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I got my J precision hooks last week, been having a little play tonight, they are pretty blooming sharp tbh, he seems to take a lot less off them than some but gives them a nice long point, much better than I do myself I think 👍 Top one is a size 6 curved long shank, bottom is a size 5 curved, I could use both happily cos they don't actually seem much different 😁

It was 4c when I walked the dog this morning, it’s around 8c at the moment but the sunshine is glorious! I’ve got another day session booked in for Friday, I’m hoping that now they’ve been moving around a lot more the last week or two, they continue to do so. I try not to look at the long range forecast too much, it just depresses me!

Don’t want to be a downer on things but it’s supposed to drop again guys

I spoke to someone who has been keeping an eye on the lake I fish yesterday, he said it seems to be going up a degree a week at the moment, he said up to 10 degrees in places, I said thanks and vowed to start trickling some bait in 😂

The clue is in the name really, chod stands for “cr**py horrible old detritus” according to Rob Maylin!

Oooo, just had a nosey, sent to mate see if wanna go halves... Aaaa, £4.49 for 24 stickers 😁

I know what a helicopter set up is lol its still not a rig as far as I’m concerned the rig is the bit that catches the fish whether a it’s a chod,ronnie or line aligner the helicopter is a type of lead set up that the rig spins around on I’m just being pedantic 😂

Yes mate. It's the monster retrieve I'm after.

I think it was a crosscast spod in 45 actually my mistake, 😳 So are you thinking of using spod reels as normal reels? I thought you meant for spodding, would be labour saving though 👍 In theory you could add 45mm spools to the 35mm reels if they are the same size, but im not sure that would be cost effective as you would probably have to change other bits or you may lose the massive 124cm per turn retrieve 🤔

Yeah the Emblem spod and pro are 122. I didn't realise they did a 45 spod (do you have a link?). The 45 SCW QD I saw had 104. If you're talking about the Crosscast I'd rather avoid the budget models tbh. The 35 SCW QD spod is the one with 124 which is monstrous. They'll be used in place of a set of SS3000's so I'll get a huge improvement either way. I just need something that will make chucking/retrieving long easier.

A lot of people seem to rate the 45scw, from what I can gather, I spent a good long while looking into them lol,never bought them yet though 😁 the 35 just means it is a 35mm spool length rather than a 45mm I think, the 45mm spod reel has a 118cm per turn retrieve, 124cm per turn, is pretty big though not noticed anything that big before the latest emblem spod is 122cm per turn? Is that what yours is? If so every 15 turns is an extra shatterproof ruler 📐😳

Thanks will take all the info on board an take it with me to the lake. Lots of ideas an wise words thanks.

What about the emblem pro's? They look the same as the emblem spod, not sure what the retrieval rate is though.

I actually don't like helicopter set-ups near weed. I found I got a high number of lost fish to hook pulls. I prefer a run ring with a lead link attached to the lead as per

Just checked for the week, doesn't hit the dizzy heights required does it, and there was me thinking the Bermuda shorts might be coming out soon 😭 Gives me a bit of time to spot find though 👍 The wind changes about Thursday, all them Wigan kebab eaters fault 😁

It already has. Highs of 6 here today. The long range forecast looks set for a cold snap at the end of the month and April isn't looking too rosy either ☹️

I am just going on what he said but I did take it as a sign, could do with no rain for a while it was still very flooded, I would've needed waders to get right round it, I guess where we had such a sustained cold spell before it seems to have made this warmer spell very noticable, lletd just hope it doesn't get too cold again

And the rest buddy. Last weekend ours climbed 2 degrees as air temps stabilised at double figures. Then the big winds and 16 degree air temps on Wednesday sent it up another 2 degrees. Then that amazing sunshine this weekend bought it up to 9!! It has to be the most rapid increase I've ever seen. I have no doubt we'll see more cold weather at some point in March but defo a promising sign.

I agree. Water temps have climbed from 4 degrees to 9.2 degrees in 9 days on the water I fish (crazy, crazy increase). Just like that it's done its first fish since December.

Good advice elmo

A chod rig will help you be able to fish over, rougher bottoms like weed,chod debris effectively, its designed as a chuck anywhere rig, so as long as you have your top bead set up correctly in theory it should present anywhere Personally in my opinion the longer the hooklink on a helicopter set up the more you take away the leads effectiveness to aid with hooking , I would rather use an inline or lead clip if possible, and I would work towards making holes in the weed with prebaiting then you can fish simple lead clip set ups or Pva bags on your cleaned spots and you will start to catch them, I became a fan of dropping the lead in weed last year after a run of hook pulls cost me 7 fish, dropping the lead makes it easier to control what the fish will do in weed as you have direct contact, and stops the lead bouncing about out in front of the fishes mouth whilst hooked, one of those fish still hurts today I know it was a biggun, I wish I had started dropping the lead sooner😢 I would use a chod if I didn't know what the bottom was like, but I would rather know what I was fishing over and use the correct rig for it,

The question is will he’ll notice there’s no Sonik name

There is your starting bait: sweetcorn. Personally, I go against the grain (sorry😖) and fish a run ring, but with a lead link; a length of 8-10lb mono with the lead attached to the end. Normal hook length attached. Put the lead in the PVA bag, along with some pellets, and a few grains of sweetcorn, and keep the hooklink outside with the hook stuck in the corner of the bag. Be gentle casting, it doesn't need a hard whack, be smooth.

