When free-lining for Chub or Barbel it can sometimes be difficult to get cubes or chunks to run smoothly along the river bed. I find a good solution is to cut the meat so it is just thicker than your hook length and then cut out round sections using a household apple corer.I then push the hook through the meat using a forked boilie needle, give it a half turn and pull it back into the meat so that it is completely hidden. All you then need is to tie a small swivel eight to ten inches from the hook, to prevent it kinking. Using this method i find that it is possible to feel your bait rolling along the bottom of even quite slow running rivers, and it is particularly good for rolling bait under overhanging trees.

Need some big lob worms for a summer session, holes all over the garden and not much to show for your effort. Simply wait until its been dark for a hour or so, find a nice short lawn and go armed with a good torch. If you tread carefully and keep the torch beam low you will find lobs just laying on the grass. If you grab them quick it's possible to catch them before they retreat back into the ground. If you have to tug some out do not grip them too firmly as they can be a bit delicate. On a good night it's possible to amass fifty or so lobs in a matter of a few minutes.

If you want some good rig holders then get friends to give you empty peanut clear plastic tubs (plenty about at xmas). All you need to do is get some four inch pipe lagging foam, cut it to the length of the tub then super-glue it onto the lid. Then finally, for a perfect rig holder, get some plastic headed pins and stick a row of approx. a dozen into the foam. Screw the lid back onto the tub and you are all finished. Particularly good for carp or pike rigs.