pukkacarp

No I haven't used molasses.  Stick with that recipe and you'll be just fine. Well you might need spare batteries for your alarms Haha 

Add some marmite and premier baits fish goo to the belechan and you've got a flier mate. Put the marmite in the microwave for 20-30 seconds so it goes from a goo to a liquid, makes measuring it out easier. Also measure out your oil first (assuming you're using some, will help you rolling as the belechan can make the mix very sticky) then once oil is measured put the marmite and goo into the same measuring pot as it slides out easier with the pot having the oil in it first. Add this to the eggs and belechan in the blender and blitz. 
Yes its messy, yes it stinks but the fish love it. Been using that recipe for years now, me and my mates have rinced lakes with it. You'll also find a very similar recipe in Mike Wilmots first book. He rates it massively. 

Put your eggs and flavours in a blender , then grate the amount you want in your mix and blitz. Simple. 

in my homemade boilies mate
 

my mum is not impressed with the smell right now 🤣

🤢🤮

Use your teeth to chew it up Terry Hearn style, double dare ya 😃

i get mine from the local takeaway it seems to smell more salty might be worth a word with your local take away

Welcome to Carp.com.
 
Personally, I think a 3lb test curve rod is too heavy for most carp fishing in the UK, and the maximum you need is a 2.75lb tc.
 
A 6ft 3lb rod is going to feel like a broomstick, and is likely awful for most fishing, but heavy test curves are the fashion. In most cases test curves of 3lb plus are designed for casting long distance, not playing fish. A heavy test curve rod is NOT always the best for playing fish around snags, better to get a lighter more through action rod around 2lb.
 
For ages my stalking rod was a 9ft Browning Spinning rod, perfect for floater fishing, fishing the lift method while carp stalking, but when it was stolen I went to a Daiwa 1.5lb test curve 11ft 6in Pro Specialist, then an Avon rod. In fact I would say a barbel rod is perfect for a lot of carp fishing. I use mine for floater fishing now, or lift float, and always on one water where the carp go from single figures through to 20lb.
I have caught a number of carp on those lighter rods to over 20lb from near lilies and snags.
 
Have a look at twin tip ledger rods, one tip section should be your quiver tips, the other is a barbel or Avon tip. For carp fishing the barbel or Avon tip is fine.
 
 

dont fall in to the myth of higher test curve if it's snaggy. I've been using my 2.75tc rods for years now, probably more like 2.5s now. I've had little problems with landing fish to 40lb in serious weed and snags. The softness of the rod can absorb a lot of the pressure and turn fish quicker. You'll get less hook pulls anyway.
 

I'm toying with the idea of a baiting pole and waders at present there are a lot of margin areas that may benefit, from at least waders but I can't work out if a pole seems like cheating or not
Has anyone got any experience of bison chesties some on eBay for £35 heavy duty ones ? 
 

I think my 7ft stalker rod will see a lot of use this year, that's going to be a good little tool for margin fishing 

I streamlined my gear a couple of seasons ago, it is liberating. I mostly go on my mountain bike for day sessions. single rod, net, mat and a medium sized ruck sack and a bum bag is all i need don't even take a chair most times if i sit i'll use a foam cushion that fits into my bag easily carp fishing can be cheap and easy! 

I streamlined my gear a couple of seasons ago, it is liberating. I mostly go on my mountain bike for day sessions. single rod, net, mat and a medium sized ruck sack and a bum bag is all i need don't even take a chair most times if i sit i'll use a foam cushion that fits into my bag easily carp fishing can be cheap and easy! 

a big mink has been sighted there Sunday so that may the cause of the mussels, 
I've been chatting to premier baits Tony a bit via electronic mail this week , he has steered me towards the matrix , I've also been advised to keep it simple
Only hookbaits to be glugged and no other tweaking for now I must sit on thy hands until confident and not meddle, so now have boilies ,particles and pellets sorted, 
This morning I've cleared out my tackle box put all my rig items into my old rig and bits pouch, I am streamlining and lightening, I am going to have a pop up sized tub for spare leads in my bag and no more, working towards light and simple, 
 
 

Just dug out my old viper, got vintage mud in it

always nice to see others catching as it shows they are actually feeding, keep up the hard work buddy

i see, i'll stick to mollasses for now then thanks mate 😊

Hi Pukka carp I'll be honest I don't know if it is too cold for it, although I haven't had any bites in 3 sessions  might be a good idea to run a test though will pop one in a jar and leave it outside and see what happens with it
today was a good lesson though thought I did some things well and some not so well tbh I used my marker rod and found a couple of nice spots took a bit longer to hit them than I would like which probably didn't help my chances, one of my rigs came in a bit tangled so need to cure that, but the key one was not spending enough time fish spotting,locating  I'm getting closer to catching one though everytime I think, just need to fine tune, I did take some pics of a nice 24lb common though so was nice to see one on the bank 
 

i use a caulking gun and it works perfectly use the normal caulking nozzles too just cut them to correct size using jr hacksaw i also use a cheap plastic tube, once boilie mixture has been squeezed through i'll use a bank stick or anything long and thin to push the plunger back out so i can re use
 
 

I know the feeling I'm still using my daiwa powermesh 2.25's 

How much bait do you think I'll need I've only got 1 boilie made so far ? 😀
 

If you do go for Vass you'll need to kit yourself out with a short back and sides, beard and a chunky knit sweater. Gotta fit in with the hive mind.

Bucket hat, you forgot the bucket hat!