bluelabel

this is the sort of thing that really boils my pee (said in context) there are loads of examples like this in the angling/camping world.... and to my mind the carping tackle manufacturers need a damn good kick up the chuff and told to stop being a bunch of thieving knobs.... one thing that made me laugh was the £10 baccy pouch from Diem..... a solution to a problem that doesn't exist... as with a lot of stuff from manufacturers.... as for the £7 bore tool.....??? I use a pen knife.. cost me nowt as it was me dad's pipe cleaning knife... bait drill...? I use a drill bit... bait table...?? Gelert table from Go... £6.99... instead of £18 at AD... with loads of stuff you can save a fortune just by looking in your local camping shop or pound shop... bungee's for your barrow.... £1 in The Pound Shop... Spam £1 from the same shop Sweetcorn 4 pack for a quid.... look around you'll find loads of options to Tackle Manufacturers rip off's

I use sonubaits scopex pellet oil on dry pellets as it helps them sink quicker... nice smell too... they also do an F1 pellet oil (aimed mainly at the match lads) but eminently use-able... I also use hemp oil and cod liver oil with Garlic during the summer months (available from equine outlets) You can also use the "Goo" with innumerable bait flavours and colours

Leather washers are better and don't crush down as badly

If they are called "Scope" or "Black Ops" don't hold your breath... they'll cost more limbs than you can muster😋

I had a fumble with one in Angling direct a few months back.... for the extra money I wasn't impressed

Look on the bay of e.... scopes new are hideously expensive... my young padawan got one for a ton then he broke the tip on it... they are known for being a tad fragile... in all honesty you'll get a better product from free spirit... think it's called a tree creeper...? not sure... but it's a lovely rod... I have a pair of Dwarf 9' 2.75 lbs and there's not a great deal of difference between those and the same poundage and length in the scopes... pays yer money and takes yer choice

Spent nearly 2 hours yesterday stripping old rigs and tidying my rig wallets... think I dumped about 14 rigs that were useless and recycled the hooks after giving them a quick burr on the stone. saved a few rig sleeves and swivels.... and now my wallets look tidy (ish) really should do this more often.... all that said, I'm out on Sunday with my Young Padawan and no doubt I'll tie a couple of fresh rigs and try and make room for them in the wallets.... I really must learn... either that or start buying ready mades

I bought some a couple of years back.... tis was quite sticky and went manky if it got warm... I use Dark Matter... and for larger weights Plasticine

I have a young apprentice at the mo and I let him know in no uncertain terms first time he drops litter my tuition ends and he'll get a thick ear... I despise litter and litterers if you went to their house and took a dump on their front room floor and left it there they'd soon get the hump so why do the same outside... same with dog walkers who pick up their dog mess and then leave the bag hanging on a bush or tree really winds me up

I have 2 huge rig wallets full of old rigs... after a session they go into my wallets & they are a bloomin' mess.... I think I'm going to disassemble them and tie a few new ones to just a couple of patterns.. what do you guys (and gals) do with yours...???

at a pinch you could get by with a short (8') quivertip rod if you have one... the tip is the key it must be soft... and a 1000 size reel... I think my Shimano Alivio was about £25... the expensive stuff are the braids, fluorocarbon for hooklinks and lures, don't forget if there are pike present in your venues you'll need a wire up-trace above the hook in case of bite off's... it really isn't summat where you can just tie on a lure and away you go... you need a bit of forethought... once you start the thing snowballs

have a look at the Angling Direct rods... there's a nice selection there... I have a Sonik LRF with a Shimano 1000 size fixed spool with 10lb braid the sonik LRF rod will cope with ultra-lite drop-shotting with weights from 2-7g

a couple of years back I lost the urge.... I'd pretty much stopped match and Pike fishing and I really was having a hard time finding the motivation to fish for anything.... Probably a fallout from losing my Mum and having to sort her affairs and a bit of ill health were the main causes.... I found an interest in vintage tackle and for some reason it struck a chord with me... fishing as I did when I was a nipper. Now I dabble with one rod or pole and fish when I want how I want... I still have my carbon and baitrunners but I derive more pleasure using old gear these days.... perhaps approaching your fishing from a different angle may rekindle your enthusiasm....???

Semi... inasmuch as I tend to fish it over decaying pads in winter... the carp move over them as they die back

maybe it's my setup (naked) but I never get a proper ripper on the chod rig... it's always a stuttery pick up and often a drop back and don't always connect

even better (and hopefully less prone to tangling) would be a light inline lead of an ounce or less if they are available... possibly set up running with a light stopper bead above the lead set almost shokka style....????

Cheers Yonny... I figured that using a chod on a leader there isn't a great deal of movement anyway even on a VERY slack line and indication (never at it's best with a chod anyway) is going to be a bit hit or miss, My reasoning being that if you fished a chod off a lead clip with only enough weight to prick the fish... (say 2/3rd to 1 oz of lead) then it may convert a finicky pick up into a single toner....?

anyway.... back to the subject in question.... with short rigs.... would a short chod work with a leadclip better then on a leader or naked...???? summat I may try in the future, but if it's prone to getting caught up I may give it a miss

I have no problem with longer rigs.... I just experimented with shorter ones for a while and they paid dividends (and I shall continue to use them till I try summat else) and for "Leonard" to dismiss them as "for doubles only" is a bit narrow minded to say the least, especially as I've had good results on them... and to slag off anodised (not powder coated, learn the difference) ally as rubbish, is petty in the extreme... all folks have differing ideas and the overriding thing I have learned is live and let live... shame some other folks can't abide by that rule

Oh I do hope so....!!! I can take all kinds of folk and I get on well with most... but folks who won't acknowledge other opinions and getting abusive with it, rub me up the wrong way...

No stainless in sight... just 12 year old banksticks, alarms circa 1980, rods circa 1965, reels approx 1966... you've all seen my old gear... but just to make a point that its the last foot of ones endgame that does the damage and too many preconceptions about rig mechanics severely limits ones options... tight lines chaps

Cheers mate... 👍

Yeah... doubles... 20lb 1oz light lead, (2/3rds of an ounce short rig, snowman presentation... 2 x swanshot 4" hooklink, whole prawn bait (no hair rig).... yup.... another 20... (23lb 6oz) stop generalising.... and be a bit more open minded...!!!

I have been experimenting with light leads and short hooklengths... match fishing started me thinking about the rig mechanics of the Method feeder... and how only 20grms of feeder plus a few grams of pellets and a 4" link with a QM1 size 12 were leading to carp of mid doubles... henceforth I have been using less than an ounce and only 2/4" hooklinks... with good results on pressured club waters... another option I have tinkered with is using just lightly nipped shot above the knot loop for casting weight so that the bait is almost freelined (obviously stalking style, & not distance fishing) and ditching the hair rig, just using hooked prawns cockles and mussels where boilie fishing has turned the fish wary... Rig mechanics is always an emotive subject... If you find summat that works for you, good on you.... share it or keep to yerself.. your choice...!!! but we shouldn't decry what other folks use just because it doesn't suit your own needs or style of fishing👍😎

Yup... Tackle manufacturers are pretty good at making money... even the angling media take the pee out of employees too... when you think that Angling generates £3.7bn of commerce in this country it's not hard to see how... with fisheries, licences, employees, manufacturers, bait firms, charnel houses, etc.... and we as anglers pay for the privilege one way or another