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18lb Linear on a Multi-rig after retackling after having a pike bite-off about an hour previously. This is one of this years stock fish, went in at 10lb 8oz

Not sure if I used @yonnyphoto class to its max, but it was piddling down, I had the camera in the bivvy and just went for it. Turned out pretty well I think, Thanks to @Higham1987for the night spodding advice. I redid the rods this morning with a fresh pop up on a classic Elmo spinner rig, fired about 20 more baits with a pult and 10 minutes later this was the result. Naturally I used mollasses in the spod mix and this 29lb 8oz common was the result I had worked so hard for. Confidence is king.

With a name like that maybe take a look at a Ann Summers catalogue 🤔

Has to be the reels, all Daiwa. GS3000's and SS3000's, both from the early nineties, and 5000T's from the mid nineties (they still make this model today which says a lot). All heavy, and a bit clunky, but proper reliable - bombproof. Also have a British Army NI Patrol Pack which refuses to die. Been using it for years.

All confidence..

Posting this on behalf of a my great friend Martin, he is fishing a low stocked syndicate lake in south yorks and has finally nudged his pb with this 32lb 5oz lovely common, pb was 29lb 7oz

This morning's uneven indicators after a carp around 10pm last night and a small tench around 2am.

Conditions look perfect, probably shouldn't have spombed the granny out of it for a 2hr session 😬

I've got some of that still, it does make a good boom tbh, I think I bought a weird colour though it's almost the same as a pair of farah action slacks. Also don't buy the extreme that is impossible to use.

Nice reels 😎

Almost doubled its weight 😳

Cracking fish Elmo and pic 👏

Tbh if the X-Stiff aint stiff enough you have little choice but to go to a high memory stiff/bristle/chod filament type material. I've not come across any coated braid stiffer than the X-Stiff. Any decent stiff filament will do. I've used Gardner, Korda, and ESP stuff over the years. They're all much of a muchness imo. Knots are dead easy with super stiff stuff - just do a 2 turn blood knot. Doesn't get any easier 😃 Yup. Something a little different. Their CAMH20 stiff link is decent too and also a bit different to others on the market. It pulls straight!

Hydro link is pretty good aswell you can also strip out the core for a supple section I keep forgetting about this stuff

My beach fishing Daiwa 7HT's are still being made as well, first released in the 1990's: I remember them, not very well though as I went straight to Optonics, which I added white painted 'owl ears' to. I know many Delkim conversions are still about, and in use.

I you are right sorry! BF (bite and fight- bait runners) BJs are just BJs! One of the first sealed. Unit bite alarms late 70s - Pike mad-i got a pair for my Birthday in the 1980. It meant you didnt have to spend all night with a torch focussed on a circular bit of plastic as an indicator held in place by your mums knitting needle -or if you were posh, an isotope taped to it.

@Higham1987 Yes Mate. I put the hook through the corner of the bag and drop the lead in the opposite corner, then fill with pellet mix. I then tease the lead up so it's at the top of the bag, then lick and stick the bag shut. I deleted mine and Elmo's posts arguing, it was childish, on both sides.

Thanks I did change the settings on my camera like you suggested, I think it turned out pretty well, certainly a lot nicer than some of my prior efforts thanks for the guidance,

I just assume the carp.com shop was a front for some kind of illegal activity 🤣 Hardly anything in stock and what they do have is rubbish and poorly priced.

General warning ⚠️ Be careful when buying a license as there are plenty of bogus sites you can buy direct from the gov website.

That's awesome @elmoputney. Colours on it!

I'm still using gear from my first setup my dad kitted me out with roughly 20 years ago. Still using the nash monster carp hold all. The shimano biomasters were my first set of pit reels my dad got me, theyve took a beating over the years and got retired earlier this year. These still feel mechanically sound, they could do with the bail arms replacing because they've sagged. Wychwood rod hold all 3 up 3 down got donated to a fishing charity last year. Still plenty of life in it, but would say its more suited to baitrunners than big pits. Had a trakker a lite which was my first bivvy last around 10+ years but gave it to a young angler on a local pond as he could do with a better one 👍 My dad is a bit of a tackle collector and usually kept the stuff I out grew. He's still got the first carp rod I ever had, a Ron Thompson rod and reel combo, both still living 🤣 My dad is actually using my old shimano baitrunners and fox warrior 2.75tc carp rods 👍 Wychwood 5 season sleeping back, bought with my first set up and still going strong, gave it to my mate who is just getting into the sport and it still gets used every time he's out 👍 I really need to get into my shed at some point and have a sort out, I've got some really old stuff buried in there, when I do I will post my findings 🤣

I seen a rig by Darrell peck called the multi combi rig which I thought I'd try myself. My choice of materials were: Korda boom for the boom section Esp anchor braid for the soft section Korda size 6 curve shank Korda medium kicker Nash bait screw. I use an albright knot to tie the two materials together. I rarely fish popups but when bites were hard to get on the bottom baits, I've fired this rig out and it's produced a few fish. The hook holds have been nailed in the bottom lip every time 👍 It's my goto for presenting pop ups at the moment. I've tried the Ronnie spinner rig but I struggle to get a bite on it, it's probably down to me setting it up wrong but I can't seem to get it to work 🤷‍♂️🤣

Afraid so, £53 something for a 3 rod licence.

