D FO R A NY TH I N G THAT MAY INHIBIT THE STRIKE.

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GARY KNOWLES The Fish of a Lifetime

gary knowles Occupation: Construction Manager Favourite venue: Cheshire Mere @KorumFishing

FISHING MADE EASY

korum.co.uk

037

The Fish of a Lifetime GARY KNOWLES 8lb 1oz - the fish of a lifetime!

also meant no-one could fish opposite me for at least 30 yards upstream or down from my position. Secondly, the swim immediately below me was no longer fishable as a large tree had fallen across this and into the river, creating another great feature and giving me a considerable length to draw fish up from.

Finally, Andy had told me that nobody had fished this swim for several days which meant that there wouldn’t be a couple of kilos of boilies sat on the bottom.

By the time I was settled it was late with only an hour or so remaining before we had to leave, and as the boilie rod was already made up I made the mistake of going in with that, laziness and unlike me. This was a mistake for a couple of reasons. As I’ve said many times before I’m not going to be critical of anglers that fish like this for chub but it's not really for me. One of the reasons that I really like chub fishing is that they are quite wary of bolt rigs/ hairs and are, in my opinion, much more susceptible to an angler who is actually holding the rod and striking bites.

Unlike barbel, chub have not been born with anti-eject mouths and often pick up a bait with their lips, dropping at the first sign of resistance, so I was actually fishing in a style that I don’t particularly enjoy. Secondly, the pace and colour of the water, along with the huge snag on the inside was just perfect for fishing cheesepaste or

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breadflake on the quivertip. I sat for an hour watching a gently nodding isotope, constantly cursing myself for not following my instincts.

I then sat hatching a plan for the following day, a plan that would hopefully ensure this evenings short session wouldn’t be wasted. Before I left I pulled off a few nibs of cheesepaste from one of the two jaffa sized balls I’d made for the trip, these were quickly rolled into about a dozen marble-sized balls with half of these being thrown into my nearside margin, where I intended to fish.

With the others scattered in the fast water under the willows and in mid-river.

The plan was simple and uncomplicated, but in my mind a sound one. Any large nocturnal chub passing through my swim would find the pungent cheesepaste in mid-river. Once they had a taste for it they would search out the remaining free offerings, which would in turn lead them nicely into my nearside margin, where having picked up the last few pieces they would remain until I returned at first light.

Sleep didn’t come easy, I couldn’t wait to get on the river again, my personal best stood at 6lb 14oz and I was desperate for a 'seven'. I knew the water I was fishing had fish of this size in, I knew the river was in perfect condition after recent floods. I was pretty confident that I had chosen a good swim and also that I had prepared it properly for the following day. If there was someone

GARY'S

TACKLE Rod 11ft Quiver OUT JUNE!

Reel KMR 4000

Rig Dura Beads NEW! 8lb Xpert Reel Line Size 10 Swivels

Hook Size 6 Xpert Specialist Barbed

Other Roving Rucksack Roll-A-Mat

Simple baits were all that was needed

fishing it when I got there it wouldn’t be the end of the world as there were plenty of good swims to go at.

Unsurprisingly, the following day we skipped breakfast and were the first anglers on the river. It was a perfect morning, the forecast was for an unseasonal warm, sunny day and I knew that the thick mist shrouding the river would be gone in a couple of hours and I could then put the quivertip rod away again until dusk. My first cast was a poor one, it didn’t reach mid-river and stayed in the slack water a good few yards from where I wanted it to be.

I struck off the cheesepaste, rebaited and recast further into the fast water.

With just 1/8th oz of weight I was able to twitch the walnut sized piece of paste right across to my bank where it came to rest under the canopy of the fallen tree, the tip settled with a slight bend and with rod in hand, I leaned back into my chair.

I didn’t have long to wait, after less than five minutes I got the slightest tap on the soft tip, it wasn’t enough to strike at but it was certainly enough to let me know a chub was around. I sat up in my chair, my hand tightened on the rod, finger curled around the line, I quickly looked around for anything that may inhibit the strike, I felt the next pluck on my finger and looked straight back at the tip... go on!!! One more tap and then it steadily pulled round. As soon as I struck I knew it

GARY KNOWLES The Fish of a Lifetime

Look at the width of that!

FISHING MADE EASY

was a proper fish. It felt at first like I had struck into a breeze block, only one that was shaking its head. My biggest worry having caught as many chub as I have was that I fully expected a frantic ‘hit and hold’ as it charged headfirst back towards the fallen tree, but much to my relief it ploughed into mid-river, getting into the fast flow and then sulking on the bottom. This fish was so heavy that it actually felt like it had swum into some weed, it was only when I leaned even harder that it began to move again.

With dangerous snags at my feet and downstream of where I was stood I was more than happy to play this battle in mid-river. After what seemed like an age, but it was probably only two or three minutes, an enormous black back broke the surface just out of reach of the net. Panicking like a total novice, I realised I could just about touch its flank and I didn’t have enough line out to draw it over the net, with the hook precariously visible in its top lip.

If I lost it now I would never forgive myself. I told myself to calm down, I dropped the landing net and flicking off the anti-reverse allowed it to drift back a couple of yards on a tight line before guiding it successfully into the net at the second attempt. I knew it was big but how big? I lifted the net as all anglers do to try and gauge its weight but put it back in the water

non the wiser. I had never seen a chub anywhere near this size, with it safe in the deep mesh I secured the net with my bankstick and picked up the phone.

I told Steve I had one, and for him to get up here now with his scales and camera, I was literally shaking like a leaf and wanted help with the weighing and photographing.

He asked how big and I told him I honestly didn’t know but was sure it was a seven. I was wrong; it weighed 8lb 1oz, apart from some slight scale displacement from earlier in its life it was a perfect specimen, deeper than any chub I’ve ever caught with a width across its back to match. It was only after we had finished the pictures and Steve said he hadn’t even started fishing yet I realised how little time it had taken me to catch my new PB, it was no longer than 10-15 minutes after arriving that I was photographing him.

Right place, right time, yes. But I couldn’t help thinking that last nights small amount of prebaiting had worked, I’ll never know for sure but it does seem probable. Would I have caught it had I continued with the bolt rig/ boilie approach that most of the locals favoured? Again, I’ll never know but I doubt it, and I do know that despite a lot of genuinely helpful advice to the contrary, I chose to follow my instincts and go with a method that I not only enjoyed but was totally confident in. korum.co.uk

039

Bites Galore CHRIS PONSFORD

Bites galore!

Catching more fish is something that all anglers want to do! We've employed the help of Chris Ponsford to show how he catches a netful of fish every time.

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2015

CHRIS PONSFORD Bites Galore I just love spending a day sat by the side of the lake, with the float constantly dipping under, or my quiver tip pulling around. I've spent plenty of time chasing big fish, but now I just like to get loads of bites. I'm always thinking about how I can catch more fish on my next session, and I'm going to show you some of my tips to end the day with a big net of fish.

You can't catch loads of fish if they aren't in front of you. When you arrive at the lake you'll have plenty of time to have a look and decide where to fish.

Try not to make too many pre-conceived ideas about which peg you are going to fish. This can sometimes lead to a poor day's fishing. Have a walk around the lake or lakes and look for features that could hold fish. Have a chat with the fishery manager, they spend more time than anyone walking around the lakes, watching anglers catch fish. They are a great starting point as to which are the better pegs. The previous week's match reports can often be found in the weekly angling magazines, they will usually tell you the peg number, and what bait the fish were caught on!

TACKLE Once you've picked your peg you'll need to get some tackle ready. Today I'm at Larford Lakes, on the Speci Lake.

This holds a number of large carp and some skimmer bream. I'm going to fish with a small feeder and hopefully my tip will pull around plenty of times.

I've chosen a 10ft Korum CS Feeder rod for today's session. I'm only planning on casting around 20-25 yards, so the short rod will aid my casting accuracy.

This is coupled with a small KMR 3000 reel loaded with 8lb Korum Xpert reel line. As there is a chance of a big carp turning up in my peg, I've upped the line strength. If the carp were smaller, or there weren't many, I would drop down to 6lb. On the 8lb line is a Korum Feedabead which allow me to change the size of my feeder easily and quickly.

