barry211

took a random picture of ducks to send the family while i was out and just look at the cheeky fish showing off

so first time out since september and managed a cheeky day session on local water, great start to the day as not only did my landing net snap on the first fish but also my bite alarm decided it would snap at the bracket so maybe some glue later might work but not convinced. new bite alarm turned up in the shape of this beautiful Robin just sitting on the rod for what seemed like ages despite all of that it was a wonderful feeling being bakside again and had a lovely time with a few very nice carp reckon all under 5lb, will also post up the awesome pic i got of a a carp photobombing my picture of ducks....

and they're back, just messaged with thenew username on latest message and deleted it. again another tempting offer

message username and deleted message so all good although it was a tempting offer i decided it probably best not to take them up.......

got a lovely message but how do i report it?

this puts me to shame i haven't been able to get in so long as my gear was all over the place and in such a state that i had no idea of what was where or even if it existed in the shed at all. i have just finished a massive clear out and although still somewhat a mess i now know where everything is and found so much stuff to sell as i have more kit than i need or can use in my life time. i think i went mad when i started on the carp route and just bought everything and anything and have way too much for my needs. a few photos from before during and after, although the after one still looks a mess i know what is there now.

dont know you personally and have never met you but like the others here have said and especially @commonly i think its good that people checked in to see if you were ok, as with the others have said i think no need to delete account i took a near 15 year gap from fishing but we always come back in the end . so long as you are all good and stay sane and well in whatever hobby/outlet you choose i sincerely wish you the best, thank you for your posts and advice from time to time you helped an old dog learn new tricks

glad the forum is back though, as much as i am not a huge poster of things i do love the advice and community this forum provides

just checked it out, not wrong there mate

done, drive past it a few times a month but not fished there or the other pits for years possibly even since the end of the 90's. now i feel old............

i really only fish a small local day ticket place and in fairness whilst learning the ropes with all the boilies and different rigs when starting out i just felt i couldn't get anything right. strangely i have found on this water using random stuff like hotdogs or spam covered in siracha works an absolute treat when most people are lucking out using a boilie only approach. i do find that using solid bags filled with a mix of maggots, sweetcorn and a bit of groundbait also help and have just started trying maggot clips as a hair stop and that actually worked which surprised me

i have had one like this for a few years and for a while it was my gear bag but i upgraded to some massive rucksack thing (still not convinced) and kept this and do the same as you. i holds my cooking stuff and food etc, also having it all in one bag when i am on the road over winter i stick it in the back of the car with a sleeping bag incase i get stuck somewhere. have used it like that once last year when stuck on M11 but does make life easier if i want to take stuff with me to cook on a session as all in one place

had 18th booked off work for a quick cheeky day session so i could at least justify the stuff in the shed but like you floored and missed everything by staying in bed for me it was 3rd time round and this one left a nasty hangover feeling......

i know the feeling, hoping i get something on Monday as been so long since i have been able to get out. i had almost forgotten what the mountain of stuff in my shed was for

hoping to get a day off on 18th for a cheeky day session, if i remember i will add some pics. mostly of an empty net but either way rods out and bankside is relaxing enough

i am a self confessed maggot drowner and still love chasing silvers, only started targetting carp in the last few years and spent quite a bit of time building up the gear. still have my float rods and set ups and occasionally will hit a day ticket with one rod set for carp and the other for silvers or tench/bream on a feeder or float. that way i can still enjoy both but have different rod/tackle bags for each just to make it easier when i go out, if only going for carp i have my 2 rod holdall but if i fancy a go on specimen as well then i take one rod out and stick it in my coarse set up. i see no need to get rid of gear i have spent time and money aquiring as will often go for both to break the monotony and have a break from blanking on a session as you can always guarentee silvers or tench with a coarse set up go for both and have fun as that is the way i approach my fishing and it keeps my skills and interest up in both disciplines as not a predator angler but might fancy that next time i want a change of scene

i have used the vader x alarms for about a year now as a 2 + receiver set up and in fairness have had no problems with them but intially i might have had something similar. to begin with when i got them i dont think the receiver was synced with the alarms although they are supposed to come paired from straight out of the box, i left it a while and just used the alarms as not fussed about a remote but the figured i've got them i might as well use them properly. followed the instructions on pairing and they now work fine although being mostly deaf i have the noise off and the receiver vibrates when the alarms are triggered also the lights help as it tells me which one is going off at the time. i don't find them a bad set of alarms but would agree with the others here if they are not paired then try that or if you believe they are paired properly then go back to the shop and get them changed, as it does sound like the receiver is looking for the alarms and if not paired to anything it auto shuts off to save battery, on the vibrate setting my unit buzzes when switching each alarm on and lights up with what colour alarm is in use.

as much as they sound nice i will refuse to recognise anything christmassy until it stops its illegal occupation of halloween 🤣 i am also afraid i might eat them when on the bank........

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..................