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Got out for a night over the bank holiday. The syndi is closed for spawning so I visited a day ticket down in the Nene Valley. It was absolutely rammed as one might expect given the timing, but I managed to find a few carp in a quiet corner. It was dead hot, so I flicked a couple of zigs out just under the surface. It was clear the carp were just sunbathing, so I was expecting to have to wait for the sun to drop behind the trees for any action. So it proved with a take around 19:30 which resulted in a lovely grey linear. Onto the deck for the night and I realised I had a problem – I’d forgotten the spod rod! I found one of those Wolf X-Spod jobbies in my bag (bought it ages ago and never used it) and bodged it onto one of my carp rods. It worked a treat…. those X-Spod thingys are great! I put 2 on the deck and left one up in the water. At 02:30 I was away off the baited spot and a nice little cricket bat common was landed. Re-did the rod and 04:30 saw an awesome chestnut linear landed - worth a pic this one. Photo’s done, I was half expecting that to be it but at 09:00 the zig rod went. It kited to my right past several other anglers and the hook pulled when I over-gunned it trying to stop it. Still, a good sign. In come the rods on the bottom, zigs on all of them, and back out they go. About 10:30 I get another take and another cricket bat common is in the net. I planned to stay a bit longer after that but as the heat increased, I decided I was happy with what I’d had so called it a day. A great little session in the end.

Went with the kids this weekend. Blanked the first 24hours. Then we got focused. Decided I wasn't happy with my main spot, so I put my big boy pants on and went for it 18.5 wraps, 2 rods or the horizon and one on the edge of some reeds where I had seen some bubbles, I had prebaited my daughters spot the night before with some boilies and left it, naturally that one was the first to go at 10pm, she cast it and felt for the drop herself and we baited it with 5 x spods and a few extra boilies she pulted into the zone, it ripped off when we were tucked in and listening to a book on audible. The summer I robbed a bank by David O'Doherty, if you have kids it's a great book. And naturally it decided to wipe out all my other rods, but we got it in and I cleared up the mess it made. (yes I was done in and a bit sun rouged) We lost her rod in the carnage and she wanted to sleep so one of mine went onto her spot, one to the long spot and one to the left. We were awoken to a savage take from the long rod. This came in like a ball of weed until it got in range of my other lines. Took the right one out. During the photos I had an out of body experience. Then I ditched the right hand rod spot and went long, so with 2 on the spot I whacked out another 10 X spods and had breakfast. Then the right hand long rod was away,we had spotted them all showing in the middle the evening before and this spot gave me the best shout not being able to move, this one came in well and we moved the other rods out of harms way, fought hard close in but without hassle, and although the smallest of the trio of commons but finished off the trip nicely. Lovely weekend with the kids, had lots of fun and caught 3 and lost none, we did some bird spotting, saw some fish on the other lake spawning and caught some fish Happy days.

One caught on Friday after putting a rod on some fish bubbling.

48 hour social at Bluebell lakes. Sandmartin Lake. Managed one on the first evening but despite looking good for more the following day no more bites.

Been doing quite well on tigers nuts recently and this one is the best so far at 33lb 5oz.

I've just realised I've owned my Okuma 8k reels for over 4 years now. Firstly where has that time gone? Secondly they are still as smooth and brilliant as the day I got them. Normally I get bored with tackle or fed up with it limiting my angling but these reels do it all. The simplicity of the drag, the line lay is perfect and they are a joy to use. Even with 0.40mm line the line falls of the spool with ease when casting. I can honestly say they are the best reels I've ever owned and have no desire to change them. You know what I might even oil them as a treat for being such loyal servants.

Had a lot of bad luck on little pond today started out with a light carp rod set up and lost a small common to a hook pull, later swapped over to the old cane float rod with mitchell 410a lost 3 carp in a row on stick float fist to a hook pull second lost to knot letting go 3rd the 3lb hooklink parted, re rigged and a blank saver 10lb common, it put up a very lively fight and i was well aware of the 3lb weak link but some skillful playing on a very light clutch and in the net, awful pic of me

Change of hook baits over the same spot has done the trick & I'm off the mark .certainly not a big fish but very a welcome one 👍

New swim, more work done, a fish but overall frustrating 48hrs. The quicker they spawn the better imo.

