All Activity

As long as its pink 😉 One of the reasons I mainly use pop ups is because the lake is so weedy, I've pulled in too many bottom baits covered in slimy weed to think it's a waste of time. If I was fishing one of those clear bottomed lakes or one of the well worn spots I might reconsider, but for now they don't really suit the lake I fish and I would rather know I am fishing effectively.

Timed out trying to find something the only time I ever noticed was my largest fish out of local lake on an elite baits orange pop up either Xmas cracker or cream cracker the one that’s like a tutti frutti flavour.

If it’s in the right place and the signals given off is something they want to eat doesn’t matter if it’s a pink pop up or a pink bottom bait they will eat it.

To be honest Mate, I don't think so. I've probably caught far more smaller carp on pop-ups than bigger fish, although obviously big fish are fewer in number than smaller ones. 2x 18mm bottom baits is probably more big fish orientated than a 15mm pop-up, and catching 3 big fish over 25lb out of Alton in a night while the pop-up was ignored. Then catching 2 small 20's on the pop-up on another occasion. It's a case of finding the right method for the fish at the time. Of all the 30's I have had, snowman with an 18mm bottom and 15mm has produced a few, a 15mm pop-up has produced one and the double 18mm bottom bait a few more, and even a single 15mm bottom bait a couple.

I'm not saying you won't catch on bottom baits. I just feel pop ups are more selective and smaller fish tend to ignore them.

I do try my pop-ups at various heights, says he who used to prefer keeping them as low as possible. I’ve caught fish on pop-ups close to the lakebed, the counterbalance being on the hook eye, to around 10centimetres above the lakebed, which to me seemed like a zig rig. I'm not sure that pop-ups are a big fish only setup, although I suppose that is relative. 23lb is a big fish, but when the lake has fish to 50, 23lb is 'small'. Going back through my captures, I've caught big fish on bottom and snowman baits as well, including 30lb carp.

Absolutely awesome kipper Kev. People underestimate how hard it can be getting everything right on that place. What a result. Buzzing for you mate.

Pop ups are a big fish rig. Pretty much all I use these days because I want to hook the big ones 😎

the pop up was very blatent, when i fish pop up i tend to put the shot a couple of mm behind the hook eye keeping it as low as possible..........................still dont catch though

Glad I re-read this coz the answer is use my pen to break up the flouro a bit, always had the pen in the tackle box but not the brain power to remember to do it - now on a post-it note in the living room 🤦😆

Isn’t that the standard time for moves to happen I remember my daughters moving in day for her first house was like that

Whilst this is mainly true some of the trickiest carp to catch can be those that have seen it all on a daily basis on a busy commercial, I reeled in a bent hookpoint after one bleep last trip so deffo been done. 95% of bites are dropbacks and you rarely connect, that is NOT normal - this is my finding on Bluebell's Kingfisher anyway - cute as anything. On my big, low stock lake I think they are scared of baited patches which again seems pretty rare, they usually say find them and you'll catch, here it's find them - cast out and they're gone lol This lake is so clear I've been looking at my flouro leaders thinking well they're easy to see - should I go back to leadcore. Minefield!

4 day blank on the canal for me 🤣 back to the complex for a couple nights 👍

It's a mine field ,is tackle even for experienced fisherthems lol ..

I think nick has/had a set of the NGT ones you can feel the Cork flexing in the butt on the greys with fish of about mid teens. i also Chuckeda small spomb out with them if I was fishing with 2 rods. to be honest I did abuse them and they took it all.

Thanks for info ,that's part of what I'm after,a short rod that actually bends ,I tried a ESP ,3lb stalker in a shop, it was proper stiff ,that was a 10ft tho Those NGT ,look good for the money ...its hard finding gear to look at before I buy as most places I fish are very quiet

Greys stalkers are bout 2.75 as are the esp stalker I like both of them the greys are 3 piece and the esp are 2 the esp don’t bend as well as the greys

One of my favourite pools ,is gradually being dominated by trees ,I can't cast overhead anymore .. I don't want to spend a lot of money ,so ..does anyone have any experience of NGT 9ft 2.5tc rods ,or can recommend any other 9ft rod ,I don't want anything over 3lb tc.. Cheers 🥂

