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Hi all, I run Next Level Angling, a UK-based angling tuition and guiding business, and I’m looking to add a small number of experienced carp anglers to our tutor network. We’re particularly interested in anglers based across the Home Counties, Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, although I’d be happy to hear from good people slightly further afield too. This is paid freelance work and is intended to fit around existing jobs, family commitments, sponsorships and your own fishing. Typical sessions may include: one-to-one carp tuition feature finding and watercraft casting, rigs and baiting helping anglers progress onto more challenging waters venue-specific coaching junior or father-and-son sessions where appropriate longer guided sessions I’m not looking for big social-media profiles or sponsored anglers specifically. What matters more is that you are an experienced, credible angler who is patient, reliable, approachable and able to explain things clearly. Ideally, tutors would already have, or be willing to obtain, relevant first aid, safeguarding and insurance where required, particularly for junior sessions. If you’re interested, send me a PM or email info@nextlevelangling.co.uk with a little about your fishing background, where you’re based, and any coaching or guiding experience. Cheers, James Next Level Angling www.nextlevelangling.co.uk

That's almost how I managed to pick up the second set of Beastmasters, although in my case it was Ebay. Someone selling a set of 3 for around £50 each, when new they were £59.99. I knew that they were decent reels having used them for years. Not that I am in a hurry to sell them, but I still wouldn't lose money if I did. Possibly the best of the budget range Shimano reels, better than many more premium reels from them.

Honestly, I'd be using your Aviators! But to answer your question, if you're prepared to spend whatever the Telos cost for this particular water/swim, then I'd absolutely be prepared to spend on downsizing the reels. There's a set of as-new SS2600s on FB Marketplace for 250 notes. Bargain. You could use them on this lake then sell them for 300 I bet. You'll probs save as much weight on the reels as you have on the rods too. Likewise. In fact I'd be taking the 13's. As most on here know, I am completely anal about mobility when it comes to angling. All my tackle is chosen to enable me to get where I need to be quickly and easily. The trick is to reduce the size/weight of all the supporting kit... brolly, bed, sleeping bag, sticks, net, etc etc. I do not mess with the bits that put the bait in front of the carp. The way I see it I'd rather be fishing way over-gunned under the tips with 13s, than walk 2 miles to get on the fish and find I can't reach them. I do love a short rod on a small water but the reality is I hardly fish small waters. There is a little 4 acre lake in the Valley I visit now and again but even on there I like to use a nice soft, slow-action set of 12s. It just makes everything so easy.

I'll probably do just that, save a few quid.

Hello Everyone . I've been looking at the NGT Weighing Tripod as it's got 2 piece legs that take away my problem with my Cygnet Tripod where I'm fiddling around trying to equalise the height of the legs ; and sometimes I find that the screws aren't quite tight enough . I also like the look of the mud feet on the NGT . Any opinions please ? . 😃

Big hike? Not being funny, but a big water I'd stick with 12ft rods. Ardleigh and Alton reservoir, 160 and 500 acres respectively, even Nazeing Meads Lagoons, around 65acres, could be some long walks to swims, and 12ft rods do give you better casting range. Sounds simple, but co-ordinate your barrow and tackle you carry. Do the standard take out non essential stuff that 'I might need one day'. I use a Carp Porter Porterlite (original), and I can take the gear for 3 days in one trip, and the 12ft rods and bivvy on top of the barrow.

Hi Yonny, Thanks for the info, I own a set of Aviators (12ft Flex). The rods were purchased because it's a proper hike fish to fish some of the best swims. (15 min walk with a barrow) With smaller rods i'm hoping to get my kit there in one trip. I'm walking my rods there first and then returning with the barrow It's a large estate lake that has a dam wall at one end a bottle necks. The top end is a long underhand chuck or a gentle overhead lob at best. I use 2oz leads exclusively for this. I sold my SS2600's a few years back. With the above info would you still purchase some new smaller ones or save some cash and make do with what i've got? Cheers.

