Brutus

Blimey, that sounds wierd. the boiler suit and someone walking about foolishly I’d almost expect. The silence and the look back. Wow, I’m not surprised you didn’t feel right. Not about having the Higgins and pretending, that’s wierd. went back to the lake and had a session. Luckily wasn’t alone. Another weirdo turned up “thought he was the only one here” wanted a chat and to borrow weights but didn’t know what sort as he’s just started out. I had my torch at eye level and didn’t take it out of his eyes. This was at midnight. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking you don’t go disturbing people at midnight.

Could always try baiting a few likely areas with some pellet/hemp/maize - get the carp to make a firm spot that they associate with feed?

As the title says, what’s been your scariest moment carping? Today, whilst fishing, I experienced someone hiding behind the trees and heavy breathing, this was at night time. I shone my head torch on for what ever it was to run off. packed up most of my gear in two minutes flat and then I get a run on the rod that was out. quickest landing, unhooking and pop back I’ve ever encountered. Plus sides, I’ve obviously still got it. I also didn’t blank... So what are your tales?

Wow, some good feedback on here. Sorry i've been quiet, cursed with work! funny enough, i never used Boilies or anything of that ilk up until 3 years ago. Hated them, maize was my preferred bait. It wasn't so much the boilie, but this ethos that I had to spend 8-15 quid and lob loads out - now I know a lot better (still loads to learn) and tend to favor little and often, using pellets, hemp, corn and crumbed offerings of what I fish. Goes a lot further, call me a skinflint but I don't want to be tipping 2/3 kilos of bait into a lake every session. I rather a couple of handfulls of bait to get fish in the area and get a bite that way. But that's just me.

I’m not talking about sharing any secrets here, be as vague as you like. But in the last year, I seem to favour wafters for all of my fishing. either oddities like flouro coloured barrels. Or, simple fish based conventional shapes. I don’t know if it’s coincedence but it has helped sort out the fish for me and this year I’ve caught a personal best and one not far off in the same session - so I have reason to have faith. what about you lot?

No angler catching here mate. German rig is as simple as to tie and use - I also find it quite versatile. Believe me, if it didn’t have a use, I simply wouldn’t be using it. As for my hairs, usually a cm or half a cm gap from top of bait to bottom of hook. So well under the half inch. ill give longer hairs a go, never had much faith in the longer hair as it’s always a dead cert for tangles. When I have used them, they always end up wrapped round the shank, how do you eliminate this? I’m guessing a small pva bag threaded on? Tying the longer hair to the hook bend with pva to stop it waving about?

Yeah, huge fan of this lad. Loves watercraft and simplicity. I don't mind a basic rig, Just occasionally get the hair tangled, German rig, I get none of that. pitfalls and payoffs to both methods really. I'll take you ideas on board mate, see if I can unlock anything else from there, might be a while as i'll be doing some river fishing and potentially Pike at other venues.

I'm actually quite fond of runners - as yet, I've not had any tangles, not one. I've under arm cast, cock handed cast, heavy and soft handed cast - never had an issue, Ever. I also prefer it from an angling perspective, as I do light weights. As light a weight as I can get away with. Funny you mention about hooks and running rigs - found that out the hard way, did a cheeky few hours last night. Had two decent bites in an hour on the running rig. landed el zippo - looked at my rig (german rig, size 6, 8 inches) the positioning of the bait stop had slipped and the swivel wasn't the most "free" when playing with it. Lesson learned. I'll up the lead, give it a go, can't go wrong. I'll also pay more attention to my rigs as well. Cheers for the heads up.

I've used the krill wafters and krill pellets. The wafters have done me quite well on waters with decent visibility, on waters with low visibility, I always feel more confident with some sort of visual aid. I know fish have amazing smell, but I try to cater to sight/smell to entice a bite, even if it's curiosity. The pellets are amazing. I was feeding a school of rudd with the rods out, the lake was crystal clear and had a layer of blanket weed on the bottom, so any pellets not mopped up by Rudd just sank into them. I watched two low double figure carp home in on the area where these pellets were and mop the lot up, digging into it. thinking it was a one off, I did it again - same lake... watched exactly the same thing happen. Not saying this is a wonder bait or some sort of miracle, but it obviously does something if i've done that and seen it happen twice.

