Leaderboard

Just had an e-mail from a mate who has booked some trips on a new carp mecca water: We are pleased to announce that Britain's first indoor Carp arena will open in the autumn and we are taking bookings now.The venue is known as Mary’s Pool and the fish were stocked last week and are being fed with high protein boilies and pellets. The facilities will include a fully licenced cafe that offers deliveries and every swim has a cabin with an en-suite toilet and shower, kettle, microwave, air fryer, fridge, toaster and small oven with hobs. Other benefits include rear of swim parking with free EV charging points The 5 acre lake is inside a converted warehouse that has been insulated with thick layers of high efficiency rigid foam and is near Farkham Hall. The high-tech venue circulates the water using a bank of 150 metre ground source heat pumps incorporating oxygen saturation technology and will be kept at an optimum 24 Celsius, which will promote rapid growth of the fish. There will be 100,000 LED lights in the roof that are programmed to give 12 hours of day and night and are graduated to simulate dawn and dusk. There are also 200 wall mounted heated industrial wall fans that are strategically positioned to create an on-shore breeze and the strength of the fans are on a cyclic 360 degree power system so that it will encourage the fish to permanently move and so all swims should contain fish on a regular basis. The roof contains over 2,000 ten metre solar panels and the venue will be carbon neutral. “I’m incredibly excited about this new venture” enthused the owner, Rupert Chudley-Smith. “Thirty specially chosen fish with high growth potential are already in their new environment. They are all triploid fish as the eggs were subjected to heat and pressure shock on fertilisation and as such, they will not have the annual stress of spawning and associated weight loss. There are 10 forties and the rest are high 30’s and have a potential growth rate over 8lb a year and we are looking at UK 80’s within 5 years.” I know it won’t be cheap but after spending £400 on a winter ticket only using it 3 times and blanking every trip due to the weather, I’m sorely tempted.

On minimal kit, I take the same basic kit whether I’m doing 1 night or 4, more bait and more food but everything else is the same pretty much. I could probably cut down further, and likely will this year for a new water with long barrow journeys. However all my kit fits on the barrow so nothing on my back. Under Barrow bag with spares and other things like sack, tripod, etc. bedchair on top, rucksack, food bag and unhooking mat on top, rods on top of it all. I’m like a few of you, I have loads of bits of end tackle I never use but just keep in the tackle box because of the dreaded “you never know” that hasn’t happened for 5 years+ 😂 need to sort that out this year!

1litre of water is 1 kilogram, so yes, that's a fair weight. I do always keep water in the car, a 5litre container for Sky so if she needs it on a walk or drive she has it available. That's my usual backup when we are fishing. Stupid thing is fresh water in the bowl is often ignored, and she has a preference for lake water.

Jag Black is decent, worth a look - got it all cannot fault!

I've got the older version of this https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/sonik-bank-tek-unhooking-cradle?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwLO_BhB2EiwAx2e-3yno14iH5CajoaE3702KPdYpQ_02gpsqOtzE1fkvA_KY62lR_nS8DRoCNh8QAvD_BwE Brilliant bit of kit, I use it to carry all sorts of kit 🤣

I was trying to vision this yesterday morning, didn't even realise it was April fools day 🤣

Pfft nescafe 2 in 1 used to be 3 in 1 but without the sugar it’s less weight now 😜 if I want a tea it will be QT lol

Wow,that's amazing ..Well Yonny I'm a 100 % believer.. One night ,around 25vyrs ago I was on a private water on Bodmin Moor, nearest farm that was habitated, is around 1 mile away ,although ,today that's changed as the derelict building is now lived in.. So I turn up ,using three 11ft 2lb tc rods ,gardner rod pod,Bitech alarms ,white ,single peg ,old original fox swingers,under my nash 45 inch storm sides..lafuma bedchair the works ....old skool etc,etc .. I set up in the sheep field ,which at the time had no fence ,its fenced nowadays ,anyway as it got dimpsy ,dusk all the sheep that's pregnant ewes,with a few lambs in tow are now backed up at the top by the ,then derelict farm,I had no idea why,except I thought fox ,dog or even sheep thieves ,I didn't know,but I was now aware.. Fishing wise its quiet ,until around 4.30 AM ,when I hear a terrible sound ,commotion behind my flimsy shelter, I didn't dare move or breathe ,even tho I remember dying for a pee,which was now hurting.. Ever heard a sheep scream ? I have. Eventually I dared to come out of my 45 inch brolly ,and there ,behind my shelter was a disembowled ewe, it was a right sight a proper,proper kill... And I blanked ...

Scared the hell out of him!

When I say spotted one I mean nearly collided with it! Clear as day.

My twin brother spotted one in Fineshade Woods a few years ago - he's a mountain biker and regularly is out and about exploring hidden trails in the wilderness. If you google it you'll find reports of one spotted quite regularly in that area. My brother knows what he's on about so I'm sold.

Spot on ,exactly the same as well.. If I do more than a 24 I got a lidl cool bag that I leave in my car as a hub ,is that the right word lol,so I return to it every 24 hrs , Also water is really heavy ,so I only carry 2 litres, so I have back up or use a farmers tap ,I also use on occasion a sawyer water filter ,but only now and then ...

This is why I like my walled mat. So much lives in it when it’s on the barrow or being carried. Throwing stick, distance sticks, collapsible bucket, any loose items pretty much. ideal if stalking too as you can just throw loads in it and off you walk.

I use mine to carry some bits as well 👍it takes a groundsheet, pegs and sling🤣

I wouldn't not have a decent mat though as much as its massive, on the odd occasion I do catch something I want to know it's well protected.

I got the 25lb and I didn't get on with it either. It felt wirey, I also found 25lb mouth trap to be similar, 15lb is much nicer to use tbh

Good advice Yonny,looking at carbon stuff now...😊

I'm using Berkley Big Game Flourocarbon 30lb for my leader, seems banging tbh and cheaper than the tiny carp spools, easily as good as the Fox Illusion if not better. I bet it would work in lower BS for hooklinks, worth a try anyway. 👍

Stocking up for spring. 20kg of squido boilies. A bulk spool of Fluoroshield in 0.4, another chod it tool and a castable thermometer. Also trying out some new Fjuka Sensate wrapped boilies and thick liquid. Oh, and some rock salt. Started baiting yesterday, so the campaign has begun...