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That's amazing - and the cheeky sods! My mate spends a lot of time looking for stuff on facebook etc got the collecting bug from another friend. I've not got a fishing room, just fishing kit in every room, garage and attic 😀

I think the quote to be used here is don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.. typical journos

Believe it or not I can possibly beat that 😅 I have a full size faux taxidermy carving of the ex record carp, Two Tone, fully mounted in mahogany case. The centrepiece of my fishing room. There's a funny story that comes with it too. I came across it on ebay. It was advertised as a carving so clearly not the actual stuffed fish. I bought it, knowing full well it wasn't real, for the fishing room and thought I'd see if I could find some info on it. I posted it on the old Anglers Forum but no-one could tell me anything about it. But, the Anglers Mail got in touch and asked to do an article on it. Me being me, I told them I don't really want to be in a magazine, and turned them down. So rather than just leave it.... they made a story up. They published an article, using the picture I'd posted on the Anglers Forum, that said the buyer had purchased it thinking it was the real thing i.e. the actual stuffed Two-Tone. The cheeky gits. Naturally, I went back to them and called them scum of the earth A) for making the story up, and B) for stealing my photo. Needless to say they never replied. This was maybe 10 years ago but the story was still available online not long ago. I just Googled it and found the image but the link no longer works.

I've got 2 carp landing nets: a Fox Warrior net which has had the mesh replaced a few times and a Rod Hutchinson Sceptre net, both in 42inch. I've spent more replacing the meshes over the years than the landing net originally cost. For years I lived with just one, but a few years ago came up with the idea of one on each side of the swim, so I could always reach one without, in theory of stepping around the rods to grab it. The 2 faults, they don't match, not that I really worry, and the second is many runs now seem to come on the middle rod... I can't remember who it was by, but the original Springlock mechanism landing net I do miss. I borrowed one for a while back in the early 2000's when I had a load of gear stolen.

Sorry, couldn't edit the last post, should have added it was sensitive enough for tench, roach and silver bream on feeder too

Maybe look at an 'Avon' rod? Drennan do (used to do?) a series 7 range, Multi tip feeder rod and the added bonus of a float rod option too 👍 Probably still do the range in a range of TCs too, I have landed carp to 15lb on the 1 1/2lb TC rod, actually back in the day 2 1/2lb TC rods were the largest you could buy!!

Quality 👌😎 My mates got a fishing room, in progress - got ornaments of fish and everything lol I'm hoping to get a few for the mantlepiece - perch, pike and zander, but they're all good, he's got nearly all including the super rare carp. Not got a thing about nets, just annoyance that mine don't match - hmmm ££££ cost inbound 😀

Flat

Bivvy fetishism struck again !

Thanks crusian,and yes to your question ...( a lot of generations esp in mining/ saddlers)

Is that the flat mat or the walled version?

I got a Korda Spring Bow net delivered last week. I have a thing about real decent nets and have inadvertently amassed a bit of a collection. It drives the Mrs mad. A pal of mine showed me his Spring Bow a while back and I was well impressed so I've had a search set up on fleabay/marketplace for a while. The right deal finally came up so it's now racked up with the various Dymags and Chris Brown nets in the fishing room, much to the Mrs' annoyance. I'll use it on my next session out of principle and then decide if it replaces the Dymag mk2 I tend to use most of the time.

After a chat on here about mats I treated myself to the Thinking Anglers mat, its very light and actually will be great for stalking 👍

Lovely colours , Roughtor . Sorry I can't remember but , are you are a proud Cornish Man ? .

What lovely 'photos , Ouch . I especially like the little girl holding the Carp's tail .

As i no longer bivvy up i dont have the bivvy/rats problem, have to say on the lake i fish i have not seen a single Roland, but the fishery is tolerant to Mink, for the rat control reason and it seems to work

Rats get immune to poison, and learn to avoid traps, and as you say with traps you have to be careful with where they are put in position. I think that that is possibly because of patrol route? I'm not 100% sure, but they use their patrol route as the base as it were, then when finding or sniffing food expand from there.

My staffy would probably run away from a rat 🤣

On the couple of waters I fish most often, the bailiff's come round most days to check the rat boxes for poison but I think they have learned to avoid them. They are probably better off with traps but you have to be careful where you put them. Shooting is another option as they are getting bolder but obviously comes with risks and has to be on private ground.

My spaniels seem to mark the perimeter of the swim and I think that deters most, they deffo will not come in the bivvy. Whilst dogless I had one eat through the side of the ridgemonkey porch - with an open front (dumb creature), thankfully it was the only bivvy I've ever hated so not bothered! It has to be the amount of bait and food about on day tickets. 👎

For years there were no problems at Taverham, then more anglers started fishing it when Anglian Water took it on and litter started becoming a problem. Klaus bought a brand new bivvy and rats chewed their way in through the groundsheet and into his bait and food bags. He found a chewed pack of bacon dragged outside the bivvy. We get a few rats on the syndicate now, not many, and as you can see, they don't cause me any problems, thanks to Sky. How she can wait patiently on the lead until they get close enough to her to attack them amazes me, she's normally head down and charge.

Easy mat is a good choice and it’s quite light

Drennan twin tip, my mates got 2 of these - look mint 👍

I bought a new dog because of rats at fishing, having them climbing up my spod rod in the doorway and running all over the bivvy was the final straw at Bluebell lakes. I'd never experienced that level of rat infestation there before because of my previous dog largely keeping them away. I keep all bait in buckets outside the bivvy. They've damaged cars there eating wires and getting into the vehicle for food/bait. Not seen one on my syndi in 3 years!

Here it is packed away, comes with a bag too Great design and not too bulky to carry around