Far too many, but that's in my mind what makes it fun. Getting the little percentages right. Got down there but fished the other end of the lake which hasn't been where we've ever wet a line if I'm honest. Full of debris/silt - so a completely different beast to the firmer areas we were fishing. Long story short: Running rig this time - two knocks, odd beeps here n there. balanced bait 1. Inline fixed lead, received far more attention - did the old tag end trick, wasn't getting done despite the beeps. Did end up hooking into something that gave a very odd run, didn't land it but did have a 50p sized scale for my troubles. So obviously a foul hook or an unfortunate grab once the hook was free. balanced bait 2. This actually told me loads - previously I've fished with both baits down there, had success on both but one stands out more by a mile. This was on the inline lead - I wanted to prove that these fish weren't as shy of the lead as i'd initially thought and that I need more effort into the rig, by that, presentation and operation of hook flipping - taking into account substrates. Feels like i've gone full circle, but going to give helis or chods another try on 1.1/1.5 oz weights, get that presentation just right. All else fails, I know that running rigs produce the goods and are very hassle free. Appreciate all the idea on here guys. thanks once again.

Afternoon All, Just to give you a little update - didn't try the lake I originally fished but did try another that's equally as pressured. Running rigs, loads of beeps - shed loads. One two beeps max, bobbin either moves an inch, stays stagnant, drops an inch. Or, two successive beeps with the bobbin rising then obviously a drop. too quick to hit unless your onto of the rods really. Switched it over to inline, semi fixed. inline setup. 1.5oz inline. Used the line tactic - indications fell by 75% still got the bleeps, reeled in - getting done. tag was out. Each and every time. but nothing to suggest that these were merely more than liners on my side. hindsight it's frustrating but long term there's something that obviously needs tuning - which will ultimately lead to reward in fish and or knowledge. Rigs were standard 6/8 size hooks, coated hooklink - nothing complicated, 5mm gap between bait and hook bend, hook point covered with pva tube of small pellet. nothing crazy but nothing complicated. Agian, fishing semi slack. Going again this weekend, going to try upping the lead size. 2 - 2.5oz. On inline. One rod I'll stick to what has given me results, the running rig. Makes no sense taking away what has given me results. Just a slightly shorter hook link for me on that rod. I'll update you after this weekend, for anyone that's interested.

Glad to be here - been a bit busy lately so not as frequent. Originally Croydon, now Sussex based. Nah, all about the love me. Can't be dealing with arguing online. Debate, yes, argue - not for me.

My favorite methods are far from the norm. I'll explain as best I can. usually 15-18 inches of wire trace, not too supple, not too stiff. I use some wire by fox, 20lb breaking strain. This goes to a single barbless size 1, 2 or trebble - depending on how i'm fishing. Either looped twice through the eye then twisted or crimped - but, I try to put shrink tubing over the twists or crimp to make sure that tag end isn't exposed to grabbing odd bits of weed or scraping the fish. bait: roach, perch, sardines or spratts - providing they are less than 5 inches in size, if I can get hold of roach in two inches of size - that's my go to bait. Same with sprats. Sardines I tend to use if it's quiet, the oil in them really sets them off. The other end I usually make a loop and crimp down, usually only about a cm big. Slide on an anti tangle sleeve. This enables me to release the hook link from the main rig very quickly once the Pike has been landed, get the rig/rod out the way and allow for more efficient unhooking, as the pressure or lack there of usually aids getting the hook out of the mouth. I know it's only a single hook - but I've never had stinky winky hook holds and have actually had all hookups in the scissors of the mouth or the top lip of the pike. Barbless because I personally don't like barbed - also, the top lip is full of bone and cartilage - a barb would be a good wrestle out and Pike, as robust in the water, aren't too robust out of it. That's the hooklink. Main rig #1: quick link swivel. shot (two or three SSG) or if you can find them, a huge fan of the fox quick change weights as there's no shot damage to the line just above the knot. As small a float as I can get away with - i.e if I'm fishing a rod length - a diddy little float or a large chubber - going all the way upto standard pike floats - honest to god don't think it matters, clear, painted - pike don't seem to concerned with that. Above the float, a simple float stop or stop knot set to usually 6 - 15 inches off the bottom. Main rig #2: Float stop, bead, small bobber float, no weight. This is for live baiting as and where appropriate and allowed. I've not fished a lake or body of water as yet that requires any ledgering for pike - prefer to watch a float in any case.

