Golden Paws

I have a fairly regular subscription to Carpology. They keep enticed me with crazy offers. Last time I had 10kg of Live System, pop-up's and wafters as well as a 500ml bottle of Amino 365, a book and a 6 month subscription for a lot less than I would have paid otherwise. https://www.carpology.net/shop/subscriptions/carpology-sticky-krill-returns-deal/ I found this on their Site, 10kg of Sticky's Krill which would set you back about £100 alone with the book and 1 litre of Krill liquid, pop-ups and a 6 month subby for £69.99 and normally about a fiver for postage. The way I look at it, I'm getting the magazine for free (and some more). I do enjoy the mag and look forward to reading it every month so as far as I'm concerned, it's win-win.

I'm against dropping leads, if it's not necessary. Obviously if you're fishing a weedy water then it may be wise to err on the side of caution but not as a matter of course.

http://www.korda.co.uk/fishingtackle/baiting-up/mini-skyliner/ I quite often use one of these. This is my weapon of choice for baiting overhanging trees on the far margin. It makes so little splash compared to the larger spods, providing you hit the clip and soften the landing with the rod.

Yonny has pretty well summed it up. If you get a sustained period of high pressure, i.e. sunny and warm with little wind, things can go a bit stale. A strong South-Westerly bringing warm rain can stir things up and so looking at the forecast for the next few days and acting on it can bring dividends. I fished for barbel a lot in the winter for many years and always tried to get out when the water temperature was on an upward ramp as it really did bring the fish on.

I assume you mean anti tangle sleeves? They are used to prevent the trace from tangling on the main line, which happens more often than people think. When a heavy lead sinks, it is very easy for a supple trace to 'spiral' around the main line but when you wind in, it will probably unravel itself and you don't know you've been fishing ineffectively all the time. They also help stiffer rigs to reset if a fish picks up the bait and spits it out by pushing the trace away from the lead. You can reduce the possibility of tangles by always hitting the clip on the cast and feeling it down on a tight line.

I haven't mentioned this to anyone before as they would think I was mad but I heard a splash in the margins and saw a squirrel swim on his back across the river and climbed up a tree on the far bank!

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/no-going-back/on-demand/30584-003 Here's a link to watch it on-line. You do have to sign up to Channel 4 though and there are some questions about what gender you identify with! Quite a few adverts that you can't skip either. Overall an interesting watch and shows the difference in cultures despite us being just over the Channel. Stunning looking lake, here's a link to their website; https://www.clearwaterlakes.com/

Or just use a standard wallet. Place the hook in the bar section and put 1 pin in the hinged loop so the bend isn't distorted and put another at the swivel/loop end pulled tight so it helps preserve the stiffness.

I started the thread and might have had a dig or two at Danny Fairbrass as I can find him a bit annoying at times, especially when he's playing or returning a fish! However, I do respect what has he done for the Carping fraternity and the Korda DVD's and now on-line tutorials are a great source of knowledge and when he is explaining his thinking behind his tactics or rigs, he is first class. His Embryo project also seems to be genuinely about protecting venues and the Carp contained within them. As Yonny mentioned a while back, we really haven't had it so good with regard to fishing video's and they are virtually all free. If a bit of plugging is the price to pay, I'm happy to accept that. I just had a seasonal bit of fun and pointed out some things I do find annoying about them, my pet hate being the amount to time an angler holds a fish out of water whilst telling the story as I'm usually screaming at the screen telling him to put it back!

