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So after losing that fish at the net and fishing every weekend of that season to that point I kind of felt deflated. Daft really as I'd have taken anything as a bonus after the very slow summer early autumn. So with Christmas approaching I decided to have a break for the rest of December. As usual though I kept the bait going in no matter what. I recall no more captures to anyone for the rest of December though the weekend of the 12th and 13th of January 2 of my mates both caught. I went down to help with the photos. One mate was fishing the opposite end of the lake to where I had been fishing. So I got to his swim and the sack came out the water. Undo the zip and there was a nice 32lb mirror but what made it even better for me was that the bottom of his sack was full of my red milk protein bait. Pictures done and off down the end where I'd been fishing/baiting. My other mate was fishing about 150yds up the bank from my main baited swim. He gets his fish out and once again his sack was full of my bait. Seen enough so the next weekend I obviously started fishing again and had my good session. After that good session the next weekend just turned into a bit of beer up if im honest. The previous weekend had been amazing for a few of us so a bit of trotting and socialising was done. Nothing was caught this particular weekend mind, though we did try, kind of haha. Now the following weekend and it was my usual arrival on a Friday about 3/ 3-30. Rods out, sit back and chill. It was a big full moon that weekend as it was shining down lighting up the lake one of my had a slow take on it. I instantly thought chunk, but it turned out to be a 27lb common, my smallest fish that winter. The rest of the weekend past without anything doing but a fish was a result. I didn't fish the following weekend as I was out celebrating my birthday which was on the Wednesday coming up and I'd booked it off along with the Thursday and friday. So with my baiting up all through the season, I was baiting on a Wednesday and a Friday. So this was to be the first time I'd fish a Wednesday. I got down and one other angler on and he was fishing about 100yds round the bank from me. Sadly by this time the half dozen of us who had fished all winter had been dropped in it so to speak by someone letting on what we had been catching that winter. Still to this day I'm not sure who let it slip, but up until that point no one else had fished that winter. Still I was plotted in my swim and bang on the spots. Sadly no birthday fish for me and nothing seen by myself or the other angler. That changed around first light of the Thursday morning. About 200yds up the lake a right kipper stuck its head out, that was all I needed to see. I just sat on my bed thinking he's coming down for his breakfast. 7-00 and a couple of liners on my middle rod had me set and ready for a bite any moment. 7-10, no bite but still liners. 7- 20 and left rod starts having liners, my god they are on me big time. The next thing I know my right hand rod is melting, the last rod I thought would go due to the liners. A proper battle ensued, the fish finding every rotten weed bed it could but fortunately it was dead and steady pressure had it out of one and into another. I get the fish about 20 yes out and it rolls, a proper lump. I instantly recognized the shape of the fish and the top lobe of its tail not being rounded, it could only be "paw print", the same fish I'd lost in December. This time though I had the happy ending. My suspicions from that loss in December were right though, it did look big and at 44lb 06oz it was at its biggest weight having never been 40lb before. So my birthday present was only a few hours late. The rest of the session saw no more action. After the fish all my liners stopped and everything, nevermind, there was always the next session.

In that case, put your tin hat on, because journalists have no writing skills, do not know how to make a point or even write decent English. Do me a favour, don't write 3 or 4 posts, put it all into one. The grief it causes the moderators and myself having to merge a series of posts into one. As for Terry Hearn, I've been around a bit, never found anyone with one exception who has a bad word to say about Terry Hearn. Many anglers got into carp fishing because of him and his writings. He is not overinflated, does not have an ego, is the nicest guy going. He talks because that is his nature. He shows his enthusiasm for fishing, his writing, his slideshows.

We all have opinions, that is what makes a great forum. No ones opinion is correct over someone else's. Just because one person likes one thing it doesn't mean that someone else should or will like it as well. They are only opinions and someone's opinion is worth the same as someone else's. We all like different things, luckily, as if we all like the same things it would be a boring world. I've got to ask, what is it about terry that these people don't like? I've personally never met or fished with a more quiet or placid a person. In my 30 years of carp fishing I've got to say I've never heard a bad word said against him.

It certainly had my heart pumping as I'd seen how big it was when I lost it. And yes all in winter, a winter I know I will find near on impossible to match let alone better.

When a fish knows the difference between a 6 and a 4 then I’m off to the golf coarse. 😂😂😬 Stinkymink are you Carpmachine in disguise 🤔🤔😂😂😂

This is all opinion though

You keep forgetting your "imo" mate. With all due respect, the statement above is imo completely inaccurate. i have caught countless carp on size 4 hooks (and size 2 for that matter). They just need to be used on the right rig for the right angling situation.

This^^^^ Writing skills don't bother me in the slightest. As long as it's written with passion. I'll read Steven King if I want a well written book. I'll read Terry Hearn if I want some angling inspiration.

