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A 31lb 12oz mirror from the weekend. Also managed a 25-4 and 18-10. After a windy start on Friday, it got really hot but managed a bite on all 3 rods by boating out about 20 Creamino boiles and a bit of pellet every 3 hours tight to an Island.

I think the quote to be used here is don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.. typical journos

I got a Korda Spring Bow net delivered last week. I have a thing about real decent nets and have inadvertently amassed a bit of a collection. It drives the Mrs mad. A pal of mine showed me his Spring Bow a while back and I was well impressed so I've had a search set up on fleabay/marketplace for a while. The right deal finally came up so it's now racked up with the various Dymags and Chris Brown nets in the fishing room, much to the Mrs' annoyance. I'll use it on my next session out of principle and then decide if it replaces the Dymag mk2 I tend to use most of the time.

That's amazing - and the cheeky sods! My mate spends a lot of time looking for stuff on facebook etc got the collecting bug from another friend. I've not got a fishing room, just fishing kit in every room, garage and attic 😀

After a chat on here about mats I treated myself to the Thinking Anglers mat, its very light and actually will be great for stalking 👍

For years there were no problems at Taverham, then more anglers started fishing it when Anglian Water took it on and litter started becoming a problem. Klaus bought a brand new bivvy and rats chewed their way in through the groundsheet and into his bait and food bags. He found a chewed pack of bacon dragged outside the bivvy. We get a few rats on the syndicate now, not many, and as you can see, they don't cause me any problems, thanks to Sky. How she can wait patiently on the lead until they get close enough to her to attack them amazes me, she's normally head down and charge.

Then back on home territory and ,part of a 7 carp hit ,using single bottom baits over a scoop of dried maize

Then a night float fishing with prawns ,after eels ,not a carp I know !

Across the border, forgot my passport and facial recognition but made it...OK.. lol

Been making do with a folding camping chair since i came back to fishing, but fished yesterday and was so tired kept thinking need a recliner to snooze in mentioned to my mate on the lake Smithy and he sold me his JRC recliner chair in mint condition for 40 notes ideal

Believe it or not I can possibly beat that 😅 I have a full size faux taxidermy carving of the ex record carp, Two Tone, fully mounted in mahogany case. The centrepiece of my fishing room. There's a funny story that comes with it too. I came across it on ebay. It was advertised as a carving so clearly not the actual stuffed fish. I bought it, knowing full well it wasn't real, for the fishing room and thought I'd see if I could find some info on it. I posted it on the old Anglers Forum but no-one could tell me anything about it. But, the Anglers Mail got in touch and asked to do an article on it. Me being me, I told them I don't really want to be in a magazine, and turned them down. So rather than just leave it.... they made a story up. They published an article, using the picture I'd posted on the Anglers Forum, that said the buyer had purchased it thinking it was the real thing i.e. the actual stuffed Two-Tone. The cheeky gits. Naturally, I went back to them and called them scum of the earth A) for making the story up, and B) for stealing my photo. Needless to say they never replied. This was maybe 10 years ago but the story was still available online not long ago. I just Googled it and found the image but the link no longer works.

Bivvy fetishism struck again !

Why not just use a bucket? they've never breached my ridgemonkey yet. I never leave my bait in the bivvy either. And always close my food bag, then I throw boilies in other people's bivvies works a treat 😂

At least they paid £2 for a premium lead though.

I must confess I do keep my bait in buckets, not just for rats but to keep them away from Sky. She does however act as a good rat deterrent:

Father’s Day fishing trip 👍🏻

I was talking to someone yesterday and he just came back from a week in France he actually witnessed a delkim melting in the heat lol that one definitely won’t be waterproof

I don’t think you can fault the Fox Micron range. They just work and the new basic ones are perfect value for money £25 each ( why pay more ) !

I've seen people moaning about the new ones still, wouldn't touch with a barge pole tbh

Sold my 9 footers a few months back because I had no need for them.. just bought a set of 9ft scopes, picking them up tomorrow 👍🤣

My staffy would probably run away from a rat 🤣

Some of the rigs people throw out are shocking tbh.