I'll tie a camo Korum Quickchange bead onto the end of the reel line; along with a buffer for the feeder this bead also provides an attachment that allows me to change my hooklength in seconds.

The hooklength attached to the Quickchange bead is a CS Series Hook to Nylon in the Corn/Bread pattern. This

FISHING MADE EASY

hook not only matches my hookbait, but is also the perfect length to directly attach it to my Quickchange Bead.

Should I need to switch baits, I can easily match my hook to the bait by choosing another pattern from the CS Hook to Nylon range.

The feeder I use is a Korum Open End Feeder. This feeder will introduce just the right amount of bait if I keep casting regularly. For the first five casts I'll change this for a medium Preston Innovations Distance Cage Feeder.

This is bigger and will let the water get into the bait quicker, allowing me to lay down a good carpet of bait into the swim to initially attract the fish.

BAIT When targeting commercials it can be a good idea to take a selection of baits. I've got a groundbait bowl filled with half a bag of 50:50 Method & Paste groundbait and half a bag of Margin

HAVING LOTS OF OPTIONS OF BAITS TO USE ON THE HOOK CAN GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE Carp groundbait. I researched the venue prior to arriving and found out that the fish go wild for this mix!

I've also got two tins of Sonubaits F1 Corn, a bag of 2mm Fin Perfect Feed Pellets, a tub of Sonubaits Bloodworm S-Pellets and some dead maggots.

MY BAITING METHOD Having lots of options of baits to use on the hook can give you an advantage.

Some days the fish may only want a piece of corn on the hook, others it may be a pellet. By coving my options, I'm virtually guaranteed a bite on any day.

I'll introduce five feeders full of groundbait, mixed with plenty of dead maggots and 2mm pellets into the swim to start.

Once the feeder has hit the bottom I will wait for 30 seconds before striking hard to empty the feeder of bait and reel in. It's important to put a little more bait in the swim to start. Once the fish arrive you will want them to stay in the swim and feed on the bait that is there.

If there's no bait, they'll quickly move off to the next angler!

chris ponsford Occupation: Photographer Favourite venue: River Wye @KorumFishing

korum.co.uk

041

The rod and reel of choice for Chris' commercial feeder fishing

Bites Galore CHRIS PONSFORD

GET FISHING Starting with a maggot, I hope to get a quick bite. Getting the first bite really makes your day much more enjoyable, knowing that you've not blanked. The maggot hookbait is normally the best way to get a quick bite.

Once I start catching on the maggot hookbait I will normally change. This change may bring less bites, but if the fish are bigger it can be worthwhile waiting that little bit longer. If the bites start to dwindle a different choice of bait may bring your catch rate back up, or it could mean that you need to put more bait into the swim again.

Using the line clip on your reel is essential to ensure that you are fishing in the same spot every time. Pick a far bank marker and cast towards that every time, the line clip will ensure that the distance is right.

Once your feeder has hit the water, drop your tip under the surface of the water to sink the line between you and

CHRIS'

BAIT 50:50 Method & Paste A blend of fishmeals and crushed pellets create this versatile groundbait

Margin Carp A heavy groundbait containing lots of fishmeal and crushed particles

F1 Corn - NEW! The ideal bait for hooking and feeding

Fin Perfect Feed Pellets Can be used straight from the bag or softened in water and compressed to a feeder

Bloodworm Fishmeal S-Pellets - NEW! Packed full of oil and perfect for hooking and hair rigging

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2015

the spot that you are fishing. Sinking the line and keeping your rod low to the water will stop the wind affecting your line, stopping false bites.

B y following my simple, but effective advice on how to catch more fish on commercials is sure to help you land more fish this year.

I've ended up with a lovely netful of skimmers from today's session and I have really enjoyed my day of fishing.

Exactly what I want when I leave the house in the morning!

A fine net of commercial skimmers caught on a difficult day while other anglers struggled

CHRIS PONSFORD Bites Galore

AVAILABLE IN 6-15LB CS Series 10ft Feeder Rod & KMR 3000 Reel Our most popular CS Series rod is perfect for feeder work on commercials. Chris also uses the Korum Method Runner 3000 reel, designed specifically for modern feeder fishing.

Perfect when teamed together with the 10ft Feeder rod.

Corn/Bread CS Series Hooks to Nylon Ideally suited for hooking bread flake and sweetcorn. The wide gape and short point creates the ideal base for these larger baits.

pons' picks

Quick Change Beads Enables you to change your hooklength instantly and also act as a shock bead when fishing a running feeder.

Simple to use and totally reliable.

Feedabeads The free-running, low friction Feedabead keeps resistance down to a minimum and has a quick change clip for fast changing of feeders and bombs.

Open Ended Feeder The holes in the side of them make the release of bait slightly slower than mesh feeders, making them more suitable for deeper water or more difficult conditions. Available in medium (30-90g) and large (90-150g).

8lb Xpert Reel Line The green tinge makes the line blend in under the water, making sure the fish are less wary. With 1000m on every spool, you're sure to get good value for your money.

FISHING MADE EASY

EVERYTHING THE PONS USED TO ACHIEVE HIS NETFUL OF SKIMMERS korum.co.uk

043

Bag It Up LUGGAGE THAT LASTS

Three Rod Protecta Holdall A lightweight sleeve that of fers hardcase protection around your rod tips and padded protection everywhere else. Perfect for the roving angler and will easily hold three rods with large reels and landing nets. The holdall also boasts a single outer pocket and strap system for umbrellas or banksticks.

Ruckbag A top loading bag, for quick and easy access. It features internal and external ITM-compatible zipped pockets and outer mesh pockets, floating D-ring clips for attaching spoon nets, and an ergonomic harness with a chair attachment system. It is fully compatible with the Korum Accessory and SupaLite Chairs.

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2015

up

LUGGAGE THAT LASTS Bag It Up

We'll let our reputation for high quality and long lasting luggage speak for itself.

Here's just a taster...

Roving Rucksack

SS Rucksack

Tabletop Bait & Bits Bag

This is a compact version of the Roving Bag complete with a host of new features. There’s now an added mesh zip pocket on top of the front pocket, floating D-Ring clips for you to clip spoon nets to (caribener clips supplied) and two webbing loops that will fit either a Korum Roll-a-Mat or your coat and jumper.

A lightweight bag for the roving angler who demands quick and easy access to their tackle. Compatible with the ITM range and featuring our unique outer pocket ‘quiver’ system for banksticks and unhooking mats. It features a pocket for a compartment box or phone, along with a hard-wearing clip for easy removal.

This smaller Table Top Carryall is perfect for carrying all of your bait, bits and fishing tackle. The main pocket opens up so the moulded table top design can stay in use. The bag comes complete with two lugging straps and a padded shoulder strap. Makes a great extra bag, deadbaiting bag or food carryall.

FISHING MADE EASY

korum.co.uk

045

Clothing WINTER WARMERS & SUMMER SIZZLERS

Summer Sizzlers

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1 Baseball Hat 2 Brown Polarised Glasses 3 Team Korum Heavyweight Polo 4 Waterproof Bib & Brace

Winter Warmers 1 Fleece Hat 2 Grey Polarised Glasses 3 Thermal Suit 4 Head Torch 046

2015

keep mobile ■ Unique extending 2 piece loading area ■ ■ Dismantles easily for minimum storage ■ ■ Korum Chairs fit perfectly on the chassis ■ ■ Single pneumatic removable tyre ■ ■ Balanced for easy pushing ■ ■ Non-slip padded handles ■ ■ Compatible with the ITM range of luggage ■

Fishing Made Easy

Compact barrow This innovative barrow system has an adjustable loading area, which can be made longer or shorter to suit your fishing tackle. Because of this, it packs away smaller than any other barrow, taking up less space at home and in your car.

Comes complete with barrow bag and wheel.

korum.co.uk

Take Care FISHCARE ESSENTIALS Caring for the fish you catch is a hugely important part of being an angler. Make sure every fish you catch swims away with Korum's fishcare products.

