Welcome...

THANKS for purchasing this issue of IYCF. Fishing’s a funny old game. Just when you think you’ve got something nailed the fish turn round and put you in your place!

Since May I’ve been fishing a Northants club water for tench. And things had been going swimmingly. I’d found a spot and had been catching several fish each session. In fact, I’d got so confident with my approach that I began to assume it would only be a matter of time until the new PB I was after came along. Oh, if it were that simple.

Due to a family holiday and lots going on at work, I didn’t fish the lake for nearly three weeks. When I returned, the lake had changed quite drastically. A huge jungle of weed has shot up further out in the lake and whether the fish had drifted off naturally or because there hadn’t been any bait going on the spot for a while, my next session proved fishless. I didn’t even see any fish in the area which was unusual as previously they’d been rolling all over the place.

So now I’m back to square one. In reality, I’ll probably only have a few more tench sessions anyway until focusing on some other species, but hopefully I’ll be able to catch a couple more before the tench rods go away till next spring. That’s what I love about fishing. There’s always something to think about or a way to refine your approach and I’m now plotting away before my next trip!

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue and find plenty of tips and advice to put to good use over the next month.

No matter what style of fishing you enjoy, there’s no discounting how important accurate casting is. Being able to land your hookbait on the correct spot every chuck will undoubtedly result in more fish going into your net. So make sure you read Nick Speed’s feature where he details 10 simple steps that will drastically improve your casting accuracy.

See you next month,

A catapult is one of the best tools for baiting up. But are you using it right? Des Shipp reveals all...