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Blank night, new swim 3 islands and 4 channels to go at. Just one fizzer seen and closer than I was fishing. Back down Thursday 🤞

A bite at 03:30 on the final night, full moon night but a small stockie NOT a massive common, good to be catching. Just a single night next week, so will have to fit in where I can, could be a useful reccy of other areas.

Blank 3 nights last weekend, started on the spots i'd caught from, by the last night I had 2 up against the snags after seeing one saturday morning. Heard a lump bosh near there rods at 11pm but no takes. Frustrating but back again Thursday with a new baiting plan and lure rods after a pike grabbed the leading rod and felt decent!

Good evening all, so this trip came about after my sons have come to visit for the last few days and my younger son wanted to get the rods out at the park lake. So last night found us winding our way down to see what was occurring. we were trying to get on the night before, but the available swims were all taken, so the following morning saw the boy and I hurriedly chucking the gear into the motor and driving, whilst becoming increasingly frustrated, through the school run traffic to the park lake. Now the night before, I hadn’t slept well, the baby has his first sniffle, and every time I closed my eyes, I could see serried ranks of carp anglers lining the banks, with no room for the boy and I, which would have been a bitter disappointment for him as he only had limited time before he needed to travel back for work - hence the rushed and stressful arrival at the park lake! Before the car had even stopped rolling, the boy was kicked out the door like a paratrooper jumping from a plane with a couple of buckets and my voice shouting “run!” ringing in his ears as he scarpered down the path and through the fishery gates to secure a couple of swims before the dreamed of carpy hoards arrived. I started unloading the car as the boy came sauntering back up the path, “I don’t know what the rush was dad, every swim is empty!” Still, the swim he loves was bucketed, as was the swim next door. (One, coincidentally, I hate!) but this trip was about him, so as long as he was happy, I’d make it work. As we set up, the hurried bomb-burst from the house soon proved to have been unwise, as I had left my spod and marker rods, as well as the water container and food bags behind! Now the boy went into his favourite (and mine) swim, where he has had 95% of his captures from and where my 3 fish hit from last week was from and was soon wrapping up, prepping his gear and chucking up his brolly, whereas I sat scowling at the swim my boy had bucketed for me, the bucket looking forlorn in the corner. I really didn’t like this swim, I’ve never found any spot that do bites with any regularity and I always feel as though I may as well close my eyes and pub chuck the rods any old where. Having a quick wander up the bank found me in a swim that always looks good, I know the spots that produce, I’ve seen them there, but my luck never runs, the fish either get caught just before or after I’m there! In fact, since 1997 fishing the lake on and off, I’ve never caught from this swim, although I know it can do the biz. The barrow was moved into the new swim, rods and home set up and before I could get them out, it was back to the car to drive the 10min drive home to collect the stuff I’d left behind. Once back on the lake, the X4 Horizons were soon sending the 3.5oz lead to the overhanging bushes on the far margin where they thudded down onto firm clay/pebble/concrete (this is a disused man made reservoir with a concrete “ring” jutting 2-3 rod lengths out before giving way to silt - the years have mellowed the concrete and a layer of clay and gravel now cover most of it) the newly collected marker rod showed 8ft of water level with the overhanging bushes, distance 18.5 wraps @12ft (no idea how many yards that is) I opted to initially bang a 7 bait stringer on each rod, rigs being fox cortex coated braid to size 6 esp barbless claw hammer hooks slip D style. My boy was nicely set up on the hard patch that weeks of prebaiting, spodding hemp/pellet and fishing over has improved nicely. Distance was a lovely 8.5 wraps with 14ft over it. Three (not immediately obvious) landmarks on the far horizon made recasts easy, the firm crack as the lead sank marked the spot. with the rods out, I set about wrapping up the spod to 18 wraps (taking into account swing back of the lead at this range) and tried to put out a bed of hemp, pellet, sweetcorn and whole/halved/crumbed homemade boilies onto a spot, but whether it was the blustery wind, the tackle or (most likely) my utter ineptitude on the day, I don’t know, but I think only 60-70% landed on target! On other occasions, in this swim, to this spot, I’ve not had this problem. I found I really had to “step into” the cast to get it flying. As the spod crashed into the surface over the left hand rod, this same rod started trickling off, “damn it!” I’ve picked up the line with the spod! Then the middle rod started going too! Realising that I’d had a take, which had kited and picked up my middle rod, I struck and was soon bent into a carp. The fight was fraught with issues, as at one point I had the spod, middle rod and a long length of unidentified line trailing all over the shop! My boy came to my aid by carefully retrieving each rod in turn before slipping the net under a lovely common, where the unidentified line was, well, identified! Nestled in the bottom corner of the fishes mouth, near to my size six embedded in the bottom centre of the lip was another rig! It had a fused leader, a lead clip with the tail rubber pushed on so tight that the 4oz lead hadn’t discharged! There was about 30yrds of thick, 20-25lb mono attached. Once that rubbish had been removed and bagged up, he was hoisted up for a happy snap. scraping 21lb, I was well made up! I’d finally caught one from this swim!! A day bite too, which is a rarity. My son was muttering something about me making a hard lake look easy, but it’s been 25+yrs of learning the place that had led to this string of captures, knowledge that he is reaping the benefits of too. As the day wore on, what came apparent was that the number of anglers who had booked on for the night hadn’t bothered to show up, so as it drew on to early evening, the spod was wrapped to 8 wraps and the boy soon had a nice bed of bait out, ready for the late evening/early hours bite window. The carp drop away from the shady margins and into open water spots at night to feed up. My son’s swim was soon fizzing like a jacuzzi, fish evident by topping and subtle head shows in the moonlight. My boy was being pestered by bream, but was rewrapping and restringering after every one, although he did swap the usual 12mm hook baits for “mega-baits” boilies of 30-40mm (and larger) that my daughter rolls from the scag ends. Some of them are like ping pong balls, but they do deter the slabs! He got his head down at about midnight after swapping his beloved mini microns for my spare delkims as they were low on battery. I too, was soon in the land of nod. At 2am, the shrill warbling tone of a delk split the night, my boy was into a carp! It soon went boring down the margins, but he had the better of it and it rolled into the net without too much problem. it was a gnarley old beast, weighing in at a respectable 26lb. That was the last of the action for each of us, although we couldn’t complain. We had both had a fish. It was an early wrap up on the dawn of a busy day, so by 8am, the lake saw only our backsides as we headed up the path and back to the car. caught on the astronomical start of Autumn, my favourite time of year!