Fishcare is an essential part of angling, something that is important whether the fish you catch is 5oz or 50lb. We take fishcare seriously here at Korum, which is why we produce a range of different fishcare products, from well-padded unhooking mats, to digital scales to weigh your prized catch. The best part of a capture is when the fish swims away to fight another day, give another angler the great feeling that you've just experienced!

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fishcare essentials 2015

FISHCARE ESSENTIALS Take Care

Weigh Sling Holds fish centrally, giving full support whatever the size.

The smooth fish-friendly, wipe clean lining does not remove the protective slime, ensuring fish welfare. Extra strong carry/weigh handles are flag stitched for maximum strength.

Scales AVAILABLE IN 6-15LB

Ergonomically designed, soft touch case with backlit digital display. Stainless steel weigh hook and hanging bar. Weighs up to 85lb/40kg. Weighs in KG, LB, OZ and ST, and also displays the air temperature. Designed to fit neatly in your hand and also in your tackle bag or seatbox.

Battery included.

1.8m Specialist Landing Net Pole This powerful onepiece handle has been designed to suit a number of specialist angling needs. Perfect for use with spoon or triangle nets.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR CATCH Beanie Mat Ideal for the majority of species.

It packs away really neatly and clips shut to make life easy. A great alternative to many overly large unhooking mats.

Net Float Designed to make landing fish on your own much easier. A simple float that attaches to your landing net pole ensuring that your net will not sink.

Folding Triangle Net Weigh Bar Offers a simple, yet super strong support for weighing your catch. The lightweight aluminium tube has a caribener clip to attach your scales quickly and easily.

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This unique net is much easier to put together than traditional triangle nets and packs down extremely easily. Made from fish friendly beaded cord with a moulded spreader block for easy folding. Complete with sleeve.

korum.co.uk

049

Team Korum COMMERCIAL FISHING TIPS

Team Korum's

Com mer cial Fishing Tips Six members of team Korum give us their top tips for commercial fisheries.

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2015

Dai Gribble

Ade Kiddell

Worms and casters are my all-time favourite perch bait. The Korum CS Series Hooks to Nylon make hook choice easy. These hooks have been perfectly designed to match the baits that you are using. You can use these on a waggler, or feeder knowing that your hook is perfectly ready to hook a fish when one turns up. The super sharp hooks and strong line will not let you down when it matters.

When the water temperature is cold I like to catch roach and skimmers on commercials using a simple running feeder rig tied with a Feedabead, which allows me to change the size or weight of my feeder quick and easily, and a Quick Change Bead, which creates a buffer bead and allows the hooklinks to be changed easily. I'll use a big feeder to put some bait in the swim, then switch to a smaller one so as not to overfeed.

COMMERCIAL FISHING TIPS Team Korum

top 10 commercial fisheries Phil Spinks

Nigel Botherway

Making your hookbaits stand out from the crowd is important. With virtually every angler using their hookbaits straight off the shelf, giving yours a boost will often make you catch more fish! I use various Sonubaits Liquids depending on my hookbait. Matching the liquid to the hookbait can often be the way to get quicker bites. Don't blend in with other anglers on the lake – stand out and catch more.

Tying rigs in advance will make you much more organised in your fishing.

When you are catching lots of fish your hooklink will come under lots of wear. Having more hooklinks ready to go will increase your catch rate.

The Korum Rig Track allows me to have lots of rigs ready to go, at the lengths I need. I simply remove the pin, take out my hooklink and place the pin back in the Rig Track.

Kevin Durman When using a method feeder I like to use a Quickstop to attach my bait.

The Korum Quickstop Hair Rigs are pre-tied to the perfect length and allow me to change my hooklength quickly in the event of a snap off or if I need to change the size of my hook. The Quickstop is ideal for putting your bait on quickly and is also perfect for Sonubaits Drilled Boilies or S-Pellets.

1 Woodland View, Worcestershire One of the most prolific fisheries in the Midlands.

2 Partridge Lakes, Cheshire Easy to find and one of the northwest's premier fisheries.

3 Coleman's Cottage, Essex Big fish and plenty of bites to be had on a wide array of tactics.

4 Westwood Lakes, Lincolnshire A great pleasure fishery with a wide range of species.

5 Whiteacres Fishery, Cornwall Voted the best day ticket fishery in the country for three years running.

6 Steve Stones When fishing at long range I will remove the standard tail rubber from the Korum Dura Method Feeder and replace it with a Korum Anti-Tangle sleeve. This sleeve is much longer than the standard tail rubber and is perfect for when I'm fishing at long range. The longer sleeve stops the line tangling around the feeder, leaving you full of confidence that your rig is sat perfectly on the bottom.

Boldings Fishery, Shropshire Lots of short range tactics, masses of fish and superb on-site facilities.

7 Makins Fishery, Leicestershire A prolific venue with lots of bites to be had.

8 Lindholme Lakes, Yorkshire Hundreds of fish and happy anglers!

9 Bitterwell Lake, Bristol A great venue for beginners.

10 Bury Hill Fisheries, Surrey One of the country's prettiest and productive mixed coarse fisheries.

korum.co.uk

051

Lovely Grubbly SETTING UP THE PERFECT RIG

Lovely Grubbly The Grub Feeder is a superb presentation for a host of species.

Here's one of the most effective ways to fish the feeder - a short bolt rig!

FLUORO & NATURAL MAGGOTS

Bait

1 Thread your reel line through the Grub Feeder 2 Slide on the Quick Change Bead supplied with the feeder 3 Tie on the Quick Change Bead using your preferred knot

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SETTING UP THE PERFECT RIG Lovely Grubbly

SIZE 10 XPERT SPECIMEN HOOKS

GRUB FEEDER

QUICK CHANGE BEAD

10LB XPERT REEL LINE

XPERT POWER MONO

What you will need

how to

Set up a Grub Feeder Rig

4 Attach your hooklink to the Quick Change Bead 5 Using a baiting needle, attach two Korum Artificial Maggots at the angle shown 6 All you need to do now is fill your feeder with live maggots

korum.co.uk

053

Earn Your Stripes ROB THOMPSON

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2015

ROB THOMPSON Earn Your Stripes

No stranger to large perch we've joined Rob Thompson to reveals his secrets about catching large perch on commercial venues.

The perch is usually the first fish that most people catch, often being the fish responsible for a lifetime as an angler.

Even in the most difficult of times a small perch is usually very obliging and can usually save a blank session.

The perch can grow extremely big in commercial fisheries, with the current British record having been caught from a commercial fishery. With the popularity of carp, these fish often get neglected, therefore not caught very often and living relatively free from pressure. As with most predators, perch don't like repeated captures and lots of angling pressure.

Not getting caught allows these predators to feed, stress free, on the large stocks of silver fish, along with a large amount of other angling baits, making them grow to specimen proportions.

This is when they really start to grab my attention!

earn your

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055

Earn Your Stripes ROB THOMPSON

A specimen sized perch is a very impressive creature and one that is often included on fishery website galleries, hidden in between the pictures of carp!

Spend time talking to fishery managers, and match anglers, it may just reveal a secret that you didn't know about.

It can be worth fishing a venue for big perch on only a rumour of a big fish capture. These venues are often overlooked by most anglers, as they can't see any pictures of the fish they are targeting. With just a rumour to go on, you may find yourself fishing a venue that has a stock of large perch that have never been fished for!

So where do you start once you've

A simple, but effective waggler setup

Chopped worms are great for attracting big perch

056

decided on the venue that you're fishing?

Well for me there's only one place worth targeting - the nearside margin.

There is often a shelf on most lakes, at the base of the shelf will often lurk a large stripey. The small fish use the shelf for cover, preferring this to the open water of the lake. For this reason, there is often a few perch not far behind! If there is some cover in the lake it can be worth trying near to this. Overhanging bushes or objects in the water that can give a predator more camouflage are always good places to start fishing.

I like to target perch using a float.

It is great watching a float disappear

2015

under the water. The swift strike, met with a heavy thumping of a large perch is an extremely satisfying feeling.

Fishing close in also makes float fishing easy, without having to worry about the tow or wind moving your rig out of position.

