Another vote for the Aldi ones, really well made and I like the built in neck warmer. You can buy one for each day of the week instead of one Nash hoodie...

In reply to Post #26
Yeah Sewells is a funny one because the club has one end from the farm round towards the A14 and the end of the bay, then it's a bit of an unofficial free for all on the Brook Bank along to the country park, but the nice bit with the reeds where the handful of remaining carp like to bask in the southern sunshine is mega private owned by the church.

They also have a small stretch of river which has in the past thrown up the odd lump.

In reply to Post #24
It is true that the seal got into Sewell's Lake, the big one next door, whether it got into the park lake I've not heard. There were a handful of cracking fish in both lakes but emphasis on 'were' as a lot have been lost to predation.
Officially no night fishing in the park, and in the summer I wouldn't want to anyway. Officially no night fishing on the big lake too however one bank is a bit of a free for all. Hell of a long barrow push though for very little reward.
Close season applies to the park lake too.

Still the odd nice fish kicking about and for £25 or whatever it is now it's worth a punt but the hassle of fishing a busy park, days only and access to Sewell's is a big put off.

In reply to Post #36
Noooooo please don't, barbel are often still spawning well into July and are even more vulnerable than carp in low oxygen and low flow conditions. Far too many go belly up on the popular rivers in the summer due to poor handling. They're a rare creature in some parts now so best wait until at least August before trying to catch them.

In reply to Post #26
A sheep only costs a few quid? Have you any idea of the running costs, margins and effort that goes into even a modest flock? Clearly not. That is probably one of the most ridiculous comments that I have ever read since the otter debate kicked off fifteen years ago.

I fish St Ives every week, I grew up fishing the Upper Ouse for barbel, I was on the Adam's Mill syndicate before it got devestated, the Ivel was a regular venue of mine and it got wiped out over night. It's heartbreaking, but comparing carp which are bred for anglers to haul out of the water for fun, to creatures which are livelihoods for the people putting your food on your plate is almost laughable if it wasn't so sad.

Fences are the only way to protect fisheries. A huge amount of them are impossible to fence... St Ives being one of them, even if the landowner would permit it.

In reply to Post #2
The old LAA pits at Brampton were taken over a couple of years ago with the intention of being dug out a bit, clear all the overgrown trees and bushes, fenced and stock it and charge the going rate for a "syndicate"
Not sure how it's progressing as I moved out of the village early last year...

I'm not sure about Hemingford, if you're on St Ives then a couple of the usual characters might be worth asking the question to...

In reply to Post #10
You've pretty much answered your own question without having to engage half a brain cell.... If it's not known until autumn what is in the lakes after "analysing catch reports" then surely it will be a gamble every spring whether or not to buy a ticket? There's obviously nobody fishing now since the last floods, and won't really be until gone renewal time, apart from locals on days, so it's an almost impossible question to answer.
I mean you could buy a ticket, pretend it's the 1990s and just go fishing.... Enjoy the unknown, if you catch then great, if not then there's worse places to blank.

In reply to Post #5
I looked into this and experimented at length, for the faff that it is and if you need to move in the night it's easier just to take a brolly, or kip under the sky if it's not raining.

In reply to Post #2
"Oh yes I'd love to come and sit with you at the weekend, it'd be cool to see one of them carp!"
My last bite was in September... I admire her enthusiasm though.

In reply to Post #74
Enjoying reading through this thread. I was torn between a small van or another 4x4 at the end of last year. I have a work van that I am allowed to use for fishing, and it is so handy just barrowing the gear in the back and away. However, my venue is like the somme at this time of year, I could park near the gate however leaving any van on display to the road, never mind one that clearly has a lot of expensive tools in it just isn't viable, so I decided on another 4x4. Over the last twenty years I've had about 13 different Land Rovers from winch challenge spec Defenders, to Discovery ES, a couple of Freelander 1s and some random ones in between. The most practical I had was a Discovery commercial 300tdi, nowadays though they're hard to find without loads of rust.
I decided on a Freelander 2 this time... Loads of room with the seats down, comfy, practical, about as reliable as a Land Rover can get, reasonable on fuel and it has even surprised me in the mud with the all terrains on!
I almost brought another Rav4 as I had one a few years ago however I don't like the side opening door and it's restricted with the spare wheel too to about 60 degrees and it's just a faff, the Fl2 has a proper lift up door which is great for ducking under in the rain too to get waterproofs and stuff on.
If my venues were hardstanding and flat I'd have a Caddy every day of the week but the 4x4 wins for me.