Maybe you could show him what rig he should use instead of berating him. You've been fishing for 20yrs plus you say , so you should have plenty to bring to the table. Like I said in another thread, maybe you can educate us and not just say this is wrong or that is wrong.

Strange you say that about Berkely Big Game , this is a line I have used for many may years and have found it to be excellent in every way , this is roughly the lines and time I have used them Big Game... 20 yrs + Daiwa Sensor... 2 yrs Wychwood DPM... 5 yrs current .

Good answer but after a tickle with the file the difference will be minimal.

I used to use braid for feeder work on my club waters til it got banned, it takes a bit of getting used to, softer rods and a light clutch can lead to some heart in mouth moments close in, but the indication were superb... I can live with the stretch on Sensor.. it's kinder to my old rods and I've been using it for so long I know what I can get away with👍

That'll do nicely cheers Yonny, wish I tried that earlier, perfect for bag fishing and nice and simple Got 50 size 4 curves on order should be enough to start with 😂

I still read and reread The Carp Strikes Back. It covers a lot of his original bait thoughts, much of which is still pertinent today, even in todays Bait Market. With that though is the humour and warts and all of session fishing on Savay, the highs and lows, some rig and lead set-ups, and other trips.

Last night (well... early hours of this morning actually) I finished Bernard Venables' "The Gentle Art Of Angling". I mentioned in another thread that I had obtained a copy (1st edition) and was asked to give a review.... (Here is as good a place as any) Having mentioned on first glance, that it appeared very "wordy", almost verbose, I can conclude that on completion of the book, my original premise was correct... There were words I have never even heard of let alone understood (and I am quite well read, with an excellent vocabulary) I made a point to keep my phone handy to look up some of the words used in his musings... The chapters that describe the psychological makeup of an angler (and his choice of Mate) were bordering upon hilarious, but were not meant to be... You have to understand that this tome is of a period, published in 1955 (3 years before I was born) and as such the style of writing has an almost comedic feel given today's attitudes... Almost as if one were watching "The Fast Show's" Miles Cholmondley Warner sketches... (I have my good lady to thank for that somewhat concise analogy after she read a page) All in all, not a book to take seriously, it has a passing interest to those of a certain age and one of the things that tickled mightily was the reference to the "Un-named" "Prophet/High Priest of Carp Angling" who holds (held) the British record Carp of 44lbs and his "Disciples of The Carp Catchers Club" The emphasis is definitely on Game fishing and I have to say, it didn't really hold me for very long at any time, jauntily (but unintentionally) humorous and very easy to dip in and out of....

Does look perfect tbh nice and simple thanks 👍

You can't get much simpler mate. Really effective for bag work.

Yep for Solid bags, I haven't really looked at the KD rig will have a play and see what comes out Cheers

As in solid bags Elmo? I think in solid bags simpler is better, particularly with bottom baits/wafters. I'd avoid tungsten and swivels (when mr carp sucks up that feed you want as little weight in the hookbait/rig as possible). Have you considered the KD? A curve is perfect for that.

There are many worse writers than Terry Hearn. I have read goodness knows how many articles over 30years carp fishing, some article writers I would not read a book they wrote simply because their writing is so bad. Terry Hearn is not one of them, Jim Shelley for example is. Even a slideshow by Terry Hearn is a must watch. A magazine editor once wrote in one of his articles or books that there was only one writer whose work was perfect as it was received, Chris Yates. His writing style, humour even mean you can't put his books down. Rod Hutchinson on the other hand, by his own admission was not a writer. He wrote it exactly as it happened, language and all. Years ago I met Rod Hutchinson at a talk and had a proper chat with him, he is exactly that, but his knowledge was amazing.

Tel is renowned as one of the great story tellers (within carp angling). His books are probably the most highly regarded of any in the modern era. I wasn't joking when I said Stinky is the first angler I've come across that doesn't rate his books. It's fair enough if Stinky thinks they're no good and that they are made by reputation and subject interest, but imo several generations of carp anglers can't be wrong.

Did anyone watch daves lanes monster particle 2nd vlog yet? There was quite a good feature about Mono stretch vs braid, I wish braid wasn't banned on my lake 😞 I use hydrotuff 15lb it's one of the best for being stronger than rated on the tackle box tests, it's pretty bulletproof, seems to sink OK, great for snaggy waters I also have the 12lb for my spare spools if I need to put my big boy pants on to cast 🤠 I would check it periodically and maybe strip a few rod lengths off every few sessions but not once did this line cause any issues, it went through quite a lot of weed and stuff last year too,

If you haven't already... have a read of "How To Fish" by Chris Yates... its not about carp fishing... but its superbly written and has a captivating quality, that draws the reader into his world of fishing, scrapes, fun, and almost spiritual enjoyment of the sport...

