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I use coarse/carp pellet rather than the high oil halibut types and even then only a small handful at a time. (4+6+8mm to get em grubbing around) Because I can usually only manage short sessions I've tried to be less formulaic in my approach over the last year, different baits (no boilies) No heavy baiting, (just a few morsels on key spots) More mobile (1 or sometimes 2 rods and no longer than an hour or so in each swim) Being less blatant (keeping myself out of view from the water & different rigs, sometimes even freelining and hooked baits rather than hair rigged) My old mentor Norman Frere once said to me "one cast in the right spot is worth a thousand in the wrong uns" I still carry my catty, throwing stick and PVA & more rarely, my spod/spomb rod, but... I'm too busy trying to find where that "Right Spot" is to worry about em🤣🤣😛

I got 2 king size mars bars for £1.20 in the garage. Black Friday 😖 more American nonsense.

I actually back off on pellet in winter. Nowhere near as effective as in summer due to the high oil content in cold water, depending on what type you use obviously. It was me yes mate, see below. As long as you keep them dry and cool, sealed as best you can, they'll be ok for up to a year mate. https://www.fishingbaitworld.co.uk/skretting-elite-trout-pellets-85mm-25kg.ir

This is one of the hardest things to work out. I have gone to a venue, Started with just bags, introducing a few baits every so often and having no joy, got to a point where im about to get my head down and thought, Sod it, i will give it 10 spombs.....then got bites whilst spodding or shortly after. Sometimes the little and often approach can cost u fish, Its really hard to work out how much u should be putting in, knowledge of the lake and the stock help. On my current venue is to start with solid bags, If nothing happens for an hour or so, Give them ten spods, then play it by ear, If i can hear jumping, I would probably top up and redo the bags after a few hours. My sessions are short so i have to force the issue a little, I know they respond to the sound of the spod, I know they move around in decent groups. If i get one, 3 spods straight back over the top, stay active, Keep catching. On my last venue, no spod, solid bags, 100 boilies in the stick over each rod....pray.

Haha!!! When we were in France, I had to do that with the cable ties on the one I bought too!!! Most of of my fish this year have come to a heavily baited spot with all three rods on it. Starting off with 5kg of boilie tipped tight to a spot off the boat. That’s my favourite way of static fishing. One of the lads said to me that I could treble my chances of a bite if I fished three different spots with a rod each. My reply was along the lines of ... if I think the fish are going to feed on the spot, why would I put rods elsewhere??? I’ve had numerous double tales and quick, second bites whilst fishing with all three, or at least two rods on ‘the spot’! So in effect, I am trebling my chances by fishing three tight together, not separated. Having said that, I have also had good hits by fishing singles ‘loosely’ chucked to an area. And bags. And zigs. And a lightly baited spot. And particles only. And bookies only. And a mix of both. It’s all down to knowing, or guessing, what will give you the best chance on any given day. One trick pony’s are exactly that. Will do well some days but struggle most others, blaming something else as it ‘worked’ last time! if I had to pick THE favourite way to catch them, it would be stalking them with one rod, close in, watching everything they do.

Doubt it will even happen mate. If it does then just learn a bit of French and put some onions round your neck.

Don't we always seem to need more bits

Is this an Ethnic thing ? Or am I missing a trick ?

Went in to Angling direct to by some terminal bits and whilst paying they told me it was 15% off my bill so that was quite nice.

Well done,you. In saying that,that “American nonsense” has just seen me save £25 and for a tight northerner that’s good nonsense to me. 😉😬

Not a massive pellet fan only really use them in winter like a tiny little bag of 2-3mm or mix some halibuts in just before prebaiting when i want to get a spot clear

That. Some peoples approach is fundamentally flawed for me: Agree, and this is where this discussion becomes irrelevant. It doesn't matter what baiting tactics one uses if that is the approach one takes. It doesn't matter whether it's island, open water, margins..... the rod'll not go if there's no carp there. It's just pure luck what happens. We need to fish (i.e. bait) where the carp are prepared to feed. It can take time to establish where that is, but once you've found it, smash the rods over there, fill it in, and start getting excited!!!

Same principle as the twister really. Imagine 3 turns (angles) trying to pull one out. A curved hook will come out in one single, fluid, movement. The claw pattern allows you a wider gape than a twister though. So will suit different rigs better. Floater fishing for instance. A shorter shank and wider gape, rather than the longer shank and narrower gape of the twister. The main thing is, what every hook anyone uses, is to make sure it suits the mechanics of the rig you are tying with it. My goto pattern since using the Nash hooks, is the chod twister on my favoured multi rig. It sits absolutely perfect with the semi stiff skinlink hook link.

Use all the above methods when needed ,but my favourite has to be by hand on a margin spot or spoon . @Dannygooner I will have to keep an eye out for the catty you mention as the carp ones are pants these days, when I was working away earlier in the year forgot to take a catty so had to buy one, the shop we used only had korda ones & the pouch came off within 5 mins of using it . I repaired it with cable ties trimmed them back & ended up with the lock part of the tie ripping a big tear in my hand gripping the catty didn't have any braid with me as I've used that in the past to stich them back on with to good effect.

Tbh I always leave some in the car. If I need it. But i never do.

I had to buy a generator for my good old Colman stove yesterday. Standing at the till clutching a crisp tenner... 22 quid! Maybe I should’ve waited. No wonder tackle shops are disappearing. 😢