A helicopter is a lead arrangement set up same as an in-line or lead clip etc the chod is the rig part as is a snow man kd, ronnie, etc its just always been called a helicopter rig for some strange reason lol

If you are the only one fishing at present you can afford to put a little bit in I would say, I heard today the 25 acre lake I fish is 10 degrees in places at the moment, so find the bit where the sun hits most and bait that, if it doesn't go cold again its not a bad time to start pre baiting a bit I don't think, I will be as soon as i form a plan 🙄 if it isn't going far you just need to be gentle with it, think finesse lol delicate, smooth and easy like a Sunday morning 😎🌞😁😂

The basic set up of the chod/heli system or set up is the same mate, the “chod” aspect is the actual hooklink mate. It’s very short, used with a pop up. Check out some YouTube videos pal, they will make things a lot clearer. I use helicopter rigs almost exclusively, if fishing in weed, I just push the top bead up the leader to about 6-8” to allow the hooklink to slide up the leader which allows the hooklink to rest on the weed. Best thing is to work out what the bottom is made up of, if it’s weedy, try find a clear spot then use nice simple rigs. No need to over complicate things mate, especially if you’re just finding your feet. Simple rigs are the way forward, location of the fishes feeding areas is the most important, choose a decent bait that you have confidence in and stick to it, use pva bags if you have confidence in them as they can present well over many different bottoms, except thick weed in my experience. There’s lots of knowledgeable anglers on here, (I’ve been carping since 1993) and we will all try help you out!

It’s not the biggest an it’s over grown on three side but there is two fishing pegs that have been fished from before. Last time I used the line clip the line snapped think I need to be more gentle when casting. I need to realise that you do not need to put as much force into the cast to get it to go a long way. When it snapped I had a big pva bag on as well. My casting does need to improve practice makes perfect. Surly this time of year it is a case of baiting up little an often so not to fill the carp up ??

I was quite shocked how much stock was in this small pond nothing of great size but the fight like stink an it’s ok for a bite or two through winter

He had a damaged jaw, quite possibly snapped at as they group up for spawning

9 pike today, 2 at 13lb, a 12, an 11, and the rest singles. One I estimated at 8 I decided to weigh, was actually 9lb. One feisty little jack caught me on the finger so didn't have his picture taken. Not the most comfortable swim, had to sit in chest waders all day

Well that's an interesting question , Nube , I'm looking forward to the replies . Personally I like the water temp. to be over 7C . It's getting lighter in the mornings , and staying lighter longer in the evenings , so if we can have some sun to wake up the aquatic insect life for the fish to feed on ? .

Every water is different. Deeper waters may take longer for the fish to start moving, or waters with low food stocks. No point in wasting energy looking for food if there is little about.... Or conversely the fish might be looking for food and constantly moving. Some waters will fish all the way through. Pretty much any water above 4degrees and somewhere a take is possible, be it on a zig, (hurgh, spit) or on a float fished or ledgered bait. Lengthening days might get them moving, but on some waters there is another factor. As the water warms up, the bottom 'turns over'. A layer of algae silty stuff floats up from the lakebed, hits the surface. You will see what looks like little patches of a thin layer of floating lichen covered in tiny bubbles. This can be the time carp start moving. The best way to find out, is to spend time watching and fishing.

Aargh! Schoolboy error: Get a pike close to double figures in the landing net, as I released the tension the hooks fell out, dip landing net as I lifted and pike swims out....😳🙄 Who wants dirty wet smelly hands anyway? 😂😉 Ended up with 5 in the end, nothing massive. I might have to start comparing pics for more recaptures

A mate of mine told me to use the curve shank with the multi rig years ago and in my opinion it's a game changer. Had a few hook pulls with chod style hooks on the multi but changing to curve shanks I've had no problems. A few of my other mates now use this hook pattern and don't suffer hook pulls either with this rig.

That depends on what your idea of sharp is. Imo chemically sharpened hooks are blunt. All of them.

The problem with the Kamakuras is they're only sharpened on one plane, opposite the barb, by machine. This gives them a sharp spade tip which is proper lethal but super fragile. The most fragile of the lot, but still awesome in terms of sharpness.