Nice one mate. Fair play for getting drowned, getting the great photo and perseverance

Special fish still around? Wasn't it a big mirror you loved?

Well This is technically a view from the bivvy door as I needed to keep the camera dry 📸

I've quit on slip D rigs😂 1 bite, one loss, my rods now all have classic spinners on again. 😎 You can't shortcut rig confidence. I've moved and I'm in the right zone, come on the chunky ones.

Let's see if the baiting has paid off, considering I am a bit poorly it went pretty well 2 rods together on a spot with 200 baits around them and a 3rd off to my left on a cheeky lil spot I've been cultivating with a carp grenade and a few loose fed boilies, come on the carps. Carp grenade incoming.

I only get out about 5-10 times a year, but here's my list..... The Chair by Korum. It was my first real purchase when getting back into fishing after my son was born. He's just turned 19. My Shimano Superbaitrunner XTE-A 5000s. I know they're considered small but they've been rock solid and have landed me fish over 30lb. I have 3, they've been out of production for over 10 years and they're still selling for a premium over their list price. The original Kords rig safe. I know there's virtually nothing to go wrong on them, but they're far superior to the new ones, mainly dilute to their lack of 'soft touch' coating that breaks down. My Prodigy Plus 2.75lb rods. Still fantastic rods even after 18 years of use. They pair really well with my reels and have only been sidelined due to me using some Daiwa Crosscast Exts that fit in the car when we go on holiday without too much trouble. My Drennan Ultra Fine Bait Needle. It's so much finer than all the others I've tried and is still going strong after 18 years. TBH what can go wrong with it really. Even so, I went and bought some spares a few years ago on case they stopped making these ones. My Greys 3 rod plus quiver. It takes 5 rods in separate sleeves, so even when I take my shorter rods, they fit in there. My Fox Box. It's one of the original double sided boxes. Fantastic bit of kit I wouldn't give up. My 30Plus telescopic landing net handle and net. There's loads of other small bits boxes etc. I use all the time especially those small boxes that used to be given away but Angling Times etc. great bits of kit. That makes me think, what defunct or refocused tackle brands do you miss? Time for another thread.

My Carp Porter barrow front food bag must be over 15 years old - looking a bit tired but functionally mint, might treat myself to a new one of those one day. My barrow itself is fine and again over 15 years old. Shimano Big Pit Bait runners - absolutely mint after god knows how many years 25 maybe, serviced twice max, superb reels - semi retired them this year! Will probably end up back on them tbh - they dont make reels like that anymore bullet proof. Cotswold Aquarius rod bag - must be getting on for 10 years and mint, looks almost new except for a bit of mud here and there, can't see me replacing that tbh Aqua black rucksack, not that old 5-8 years but again the quality is right up there, cant see that ripping or anything - mint Blue Tool box with clear lid I found in mums garage - used for a tackle box - 30 years - banging 🤣 thats always gonna be my tackle box. Fox lightweight chair - 30 years - mint, replaced elastic once. Not much lasts as long as we hope it will as this thread shows

Jrc cocoon bedchair must be early 2000s it's a bit battered, been moused, replaced the cord for zip ties, but it still gets used by my daughter and it's not a bad back up bedchair. I sometimes use it if I want to travel light because it weighs nearly nothing. Still got the cyprinus bunker that comes out for winter when I want a wrap or bivvy with a front. That's done me well. (I have just thought I might need to fix it though either that or I may have already bodged it, can't remember now😳) I'm on my 2nd ngt coolbag after the first one got moused but they seem to last quite well. Great value for money. Everything else seems to break,or I get bored and swap it for shiny new stuff.

Just use a kicker mate

I put a length of rig tubing on the hook on normal multi-rigs. That stops the loop pulling tight. Don't use silicone tubing as that can split, I think mine is a thin rig tube.

Went for a few hours today, nothing else to say about it really, had a sandwich and some millionaire shortbread, the morrisons garage on the way now has a Greggs just hope it doesn't get looted before I try it 😂

Couple of shots from my recent 5 night blank on Swan Lake, Bluebell. A case of so near yet so far, the fish were smashing naturals in a tennis court sized area, moved to get the traps closer but chose a bad spot (felt feint gravel but the rods came back with a little silk weed on each) at ranges I shouldn't have been fishing so couldn't check the rods once in place - bad move in hindsight, thought I was being clever. 🤦‍♂️

Back on the res for a few nights 🤙