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Went to a little pond with my youngest boy yesterday and he caught his first ever carp. Lovely little 7lb common. He's got the carp bug now😉

My daughter bought me this at xmas, at first i did not notice quite what was printed but this is the perfect one for me seeing what my user name on here is and my err.....catch rate

Fishing cost is always personal. Personally I find £24 for 24hours too expensive and I baulk at even £10 for a day session. I know one local water is £35 for 24hours! I could not justify a minimum of £2000 for a years fishing at day ticket prices. However I can justify a £500 syndicate season ticket or even £300 for a club season ticket. Fishing is my 'get away from the world', my relief from pain, from being trapped inside the flat. It is cheaper to be fishing for 3 or 4 days than the cost of electricity and gas in my flat.

4 pints of wrigglers, 20k of 10 & 15mm boilies, some matching glug and stick mix. About £50's worth of plastic and bits of metal. New catapult elastic. New alarm batteries BIG SOCIAL next week, so I'm probably talking the kitchen sink as well!

Similar to yonny, I had a £75 club ticket last season, fished there for 3 nights and a £275 ticket (June-june) and I’ve only done 3 nights so far! Expensive trips. Spent most of my year fishing a club water for free as I’m on the committee! But none of those club lakes really do it for me tbh. hopefully fit in a couple more nights on the ticket before June but then I don’t know whether I’ll renew. See how it goes. Pretty expensive trips!

Swings and roundabouts innit. Most decent syndi's now are 600 plus. Many have now exceeded a grand. Last year I fished ~5 nights on my syndi - for 650 quid. Add your bait, fuel, food etc... and we're talking maybe 200 a night. Makes a 30 quid day ticket seem cheap! I'm dropping the ticket this year. Just can't justify the cost for the time I get.

Nope, they will still get people there. Supply and demand and the demand is still damn high everywhere you look. More and more members only lakes are becoming invite only due to silly enquiries for the waiting lists. The rest are raising prices to ensure a lower membership costs costs. it makes the day tickets more money off the back of it.

It is, if I get the big one 😉

I may have got rumbled for my extra sections of bushwhacker, luckily the first one got through customs without being scanned.

Of course not. But tbf she knows that whatever I tell her it costs, she has to double it then add some 🤣

Made me chuckle. That's what the mrs calls it when I show up with a bunch of those little packets 😅

I've made some hard hookers today and some sinking wafters, or light bottom baits as I prefer to call them. I then made a glycerin based bait spray, that is too viscous to spray 😂 But I've given my hookbaits a coating, and they now smell amazing. And will hopefully harden more and become crayfish resistant.

And then I got another £25 off voucher so bought 5 extensions for £55, I'm now up to 6 wraps capability. Can't wait for next week now.

Thanks for the detailed info, it's much appreciated.

Hello there, It all depends on your hook size/weight of hook, It certainly wouldn't hold up a size 4 Korda chod hook which I use as even when i've used 12mm cork balls (gardner) and made them into 15mm cork ball pop ups they have flopped on me in around 14 hours.

You can get castable weed rakes 😉

I've just ordered the small version of the Plumb-Ezzee , Framey . Looking at the video it could solve the problem I sometimes have with Polaris floats when my mono has gone crinkly and the float jams . Or I could just use braid .

After not going carp fishing since August due to having personal issues to deal with regarding my dad I managed to get a couple of trips on the bank this month. Last week was Wednesday to Friday. I got to the lake, and fancied an area towards the shallower east end of the lake. I did have an angler on the opposite bank slightly to my left, so I made sure I wouldn't interfere with his fishing, and got myself set up. Sorting out my dinner I realised I had left my cutlery set at home, no major issue as I had a fork in the spares pocket of my food ruckbag. It did mean that I had to gauge 2 teaspoons of sugar in my coffee though. The more important issue was the bucket of birdfood to get the ducks and swans to clear some weed if the carp didn't eat it, and worse Sky's food bowl. I was in the sleeping bag for 8pm, but awake listening for fish. A few crashed between Dave and I between 8 and 10pm when I eventually fell asleep while the frost was forming. Sky refused to come in the bivvy, and slept outdoors. Thursday was a walk around looking, but nothing made me want to move. That night was most definitely warmer, but nothing crashed, so Friday saw a slow pack up with a blank. I wasn't intending to fish again for a week, but Sunday I got back to the empty lake, complete with garlic soaked birdfood particles. I hadn't forgotten anything this week, set myself up in the same swim, although checked the wind forecast to the 3nights and had the back of the bivvy facing North West. Two quiet days, despite searching and walking around the lake with Sky on Monday and Tuesday. The only action I saw was the swans, tufties and coots mooching around the particles, although they never picked up a hookbait Tuesday night, just after dinner Sky decided to come in the bivvy, so I knew that the rain and wind forecast was coming that night. Around 8 I crashed out for a couple of hours, but at 10 got woken up to the short bivvy pegs being pulled out of the soft ground by the wind getting up to 50mph. Sky was sitting on the umbrella skirt/groundsheet join, so it didn't blow away, but it was close! I got out my long pegs and bank sticks, and went out to swap pegs and push them in at least 50cm. Managed to get sorted, but stayed awake until 1am, when I realised that my 20year old Aqua rod holdall had been blown away, and is likely to have sunk. This morning was a bit of a pig to pack away, my mix of banksticks, tent pegs were difficult to pull out, and obviously trying to juggle loose rods, landing nets, slings and throwing stick into the car. The sad part is that the historical black poplar has finally given in to old age and nature. Expectations or hopes were a fish, reality was a near disaster.

