The clues....

ACROSS

1 Applied a lubricant ( 5) 4 It requires shot to be placed on main line above the hook ( 4,5)

9 e. g. a members- only angling club ( anag. of ‘ dye antics’) ( 9) 10 Pulsate or beat ( 5)

11 The part of a catapult that has its drawbacks! ( 7)

12 Famous carp that died 2010, ‘ Heather the ____’ ( 7)

13 Pole section at the end furthest from the reel – great gear! ( 3,3)

15 Means by which a fish breathes ( 5)

18 e. g. droplets from an aerosol ( 5)

19 A grasping claw e. g. of a crab ( 6)

22 Anglers under 13yrs no longer need one ( 7)

24 A navigable passage in a river, etc. ( anag. of ‘ hen clan’) ( 7)

26 Major African river, the world’s deepest ( 5)

27 A 12ac. carp is _____ ( anag. of ‘ sell cases’) ( 9)

28 Protected from the elements ( 9)

29 A ___ bait should attract fish ... in deltas, typically ( 5)

DOWN

1 Pearl- making mollusc ( 6) 2 Town on River Lune ( anag. of ‘ last crane’) ( 9)

3 Go with the current ( 5)

4 Rig that releases the weight if snagged ( anag. of ‘ dace pill’) ( 4,4)

5 Tool for e. g. attaching bait to rig ( anag. of ‘ eel den’) ( 6)

6 Fish in cold weather often become _____ ( anag. of ‘ light care’) ( 9)

7 The thickness of a fish, etc. taken round its middle ( anag. of ‘ HT rig’) ( 5)

8 Joe ___, manager of Team England Veterans since 2016 ( 7) 14 Releasing line gradually ( 6,3) 16 Such passes allow easier access for fish going upstream ( anag. of ‘ rail resin’) ( 9) 17 Herring relative, larger than sardine ( anag. of ‘ larch dip’) ( 8)

18 e. g. separates braid/ wire of lead core ( 7)

20 Thicker, more compact ... in Eden, Serpentine ( 6)

21 Meaty, like a barbel’s lip protuberances ( 6)

23 Lightweight boat that’s paddled ( 5)

25 Watchful, as a wary fish? ( 5)