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Dusting off my old shimano aero 11ft 2 1/4lb tc carp rods and 6000 shimano baitrunners on a little pond in the Mole valley. Literally fishing under the rod tips, my baits are each side of the end of the boards. I’ve not used these rods in maybe 15yrs, but this lake didn’t suit either my 12ft 3lb fox torque or my 12 3.5lb fox horizon rods, average carp mid-high singles, with the odd low double, so a lovely through actioned rod like these ones are so much more matched and more fun to play carp on.

Yep depends on what you want out of the mix 👍👍

White crumb is a better binder than brown crumb. I've mentioned it in the past, but when Layer Pits banned spodding (hemp), all the anglers just started fishing groundbait and hemp, firing in balls of it by catapult. Strangely enough that was one of the best match tactics on there from years before where they used to use massive floats and groundbait, casters and hemp at range. I know that Tommy Boulton wrote a chapter on Layer Pits match style in Carp, Quest for the Queen by John Bailey and Martyn Page. Some interesting chapters in there on some Norfolk Waters!

Forgot about crumb tbh, might be the answer to bind it up 👍 Thanks Framey 🙂 As for Groats, err I still mix them in too, and used to years ago with hemp (don't bother with it now} as a spod mix.

Cheap bag of brown and white crumb mix it with what ever you want I used to use groats or pigeon conditioner back in the day. add some colours and flavourings if you want use enough water to bind it up I used to make it 24 hours before hand to give it time to blend and soak in the water and other liquids. add some more water when at the lake to get it to stick to the feeder

Deff worth giving it go 👍 Just back from a local club lake and had a few out too. For what it's worth I think the 'vaned' method feeders are the best for 'larger' carp fishing, the 'flat bed' ones are more match fishing, imo. Elasticated ones, deff a no no, from memory, if you break off above the feeder the fish will still be trailing it! As for loading it up, back in the day, scalded trout pellets deff worked on HorseShoe - actually accounted for a lot of 20+ fish. Like others have said Vitalin was great, now sadly gone, I have been messing about with flaked maize. a bit of sweet nutty method mix, oils and blittzed tigers, still cant get the mix to get to stick to feeder when I do a long chuck yet, semolina sort of worked, never mind it's good fun playing about with stuff 🙂

Anchor Meadow is temporarily closed for all forms of fishing. The campsite is closed, too. Big Fish Ken died in 2015 and his wife Margaret has been running the business since then. Margaret died a few weeks ago and her family has closed the business until it's decided how they're going forward, if at all. Ian.

Hello anyone know if you can still fish near the weir and can you get a day ticket if it’s still open

Give it a go, maybe a bit old school in this modern world but no reason for it not to work

I still use it every now and again rather than using PVA bags or mesh. I don't necessarily resort to a Method feeder, but mould groundbait round a flat lead. I don't think Ardleigh ever qualified as a runs water, and that moulded groundbait round the lead produced a lot of fish, and well into the 20's. My favourite groundbait is not quite the same as it was, Vitalin as a dog food company sold the makeup to Gladwells, who now make it as Vitacarp, although I don't think it is as 'sticky' as it was, with less rolled maize in it. I used to pour boiling water over it the night before use, or add in soaked and boiled birdfood, sweetcorn and hemp and allow to stand for about 30minutes before balling it for groundbait and moulding around the lead. Not forgetting some crushed and crumbled boilies in the mix. I wasn't keen on shop bought Method feeders with the elastic through the middle, but there is now a decent choice.

It’s always worth a go mate, it used to be a popular method (no pun intended) and in essence, it’s not too dissimilar to a pva bag I suppose. It probably went out of vogue because it was no longer “fashionable” as opposed to anything else. It’s a good compact way of presenting an attractive parcel of food, with the hook link tucked away out of sight, what’s not to like? I seem to remember it being branded a “small fish method” but that could be down to many variables, the fact it was a “match tactic” or that it was used on runs waters etc. I always think that with the turn over of young new carp in today’s waters, tactics such as the method have a whole new shelf life when presented to a generation of carp that haven’t seen it yet because everyone overlooks it as a tactic. when I first started carping in the mid 90s, I never EVER used strawberry or tutti boilies as an old hand told me that the carp were so used to them they wouldn’t touch them, that has stayed with me for 25+yrs! Daft really, those carp are long gone, and this generation of carp probably haven’t seen a strawberry boilie in their lives! Everyone seems to skip these flavours in favour of some more popular flavours. I was recently told that if I wasn’t fishing with a particular brand and flavour on my club lake, I would blank as the carp wouldn’t eat anything else… i then caught the big common over 40lb, first 40 from the lake

