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No more worrying about leaves...... I spent Saturday building some netted covers. I made 3 in 2.4m x 2m rather than one biggun - A) to give some flexibility in coverage, and B) because a biggun would weigh a tonne. Quite happy with the result and it's nice to know that not one single leaf will be in that pond from now on. The fish are slowing right down now, winter is defo on its way. It's a bit gutting after such a short space of time to enjoy the pond, but at least I know we're in good shape for next year. The water quality is the nuts, the fish are looking very healthy, all set to grow a British record in the coming years 🤣

We have been doctored to accept what was previously written. we ain’t carp so it’s only all theory. how many times have the books said on certain conditions you should empty the lake and you blank,and when you think you are only there to take part you empty the lake.

Pressure is dropping and temps are rising by me. I'd not let the rain put me off tbf.

Sounds ideal mate., I don't get the enthusiam a lot for carp now, probably because of the club water I now fish, it is not what it used to be. Still like playing about with tactics that are not so trendy now and they do work too. Think when you reach a certain age it is just making the time on the bank that matters to me

Agreed. At 6am this morning I checked my pond (as I do every morning) and the carp were really active. It was 4 degrees and had been raining so I expected them to be sitting somewhere near to the deck, but they looked up for a feed. You just never know innit.

That sounds very very nice, freedom and if you can fish the stream a perfect escape! I've not felt the vibe since coming back from Belgium and my daughter's moved back in so it's been busy too, but reading your post makes me want to have a few hours lure fishing on our stream running through the syndi maybe Sunday morning. Got a weekend job come up that'll last right through winter if I don't pull my finger out - the target now is 5 nights at Bluebell in Dec if I can get finished in time.

Totally. Spent a few hours there the other day with my sons. We tried dead bait, no joy. But had a few tiddlers in the float rod. Got them off the screens for a few hours enjoying their surroundings

So basically I stuffed up not going fishing today , but I could always lie , and say I was waiting for one of Kevs' super lows 😁

It doesn't always pan out no, however the biggest hits of fish I've experienced myself or witnessed for others were all on super low pressure systems, I only really get excited if it's proper low like 970's then it is ON no doubt. Slightly low pressure like 990's 1000 - nothing special IMO I can miss those sessions coz I know it's not gonna do anything or much at all - super lows are rare like a couple a year maybe - don't miss those 👍

This is why you invest in good waterproofs and warm layers, fishing is always about weather conditions - low pressure systems are the one, if I could be out now I would be. Further to Yonny's observation on his pond fish, my Dec trip to Bluebell Lakes last year coincided with low pressure stormy conditions, 30 odd fish came out Kingy in 36 hours and my mate rang to say 'it's on' coz my pond fish are crazy active.

I caught this one while it was absolutely chucking it down about this time last year, the downpour made me think I had no chance and was going to be on the end of a two night blank. Luckily this one ignored the script and I was happy to get a soaking. Packing up in the rain wasn't much fun though. But you won't catch em at home.

Been a long time since I've kept koi but if my memory serves me correctly gin rin refers to the sparkle look you get on some of the scales - the best type looking like cracked glass which is permanent. To me you've got a gin rin ogan, all types e.g showa etc can be gin rin, if the sparkle is there.

Is it safe to attach leadcore leaders/solid bags by looping it together? I'm tying them on at the moment but being able to loop solid bags on would make it easier lol

Yeah I always use loop to loop, never had an issue.

It is used to do it years ago

Couple from my year to date for you all. One from my new ticket, one of 2 trips I actually got over there since July. Mountains of weed cleared from the swim!

I used to love fishing after a good rain in south or westerly winds. I think it was my first season on the 2acre Brackens, and after serious rain it would fish it's nuts off.

That's the one mate. It's a Gin Rin Platinum Ogon. Quiet a mouthful 😅 I really need to get pics of some of the others to put on here but it's getting more and more difficult with the temps dropping!

The weather is only relevant insofar as it affects the water conditions. Cold rain in autumn sinks quickly and forms a dense layer of chilled water on the bottom. Place your baits above the bottom to pick off fish sitting above that cold layer.

Very smart, I did notice the fish outside at the garden centre had slowed down a bit the other day, weren't so bothered about the pellets floating on the top. Hopefully won't be long till it's British record time 😎

Not really, sometimes get the odd bit of weed on the knot but nothing you wouldn't probably get otherwise.

My new mk4 carp rod, this is a lovely copy of a mk4 built to my request, it would of been wrong to put walker name on it so its a "Rod Storey mk4 Avon"

They're two separate tickets mate. The estate has about 2 miles of bank, over 4 stream fed lakes in a valley, a lot of it is unfishable. It is lovely, with natural English carp rumoured to e around the 30 mark. Just talking about it is making me want to go

Sugar, salt and glycerine are all taste stimulants. Just not all at the same time. Glycerine is fine in winter, as you would expect.

I'm wary of sugar and salt, but even though glycerine comes from fats being processed, and supposedly needs emulsifying in winter, I found glycerine/glycerol flavours still produced in winter, even compared to the same flavours on ethyl alcohol as the solvent. It has made me convinced that glycerine is an attractor in its own right. I'm not sure if any of the bait or flavour specialists have written about it. I'm going to have to try to find out.

Things like glycerine,salt and sugar I would only use at the appropriate time of year, when the carp are expecting to find them and will be stimulated by them.

That's kind of what I read was just a coat of glycerin to soak into the bait then leave to dry, was just thinking I could add some flavour (low level) and liquid to boost it at the same time. I'm now thinking of just making sausages and boiling them and chopping post boil, I also don't want to air dry and make them rock hard as that doesn't lend itself to short session fishing. Thanks , I just like the idea of them being a shortish shelf life and If the glycerin makes them more instant like you say that will suit my fishing. That's also why I've settled more on the chops as I think they will breakdown and give off quicker signals into the water. That's the plan anyway 😂

A glycerine and sugar syrup is now frequently used to make 'identical' freezer and shelf life boilies. The base mix is the same, but instead of freezing after drying, the baits are given a run around in the bath and then dried again. Freezer baits tend to have an attraction 2 or 3 days after thawing as the enzymes, salts and sugars migrate to the surface due to moisture, where I personally think shelf life's have the added instant attraction due to the glycerine. They may both be food baits, the same recipe but the glycerine make them more instant. The two can be used together, or separately. Shelf life boilies I have found to be harder, and the longer you leave them, the harder they get to the point of drilling. You can air dry, without freezing the standard bait to rock hard, it will need drilling to go on the hair, but they take on water more quickly and almost explode. Back in the early 2000's I played around with bait soaks and glugs, with ideas from the original Nutrabaits Bait soaks which were Nutramino and Multimino PPC and added my flavour and essential oil combination; the Peach Nutrafruit was on glycerine/glycerol. The hookbaits after a couple of weeks were rock hard and able to withstand the attentions of small silvers and chub in the lakes and rivers. I have played with other glugs, often based around Liquid Yeast Extract I did play with matching of flavour sprays, but they did need watering down to put in an atomiser bottle. One thing I did find was neat flavours could be a repellant or create a feeding area or attention area actually away from the hookbait. I can't remember which Tim Paisley book it is in, probably Carp, but both him and Rod Hutchinson came to the conclusion that the flavour was acceptable a distance away from the bait, and it is there that the carp boiled, rolled or attempted to feed. So use flavours at low level, or avoid them altogether and stick with natural attraction.