And a few more things; The sound track you wanted. The wind whispering gently through the rushes, the buzz of insects and slurping of Carp as they suck them off the surface before they can escape their watery meniscus. Cuckoo's calling for a mate in the woods behind you amidst the peace and tranquillity of an English lake set deep in the countryside. The soundtrack you got. Ibiza at dawn after a drug hazed night of frantic dancing with Pete Tong spinning some repetitive Drum and Bass or Trance at full volume. You've made it. Sponsored by a tackle firm and apart from being paid, get to have a "Supermarket Sweep" of their warehouse and pick up all the latest gear totally free - check. Bait company sponsors you and get all you could possibly need buckshee - check. What to spend your money on then? Ah, the lure of a Rolex proves too strong and you splash out on a flashy timepiece. Most of us would just get a rosy glow as we periodically checked the time but no, you have to be flash. Instead of shots of the lead landing accurately at 120 yards plus, the lead trapped expertly so it hits the water with barely a ripple and you take up the slack in a flash and feel for that "donk", the cameraman zooms in as the line pours off the reel, with your new watch on full display! "The Carp seem to have a liking for this bait." They should do, you rowed out a few days ago and deposited 50 kg of your latest sponsors bait and all the Carp (or Pond Pigs as they are now called) are sat on the area absolutely stuffed and are unable to move but just like walking past a bakery, a fresh smelly one could entice one to bite. Just don't get too cocky and try selling any excess you've creamed off to anglers on the bank or you'll be looking for another sponsors pretty soon! Challenges. I don't know about you but I find Carp fishing a challenge at the best of times but for the sake of entertainment, make it a bit harder. Blindfold on and then throw a dart and be handicapped further. Reverse the handle on your reel so you have to fish it "scrammy". Limit the amount of bait used or fish with "budget" tackle. Chat to the cameraman all the time and giggle like little schoolgirls about in jokes that no-one else seems to understand. You've just caught a biggie, the prize is in your arms and you proceed to tell everyone it's life story, the weight, the rig, the bait, the campaign you've undertaken before it's demise. The things mouth is constantly extending as it tries to feel the cool water and it's oxygen dissolved within that it needs to live and it's gills flap as it can't understand why it's struggling to breathe. Finally after a soliloquy worthy of a Shakespearian actor, you put it back. You retreat to the Bivvy and tell the story of it's life story, the weight, the rig, the bait, the campaign you've undertaken before it's demise, just in case you weren't listening first time. "I'm fishing a foreign water that's completely off the radar". Why are there countless area's of patchy ground all around the lake where bivvy's have been staked out?

And there's more things that really get me going, here's a selection; Dash cam footage of your 80 mile journey on the motorway speeded up 50 times so it looks like you travelled in hyperspace. Over plugging of your sponsors tackle. Yes, I know that they are "advertoriuls" and they help to offset the costs of a professional shoot and editing but sometimes subtle is better than "in your face." You caught a big fish so we're all going to chuck a bucket of water over you? What's that all about? Name dropping. I was fishing with "insert famous name" last week or you 'phone him and have a conversation on the bank about your latest capture and get a virtual slap on the back. It's bad enough with Biggins doing it all the time, we don't need (cough ahem), roughty toughty Carp anglers doing it as well. Go pro footage taken on your forehead and the rod resembles a banana! Endless banal chatter about nothing. The carp dog gets called "Pork Chop" and he gets his cotton socks blessed every 2 minutes! Sorry Leon. Don't get me started on Biscuit of the Week. Catch and Cook video's. Don't go there! Ditto Bow fishing video's.

My barrow tipped over a while back and the force shattered one ring. Don't think that you can buy the inner on it's own. I took the old eye down to my local tackle shop and they matched it up pretty well and I whipped and varnished it on.

I'm a self confessed addict to You Tube these days (have you seen how much drivel is on TV?) but am getting to the stage now where it does all seem a bit "samey" and getting a bit annoying. To be fair, most of the stuff on the ESP Site with Tel or Martin Bowler is usually highly watch able but some of the other stuff can be a bit predictable or you know you are being lied to. Here is some of my observations I don't want to put up with in 2020. 1. "Goodbye my luv" (kiss) as Carp slipped back. 2. "Best bait I've ever used" (hic), "pass me another Diamond White!" 3. People droning on and on about their latest session with Carp in arms gasping for air! For god's sake, take the hook out, quick piccie and then put the thing back ASAP. 4. "I'll put this one back and hopefully catch a bigger one....." 5. "Get in the net, get in the net...... Pukka!" 6. "I've just turned up at the lake and selected this swim........" Liar! The swim has been roped off and the Bailiff has been filling it in for days! 7. "We've been told that there are Carp in this lake but we don't know anything about the stock...." Liars! You've Googled the granny out of it for months and checked the Instagram page every day! I must have missed quite a few, any more offers?

Going off topic slightly, a sign of aging could be sag, i.e. you look down the rod and there is a slight drooping towards the tip. This was more prevalent on the good old split cane rods or rods with more or heavier eyes than the standard rods of today. Easier way to cure that was to take the eyes off and re-whip them at 180 degrees so it counteracted it. The rod was still softer but it didn't play havoc with some anglers OCD!