Back on it, 3 nights - full moon coming, fingers crossed, not seen any yet, but didn't last week either. Very happy with all 3 rods this time 🤞

A moody one after a busy night..

Well I actually went back Tues to Thursday armed with particles including tigers, same swim, not a touch. Could see fish in the swim opposite, two anglers went in and both failed, watching them I figured I was pretty close and went long after them but same result. Was kicking myself for not getting maggots instead of the particle choice as they are clearly on naturals in the areas still containing surface weed or where that had recently cleared. Found 3 fish on the back of the wind on the 2nd afternoon and said to myself I'll move down here if no action for the 2nd night, with one being a good sized common, but the following day no fish in that area so a move turned into a go home early. Social at Bluebell this week but then back to the syndi end of Oct armed with maggots, worms and/or casters. Always disappointing to blank but have to remind myself it's 2 fish per acre at best so never easy.

Shame I didn't manage to include the carp that leapt just after I took the original picture.

Mrs bought me a Tamiya Lunchbox several years ago. Throwback to my youth..... loved building it. With my lad turning 7 it's recently made a come-back. Great fun.

The other side

quick park lake overnighter

I had a mozzie bite on my arm about 30 years ago and remember struggling to drive home as I could hardly change gear as it was so swollen and it lasted for a week. After that, nothing. I can't remember getting bitten in all that time. There are several threads on here about the merits of jungle formulae, Avon skin so soft and burning coils but didn't really need to act on it. Two weeks ago I got bitten, luckily just on my ear lobe and it was only a minor inconvenience. I decided to get some jungle formuale just in case and stuck it in my bag. Just got back from a Sunday to Tuesday session on another lake and on the Sunday, I had some buzzing around my ear and when I woke up the next morning I had been done with a series of bites across my forehead, neck and cheek. I try to avoid putting the door panel on my bivvy during the warmer months as I prefer to be able to look out and watch the water, even after dark. The second night I sprayed some jungle formulae on my chest and head and heard some mozzies approach during the night but they seemed to fly straight off again which was encouraging. I found one outside my bivvy the next morning and he got squashed into the chippings under my size 12! I've been up the chemist and got some Anthisan bite and sting cream which will go in my bag for future sessions. I wonder if the long hot summer we have had increased their numbers and activity time as conditions are still unseasonly warm.

