salokcinnodrog

1litre of water is 1 kilogram, so yes, that's a fair weight. I do always keep water in the car, a 5litre container for Sky so if she needs it on a walk or drive she has it available. That's my usual backup when we are fishing. Stupid thing is fresh water in the bowl is often ignored, and she has a preference for lake water.

That's in Norfolk, sorry Narfock

If I am barrowing my gear to the swim, yep, The Monster Cabrio mat definitely does make a good tackle carry on the barrow, but with the back and hip problems lifting fish up causes so much pain as I have to reach over and down, so the standard Chub mat is the one. I said that, then when I tried to go to just 'essentials', or the 'never know', I suddenly found that I needed them, so back came the tackle box. You know the one, 'I've got spare identical rigs in the rig bin', so you rely on them, then run out after a few fish, or blunting hooks, so you retie some more on the bank. Then there is the occasional of 'I'm sure they are sussing it', so you tie something completely different.

And send in free swans...

I must admit I do like my Solar P1 pod and sticks, with the buzzer bar adaptors so I don't have to use the full pod. The buzzers stay on the bars unless I go single sticks, so the pod carry bag is handy. I did have an aluminium pod years ago, a decent Dragon item (!), but discovered stainless locking screws would wear out aluminium threads, so went to stainless. I have a horrible feeling that I would break carbon.

Have you tried the Domhoff or Snell knot ? It only needs to go through the eye twice.

I'm trying to work out how I lose leads. I've had a few snaffled by pike, and last week the swans caused a break-off by dragging the line through the rushes. I did get the rig back but lost the lead. I'm just looking at my modelling table, and noticed that I have 10 3oz leads that are in a state of mid paint and coat in protective varnish. I can't remember buying them unless I stuck them on a sea fishing leads order which is a distinct possibility. I've got a tub full of 4 or 4.5oz Stonze, I don't like using them, they cast like a bag of spanners and can only be lowered in or go straight in a PVA bag, but that weight is too heavy.

I minimalised my kit for years, rucksack, unhooking mat strapped to rucksack, rod holdall with lightweight bivvy dome or umbrella in, bedchair and then bait bucket. I could carry it in one trip or barrow to the swim, and it worked nicely. I did plenty of weekend or two night sessions like that. Sky totally changed my fishing, I then had to add extra water and dog food, and the barrow was struggling, so now it's 2 trips if I barrow, although I'm lucky on the syndicate that I can unload behind the swim most of the time, and then put the car in the car park. I've had to move swim mid session, and although only 100metres, it took 3 hours!

I've stuck with British Army Bergens, my old 100litre DPM Bergen lasted years, probably around 15 I guess, the only reasons I replaced it is that the top skirt had a rip in it and it was delaminating. As a rucksack it still works! I replaced it a couple of years ago with an Airborne Bergen https://www.militarykit.com/products/kombat-airborne-bergen-100-litre Front pockets take Delkim receiver, stove and Spods and Spombs. Top outer pocket takes cup, top inner pocket takes scales and weigh bar. The main rucksack is loaded as such: Frying pan, spatula and plate against the back of the rucksack. Waterproof jacket and trousers right at the bottom. On top of them go spare socks, trousers and t-shirt and a long sleeve top dependant on time of year. Then the saucepan, 2 gas canisters, Bialetti coffee maker, a rig bin with bottom bait rigs and a rig wallet with pop-up rigs. On top of that is my fleece and my coffee and sugar containers, usually packed in last. As much as @elmoputney hates it, my tackle box contains all the bits, leads, baiting needles, rig rings, quick links, hooklink materials etc. My food bag is the Korum ruckbag which also has a couple of powerpacks in the side pocket.

Get it in 50lb and you should be good. I keep mentioning it, but I do use a 30lb Amnesia leader with it, and don't get crack-offs. I do quite frequently find Spombs and spods attached straight to the braid, so far it includes a Dot Spod, a small Spomb, medium Spomb and a few basic spods.