Sorry but 6 for £2.37, looks like an essential tackle purchase to me:

Another 3 night blank, new swim, position seemed good for traffic, only one stuck it's head out the whole trip. Did hours of swim improvements/clearance for no reward, out again Thursday night for another go - same conditions 🤦‍♂️ Still nice view lol

One of last years stocking, I think went in at 11.12, now 19lb.

Just got back from a 24 with my dad, we had a wicked session 👌 he had a 21 and two doubles 👍I did 25lb 8oz, 21lb 4oz and a mid double 👍 I think they are getting ready to spawn, they were all really plump and as we were leaving there were a few crashing around the back of one of the islands so that's gonna probably be it for a couple weeks now. Maybe have a dabble at some sea fishing 👍

This side looks knarly already lol Some lake ❤️

Mind boggling session on the syndi, arrived 6am Friday to beat the crowds and more importantly beat the long awaited weather change to westerlies. Whilst the lake was fairly busy noone was at the East end of the lake and I got the swim I had hoped for. The Easterly wind had died off and it was nice and calm whilst I quickly found some spots with the boat as you can't cast left with the overhangs. It was very weedy at 5ft to half way across but then when it dropped into an 8ft gulley the weed became more clumps with clean holes dotted about. I got 2 rods out and was baiting the last when the first was away after 10 mins and I landed my first of the year - a cracking little stocky, already looking nice and dark. The wind started up soon after and to cut a long story short I spent the next 48 hours watching the most banging conditions of the spring come to absolutely nothing, they just didn't turn up as expected. Plans to do an extra night were ditched Sunday lunchtime. I can only assume they are waiting to spawn somewhere out of sight, come Sunday afternoon the lake was almost empty.

In a bid to be taking less overnight kit ,bought this Speedflex bivvy it's got a nice bit of room in it sets up really fast ,got the wrap for it as well.

My super bargain basement bait boat arrived today, super fast delivery and well packaged all works just as it should but already started the mods, as its a flip hopper i have added some elastic to damp the eject also added a runcam 2HD action camera to get video of on lake footage, should get to use it at weekend but for the mega price of £60.34 posted really cant fault it at all

Just ordered the Korda long sleeve SPF Factor 50 shirt for those swims where you have no shade or you're up floater fishing all day. Hopefully money well spent. Fortis look to be bringing out mozzie proof summer clothing - deffo buying this when possible! 👍

Thought i'd fill in the blanks from a couple of recent syndi trips. Back out tonight for another go, buzzing 🙏💪

Bit of a boot sale find, a Team Daiwa Amphorous Whisker 12ft 9 beach caster and a Daiwa Amphorous 12ft 2 beach caster for £20 the pair. they need to be given a thrash with a few leads to check the blank is sound and so long as they are, they will be getting a strip down and basic rebuild at some point to make them usable.

You won't catch if you ain't got a pastry selection.

That's not accurate. Hooks are made from high carbon steels and heat treated (sometimes referred to as spring steels). While it's true that a finer gauge wire or hook is more prone to straightening (obviously), elasticity (or Youngs Modulus of elasticity to be precise) is a physical characteristic of steel - there is no 'may' about it. A hook is essentially a spring - it is critical that it can flex during the fight (this is known as elastic deformation), otherwise it would just snap because it would be too brittle to deal with the loads applied to the steel. However, it's not possible for the hook to flex to the point of straightening without the yield strength of the steel being exceeded. The yield strength is the point at which the steel deforms under load permanently (this is known as plastic deformation). So yes, a hook flexes (to a point) but no, a hook cannot straighten and then spring back into shape. The physical properties of spring steel do not allow it. If a hook straightens, you know about it.

