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Just had this one at 24lb 4oz 👍

Sat 22nd Feb - First night on the syndi, nothing seen or heard except the thousands of birds roosting - what a place, love it, fingers crossed for a good year! 🤞

Embarrassed confession time buddy… it was on mute… 🫣

26lb 8oz at first light this morning 👌

Just sent my Torrix TE's to be re-built by the Tackle Box, not decided which handles to go with yet but think they'll come back looking stunning when finished ❤️

The last cast @ Bury Hill (Temple Lake). I'm supposed to be out of here in 5 minutes, but I think as today is the last days fishing here no one will mind. I never caught here, but it's one of the nicest and safest fisheries I've ever come across.

Some Reuben Heatons that go up to 120lb, and a weigh bar handle Off with some chaps monster hunting soon 🎣😉

Never any pressure, just go to enjoy, if you catch you catch, if not so what - you've had a nice time with good people and learnt something. If blanking mattered I'd never choose the venues I do. Catching is for noddies 😂

Start or you'll never find those spots 🤣

2 on the zigs and one in the stink. Currently probing 4ft and 6ft after 7ft and 8ft proved fruitless. Depth is about 10ft, come on the carps.

To be fair, my water fishes so damn slowly through the winter that it could have been muted for months and I wouldn’t have noticed 🙄

Been a long 24hrs. Both my daughter-in-laws in hospital giving birth. 1 granddaughter not long born. Praying they're not both born on same day. They live 200 miles apart but still managed to go into labour on same day

not about vintage tackle. However...for those of us who started 40+ years ago will remember this famous shot when it was published in KM's Book, reading Pete's story & seeing that photo made me MEGA KEEN! Sir Pete Springate's Yeoveney Brace caught in October 1978 - 38lb 8oz and 36lb 8oz

Another night, oposite end - seen a dorsal waving around close in my water, then it lazily shuffled out 3 times. Whilst packing up it came past again to say goodbye or haha you blanked you nod. Freezing cold overnight. Good frost and ice in the edge.

The boys swim

I probably wouldn't bother, I have a deeper pro+ and I hardly use it. I find it annoying tbh it connects for a bit and then disconnects itself, I then had to get a WiFi extender to make it work over 50yds and I just found it a complete faff. I prefer my eyes and a lead these days.

I don't suppose you have a copy of Carp Fishing By JR Hartley do you? 😂😂

Also depends on how hard you hit the clip with stretch in mono you can end up feet off the spot. I had a similar thing with using 4oz leads on a session and caught a few fish and only had 3oz leads left. Could I find the spot again, could I heck.

Little tip that always works for me: After a load of casting about trying to find spots - STOP, have a break - food and drink, a smoke, then start again. I can almost guarantee you will find spots/drops quickly after the break and re-energise, no idea why - it just works for me every time. 👍

I've managed to scale it back to point where I can move without issue, I've gone from 5 rods to 3, dropped the pod for bank sticks, camera bag, two bait buckets, hold all and cooler bag to just the holdall, cooler bag and 1 bucket, ditched the chair, just gone back to sitting on the bed lol. I got to the lake earlier and there was someone in the swim I wanted so setup somewhere else, they ended pulling off so quickly packed down and moved lol 👍all fits on one load and feels much lighter lol.

Tel uses hand rolled cork ball pop ups (he rolls them himsel). You can buy hand rolled pop ups.... they cost a fortune. I use different hookbaits for different applications. Some are expensive (e.g. cork ball pop ups). Some cost pennies (tigers). Use what you have confidence in.

It's no good being daft if you don't show it. 😄 Ian.

Like f"……….. I just turned over and put my deaf up up and went back to sleep. didn’t have to be in London until 10 lol wake me up scraping the windscreen at 7 o clock how very dare she..

I've tackled up my fave rods for this one. A set of X-Lite's I had built by Nick Buss back in the day and rebuilt last year by Roger Hurst. Only used them once since the re-build. Lovely rods and perfect for small waters such as the one we're on. They actually caught my current PB back in 2017..... which you were there for! I'm hoping you bring me luck once again😉

Yeah mate buzzing with that, glad I stayed another night 👍

Jack was soon back in the bivvy Sunday morning, heavy frost and ice in the edge, who can blame him.

Another belter of a day, I'm gonna stay another night 👌

Traps set for another night 🤞 Might have to try a zig soon, they seem to be up on the surface cruising around at first light 🤔

No mate everything is frosted over 🤣 got ice on the inside of my bivvy, it's all starting to thaw out now, lovely 🤣

Overnighter on the river last night, I had a screaming take… …from a badger!! 🙄

Back for a night or two 👌

I don't they work with well with modern phones let alone one of these 😂

We have a fence on Bromeswell, including the stock ponds and a branch fell across it one night. Within 24hours we found a carp that had evaded the nets in the stock pond dead on the bank with the tell tale gut damage. The otter had worked its way up the feeder stream to the River Deben. We removed it by the simple measure of letting Sky off lead into the stock pond enclosure and opening the gate. She chased it out and off. It was actually the only place I would let her off lead on the fishery anyway when I was there so she could get a run around. I've seen a few 'run over' on the roads in my area. I'm not sure all were actual traffic hits.

Exactly this. I often find the younger ones just have more drive and freetime on their hands so they fish harder and better than I do,good on them, most of the time they are respectful and will have a chat and pass the time of day,and when they catch I am always the first to congratulate them because they've earned it.

Big carp big bucks lol It was only a 40 then

If it works, I'll have to nick a bit of that😉

Got my bait prepped for the social next week. Big fish crumb mix 😱😬😍

You can use an alternative centrepin cast with a fixed spool reel pull line of the eyes and hold in one hand swing rod out let line go good for under trees

Not telling 😂

Take your time, once you find a complex that feels nice what's the rush, I kind of don't want to catch my targets coz the fishing is peaceful and might not find that again

This is the stuff I'm dealing with, the Gardner rake done well, my spot is pretty clean now and getting a decent drop with the leads 👌 was only gonna clear/prebait it but gonna do the night now 🤣

could you use one of these fox leads to have a lead about? It’s not a weed rake after all… might help clear a few spots

The other problem with taking too much gear is the length of time it takes to move if the fish show at the other end of the lake then you just can’t be bothered to move. theres a fine line between not taking enough and enough to cover everything. i also carried a bucket of spare bits in the van for that very reason. Mini weed rake, spomb, bank saw, gravel eater, even the gardener multi rake silly bits that could stuff you up if you didn’t have them

I try to have a declutter every year, it's amazing the amount of stuff we take that we don't really use. If I use the barrow I really try and minimise. Can be more carefree if I can park at the swim but the less I have to take the better.

It's got to that point again where its starting to take me two barrow trips to get all my gear to the swim, to many "just in case" items that never get used 🤣 I've managed to thin my gear out a bit hopefully only one trip next time lol. Also took a laptop with me for the last 10 sessions or so to watch films on but haven't once took it out the holdall 🤷‍♂️🤣 Back to the bare essentials for me 👌

the boys rods out on the spots

day trip on the park lake I lost a bream 🙄

Perfect idea, we are obviously key members of the board. 2 strikes and you're out 🤣

I think all anglers should take a fish naming course before they are allowed to name anything or at least be interviewed by a panel of fish naming experts. Give it a bad name and you get red carded.