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Managed to get out for storm Austen and it was great fun. I really enjoy being out in extreme conditions and while it was a bit sketchy at times, I came out the other side free of injury and/or death. I got myself right on the end of that massive wind so careful placement of the brolly was required to prevent losing it. The rain wasn't actually too bad where I was, but the wind was every bit as strong as forecast. Just as the storm hit, I managed a nice low/mid twenty common which made the trip worth it. I added another little one later that went back without a pic. Saturday morning was fantastic..... wandering around surveying the damage, branches all over the place. All in all, a fun little trip.

One from last week just prior to the storm and right on dusk at a days only water. A lovely half-lin at 21-8, one of the nicest looking fish I've ever caught.

Change of scenery, equally mega - got a rod on the spot I know does the biggun and one I've caught from before so fingers well and truly crossed with these poor conditions - still, easteries, high pressure and misty 👎 Still in it to win it, just fab being out and getting the swims I want for a change🤞😎

That's good, you know to ask the naming committee first - i.e. me and Elmo 🙃 and NO Dayvids Mirror/Common is not allowed!

Well done mate - great stuff! I was on Bluebell Swan Thurs to Saturday with a mate, nothing came out despite the favourable conditions but good to get the feel for it ahead of the winter ticket I guess. Picked the shallower end after seeing some fizzing close in but could only get drops, no pull back so ended up swapping over to hinges for the 2nd night. Think I probably ended up fishing in eel grass and not presented well enough despite all rigs coming back clean every time, weird one!

If it doesn’t hurt anyone else’s fishing and it is not against any rules then fill your boots with whatever makes your fishing more enjoyable. boat drone baiting pole hair rig nylon line or a bite alarm

My 2p for what it's worth..... The best and cheapest source of heat available to you at any time of year is the heat from your own body.... you just need to harness it. If you get a really good set of insulated togs (i.e. jacket and salopettes), they store the heat you produce. The trick, which most guys miss, is not to wear too much underneath. A decent base layer and micro fleece mid layer is all you need. Anything thicker than that (like a hoody) interferes with the system and prevents your body heat from heating the insulation. Same as a sleeping bag basically. It's why I'm happy in a brolly all year.... I've just learned how to use the heat my body produces. I'm with you on this. Not a big fan of technology in angling but when it comes to winter fishing and warmth, you fill your boots imo. Use whatever you want mate. The situations we'd put ourselves in back in the day were frankly stupid and certainly a little dangerous. It's easy now to look back with rose tinted specs but I think back to the completely inadequate gear I'd use in the depths of winter and I shudder. If I caught my lad heading out in minus 8 with the rubbish I used to use I'd go ballistic at him 😂

Np. I didn't mean to sound like I was having a go back if that's how it came across. I was just letting loose a little. And, again this isn't meant as a dig at you personally, but there does at times feel like theres a bit of hypocrisy from some people when it comes to comfort/more recent innovations. If there wasn't any progress, we'd all still be using split cane rods with 10+ rings all sat within a few mm of the rod blank and centerpin reels loaded with cat gut. As I said, you do you. Everyone's entitled to do what they want as long as it's within the rules and doesn't affect others. I've never fished through the winter before and have had previous few nights before, so a bit of comfort/warmth will be very welcome. Who knows how long any of us have left. If there's something you want to try, I say go do it.

Tbh, I'm generally a summer fisherman. I have avoided going when it gets below 6c at night. My bag is a big snooze+ 3 season jobby. I'm over 50 now and am fed up with being uncomfortably cold without good bl**dy reason. So, a heated blanket for a few hours with the bed cover so I'm not climbing into a freezer seems like a sensible idea and a weight sacrifice I'm willing yo make. It runs off my Ridge Monkey Vault 26000mah powerbank which I take anyway, so its a negligible change for me. I don't get the self flagellation at the altar of discomfort. If your doing something to save weight great you do you, but doing something just because it was done like that 30 years ago seems like madness to me. 20-30 years ago I smoked, mostly used a bike to get around and used to go raving. If I hadn't changed I'm not sure I would still be here, let alone have a decent job, house, be married with kids going to uni. If carp fishing had stayed the same we'd still be using argos sunbeds, optonics and cheap 50" brollies with a tarp over the top. Just look at your phone in your hand. How old is that and how old is the tech? The world changes, moves on and progresses. Embrace it where you want to/can justify it. I would ask, do you use a throwing stick/spomb/bait boat/baiting pole/sonar/gps? None of those were available 30 years ago, at least not in their current form. Back then, were there any carp reels, rods with the specialised ringing we now use?

I'm thinking maybe Interax doesn't want to end up crippled with arthritis in old age and unable to go fishing / enjoy his retirement ? .

To anyone thinking theres a lack of ladybirds this year - wrong! Same as last year when parked down the lakes. Love nature!

No mate big fat blank but loved it, was gonna do an extra night tonight but ran out of supplies, deffo fishing a spot on the middle sized lake there that does the big-un. I absolutely love this lake, drawn between two - a nice problem to have. On the plus I did find some suitable wood to make a hobo stool for the garden lol. Back next week sunday - tues 🤞

Looks carpy as.... . Any joy @kevtaylor??? I'm not jealous at all

And finally finished Bismarck I think that the reason I left it so long was it got so fiddly to add in the smaller gun mounts and masts. This must be the closest HMS Hood and Bismarck have ever been... At 1/600, the range of the battle between them would work out at 23metres apart!