I use a 12ft CS Series Float rod, coupled with a KMR 3000 reel. The reel is loaded with 6lb Xpert Reel Line, this is strong enough to land anything I hook, even if a rogue carp appears in the swim. It is also thin in diameter to make fishing with light floats easy.

I like to use Preston Innovations Adjustable Insert Dura-Wagglers; the fine tip of these floats provides as

little resistance as possible to the fish, when it picks up the bait. These are attached with an Xpert Rubber Stop either side of the float. The Adjustable Wagglers take very little extra weight down the line, opting for two No.4 shot underneath the bottom Rubber Stop and another a couple of inches from the hookbait. This bottom shot will rest on the bottom, showing up and tiny indications on the float if it is moved.

I'll use a short 6" hooklength of 0.15mm Reflo Power or 4lb Xpert Power Mono as a hooklength, and a size 6 Xpert Specialist hook tied to this using a grinner knot. This simple set-up is perfect for catching those

An artificial maggot stops your hookbait wriggling off the hook

ROB THOMPSON Earn Your Stripes

A 3lb 13oz specimen perch caught using simple tactics

hungry commercial perch as they make their way around the marginal shelf!

My bait tray is incredibly simple. I've got some dendrobaena worms and a couple of pints of red and white maggots.

These two baits have caught literally millions of perch over the years, and continue to be effective. To kick off the swim I like to feed a couple of handfuls of maggots and some chopped worms.

The smell and movement from these baits is irresistible to any passing perch.

Maggots also attract the small fish that the perch feed on. By using a large hookbait I can avoid the attentions of these fish and only catch the large fish in the swim. To stop the worm

hookbait I will knick the hook through a red Korum Artificial Maggot.

It's important to keep the feed going into the swim throughout the day.

With small fish in the swim you will quickly be left with no bait to attract the perch, but by keeping the bait going in, there will be a huge amount of smell and movement in the swim.

This simple, but effective advice is sure to help you to catch more perch this year. These fish can be easy to catch when you find out where they are hiding. Big perch hotspots are often kept secretive but by doing some legwork you'll soon be catching big perch regularly.

IT' S I M PO RTANT TO KE E P THE FEED GOING INTO THE SWIM THROUGHOUT THE DAY. ROB THOMPSON

korum.co.uk

057

Euro Adventure ADE KIDDELL

start ade kiddell

Norwich, UK

Occupation: Angling Direct Logistics Manager Favourite venue: River Trent

Folkestone, UK MonthermĂŠ, France La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium Aywaille, Belgium

11

Smeermaas, Belgium

12 12

UK

NE

14 14

Diekirch, Luxembourg

88

Dieren, The Netherlands

9 13 13 9 11 11

10 10

Ochten, The Netherlands Schermbeck, Germany

22

DE

66

BE

55

FR

Hattem, The Netherlands Hook of Holland, The Netherlands

44 33

Ork, Germany

77

L

Norwich, UK

finish

euro adventure Barbel specialist Ade Kiddell has just returned from a three week barbel fishing tour of Europe, he tells us his account of the trip.

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2015

ADE KIDDELL Euro Adventure

The plan was to catch barbel in as many countries and rivers as possible, Ade and fellow Korum consultant, Dutch specialist angler Tim Janssen had been planning the trip for six months.

Ade commented, “The trip wouldn’t have been possible without Tim sorting out the venues as well as the licences and permits for the different countries and rivers we fished.”

Starting from his Norwich home, via the Channel Tunnel, the first venue was the River La Meuse in France and a good catch of barbel got the trip off to a flying start. “Three of us fished and managed 17 barbel in the session up to about 8lb, we couldn’t have wished for a better start."

Accompanying Ade on the trip was his girlfriend and Dutch barbel queen, Tjitske Bakker. Ade met Tjitske five years ago whilst barbel fishing in Holland and they have fished and lived together for the last three years. Home for the trip was the couples trusty camper van.

As part of the plan, Tim had arranged to meet up with a specialist angler on each of the rivers they visited, making it much easier to get off to a good start.

The plan went well and as the trip progressed through Belgium all three of the rivers visited, the Ourthe, the Ambleve and the Grensmaas, all produced fish. The areas fished on the Ourthe and Ambleve were up-river areas and small enough to jump over in places, but both holding many barbel of surprising size in relation to the river.

THREE OF US FISH ED AND MANAGED 17 BARBEL UP TO ABOUT 8LB, WE COULDN'T HAVE WISHED FOR A BETTER START. ADE KIDDELL

FISHING MADE EASY

First barb el of the trip T he rive

M e with great friends Jannsen and Leon H,aeTim nen

b from A 6lb 12oz chu ermany River Lipp e, G

Ade and Tim with from the R a iver Surpair of baby barb el e, Luxemb ourg

r Gren

smaas,

B elgiu

m

T

wim back!

when they s he b est part is

Tjitske with a large River Ijssel barb el

River A wier o Sure n the , Lux embou r

g

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059

Euro Adventure ADE KIDDELL

A big Waal barb el goes back

A bar

of gold

First of a pa ir o barb el in sucf big River Waal cessive casts

The Grensmaas forms the border between Belgium and Holland and Ade, Tim and Tjitske landed 20 barbel close to double figures in one short session, all fish fell to maggot.

At this point the trip stalled, Tim had to return to work due to an emergency and it meant we missed out on a river.

Stuck in Belgium parked by the river meant another day on the Grensmaas and another day with plenty of barbel action, with another 15 barbel hitting the net.

The next venue was the River Sure in Luxembourg. Out came the float rods for the first time and a weir pool on the river produced some great sport with small barbel on the light tackle. Also there were the rare and much sought after common nase, also known as the sneep, not unlike a roach but with a hard cartilage nose and under slung mouth adapted for eating algae and plant life. Both Ade and Tim managed to tempt some specimen sized sneep along with the barbel.

A long drive into Holland followed and a couple of Ade's favourite rivers, the Ijssel and Waal, were conquered over

6lb 12oz beast of a fish. The Rhine was much easier and produced some great action with barbel coming to maggots and the local favourite of hair rigged cheese. Cheese also accounted for another bonus fish and new PB for Ade with a stunning winde (ide) of 7lb 6oz.

The challenge had been completed with nine rivers and five countries conquered. Tactics varied from 300g feeders to 3BB stick floats, barbel caught from fish less than half a pound to several close to the double figure barrier.

After 10 hectic days, Tim returned to work and Ade and Tjitske took a more relaxed tour around some of their favourite fishing spots and researched a couple of new areas for the future.

"The fishing in Holland alone has so much untapped potential it’s unreal," comments Ade. "Dutch anglers don’t know how lucky they are! When you add the other countries into that then it's mind blowing.

With only one day left of the trip Tjitske suggested we return to the Waal and the area we missed out on earlier in the trip. Who was I to disagree, it’s

TH E FI S H I NG I N HO LLAN D ALONE HAS SO MUCH UNTAPPED POTE NTIA L IT' S U N R E A L .

D U TC H A N G L E R S D O N ' T KNOW HOW LUCKY THEY ARE! ADE KIDDELL

de fromgium n i W el b+ A 6lensmaas, B r the G

Barb el on!

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2015

the next couple of days. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and the planned day on the Waal had to be curtailed when the gale force winds were blowing the rods from the rests, but not before a couple of small barbel brought the river count to seven.

With just a couple of days left, the last country on the list was Germany with two rivers left to visit, the Severnlike River Lippe and the mighty Rhine.

The Lippe was a hard nut to crack but it came good in the end and also threw up a huge chub to Ade’s rod - a

one of my favourite spots and a place we can park the camper and fish out of the door if we want to."

With plenty of bait left, Ade baited with several large balls of Sonubaits Hemp and Hali crush laced with 8mm Spicy Sausage Halibut Pellets.

"It’s impossible to overfeed on such a huge river with heavy commercial boat traffic, some in excess of 20,000 tonnes.

So I played my trump card and fed the lot, basically just keeping enough for the feeder, some hookbait and some to keep topping it up all day."