I love tying my own rigs, the attention to detail of getting it just right, the little adjustments you make to length and pop-up height for instance - it's all using the grey matter. I will always remember sitting in my bivvy all day trying to work out why my non tangle rigs were suddenly tangling every cast, chucking fast and low under pylons, did my head in completely. That day I came up with huge loops over half the length of the boom effectively lengthening the anti tangle sleeves properties if you like, and giving you a set place to mould the rig putty stopping that ever slipping. By the end of that day I'd come up with better anti tangle properties and more importantly realised that if I tied the hook end section almost in reverse order I had total control of how much stripped braid was left exposed, instead of ending up with whatever you got after tightening the knot. So I tie the hair last if that makes any sense at all - hard to put in words. So one problem ended up improving all elements of the rig I'd been tying for years and years. I thought about tying rigs many years ago for those who struggled to do it themselves, like a complete custom set-up, was a good idea, couldn't be arsed in the end lol same as all my other great ideas 🙃🤣

I couldn't bring myself to use a ready tied rig. Hooks aint sharp enough for my liking but more to the point, imagine losing a special one if the knot went.... you'd never forgive yourself.

Bit of bait for the summer. Gave £100 for this lot! 20kg of boilies (12/15mm) plus liquids and hookbaits (popups, wafters, hard hookers). Chuffed.

The last thing I'd be doing is recasting at first light as that was a predominant bite time on the lakes I fished. I'd recast in the dark with no issues, as long as I hit the clip and felt that lead down with a thump I'd be happy. Be that wind, rain or what.

Walk round the other side of the lake and check your margin lol bet it looks just as carpy

Chub 12ft spod rod off ebay for 15 quid. That will keep me ticking over for a bit, collected it today, looks hardly used bargain.

Any weekend fishing is pretty great but it is nice share it sometimes. I think my eldest is slightly more keen though. Her casting is getting better, that's what she enjoys most tbh. I think I like casting too, satisfying when it's bang on,the best when it ends in a bite 😂

Wide n snide baby 😎 Not really the 4th was my daughters.

All of these stories are why I like to go where it’s quiet and I can do my own thing! Of late I have been pushed to fish busier waters due to lack of time but it’s done me in. I’d rather blank on a harder and quieter lake than put up with all that comes with busier waters! Had one matey turn up as I was setting up, saying how he had hoped to get in his favourite swim that I was in for the weekend. He lingered about until he realised I wasn’t going to give it up! He set up next door and watched me catch within 20mins. He was in a huff before he left my swim so can imagine he lost his head in the swim next door!

if an angler who only fishes once or twice a month as that’s all his time allows turns up at a lake and proceeds to do what the “stars” say and finds the fish how is he doing anything wrong he doesn’t know anyone has baited that area. if you have baited an area and the fish are on it that’s not really his fault. unless he’s in with the clique which most of these type of anglers are not he will never know on a club water it’s “lottery fishing” trying to get anything going you have to pray no one is in there when you come back.

This is what I've realised 👍 Must be an age thing coz it seems that every year I forget what my main meals were on the bank in the previous years, suddenly I haven't got a clue what to take. Going late tonight and it's steak, new potatoes and peas Friday night, then back home Saturday and planning the meals for a 2 night social at Bluebell Sun - Weds. Weathers looking good for the following weekend down the syndi again, westerlies and rain - fingers and toes crossed for that one, gonna be there Thurs night for first dibs on swims for the long weekend 😎

You're mistaken Nick. The laws of physics prevent this. There is no mechanism that makes it physically possible. I was the Manager of every lab and quality function in Europe for one of the worlds biggest metal-forming and heat-treating organisations in the world for 17 years. So I know this. Modulus of elasticity of steel is a constant. It is slightly different for different grades of steel but all in the same range. It is a physical property of steel that can only be altered by heat treatments: - Under-treated steel has a lower yield point so the hook will be subject to plastic deformation more readily, making it impossible for a hook to regain shape after straightening. Over-treated steel will lead to embrittlement which means tensile strength will be exceeded more readily (which means a snapped hook). Again, impossible. There is no characteristic in steel that can feasibly vary from batch to batch that can result in the phenomenon you think you saw. Perfectly feasible and I expect most seasoned anglers will have seen this at some point. But a hook straightening out and springing back into shape is not possible.

