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Had 5 today, 2 mirrors and 3 commons... On snowman rigs with a small bag of pellets with a dip of Manilla glug

Always there camping, never catches anything either, most of the water out there has pads just under the surface and is pretty unfishable. Back in the rat/wasp den now, wasps have stopped being so mental and settled into building the nest, even one of the rats went out early today because of the noisy neighbours (Not me BTW)

Awesome. Made my day that has fells 👍👍👍👍

Bits and bobs

I had 90% of my carp on the syndicate in the summer all on adjustable zigs using 12lb hook lengths and 10ft 3.5 rods , got to use tbe drag sensibly and with soft hands. But as Iv said elsewhere in hindsight they were to stiff and il be in the market for something slightly lighter

Best of luck 🤞

If there was a carp god he’d be looking out for the carp not us 🤔

You could do with 6 rods in that swim looks so much to go for, I see the dude with the big bivvy is back… oh and nice reel 😎

Wasp Exile rod shot.

Struggles pah! If I don't catch the biggun after this , there is no carp god. Lost 2 to cut offs, bivvied up next to a rats nest, caught a 12oz rudd on a zig, managed to get the extra night, went to the shops, was having a look round the lake, when I came back thousands of wasps are flying round the same rat tree. I've taken a rod, net, mat and the hand of god baiting pole and I'm currently perched on a boat. If it wasn't fishing I would have quit, but it beats a day at work so I will enjoy it anyway. There is still time for my luck to change.

One of the smallest in the lake, but really nice to get and bend in the rods, from an old 2 acre pond.

Well done to everyone catching. Too many posts to like them all, some of those fish are absolute crackers, beautiful!

Whatever floats your boat init lol, I love catching Carp on the ressies, fishing at distance. When you lift into something feeling solid 100 yards, just feels wicked 👌 then it starts stripping you when youve got it half way back🤣 I find they fight so well on the ressies, 100% my favourite way to target carp lol. @yonnyit was your advice years ago that helped me get some of my first captures on a 90 acre water, which is now my favourite place to fish 🤣 I do try to mix it up a bit though, I go to a 4 acre estate lake with my dad, it's pretty easy to get a bite once you've cracked it, but tbf it's more about spending some time with him 👍 This year I've joined a complex with some stunning fish, I've managed 3 20s this year on the 4.5 acre lake, but still struggling on the 9 acre, not a single fish yet lol, they are very weedy lakes and just learning how to fish on them has been a massive learning curve and that's just presenting a bait 🤣

Thankyou

Well im on the alternative rig, most anglers are like you say ronnie, spinner and slip D, i have gone back to full on Choddy, light lead with lead free leader and blatent pop up , i had a eureka moment and realised the lake is perfect for chod rig, and now im getting the odd take, plus im happy with my bait choice i think its a matter of time before i get a few out of main lake

I agree. Big waters are a case of find them, catch them. Small waters, anglers are on them all the time. You need a little time to figure it out.

I find smaller lakes harder than bigger less pressured waters. The fish tend to be more wary, more rig aware, even more bait aware, so getting ahead of both the fish and other anglers. It is so much harder getting rigs that the fish aren't 'used to', although current fashions can make things a little easier if everyone is on spinner or Ronnie rigs, and you can come up with something different. When I first went onto Brackens Pool I knew it was heavily pressured, and nobody used much bait due to the rules of no catapulting or throwing bait in, everything had to be attached to PVA. I came up with my sliding revolving ring presentation (an adaptation of something I had seen Rob Maylin write about), and used plenty of big stringers, 30 boilies at a time, and would put in as many as 20casts of stringers before my hookbait cast. The first fish I caught was in a swim that was often ignored and was 30lb.

Setting myself up for a slap here having just got 10ft 3.5lb rods, TBH i was hoping they would be on the soft side of 3.5 but they are not, i wont be keeping them any time but if i do happen to hook a carp it will be played with care, like a few have said its getting hard to get what you really would like unless willing to pay a huge price TBH i have a lovely set of 11ft 2.5lb rods that i was told "too soft" i think i will be going back to these rods

Owdo...😎👍

Just to poke my nose in.... I have been fishing for over 50 years, brought up by fishing on river mole and Thames for catching Dace, Chub, gudgeon and also bleak bashing! Very light tackle in those days, learnt how to play fish in, barbless hooks, used to be used for match fishing to improve hooking for dace. Anyway, move on... times have 'sadly' changed, pot noodle carpers seem to think fishing day ticket waters with as stated before 3.5 test curve rods, 15lb line and hauling some poor double in.... Without dought I think this causes soo much damage. I now longer fish day ticket waters, however I unforturnatly expect to see the same on my club lake soon. As for hooks, barbless really dont do more damage, only hook I remember was the Rob Maylin bent hook which was an absolute no no!

Im in a better place regarding the lake and the blanks, yes every blank session is a learning session, and i have tweaked my tactics and bait, to a point where i am getting odd half hearted takes, maybe nuisance fish but things are improving, thing is at 3 1/2 acres and heavy stock it should be a pretty easy venue, but i do enjoy being at the lake even if i dont catch

Instructions & Guides | Boatman UK

Manufacturers and tackle brands with their own media production. It has gotten to the stage that you can't easily get 'sensible' tackle. I've been arguing the toss about it for years. Practice casting is no more as 'high test curve rods will cure the distance shortage immediately'. Years ago in the 1990's I was hitting over 100metres with 2¼lb TC rods, admittedly with 8lb line and leader, and eventually switched up to 2¾lb rods with 15lb line, line which has become standard, to get the same distance. Nazeing Central and South was a real eye opener, I needed to hit 150metres, so went to 3.25lb rods. Everything was in 12ft, I could get those distances. The shorter rods just didn't seem right, especially as I have been to casting tournaments and seen rods get longer from 12ft, to 12ft6in, 13ft even 14ft. I get a shorter rod for stalking, it makes sense, but not in a massive test curve with a tip action.

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Spot on.