bluelabel

With all the talk of technology flying about, I have to admit to going the other way (oo-er missus) I have reverted back to split-cane rods, center-pins, or Mitchell 300/400 reels and optonics.... what next...??? milk bottle tops... a penny placed on the spool with a hubcap below it...? Gotta say since I went traditional I have caught more... dunno why, can't put a finger on it... perhaps it's because you wouldn't expect to catch using such antiquated gear, but that said, subconsciously the pressure is off... if you are not expecting to catch, then you put less pressure on yourself... and the results come... Lets get one thing clear... I still use carbon gear occasionally and I am not advocating that everyone uses cane and pins to up their catch rate.... what I am saying is that we anglers can be our own worst enemies when it comes to hunting down that biggun.... Once I started in on the traditional side of carping, I used my watercraft skills to stalk carp out of margins, more often than not just using one rod to lay traps and picking up the odd good fish and relying less and less on bite alarms and chucking to the horizon, leading about, marker float trips, swim mapping and the like... even down to using just a hook with a bait, nothing else, no line clips, no leads, or fancy rigs... as soon as I started to fish purely for the enjoyment of the day, the pressure on myself was off and my catch rate went up.... nowadays I think too many anglers are putting pressure on themselves to pick up that magical fish... too much time spent planning and not enough time just grabbing a rod, reel, bag, net and chair and fishing purely for the fun of it... and the proof of the pudding has to be the smile when you do get a chunk.... All too often I see pictures in the angling press of some bod with his sponsor's tee shirt and hat and a serious whacker in his arms and a face like a bulldog licking pee of a nettle... they are probably thinking" where's the next big hit coming from" What I will say is, take the time to enjoy the journey... even smell the flowers along the way and when you get that lump.... for god's sake.... smile...😁 Tight lines all

slowly and carefully...😋😎 40 years of shift work in a heavy manufacturing job take their toll, plus a couple of bike accidents and playing cricket up till my late forties... I'm 61 now and yes it hurts getting up in the morning... that's why I retired last year... my old employers have just gone back to a 12 hour day and with an hours worth of travelling each way there was no way I was going to continue... the times of me working 12 hour days and nights are long gone

errrrmmm... I have chronic osteo arthritis in my knees (6 operations and no better, waiting for a knee replacement) and collapsed discs in my lower back (1 steroid injection and 2 nerve ablations to stop the pain... to no avail) arthritic fingers and wrists, tennis elbow, both ankles damaged ligaments due to motorcycle accidents and blind as a bat.... I can still chuck a lead out and I will till they put me into my pine overcoat

the only tech I'll have on the bank is a bite alarm.... oh and a torch if I'm doing a night and me phone for emergencies.... I can't justify drones, boats, fish spies, deeper.... fishing as I do with antique gear may hamper my chances of getting that magic fish.... but then I'd have more of a sense of achievement if I did catch just using basic gear... if it's you thing then go for it.... I fished a water a couple of years back, with a tree-lined far bank and a lad next door was using a bait boat and was showing it off, and he said to me "how are you going to get a bait tight to the trees".... I had my third rod ready to go and dropped the lead and bait about a foot off the tree line and baited up on the ripples with a catapult... he just walked off.... I think folks who rely exclusively on tech to do their fishing for them are lacking core skills... when that tech breaks down it'd be nice to know that they have the skills to carry on fishing rather than packing up early as I've seen some folks do

today... yesterday's corned beef and mayo sarnie😥

it's not a fashion thing for me... I fish small waters... nothing bigger than 4 acres and on most there's tree canopies, so the shorter rods make sense for me, plus they can live in the boot of my car without dropping the rear seats so the whole kit is out of sight of prying eyes... and the reels are Shimmy Aero X 4000 hardly big pits.. also as a case in point my cane carp rods are 9'3" Sharpe's... circa 1955 and Walkers rods were 10'2" the longer 12' rods were developed by Rod Hutchinson for DISTANCE work...