I try not to worry too much about mosquito bites. All too often they're the only bites I get. Ian.

If I get stung/bitten I use after bite, the sting of it working is a relief itself

Blue Algea and low water levels have meant its closed until further notice (significant rainfall I guess) Shame as im told there's 8 nice 30's to go at😒 Plan B produced a 38 common 2 weekends ago, so hopefully its hungry again🤞

Not sure if this would be classed as a priceless moment 😂 I fished thorny Weir and the mets donkeys ago and had a mental take ! My left rod was cast about 50 yds out in line with a sunken barge they have in the lake and this torpedo came back at me the shot to the left into a overhanging bushes area of the margin where a few coots were hiding. Well I did manage to land the coot but the carp had got off the hook.

Just got back from a weekend on a water I thought I knew pretty well. I caught a 21-9 fully scaled mirror and 13-2 common on a water that is fished 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the warmer months so almost catching is a bonus. I've got a newish bait boat (sorry Yonny!) and it's got all the bells and whistles, GPS and sonar. The lake is at least 2 foot down as you can see the tide line on all the islands. I was getting a pretty steady 3 to 3.2 foot after the marginal shelf and sent the boat out to an island. Unfortunately I must have got a bit too close and managed to ground it! Over a grands worth of tech beached 50 yards away and I couldn't get it back to deeper water. Nothing else for it, roped in the bloke in the swim next door to help and then stripped down to my under crackers and waded in. The marginal shelf was clear and then I hit the silt, probably up to my knee. It was so thick, I was having to breast stroke to get through it. Luckily the sonar was spot on and the water didn't go above my belly button. There was a clearish channel between 2 islands where the silt was a lot less but there are also some aeration pumps nearby which probably helped to keep it clear. Luckily I have always tended to fish close to the islands and just at the bottom of the marginal shelf so I was probably fishing the best areas anyway. I wasn't expecting the silt to be anywhere near that thick and the sonar was only showing a clear bottom. After I got it back, I got out the marker rod and cast out a heavy lead and dragged it through the area I had just waded through and although it did feel like silt, I would have guessed it at a couple of inches at most. My local water is brick hard at the inlet end where I do most of my fishing and so a 3.5 oz lead is my weapon of choice and that's all I had in my bag. I normally fish a helicopter rig rather than a lead clip which is fortunate but now wonder how many times I've been buried with no chance of a bite. Just dug out a load of 1oz leads and probably won't use back leads on there again despite liking the fact that there isn't any line cutting through the swim. I try fluorocarbon on my reels every couple of years and then pretty soon realise why I hate it as a main line! Many years ago I did a compromise and fished a 30 foot leader of 20lb fluorocarbon but hated the way the knot clattered through the rings when bringing a fish to the net and gave it up as a bad job. Anyone else had experiences with silt?

I stepped out from some reeds into what looked to be water of only a few inches deep, yet I disappeared over my chest waders and struggled badly to move and get back out. Silt is VERY dangerous! I always use a prodding stick now after that experience.

OK so i picked up a set of 3.25tc Torrix with a Torrix marker as well for £500. 4 years old and they look in great condition. Pretty happy with that, was a little more than i wanted to pay but i felt it was worth it.

I've got a set of 12' 3.25lb TC Torrix's and I'm not selling them!

We used to place baits by boat at Taverham Mills, and as @yonny says it can look totally different to how it feels. You could cast a marker float and lead out and get absolutely no feeling as the lilies would stop the float rising, yet look at the area from the boat and they were very thin and safe to fish to. The line would cut through them playing a fish. Other spots (as on the syndicate now) I have the float rise up, yet it is thick with weed. It's wading out that has shown how thick it is and a big bundle of weed can be down to a small root system. My marker float is normally used with a 3½ or 4oz lead. Today I waded out after casting out the marker rod, and I was showing 2½-3feet, yet I was up to my chest.

