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Well after much drama over the Christmas period with courier the bivvy arrived!! Very happy with it and it's very spacious! Did a practice run with it in the back garden haha Any tips on getting the material tight all round? Maybe it's because the grass was very wet but whenever I pulled the pegs tight they pulled out of the ground.

We need to bear in mind that a carp lake is not a stagnant hole in the ground. It is a dynamic environment with undertows that change with the direction of the winds. You also have the fish themselves that disrupt the bottom of the water column as they swim around and hopefully feed, kicking up the silty sediment.

That's a good point. When I cleaned the tank the lead weight I used was covered with a gloopy mess. I wonder what would happen to a bag of sweetcorn? Lots of stuff to investigate and so little time.

No I didn't. The reason was I was surprised by how slow the PVA took to melt and did not want to disturb it. We know that adding salt to a mix allows you to put a wet mix in a pva bag without it melting but I expected it to dissolve from the outside very quickly. What seems to happen is a skin forms inside which doesn't fully dissolve. The sequence after the bag was in the tank took about 15 minutes. I speeded it up because it was boring to watch. I will try as you suggest and see if it disperses quicker through the water or if it settles back down again. I am also interested to see how it disperses in the water over time.

Thanks for comments. Just what I was looking for. In reply :- “you were very surprised but the result of this experiment but I think the result was exactly what you and I expected” I was expecting some separation between the denser salt and the water but I was astonished that the salt remained so concentrated in such a very thin layer on the bottom of the tank. “To replicate those volumes in a water body of any significance would take many thousands of tonnes of salt at a guess.” I used about 10 ml of rock salt and it covered about 0.1 square metres. That equates to 100 ml per sqr metre. A 5 acre lake is roughly 4000 square metres so it would need 400 litres of salt to entirely cover it under the same conditions. That is not a huge amount. Roughly 1000 kilo. Ok this is under laboratory conditions and there are many variables in real life. I suspect the salt solution would roll down hill and fill up hollows and low spots. I have no idea how long it would take to diffuse through the water column. I feel another experiment coming on. “If we imagined that the salt did stay in a concentrated area when introduced to a large body of water it could certainly go some way to explaining why "salting a spot" can be so effective, particularly on rich, weedy waters. It'd clear the spot nicely ready for perfect presentation.” Yes, that is precisely my point. You create a mini desert in that area. I believe that, when salt is initially introduced, it kills off the microorganisms and the carp move in for a free lunch. However it leaves behind an inert bed. Is that what we really want to do? “I think the statement that still waters have no natural mechanism by which salt can be removed is misleading. Salt is water soluble and the water in lakes is constantly recycled through natural water cycles (rain vs. dispersal through groundwater). In the concentrations used for carp fishing this has a negligible effect (imo) on a water body.” This is a relevant point and I have no understanding of how salt may disperse through groundwater. I would suggest that even if it does, it has already done its damage to the lake bed. “ anglers rarely use a saturated solutions (did I see undissolved salt in the glass before it was added to the pva bag?) “ Yes I just put in a tablespoon of salt into a glass. But surely if people are putting a salt lick into a swim the initial solution in direct contact with the salt is saturated so the demo is not that representative “for me, it's a moot point however, as I for one don't use salt in my carping,” I think that is the attitude everyone should adopt. “It's more a case of them needing it than liking it. It's a mineral that is very difficult for them to obtain in a freshwater environment and carp need it to function.” I am not sure I agree. Is there any evidence for this? Carp seem to have evolved for thousands of years without the need of extra salt added artificially. I have never come across a case of carp suffering from a lack of salt. But I could be completely wrong. “I agree with you that anglers should be aware of possible dangers but imo that "oh well" decision couldn't possibly result in the hundreds of tonnes of salt it would take to even match the salinity levels preferred of their tanks by koi keepers.” I have been trying to demonstrate that it is NOT the levels of salt that the Koi experts find acceptable that is the danger. It is the much smaller amounts that endanger microorganism growth.

there is also that fact that anglers rarely use a saturated solutions (did I see undissolved salt in the glass before it was added to the pva bag?) also that the premise of carp liking salt is down to the fact that nutrients in the floor of the lake bed can make the pH different in that area, so even a small amount would trigger a slight pH imbalance and possibly entice a carp to feed... for me, it's a moot point however, as I for one don't use salt in my carping, the fact that salt is used as a preservative in boilies is enough for me, (addendum....) I don't think carpers should be adding salt to baits in large volumes, as I too have concerns over it's use, but let's not confuse the fact that it can work, my concern stems from people seeing it on youtube or some such video and emulating it on a grander scale thinking "Oh well a bit more won't hurt" the media need to emphasise the possible dangers from the outset before advocating the use of a possible poison

An Anti-Game Warden dog!!!

Thanks for that. I'm just off to visit that well known auction site...….. Ian.

Case has a little belt clip/latch attached to the back of it... Lanyard is just a standard lanyard...I've attached mine to the receiver clip.