I refer the honourable gentleman to the reply I gave some time ago or I'll move round to where the fish are... except cast where the overhanging tree canopy dictates otherwise😋 one thing I have learned over the years.... there are precious few absolutes in fishing... not being contentious... just a few thoughts

have to disagree partially with that Yonny... Terry Edmonds (I think it was he) got 170 yards with a 9' Dwarf 3lb rod.... and to be honest there's very few anglers who can hit that with a 12 footer, and of course you are right about fashion. (I bought mine because.... A, I fish small waters... & B, they fit in the boot of my car without lowering the back seats... and C, the wife bought me them as a prezzy for looking after her when she broke her pelvis... I think the biggest chuck I've had since I got them is just under 90 yards... more than enough for most folks in response to the original Poster, the old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it comes into play"... why change your rods if you are comfortable with them... they'll still land what you hook...👍😎

bad eyes and arthritis don't allow me to make anything other than basic rigs these days, so maybe I'll just buy the bits ready made from now on...

I have two major online sales companies within 10 miles of my house so I tend to go direct Angling Direct and Total Tackle, I also have Keswall's within 10 miles too so I have no need to buy online, all can get anything I need

I can tie knotless knot rigs and some other types like multi rigs.... But at 61 my eyes are shot and my fingers are starting to hurt with arthritis, so for me, I'll buy some premade rigs or adapt a shop bought one to my own needs

yup... buy a pack of Korda Loop Rigs and some stiff booms.... makes a lovely bottom bait rig👍

InterLok... served me well for years... (about 12 so far) not cheap, but VERY good quality

One of my buddies has Basia's and the line lay is pants compared to the Shimmy

https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/Shop/RodsTravelRods/Fox-EOS-Telescopic-Carp-Rod.htm?utm_source=google-shopping&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqIKwqKCH4wIV8BXTCh3wrgcMEAQYASABEgJRx_D_BwE https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15903434/shakespeare-cypry-carp-12ft-3lb-telescopic-rod-15903434/?istCompanyId=c2ec8a5d-93c1-4850-a97a-f4d89d7c99c8&istFeedId=2755fba0-7dfe-46a9-bfd0-09b37aed8b93&istItemId=wapiimpiw&istBid=t&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqIKwqKCH4wIV8BXTCh3wrgcMEAQYAyABEgKD4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daiwa-Sections-Telescopic-Fishing-11572-366/dp/B017KPD49G/ref=sr_1_4?adgrpid=52874049493&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqIKwqKCH4wIV8BXTCh3wrgcMEAAYASAAEgIvv_D_BwE&hvadid=259093058282&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9044937&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7308858223851283335&hvtargid=aud-612526058146%3Akwd-298146273821&hydadcr=13273_1748107&keywords=carp+telescopic+rod&qid=1561555908&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Thermacare back pads.... my back and knees are shot to bits and the pads work wonders on my back... wear them over a tee shirt as they can get very hot... I also go to pilates classes and they have helped strengthen my core so my back is properly supported... give it a go

Nash Dwarf.... 9' 2.75lbs... prior to that I had a pair of Dam 12' tele 2.5lb carp rods... had em 12 years and caught loads on 'em

I got most of them through Harris Sportsmail or Angling Direct... mainly jellies

Someone once said.... The More I practice The Luckier I Get.... 😎

I think it's obscene to be honest.... when I look back on my old shift work days... slogging me nuts off for £200 sovs a week for a 3 shift rota... I KNOW I worked harder per day, than Bale does a week... admittedly he can kick a ball a bit, and I can't.... but I bet he couldn't even spell "Hazardous" let alone run a shift in a solvent coating plant....😋 But ever since Sky got involved with the Premier League, wages have sky-rocketed... too much money in sport as a whole to be fair... what pee's me off is I pay for the sports channels on my VM contract and I can't even opt out of the footie channels to bring my subs down... as Stevo says folks get hit in the pocket all the time

TBH if you have looked at the Sawn Off range, ask yourself if a Black Ops is worth £120 more for a bit less resin (lighter weight) and some fancy lightweight rings.... to my mind a lot of the Scope/lack ops stuff is a bit Emperors New Clothes.... (despite me owning a pair of Dwarf's)

Shimano Alivio 1000 or if you are feeling flush a Fox Rage 1000

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