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Dynamite Fresh Fish Pop-Ups look a very good match to dog biscuits, cut it into a square and it's pretty bang on. The fake weighted floaters are good as the hook sits on top, out of the water, you can literally bounce them over weed to get it into little clearings where the fish are sitting. Zigs work whilst feeding mixers over the top, especially if they are rejecting the hookbait. My mate is a good floater angler, he uses the dog biscuits on the hook, but prepares them in a bottle of water and adds pressure to get them to take in the water to what he finds the right amount, I've only seen this once so can't remember the fine details - but that really works well.

been looking to going back to wearing old-skool clobber, picked this Belgium woolen army jumper up at a charity shop, they wanted a fiver, i bargained 'em down to a whooping 3 quid!!!😂

Well he is a fancy show cocker don't you know 🤣 he is due a trim Thursday - I get him done every 6-8 weeks. I did George myself twice a year, whereas Jack doesn't even like me brushing him.

Brian Skoyles used to put some in a bag and add a dash of flavour, pour in around half a cup boiling water, shake and leave them until it was all absorbed. They would be slightly tougher but soft enough to put a baiting needle through.

I had an old guy and a woman ask me all about jack and whereabouts the breeder lives just an hour apart the other Sunday. Neither seemed interested in me lol 🤷‍♂️

I used to use Bakers Complete rather than the meaty chunks, but use the larger chunks in the pack as hookbaits. When I set up my hooklink, I tie a Uni-knot loop at the end, and put a hookbait in there, then knotless knot the hook on, usually a size 10, Drennan Super Specialist or size 12 Korda Longshank. You can use a brown 'neutral' or lower flavour pop-up or the meaty chunks, although the meaty chunks can be slightly different sizes, whereas a pop-up is more consistent. Even a low flavoured or 'food source' coloured pop-up will work if you need to be able to see it. I know some people don't like the knotless knot for floater fishing, but it does work for me, for both carp and chub fishing on the surface. The hooklink is usually Berkley XL in 7lb or Preston Reflo in 10lb for me. Another alternative is feeding bread, on Bromeswell we'd feed whole, ¼ or ½ slices and wrap a size 6 in that. Great fun to get them feeding right under your feet with only the hookbait touching the surface, but a half slice can be cast out quite a way. Reeling in if the bread comes off the hook is leaving freebies behind...

Use a brown pop up and trim it down until it sits perfectly. You're dead right that overly buoyant hook baits will be ignored if they sit too high in the surface film. By trimming down a pop up you can get it just right and the hook bait will last for hours. I certainly wouldn't be inserting cork into mixers as they'll still fall apart pretty quickly. As long as the hook bait sits ok in the surface film and you have them feeding properly, you'll get bites. 👍

As a side, Handsome dogs? What's that all about, I get random woman stop my dog to give him a fuss and tell him how Handsome he is, not just a one off happens regularly, I get ignored, literally. It's just odd and if a fella did it I would say something.

Dress your dog up as a ferret, there's no rule against ferrets. Sadly, the rule of no guns rules me out.

Back on the sydi, Jack seems happy! 🙂

I'm thinking about taking Betty with me this week for a day trip, she is mental but loves being with me so I am hoping that is all it takes 😂, she will have to stay tied up a bit though because she has a strong prey drive and doesn't always come back lol she is like my shadow unless she gets a taste of freedom

Jacks first solo trip - he was brilliant, no travel sickness, no being naughty, was chilled and seemed to enjoy it lots. Many happy trips to come 🥰😎👍

Lea valley security 💪😜

Can’t wait to take this big softy out on a night trip. I have had him with me on an evening session before and after letting him roam wild for a bit he did eventually come lay down near me and relax. He actually chose to lay down on a fallen over barbed wire fence not the unused unhooking mat I had laid out for him 🤣 but I couldn’t complain he was sleeping and I was relaxing with rods out and all was well.

I'm 1 for taking him on every session... This was his 1st session with me... Then just grew from there... I take all of the above mentioned, his chilled as anything when we're out, just loves being on the bed, being stroked, doesn't bark at anything. As long as he's chilled and bot bothering anyone, I think he will be fine, while the rods are out and weather is OK, I play with him, pulls on a rope or chew a branch.

Just saying hello. I'm a big fan of breed specific activities took fredders along a abandoned rail line let him have at a few old rabbit holes nothing in them full of wind blown leaves plus he wouldn't fit down he just likes to widen th entrance and a general tidy up some wildlife numpty will think badgers have moved in lol.

Floater fishing is always a viable method. Plenty documented in the carp world of winter floater captures. bit of freelined crust in a nash bread bomb is always worth a go