Visited a couple mates fishing the river yesterday and seen this, how cool 👌🤣

22lb common caught today

How you doing? This session was a rather decent one, despite managing to leave my hookbait bucket at home with my medium Spomb in it. I spent an hour cursing and swearing as I used the small Spomb to put a bucket of maize and birdfood in. The first night produced a tench of around 6lb on a straight out of the bag bottom bait, which somehow managed to go across the middle rod. The 2nd night was quiet. Last night around 11pm I had a strange occurrence on the middle rod, it pulled to the right, with what appeared to be a run, but there was nothing there, so I recast with a fresh stringer. At 3am I had the same thing happen again. I think that it was a goose or swan swimming through the line just in front of my rod tips, or a swan picking the hookbait up. A couple of miscasts with stringers, but 3rd time lucky. I was sat drinking coffee and eating breakfast when the rod went with a 22lb mirror, one of last years stocking, and a 10lb weight gain. Caught on a 360 rig with a meshed 15mm Nutty Bait pop-up with a stringer of 6x 18mm Nutty Bait boilies. This morning I was starting to tidy up ready to pack up when the right hand rod went, which was the rod over the maize, and managed a rather nice 26lb mirror on the 'sliver' of Monster Crab pop-up on a reverse combi rig. This fish was from the 2021 stocking and went in at 11lb.

They are the the basic ( no receiver ) but for us day session anglers they are perfect. You can also select led colour in the settings

Blimey they were about that price 30 years back - that is great value 😎

I stay in North Texas, some people refer it the beginning of tornado alley there's days. So it can be rough

If crays are in the water then Stay away from tungsten

I've got a few new books, I only wanted From The Bivvy, Carp Season and More from the Bivvy 3, but for the price I ended up getting Tim Paisley's Carp Fishing, Carp Amid The Storm and More From the Bivvy. If I put the books I already have back on the site I may end up making something back.

I am new to this site. The carp body of water I fish is heavy with milfoil. The open spots are soft mud (Muck) That is the bad. The good is that 20 pound carp are seen daily swimming around in this private farm pond. What is the best way to rig that will prevent the bait from diapering in the mud? I am sure this has been addressed in the past. But as I said, I am new here.Thanks

I sometimes look on this web site, normally a bit banal about how to.... etc But found this small insight into possibly one of the best angling series ever broadcast: https://www.carpology.net/article/features/an-interview-with-hugh-miles/

Thanks crusian,and yes to your question ...( a lot of generations esp in mining/ saddlers)

What lovely 'photos , Ouch . I especially like the little girl holding the Carp's tail .

As i no longer bivvy up i dont have the bivvy/rats problem, have to say on the lake i fish i have not seen a single Roland, but the fishery is tolerant to Mink, for the rat control reason and it seems to work

Rats get immune to poison, and learn to avoid traps, and as you say with traps you have to be careful with where they are put in position. I think that that is possibly because of patrol route? I'm not 100% sure, but they use their patrol route as the base as it were, then when finding or sniffing food expand from there.

On the couple of waters I fish most often, the bailiff's come round most days to check the rat boxes for poison but I think they have learned to avoid them. They are probably better off with traps but you have to be careful where you put them. Shooting is another option as they are getting bolder but obviously comes with risks and has to be on private ground.

Easy mat is a good choice and it’s quite light

Here it is packed away, comes with a bag too Great design and not too bulky to carry around

So to start the thread I mentioned the steak, so here is the real deal. And that is a Fishing Dinner: Rare rump steak with mushrooms, sliced green beans and sliced fried potato, a dash of mixed herbs and a crushed clove of garlic.

Agreed. I'd not even noticed the swivel on the leader on until you mentioned it! Absolutely shocking set-up.

Had two 2.5l lockable sandwich boxes delivered yesterday which should keep them at bay. I fish several different waters over the course of the season and I'm sure they're getting bolder on all of them!

I had this caterpillar crawling along the floor of my bivvy, and so I didn't kill it I picked it up and took the photo. It is an Emperor moth caterpillar and while not rare rare are not particularly widespread.

Cracking news mate, are you going to ban the magic twig on your water?

Next social in your back garden then mate?

Well as purchases go they don't come much more exciting than a new home and a return to my beloved Nene Valley. Carpy in more ways than one; I'll be 3 miles way from the Valley itself and there's also koi to 30lb+ swimming around in the back garden! Offer was accepted on Friday so now I just pray that nothing goes wrong and we're not waiting too long.

2 trees down, duck and Canadian weed everywhere. Shut for spawning. I'm going to do my bathroom.

Small common as I was packing up. Doesn't this time of year drive you mad. Spawning, not spawning, spawning, not spawning 🤷‍♂️🤣 Starting to feel like I'm on the wrong water again, think a long session on the reservoir is in order 👌

A simple stir fry ,nothing amazing ,but I live 2 mins from the lake ,and could get my lady to bring me dinner down,but I like to eat on the bank...

If I felt I was missing out having a speaker I might, but tbh I've got used to the receiver now and love just having that nearby at all times.