Time dependent I soak mine for 24-48 hours, boil in the same soaked in water for half hour or until the maize starts to split, take off the boil and leave to cool down on the cooker. I've had success with then adding some sainsburies rum flavor to the maize. not loads about half a small bottle per kg and mixing it up, placing in a bag, blow up the bag with maize inside, then let it ferment in a warmish place for a day or two - occasionally check for mould and let out old air and re blow up. Once fermenting is done - I divide up and freeze. Also had success with boiling maize the night before and taking it in a tub with the water i boiled in with no salt or sugar. Had great success with adding salt/chilli/sugar and various combinations. Top, top bait imo. If i'm being honest, 200g a session would be plenty, sifting through the better kernels to use on the hook - the grain is so tough it withstands all sorts of punishment. The rest mixed in with corn/hemp/bread crumb/groundbait mix and I think you'll have a decent spod/groundbait mix that will attract most fish. TLDR: Maise is a top bait - doesn't matter how its prepared or any additives.

I'd like to hope that this has been taken into account. Most of the time I've fished with it, it's taken a battering and been alright - I honest to god couldn't see a fish swallowing it whole, probably mouth it for ages and then spit it, the feel of the nylon "I think" would be enough to arouse curiosity and mouth it rather than swallow it whole. But then again I'm not a carp so this is all theory and not worth the words I've written lol. if you cant get any arma mesh or in a bind, bagel bread is a bit tougher and I've used that on the surface with success.

That's what I was thinking when having a go again with a semi fixed set up. That or some tubing on the bend of the hook to see if the baits been rejected - but even then I'm not convinced that works, but he who dares etc. Depends on the venue for me, but I do tend to prefer light leads, semi slack and running if I can. If not then semi fixed and inline. I know heavy leads have their fans and their pros/cons - to me I just like my finesse & simplicity on my rigs/terminal tackle - the less there is, the less to go wrong/see. That's not to say I'll never use them or trash them or more complicated rigs or setups - they obviously have a time and a place, which is when I'll have a go at using them. My usual snaggy, feature rich water - I think a bit more polish on my approach will pay dividends. With heavy leads being now "en vogue" and popularized, you'll have everyone using them. Seasoned anglers who know what they're doing and using it for a specific reason reason (maximize bolt effect, distance casting, balancing on underwater slopes etc) & anglers who are still learning the sport and just going by what they read or see and not necessarily for a purpose. Anything different from the guy next to you or the norm could put you at an advantage, if it doesn't, simply change to something that does, not really lost anything, learned loads.

Prologic snz and set up as quite sensitive, small weight added to the bobbin - clipped in a line clip on the rod, pointed directly at the weight so zero angles - one could argue every trick to get as much sensitivity as possible. I think I'll have a knock about with some ideas thrown about (longer hair/semi fixed) and see what happens. If I keep getting done, or think I'm getting done a lead clip arrangement may have to be utilized. All part of the fun aint it lol.

Funny enough, I think the exact same thing - to the point where we actually get a take is as being as low as one in 10/20 times the rig is picked up. Not due to being solely on guard, but also curiosity, accidentally etc. Thanks once again for the food for thought.

Making a bread paste and using fox arma mesh or some fine netting is another trick I've used.

Absolutely, its a great edge if you were fishing over a weedy lake bed or covered in fine blanket weed - as its only an inch or so thick, the bait is just sitting above it or in an instance where you know the coots/ducks/grebes are down for a much and you need that confidence that your rig needs to be 100% as it was if disturbed.

