neontrifle

Hmmm! Food for thought...no pun intended ......I rang bait and feed company on this issue and they gave exact answer as nick. I am satisfied that things with air drieds are ok. Let's face it soluballs and pellets are much the same. Think I'll get a blumming cane rod (or fibreglass much bettter than carbon but thats another thread)and worm maggots and cheese And enjoy rather than over thinking .

So....playing devils advocate feeding unprepared particles is ok because carp crush them up and defecate them in around 20 minutes? Daft argument I know but feeding carp balls of solid powder would take on water quickly thus causing probable gut problems. Reason being when I soak my baits they can take hours to soften up thus harder to pass through the system Also if thrown in lake unsoaked in a smelly silty area they take on some quite rotten smells. I want to use air dried baits because I have a good system going ....airing cupboard ect... But the above worried me because of the Carps health. Probably nothing to worry myself about

I have little space for a freezer for bait so I either make them fresh as needed or buy small amounts of freezer baits as required.....but expensive. A lot of companies now offer air drying service (tempting) but the more I think of it the more it worrries me. I would always my own air dry baits then rehydrate them over 12-24 hours. I spoke to someone recently who just says buy several kilos of air dried baits and a few frozen ones for easy hooking because air dried can be rock hard. Surely these air dried baits to a novice including me who hasn't thought of it and chucked a few in areas without hydrating them will swell in the Carps gut like the old days with poorly prepared nuts?? Which got them banned in a lot of lakes. An 18mll boilie can shrink a hell of a lot when air dried. I think Shaun Harrison at quest baits is a big advocate of rehydrating but not sure what he says about his shelf life boilies. Would love some feedback please excuse my dyslexia

Link for cheap stalker rod can be bought as singles on famous auction site E.... http://www.fishtec.co.uk/online.cfm/carp-rods/tf-gear-banshee-stalker-rod/40/yes/59363

Link for bansheee http://www.fishtec.co.uk/online.cfm/carp-rods/tf-gear-banshee-stalker-rod/40/yes/59363

Thanks for info jules and zammo......just seen TF gear do a short stalking rod called Banshee they seem only sell them in pairs but on eBay they are sold individually at £29 ......anyone used these.? I have read this morning they are cut down blanks. I have built many rods but these seem to fit the bill and save the hassle of messing. Would like a full cork butt section but in this day of off the shelf buying from tackle shops may be more hassle than its worth. When I first started carp fishing you could only buy blanks and build them yourself which is much more satisfying.

I am fishing a lovely syndicate lake at the moment that has dug out pegs in beautiful,miles from anywhere, surroundings. thing is the owner (not a fisherman) allows no cutting of trees reeds ect..... Quite right it's a littltle paradise of 8 acres. The thing is its becoming increasing hard to cast a 12ft rod because of the trees above the swims. I think it's best Left that way and have to adapt to the situation. I have been skint for ages so can't afford new rod so was thinking of cutting down a few 12 ft rods to 8-10ft. I have 3x. 2.5lb rods only kept as spares for kids but never use them and am thinking of chopping them,cutting 2-3ft off the butt section. Obviously the fugi reel grip will not fit. Can you get smaller diameter ? has anyone any input in chopping down rods?

I found korda Subline poor at sinking for a few weeks and was forever dipping the rod tips in to sink that last bit. I put 15lb which is a very thick 0.40mm....more like 20lb line However a few weeks later I bought some X line which sinks like a brick, my lake is 8 acres but has lots of islands so the longest cast are around 60 yards. Blow me down the subline started to work great, sinks and cast well. it is also abrasive and resiliant. maybe it neeeded time to settle So at least I can say Subline =good, xline=slighly better in the right situation. Only problem now is which spool to use.

Probably been asked before but search is complicated. How long would you keep a shelf life(not air dried boilies with confidence? I have some from last year some say they are too old some say no problem they last for years. I’ve met anglers that have 2 year old shelf life that catch great. how long will they last under the right conditions?

I have tried to search views using search bar but so many to trawl through. Simple question Why is it so popular to tie pop ups on to rigs/hooks when a hair does the does just as well and is much easier to thread on a hair. I understand making a hole through a popup can reduce its buoyancy over time but it a very long time in my experience and depends on the bait. I have left popups out 24hours on a hair and had no problems….am I missing something?

iambunn I would love to go, but issues are time, me and my mate getting holidays at same time and availability. Looks like a well run water. maybe I will explore more and convince wife it will be good for my health

Thank you

Does anyone know what make the run rig rings are that Moorsey uses on his run rig video on his web site http://www.moorlandfisheries.co.uk . They look ideal because you can you cut the swivel off the bomb and it clips in and can release if it gets snagged.

Thats not answered the that macawboy asked. I would also like opinions. does glug preserve? Some of my pop ups that should be frozen are in glug and seem to last ok....

So.......have you found Shelf life Smokey Mackerels catch and are kosher? not caught on them yet but there is time just wanted to hear from someone else that has used them.