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Could I just say something about testing rigs in general? I strongly recommend that you test your rigs in action by filming them being sucked up and then reviewing that action in slow motion or frame by frame. I forget who it was but I read that someone advocated putting a shot on the bend of the hook to get a better hooking action. The explanation for using it was pretty convincing. When I tested it myself I saw that as soon as the sucking stopped and there was no tension in the line, the hook just dropped down bend first with little chance of hooking anything. It is best not to take anybody’s word for anything without testing it yourself.

The hair has survived for 50 odd years so of course it works well. That does not mean it cannot be improved and I like to nudge all the odds gently in my favour. I did a lot of testing with the hair and found that the most important aspect for me IMHO is the position at which the hair comes off the shank of the hook. It needs to be just above the centre of gravity. Thus when being sucked in, and with the drag on the line, the point tucks under the boilie to make a smooth entry (and not hook outside of mouth). As soon as the line goes slack (when sucking movement stops), the hook drops down to an aggressive position. You can see this from screen shots taken from that video. IN OUT The drawback is that the whole of the boilie and the hook length must enter the mouth. Nine time out of ten this is not a problem. However, a carp can only take in one mouthful at a time and there must be times when the boilie does not fully enter the mouth in which case the hair rig will not work but the bald rig still has a chance. I am also convinced that the bald rig has a further advantage in that the sudden rotation movement makes the fish bolt straight away. Obviously I cannot prove this but all my takes using it are very fast. There are no casual nibbles as it were. I am enjoying float fishing at the moment using the classic lift method. If I am using the bald rig I get a very slight lift then the float disappears off to the horizon at speed. If I use a few grains of sweetcorn on the hook, I get the classic lift and have to strike the fish or risk losing it. I really do appreciate any input even if it is negative and I too am VERY interested in how others get on. When you have confidence in a rig it is extremely difficult to switch to a new method.

Well since the glorious 16th iv had the marker rod out over the dock most early evenings after work found some clean spots but the weed is growing like Japanese knot weed on steroids. Here’s some pics from both ends

Good on you for stopping and helping her mate 👍

Looks like an ATTS copy with a few more farkles added... like the wristband though

Hey guys. I have this small "pond" near my house. It was known as the private pond. Back when i fished it there were shoals of perch,rudd and roach and also a few nice size carp that looked into good double figures. The "pond" itsself is near a water works and gas terminal. Over the years the perch became less and less until a few years ago when i noticed no signs of them. Any idea what may have happened to them? I did mention its close to a water works. Could this be a possible reason? Anyways this pond is that overgrown with nettles ect its going to be a pain to get in. Any ideas on what to take clothes wise or tools to help me get through the overgrow? Some sheers? Waders? I just have this feeling them carp are still in there. Or at least i want to find out and see these beautiful fish again. Alot of fish i think died but i would like to know if those carp are still there. 15 years ago they were mid doubles so i imagine they are even bigger now but so tough to catch. A few mates who had caught these carp said zigs worked great. Any tips/ advice appreciated

According to the scales I got 23.5kg of particle and and 7kg in total of boilies for a 3 possibly 4 day session starting tomorrow 👍😂 Still undecided where I’m going to go, got 2 reservoirs in mind. Both decent stocks and lots of 20s and fish close to 40. one is about 80 acres the other is 91. Will have to decide in the morning 😂

You'll have to let us know how it goes guys. For me the 1st action vid (of the standard hair rig) demonstrates very well the rig exhibiting almost perfect hooking potential. I'm not sure a rig exists that can be so effective. What I can say is I admire your innovative thinking!

Chest waders, broom handle and a small foldable saw. I had to get through about 30ft of 6ft high stingers to access a stretch of river the other week. I plowed through it whacking the nettles down with the broom handle and used the saw to remove small branches. Chest waders help protect from nettles and bugs 👍😂 just don’t make your entrance too obvious because people will check it out. Same with river swims once they see the opening they want to fish it lol.

bit of an odd question but what's the maximum time you could put a fresh made paste log into the fridge and still roll it on a table roller, some pastries and dough's can be left overnight in the fridge before working, would a base mix become too stiff for rolling if left overnight in the fridge?

The hook from an old tent peg does not work, it comes loose (I have a Bosch drill) or bends. Get a paddle mixer/paint stirrer, that works a treat for around 20 eggs of liquids. I have also used a plasterers paddle mixer for larger amounts, about 5litres of eggs and liquids.

Getting there just waiting on the rolling table and Cork dust

Nice mate, I guess want to be doing 5kg batches at a time and freeze. I’ve been watching a few videos last night, watched some of John bakers stuff, very knowledgeable bloke 👍 Then I watched some other guy who was showing his set ups from doing a small batch to stepping it up to a bigger batch etc. He suggested using something like a paddle mixer that the plasterers use. Here’s the video I found it pretty useful Then the John baker video if you’re interested 👍

I do a lot of baking mixing a kilo base mix by hand is not a problem so doubt I will use the drill, you could make a hook with a old tent peg the drill will hold that, I use it for mixing paints with a spoon. I have a good mixer with with hook in the kitchen but it will be less hassle to do it by hand, if I was knocking up ten kilo of paste in one go I would use a Hobart or similar not needed for this. it more about small batch outrageously high quality ingredients following well proven recipes at some point I will be getting some flours' in to make my own 50/50 mix as a base for more high end ingredients, look into chick pea and red lentil flour if such things would work similar to soya and maize flour some high end almond flour that sort of thing just so im sure that no matter what else i'm doing my bait is better than anything else I could of used. just not sure which fish meal base mix to use essential baits k5 looks like the best krill mix you can get in a pack?

That’s a good idea mate 👍👍 how much base mix could you mix up at a time with that do you reckon?

not sure as of yet but if i have a problem i will use a power drill and fork like the match anglers do i use a wooden spoon in a drill for another job that pops up every now and then, works a treat

Happy farthers day guys hope it’s been a good one I rescued a young buzzard after hitting it with the car late last night took it to the raptor sanctuary hopefully a few days should be able to release it

I do use qd reels for pike fishing but you want as little resistance as possible so I use them with open bail arms, as I would with any type of reel while pike fishing. 🙂👍🎣

It is just before Scotland v England in the Euro’s Group game. Kane goes into the English changing room to find all his team mates looking a bit glum. "What's up?" he asks. "Well, we're having trouble getting motivated for this game. We know it's important but it's only Scotland. They're [censored]e and we can't be bothered". Kane looks at them and says "Well, I reckon I can beat these by myself, you lads go down the pub." So Kane goes out to play Scotland by himself and the rest of the English team go off for a few pints. After a few jars they wonder how the game is going, so they get the landlord to put the teletext on. A big cheer goes up as the screen reads "England 1 - Scotland 0 (Kane 10minutes)". He is beating Scotland all by himself! Anyway, a few more pints later and the game is forgotten until someone remembers "It must be full time now, let's see how he got on". They put the teletext on. "Result from the Stadium "England 1 (Kane 10 minutes) - Scotland 1"(Angus McShagnasty 89 minutes)". They can't believe it, he has single handedly got a draw against Scotland!! They rush back to the Stadium to congratulate him. They find him in the dressing room, still in his gear, sat with his head in his hands. He refuses to look at them. "I've let you down, I've let you down." "Don't be daft, you got a draw against Scotland , all by yourself. And they only scored at the very very end" "No, No, I have, I've let you down... I got sent off after 12 minutes"