I'm not going to get all technical ,here's what I've learnt over time .. I had an old friend 'Egloskerry Tom' Tom had a massive influence on me as a youngster ,as far as carping went he was God.. I used to watch him set up a rod ,cast his latest rig out ,with the latest homemade RH recipe, Partridge hook ,then came attaching backleads ,sinking the line ,....you get the picture !...a right kerfuffle!.. He didn't catch many ,but I loved him as a friend .. Anyway I used to turn up with a bag of Richwoth tutti, some not looking to good ,just found some ,spots that I felt held fish ...one Sunday I turned up he'd been there hours same routine etc ....and nowt ...by lunch time fishing simple running rigs and so on I had 7 nice carp...what that taught me is over complication looses against simplicity .. I fish similar even today, simple is best ,no gadgets or gimmicks ,just a sharp hook in the right place carp are simple creatures...if they don't feed there is nothing you can do about it...and boy ,don't those tackle manufacturers know it they play on people's insecurity..

No I didnt say anything, probably just threw my arms about at the time lol You see some stuff there my word, swim boundaries are seemingly optional if you're catching, and every swim has a max distance but little notice is taken once they get desperate to catch. I watched 2 guys arrive taking the windward corner to my left, fair play I tought they're on them. Well both must have leaded about on their heads whilst they were showing for an hour or more - I wanted to scream at them but just thought well they've pushed them back out onto me. Honestly clueless - all that casting then they put the rod out with a boat - unreal stupidity on their overnighter 😆🤦

I've actually made my MO to be largely yellow beds of bait, I've used maize flake, sweetcorn and yellow pellets, all doused in yellow smart liquid,

Interestingly I've been using this bait all year, and I don't recall being plagued by wildfowl at all,I've had grebes diving but they tended to quit quite quickly.

That's a whole new can of worms! Treat them like idiots and they will make a fool of you. Other times you can chuck out a Fag dogbut and they'll take it! Some lakes has a resident mug and yet other fish can go years without a visit to the bank. A lot can depend on the size of the lake and the stock. Sparsely populated lakes are by definition the hardest and the fish can choose what to eat and what to avoid. Heavily populated commercials are easier and chances are most of the natural food has been harvested and the fish are reliant on anglers baits and the fish are more likely to be tolerant to tackle and bank-side disturbance. Most of us don't but gin clear to us and what a fish sees are 2 totally different things. They can find there way around and feed (and avoid being caught!) on the darkest of nights. Obviously they have a highly developed sense of smell and this plays a huge part but I am convinced they must have a good degree of night sight. Most big cats can effectively hunt at night when we are stumbling around and natural selection almost certainly means that fish do have have a fully functional degree of vision.

I watch the videos and I always chuckle to myself. The swim being fished has so many things that can add to the already wary fishes 'stress'. Obviously first one is the camera, and any attachment to the bank, wires or cables, as it is unlikely underwater cameras will be wire free. Then we have feeding situation. The water may or may not be a boilie water, or a water where particles or groundbait are the best feeding stimulant. As for my fishing I tend not to be pedantic about camouflage, but I do try to minimise it being over conspicuous. There are times that I have seen fish spook off bright fluorescent baits, yet at other times they are the best way to catch. My hooklinks I prefer green or green, black and dirty white (Merlin). I think that matches the majority of lake bottoms. My mainline is usually clear in clear waters, and is as much as possible fished slack line and running leads, or rods low so the line is along the lakebed if possible, although I believe that at anything over 40metres, the line is along the lakebed anyway. I stopped using leaders unless I have to, and I still catch on straight through mainline, and with no anti-tangle tubing. Like @elmoputney I don't think that the fish can identify a hook, run ring, bead, lead or swivel, and that green hooklink looks like a strand of weed. Baitwise, I prefer an unobtrusive bait, for a couple of reasons, to try to stop swan life, but also to match my freebies which are normally brown. However, as said, there are times in late autumn, winter and early spring when I think that a fluorescent bait is better or will provoke takes.

No you didn't get lucky , Kev , you just went the extra mile . I do hope you were able to let the mickey taker who was fishing in your water know how you got on after he had left ? 😁.