salokcinnodrog

I dread to think how many bedchairs I have had over the years, Lafuma sunlounger, Fox, Bison, Chub, Badger, (actually a good product!), and Solar. I think the usual life was around 6 years other than the Lafuma which was only a year until I bit the Fox bullet. (I can go back to the 1990's and before sometimes sleeping on a mat before a bedchair. The honest answer is that so far the Solar is the best and most comfortable, I haven't had to replace elastic and it hasn't sagged. Believe me it doesn't happen on every lake, or even on mine all the time. If the ground is really wet we stop cars going round past the inlet (all winter), so a barrow trip might be needed. Wow, just checking my references on my bedchairs, and found this, a thread on bedchairs: Strangely enough, I think unless you buy right at the top range, prices aren't too far different or inflated.

I saw @newmarket have one delivered when I visited him a while ago, so when mine died I had it already in mind.

More Nutty bait, another 10kg of shelf life, a new retaining sling to replace the old one that's dying, of age, and more PVA bags. https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product/folding-camo-recovery-sling-xl/

That's weird! As @kevtaylor has said for Solar to have a problem is a rarity. Perhaps a fault in the frame manufacturing? Sonik items on the other hand i now avoid after cheap rod rings drop inners, and chairs where the extending legs slide in under Nick weight, I'm only 80kg... so they can only be used on a perfectly flat and level bank.

Yes, I have the original Solar bedchair, and yes it's comfy, however the folding legs don't lock in or out, it is you making sure that the legs are fully opened before you get on it, and I have occasionally forgotten to check to my cost. The strap keeps them in place during transport, so it's not a problem. I also use the legs as 'side bars' when it's on my barrow. You have approximately 100millimetres on the full leg extensions so you can get flat and level on most ground. The Springloc system locks as well, it does not slide. To be honest, most of the time weight is not an issue for me as I can drive to most swims on the lake.

It's not just you, I've had totally different forecasts from the BBC to MetOffice.

I'd go Cotswold every day. Any reason for 10ft as opposed to 12ft?

I use Metoffice on my phone as well as the app installed by Samsung as well as checking BBC regularly. All 3 are giving wet weather for at least one day this weekend. I've noticed that forecasts are changing regularly, I can check for 2 or 3 days ahead, then 24 hours later get a totally different forecast.

I do recall a friend of mine used to take his boxer dog with him to Rib Valley

I'm not sure on the effectiveness of most fishing tackle brand winter clothing, as most are not outdoor specialists in the clothing range. I prefer army surplus, hunting or shooting clothing. My cold weather clothing is from army surplus, and Hoggs of Fife, along with Merino wool socks. Top half is usually t-shirt, Norgie or UBAC with a standard fleece on top, and a Hoggs Strathmoor jacket on top, (look at current outdoor shooting or hunting jackets), or a DPM wind and water resistant smock on top. Bottom half is combats with Hoggs overtrousers, and the Merino under my combat boots. For the neck I do have either a snood or my shemagh. That is cold winter wear!

Ooh no, you don't need a bivvy heater. A decent sleeping bag for night, and good clothing for day. Too many 'accidents' with bivvy heaters, burnt down bivvies, and deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. Even using a stove in the bivvy is a risk. Years ago a mate I used to fish with had a run while his stove was on to keep him warm, he only burnt a hole in his sleeping bag, but other mates have destroyed their whole bivvies and woken up in A&E.

