Roughtor

I used to fish a fantastic little complex ,it was rumoured to have been stocked by Surrey trout farm /Donald leney.. Anyway I got in contact with Chris Ball ( RIP) ,who a member of my family got to know,and asked about this place ,'was there any recorded stocking from Mr Leney '..he couldn't help me ,and said Chris Yates might know as he had the stocking records ,turns out Mark Walsingham had them due to ,at the time the Bernithian Court was being sorted out ,Redmire..and there was no mention of that stocking ..The original owner was said to have mentioned that's where his Carp came from in the mid to lake 70s .. I was fortunate to have done very well on this place ,multiple captures and repeats,and kept lots of 35mm self takes. Now it's been sadly sold and turned into yet another grim tourist venue ,known as Stone Rush,if you look at the aerial view on maps ,the bigger first lake in the valley ,the last 'orrid'lodge by the inflo ,was my favourite swim ..all the fish did look like Redmire fish ...who knows..?

Apparently, as said above ,as Roman armies travelled they needed to be fed ,and brought carp with then to stock ,grow on and harvest .. The famous Pant y Lynn, lake high up in the mountains ,still have wild carp ,maybe with the significant danubian notch .. Here in the westcountry I found a small pool ,and caught a carp that had all the hereditary features of small wildies ,including that notch, it was unlike any feral carp I'd caught previously..it also fought like the devil incarnate !

It's sad ,I reckon when Gary Bayes was involved ,that's when it was at its best ,they reckon..

Gerry Savage ,also a noted winter pioneer ,his famous Carp in the snow pic ,and 100 doubles in a season on PYM,also a follower of the early HNV theory ,Fred Wilton etc. ( I fished a couple of times with Gerry ,he passed on the LP...B ,philosophy which I still use to this day )

I'm hungry now ...!

I'm really interested in the history of carp angling and angling in general .. One of the best books I have read regarding nostalgia is by Mike Winter ,who is Skeffs / Mark Walsinghams mentor, the book is called Along Fisherman's paths ,it's all about his ( mikes ) angling journey, and the beginning of the Devon Carp Catchers club ,and the Golden scale club..its one of my favourite books now,especially as I've fished some of these old pools ..

Do you mean Okuma Inc 6000 reels ? ,if so they have a great reputation ,except some of the first version ones which had a stretchy spring in the anti reverse ,switch / thingy ,not all but some ,this has now been resolved with latest incantation..

Bivvy fetishism struck again !

Thanks crusian,and yes to your question ...( a lot of generations esp in mining/ saddlers)

Then back on home territory and ,part of a 7 carp hit ,using single bottom baits over a scoop of dried maize

Then a night float fishing with prawns ,after eels ,not a carp I know !

Across the border, forgot my passport and facial recognition but made it...OK.. lol

If your after a well made,super light walled on the floor mat that's well padded ,folds up quick and is a realistic pack down look at the Carper tackle speedflex mat I like it...

One good thing about these jake rakes is that if you get snagged badly, the prongs are made to 'give ' a little ,so it's easier to get back ,and the prongs can be bent back into position easily .. It's part of the design..I use mine fair bit

Double old skool 2+1 on deep slate , opencast mine

Pin on the pod..

I got the 12incher,it's great for 'disturbing ' the margins and putting a bait on it Good choice ,and company

That's light isn't it for a large pit reel ,it's a bit lighter than my Ultegras as well.. I also like the 2nd version Inc's, especially now you can get spare spools from Johnson Ross for about 17 quid .. Okuma do some great stuff ,including the Sheffield centrepin which I use ..

What about those lines that glow with a uv light on them,might be good for night fishing ,so you don't get into a mega mess if you get a take

I been reading about how good these Obsidian reels are ,but I guess not having actually seen o e they bigger than my ultegra 4500..they similar to 5500 xtb

A simple stir fry ,nothing amazing ,but I live 2 mins from the lake ,and could get my lady to bring me dinner down,but I like to eat on the bank...

My next set of reels are going to be Okuma or Penn.. Either Inc's 6000 Or Rivals ,gold spool 6000

I have used Cotswolds before ,had a custom landing net pole ,with Gerry Savages philosophy engraved on the butt,a special...removable spigot ,so could break the net down under trees ..Had to wait well.over six months for it ,and none of my contact with them were answered.. Great piece of kit ,communication zero ,I'd not bother again .. Talking about test curves ,I fish 1.000 acre inland seas ,down to tiny farm ponds ,I've just sold a set of Ctx in 2.5 tc to the Pallatrax bailiff ,bloke ,replaced by some Bob the Rod built mk 3 armalites ,first version 9 eyes ,from the now defunct Fosters of Birmingham, literally, never used,up in the attic ,job.. Those 2.75 tc armalites are the most powerful carp rods I've ever had ...I understand all about distance and TCs,but I really love the players actions on the century's, they are ,on purpose the only rods I have for carping ,I can have anything I want within reason ,but I'm happy to just use what I have,and with that comes knowledge of the limits the rods can be safely used... I'm not missing out ...,compared to others ,which is a dangerous thought to have..

In a bid to be taking less overnight kit ,bought this Speedflex bivvy it's got a nice bit of room in it sets up really fast ,got the wrap for it as well.

I bet that went like a rocket,love commons ,especially old skool looking versions