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Using maggots this weekend for the first time in a long long time, not much has come out of my water lately, I’ll report back Monday 😬

I'm guessing Nash ....... .... ............

Pink - that's irrelevant IMO, this is not 'The Key' as you put it. As others have said they will eat anything on the right spot at the right time. Its about knowing where they feed and why, where are the natural food beds, where do they go in certain weather conditions, wind directions, hot and cold temps, how do they respond to angling pressure, getting a clear understanding of your quarry in that particular lake. Then with appropriate baiting, hard work and determination you might find the key to consistent success on that venue. Its never about being on a certain bait, because without all of the above you're still likely to be in the wrong area to begin with - best bait in the world or not. 😉

So for me, Any fish in the first few sessions is a bonus. If your going to really attack this water and do a year or 2 on the lake then you might as well use the first few sessions to lead the lake to death. Know everything you can know about your swim and any other swim thats free. Make notes, Begin to build a picture of the lake (wheres shallow/Deepest, Wheres the bar or the weed etc). Get up before dawn and watch the water, Are they showing? Where are they showing? Are they always showing over the same area? Are they always following the wind? Pick a swim with a large view of the lake and the other swims, Can you see people catching, Does one section seem to get bites in the day whilst another section seems to get night bites? is there a certain time bites seem to happen? Theres 2 of you, so you can have the lake mapped out pretty quickly, Dont worry about your bait yet. Find the fish, Find where they patrol, Where they tend to be at certain times of the day (Night/Dawn) Then start to work on your choosen approach. Its not a bad thing or cheating to watch joe bloggs from across the lake hauling and learning from him. Its all learning. Effort = Reward.

You’re right. And each to their own. He wants 5 minutes of fame, let him have it. I’d be a bit unsure of having 5 minutes of bad fame though. But no one will remember his name in 6 months, same as the guy that caught big rig. Thry should abolish the carp record. Technically it’s classed as a non-native, the exact reason they abolished the weld catfish record. It would stop a lot of the bitterness in carp fishing.

Not a fan of this being a record fish. May have been in the lake almost a decade (sure I read that last time it was caught at a record weight) but it’s one of the Israeli super strains like big rig and the rest of them. In a lake that’s basically run for the ‘must catch huge fish’ brigade. I think most of the carp world doesn’t acknowledge these type of fish, or capture of them as being skilful at all.

Absolutely knackered been pulling weed out of a lake all day . Can barely grip the phone lol. Amazing how quick the fish were moving in behind me picking off the naturals. Certainly food for thought. Do we give to much credence to spooking fish ? Get wading & kicking up the bottom & dragging weed about & your see what I mean . Dinner 🔔

I only find the crab and sea salt in 500g bags is that the only size they do? 👍

Excellent winter bait, get the odd pike and perch too. I've noticed a lot of waters now will limit the amount, 4pints a day? They must mess with the eco system I guess?

Sticky krill , double 12mm bottom baits. Total faith and confidence in sticky baits. That said in the winter it’s maggots and lots of them! Underrated and often ignored.

Yeeehhh....thats wot ive chosen...the 2 rods woukd have been for my son but then would need 2 reels too...he already has a 2 rod NGT Dynamic setup up with lineaffe All Blacks (he only also already have a TFGear wideboy so im being greedy....Fishing it is...5th october 48hrs instead👍👍

Can people please check their predictive text before posting ...... I've been drinking and are now totally confused....

The bedchair is a fox r2 standard, I think it's 900mm wide, or there abouts,

But at the same time I don't want to ignore it in case either corn or pink is part of the key so I was thinking of going with a small pink pop up while he uses pink corn. But not sure how long should persevere before changing as you never know when your on the fish as they are quite shy and don't really show themself to much If you are going to put some time in, just get on a decent food bait and stick with it...… Be patient and it will all come together...… Asking for advice from those that have put the effort in already, might be a blind alley, most times they will say very little and what they tell you might be duff info, that is, until you have done a bit of time and you can exchange info, two way street in this case..... TBH, what I find, is that a lot of anglers come and go, they try a place , and a few blanks later they are off to the local runs water...… If you stick it out and become a regular, the barriers come down a bit, people open up a bit more, plus, just by spending time at the venue, you will learn the place, and a bit about where the fish will be...… No real short cuts imo, time and effort...… But bait wise, I find chopping and changing can just give you a head ache. Just stick to a proven bait..... Knowing where to put it, will come with time spent on the bank, not holed up in a bivvy, but walking and watching for signs, climbing the odd tree etc...... Not a fluke buddy...…… Right place, right time, that's what its all about... Make a note of the spot and the time of day and time of year and that's a tiny piece of the jig saw sorted..... Before you leave, bang a marker float over the spot, see if there's some kind of feature there. Chuck a few baits in on leaving...… All these little bits of effort will add up long term 😊

Being in the right spot is more important than the bait , use a good fishmeal boilie and or corn or maize . Part of the fun is sussing a water out your self .

Hey, never fear change, cherish it. That specialised work you did must have been a solitary existence for 20 years and there's a lot to be said for frequent human interaction. One of many reasons that I enjoy working with Alan, my son. Like you, we're self employed and responsible only to ourselves, our clients and HMRC.....in diminishing order of interest....……..Really need to get a social organised soonish. I seem to spend more time fishing in France than in the UK in recent years. Ian

Read earlier that the fella isn't going to put a claim in, fair play to him, probably wants to avoid all the drama..... Some nasty stuff last time with that Big Rig...… I think a fish should be born in the lake for a claim to stand, stops all controversy.....