Simple answer is, imo, yes. I had a set of tournies (some of the smallest pit reels you can get) on my Harrison Stalkers, which I believe the Telos is basically a retractable version of, and even those wouldn't balance the rods. That said, your 50 mm butt rings will likely unbalance the rods anyway. Info on the Telos isn't easy to find, in fact I can't even see them on the Harrison site yet, but what I did find suggested the rods are primarily for stalking, boat fishing, and fishing in snaggy areas. It looks like you intend to use them as an all-rounder which is fine, but you're compromised straight away (for casting). Having owned the Stalkers my advice would be to downsize everything...... reels (you want something like the SS2600), line diameter, and in particular the leads size. You'll find distance and accuracy will be improved with something like 2-2.5 Oz rather than the big 3-4 Oz leads many use nowadays. If it's not too late, I'd cancel that order. As an all-rounder I'd not look past the Aviator or even the Torrix in 12ft.... unless there's a specific reason you want the short rods that you've not mentioned of course. Either way, enjoy your new rods 👍

Fish with what suits you! I have Shimano Beastmaster XTA 7000's on both my 12ft 3.25lb The Ones and my 12ft 2.75lb Sceptre's.

These are XTD's, not XTB as in the title of the post. Thanks

Hi, I've ordered some new Harrison Telos 10ft, 3lb rods. I fish exclusively with braid on my syndicate, the butt rings for the new rods are 50mm so it shouldn't frap. The rod will be on the pod most of the time, except for casting and playing fish. I did see a video with Matthew Collins where he says big reels are good on short rods, however i'm not sure if my MGS would be overkill? https://www.facebook.com/reel/1009833238059372 My current reels are the newest version by Shimano and weigh roughly the same as some other smaller big pit reels. https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/shimano-aero-technium-mgs-xtd-reel?itemId=99245&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20817704584&gbraid=0AAAAAD_NdB59VxiRgpQ9v1mVJxNU34KzX&gclid=CjwKCAjw0LzWBhBOEiwAKQd0cBExgg0HDJogvtnlybb3_o1_koo1c9LGRLylfIeL7W4w7yVd34vDzxoCUZwQAvD_BwE I don't want to buy a new set of reels for these rods if I don't have to. Cheers, Luke

A moody one after a busy night..

Rumour has it they call him Ghandi though

"In the American Anglers Guide published in 1845 John J. Brown wrote about the carp as follows: “This beautiful fish is not a native of our country; but as they have been imported from England by a number of persons in many parts of the United States for the purpose of stocking their ponds and protection having been given them by the laws of the State of New York, they will undoubtedly become an object of the anglers pleasure." I thought importation didn't start until the 1860's, but it was well established long before. https://www.carpanglersgroup.com/main/history-of-carp/

Blank 3 nights last weekend, started on the spots i'd caught from, by the last night I had 2 up against the snags after seeing one saturday morning. Heard a lump bosh near there rods at 11pm but no takes. Frustrating but back again Thursday with a new baiting plan and lure rods after a pike grabbed the leading rod and felt decent!

https://americancarpsociety.com/us-carp-history Actually we are both wrong common c arp were indeed introduced deliberately in the US by one private individual in California and the federal government but it was long after Lincoln died. Carp were considered a valuable food fish in the US as they cold survive polluted waters bu carp were blamed for the decline of native game fish. Today most American anglers still distain carp and no state as far as I know has any season or limits on carp. Leftyhunter

"Carp were introduced to the US has a food fish by immigrants" They were brought in by the government, which makes them introduced vs invasive. The Silver, or Asian Carp are invasive, Snakeheads are invasive, but Common Carp (or German Carp as they were known at the time) were introduced. Lincoln was the President and had a good relationship with the German immigrants (providing them a printing press when a Democrat mob threw theirs into the river, or he might never have become President), but the introduction of the carp was likely as much due to looking ahead to the waves of immigration that were coming as for those already here. I've been fishing for carp for 30 years (out of 65 years at least of fishing), done the research, know the history, and I'm still the new guy here. If you want to see them being fished as a food source, check out Carp Killer on Tik Tok, he's one of the commercial fishermen on Lake Winnipeg that began netting for carp when the demand began. He'll take a contract for tons of carp with probably a million or so in equipment and a 4 or 5 man crew. 20 years ago when Lake Winnipeg was suffering due to aquatic plants being uprooted (and carp were blamed), proposals included poisoning the carp, erecting barriers, poisoning all the fish in the lake then restocking, but now that there's a market for them, the solution appears to be just catching them. Lake Winnipeg is an inland sea twice the size of Yorkshire or about the same size as New Jersey, for scale.

