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Canal/basin 👍

I do love the nostalgia of 'older' anglers. I've already read Hutchy The Golden Years and it seemed from that, other books, and my memories, fishing was so much simpler

Back on it post spawning, great to be back out at long last.

I’ve had a look at both today. It looks like the Okuma as the only one they had was the owner of the shop. He s going to ring me when he can get one in. I must admit they both look good, the reason I went for the Okuma was the price.

With a line lay like this you won't be disappointed. Smooth a silk, excellent drag, great retrieve, much better than my aerlex spod reel tbh.

Thanks for that I’m going to have a look today. I am thinking more on the lines of the Okuma 8k.

I'd be after some used Daiwa Emblems for that money. If you want new, then the Okuma's are great value.

Thanks for the link I will have a look.

I had the IW versions with green wheels and deluxe receiver Found in bright daylight very hard to see if LED on alarm was lit having to look at the receiver to check As I only day fish I decided they were not for me and sold them for basic Fox Micron alarms with double LED which are easier to see from any position

Yonny beat me to it. Great natural liquid and preservative. Jammed with salt and salty fish extract and some sugar. Can’t go wrong. I have used it loads in the past, not so much anymore because I’m using liver hydro at the moment to complement the bait. You can use this stuff to create dips and glugs yourself due to its preservative properties. Add some powders of choice and give it a good shake, cut with a bit of water if necessary. Only annoying thing is the lid, I’d advise cutting the spout bit off. All this talk, I may have to add it back in to the mix!

Around the year 2000 I would have said Shimano top range reels were the best to go for, but I don't think quite the same any more and the better value Shimano reels are in the lower price bracket. I can't remember exactly when I bought my Beastmaster 7000's, but it was when I was fishing Nazeing on the Central and South Lagoons so around 10years ago, maybe a bit more. They were around £85 each and I bought 4 at the time. 2 years ago on Ebay they were selling for around £80, so I bought another 3. I've got them on my 2.75lb rods and my 3.25's, and they have handled a fair number of fish. The current Beastmaster incarnation is the 14000XC and is around £90. I can give you the link via Johnson Ross: https://johnsonrosstackle.co.uk/shimano-big-pit-reels/27133-shimano-beastmaster-xc14000.html As a tackle shop either mail order or going in personally, Johnson Ross are good people to deal with.

Okuma 8k.

I’m looking for a couple of reels and the Aerlex 14000 ATC looks like a decent reel. It is at the top of my budget £120. What other reels would people suggest at or below this price.

I must admit one of the things I miss since is wind ups. After 40 years in total in the Army and Prison service where wind ups were a daily incurrence.

That's only part of it, we are good at occasional wind-ups as well... Not always intentionally!

Hi Rugby, welcome amongst us. Ian.

Thank you. I’ve had a general look around and like the look of it. I’m sure that I will gain a lot of useful information.

Welcome to carp.com

Welcome in

I am returning to Carp fishing (at 76)after quite a few years. I will no doubt have a lot of questions on different subjects.

This 👆 I tend to split my baits into kilo bags before freezing. When I take them out I'll put in a healthy glug of this stuff, enough to coat them plus a bit extra, and let them soak it up during defrosting. The stuff is stacked so full of salt it actually acts as a preservative so the baits will last a little longer on the bank. It's also a good method of giving the baits that softer washed-out consistency without compromising on attraction.

I found August is usually the same until the back end of the month

We had that yesterday, my mate caught a new pb and his first on a zig, I had a couple of bleeps on them but didn't get a bite before we had to pack up. Well worth sticking a zig out just incase.

I would just coat them in a bucket so they have a good glaze, then let them soak it all in and repeat as necessary. I think I overdid it in my spod mix this weekend. I probably put half a bottle in and it made it honk. And smell a bit sour.

It doesn’t matter as it’s a natural product and can’t be overdone I would just put a slug of it in