Bait & lure

Catches: Almost everything - perch, trout, bream, tench, chub, catfish, eels

When: All year, and outstanding in coloured or coloured-up water after rain

How to fish it: Hook a whole lobworm through the saddle for big fish, or a piece for smaller ones. Fish on the bottom on a running ledger, or trotted under a float. Let it wriggle - the movement is the attraction.

Tip: If you learn one bait, learn worms. Lobworms after dark, brandlings and dendrobaenas for smaller species, all dug or bought cheaply.

Catches: Roach, rudd, bream, dace, perch, small everything

When: The go-to coarse bait year-round, especially in winter for shy-biting fish

How to fish it: Hook one or two lightly through the blunt end so they keep wriggling. Fish under a float and loose-feed a few every cast to build a swim. Fluoro-dyed or 'pinkies' and 'squatts' for finicky fish.

Tip: Nick the hook just under the skin at the fat end so the maggot stays alive and mobile - a burst maggot catches nothing.

Catches: Carp, chub, roach, rudd, tench

When: All year - flake and crust in summer, punch and mash in winter

How to fish it: Pinch a pillow of flake round the shank leaving the point clear, or float a floating crust for surface-feeding carp. Bread punch (a neat disc) is deadly for winter roach. Free, and often ignored by other anglers.

Tip: Fresh, slightly stale bread flakes best. Floating crust fished off the top for cruising carp on a summer evening is as exciting as fishing gets.

Catches: Carp, tench, bream, barbel, roach

When: Late spring through autumn when the water is warm

How to fish it: Hook one to three grains, point just showing, and fish on the bottom or over a bed of loose-fed corn. Cheap, bright, visible and sweet - a brilliant beginner bait straight from a tin.

Tip: The bright yellow shows up well in coloured water. A few grains as free feed pulls fish into the swim fast.

Catches: Barbel, chub, carp, catfish

When: Warm months, and superb in flowing rivers

How to fish it: Cut into cubes and hair-rig or hook directly, fished hard on the bottom in a steady flow. The oils leak a scent trail that big river fish home in on.

Tip: Fry it briefly or leave it to firm up so it stays on the hook in current. A classic big-fish river bait.

Catches: Carp above all, plus barbel and catfish

When: All year, the backbone of modern carp fishing

How to fish it: Fish on a hair rig - the bait sits below the hook, not on it - over a scattering of free offerings. Choose a size and flavour to match the water; pop-ups sit off bottom over weed or silt.

Tip: The hair rig is what makes boilies work: the fish takes the bait, feels the hook, and hooks itself as it tries to eject it.

Catches: Bass, flatfish, cod, whiting, most shore species

When: The staple sea baits year-round

How to fish it: Thread the worm up the hook and line so it presents straight, leaving a lively tail. Fish on the bottom off a beach or pier. Dig your own on a low tide or buy fresh from a tackle shop.

Tip: Keep them cool and fresh in newspaper or seawater. Ragworm wriggles and tempts bass; lugworm is the beachcaster's all-rounder.

Catches: Pike, zander, catfish, eels

When: Autumn through winter is prime for pike on deadbaits

How to fish it: Fish a whole small fish (mackerel, smelt, sardine, roach) on a wire trace with two treble hooks, on the bottom or under a float. Oily sea fish leak scent and pull pike from a distance.

Tip: Always use a wire trace for pike and zander - their teeth cut straight through nylon, and a bite-off leaves a hook in the fish.

Catches: Trout, perch, pike, chub, sea bass

When: All year in rivers and stillwaters; a superb searching lure

How to fish it: Cast out and retrieve steadily so the blade spins and flashes; vary the speed and let it flutter down on the drop. The vibration and flash trigger a reaction bite.

Tip: A small silver or gold spinner is one of the best lures for covering water and finding active fish quickly.

Catches: Pike, perch, trout, sea species

When: All year; excellent for pike in open water

How to fish it: Cast and retrieve with a wobbling roll, or let it flutter down between pulls like a wounded fish. The heavy body casts a long way and works deeper water.

Tip: The erratic, fluttering fall on the drop often draws the take - do not just wind it straight back.

Catches: Bass, pike, perch, zander, sea bass

When: Warm months when predators are actively hunting

How to fish it: The diving lip pulls the lure down to a set depth on the retrieve; choose shallow or deep divers for the water. Wind steadily, or add pauses and twitches to imitate a struggling fish.

Tip: Match the diving depth to where the fish are holding - a lure running above or below them will be ignored.

Catches: Perch, pike, bass, zander, sea bass

When: All year - one of the most versatile lure types there is

How to fish it: Rig shads, worms and grubs on a jig head, or weedless on a weighted hook. Bounce them along the bottom, or swim them steadily. The soft tail gives lifelike action at any speed.

Tip: Cheap, endlessly variable and deadly. A soft plastic shad on a jig head is a fantastic starting lure for perch and pike.

Catches: Perch, bass, zander, cod, pollack

When: All year, and the key method for fishing deep or on the bottom

How to fish it: Let the weighted head sink to the bottom, then work it back with lifts and drops of the rod tip so it hops along. Most takes come as the jig falls - watch the line.

Tip: The lift-and-drop is everything: a jig fished dead-straight catches far less than one hopped along the bottom.

Catches: Pike, perch, bass in weed and cover

When: Warm months, especially over and around weed

How to fish it: The safety-pin wire arm keeps the hook riding up, so you can retrieve it through weed and snags that would foul other lures. Wind steadily so the blades thump and flash just under the surface.

Tip: Its near-weedless design lets you fish the snaggy, weedy spots where big predators hide and other lures cannot go.

Catches: Bass, pike, perch, sea bass

When: Warm, calm dawns and dusks in summer

How to fish it: Work poppers, walkers and prop baits across the surface with rod twitches so they splash, chug and dart. The strike is a heart-stopping surface explosion, so wait a beat before you set the hook.

Tip: The most exciting way to fish. Do not strike on the splash - wait until you feel the weight of the fish, or you will pull it away.

Catches: Trout, grayling, salmon, and increasingly bass and pike

When: All year, matched to the insects and fry that are active

How to fish it: Cast a weighted or floating imitation with a fly line and let it drift or work it back. Dry flies sit on top, nymphs sink, and streamers imitate small fish. Match the hatch - fish what the fish are eating.

Tip: Fly fishing is a craft of its own, but the principle is simple: present something that looks like the natural food, drifting naturally.