Morning guys, Certainly getting the wheels churning with your responses. This is where it gets a bit of a puzzle, the lake itself is very rich in features, under water snags, over hanging willows, about eight or so lilly beds - I just don't feel comfortable leaving everything mega slack - semi slack, yes - just not mega slack. Saying that, I could give it a go in the open water and see what happens. I have no leaders and keep everything as safe as possible so that should the worst happen, nothing is left tethered. so essentially I fish naked (rig - not myself). hooklink, swivel, buffer bead, lead, line. just to give you an idea of how I'm fishing. As I say, lots of lines in the lake at the same time so the fish are pretty clued up, but strangely not spooky or cagey. You often see them cruising and in the margins, if they see you they disappear but don't bolt if that makes sense, no sense of panic, just very casually. Anything bolt rig wise that I've tried or seen anyone else try has ever produced anything, odd beeps, a run... absolutely zip - that's not to say that its a useless idea, I've just never seen it happen on the lake with people who's rigs I've seen, so for me running or semi slack would be different to the norm and present a new scenario. First things first - I'll try a longer hair (usual gap is 5-7mm from bend of hook. I'll extend that to about 1.5cm) and keep the set up the same on one rod. the other one I'll try a semi fixed with the same rig I used. When I'm next there I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks for the pointers guys, very much appreciated. The beeps I'm getting are in quick succession like you get before a run but then they just stop. Do you guys incorporate any tricks on your hooklink to tell if you've been done or do you just put it down to the fish getting lucky and crack on as you were?

I've not caught on it, but my initial concerns were about the unpredictability of it spinning about. Good to know about the bigger hooks, something I'll bare in mind if I give it another go. Deffo a decent presentation, nice and low key pop up and ability to withstand the bird life and not leave the rig in a mess. Cheers fella.

Lol, nah a nickname I have. But I got called it all throughout my childhood. i do love the carp, but I also love my pike, my perch and float fishing in general. Never been river fishing properly, looking to go in the autumn time on a small slow flowing river near me. Get some float sessions on the go, maybe even a bit of spinning for the pike, who knows. What ever takes my fancy really. 10 hours if it’s a day, usually 12 if it involves a night. Mostly though, after work sessions no more than 3 or 4 hours if the light permits. Quick and dirty, get to test things out - use your brain and try to maximise your chances of a hook up. If your there for a day or two, I find I get mentally lazy and settle into this “that’ll do” mode where I’m kind of half fishing. Rods out, baiting up but not really thinking what’s happening, am I on fish - what can I see in front of me, shall I bring this rod in and try there - all too easy to sit there and say “give it another 30 minutes and I’ll recast” when times of the essence you tend to throw caution to the wind a little.

Haha lol! Wasn’t 80s wrestling the best!? of course, we all have work, all have commitments with family. Great to grab a sneaky sesh here n there. Tell the truth if I was somewhere for a week or so fishing, I’d get bored.

Evening, Just wondered, who here fishes running rigs? im having a bit of a conundrum at a place I fish where I feel I’m getting done - I’ve landed a few, respectable sizes too (17/20 & 23lb) So I’m on the right tracks - I think. But there are odd occasions that I get a two or three tone beep on the alarm, really quickly. I strike, and nothing. I’m fishing light leads as the lake is probably 80 yards in width, so don’t need to go too crazy weight wise. Also quite a choddy lake bed So don’t really want massive leads. hooklink is 6/7 inches - gone up to 12 without any difference. If anything I got more of these bleeps the longer the hooklink. fishing wafters. Size 6 hooks. Semi slack as the bites don’t seem to be forthcoming on tight lines. how would you go about finding out if these small run type bleeps are bites? One train of thought was to increase the hook size and decrease the hooklink to maybe four inches? bare in mind the water is quite pressured, three acres - the favoured swims are always taken, busy during the weekday/weekend - or would you just advise sticking to the same thing?