YOU CAN STICK IT!
Rough ground bass and cod marks tend to  fish best either in very coloured water or at night. Wading this type of ground  can be difficult and even dangerous, and marks you’re unfamiliar with especially  so with hidden deep holes and drop offs. I recently found a new mark exactly  like this, and decided I needed a game fishers wading stick to feel my way  through the obstacles. Checking out prices though from £40 to £100 I decided to  have a think about what else could be used before parting with my cash.

Sticks from the hedgerow are okay, but  float and can get in the way when fighting fish as the tethering cord wraps  around you. I also checked out walking sticks for modification, but ditched  that idea too. On a trip away I looked in at a skiing shop, and nearly bought a  reduced in price ski stick for £27, but wasn’t quite convinced enough to part  with my money. A visit to a local Spar shop finally brought the answer. A broom  handle! 

Modern broom handles are made from a thin  walled 7/8-inch diameter plastic covered metal tube, are lightweight and very  strong. The base of the broom handle has a crimped in plastic screw point for  taking the brush head. I cut this out and tapped in a rolled up length of flat lead  to give the base point some weight to drag it down making sure the lead was a  tight fit. Last job here was to push on a rubber ¾-inch walking stick stop end  over the end holding the lead, and just for added security add a few turns of  waterproof tape.

The top of the broom handle has a plastic  swivelling top with a hole in for hanging up, which just so happens make the  perfect attachment point for a securing cord. I fitted a large key type split  ring in to this and one of those neck straps used for holding conference identity  cards, tied on a 4-feet long piece of strong nylon cord and added a small clip  link, though this is optional as you could just tie the cord again. That’s it,  job done!

At 47-inches long it’s the ideal height for  wading, is lightweight to carry, the lead in the end makes the point sink so  you can position it behind you to eliminate stepping over it or fish tangling  in it during the fight, plus it’s strong and will last a few seasons hard work.  Having the rubber stop also keeps the noise down when you’re wading out and  feeling your way to avoid spooking nearby bass. The cord is long enough to slip  over your head and one shoulder for security, but is long enough for your arm  to fully extend when holding the stick.

Total cost, was £3.50 for the broom handle,  and I already had the split ring, clip link and cord, but if you bought these  they would add roughly another £2.50 and a neck strap about a quid. Total cost  around £7.50 for a wading stick that might just save you a ducking, even your  life.

TIPS AND TRICKS
Modern mono mix lines can soak up a little  water when immersed and hold fractions of salt. This causes the coils of line  loaded on to the reel spool to stick together causing increased drag and a  slight decrease in casting distance. This especially applies to lighter  strength lines in the 6 to 10lb range used for float and lure fishing.

You can stop the ingress of water in to  line and minimise the tendency of sticking, plus vastly improve the slickness  of the line by adding a little Mr Sheen polish to a dry soft cloth and running  the line through the polish when loading the reel. This is best done when  initially filling a reel with new line, or in between trips when the line has  had time to fully dry out, but after the polish is applied still load the line  through water in a bowl to pack it tight on the spool. I’ve found no damage is  done to the line using these types of polish, but if it worries you check on a  small section first.

This is also a trick some of the keener  tournament casters use on the casting courts to stop water off the grass  contaminating their lines which would otherwise increase weight and therefore  drag resulting in shorter casts. If you regularly load multipliers or fixed  spool reels with low diameter 12 to 15lbs line, then again the polish treatment  is a good dodge to use.

ROCK POOL SHANNY TACTICS
Rock pools, either along the shore or under  the cliffs hold small goby like fish called shannies. Most anglers pass these  by, but they do make interesting fishing for an hour or two when other species  are playing hard to get.

Shannies will live in the smallest rock  pools, and are adept at hiding under cracks in the pool walls and amongst weed.  You often see the shanny dart off as you approach the water. They eat small  shellfish like limpets and winkles, but also small sections of fish.

You can go all Huckleberry Finn and use  nothing more complicated than a 5ft length of ordinary garden cane with a 5ft  length of 6lb tied to the end with a size 12 hook. Alternatively, use any small  rod and fixed spool reel with 4 to 6lb line on.

The best shanny bait is a section of  winkle. Break a winkle free from the rock and break the shell to free the meat.  Cut off a section of the flesh about the size of half a small pea and bait the  hook.

Always approach the pool facing the sun to  avoid shadows and keep low so as not to spook the fish. When you can  comfortably swing the bait in to the middle of the pool at a full arms length  and on 5ft of line, that’s near enough. Drop the bait in to the water and keep  a tight line. The shanny will be on the bait in seconds if you’ve gone  unnoticed. The bite is a rattle and pull affair and you just need to lift in to  the fish and swing him in.

Shannies have sharp teeth and powerful jaws  to enable them to crush up small shellfish, so take care when unhooking them.

This is something species hunters will like  as they are rarely caught on hooks bigger than a size12, and it’s a simple way  you can take young kids fishing without needing loads of fishing gear and  complicated instruction. Most importantly you almost guaranteed to catch fish  fishing for shannies this way.