Roughtor

Back in the mists of time, I used to make my own baits ,I mean they were based purely on attraction ,semolina ,soya flour and so on ,known then as a 'stinky winky bait ' only thing was ,they totally outfished well known carp catching concoctions from the main bait companies at the time... It was so successful I caught someone stealing my bait from my titan ,if they'd asked I'd have given them the recipe..the main constituent was low boiling points ethyl alcohol flavours and Asafoetida essential at 2 drops in a pound mix .....it was coloured yellow or orange ..it was truly devastating.. Especially when critically balanced with a round bean bag foam thingy pushed inside ,then a coke bottle cut in half to hold up infront of myself biting tiny bits of putty off ,until it sank ,ohhh so slowly.... I reckon and I'm always honest ,around 90% of stock , of the several waters I fished in the 90s fell to that bait ...thats no bs ...Good fun at that time ...

Just got a copy of A fool and his eel by Mark Walsingham aka Skeffington Dolrimple and the other Along fisherman's paths by Mike Winter ,who is Skeffs mentor .. Lovely read both..

I just use a pair of jog bottoms and a hoodie over them and have been nice and warm ..I got the socks too,but not tried them yet.. A good purchase ..

I knew I had it somewhere..

Althoigh it's not really cold at the moment, and to continue doing my winter sessions in some sort of comfort I always use base layering .. Anyway I thought to upgrade and have bought Zerofit 'heatrub' made in Japan....all I can say is get some !!!!

Very, very interesting..Not me but my father was one of the first members of BKKS .. We used to go around various members gardens/ponds and learn from each of them ..My Dad used to go straight up to Heathrow, a long drive to pick up his Koi from Japan,this was in 70s,things different back then.. One story ,he bought two Koi,introduced them to the pond ..we all went to school/work ..When I came home I found one newly stocked Koi had jumped out ..and was not looking at its best ..!! I think it survived ...

I know those supersonic baits you speak of ...I tried them ,had more on two plastic fake corn critically balanced and a few crumbled freebies in a mesh bag ...

Literally ,right in,amonst those dying reeds,i had placed my bait..you can see the line cutting down from the peg on the bankstick it was good knowing your freebie and rig were spot on

Across the field from our cottage are a couple of small pools ..its where I go in the colder months ,or should I say rain ,..I thought I'd try the washing line method as they seem to spook off the lines very easily...any way this fish was one of two I fluked out ..

Ha,no 8 is lightweight I don't just polish my stainless ,I take two sod pods ...think I'm.joking pic to follow To be fair though ,those gravel banks are rock hard ... Thats my excuse..! 2+1 solar porn

Thanks for info 007,I'll carry on my search ,I don't want a broomstick, but hopefully I can find one that actually bends a bit

It's a mine field ,is tackle even for experienced fisherthems lol ..

Thanks for info ,that's part of what I'm after,a short rod that actually bends ,I tried a ESP ,3lb stalker in a shop, it was proper stiff ,that was a 10ft tho Those NGT ,look good for the money ...its hard finding gear to look at before I buy as most places I fish are very quiet

One of my favourite pools ,is gradually being dominated by trees ,I can't cast overhead anymore .. I don't want to spend a lot of money ,so ..does anyone have any experience of NGT 9ft 2.5tc rods ,or can recommend any other 9ft rod ,I don't want anything over 3lb tc.. Cheers 🥂

I'm not going to get all technical ,here's what I've learnt over time .. I had an old friend 'Egloskerry Tom' Tom had a massive influence on me as a youngster ,as far as carping went he was God.. I used to watch him set up a rod ,cast his latest rig out ,with the latest homemade RH recipe, Partridge hook ,then came attaching backleads ,sinking the line ,....you get the picture !...a right kerfuffle!.. He didn't catch many ,but I loved him as a friend .. Anyway I used to turn up with a bag of Richwoth tutti, some not looking to good ,just found some ,spots that I felt held fish ...one Sunday I turned up he'd been there hours same routine etc ....and nowt ...by lunch time fishing simple running rigs and so on I had 7 nice carp...what that taught me is over complication looses against simplicity .. I fish similar even today, simple is best ,no gadgets or gimmicks ,just a sharp hook in the right place carp are simple creatures...if they don't feed there is nothing you can do about it...and boy ,don't those tackle manufacturers know it they play on people's insecurity..