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When I started night fishing most of the guys on our waters were using small paraffin Hurricane lamps. We used to wrap the foil from a steak and kidney pie around half of the globe to keep the light off of the water. Bobbins then were whatever paste we were using as bait at the time. Custard powder flavoured bread paste being a favourite.

I was posh, I had a battery powered float for tench and bream. Only problem was staring at it in the dark and your eyes would cause the float to 'wander'. It wasn't the float moving but your eyes as you stared at one spot. I must admit ledgering on the river was almost always done with white tape round the rod tip up into the ambient light, and/or touch ledgering. Brings to mind an amusing story with the battery float. I put the batteries in for the start of the season, and went to check the shotting with a bare hook in daylight, a size 10 Drennan Sweetcorn hook. Chucked it in, float went under, "oh puffle, too much weight", reeled in and discovered myself playing a 4oz roach. That night I think I had 4 tench on the float up to 6lb, all males.

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

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..

And I bet you've kept hold of all of them...….. I've always used white ones, just for the visual aspect..... Good point mate.... Blimey , the LED' s on my old Fox alarms, no need for iso's or head torch most of the time.... I have to half cover them with leccy tape, they are so bright when my eyes have adjusted to night vision... Jeeze, if two went off together, I'd probably get a fake tan...……..🙂

I fished a water where putting bait out by catapult or spod was banned, every free bait had to be put in by PVA mesh, bags or stringers. A number of times I was casting PVA's full for 30 minutes or so to get bait around my hookbait, be that stringers etc, and a number of times I had takes within minutes of the last cast of my hookbait and stringer. Stringers as large as 30 boilies! Century AK47's had a 2.75 tc I think, two tip sections, a 1.75 and a 2.75 that fitted one butt. Quite an old design now! With heavy bags you may find a gentle lob is better than a full on whack cast, and as said it may pay to drop down a lead size or two.

If I haven't shaved for a while I always get a bite. If I'm clean shaven I struggle . That's good enough for me lol