ADE KIDDELL Euro Adventure

THE BIGGEST DUTCH BARBEL I HAD EVER SEEN LAY IN THE NET, WEIGH ING CONFIRM ED MY ESTIMATE WITH A HEALTHY 13LB 14OZ SHOWING ON THE SCALES! ADE KIDDELL Fishing from a krib (a rock breakwater built out into the river), Ade has always done well casting downstream from the krib.

"To cast an 8oz feeder the sort of distance required needs a special rod, in this case a pair of Korum 13ft Barbel rods, exceptional rods in my opinion, coupled with a pair of Korum KXi 80 reels and loaded with 14lb line. I was casting the feeders around 80 yards into an area slightly off and slower than the main flow."

The local police came checking fishing licences after the 6th barbel of the day, if you are fishing in other countries ensure you have all the correct licences and permits, or expect to have your tackle confiscated and be rewarded with heavy on the spot fines.

"A constant stream of pellets kept the swim going and within minutes of re-casting I had a bite, only this one was different an absolute screamer of a run, unusual with such heavy feeders.

The sweeping strike was met with an absolutely solid resistance, the presence of a hooked fish only betrayed as the fish slowly moved off downstream.

I thought I had hooked one of the large catfish that live in the Waal, but after a prolonged tug of war the head of an extremely large barbel broke surface.

After a few more nervous moments Tjitske netted the fish first go.

The biggest Dutch barbel I had ever seen lay in the net, weighing confirmed my estimate with a healthy 13lb 14oz showing on the scales!

Importantly, the length of the fish at 89cm would have been a new Dutch record had the official Dutch fisheries been there to measure with me. I needed

a picture of the fish on the board and two independent witnesses to claim, to be honest it didn’t matter, catching the fish is what matters.

The same rod recast was not in position long before another screaming run met with the same solid resistance and dogged determination of a big fish hooked at extreme distance.

A more drawn out scrap followed, but with the same end result - a big barbel in the net. Weighing in at 12lb 8oz and by all accounts the best Dutch barbel brace I'd ever seen.

Both fish fell to Sonubaits Code Red Boilies hair rigged on a new Korum Xpert barbel hook that I am testing, coupled to a 12lb hooklink and a standard free running rig.

What a way to end the journey, over one hundred barbel landed, topped by a massive brace, I felt I didn’t need to drive home as I was floating on air!

A massive thanks to Tim and Tjitske for being on the journey with me, and all of the other venue specialists that we met and fished with along the way.

As always, a special mention to Korum for supplying my tackle for the trip and to Sonubaits for the bait, which they even had delivered into Europe for the trip, I couldn’t ask for better help than that."

from Sp ecimen sneeuprg Luxembo

T he smil

e says it a

ll!

Sunset o n in G ermthe Rhine any

River Lipp e barb el

aught barb

A cheese c

el

KEEP UP WITH ADE'S FISHING ADVENTURES: fb.com/teambarbel & teambarbel.co.uk

13lb 14 o River Waazl,from the Holland FISHING MADE EASY

korum.co.uk

061

Beat Tangles THE ANTI-TANGLE RIG

Beat Tangles Don't waste hours of fishing time sat behind a tangled rig.

Cut out these problem rigs from your fishing with this easy to tie Anti-Tangle set up.

CODE RED WAFTER

Bait 062

2015

THE ANTI-TANGLE RIG Beat Tangles

how to

Set up an Anti-Tangle Rig

1 Thread a rubber bead onto your main line 2 Follow this with a Korum Carp Anti-Tangle Hair Rig 3 Thread the Heli Rig Bead onto your main line 4 Tie on your chosen lead 5 Thread the Heli Rig Bead over the swivel on your lead 6 Slide the rig onto the Heli Rig Bead 7 Slide the rubber bead onto the ridge on the Heli Rig Bead 8 Place a Quickstop Needle into the Quickstop on the hair 9 Attach your chosen hookbait to complete you rig!

K FLAT SWIVEL

KORUM CARP HELI RIG BEADS

12LB XPERT REEL LINE

KORUM CARP ANTI-TANGLE RIG

What you will need

korum.co.uk

063

Let's Go Carping! CARP ESSENTIALS

PVA Mesh & Bait Cutter

Multi-Mat

This innovative PVA funnel means that you can cut baits up using the tube itself.

A combined unhooking mat, weigh sling and carry bag. Ideal 6-15LBLarge high for AVAILABLE the mobileIN angler. density padded unhooking mat with ‘stay-open’ raised sides that stop fish sliding off the mat.

■■Built-in bait cutter ■■Compact size ■■Tapered for easy loading

Carp Kit The ultimate kit for carp fishing!

Includes everything to get you started for this hard-fighting still water species.

Kit comes complete with: ■ 2.75lb Korum Carp Rod ■ Korum Free Runner Reel ■ Korum Reel Line ■ Korum Bite Alarm ■ Korum Bite Indicator ■ Ready-tied Carp Rigs ■ Feeders, Leads and End Tackle ■ Banksticks and Butt Rest

let's go carping!

ALL THE PRODUCTS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU CATCH MORE CARP

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Specia

list 36"

La

nding T his str Net Co ong 36 ” mbo tr ia ngle ne handle t come that p s with a the net. acks away to t wo -pie the sa T he c ce wet into ombo can then me length as be pu t the Koru aw m E VA Net Tub ay e.

Rod Pod Compact, portable and ultrastable. Available in 2 rod and 3 rod versions.

Comes complete with: ■ Canvas bag for storage ■ Two Korum Buzz Bars ■ Four Korum Banksticks ■ Pod Frame and Cams

BAIT CHOICE 064

2015

Code Red The range of high quality carp baits, with a growing reputation. Proven time and time again to be the flavour to catch more carp.

double-hard lures

TANK & BANK TESTED

■■SHALLOW BUG

■■MID-WATER SHAD

■■DEEP MINNOW

If fishing shallow water ways with the Double Hard Shallow Bug you can simply pause and let the lure float towards the surface due to its floating buoyancy allowing you to prevent snagging and work over snags. By holding the rod tip high you have yourself a surface crawler!

This diving shad pattern flicks and rolls just like a wounded baitfish. You can crank it down to the strike zone or simply let it float up away from snags and weed. Its shape lends itself to casting better than most traditional Shad patterns, allowing you to put this bait exactly where you want it.

Deep diving lure to get down to deep lying fish. Great for faster retrieves in deeper water. Can also be worked shallow due to its gentle buoyancy, which also means you can let the lure hang suspended in front of fish momentarily.

Perfectly balanced shape for casting, a great all-round lure.

Available in the two patterns that matter, Silverfish and Fire Tiger

Fishing Made Easy

korumsnapper.co.uk

Dropshotting EVERYTHING YOU NEED

1 Dropshot Rod (available in 7ft & 8ft) 2 ITM Clamshell Boxes 3 Front Force reel (available in 3000 & 4000) 4 Dropshot Minnows (available in Fluoro, Natural & Fry - 5cm & 7cm) 5 Dropshot Kits, which include minnows, hooks & weights (2 mixes available - 5cm & 7cm) 6 Bait & Tackle Pouch 066

2015

EVERYTHING YOU NEED Dropshotting

everything you need to go...

dropshotting

korum.co.uk

067

Dropshotting Made Easy ED MATTHEWS

drop shot tmade i neasy g 068

2015

The craze for Dropshotting has gained momentum in the UK as anglers everywhere turn to the technique to catch bigger perch. But it's not as complicated as it first appears. Ed 'The Pred' Matthews reveals all‌

Dropshotting. It's the technique many anglers don't understand and whilst most would love to try it, the complicated assortment of tackle for the method puts many off before they start. It can cost a small fortune to get kitted out with individual components in a tackle shop, that was until now!

"Putting everything in one kit makes so much sense," smiles Ed Matthews.

The Staffordshire predator expert has been using the Dropshot method for many years following its popularisation in the US for bass fishing, but even he agrees the gear on tackle shop shelves has just blown people's minds.

"I must have spent hundreds of pounds finding lures that were right, hooks that were right, and countless hours on YouTube finding out about the knots required and how to work the lure.

