More Fishing with Des Taylor

Des Taylor kicks off a new fishing series with a return trip to his favourite river, the Severn in search of some specimen Barbel. After prebaiting, Des talks us through his swim choice and the features that provide the Barbel here such a good habitat, before going into detail about his rod, reel and preferred rig set up. After casting his baits into a snaggy area on the far bank, Des sits back and waits and it isn't long before he's rewarded with a cracking 5lb Chub which although not the intended species is very welcome nonetheless. As the rain starts, Des gets into his first Barbel and although it isn't huge, it puts a up a great fight. In a break from the action, Des talks us through his special groundbait mix which he says has helped him bank more than 1600 fish in the past 5 years. The swim goes quiet for a while and Des notices big Pike loitering around so decides to pull the rods out and 'repair' the swim with some more groundbaiting. After giving the swim a good rest, Des is soon back into fish again, completing a brilliant session on the River Severn with a lump of a Barbel . If you like Barbel fishing then this a great feature length episode from one of the UK's best and most knowledgable Barbel anglers. To watch just login or join

Although Des is generally thought of as a river angler, he admits that he loves Carp fishing and here at the Sitch Lake in Shropshire he is able to indulge himself during a two day session in the famous Holiday swim. It's April and although the sun is shining in clear blue skies it's unseasonably cold and the water temperature has dropped, so Des is taking a cagey approach, not over feeding. He's casting a slow sinking pineapple wafter hookbait that he hope's will sit just above his free offerings, halved Scopex Squid 20mm boilies soaked in Tigernut juice with Betaine and Hemp Oil that he's strung on a short PVA thread and attached to the hook. He's hoping that the wafter will sit just above these and be the first thing sucked into an unsuspecting hungry carp's mouth. The lake is a consistent 4 feet deep with a silty bottom and Des has seen carp breaking the surface about 70 yards out, so he's casting his two rods into this area. There are plenty of Carp in the lake ranging from 20lbs to one just over 50lbs but in these conditions Des will be happy with a bite or two. He doesn't have to wait too long before he gets a drop back on the alarm and the game is on. Des has been carp fishing for many years and has plenty of tips on reading the conditions, casting techniques and bait presentation making this a great film to watch. To watch Carp at The Sitch now, just login or join

In this episode Des is joined by his good mate Keith on an adventure into the Celtic Deeps in the Irish Sea fishing for sharks. They're onboard The Antlantic Blue, skippered by Andy Truelove out of Dale, a beautiful village on the Pembrokeshire coast. It's a two and a half hour trip out to the Deeps where Andy thinks they will have a very good chance of catching a Blue Shark or two and possibly a Porbeagle. But the journey isn't dull, as there's quite often dolphins and whales to be seen. Andy recommends drift fishing, letting the boat follow the wind and the currents, hoping he can attract the sharks with the scent trail he is leaving with the chum in his 'Rubby Dubby' bag. They are using mackerel deadbaits, with the tails chopped off to stop them spinning and the bellies cut open to create as much scent as possible, dropped to a depth of around 50 feet. They've got four rods out at various distances from the boat and its one of Des's that's first to go. it's not one of the monsters they are hoping for but a nice 'bluey' none the less. The sighting of a Fin Whale creates some excitement but not as much as the bend in Keith's rod as he's into his first ever shark. The successful boating off a bluey in the region of 50lbs leaves him "chuffed to bits". Des adds another blue shark but is desperately hoping he can hook a Porbeagle Shark. His dream comes true towards the end of the day as he boats a lovely fish around the 40lb mark. Then Keith hooks the biggest Blue Shark of the day, just as they are about to head for home. To watch Celtic Sharks now, just login or join

Des arrives at the Palm Tree Lagoon resort on his first trip to Thailand for a weeks fishing, hoping that he is going to be pulled all around the lake by some of the monster fish lurking in its depths, top of his wish list is an Arapaima, these fantastic prehistoric looking fish can grow to over 500lbs. The fishery was bought by Englishman Tim Webb in 2008, he's continually trying to improve the number and variety of fish on offer, it currently holds 100 different freshwater species, 14 of them to over 100lbs. Des's guide Benchawan baits up his three rods, one with very smelly fish guts, the second with a chicken neck. Both fished in mid water on 80lb braid with an 80lb heavy nylon leader. The third uses pop up boilies from a method feeder in which she puts a sticky mixture of brown rice and bread crumb. His first bite is a Big Headed Carp quickly followed by a Catfish Shark, both weighing in at around 40lbs, but mere tiddlers here. Highlights that follow are a lovely Siamese Carp, a Redtail Catfish and a gigantic Mekong catfish but quite honestly the variety of species that Des catches is amazing, most of them new to him, but his trip of a lifetime is completed when he lands an Arapaima at over 300lbs. "The most beautiful fish I've ever seen in my life." To watch Palm Tree Lagoon Thailand now, just login or join

It's early January and Des is Pike fishing on one of his favourite lakes at Weston Park in Shropshire. Des arrives early to find the lake blanketed in mist, and as the sun breaks, he reflects on what a perfect winter Pike fishing day he's blessed to be out in. Des starts off by showing us how he puts together his ledgering rig and how he likes to hook up the Smelt and Pollan dead baits he prefers to use on lakes like this. After casting out the dead bait, Des shows us the importance of being ready to deal with a Pike once landed, with an unhooking mat, long pliers, cutters and water all essential items that should be ready and to hand. With no early action on the ledger, Des notices some Pike working near the surface, so decides to put a float rod out to target them and try and get a bite. The tactic pays off and Des is soon into a feisty Pike which he duly lands and demonstrates how easy it is to unhook. It's not long before the ledger rod starts beeping and Des is into a strong double figure Pike to end the session on Weston Park Lake. This is a great film, showing how to approach a day's winter piking for the best chance of success To watch just login or join