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Well as purchases go they don't come much more exciting than a new home and a return to my beloved Nene Valley. Carpy in more ways than one; I'll be 3 miles way from the Valley itself and there's also koi to 30lb+ swimming around in the back garden! Offer was accepted on Friday so now I just pray that nothing goes wrong and we're not waiting too long.

Across the border, forgot my passport and facial recognition but made it...OK.. lol

22lb common caught today

Then back on home territory and ,part of a 7 carp hit ,using single bottom baits over a scoop of dried maize

Father’s Day fishing trip 👍🏻

How you doing? This session was a rather decent one, despite managing to leave my hookbait bucket at home with my medium Spomb in it. I spent an hour cursing and swearing as I used the small Spomb to put a bucket of maize and birdfood in. The first night produced a tench of around 6lb on a straight out of the bag bottom bait, which somehow managed to go across the middle rod. The 2nd night was quiet. Last night around 11pm I had a strange occurrence on the middle rod, it pulled to the right, with what appeared to be a run, but there was nothing there, so I recast with a fresh stringer. At 3am I had the same thing happen again. I think that it was a goose or swan swimming through the line just in front of my rod tips, or a swan picking the hookbait up. A couple of miscasts with stringers, but 3rd time lucky. I was sat drinking coffee and eating breakfast when the rod went with a 22lb mirror, one of last years stocking, and a 10lb weight gain. Caught on a 360 rig with a meshed 15mm Nutty Bait pop-up with a stringer of 6x 18mm Nutty Bait boilies. This morning I was starting to tidy up ready to pack up when the right hand rod went, which was the rod over the maize, and managed a rather nice 26lb mirror on the 'sliver' of Monster Crab pop-up on a reverse combi rig. This fish was from the 2021 stocking and went in at 11lb.

Then a night float fishing with prawns ,after eels ,not a carp I know !

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

A 31lb 12oz mirror from the weekend. Also managed a 25-4 and 18-10. After a windy start on Friday, it got really hot but managed a bite on all 3 rods by boating out about 20 Creamino boiles and a bit of pellet every 3 hours tight to an Island.

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

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.

Visited a couple mates fishing the river yesterday and seen this, how cool 👌🤣

Don’t care what anyone says, There is no fool proof lead set up the best you can hope for is to minimise any problems if and when it happens underwater, anything can happen once the line has snapped off.

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 😀

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 👍

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.

I must confess I do keep my bait in buckets, not just for rats but to keep them away from Sky. She does however act as a good rat deterrent:

Just ordered a fireproof charging bag (Amazon) for my fishing batteries, big enough to store them in too. Too many horror stories, should have bought one long ago.

I can guarantee you right now that they will sell. They've drummed up loads of interest. It is a complete no-brainer to offer one with a speaker. For every guy that prefers the speakerless version, there's one that prefers a speaker. It's a win-win for them to offer both. Their only other remote alarm is based on a design that's nearly 30 years old (TLB+), and even that needs the ATT receiver.

Been making do with a folding camping chair since i came back to fishing, but fished yesterday and was so tired kept thinking need a recliner to snooze in mentioned to my mate on the lake Smithy and he sold me his JRC recliner chair in mint condition for 40 notes ideal

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.

Bivvy fetishism struck again !

So to start the thread I mentioned the steak, so here is the real deal. And that is a Fishing Dinner: Rare rump steak with mushrooms, sliced green beans and sliced fried potato, a dash of mixed herbs and a crushed clove of garlic.

Why not just use a bucket? they've never breached my ridgemonkey yet. I never leave my bait in the bivvy either. And always close my food bag, then I throw boilies in other people's bivvies works a treat 😂

At least they paid £2 for a premium lead though.

Me too. On the water I'm fishing there's no way you'd be able to fish a running rig. If the fish takes lines on the take you're halfway to losing it already such is the severity of the weed.

I've bought some prepared particle as I was too lazy to prep it myself 20kg of carp particles dark mix and some garlic oil.

I use lead clips all the time and will continue quite happily, I can see some danger but happy to live with that as I fish heavy gear and fish sensibly. If we were that concerned we'd use lower bs hooklinks than the line regardless like match anglers. Snapped line springs back into a birdsnest, so even the running rig potentially tangles and tethers.

They do make good putty, I know I know sorry man - I feel dirty, gonna go shower! Was the excitement of being at my first angling show. I'll never do it again - the shame 😭🤣

Yeah nothing from OMC allowed onsite 😆

Cracking news mate, are you going to ban the magic twig on your water?

Next social in your back garden then mate?

I sometimes look on this web site, normally a bit banal about how to.... etc But found this small insight into possibly one of the best angling series ever broadcast: https://www.carpology.net/article/features/an-interview-with-hugh-miles/

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

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

When I set up on Monday it was absolutely scorching, but was able to get positioned in as much shade as possible. Well back from the water, and positioned so we only get the full sun from 4 until 8pm. I say well back from the water, when the lake is full, this spot is actually underwater.

I don’t think you can fault the Fox Micron range. They just work and the new basic ones are perfect value for money £25 each ( why pay more ) !

I've seen people moaning about the new ones still, wouldn't touch with a barge pole tbh

I won't be changing over. When I bought mine the attraction was that if I had a take only I would know, not every angler within earshot. I like silent heads and don't want or need speakers. Ian.

Sold my 9 footers a few months back because I had no need for them.. just bought a set of 9ft scopes, picking them up tomorrow 👍🤣

PB products hit n run lead clips have become an essential part of my set up lately. From a safety POV, they are smashing, in the event of a crack off or cut off type incident the fish will only ever be left with the rig in its mouth and not trailing loads of line, and because it's essentially free running they can't use the weight of the lead to help eject the hook. I've had a lot of screaming takes since switching to them.

Some of the rigs people throw out are shocking tbh.

I once left a vape on charge and it started burning, luckily it wasn't overnight and I caught it fairly quick but could've burnt the house down.

Used Fox alarms for 25 years. Switched to Delkim for a season but that didn't last long as all of them suffered with water ingress issue in the first winter. Back to the Fox's.... still going strong.

Hi mate not used these ones myself but did have a set of the old fox mini microns that worked for years and years. Sorry I can't be more help but I use Gardner atts these days.

2 trees down, duck and Canadian weed everywhere. Shut for spawning. I'm going to do my bathroom.

another evening, another few hours spent by the lake side

Finally finished the van build, reckon a few laps of a big lake Is due

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up: 29lb @crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

A simple stir fry ,nothing amazing ,but I live 2 mins from the lake ,and could get my lady to bring me dinner down,but I like to eat on the bank...