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Genuinely guys appreciate you all commenting and giving advice. I will definitely persevere as they are clearly a popular pattern and a lot of you have strong faith in them. Hopefully I'll be able to report back in a few weeks with some decent catches! I'll persevere with the Ronnie rig and blowback rigs.

I've spoken to a few, made my point and had to call the EA a couple of times when I got rude replies or threatened. I know in Ipswich the police ejected 14 in one day off the River Gipping. As for prebaiting on rivers, I don't think it is as essential as on lakes as carp do have to eat more than their lake counterparts, so almost everything is tried. However, even on rivers baits can blow over time. I have watched River carp ignore sweetcorn for a few days. Prebait features, overhanging trees, bends, weir pools etc. Be aware that when you arrive carp may not be in the area, they may patrol up and down a stretch, covering a few miles in a day. You may find bait droppers handy to get your bait down to the river bed. No point on putting your hook where you dropped bait in if it has been washed down 20metres.

Gives you more time to bait up and get them really on it you were lucky you didn’t get caught really

Firstly could I remind you that the close season on rivers is from 15th March until 16th June, so you should not be fishing rivers until then.

I did a post in Rig Tying this week, actually while I was fishing. The rigs I have been using on the reservoir myself. I know @commonly you have a 'no curved hook' rule, my other straight hook shank is a Solar 101. Both these rigs work with them as well. @pablo7uk, the snowman set-up is what produced a fish this week. Don't think you always have to use a Ronnie rig. I do know I was fishing over a clay bed so the area I was fishing was weed free. Both rigs have worked on the reservoir, and strangely, both seem to keep me bream free, whereas single baits have been taken by bream. I don't mind if they are big, (9lb +), but a night of 5-8lb fish every few minutes can do my head in.

Definitely, excellent hook holds. Like yonny I will always show the file to the point. Kamakuras, imo, are filed too much, ie making them brittle and prone to bending or opening up!! The resi doesn't allow curved hooks so I'm going to be using a bit of Shrink tube on fox wide gapes for the foreseeable

I never use a bivvy heater, I would much rather have the clothes and sleeping equipment to keep warm, even in winter. I have seen too many accidents, from a sleeping bag falling on a lit stove, burning a hole in it while my mate sorted a fish, to a complete bivvy burnout and an angler needing hospital treatment for serious burns. I even use my stove outside the bivvy rather than risk fire inside. Even doing that I have melted holes in a groundsheet by taking a pan off the stove when I went to strike a run and putting it just inside the door.

Life jackets , this is just a personal opinion , but I dont really like the Auto inflate lifejackets , but prefer the conventional ones , You always know if you fall in , using a conventional life jacket you will always float , Auto inflate , theirs always an element of " will it inflate when I need it " Just my opinion One other thing if you buy an Auto inflate , Always wear it on the outside of your cloths , Never under a coat

The easiest and the best thing to do is buy the correct clothing and sleeping bag, no heater required then. Put a layer on if too cold or take a layer off if too hot, simple and safe.

That's the one buddy I've just ordered it seems identical to the cyprinus K2 apart from the hydrostatic head. If anyone want's what it's like it should be here Thursday ill tell anyone what they want to know.