I nearly always use a tournament or plain pear lead on the marker rod. I've always got some handy for a bit of clearance, a couple of 3's and 4oz.

If you want to get a bank loan for leads the fox gripper leads are good. If not any will do I found the ridgemonkey ones awful though I couldn't feel the drop with those for some reason. I quite like a coated lead but the rough sort as they pick up any clay off the bottom. But basically any will do.

I'd just grab the first lead I could find. I don't think at such close range it makes any noticeable difference. Maybe some prongs if you want to check for specific debris or silk weed.

Uncoated lead so you can feel more through it. I’m pretty sure you can get hold of small marker style leads. I often use a sea fishing breakaway lead, cut the arms down and cable tie them in position. Very useful for picking out debris or minor weed clearance in the margins. You can get them in all sizes fairly cheaply too on eBay.

If you haven’t spent yet could do worse than one of these at short range https://enterprisetackle.co.uk/product/et86-plumb-eze back to the dart I used a dumpy pear.

Likewise, syndicate ticket £650, been for 5 x 48hrs. Probably 1 more before season end of April. Estate ticket £190 EA season closure, but went for 4 x 48hrs. I'm not renewing the syndicate, the estate is a no brainer. With end tackle, bait and grub it's still not a cheap hobby

One of the little clubs I belong to is an hour away ,and it's only 40 quid a year, no nights ,days only with a great mix of members ..thats the sort of place I like,especially the 5lb perch in the pool.. That's great value even if I only went 3 or 4 times a year ..

Thanks for that info Yonny ,very helpful .I've had my integrated UV bulb light going for nearly a year ,so that's what I'll change first .. I got three marginal plants in suspension cages in the pool ,but they need cutting in half and replanting in new aqua soil as they gone a bit mad ,then I'll have a look at that chemical you saying about .. I bought a Solar ,flashing ,noise making anti rat ,cat deterent,box it seems to work ,Seagulls hate it .. It's only a small water feature ,but I absolutely love it ..especially when the fish swim past a viewing porthole ,...plus lol,they like tiny amounts of ressi specials ,crumbled as a treat occasionally...those fish literally know I'm about ,especially as I feed em same time same spot ,which is interesting especially if crossed over into angling mindset ,they become trained !!!!

There are a couple of things you can try. The UV is the primary protection so make sure you replace the bulb at least once a year (about now is perfect as the first 6 months it's most effective.... less important in winter but critical in summer). You could also go for a bigger UV filter.... the bigger the better basically. You can try to block out some sunlight..... it's the reason I installed that parasol thingy. Less sun = less phosphates = less blanket weed. There are several treatments available. The one below works in low temps so good for early spring: AQUA SOURCE BLANKET WEED RESOLVE 1kg WATER TREATMENT BLANKETWEED POND FISH KOI | eBay UK Lastly, you could add a plant to consume the nutrients that the blanket weed needs to grow. Prevention is always better than correction so I'd focus on the UV filter first👍

We have a 147 litre Blagdon affinity feature pond ,currently housing Ravioli and Nelson ,two ancient huge goldfish ...I have a uv light and a good filter system which i clean out weekly ,water is clear ,fish are well happy ,no more than two fish due to pond ,feature size.. My question is ,what can I buy or do to reduce this filamentous ,stringy weedy stuff ,I can pull it out in clumps ,but it comes back ...any ideas .....yonny or anyone ?

That's a lot of money mate ... Shame it's got so very pricey ,used to called a working man's hobby ,I guess it's gone 'football' expensive ,a place I still fish used to be £1 a night ....lol I still reckon some will stop fishing as its too expensive, mind you I have a huge blue pond behind my cottage ,which is free...makes me think 🤔

thought about that but when he is in his wheelchair or mobility scooter the chest rig would work better as his mobility is none existent nowadays. did think about the hand set up but then the shakes would get to him. a chair rig attachment may be a good option though, cheers

I daren't work it out 😂

I decided to start making bait for myself recently, now I've got a lot of the bits I needed I thought I would start with some hookbaits. Not perfectly round but good enough 😂 1egg, liquid preserve, 5ml creamy scopex, Betaine, milk B and butterscotch sweetener. Pop ups are mainline polaris dyed yellow and wafters are AA Baits pink wafter mix + a bit of tropamino basemix as I run out of wafter mix whilst mixing. I think the wafters turned out better and actually came out fairly round, both do what are they meant too when attached to a rig so that's good, now air drying and will give them a splash of extra flavour once they are dried,then all I've got to do another time is match the hatch hookbaits and start rolling kilos and kilos of boilies. Don't think I'll buy polaris again though will get some AA Baits pop up mix next time. I've also been using Copilot to make up loads of recipes, I've got 20kg of tropamino basemix to use up first though. But I've started down the rabbit hole.

