bluelabel

And do the clutch up rock solid...

Frank Warwick was a fan of the pendulum cast which would go a long way to explaining his preference for high rod poundages for a big chuck... by his own admission though, at huge distances a pendulum cast is wildly inaccurate and to be honest for someone not used to it its a bit of a faff to get right let alone find any accuracy... maybe some casting lessons from guys like Terry Edmonds would be better than trying to hoof out a big lead in a chuckitanchansit approach pendulum stylee

Mate that really is overkill for a day session.... get yerself an oval brolly for day sessions... tons lighter and waaaaaay quicker to put up

After getting the edge of my bechair wet under a brolly at Ashmead and my two man JRC STi being too big a beast for short stays... I blagged a Nash Titan Hide with all the bits, ground sheet, infill panel, and overwrap for less than £200 off Faeces berk market place... goes up in less than 3 mins and back down again just as quickly... lovely bit of kit, more room than a brolly and lighter than my JRC by a long way

There is a vintage tackle group on Facebook they regularly have posts from folks selling gear... might be worth looking them up and joining to sell them there

Sorry, but I think Mr Warwick is at odds with other anglers, inasmuch guys like Ali Hamidi advocate a 2.75lb rod as a good starting point... his comment on the different actions is valid though... there is a world of difference between actions... I once had 2 sets of 2.75lb rods, one for close in (Fox Warriors) and one for punching a bait out (Shimano Hyperloop FA'S) the letters FA stood for fast action which meant they were a casting tool. The Hyperloops could certainly outcast the Warriors, but I preferred the Warriors for playing fish on, as the Hyperloops felt poker stiff in the middle, with only the last 3rd of the rod having any playing action... All this said my Dwarfs are 9' 2.75lb and are a delight to play fish on, but are limited to about 70-80 yards max with me casting them... My 9'6" Sharpe cane rods are only approx 2lb to 2.5lb but have a much faster taper and easily hit the same distance due to the extra 6" and the stiffer mid section

I used to match fish quite seriously... captained my club match team, fished in the Nationals for Chelmsford and at club level for quite a few years... I fished at Armigers lake on Billericay's club book and caught 103 carp in an afternoon... after that I was sated... had enough of it... I went back to carping albeit with different gear, but I took a lot of match knowledge and applied it to my carping, sometimes it works... sometimes not... Match fishing is fun... but now my interests have changed and I no longer feel the need to compete... that said if I go out with a buddy there's usually a quid on the day...😛🤣

To be honest for just a day session any brolly or day shelter will suit... for the odd day session I just take my old flatback match brolly ( its lighter than my Nash Scope oval) and quicker to put up and down... a full bivvy for a day session is overkill

I'd drop the mainline to 15lb too... too thick a line diameter will certainly hinder casting distance

For a long stay... more than 48 hours a big bivvy is (to my mind is essential... ) up to 48 hours and I'll use a smaller 1 man Titan Hide... on a long stay I like to spread out, take more gear and be comfortable... a smaller bivvy makes me feel cramped on a long stay... that's my preference anyway... everyone's different I did a week on redmire in a JRC 2 man bivvy and that was fine... did a week on Les Quis in a 1 man and hated it....

Given he's British, a solicitors letter and small claims court... failing that slag him off mightily on every place he advertises... make his life hell

The Shimano 5500's are perfect...

A lot of the big commercials are banged out solid at the mo... with 2 of you, I think you'd be hard pushed to get 2 swims together... A mate went up there a last year pre lockdown and every lake was rammed midweek... The problem is, the big fish waters attract time bandits and hot swim merchants... TBH I tend to avoid them nowadays... Sorry if thats not what you wanted to hear, but its an honest appraisal...

As a general rule of thumb, if the fish only run to doubles, I use stepped up match gear... over 20lb I use proper carp gear... fishing a lighter softer rod will alleviate any damage in smaller fish... plenty of stepped up match rods, float or feeder, that are perfectly capable of landing doubles.... 3000 for float and 4000 size reels for feeder is plenty for carp up to mid doubles

Have a look at the Daiwa SS2600, not a baitrunner but a lovely stalking reel... the 4000 baitrunner is a good one too (especially the 4000 Aero X)

Small carp have much softer mouths and are more susceptible to damage... if the fish don't go over 20lbs in the water I'd consider a softer rod and lighter line... the thing with using a 15lb mainline is with small carp you tend to get em in quick so the damage could be occurring at that point... and if, as I said, the fish don't grow much over mid double size then I'd say that a 2.75lb rod is a bit heavy... I'm sure other lads will have their own theories... but thats mine for what its worth

I have arthritic knees and collapsed discs in my lower back... it hurts to fish but the drive to fish pushes the pain aside.... I dose up with paracetamol and ibuprofen if I know I'm going out, I also wear a back brace to help with keeping my back stable and warm... I also make sure I stay as warm as possible as the cold is a reet b*gger with arthritis...

Keep at it Elmo... yer doing great man... it isn't going to happen overnight... just be patient

When I needed to lose weight I found that the smallest steps produced the biggest results.... cutting out sugar in tea, having lactose free skimmed milk in tea, (you don't notice after a day or two...) cutting out biscuits altogether (my biggest sin) stopped putting butter in mashed spuds, it's all little things that mount up, grilling meat rather than frying it, having only a couple of rashers of bacon instead of 4... smaller portions, more veg, less spuds and meat... another big tip is to regulate your eating times... we never eat later than 6pm now, and drinking less tea or coffee before bedtimes helps with better sleep, and having decaf tea instead of normal... and the last cup no later than 8pm... sounds odd, but those changes have helped me no end... I feel healthier and fitter and I sleep better

There's a pair of Dwarf 9' 2.75lb rods on the FB Marketplace at the mo...

I was using my 9' Dwarf's yesterday (blanked) they work well enough and I have handled a pair of 9' Scopes... my opinion...? Go for the Dwarfs... the extra cost of the Scopes isn't warranted when compared to the mk2 Dwarfs... the carbon on the Scopes has less resin and is brittle... I personally think that the Dwarf is the better rod...Does everything a Scope can do and over a hundred quid cheaper... as an option I think that a few other companies are getting in on the act too... Sonik have a range of 9 footers I believe, and I think Fox have a range to look at... have a good look round before you splash the cash... more expensive does not necessarily mean better....

Well one of my local lakes has done 4x20's already.... I had one in January so you can catch them all year round, but as for targeting them, I'd start on mild, low pressure days preferably with a south-westerly wind about now...

Don't be too sniffy about 2nd hand either... have a look on FB marketplace... loads on there... I picked up a Nash Titan Hide with groundsheet, front panel and overwrap for £200... it was as new... list for that lot is close to £500

When I left Sainsburys in 1999 (bakery manager) I was 14.5 stones... I cut out sugar in me tea, went over to skimmed milk for everything and cut out biccies and went down to 13" within 6 months...

I wish.... I hobble in.... jump in the deep end and they laugh em'selves sick as I flounder about... but as well as the fitness side if you work out with other folks, the social side keeps you going back, as you don't want to miss hearing about Ethel's "Problems" or Joan's "Little Trouble"...🤣