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Nearly there now guys 👍

Well, little lads England trials have been put back 2 weeks to the 26rh June.... So Tomorrow he has his last game of the season, then some of the footy lads coming round our house to watch the England game. Projector going the table on right, portable 100" projector screen going on left.

And England won happy days 👍

It was absolutely roasting under it...be taking it down in morning. 6 footy lads and 3/4 of there mums came round... Just having a chill now in back garden, then I tidy up when they gone... Good job I'm on afternoons tomorrow.

I’ll never forget the time when I slipped with my barrow only for it roll down the bank breaking 2 rod tips. On that trip my mate lent me a spod rod to fish with it, 5lb test curve or something like that. Only went and caught my 29lb 2oz pb on it 😆😂

I've been having a slightly lean spell lately, I have changed baits about 10 times in my head including looking into all the required equipment to make my own, like a boilie roller set up, basemixes, ingredients and all sorts 😁 Then the other day I went to have a look round and do a bit of hole filling, I had a bucket of pellets with me and ended up feeding quite a few big carp at about 5 yards out,and they were chomping, then I remembered its not the bait, that works in the right spot, my rigs do work usually it's always about the location, and putting it all in the right place at the right time 😳

This thread definitely hits a note with me. I returned to fishing around 18 months ago after a 40+ year break! As a teenager I was pretty competent, but heck things have changed (we used to put bait on a hook, rigs were things our North Sea oil came from!). Back in the day we'd fish for anything, including carp. This time around I have dedicated my time just to carp. I am very fortunate insofar as I retired 12 months ago and so can get out mid-week (in fact I make a point of never going over a weekend as I think that's unfair on the anglers who work through the week). I have absorbed as much as I can through reading, YouTube, and a couple of lessons—one each from two different 'carp fishing gods' (in my mind anyway). A few observations from all of that: Keep it simple. I was horribly confused by all the stuff about rigs. I genuinely thought I needed to learn to tie hundreds of different types and then try and work out which to use in any given situation. I have cut right back to just a couple. The YouTube videos are great entertainment but probably create unrealistic expectations. They are (usually) heavily edited to make them interesting. Who wants to watch [insert name here] famous angler blank? The pros blank too, we just don't see it. Early on in my reintroduction to the sport I fished a runs water (didn't know that's what it was or that they existed). Very soon the initial fun of hauling out fish soon wore off and it became a bit dull. Since then I made a decision to fish harder waters and now feel a real thrill when I catch. I have come to understand my own aspirations better. My professional life was just stress on steroids. After 40+ years of that I don't want my hobby to be the same. Fishing, for me, I have realised is not just hauling out fish. It's being in the countryside, camping out, getting great quality sleep, rest, etc. If I start worrying about catch rate, rigs, am I doing it right, etc. I might just as well 'un-retire', go back to work again and get paid! I'm doing this for fun and relaxation. I'm still trying my hardest, just not beating myself up when I blank. The last lesson I had with a pro was especially illuminating. I told him which syndicate I'd joined and it was one he was familiar with. He told me I was very lucky to have got in, that it has some very beautiful, very old (and big) carp, but that they are exceedingly wary. It's also a low stocked water. He said I should set my expectation that five fish in my fist season (whilst learning the lake and its fishes' habits) would be a good result. I'm happy with that. I will enjoy nature, enjoy learning the new skills and chill. So I guess to the OP my advice is, as someone else has said, see this insane hobby for what it is—it's 'fishing', not 'catching'. It's nice when they both come together but one isn't necessary (or guaranteed) for the other to be enjoyable. And you are probably doing nothing wrong!

also helps if you read the set up instructions, putting the handles on with the stickers facing up looks right but you soon realise there is something wrong when the barrow goes over on the first turn.

The big problem I noticed with the fat boy is the big chunky wheel, great on nice flat ground. Not so much on uneven paths, I have had a few good laughs watching my mate tip over and giving up, then carrying all his gear. He even did it at linear first time out and the ground wasn't too bad. Imo change it for the skinny puncture proof wheel and you'll have a grwat barrow that can go anywhere.

Totally agree about not taking excessive kit but it's very rare I'd just have a few hours floater fishing but if I did I would have very minimal kit. I like to think I'm young and physically fit and don't take excess on a day session but in my opinion there's nothing worse than getting all hot and sweaty right at the start of a session because you dressed yourself to stay warm whilst sitting behind rods for hours haha also I do like to take my bivvy on a lot of my day sessions now (depends on the venue) just for comfort especially if it's likely to be heavy rain etc

Same as and I barely take anything lol and I still have a knackered back