@yonny Nicely said. One thing I noticed when air drying baits to get them rock hard, is they took on water (or other liquids) and got softer quicker than baits straight out of the freezer. It meant they could actually have a faster breakdown time than frozen or 'normal' boilies, which could be an advantage at times. Ah, the washed out baits concept, supposedly making the carp think they are safe as opposed to freshly introduced. I never noticed an advantage over freshly introduced straight from the freezer, although I did occasionally have a fish that took a bait that had been in the lake for 2 days untouched, unmoved and left in place, fish that I think were wary of new bait, even the disturbance of putting any bait on the spot. One particular example was on a 3 day trip to Brackens Pool where the left hand rod produced 4 or 5 fish to 20lbs, all on stringers fished to the treeline opposite. My right hand rod produced only 1 fish, a 30lb mirror that was previously uncaught at that weight, but I had left it alone for 48hours after lowering it in to the tree line to my right. Now mixing @framey and @yonny's quotes, when bites come hard to get on your food bait boilies, it can help by increasing the amount you prebait, or put in at the end of the session. I think carp can get used to and avoid just a few baits and getting hooked on your hookbait. By increasing the amount of prebait, and potentially the free bait when you fish, you reduce the chance of them inspecting and checking every one. That inspection of baits is why rigs get developed or changed, because the carp can learn to avoid a particular situation. Some is because we simply can't afford to put in more bait every trip, so need to come up with other answers. The more you can afford, the more the fish rely on it, and a basic inefficient rig will still catch.

I'd probably be going to 8lb maybe even Kryston Jackal in 20lb. Sounds heavy but for a coated braid it is very thin.

I have little experience of explicit fishing tackle insurance, but I do know 'cheaper' insurance companies will try everything to prevent payouts in the event of theft; security not good enough, replace with cheaper items etc. Always go for the best insurance possible, and not always the cheapest. Go through the small print (the boring bit) to find out their complete policy and best way to protect yourself. Sadly fishing tackle is both sentimental and personal, so to replace a pair of Century rods with Sonik (for example) does not cover like for like.

For years I have taken baits out of the freezer as I pack my gear into the car. I've rarely gone to the 'faff' of adding extra liquid or defrosting a day before. I'm not saying defrosting before use does not work, but I have caught on baits that have been put on the hair still part frozen, and sometimes within minutes of casting in.

How many times have I said updates and upgrades are not always better? Nor me. That's not a mark 2, it's a mark 2.5 or 3. I hope you get it sorted, you can always use the return of item as not suitable for use described. It is one you could win especially if you got Trading Standards or CAB involved as the description is not clear.

I think the longest cast was around 40metres.

No, cast it, along with about 20 others all with the same amount of baits on. When there is a rule saying 'free bait may only be put in by PVA' I can use stringers to my advantage when everyone else is fishing single baits...

You mean a 'Nick stringer'? Done that on 2.75lb Century NG's and SP's

Possibly also mixed in with Jim Gibbinson when asked the question "do you ever use 3oz leads?" "An ounce on this rod, an ounce on that one and an ounce on that one". Seriously high test curves have become fashionable not always for fish playing, but because the angler does not have the casting ability, and a higher test curve rod will supposedly improve their distance. Then bear in mind in the 1990's with 8lb line (and shockleader) and 2.25lb test curve rods on 4000 Aero Baitrunners I could cast 125metres. In the 2000's with 15lb line and 2.75lb rods and Aerlex's I was hitting the same.

If that's the case then it's down to fish finding or moving onto the bait. Sounds really stupid, but some waters it takes a few days for the carp to move in to an area. You aren't doing anything wrong, you get takes and land fish, so it's working. Sir Pete Springate wrote about fishing taking 4 days to come onto the bait. Maybe they were there, got spooked, and didn't come back round for 4 days. I've fished waters where I had to leave the bait in position for 2days, and an Amnesia rig you can be pretty sure is tangle free, with or without PVA.

I use 25lb for almost everything. If you catch it works. The 'invisibility' has little effect as it's on or close to the lakebed so casting little shadow anyway.

I still use Amnesia for stiff rigs, booms and combi-rigs as well as D's. Personally I found no advantages to fluorocarbon.

Test curves and tapers. This is a little bit dated as technology and materials have advanced, and higher test curves have sometimes been heralded by certain companies as a replacement for distance casting skill (not all were rod manufacturers) The test curve is roughly how much pressure (weight) it takes to pull the rod to 90⁰. A higher test curve rod is better for casting distances although usually the action is in the tip, whereas a lower test curve tends to be more through the rod. You can put more pressure on a fish with a through action rod than a tip or fast taper rod. If you consider that record carp have been landed on rods with TC's below 2.5lb. I've landed 20lb carp on 1.75lb test curve rods as well as 2.5, 2.75, even 3.25lb rods, and 30's on 2.75lb and 3.25lb rods.