That moment of realisation that this was nearly half a century ago and I'm an old git!😭

That is the reason I nearly always make mine fresh just before casting. I do use a mix of pellets for bagging and meshing; halibut, CSL, bloodworm, koi/coarse and GLM in various sizes. Note, the Crafty Catcher bloodworm and GLM seem to be oversprayed. I managed to leave some Nash bags in my trouser pocket once, I was quite surprised that they were still undissolved after an hours 40⁰ wash. The plastic bag they were in had allowed water in, but the bags themselves were still almost intact.

I don't think it matters, but it also winds me up. I don't use bags a lot but when I do I protect the hook between a couple of little bits of corn starch packing peanuts (what most people call PVA nuggets). The corn starch is released more easily than PVA, and tends to keep the hook/barb free of debris. It also protects the hook point from penetrating the bait(s) in the bag.

Big hike? Not being funny, but a big water I'd stick with 12ft rods. Ardleigh and Alton reservoir, 160 and 500 acres respectively, even Nazeing Meads Lagoons, around 65acres, could be some long walks to swims, and 12ft rods do give you better casting range. Sounds simple, but co-ordinate your barrow and tackle you carry. Do the standard take out non essential stuff that 'I might need one day'. I use a Carp Porter Porterlite (original), and I can take the gear for 3 days in one trip, and the 12ft rods and bivvy on top of the barrow.

Rumour has it they call him Ghandi though

Changes to KHV disease controls in recreational fisheries - GOV.UK I don't know if this has been seen or commented on here, but I've just seen that KHV outbreaks are no longer requiring control measures. I'm split on this. We'll no longer know where has had an outbreak, but if it's as prevalent/endemic as they claim, what can really be done? What everyone's thoughts? ETA: There are currently no KHV control measures in place anywhere. Controls of fish and shellfish diseases in England and Wales - GOV.UK

I had no idea it's DEET free now. Cheers for the heads-up. Ill be trying that.

Fished with a mate on Friday who was on the new DNA test bait. He caught and I blanked so take from that what you will.

Everyone I know within a 5 mile radius has been bitten in the past 5-6 weeks. I had jungle formula on, sprayed the sheets (mmm that sweet aroma), but still had about 5 bites. Thankfully none in the past week.

During Lockdown in 2020 I started getting back into my model building again. The majority of the aircraft are in 1:48, with a few 1:72 on separate shelf, and the ships are 1:600. Got a few more to do

I just had one, no big surprise! I thought it might be nice to share some valuable, heart warming experiences. I just went with my son to get his first razor. Explaing the do's & dont's was very humbling for me.

when my son got his first it turned into a whole family event watching him shave as the kids had never seen me do it, for reference i have a full on beard and have only ever shaved my head

Jack found my old Scouts uniform, seems keen 🤣

I've got Torrix TE Specials in 12.6ft excellent rods, you will not regret buying those. 👍

This was a May session 17lb. Despite the grimace, it made me smile, and laugh. I'd only just cast the rod in after getting back with Sky after a walk round the lake when it went off, I was sorting out the next rod, mid PVA bag making. Bait was in the water 2minutes, not sure the PVA on the first rod had even dissolved. First fish on the Shrimp!

Torrix all day.

It was to land a fish, not place a bait!

This can work against you too though. I remember fishing an area a long time ago now and getting plenty of bites. But when I saw the area from the boat it looked nothing like it felt with a lead. In fact to look at I wondered how the heck I was getting bites from there due to the weed! Had I seen it before I fished it, I'd have not bothered, and not caught all those carp!

The fish do quite often come away from the islands where they spend most of their time and come in close, mainly early morning. You do get a lot of bubbling and I frequently chase the bubbles around but can't ever remember hooking one! I'm sure on reflection that the 3.5oz lead wasn't helping and a lighter one would improve the presentation. The bailiffs also frequently chuck out a load of pellets if a swim isn't being fished and that tends to land in the bowl area which was the deepest for silt. Good advice but luckily my sonar was spot on with the depth and there weren't any surprises. I am a pretty good swimmer and also I didn't find any trace of any weed. I learn't more about the lake in 5 minutes than I could have done for casting around or plumbing for hours on end and even then it would have given a false impression of what was really there. I used to know a top barbel angler years ago and on his first trip to a new stretch, he would "walk" the river to build up a better understanding of where the fish were likely to be.

