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A blank from oxlease but my mate had a 19lb Common a long fish what yonny would call a cricket bat fish, he also had a 25lb Mirror so made up for him…. I learnt the need to cover all bases and eventualities. I knew the swim I was going to fish a little bay to my left only I access to it and it was a 151/2 wrap cast to under the trees, feed them by hand and cast close to them. Well I fed them by hand cast to them and that was that lol. I should have realised after a day that they were there just to chill and hang out, should have had a plan B taken a marker rod find a spot in open water bit of spod and fish that…. But what a sight I had up close to carp in gin clear water over a clean sand gravel bottom, hours of just looking at them lol Apologies for the quality of the pics

100% screws every time...

I’ve used there tidy bag stems 👍

Save yourself a bit of money and go for okuma 8k, they are the nuts, I will confidently say they are better than any other reel around that price bracket, certainly better than a shimano aerlex as I also own one of those, This is a cracking deal I paid £80 each for them and would again if I needed too I love them, smooth slow oscillation, long spool, just solid reels that come with a 5yr warranty https://parkfieldanglingcentre.com/collections/big-pit/products/okuma-8k?variant=31504247488623

Cheers Stevey , hope you’re well 😉

I’ve used swivels flossed on and pushed into bait I’m not sure about the movement bit tbh mate I use oval bait screws and they have never let me down tbh. In saying that I don’t think I fish many ‘riggy’ waters and try to concentrate on a nice sharp big hook and decent presentation

I’m predictable I know but I think my Emcast Evo’s are the doggies 😊

I'll talk to anyone me, but if I make the effort and they can't be bothered "see ya later pal" that me done. There was 1 lad when I was on my club water, he reckons he owns the lake, rocks up any time of day/night... I went to left side of him, fishing 1 down the left margin, 1 about 4 rods out.... All hell broke loose from him... Why you side of me? (it was a double peg I was in for me n mate) You better not Spod pal? (got mi boat)... Then about an hour in I sent boat out 11 wraps (arrow straight in front of me)... He says your in my swim... I says come here then ill show you... He was actually in mine... Then he puts a post of the club Facebook page kicking off about boats and how they should be banned.... But says the lad who spods 5kg (2kg limit on any session) regardless time of day/night he turns up.

i find you are better off just being sociable to those you meet when out so long as they haven't got that elite angler vibe about them, there was a bait tester on a other lake that could be a complete annoyance if it didn't go right for him or couldn't get his chosen peg, the remarks would start, very passive aggressive of course, i just get the spom rod out and froth it up some more, with my two kilo of bait for three rods for three days, ain't moving mate., considering i had the two biggest known fish out and others, i'd say my tactics are solid. 😆

Honestly, I've only got the 2 who I really go fishing with, or it's on my own with the pooch.... This weekend it's with my lad n Dog.... 1 mate doing 24hr from Saturday morning, 1 mate doing the day Sunday. I've just setup my marker rod, gonna give em abit of bait when there Friday night, but not fish on it until tea time day after.... 1 rod out, 1 rod margins.

at least you have angling mates, i offer to get my mates into angling and they take it as come along sit in the peg and land the odd fish, i don't do it anymore get some tackle the tickets pick your own peg and i will help with the set up and tactics all of a sudden they lose interest, one guy i had to stop going out with, i'd pay for ticket and he would sneak a rod out, everyone knew what he was up to, park lake as well.

Bait screw for me 100% easy and less fiddling than bait floss when the old eyes and fingers start going 🙄🤣🤣 Bank Tackle do em cheap as chips the only thing make sure your pop up is super buoyant as the screw adds a tiny bit of extra weight to the rig.

Lately I've also been toying with the idea of new reels.... Either of the below in Shimano. Aerlex XTB 10000 £69.99 Speed master XTC 14000 £99.99 Ultegra XTD in either 5500 or 14000 £113.99 - £129.99

money savers and a damn fine reel is the emcast 25a around 80 notes they do a carp version called the castizm? got the qd sppol and a large price tag for pretty much the same reel as the emcast.

Gemini do some fluoro solid bag drop off leaders, they also do a tubing kit with stems and stuff, but I've decided that's too faffy, if I am doing solid bags I'm using leaders from now, i use the Gardner camflex unleaded leader I think it sinks well enough, https://www.geminicarptackle.com/shop/100-fluorocarbon-leaders/double-ring-swivel/