I had the same thought on the weekend, been sea fishing lately 4-5 hr trips with no cover been looking at mountain warehouse clothing with uv protection very reasonable prices

Cool - I was looking at the Craghoppers stuff last year and nearly purchased tbh, might be wrong but think the fabric is too closely woven to be penetrated on the stuff coming out so maybe doesn't need chemicals, we'll have to wait and see on that, I spoke to the main guy at a show - gave him the lowdown on what anglers really need technically instead of the joggers and hoodies the tackle companies kept spewing out. You shouldn't have to look to mountaineering, safari or European predator fishing for tactical clothing - carp companies were so far behind I just didn't understand their mindset tbh.

Just put a order in for some light weight gear went with two Drennan Specialist rods a 1.25 and 1.50 TC two daiwa reels one for float and floater fishing on the 1.25, a 3000 size and a 4000 size for the 1.50 both the ninja reels one a front drag the other a front drag with bait runner. Getting ready for some day ticket fishing will use a waggler on the lighter rod and a single bite alarm for the ledgering rod got some nice little day tickets venus near by.

The missing link, no not me - apple pie, forgot how much I like these on the bank - gotta catch now! 💪

Hi mate I found a set of nash dwarfs 9ft 2.75lb were ideal for most of my pond fishing, stiff enough to send a 2.5oz lead as far as needed and they felt really nice playing carp, done more 20s than I can remember on them, and they would certainly be enough for bigger fish. For a cheap bait boat, me and my dad share a actor baitboat by boatman. Its nothing fancy but will get your rig and some bait to them island's and over hanging trees 👍

I can remember fishing a local foreshore comp with the mrs the practice was to dig bait then fish, must have been 20 fishing in a line all men apart from the mrs. She used a multiplier cause she refused to use a whisk as she called the fix spool she couldn’t cast more than 50 yds us men were casting way past her and not catching but she was catching from the off with eels and flounder, I then realised she was casting over where we had dug worm you would always damaged worms on the fork and that was why the fish were there and maybe with the holes in the mud from digging I dropped short and started catching. Iv often wondered about pre baiting 🤔 Iv done it for mullet with bread on the rocks and it works.

I had a chat to a couple of sea anglers on my last trip they said they were happy with it saying it was solid having dropped it twice down rocks. The thing with using it for sea fishing you’re opening it up 3=4 times a hour baiting up but they said the bait still stays chilled The one guy said his mate just filled it up with cans of larger and he was always happy with it till the last can went 😁 The last trip I had a gull take a packet of squid and Iv had rats taking bait so it’ll help with the thieving Not sure it will be Jack Russell proof as my old Trakker found out

At Hanningfield reservoir today... took this of a lovely Great Grey Owl (had to use the phone camera for this shot) His name is Atticus...

I will say my local lake is well fenced, we do have to keep an eye for Badgers digging under and we did have a disgruntled member cut the fence close to the river, but all is good now and we have CCTV and trail cams monitoring the complex

Had to get a cool box for sea fishing £25 could use it for carping 🤔…just don’t tell Kev 🫢

There is no problem in this case the gates there the fence is gone lol

Evening gents, well I'm out fishing. Sudden change of venue over the weekend as we had been double booked at churn ! We've ended up at the woolpack lake 4 exclusive, so considering it was so last minute not ended up to bad bit tight for 4 of us but its ok . Fingers crossed

first time out with the latest set of new rods, the 10ft 3lb Sonik Hero X paired up with my DAM darkside 6000 mini pit reels, a great set up for me

This is my alternative spinner rig 👍

When it comes to line I try to use the highest BS I can cast and manage on the the spool I only fish small waters so I can get away with stronger lines you can use the Gardener lines without much concern for a rubbish cast or spring like behaviour on the spool.

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