The Week Ahead...

This entry was posted on 19th May, 2014

The Prospects…

Well last week the forecaster got it spot on and as we predicted the weekend was the warmest of the year so far, temperatures we’re well into the twenties and perfect sunshine was common place. All in all it was glorious!

This week looks like starting in the same vein, as for Monday and Tuesday high pressure is expected to stay in command as the country keeps the summary feel. As the week progresses it’s all change though, as from Wednesday through to the weekend temperatures are expected to cool and rain is forecast, with some sharp heavy showers possible on Friday, especially.



What could these conditions mean for the fishing?

According to our friendly fishing app, this week looks like another good week for fishing, as from Tuesday through to Thursday; it’s showing a fishing efficiency rating of over 80%, with a peak of 97% on Wednesday and Thursday! Very similar to last week, it looks as if once again it might be worth sacrificing a day’s holiday and getting out on the bank!



For the Coarse anglers the days to take advantage maybe towards the end of the week, as the changing weather might spur the fish into action, as they certainly won’t mind cooling temperatures and a drop of rain. For the sea anglers the start of the week maybe best, as for Monday, Tuesday we cling on to the big tides and calm seas, which will almost certainly offer the chance of a Smoothound or two.

If you are planning a trip this week and have spring species on the brain, then good luck and of course don’t forget to let us know how you get on! Send any pictures and reports to: contact@anglingdirect.co.uk

 

My Fishing… Last week I mentioned that I really fancied the chances of landing and Smoothound or two and I wasn’t wrong! On Thursday me and my good friend Jack Mills headed to the North Norfolk sand, armed with a bucket of fresh peeler and brimming with confidence.

Fishing the ebb tide from around 7.00 till midnight we enjoyed some cracking sport, landing around a ten Smoothound, a couple of Dogfish and a few other bits and pieces, nothing massive but fish around the 3lb mark.

With plenty of prime Peeler left I think we’ll try and head out again this week and take full advantage while there’s a few fish around.



Saturday also saw me out fishing again, this time in freshwater though, as I’d promised my little nephew a trip, he’d never been before and to say he was excited would be an understatement! The plan was to try and catch him his first fish, so it was back to basics, a small telescopic whip, simple float rig and a pint of maggots, the proper way to start your fishing career and the same way I’d done some twenty years previous!

We opted to fish Cobbleacre Lakes in Hevingham, and after a quick phone call to good friend, AD regular and fishery bailiff Bob Anderson he confirmed that there wasn’t a match on and that we could have a few hours in the front lake, so that’s what we done.

It didn’t take long before he landed his first fish, a Roach which probably weighed in at 3oz, but that didn’t matter, it was mission accomplished and he was (excuse the pun!) hooked… We fished for probably three hours, and he soon started to get the hang of things, watching the float with great eagerness, keen to beat his PB of 3oz, which he duly done on more than one occasion, which a mixture of Roach, Rudd and small Skimmers.

As we packed away he was already asking when we could go again!



I had originally planned to fish back on the beach Sunday morning, but after one to many watching the FA cup final Saturday night, I never made it! Instead I enjoyed a family BBQ and a finished off a bit of video editing, which I will leave you with now…



 

Pictures Of The Week…

May’s picture of the month competition is now well and truly underway, and already we’ve seen some fantastic entries and some great interaction. If you’d like to view all the entries and if you’d like to vote for your favorites then you can do so by clicking the link below…

May’s Picture Of The Month

And of course if you want to get in on the action and stand a chance of winning a £50 voucher then get sending your pictures in!

Also it’s worth remembering it’s a picture of the month competition and not a just a fish of the month, so it’s not all about the biggest Carp!

If you want to enter May’s competition and appear on our blog and social sites then feel free to email your pictures and reports to…contact@anglingdirect.co.uk you can also share them with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

In The Press

Carp Fishing Edges Volume II

Tackle giants Fox have recently released the eagerly anticipated volume two of there extremely popular ‘Edges’ series. The near on four hour long Carp fishing epic is presented by Ian ‘Chilly’ Chillcott and features the cream of the Fox crop, it’s packed full of great action, tips, tactics and products. You can check it out below…





AD Staff Claim The Top Spot

This weekend saw Insurance staff member Steve ‘Widget’ Crowe and his angling partner and Sportquest Holidays guide Paul Stevens, fish the BCAC qualifier at Airfield lakes. The pair dominated the event from start to finish landing an incredible 14 fish for 290lb, which saw them finish over 200lb clear of second place, in the match winning haul, they managed eight twenties and one of the lakes big girls at a spawned out weight of 35lb 4oz! Everyone at Angling Direct would like to wish them the best of luck in the semi-finals.

Our thoughts are also with our mail order department manager Marty Hall and his angling partner Ben Wellfare, who missed out on a qualifying spot by just one fish!



 

In Store & Online

Another good week last week, both in the Angling Direct stores and online, with the nice weather bringing anglers out in force, all the stores we’re busy and the guys in mail order were rushed off there feet.

On the website we added a whole bunch of new products and promo boxes, with new ranges from Carp Couture and Pescaviva as well as products from Taska, Ace and Maver.  A new email newsletter went out Friday, containing the usual best sellers, hot products and special offers; you can see it by clicking the link below…

Angling Direct Email Newsletter – May

Socially and on the blogging front we added our usual Tackle Tuesday and Wednesday review posts, as well a new throwback Thursday courtesy of this week of Bait Barron and general all round Angling Direct and Tom Boulton legend, David Woodhouse! Here’s David with the big Scaley Mirror from Bure Valley Lakes!



We were also added new posts on Instagram, which is relatively new for us, but slowly the channel is growing, and we are slowly reaching the 200 followers mark! Don’t forget if you aren’t connected with us socially, you can do so on the following channels, links below…

Angling Direct Facebook Angling Direct Twitter Angling Direct Instagram Angling Direct YouTube



This week looks like more of the same and already the ‘to do’ list is coming along nicely! We have new magazine links to sort, a whole host of catch reports to add and design/promotional work to finish! All in all it looks set to be another busy one, so apologies if this post is a little shorter than normal, but we must get cracking!

As usual I hope everyone has a great week and I’ll report back in next Monday will all the latest news and views, but for now I’ll leave you with this weeks product of the week and bid you tight lines!

 

Product of the week…

Nash Bug Life Mix Review

Die-hard sceptics be warned, these bait products are genuinely innovative! Those clever lads at Nash have been at it again and the results of there latest creation are certainly intriguing. This isn’t your average plug for yet another flavour of buoyant nothingness; this is some gear that has put fresh thinking into how bait can attract wary Carp to your areas. Put simply, this groundbait makes a lot of noise underwater. There are many opinions to suggest that Carp are attracted by the noises made by other Carp feeding, whether this is vibration emitted by them crunching snails, or the turning over of stones on the lake bed. In theory, the noises made by Bug life are very similar and therefore it could well induce the same response…

To read the full review, click the link below…

Nash Bug Life Mix Review