It's a nonsense," he adds. "To buy three different coloured lures, some hooks and

ED MATTHEWS Dropshotting Made Easy

A FEW ed matthews Occupation: Fishery Manager Favourite venue: River Severn @KorumFishing

Dropshot Tips

1 Keep the rod tip up. Dropshot fishing is about trying to retain a vertical retrieve

some weights, you're looking at spending at least ÂŁ30. That's no good to the guy who only wants to try it for a few hours here and there."

For that reason, Ed went to the guys at Korum and suggested making readyto-go kits that removed some of the cost and complications from the approach.

"You can use a normal hook for Dropshotting, but you need to know how to tie a special knot to do so. No matter how many videos you make, most people still won't understand how that works, so we figured it better to put the equivalent of a swivel through the eye of the hook so you can just tie a normal knot," Ed explains. "I actually prefer this style of hook as I can change the material depending on how clear

the water is, or how big the fish are I'm fishing for!"

As a rule, Ed uses a 4-6lb clear monofilament. "Everyone has a spool of light mono," he laughs.

Attached to that Spin-Style hook, of course, is a fish. And rather than

that swims that won't eat one of those.

The shad tail means it has a big paddle that does a lot of the work for you. You don't need to work the lure too much Dropshotting, so this is great whilst you're learning.

"The final colour had to be a goldfish.

The Snapper Drones are so good in that colour it just made sense. Some days the attractor baits and bright colours work better than the others, especially in coloured water, so it made sense, really."

The final addition to the kit is two weights, one 5g and one 10g. This suits different casts and alters the speed you retrieve the Dropshot lure, as Ed demonstrates with his first cast of the day.

THE ROACH AND PERCH FRY IMITATIONS WERE A NO-BRAINER. THERE ISN'T A PERCH THAT SWIMS THAT WON'T EAT ONE OF THOSE.

FISHING MADE EASY

ED MATTHEWS confuse anglers with too many shapes and colours, Ed suggested Korum use a shad pattern that closely imitated the fry in UK venues, in colours all UK anglers would recognise.

"The roach and perch fry imitations were a no-brainer. There isn't a perch

2 Use the right rod. One with a soft tip, or interchangeable tips

3 Use a rod without a foam handle. You want to be able to feel every movement

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Dropshotting Made Easy ED MATTHEWS

HOW TO MAKE

Ed's Dropshot Rig

It's a perch eat perch world out there. Nailed!

"It's a cliché in Dropshotting, but sometimes you need to move the bait and not the weight. For my first cast, that's what I want to achieve, so I've got the 10g weight on with a goldfish lure. The heavier weight is better fishing close to snags – it keeps the lure active in the strike zone for longer."

Ed is quickly in business with a sprightly little perch. Quickly followed by another. The 'strike zone' Ed mentions is slightly away from the snags, so he gives it more attention.

"I've switched to the larger perch imitation lure now," adds Ed. "This should single out a bigger fish. Perch eat perch!"

Keeping the tip high – crucial in Dropshot fishing from the bank – Ed

Stays organised with the Korum ITM Clamshell box

1 The Korum Dropshot kits have everything you need to tie a Dropshot rig 2 Choose your fish and thread it onto the hook. Ed's chosen the roach! 3 Tie a foot or so of line above and below the spin-style hook as shown 4 At the bottom, simply pinch the mono into the specially designed lead. Done!

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Ed has a bite straight away on a 5cm Dropshot roach

slowly flicks his wrist to work the lure. It's hard to imagine the lure is even moving, but that shad tail is doing all the critical work. As predicted, Ed's Korum Dropshot rod hoops over positively.

"This is a bigger fish," he grins. It's not quite a '2' but it's still a lovely perch.

He's only been fishing for half an hour!

It's clear that Ed is really organised for this trip. He's got a small Korum ITM Clamshell box filled with most of his components, and another larger couple of lure boxes that he can swap different fish and rig bits into and out of.

"There's no point carrying loads around with you. This is a mobile style of fishing, after all," Ed points out.

The swim has gone quiet so Ed heads to his favourite spot. A 'banker' area if there ever was one. It's an end peg with a lot of overhanging trees over deep water. It looks spot on!

"This is a big fish peg," Ed tells us, sliding a roach Dropshot lure on this time.

These are warier fish, so the natural pattern is definitely the one today.

Ed's rig flies into the lake quietly, and we watch expectantly. He's working the lure very slowly, just ticking the reel over so it barely moves. "If you think you're reeling in too slowly, reel slower. That's a good tip," laughs Ed, just as the tip of

his rod shudders. A quick strike, and this is a totally different ball game!

The fish ploughs for the snags and his line pings from the reel. Ed's got it under full control though.

"Having an 8ft rod is crucial for bank fishing," he explains. "From a boat the shorter rods come into their own, but for this work, you need at least 8ft."

As he passes on this timely advice, a huge bar of stripes hits the surface like a plate. "That's a good 'un," yells Ed, reaching for the net. Without hesitation,

the perch is drawn smoothly into the waiting net. It looks a real old dinosaur!

The markings are tremendous and though it's a short fish, it's a beautifully marked specimen – a great example of the species. His fins glow red and his stripes darken as he is lifted up for the camera.

"That's a great fish to round off the day. Easily over 2lb and a good perch for the venue. It just goes to show that working those Dropshot lures correctly with a simple rig is all it takes."

drop shot made

easier

FROM

£4.50 What a beauty! 2lb 1oz of prime perch

DROPSHOT KITS IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT WORKING THOSE D RO PS HOT LU RES CO R R EC TLY W ITH A SIMPLE RIG IS ALL IT TAKES. ED MATTHEWS FISHING MADE EASY

All the end tackle you need for dropshotting in one easy package. Three fast-action rubber fish in the most attractive colours, three spinstyle dropshot hooks and a 5g and 10g weight.

AVAILABLE IN 5CM & 7CM TIE IT ON AND CATCH A PREDATOR!

TANK & BANK TESTED korumsnapper.co.uk

Dura-Bung Deadbaiting THE PERFECT RIG

SNAPPER DUMPY FLOAT KIT

SNAPPER SNAP TACKLE TRACES

15LB XPERT REEL LINE

What you will need

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THE PERFECT RIG Dura-Bung Deadbaiting

Dura-Bung Deadbaiting The Korum Snapper Dura Bung Kit provides a simple and easy way to catch big pike on deadbaits.

Here's a simple guide to show just how easy it is!

how to

Set up a simple Deadbait Rig

1 Slide the rubber stop onto your reel line 2 Follow this with a bead and thread your line through the Snapper Dura Bung 3 Slide another bead, the bullet weight and a buffer bead onto your reel line 4 Tie your reel line to the swivel of a Snapper Snap Tackle Trace 5 Insert the top treble into the tail root of your chosen deadbait 6 Hook the bottom treble into the flank of your deadbait, and cast out.

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Which Rod and Why? SNAPPER RODS

and why?

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SNAPPER RODS Which Rod and Why?

8ft Lure

8ft Drop Shot

7ft Lure

7ft Drop Shot

7ft Jig

This rod is essential for fishing on lakes, large trout reservoirs or rivers when big pike or zander are the target. This rod will easily cope with using larger crankbaits or large soft plastics. The tip of the rod will show up the movement and action from your lure, but the mid section and butt of the rod have the power needed to set the hooks into the hard mouth of a pike or zander.

This rod is best used with a Front Force 4000 reel loaded with heavy braid.

It also packs down into a handy bag, complete with pouch to hold a reel.

This rod is a firm favourite of many anglers, the u n i q u e 8 f t Tw i n T i p Dropshot rod is the perfect rod for anglers that fish on canals, rivers, lakes or even big reservoirs from a boat. The sensitive tips and quality carbon blank will easily transmit and taps or pulls on your lure straight to your hands! Packing down into two sections, and coming supplied in its own bag, with space for a made up rod and reel, it is perfect for keeping in the car boot for use on short sessions. Couple this rod with a Front Force 3000 reel for the perfect combo.

When fishing with smaller crankbaits or pre-rigged soft plastic lures you'll need the right rod to impart the right action into the lure; the 7ft Lure Rod is the perfect tool for the job. At only 7ft in length, the rod is great for travelling light and keeping mobile when lure fishing.