I used to test my lines myself, almost as per Kevin Maddocks in Carp Fever, giving abrasion resistance, the point it stretched to before breaking etc, the Tackle Box tests are pretty spot on. There are lines that no matter how many tests they pass just don't work for the individual angler. There were some I used or tested that I would not use ever again; Berkley Big Game, Nash Bullet Mono, Ultima lines, even Daiwa Sensor in clear, yet the brown was spot on. I loved Shimano Catana, one of the best lines going, it was a shame it was withdrawn from sale. I could not get ESP line to knot tidily, the knot strength was awful, for me, yet a mate loved it and had no problems. If Daiwa Sensor has changed then that is sad, as it was it worked when I last used it around 2010, and I had used it from 1994! The things that cause lines to misbehave are line twist, playing fish on the clutch rather than backwind, 'over stretch' without to breaking point, obviously a snap-off, although at the knot, it may well have damaged the line from the knot to the reel. Something else that causes damage is the lead, and lead attachment, it may well crush or pinch the line, or in the case of running leads on run rings, rub and abrade it, and of course, playing fish over gravel, through weeds and lilies, yet how many check the line every time? But when it goes 'the line is rubbish'...

No reason why you shouldn’t try to tie it at least, it might suit your fishing. don’t go and buy anything you haven’t got as it will be a waste of money for 1 rig lol

Really? I’ve been fishing for 50 years this year on many, many club and syndicate waters all over the country and have never come across that rule!

Lovely mate 😬😎🎣

Im glad you got it ..... I was thinking come on ... come on. Must have been a great relief seeing the tail. And all this in the winter 👍

Daiwa Sensor jumbo spool 8lb 1,855m just under £10 use that for float and feeder and carp off the top, iv had carp up to 16lb on it been using the brand for donkeys yeas X line fluoro not sure what breaking strain it’s been on the spools forever use this for small waters where a softly softly approach is needed.....I find i need to wipe the xline during the session as it seems to get dirty I just use a baby wipe must the segment in the water ? Fox Exocet wow what a line highly recommended 👍 first used it in France in 12lb on a big water as I didn’t have a bait boat, 12lb is a bit Stretchy if you give it the big heave ho with a 3oz weight and no shock leader tho ... so I changed spools to the 15lb glad I did the 1st fish took me around a small weed bed, had no problems with a low 30 and a big ball of weed. The line flys off the spool thin for its bs and sinks ok Braid Berkley Whiplash green diameter 0.12 use it for my spod /marker rod ( which is the same rod ) again had this for so long it’s lost it colour.

whereas I'll freeline a whole prawn on a size 2 or 4, it's about matching your bait to your hooksize... a size 6 in a whole king prawn is lost.... especially as it's not hair rigged

Fantastic mate, what a way to settle the score😎

Just ordered some medium sized ones off the bay of e, I ordered em as I have arthritic fingers and failing eyesight and find it difficult to tie fancy rigs, so I'll look at anything which helps me create a rig that is acceptable to my eyes and a fish... I also wanted to try some of the extended kickers from Gardner to make some slip D rigs... give em a go..... (probably end up freelining prawns again😛😎)

I recently read a self published diary of a friends fishing life... was it well written? well probably not, it needed a proof reading or three and a bit of editing, but as an Angling Journal it made fantastic reading...

Well to be honest, all I've heard is Mr Mink's self professed writing skills... and his decrying of others... lets see some of your's Sir... let us decide we all have our likes and dislikes, but just because I dislike someones work, it does does not entitle me to decry their work as rubbish. As for me being rude... I never called Yates's works Waffle or Drivel... qualified or not, that is rudeness... As I have said before, his book sales bear testimony to his writing prowess, as do the various publications which have favourably reviewed his work... If it were utter pants there wouldn't be a huge following of his work... and whilst I'd be the first to agree that not all of his work is of the standard of "The Secret Carp" or "The Deepening Pool" or "Casting At The Sun" he commands good sales... Do you ? As a case in point Rod Hutchinson said once that he could never aspire to the same writing ability of his mate, "but here goes" and yes, Rods work is good... But, as Framey says, there's a difference between an angler who writes and a writer who fishes... and Rod falls firmly into the first group.

No it's not. Imo.

To be fair all these people are anglers who have written a book not writers who fish. i think maybe the publishers are to blame in not getting them proof read before release. but in all these cases it all boils down to money as with most things in the tackle trade “just get it out attitude”

It makes a well presented pop up rig though

for me the best bit of carp fishing writing I have ever read is a chapter in Subsurface Journal 2. The Edges of Places by Matt Beddows. I have read a lot of angling books and this chapter actually does something that none of the others do. I could read it back to back a few times a day and still be captivated by the words. This chapter stoked my interest to fish a quarry I had known about for a while but not looked around and I read it 4/5 times a year to keep my fire burning for all my angling. I would very much recommend getting a copy of SSJ2 (if you can find one for a good price) just for this chapter alone!