Years ago I frequently fished using method feeders and did pretty well with them. I'd use a variety of different feed mixes and enjoyed the experimental aspect of doing so. For the life of me I can't think why I stopped using feeders, maybe simply hair-rigging a boilie was a fresh approach? Dunno. Anyway, what do we think? Would it be a waste of time and effort or is it worth revisiting the method feeder? Any thoughts, guys? Ian.

A bit more info: https://www.carpology.net/article/features/the-carp-part-2-the-invasion-of-england/ As salokcinnodrog said 👍

The weather forecasters predicted a heatwave this weekend and they weren't wrong! I booked a 48hr session on a pay lake back in November and was in 2 minds whether or not to go. Got there on Friday afternoon and they were all sunbathing, some with their backs out of the water. Chucked out 3 zigs in desperation but wasn't surprised they didn't take them. An hour before dusk I would them in and replaced them with bottom baits and boated them out with the first loose feed. An hour after dark they started spawning and spent virtually all night doing it and I got practically no sleep. I did manage 2 overnight and then another 2 at first light up to 24-5. The day was another grueller but luckily I was sheltered right back amongst the trees and avoided the worst of the sun. I had another 3 during the second night and luckily no more spawning. It died about 2 hours after dawn and I packed up at 10a.m. despite booking on 'til 6p.m. It you would have offered me 7 fish in those conditions I would have had your hand off! I did lie on my camp bed for 10 minutes after dinner and woke up 2 hours later!

I’ve not really had the rods out in anger for a while, but my daughter has been showing me how it’s done with her first carp from a little campsite pond.

I suppose you could argue that Terry Hearns first book, in pursuit of the largest and Dave Lanes obsession with carp are creeping into old school territory now? After all, they are documenting famous waters from the early 90s, nigh on 30yrs now! Where has the time gone?

was a bream not eel though both as snotty as can be, was on a barbel rod not carp rod...........not caught an eel in like 40 years

I can’t remember the last time I caught a Eel, il be well happy with a 2lb on a feeder rod but defo not on a carp rod

Mmm nice 😎

It is believed that carp were introduced into Britain by the Romans, however it was monks who introduced them heavily in around the 1400's, as Catholics were not to eat meat on Fridays, so stew ponds were stocked with fish.

Decided to fish the little pond for next couple of months due to mass of week and constant closures on main lake, did a cheeky early 4 hour session this morning but sadly the carp were not having it, ended up with a 2lb snotty

It is curious that so many folk are interested in the history of carp fishing and yet the most important event of all – the introduction of the species into England – is not public knowledge.

If anyone is interested, a few more old skool reads: Quest for Carp - Jack Hilton Carp Fever - Kevin Maddocks Big Water Carp - Jim Gibbinson Rob Maylins trio of books (guess they are old skool now?) The Rod Hutchinson Chris Yates Legacy - complitaion of Carp World interviews Casting at the Sun - Chris Yates A very interesting read, not really carp related but an insight into the old days - Fantastic Feeder Fishing by Archie Braddock

Other Hutchy books I have: 'The Carp Strikes Back' - fantastic read, and also 'Carp Then and Now'. Yes. fishing was certainly much more simple back in the day, tackle has obviously moved on so much, social media as with all aspects of life has changed things in so many ways too. If people can imagine a time when carp anglers were very rare on the banks and smaller lakes were not actually brown puddles, then carp were introduced at first mainly for match anglers, sadly other species were muscled out of their enviroment and we all know the rest. I have adapted to the new scene, don't do nights anymore and just fish for my enjoyment of being on the bank now, still experimenting on new ideas which suits me fine 👍