Perfect for perch, pike and zander. Packing down into two sections, and coming supplied in its own bag, with space for a made up rod and reel, it is perfect for keeping in the car boot.

Couple this rod with a small 3000 Front Force reel for a balanced combo.

A ver y sensitive rod, designed for light dropshotting on small lakes, canals or fishing from a boat. This rod has two tips, a light glass tip rated 1-7g and a stiffer c a r b o n t i p o f 5 -12g allowing you to be fishing e f f ec ti vel y w h a tever weight you need. Packing down into two sections, and coming supplied in its own bag, with space for a made up rod and reel, it is perfect for keeping in the car boot. This rod can also be used for LRF fishing around the coast.

Best used with a 1000 or 2000 sized reel.

The Snapper 7ft Jig Rod is the ideal tool for the job when jigging on canals or lakes. The rod features a sensitive carbon tip and ergonomically designed handle to help you feel every pluck of your lure under the water. Perfect for use with jig heads up to 15g. This rod looks and feels like a rod costing twice as much. Packing down into two sections, and coming supplied in its own bag, with space for a made up rod and reel, it is perfect for keeping in the car boot. The Korum Front Force 3000 balances perfectly with this rod.

Rating: 20-50g

Rating: 1-7g & 5-12g

Rating: 10-30g

Rating: 1-7g & 5-12g

Rating: 5-15g

korum.co.uk

075

Lure Fish Like a Pro GARY KNOWLES

gary knowles Occupation: Construction Manager Favourite venue: Cheshire Mere @KorumFishing

lure fish Like a Pro Catching fish on lures isn’t just about casting out and reeling in.

Expert lure angler, Gary Knowles explains how to use them effectively to boost your catch rate.

Lure fishing is possibly the most exiting method of fishing. Watching a big predator following your lure to the bank can really get the adrenalin pumping. Different types of lures require different styles of retrieve, how to hold your rod, and speed of retrieve. You can always just cast them out and reel them in, but by following a few of my simple hints and tip you’ll give your catch rate a real boost!

I’ve been using lures for a number of years now, having caught pike to over 30lb, Zander over 15lb and even a 100lb+ anglers wanting to have a go at lure tarpon on them, I feel confident when I fishing. It’s actually easier than you think! go lure fishing that a bite is on the cards.

In many tackle shops the big wall of CRANK CRAZY Crankbaits are perfect for anyone lures in all different shapes, sizes and weights can be a bit daunting to most wanting to have a go at lure fishing.

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2015

Most crankbaits float and to get them down in the water all you have to do is start winding. For lure fishing novices, casting out and reeling in is all that you need to do. The vane on the front of the lure is pulled against the water when you wind, sending your lure down in the water. As the crankbait’s air-filled body naturally wants to come up to the surface the winding of your reel creates a wobbling fish-attracting action. This big vane is what makes the lure so effective.

The faster you wind a crankbait, the deeper it will dive, until it reaches its maximum depth. After casting your crankbait out into the lake, wind fast to get it down and working at the depth you need – putting the lure exactly where the fish want it!

GARY KNOWLES Lure Fish Like a Pro

FISHING MADE EASY

korum.co.uk

077

Store your lures safely and easily in the new Korum Lure Bag, Complete with Snapper Lure Box.

S

L A H

G U B W LO

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This lure is the all-rounder of the three. If you could only have one lure, it would be the Korum Mid-Water Shad.

This lure can be used on lakes, rivers, canals and drains.

The Mid-Water Shad’s vane will allow it to dive deeper in the water than the Shallow Bug until it reaches it maximum depth. The faster you wind, the deeper the lure will travel through the water.

To retrieve the lure higher in the water, simply wind slower.

This type of lure fishes well with a

varied retrieve rate. The fast wind and abrupt stop technique can be extremely effective with this shad shape. The pike often grab the lure as it starts to rise up in the water column, thinking that their prey is getting away. Use the pace of winding on your reel to change the action of the lure, not the rod tip.

A pike sat low in the water or on the bottom will be looking up for its next meal, not down, so don’t worry too much if you think your lure is too high in the water.

If your chosen venue is deep, such as a large reservoir or a deep river then you’ll want a lure that can get down to the depths where the fish may be hiding!

Lures with a shallow, but normally large lip on the front, such as the Korum Deep Diving Minnow are designed to send your lure quickly down to the depths.

The big vane gives your deep diving crankbait a fast wiggle, sending lots of vibrations through the water. With any crankbait, it’s essential to get your lure down to the depth you want it to work

at quickly. By cranking down hard on the reel with a fast wind and even pulling the rod tip will make the lure dive quickly.

You can then gently slow down your wind to give the lure a different action.

Some anglers often don’t realise just how deep their lures can dive. When using braid, you will be able to feel if your lure is bouncing along the bottom.

If you are having problems with this, try a slower retrieve, but if the vibrations from the lure stop, try using a different lure with a shallower dive.

weed, stop winding to let the lure float up to the top, tease the lure over the weed then continue to wind and make it dive - a great way of fishing for predators when other anglers would go home.

To make you bug lure work in more erratic ways use the reel to make the lure dive hard, then stop winding. This gives you much more control over the lure than twitching the rod tip.

Often, if a fish is following your lure the fast wind followed by stopping will result in a take just as you stop winding.

DIVING MINNO P E E W D

Shallow diving lures generally have a bigger angle on the vane at the front of the lure; this vane is usually short and wide and gives a very erratic action.

Usually very buoyant, shallow diving lures, such as the new Korum Shallow Bug are perfect for a small rivers, weedy lakes or shallow bays. They can prove to be irresistible to chub when teased back along the surface!

When fishing on weedy lakes you can crank down hard to make the lure dive, but before your hook fouls on the

MID WATER SHAD

Lure Fish Like a Pro GARY KNOWLES

GARY KNOWLES Lure Fish Like a Pro

ROD POSITION? One of the most common questions I get asked about lure fishing is ‘how should I position my rod?’ My suggestion is to keep the rod pointed towards the lure. You don’t need a 90 degree angle in the rod for your lure to work, especially as your steady wind will keep the line tight. A very slight bend in the rod tip will allow you to feel the lure working and the vibrations through the line. To make the lure rise up in the water, simply lift your rod up in the air.

Watching the rod tip is essential for effective fishing with lures. While winding you’ll be able to see and feel the vibrations as the lure wobbles and sends out vibrations through the water.

If the vibrations stop, you’re either not working the lure fast enough, or there is a bit of debris caught on the trebles. This will stop your lure working as effectively as it should.

Your rod needs to be stiff to set the hooks on hard mouthed predators.

Match your rod to the size of lure and distance that you want to fish. Check out the ‘What Rod and Why’ feature in this guide to make sure you pick the right rod.

I always recommend using braid when lure fishing for pike. The properties of braid lend themselves perfectly to the method because of the lack of stretch.

When winding the vibrations from the crankbait are transmitted up through the braid and show up on the rod tip, you can feel everything that is going on with the lure. Should your lure hit the lakebed, or collect some debris you will feel it.

The braid isn’t just to feel the bites, a proper bite is much different to a tap on the bottom of the lake, you’ll know when something has grabbed you lure!

The zero

FISHING MADE EASY

stretch, coupled with the stiff rod will allow you to positively set the hooks on the strike.

Just make sure your drag is set correctly before you start fishing.

A wire trace is essential for any lure fishing with trebles. Whether you are fishing for big perch or pike it cuts out the risk of being bitten off.

Nobody wants to have the fish of their dreams bite through their line because they weren’t using the right kit! Korum’s Titanium Traces are perfect for the job.

These super high quality traces won’t kink after you catch a fish, a problem with lesser quality pre-made traces or wire. They also include strong swivels and snap clips to give you full confidence in your gear.

PRE-RIGGED SWIMBAITS These are possibly the most common type of soft lure available and play a huge part in the predator angler’s armoury.

These lures all sink, unlike floating crankbaits and are good for searching the water column for fish. These lures can weigh a lot, so picking the right rod is essential. Match the size of your lure to the rod. The retrieve of these lures is simple. Just a steady wind will make the soft rubber tail vibrate as the water pushes it, making your lure swim like a fish. Use short sharp twitches of the rod tip occasionally to relay more action down the braid to the lure.

