barry211

so today i managed to get out and my excellent casting skills were on fine form as i managed to tangle everything up in the tree on the bank opposite as the bailiff was checking the neighbouring swim, a nice shout of leave my trees alone rang out and off i went to the other side to go climbing. interesting thing was as we were both sorting all of the tangle out and getting the rig out of the tree we were joking about how much harder it would have been if i had set up with a 'twig', normally i can just jiggle things about and get my line and rig back (happens alot) but if i did have the blooming thing attached i reckon i would have had to cut my losses and run (faster than bailiff obviously) but at least with a standard rig set up it took very little effort and dropped back in with only a few leaves attached. at least its banned where i fish but when most of us were worried about fish safety underwater i could potentially have left 100+ yards of line flying around for the local wildlife to garrote themselves on, i catch trees a few times and always manage to recover my stuff but reckon it would have been a different story, there will always be hapless amatuers like myself on a bank so look to the trees and see how many 'twigs' you can spot 🤣

managed a cheeky few hours out at my local water and at last i have a pic to post only one from the day but lovely as it was the first time i used bait floss (i know look at me all modern) shot of the one catch of the day, i think its a common as still learning the ropes but came in at a nice 8lb ish as not great at weighing fish yet.

being fairly new to carp fishing my old specimen scales reached a heady weight of 3lb, i did grab myself some bigger ones for this year as i am keeping a little diary each time i go so have started keeping a record. For me though i view a personal best as something i have caught using rigs i learnt to tie myself and with something i have done differently with my bait, i have had some really nice looking fish but still struggle to tell what is what from all the different types but a best for me is something simple like 'i really enjoyed landing that one' i just like the challenges of learning rigs and a new approach to fishing having been a maggot drowner for 30 odd years. i have had some lovely memories of different fish over the years and spent a time targetting perch which was fun but never really gone for pike and maybe that might be my next challenge.....

sorry i should have been a bit clearer, i meant i dont glue or wedge the sleeve on but if snagged the lead should drop. i dont have it set up to drop on every bite just if snagged and yes inline leads are good and i mostly use bags anyway. agree with the littering bit but i have a little magnet that i sometimes pop out as it picks up the swivel on most leads and i get a fair few from just in front of the bank as it seems most anglers lose them there, often come home with a few more than i took with me

my local water aldeby have banned it but even before then its not something i think i would have gone for, i have no problem dropping leads and make sure i have a decent supply in case i am lucky enough to have a good session. the twig is not for me and i have only been targetting carp for a few years and to begin with i picked up everything i saw advertised as i knew no different. at least now i can watch all the marketing and sit back thinking nope not for me. i think that shows me at least i am learning as i go, i wont buy it or use it but i imagine there is a market and water somewhere that will go for it, if anything it has sparked a rig/fish safety debate which is never a bad thing.

random question but my lad is looking at colchester uni for this year and on a recent visit i see a lovely looking lake on campus, can it be fished or is it a definate no no.....

this is a bit of an out there reply but is it about losing focus when not catching? i know from experience that sometines the waiting and patience for "regular" fishing is what can turn kids off but with my daughter i found another way to keep her occupied and busy without catching constantly it may seem odd but worked when she was younger and has fizzled out abit now but did the job then. red maggots and a whip always kept her catching on my day ticket but she wanted to start with a rod and line but didn't have the patience to wait for bites and became very disinterested, so i started getting her to still use the whip but put a second line out with a rod and reel using diferrent types of feeder. to begin with i got her using a basic maggot feeder and having to recast every 15 mins to keep her focus as she liked filling it and watching them wriggle out. i progressed to getting her to mix up 'potions' or concoctions of groundbait, glugs, sprays or whatever i had in the shed to start using a method or tri-feeder and recasting every 20 - 30 ins and having to either get her hands in and mould it (tri-feeder) or use the method moulds and get it shaped perfectly. i know from experience that sometimes kids wont get their hands dirty but if that is the case with your lad then get some latex gloves or stuff a handful in your pockect when you next fill up the car or bike. this became a challenge in its own right and led to a few tense moments but also some nice sized fish as although feeders are not seen as great if targetting just carp they work wonders for good sized bream and tench especially if using up all the random pellets and goo in your shed the side whip would get bites but she became focussed on the method feeders and getting the line back in the right place, casts were flinging everywhere but it became a focus orientated thing if you know what i mean and practising casting technique would also keep her busy for a while. she now prefers coming with me on sessions as my cook which i appreciate more but for a while i was able to spend time with her fishing and got to chuck my own rods out with a few carp of my own, no record breakers but you choose the waters you fish with your kids duroing the day if you know what i mean. keep going with your lad and try different things but feeders can be fun sometimes and good luck, my son (18 now) was never interested once he started school but my daughter (13) still joins me once in a while and remembers her early days and still makes up my groundbait and solid bags although the throwing stick is her latest interest and we seem to be baithing alot of other peoples swims..................

i agree with you mate, i always get a pint of reds when i take my daughter out as she loves to sit there with a whip and lift out silvers all day, sometimes i will put a light pole rig on one of my rods and we run a competition. i started on course and switched to carp much later in life and remeber the old magit (maggot) vending machines near our local park

i feel your pain as i found it to be one of the hardest things saying goodbye to my old dog Cadmus, he was with me from a pup and lived rough with me and was part of our family when things were better, 14 years he lasted before the dreaded C caught up with him, spaniel lab cross and mad as a box of frogs in his youth but mellowed with age. hardest thing i have ever done was say goodbye. 12 years ago and i still miss him,

dont worry too much, i love a cold weather day session but don't always catch. i sometimes will go out with an aim to try a different rig or bait and see what happens, spring is nearly here and things may change for you but i have always found fishing in winter is like marmite you either love it or hate it. for me its more about being out and trying than always catching as i know from experience there are some waters you can hit easily and others where it takes a different approach, keep at it but pick your swims as the others have said

my daughter has a pole roller and sock thing for hers when she comes with me, i would look at using the excuse of upgrading hers so i can butcher the one she has but its only 8m so too short for what i need wondering though if i can convince my wife that she needs a larger one and then just convert it and say daughter didn't get on with it but that could be skating on thin ice as trying to avoid getting told off for spending more money on fishing gear

i think that was part of my plan as part of me just fancied another project instead of constantly repairing my lads moped, the idea of an old match pole sounds good and adapting a top kit can be easy enough.👍

i know most folks use either a bait boat or spomb but as a complete leisure/pleasure angler i fish a small local water that has some good margins with a few decent sized carp coming from them and have been thinking of a baiting pole for targetting these properly. looking at the prices has put me off a bit of taking the plunge but wondered about going down the whole home made shed project route as far cheaper and will be a bit of fun trying to get it right. i just wondered if any of you wonderfully helpful lot have had any experience using one and if they are worth the effort as would only be looking at around 12 meters to get things where i want them to be and tubing and connectors including a bit of expanding foam are not a great stretch on a budget?

i tie my bags seperately with a bit of PVA tape as although i have the loaders i could never get it right no matter how hard i tried, i find that they stay on fine for the cast and pierce them first so they sink with the hooklength. find it quite relaxing making a few up whilst having a brew and it also helps add a bit of variety around my bait as fish a small water and don't use a spomb or boat but thinking of trying to make a baiting pole this year as a shed project. but do like solid bags i must admit

i love it when my daughter (13) comes with me on a day session as she is now an expert as filling my solid bags with goo and when bored has been known to add some to her maggots when she is pole fishing for silvers i get her to make up the bags now and then she sits there squeezing away, like you say teenagers can be trained just takes time 🤣