Now poses the question, I want to use a smaller non trig Hammer hook for my pva wafter set up, will a curve type be the one Part of me thinks keep it simple as these rigs won't be in the water long and also need to be cost effective (bank tackle curves??? Sharpened, ) Knotless knot with silicone and a tungsten kicker Or curve with a d rig kicker with micro swivel Both seem to work OK I think in my recent tests but I think the d rig will be slightly harder for the carp to eject? Anyone else have any thoughts on this set up?

They're great imo. He is a carp anglers carp angler, he enjoys it for what it is, as well as having the "the knowledge". I was listening to the latest Korda podcast and they mentioned that they have one with Micky coming up. Looking forward to that, he never seems to do anything like that. I agree, his books are brilliant.

I must admit I've not read hutchies books but I prefer to read a book that is written how it happened with No airs or Graces . For me the, the best book I've read is Micky gray's book "a merry olde dance" because it is written as it happened. Looks like I must have to try and get a couple of Rod's books.

Met Rod a few times, lovely bloke but not a great writer, although the stories were often funny as... I wouldn't put him down as one of the literary greats and neither did he... I finished "Before I Forget" a few weeks ago and it was a laugh, but not a great book... (would have been nice if someone had finished it for him... RIP Rod

Watch the vid mate, it explains it very clearly. I messed about with it years ago. A real hassle to tie, and I didn't believe it offered a benefit over a standard rig in the right place.

I think his book sales would say otherwise... we'll agree to differ...

I can forgive poor writing if it gets the story across... we all have something in us that can compensate for a questionable writing technique... it's called an imagination... sometimes you gotta use it....

It’s just another variation of a 90s rig I would need to find the book out to check it again though

Currently, on my big water rods/spools I have: HydroTuff 20 lb - for weed. HydroTuff 12 lb (with leader) - for distance. HydroSink 22 lb - where braid is the one. On my small water rods/spools I have: HydroTuff 15 lb. I'm a massive fan of HydroTuff as you can probably tell. Its abrasion resistance is the best I've come across and that is the characteristic which I consider to be most important for the weedy waters I tend to fish. The other characteristics don't seem to be compromised too much by the abrasion resistance either. It sinks ok, it even casts ok, which for a snag line is quite unusual. The 12 lb with leader is perfect for getting the distance without sacrificing too much abrasion resistance. I also rate the Rig Marole SLS Specimon Tough (another snag line) but it's been discontinued. I still have some left that I use as a leader material.

Usually synchro or Xt in 12lb generally 15 lb if weedy X line in 19lb and I have just spooled up a spare set of spools with the Korda tapered line in 12lb I used to use big game or pro gold(harder and harder to get hold off) dabbled with the pro blend from. Gardner along with loads of different ones over the years like maxima sylcast gr60 etc

I am loving these posts mate. That is ridiculous↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓. What a fish, and a fantastic shot too.

We all like to read stories about fish of monstrous sizes. It seems every lake contains a whopper that a few people have seen but has never been caught. Some stories are told by respected anglers which gives them some credence, others by younger and more inexperienced anglers and the size gets higher by every pint downed! Twice in my angling experience I have "witnessed" fish that would make the record books but on both occasions I realised that all was not what it seemed. The first was whilst fishing a water in the Cotswold Water Park fishing on Hills Pit. At the time it was crystal clear and I would stalk tench by watching them pick up my sweetcorn baits fished on a float and well over depth for a bit of casting weigh. One day whilst fishing I caught sight of a fish coming along the marginal shelf. My jaw dropped, it looked absolutely huge, far bigger than anything I had caught previously. I watched it for a good 10 seconds and couldn't believe how big it looked. As it got closer, something didn't look quite right and then I realised it was actually two tench swimming in perfect unison but about a foot apart and they had overlapped giving the impression of one big fish. They literally swam under my rod and continued on their journey, oblivious to the near heart attack they had given me. The second was on the Throop Fishery on the Dorset Stour. Again the river was crystal clear and I saw so many big chub that day that 5lb'ers seemed to be the norm. I fished an area called the Highbank later in the day and it gave me a superb view of the swim, I could see every bit of gravel on the bottom. I put out a couple of droppers of hemp and corn and the chub downstream seemed to notice straight away. I cast out another dropper and a chub of record breaking size appeared from the streamer and made a beeline for it and ate the hemp out of the dropper before the current could take it away. My knees knocked and my mouth went dry at what I had just witnessed. Then as I looked closer, I realised that is was a silvery common carp probably just into double figures and I managed to calm down. There must be countless tales of similar events or unexplained mysteries that turned out to something more explainable, anyone else got any?