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Having returned to carping after 20 odd years I’m still using the mk1 Fox swingers, right now I don’t see any need to update them,, talking of isotopes I did my first night last Saturday and couldn’t believe as it started to get dark they lit up!!! Dimmer but still usable after 20 + years..

Antalya..lara beach...1st day been a good en. 13 more to go..

Have a look at the stillwater range, Chapmans Angling sell them, I had a set of their version of 6010 baitrunner and for thirty quid i could not fault them they seen a lot of action on a local runs water and other than chipped paint they still work fine. They seem to of discontinued the ones i got and are now doing a big pit baitrunner for thirty five quid, worth a look.

if your not bothered about being a tackle tart then these are worth looking at, i got a set of 3 for £30 10+ years ago and they are still doing the job, one is getting a bit noisy now so one day i will have to upgrade to something more expensive like Bassia's https://www.fishingmegastore.com/specialist-reels/lineaeffe-freespool-carp-reel-with-line~23965.html?&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=SHP_GR20&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwauOzdiD3QIVS7DtCh2Hvg8PEAQYAiABEgIU2fD_BwE

welcome to the forum bud, another vote for 15lb+ mainline and a good braid/coated braid hooklink. hooks between #8 to #4 and as Nick says a softer more thru action rod would give you more chance of playing and landing your fish.

been using it for a few years now and believe me when i say, it simplifies the job, its quick (when you get the hang) and its great for getting consistently proportioned bags. once you have invested in the rapide system you can get the refills cheaper from the bay, almost everyone makes same size bags

Turkey for 2weeks from today...heat is unbearable 36oC every day...but glad away from work till 10th September...come back on the 6th though ao maybe 1 or 2 day sesh planned..

Thanks pal ..had to make sure mine worked the same before casting out and seeing as I had the other two rig foams here it was a no brainer to test all 3 against each other

All apart from the JAGs which I somehow managed to lose having found a buyer for them🤦‍♂️ Likewise, when I was a nipper....... Star lites on the quiver tip for river chub and on the float when poaching the local trout lake lol.

15 lb minimum mate.

Welcome to Carp.com. Upping the test curve does NOT give you more stopping power as those higher test curve type of rods are more tip action, which can rip hooks out, or break line. I would be using a more through action rod in around 2.5-2.75lb TC, but upping the line to 15lb. My hooklinks would also be braided hooklink material, they take abrasion better than most monos. For snag fishing, I would put the rods pointing directly where the end tackle is, baitrunner switched OFF, clutch tightened right up, anti-reverse off. Because the fish can't take line they will arc away from the snag, so you can step back as you strike, pull them away and then play as normal, just don't let them get their head down and go back into the snag. Trying to play fish up a channel with reeds on both sides is not fun, you may need to be able to get in the water, either by wading, (but don't take any risks), or by boat. Basically if you are leaving tackle in fish, or losing more than you land, then it could be too risky to fish.

quite a bit of a gap between Thursday and Monday mate, id try and get back down at least on Saturday night to try and shorten the period between bait going in the whole point of pre baiting is to build confident regular feeding I pre bait over 3/4 days starting with about half a kilo of rehydrated boilies with boosted flavours to try and attract the fish in quick then over the next few nights just use regular boilies but increase the quantity every night to cope with more fish feeding for longer as confidence grows defo get on the little fished swims I did this on on a swim id not seen anyone fish in 6 months and had a 21 fish haul in 2 nights (more than quite a few had all season) and over 40 fish over 3 weekends safe to say its one of the busiest pegs on the syndicate this year

like most methods you will find that no two anglers will use pva in exactly the same way, i personally use the Fox Rapide solid bag system. the bag is first layered with a nut based flour such as peanut/almond flour and the lead and hook dipped in the same, lower the hookbait in and tap it down with the lead, add a small layer of fine pellets and lay the lead on top then top up the bag with pellets, crumb or whatever your choice of bait. gently ease your lead up in the bag till the A/T sleeve is just poking up then seal the bag, fold down bottom corners and stick, job done. i use a 2.75 T/C rod with a 2.5oz lead and this casts quite nicely out to C75yds. heres how its done, just F/F to 2:18 to skip the jargon

not recommended... but when you've ran out of food and were meant to be home 3 days ago but it looks so good for a bite then this box will see you through another 2 nights

Not recommended for eating..... gutted lol.

Sorry to hear your predicament mate...…. Finding a place I feel comfortable fishing, I find a real ball ache, and thought I'd ticked that box...… I do have the little local lake, which tbf is a little gem of a lake, but wanted to fish somewhere a bit bigger in size for a change …… Definitely mate, if I can get in quick for a night ticket, Boreham is on the list...… I only have day access atm, with Braxted in mind..... The night permits get snapped up pretty quickly and there are probably long term members that get preference ( which you would expect, even though it's meant to be first come first served). I'll put the application in , the minute they go on sale and hope for the best...….

I have still have a lot of my old rods, right back to the glass fibre stuff but, for most of my fishing I use 12’ 2.50lb Ballistas. I love a players rod and will use the softest rod I can get away with, for the distance and type of fishing I’m doing. My 2.75lb Amorphous are long over due a rebuild, and for distance I use 12’ 6” Torrix TE’s.

Well my annual sea trip went as usual, nadda. i only do a bit on the evening tide, the only fish that were coming out were mackerel to lures. so i think i will get some bait today and see about a bit on the lakes for the end of next week. got some new soft shell gear i picked up from the surplus store in whitby to try out. Chinese version of the snugpack range.

Do any flavours actually make a difference, let alone sprays? I used a bait a few years back, along with four other anglers on a couple of waters. The bait had no added flavour or colouring, other than it’s ingredients. It caught a lot of fish for all of us that were using it. I know in the depths of winter, a single hook bait doesn’t suffer from an added attractor or booster etc but, are they really needed? Unflavoured plastic or foam, single hook baits catch plenty of fish, so why add anything? Personally, I think it’s all part of the things we do to boost our confidence. You can have anglers using a nice fresh bait, with the best of ingredients and attractors, and putting that bait to good use, and often reaping the rewards. On the other hand, you have certain anglers using much cheaper, and often inferior bait, and not putting it to good use as such, yet they still catch. I’ve seen anglers turn up late for a session, pushed for time trying to beat darkness, and they’ve pulled the rods out of the holdall, along with the baited rigs from their last session, mouldy boilie etc, cast out, and often they will catch lol! Do we put too much emphasis on bait? I like to offer the fish the best I possibly can in regards to bait, and use the skills and watercraft that I’ve learned to try and up my chances, and I would imagine the majority of anglers do too. However, many don’t yet they don’t do too badly as a consequence. It makes you wonder doesn’t it? Well it certainly makes me think.

Nah i wouldnt have thought so either but thats the only way of telling if this spray actaully does anything, I dont use spray and if im using dips or gluggs then my bait has been in it for an extended period of time not just a dip and chuck.

I do like using the booster sprays and i use the manila one quite a lot but i use them to spray/inject straight into solid bags, ejecting 5-10ml in each bag doesn't make it last long but it works a treat.

Imho..... snake oil Rob, all day. I don't think it'll be on the bait as it hits the deck, let alone after 5 mins. I'll only use liquids if I can leave to soak for a period. A brief coating just comes off instantly on the way down. The sprays have zero viscosity so they're even worse. On top of that.... flavour does not give off a food signal so it cannot boost a bait. It is purely for palatability. That's my belief anyway.