More often the rod is clamped (or held by a mate!) around the reel seat against a wall, the clutch tightened up and a spring balance tied to the line and pulled until the tip is at 90 degrees and the weight reading taken. I did hear about one manufacturers rods 'softening' with age but don't think it was much and probably not worth worrying about.

Tel on Sheepwalk Enjoy.

Unfortunately when someone else buys an angler a fishing present, it's always wrong! Fishing can be quite personalized and I would recommend broaching the subject and possibly giving him the money the chose what he wants himself.

I don't think either reply was an over reaction. The fact that are researching and sharing your findings indicates that you are in 'pre-buy' mode (and encouraging others in the process). You are playing Russian Roulette and I would urge you not to consider buying any device that has to potential to cause death. If the weather is very cold, I think you would lose more heat using a letterbox setting than you would gain from a heater so some people would simply seal up the bivvy.

Pinned by Edward Shin Edward Shin 1 year ago (edited) As a disclaimer, I cant stress enough how important it is to make sure you have good ventilation where you use this. Found on the gas version. The first one you need to cut a hole in your bivvy to accommodate the chimney! This similar topic was covered a short while ago; I said then that the risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning made any flame based heating device was too risky. Every year anglers die because of CO exposure and I think some Companies are being irresponsible even to sell them, whatever 'disclaimers' they attach to them. My message is simply 'don't'. Once you go to sleep and continue to breathe in the fumes all night, it 'locks out' your blood so that Oxygen can't latch on in the normal way and the only consolation is that death is relatively painless.

Every time I see it done it makes my toes curl! Even worse is when someone from Korda (you know who) says" Goodbye my Love" after kissing it!

Link How you spool it on make a big difference. Soak the line for at least an hour as mono's will absorb some of the water and become softer. Some people will tell you to have the spool of line in a bucket with the label side up and reel it on but I prefer to put in in an old narrow ice cream tub filled with water so the spool is trapped in sideways and spins as you reel it in. Trap the line just above the reel with a damp cloth so it goes on under constant tension. As it stands, I would take the spools off the reels and soak them and then go to a large (quiet) field and lay it out on the ground and reel it back in again under tension and that should alleviate any twist issue.

That looks pretty horrendous. I was chatting in my local tackle shop one day and they told me a story of a bloke who bought a new reel and brought it back a few days later complaining it was utter rubbish as the line was coming off all wrong. They had a few trial casts in the shop and it was as bad as described and they were all scratching their heads as they hadn't seen anything that bad before. One of them finally inquired how he had spooled up and he sheepish admitted that he had wound it all on by hand........and wrapped it the wrong way!

No. Hinders are a reputable Company with many years of experience and give advice freely to educate the customer so that problems don't occur. If that means they sell more particles, I'm happy to accept that.

The following guidelines will help to ensure that any particles you use are safe to fish. Dry particles and seeds need to be denatured with a combination of soaking and boiling to make them completely safe. MAIZE -Pre-soak for 24 hours then bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Taken from this page; https://hinders.co.uk/pages/particle-preparation-guide Hinders know far more about particles than I do and I'm happy to take their advice. Your assessment may be correct but there is a risk that you could be wrong. Unfortunately fish have died because of problems with swelling, I seem to remember that a large Common called Benson was found dead and the suspicion was that it was caused by swelling and constriction of the digestive tube after an autopsy. I have used maize in the past but always gave it (a highly unscientific) chew after it was cooked to make sure it was softish as it is rock hard when dry.

Yes, poor choice of terminology on my part, fish don't have a stomach but they do have a long digestion tube that is concertinaed in their body. This makes it easier for food to get trapped and especially if it were to swell. Peanuts are banned on many fisheries because of the problem as well as tiger nuts (which aren't technically a nut!) The time it takes for a food item to pass through a carp is dependent on the water temperature and probably it's solubility in the digestion tract juices. Things like maggots and worms are probably easily broken down whereas harder baits will take longer. A well known angler told me once how he watched chub taking sweetcorn like there was no tomorrow, they passed it and swam in a circle to savour it again! Having had 3 kids, I can confirm that if you feed them sweetcorn one day, the next you have a yellow speckled nappy! All I would say if that we have a responsibility towards the fish we are trying to catch and should tempt them on food that is attractive and beneficial to them. Deliberately feeding them food items that could cause discomfort of even death should be avoided at all costs.