Braid is Angry fish 0.37mm 4x PE line with leader. The only place I've seen it recently is on Aliexpress or import from USA. (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000181541203.html?pdp_npi=4%40dis!GBP!16.27!7.00!!!20.51!8.82!%40210126da17422892995171710d0cf6!10000000663850782!affd!!!&cn=gb_a&dp=EAIaIQobChMIm7LSnP6ujAMVApFQBh00XBdgEAQYAyABEgKErfD_BwE|0AAAAAC5ena3K3iyLOEwdwnBUwHKpn-k2r|Cj4KCAjwkZm_BhBZEi4Ay__IKUcR9cFJp4zJ33TzwPh0B-3VGVIAwEF1JEQEqAAn3NdPPPkJLI4JAiS5GgKZmw|v1&gad_source=1&aff_fcid=c997746f1e3f47bba9186f8ba91d6076-1743241235532-00471&aff_fsk&aff_platform=api-new-product-query&sk&aff_trace_key=c997746f1e3f47bba9186f8ba91d6076-1743241235532-00471&terminal_id=ec9eeb07b1d64e3aafe8c7266d3a3bc5&afSmartRedirect=y) I rarely get wind knots, but do occasionally, usually at the most inopportune time. The honest answer is the wind knots are usually my fault from reeling in and allowing slack line to go onto the spool. It's that slack coming off that comes off in a birds nest. Reel in slowly keeping tension reduces the wind knots, and strangely faster or higher geared reels allow the 'bounce' and slack. As an add, it is also the line I use for pike fishing, and I have had 4years out of it so far

I was doing it for years, 15lb mono with 50lb Greased Weasel. Never had any problems, less wind knots. It does stop the occasional non opening of Spomb as the line stretches and the Spomb hits nose first rather than skidding. Only reason I went to braid is using one rod spodding and marker float/leading around. Braid is Angry fish 0.37mm 4x PE line with leader. I rarely get wind knots, but do occasionally, usually at the most inopportune time.

This was driving music on the way back from the lake today.

No tin hat comment from me. I've seen how quickly carp heal in their own environment. All the split fins and torn scales from spawning. Within weeks that damage is unnoticeable and healed up. Like you I'll treat a bleeding hook hole, but carp must cut their mouth on stones, sticks etc when feeding and that heals. I remember Dave Chilton coming up with Klinik and he refused to make a profit on sales, so sold it at cost as he felt that carp welfare was more important than profit. Obviously Dave Chilton sold Kryston and I believe I may be wrong, Richard Gardner went to the same source as Kryston's new owners didn't have the product rights. I must admit, I do have plenty of time for Richard Gardner and Gardner Tackle.

I'm still on Kryston Klinik. I'd screenshot and add the pic to the post, but it takes so long to upload with awful signal, so I have added in Johnson Ross and the Kryston link: https://johnsonrosstackle.co.uk/kryston/26816-kryston-klin-ik-carp-care-solution.html

I'll second @kevtaylor 's comment. I use a cool bag for my pike and sea fishing bait. Frozen fish will thaw out within a couple of hours, unless the actual air temperature is close to freezing. I have the original Korum ruckbag, with the silver insulated liner for food, powerbanks and a few odds and sods. A chopping board fits flat in the main compartment. Everything is boxed in Tupperware or Ice cream containers apart from the two cans of Magners currently in there. My stove, Bialetti, gas, plate and pans go into my main rucksack and get tidily sorted under the bedchair when I'm fishing, while I keep an emergency stove in the car. Yes it is a pain to have a separate bag, but if I have to barrow my gear, no matter what, it is two trips, or if I unload behind the swim from the car, it makes no difference.

The area I cleaned out and created and started prebaiting 2 weeks ago and now fishable.

Funnily enough I met BC and Helen McDermott at Anglia Television when I was a kid. My dad worked at London Weekend Television and had friends and colleagues at Anglia TV, so we went into the studio. I'm sure he has a picture somewhere! Maybe something to look for when I'm going through his stuff when we have to move him into a care home. The problem is finding him. You won't see it for weeks, then he'll appear and wind you up for a couple of days before disappearing again. I've thought about maggots and casters, hemp and worm, but it's having them to hand when he appears, and carrying bait that might not be used if he's not about. I say him, I think that it is a big male as I've seen him alongside Chestnut a few years ago when they spawned. She leapt clear out of the water, he just cruised! It's weird how the fish can just disappear, we have a ghost mirror that I saw, no-one had caught it, I'd lowered a bag onto where it was feeding, it skulked off, and finally got caught 2 years later at a spawned out 27lb. How can a highly visible fish just disappear in really clear water? There are few places you can't get to or see.

