CROSSWORD

(* indicates an anagram)

Across

1 Heavy, stubby balsa or plastic float with buoyant tip (7) 5 Pillow-shaped anti-eject boilies (6)

8 See 30ac.

9 Gun – not the sort for making bait! (5)

10 Have a high opinion of ... some sprat, eels (4) 11 Unravel e.g. a ‘bird’s nest’ (8) 13 Small, bony-plated sea fishes, ‘armoured bullheads’ (6) 14 Honking big water birds! (5) 15 A bite-detecting ‘drop’ shot put nearest to hook (4-4) 17 Remove oil e.g. from a fly-fishing leader (8)

20 Like a pebbly beach (5) 22 Heavy wood float for distance casting (6)

24 ____ Lakes in Lincs, a Daiwa Classic Festivals venue (*sowed two) (8)

26/21 England’s largest island (4,2,5)

27 Lob... not the worm! (5) 29 Landing hook, illegal for pike (4) 30/8 Way to throw float at same speed as reel line (*as cats will) (6,4)

31 Talin is ___ than sugar (7)

Down

1 Linked series of e.g. hookless lures (5)

2 Secondary wire used with paternoster pike rig (*capture) (7)

3 T-__ doubles a bankstick’s capacity (3)

4 Most fishes’ scales ___ light (7)

5 To soak thoroughly e.g. in CSL (5)

6 Normal float position, waiting for bite (7) 7 Derbyshire reservoir for bream and silvers (*bye, turtle!) (9) 12 Fly-fishing tributary of Derwent (*great) (5)

14 Terry ___, caught 59lb 7oz Two Tone in 2001 (*bagel is OK) (9)

16 Endures (5)

18 Jimmy ___, Norfolk match angler, died 2016 (*Dr Allen) (7) 19 Lee, twice River Wye Champ (2007 + 2017) (7)

21 See 26ac.

23 Pairs off to fertilise eggs (5) 25 Present e.g. bait to fish (5) 28 One of the best salmon rivers outside Scotland (3)