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    • Getting Started

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      Tactics and Tips

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  • Start Here
    • Getting Started

      First Fishing Session Checklist Fishing Etiquette Getting Started with Lure Fishing

      Water Reading

      How to Read a River How to Read a Lake

      Tactics and Tips

      Seasonal Fishing Guide How Weather Affects Fishing Overnight Carp Fishing Unhooking and Handling Fish Safely

Rob Hadley

Rob Hadley grew up fishing the rivers and drains of the Norfolk Broads, and it was inevitable that pike would become his species of choice. He's been targeting predators seriously for over 20 years - starting on dead baits, moving through live bait rigs, and eventually landing on lure fishing as his preferred method about eight years ago. These days he fishes the Broads through winter, travels to Chew Valley Lake each spring for its outsized fish, and spends the warmer months working soft plastics on rivers across the East Midlands for perch and zander. He's had pike to 31lb and perch to 3lb 9oz, and reckons both records are beatable on the right day with the right set-up. At The River Bend, Rob writes the predator species guides, lure fishing technique articles, and most of the winter fishing content. Covers: Pike, perch, zander, lure fishing, winter fishing, predator rigs

Why I Switched From Bait to Lures for Zander

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

Zander fishing used to mean deadbaiting for me. A slow shift to lure fishing changed both my catch rate and how much I enjoy targeting them.

Categories Techniques Leave a comment

What a Bad Session Taught Me About Watercraft

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

Sometimes the sessions that teach you the most are the ones where nothing goes right – here’s what one genuinely miserable blank taught me.

Categories From the Bank Leave a comment

Reading Water: What Twenty Years of Pike Fishing Taught Me

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

The single skill that’s improved my pike fishing more than any tackle or bait change: learning to read where fish actually are.

Categories From the Bank Leave a comment

A Morning on the Norfolk Broads: Pike in the Mist

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

A session diary from a still, misty January morning on home water, and the pike that made the early start worth it.

Categories From the Bank Leave a comment

Five Fishing Myths I Used to Believe

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

Some widely-repeated fishing advice turns out to be wrong, or at least far less universal than it’s presented. Here are five I fell for.

Categories From the Bank Leave a comment

The Most Underrated UK Canal for Perch

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

Everyone talks about the Basingstoke Canal for perch. There’s a quieter alternative that’s just as good and far less pressured.

Categories Locations Leave a comment

The Pike Season That Changed How I Fish Deadbaits

July 6, 2026 by Rob Hadley

A frustrating winter on the Broads forced me to rethink everything I thought I knew about static deadbaiting.

Categories From the Bank Leave a comment

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The River Bend Fish it properly.

UK fishing knowledge, written properly. Species, techniques, locations, gear, and the rules - all in one place.

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