I don't know if you have read Carp Now and Then and Hutchy's Golden Years? He was a 'beast' of a caster as he had spent time sea fishing from the beach. I think your is saying exactly as I do in that in the case of the shorter rods, stiffer is being used to make up for length.

Tbf if you're going to catch a stocky you couldn't ask for a better one mate. Fantastic looking carp 👏

When you're rig is buried it doesn't necessarily mean you have no chance of a bite. A lot depends on the type of silt. Carp have evolved to harvest the goodies in the silt so I wouldn't worry too much about being buried, unless it has a covering of that dead/dying silk weed type stuff (it can mask your hook as it gets kicked up during feeding). There is nothing more frustrating that having fish fizzing away all over you but you can't keep your rig clean enough to get a take. If you can find a spot clear of that horrible silky stuff, silt is about as forgiving as you can get in terms of tactics. You can chuck almost anything in it and get a bite. Made me chuckle 😅

Very much. Word of advice, never wade in without a wading pole; it can help you keep your balance as well as bottom prodding. The silt on my current lake is probably up to welly boot height, and then water up to my waist, so pretty similar, although the stream bed you can add a bit more to the depth. There are also feeding holes which can put you chest deep, and I have been known to occasionally go fractionally over the top of my chest waders, hence the advice on a solid wading pole. The honest answer is the carp feed in the silt. I have found massive bloodworm in the deepest thickest silt, along with massive swan mussels, bigger than my hands. I still use run rings and standard rig set-ups, hooklinks around 20-30centimetres in an attempt to put the bait at the level the fish are feeding at. Lead size I normally stick with 2.5-3oz, but use flattened leads to hopefully reduce sinking in too far, but even dropping a lead in the margins can see it disappear. Funnily enough, in May I cast out a 3oz lead, PVA stringer and snowman bait and I am positive that crashed quite deep into the silt. I had a take within a couple of minutes, and I think that the lead had sunk so far, complete with run ring it jammed as the buzzer was bleeping (Delkims vibration).

My view is that the 10ft rods do not cast as far as a 12ft or even longer rod, even in the higher modern test curves. Much of my fishing is on larger waters (above 20acres), with open banks, and at times I need to cast long distances. Even my lighter rods for smaller fish are 12ft, albeit 2lb test curve. I think that the smaller rods to some extent are tackle manufacturers pushing a new item to sell a new item, create a new market.

You have an absolutely amazing moon phase for the next 3 nights according to my moon app. Best of luck lads.

Good luck fellas 🍀 🤞

That's almost how I managed to pick up the second set of Beastmasters, although in my case it was Ebay. Someone selling a set of 3 for around £50 each, when new they were £59.99. I knew that they were decent reels having used them for years. Not that I am in a hurry to sell them, but I still wouldn't lose money if I did. Possibly the best of the budget range Shimano reels, better than many more premium reels from them.

I do have a soft spot for Century rods, although I have not used the FG's

Yeah was a nice steady take on a fairy tight clutch, then when I got to the rod and tighened further made some savage lunges taking line in spurts making it's way over to the far margin. I was nervous about the trees in the water off the island but turned it and got it half way back (think that was more it's decision) then it kited left all the way around the point into the left nearside channel and tried to find snags in the near margin, treelined again obvs. Nerve jangling moment again but got it back bit by bit - no rubbing on branches - probably because the water is 3ft down. Then of course it picked up the left rod fished single style into the left nearside channel, making it impossible to bring fully over the net. Bail arm off and with another go it went in the net. Glad you asked it was proper scary tbh especially as I was expecting a blank lol. Hopefully more to follow fingers crossed doing 3 nights instead this week from thursday, going for it and baited up as I left. Heard another good fish roll after the fish and having that one made me think the big common must have been there that night, maybe having a few boilies too - close but no cigar! It's coming - feeling it 🤞