As far as I can tell carp is regarded in the US as a harmful invasive species and I posted the statement of the Minnesota Department if Natural Resources on that issue. Unaware if any US state that has any limits and or seasons on invasive carp species including the common or Eurasian carp which also is fished for in the UK. I also posted that the Nebraska Fish and Game Department ( or their equivalent) has videos of a cook encouraging people to catch and eat carp. In South Dakota all carp species are regarded as invasive. Carp were introduced to the US has a food fish by immigrants who missed eating carp and were briefly planted by the federal government in certain waters. Carp of course breed very rapidly and eat the eggs of native fish. I dont know how many American anglers catch and eat carp but I do as they are delicious if a bit boney. Per youtube its not unknown but actual numbers if American carp anglers can only be guessed at. Leftyhunter

Attitude of anglers toward carp in North America depends a lot on the character and size of the water, and the number and species of native fish and how they are impacted. I wrote a book in offline posts then deleted it, lol. Leftyangler knows the difference between introduced species and invasive species (though in the link he posted common carp is mistakenly labeled invasive) and has valid reasons for his opinions, which sets him apart from many detractors. I have a feeling that in different circumstances and location if he could catch a few good ones doing it our way, he would see the attraction. The boom in c&r carping in North America peaked then faded, and Carp Angler's Group is a shadow of what it used to be, and ACS seems to be what's left of the no limits specimen hunters (though there are names on there I recall of both dodgy and revered characters).

I suppose the conerment have looked at it as if they can survive the sewage going into the rivers then a little bit more stinky winky for them to deal with won’t hurt……

Just had a nose at the blurb on Gov site, guessing now, no need for net dipping, not sure that was actually to effective tbh. We won't know what fisheries were affected and no need to worry about it now then, hopefully Angling clubs are aware of this?! Here is a sample of what is being said: Why the approach is changing Over time, Cefas scientists and epidemiologists have undertaken multiple reviews of KHV controls, drawing on more than 15 years of outbreak investigations and epidemiological analyses. These reviews consistently show that: KHV is endemic and widespread in recreational fisheries in England and Wales outbreaks occur regularly and are influenced primarily by environmental conditions and stress, with good fishery management and biosecurity practices helping to reduce likelihood and impact. affected fisheries present a low risk of onward spread, due to limited live fish movements statutory controls at these sites have not demonstrably reduced disease frequency or spread the virus persists in sub-clinically infected carp populations in recreational fisheries and wild populations, with carrier fish often showing no obvious signs of disease Taken together, this evidence shows that applying statutory disease controls at recreational fisheries does not materially affect the overall epidemiological situation and spread of KHV. On this basis, Defra has endorsed a revised, evidence-led and proportionate approach to statutory disease control in recreational fisheries.

Changes to KHV disease controls in recreational fisheries - GOV.UK I don't know if this has been seen or commented on here, but I've just seen that KHV outbreaks are no longer requiring control measures. I'm split on this. We'll no longer know where has had an outbreak, but if it's as prevalent/endemic as they claim, what can really be done? What everyone's thoughts? ETA: There are currently no KHV control measures in place anywhere. Controls of fish and shellfish diseases in England and Wales - GOV.UK

I try not to worry too much about mosquito bites. All too often they're the only bites I get. Ian.

I had no idea it's DEET free now. Cheers for the heads-up. Ill be trying that.

It's blood type O that is most susceptible to bites, I did have to check it up. I did look at my Jungle Systems this morning and I know that they have moved away from DEET. It used to give me a real headache, and took print off t-shirts. Skin-so-Soft was good, but apparently the amount of citronella has been reduced, and I could only get the original from Avon Poland.