I am not on here very much lately, i have already told Nick, im having lots of hospital appointments leading up to Aortic valve surgery to replace my worn out valve in the heart as a result not been fishing in a fair while. I have known about this for 7 years and it has been stable but recently it has got worse, hoping the opp wont be till next year, have to wait and see

Best wishes!

Speedy recovery. 👍

Good luck and best wishes

Best wishes for a speedy recovery fella..

Hope it all goes well and you're on the bank soon 👍

I am of the make sure you wear decent clothing and have a decent sleeping bag brigade. I can remember a few nights wrapped up wishing I was warmer though, from inadequate bedding and being soaking wet. I've been through the brolly and wrap, EasyDome, Apotheosis and gone back to brolly and wrap, with a decent sleeping bag. I've woken up with condensation frozen inside the brolly, but I was nice and warm in the bag. Come to that, I have had to get up to reel in as the lake froze over or woken up with the lake surface gone solid. At night the jacket, hoody, (not many decent fishing ones around) and overtrousers come off and I sleep in my (Regatta) base layer. The important thing for me is socks, Merino wool socks keep my feet warm in my boots, either combat boots or Tundra boots. Now while I prefer not to be using a heated blanket, if it does keep you fishing go for it. However if it is that cold, I'm not likely to be fishing now.

Not a doubter mate, does make me think when you reach a 'certain' age.... whatever that is but you will know, night fishing in winter probably not a great idea tbh. Completly understand a days pike fishing with heated stuff, also I remember having a Zippo hand warmer when winter day fishing in my younger days.

I've sued size 2's on spinners. Absolutely fine.

Looking at this again they have other fishmeal baits that haven't gone up in price, so it can only be the GLM content. I'm gonna stick with the bait as it confirms to me that it's their best one.

It's Lifesystems btw, used by the military so my mate says when recommending it. Also do a spray for the shelter itself 👍

That's the Mother of all stringers! I remember the baiting rules. We used to roll our own baits back then and also tested them under the trees between Reeds and Ski slope, you could almost have them eating out of your hands! My mate Phil's capture of Digit was from Digit corner, he see it go down on his rig it was that close to the bank. Chris had a mug made up with his pic of that fish lol! I also remember Gary too.

Sorry mate if it sounded like a dig at you, it deff wasn't intended. Just seems to me that if people feel the need to buy this stuff, shouldn't they question if they should be fishing in colder weather at all? As for a Throwing stick, used to use an origanal Cobra one, long sinced binned, flying rats soon put pay to that, and where I fish now not needed at all. I still use a spomb on occasions to get particles out.... actually made 'spods' out of gardner boilie gun tubes and shampoo bottles back in the day. Bait boats not relevent for me as they are banned on the lakes I fish, if they were allowed, would I spend money on them? I think not. Carp reels, yes Shimano bait runners, rapidly found at the time before 'big pit' reels were 'invented' that a change to sea fishing reels - Ryobi Project - I think were a vast improvement on anything 'carpy' at the time. Not sure about 'specialised' ringing thet we now use? Hutchy horizons didn't seem to have them, oh I obviously don't use them now, long gone. Just use a fairly cheap pair of Korum 2.5 test curve rods, I love them. Anyway, take care in your fishing and stay safe in the cold weather, at my age I just don't do it anymore, not my idea of enjoying my time on the bank anymore 👍

The syndicate im in allows you to name a new Thirty ,

I am such a Tackle Tart id charge to view my set up .😂

Not the best advice but worked for me , When i use to smoke ,if ever i got bitten by a Mozzy , i would dab the hot end of the cigarette on the bite briefly , worked every time , no itching just a little burn but no different to the mark youll end up leaving after scratching at it for hours.

Try attaching the PVA bag to the lead, basically moulding it around it, leaving the hooklink outside and nicking the hookpoint through the corner in and out. It stops or slows the lead sinking deeply into silt as well. I do frequently test my PVA after the issue with the Nash PVA bags that didn't dissolve in the washing machine. Brands change suppliers, or I can't get hold of a brand so at least one bag from every batch I buy is tested. I do the same with mesh for the same reason although Gardner mesh is consistent.

For what it's worth, pva bags in colder weather probably not a good idea, also the preping them up with anything with oil in them does stop the breakdown. Just an alternative idea for winter, why not try the old idea of pva stringers? I used to do the 3 bait stringer thing many years ago, it actually did work back then but too old now to get on bank before next spring 😂

I've had this before. Absolute nightmare. I tend to avoid PVA completely as we head towards winter.

Is it the GLM content then more than the fishmeal?

It's blood type O that is most susceptible to bites, I did have to check it up. I did look at my Jungle Systems this morning and I know that they have moved away from DEET. It used to give me a real headache, and took print off t-shirts. Skin-so-Soft was good, but apparently the amount of citronella has been reduced, and I could only get the original from Avon Poland.