I've given a name as a conversation joke to my mate reference one particular fish, 'BC'. It's the old prehistoric uncaught big common. If it does get caught by me, I will be officially naming it that. I'm trying to work out a plan how to catch it. Not every member of the syndicate has seen it, but those who have agree it is a big fish. I've been working out where, and how it feeds, but it is difficult. I've seen it feeding, even put a hookbait in front of it, and it doesn't appear to pick up bait. I've waded out where it has fed in a line about 5metres from the bank, the groundbait, boilies etc were untouched, yet the bottom was turfed up as it mooched along feeding on naturals. You can't miss it feeding, it's tail and base of the dorsal is sticking out of the water, yet so many people haven't seen it. I think it stays in one area of the lake, and doesn't mix with the other fish, even in winter.

It's probably true. There are some flavours that really are out and out smells rather anything else and to the carp are all the same. I've never done really well on strawberry, I don't like the taste or smell, it tastes and smells artificial to me, as a result I've rarely used it, so self perpetuating. A mate of mine did do really well on the old Strawberry, cream and bergamot mix. I used to go through the flavour shelf at work, mostly Nutrabaits, and many tasted the same, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry. Then we have others I have done really well on, Megaspice, Ultraspice by Hutchy, Peach Nutrafruit, Liver Elite, and a few more. They look good.

Opti-polos by Solar if I remember correctly prevented the tilting Optonics. I did have the Dellareed sounder box, a multi-pin plug in lead to the box as well, and made sure I fitted owl ears rather than the standard ears, so I could keep them in the box. Somewhere I have a picture of my 2 rod set up in front of the Fox Jekk shelter overwrap and the kettle on, some things never change... Bitech Viper alarms were awesome, if you wanted a 10minute warning before the next train went past on the railway bank at Barham A pit... I kid you not they would pick up and bleep from the vibration of trains long before we could hear them. Supposedly the vibration sensor sensitivity could be varied by the angle of the buzzer head. The Super XL Optonic was the supposed answer to Delkims conversions, or was it the Magnetonic? I avoided the XL and went straight to Delkim ST's, would be around 1993 I guess.

The birds are feeding up, especially the females who will be egg sitting soon with not much food. I did walk the 2miles around the 45acre lake each day, and saw no signs, but did hear a few splashes at dusk just to my right which I think were fish. I'd love Chestnut and I'm trying to come up with a plan for the bigger common which seems to avoid bait. A few members have seen him, and he does look a lot bigger than Chestnut. A working quarry lake not far from Bury St Edmonds had the fish removed and sold to the syndicate, we thought the big common was one of them until the biggie from the stock was caught spawned out. So the big common is an uncaught original! I think that we have around 185 fish, that is known originals and the progressive stockings we have made since 2018.

Years ago with original Optonics you had 2 or 4 vane roller wheels, and some of us created some 12 vane wheels out of milk bottle tops or film canister tops or bases until Dellareed started making them themselves. The honest answer is I went back to 4 vanes, any more really was not worth the effort to break the light beam inside. The benefit was actually for pike fishing where tiny movements were rolling the wheel slightly. When it came to roller wheel alarms, I started playing with lead setups to create runs that took line, as quite simply a semi-fixed set-up could see the carp sit still hooked with no indication or worse move in a perfect arc with no line taken or dropping back. Obviously the slack line and running lead is not suitable for every situation, like Delkims are not suitable for everyone (I still have not had many of the problems described by many), but the vibration sensing feature is handy. With zigs, and I will admit I am not very good with them, you have to have a tight line to the lead. The best indicator I found is a very heavy bobbin, springer or loaded quiverloc, which gives you the dropback or run indication. @yonny explains it far better than I can, and has far more experience I'm sure.

There really is no hard and fast rule with flavours, sweet or fruit flavours work with fishmeal, birdfoods or meat, but to 'our' mind they smell wrong, so squid and octopus, shrimp or monster crab will work. The other thing with flavours is the solvent base, some are on glycerine (glycerol), ethyl alcohol, diacetin or propylene glycol, and each one reacts slightly differently in water. Propylene glycol is a flavour base used normally in cake flavours, so suited for high temperature. Ethyl alcohol is more soluble in water, so 'spreads' through the water. Glycerine is the usual flavour base for cake icing, but I think is an attractor in its own right, and a preservative. Diacetin is actually synthesised from glycerine and quite possibly the most acceptable to fish.

25% LT94 20% Acid Casein 40% CLO 5% Liver Powder 10% Semolina Mix them at those ratios. Then once mixed for 6 eggs add 5ml of your flavour, 15ml of hemp oil. Add base mix slowly gradually adding until it is right texture to roll. Boil for 1minute 30 seconds, allow to dry. That mix should work, no need for other ingredients.