After casting out, count the pre-rigged lure down to the bottom in seconds. Each time you cast out after this start retrieving the lure a second sooner than the last, searching up through the water; often a great way to find where the pike are lying in the water.

COLOUR CONFUSION? So you’ve decided what lure you need for the venue you are fishing. Now you’ve got to decide between the 50 different colour options on the shelf. Don’t panic – it’s easier than you think.

As a general rule of thumb, for clear natural venues you should be looking at patterns that closely match the fish in the venue. My number one choice on natural venues is the Korum Silverfish pattern. I’ll pick which of the three types of lure that I need, Shallow Bug, Mid-Water Shad or Deep Diving Minnow in the silverfish colour.

If I’m going to fish a venue that is coloured, and the visibility in the water is not great, then a bright colour will generally work better.

A firm favourite of a huge number of predator anglers is the fire tiger.

Its bright colours really stand out in the murky water, and the catches show that the fish like it too! I’ll pick the Fire Tiger colour from the Korum Double Hard Range if I’m fishing on murky venues.

These two colours are the colours that matter. They catch lots of fish and just sticking with these two stops the need to spend a fortune on a pile of lures that aren’t so effective.

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Getting Jiggy ADAM FIRTH

Jigs are a fantastic way of catching specimen predators. With numerous ways to fish a jig head you will always be able to tempt a fish or two! It is an active way of fishing, allowing you to search out lots of water. You can easily spend a day walking miles along a canal, or lake bank in search of predators.

Dropshotting is the current craze across the UK, with lots of new-found lure anglers trying their hand at the method ever growing in popularity.

Sometimes the fish want their dinner to be moving quicker, or a very slow moving dropshot lure isn't enough to attract their attention. This is where to turn to jigs. Especially in the summer months, when the prey fish are more active, the predators in your local lake are going to have to work harder for their dinner!

Jigs are an extremely versatile way of lure fishing, this is what I find great about this style of fishing. I can use a straight retrieve and let the shape of the soft fish impart action into the lure, or I can use the rod tip to bounce the lure across the bottom. It can be fished fast, or relatively slow and can be used high in the water column, or hard on the bottom.

WHAT DO I NEED? So what do you need to go jigging?

You don't need much tackle, it is a very mobile, lightweight style of fishing. A short rod, lightweight reel and small bag of lures is all that you need. I like to use a rod of 7ft, this length is perfect for short casts on canals, or lakes. The Korum 7ft Jig Rod is rated 5-15g, but is sensitive enough to use jigs as light as 2g with!

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adam firth Occupation: Media Coordinator Favourite venue: RH Fisheries, The Sitch @AdamFirthKorum @adamfirthkorum

ADAM FIRTH Getting Jiggy

getting

jjiggy iggy An active and mobile style of fishing, jigging is sure to catch the active predators. Here's Korum's Adam Firth to show you how...

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Getting Jiggy ADAM FIRTH

HOW TO SET UP A

Jig Kit

A canal perch that fell to a fire tiger jig fished alongside a moored barge

This is coupled with a small Front Force 3000 reel, loaded with 0.08mm braid.

This ultra thin braid aids casting with small jigs and the low-stretch properties allow you to feel everything that is going on under the surface!

On the end of my braided reel line is a small size 20 match swivel, a length of 0.19mm (6lb) Fluorocarbon with a link swivel on the end. This makes the last 45cm of my line invisible under water to the fish. The venues that I like to fish, commercial fisheries and canals, hold only a few pike.

Should I be fishing a venue with lots of pike then I will switch to use a wire trace.

When going jigging I'll take a small bag, such as the Korum Tactical Bag to hold my gear. This well thought out bag has a pocket for scales and a small weigh sling on the front, a larger pocket to hold a selection of Korum Jig Kits and the large pocket at the back is perfect for a waterproof jacket, lunch and drinks! A Korum Folding Triangle Net fits in the side elasticated loops and I'm ready to fish!

RIGGING UP Once you've got all of your gear sorted, your rod ready to go and jig in hand you'll need to rig the soft rubber fish onto the hook. This can sometimes take a bit of practice to perfect, but the tough make-up of the rubber fish included in the Korum Jig Kits will allow you to make a couple of mistakes, before hooking the fish correctly. By taking the jig head and lining it up against the side of the fish, you will see roughly where the hook needs to exit the back of the fish. Grip the fish at this point and slide the hook into the head of the fish. Push the fish around the bend of the hook until it pops out of the Jig Kit fish's back.

Push the head of the fish up to the ball of the jig head and you are ready to go!

I normally opt to chose the colour of the fish depending on the colour of the water. In clearer water, more natural patterns will often score best, but this isn't always the case.

Carry a selection of different coloured fish to cover all options. I always take

JIGGING IS A FANTASTIC WAY O F COV E R I NG LOTS OF WATER. YOU CAN OFTEN FIND YOURSELF COVERING MILES OF CANAL IN A DAY, FISHING LOTS OF LIKELY SPOTS. ADAM FIRTH

1Measure your jig head against the soft rubber fish 2Insert the hook into the head of the fish 3Slide the fish onto the jig hook, as shown 4Push the rubber fish up to the weighted jig head

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both of the Korum Jig Kits with me.

The colours of the fish in these kits provide a wide range of options to use.

Some days a simple colour change can be the difference between a multiple fish catch, or a blank!

SO HOW'S IT DONE? Well there's not one set way of fishing a jig head. They can be fished vertically, in the upper layers of the water column, or fished hard on the bottom. What is important is finding out what the fish want on the day. I'll always start by fishing with the lure at what I call mid-range speed. I'll cast out the lure and let it sink on a tight line. The lure, with its large tail, will work even on the fall, so make sure you keep your line tight as the lure falls through the water. Once the lure hits the bottom simply use the rod tip to bounce the lure along the bottom. Taking up the slack with the reel handle and waiting for it to hit the bottom again. Simply repeat this until the lure is at your feet.

This constant bouncing action is very attractive to predators, often hitting the lure as it falls back down to the bottom.

Sometimes this can be too fast,

l caught nal perch, al Five 2lb+ ca ng session hi fis jig t or on a sh

ADAM'S

TACKLE it’s Rod 7ft Jig Rod NEW!

Reel Front Force 3000 NEW!

Rig Jig Kit NEW! 0.08mm braid 0.19 fluorocarbon

easy

just add water

End Tackle Specialist Link Swivels & Preston Innovations Mini Match Swivels

Other Folding Triangle Net NEW! Tactical Bag NEW!

JIG KITS

especially if the water is cold. A slow wind, keeping the jig head in close contact with the bottom will catch the eye of even the most docile winter predators. By using the smaller 5cm Jig Kit you can often tempt a couple more fish into feeding.

Perch love cover, don't be afraid to fish along the nearside margin, especially on canals.

The cover provided by a wall, or corrugated bank is loved by perch. Along with overhanging trees and boats.

Jigging is a fantastic way of covering lots of water.

You can often find yourself covering miles of canal in a day, fishing lots of likely spots. Make the most of being mobile, vary your retrieve and hopefully you'll catch more perch!

Each kit comes with three fast-action rubber shads that are perfect for modern jigging techniques. Just slide one of the jigheads into the shads and you’re ready to fish!

AVAILABLE IN 5.5CM & 7.5CM

£399 AVAILABLE IN:

PER PACK

NATURAL ROACH, PERCH, OLIVE FRY FLUORO GOLDFISH, FIRE TIGER, WHITE/RED

TANK & BANK TESTED FISHING MADE EASY

korumsnapper.co.uk

get more

action rods Designed by our expert team of consultants to provide a totally unique action and tip recovery speed.

Powerful butt and middle sections, combined with fast-action tips, means greater casting capabilities and unrivalled fish playing performance. They meet the exacting standards of the elite big fish hunter.

AVAILABLE IN:

11ft 0.75lb ■ 11ft 6ins 1.1lb 12ft 1.5lb ■ 12ft 1.75lb ■ 12ft 2.2lb 3m Multi-Handle

All two piece rods with Fuji cork handles.

Fishing Made Easy

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