Finished off my hookbaits with a dusting of basemix, another coat of my bait spray that doesn't spray and 3 more coats of basemix dusting. Will see how they look once they've fully dried. But quite happy with the results

nope! Ive never felt the need to loose so much of my fishing time, travelling abroad. This social coming up is 3 nights, I haven't counted everything, but it's well over £500 + 2 days off work🫣

Great points ,can't disagree with any points of view... I guess, I'm one of the few that thinks it's putting a few off going ,what with the Catch App ,which I personally detest ,if it rises any more ,on a couple of places I love ,money wise ,then I'll have to vote with my feet . I got other hobbies but angling is huge to me .. But we all have to remember ,prices are rising in all daily aspects of our lives ,hobbies are fair game vs eating or living expenses.. 'Fish on '...!!

The OP is included all costs bait, fuel, food etc. £100 a night ounds about right, for somewhere decent. That's if you're not taking time off work. I was asked to do an Italy trip (fishing) that worked out about £2.5- 3k for 5 nights (with time off added)

24 hours is £35 on virtually all the waters I fish. Have you gone to a profession football match or played a round of golf recently? Me neither but you know what I mean. Unfortunately fishing is being treated as a business and it is a case of supply and demand. https://my.rkleisure.com/membership-options Do you fancy a black card? I used to fish some waters on the Cotswold Water Park many years ago on a club card that cost peanuts in today's terms but they got swallowed up by a multinational concern and the remaining waters on the old ticket now have a waiting list to get on and even allowing for inflation, aren't anyway as near as cheap. Unfortunately you can't do much about travelling and with the Iran war in progress, fuel prices are only going one way. Fishing can be as cheap or expensive as your expectations. When you read books of articles by top anglers, the amount of pre-baiting some do raise eyebrows as some are literally filling the place in to tip the odds in their favour.

I agree with Yonny the rule of thumb with cork balls used to be use a cork ball 2mm smaller than your intended bait size

Look like a good start to your journey @elmoputney hopefully some of those will put some fish on the bank soon.

Permission granted 😂

I would leave them in the garage will be fine in these temps, not worth the risk. 😂

Ive got to try and get the maggots in the fridge without being detected.🤞 Ill say its some magic hookbaits (not specialised! )

A real good 10mm cork ball will be ok but it's tricky to get really good cork balls nowadays. It's a lot safer bet using 12 mm cork balls for a 14 mm pop up.👍

New wands 😁

Where the hell do you get the impression i don't care about the sexual assault of British women and children by English men? That to me is a typicalresponseby a woke lefty. How dare you say that, i personally know a victim of a sexual assault by a white English guy and i wish him an unsavoury end. So yeah, i would be vocal about rape and especially the rape of juveniles, whether that is by english or any other race /religion. They should be locked up and throw away the key, be that white, black, Muslim or whatever. Our judicial system is as corrupt as anything in my opinion. Child predators being given minimal sentences blows my mind. I live 10mins from a migrant hotel. It is hotel/pub /restaurant and the pub/restaurant is being boarded up soon due to the unsavoury place its become. No one wants to go there anymore because you get verbally abused by the imigrants staying there as soon as you get out of your car. The outside of this hotel is like a rubbish tip from the waste thrown out the window's by the men staying there. The local Asda has had to hire extra security because of the rise in shop lifting since the hotel became a migrant hotel, not a coincidence. If these people integrated and behaved like normal people then there would be no problem, and yes you get that behaviour on some housing estates in England so I know its not a thing that just migrants do. As for them preferring British food and that's why they come here, do me a favour. They come here because our pathetic government give them everything they want pretty much.

One of my favourite open access waters has put the prices up.,it's a lovely safe ,secure place .. I've just worked it out ,for me to do a 48 hr sess,all things considered including Fuel ,its an hours drive on bad rural roads Food Bait and other sundries ,I'm now looking at 100 quid for a 48 hr ,I shall still fish it ,but not as many sessions ,for me it's too much outgoings ...so really ,they've lost custom in reduction of potential sessions from me ,I know a few who are saying the same ...so in a way the reduction of footfall is counter productive ...to putting up the prices ... Lots of full carp set ups for sale,not only post scamdemic either,have some places priced themselves out of reality of today's climate ..?