salokcinnodrog
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Posts posted by salokcinnodrog
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1 hour ago, ouchthathurt said:
I don’t get to do too much angling these days, shift work on the ambulance, young children and family time all come first. I usually get 1 overnighter a month (maybe 2 if my shifts fall right) and a few evening/early morning sessions a month during the summer months.
For me, as I’ve always made my own baits, that’s where my confidence lies! I haven’t used a shop brought ready made in so long, that for me, if I were to rely on one for a seasons angling, my confidence in the bait would drop, so I’ve defeated myself before I’ve even started! Illogical I know, after all, readymades (frozen or shelf life) produce 1000s of whackers every season, but after all these years rolling my own baits, I’m supremely confident in them, far more than I would be with a bag of cell or something like that. Confidence is all after all!
cost wise? Hmmmnn I’ve never really thought of it! A 10kg bag of basemix from premier baits costs me £60, it comes with 500ml of salmon oil.
I roll my baits in 6 egg mixes, so add the cost of 6 eggs per bait making session… (I have 12 chickens so my eggs are free)From 10kg of basemix I’ll probably get 15kg of rolled bait.
the flavours are £7(approx) a bottle for 100ml, I use 2.5ml of each per 6 eggs, my current bait has two flavours added
haiths robin red, probably £13-15 a kg, but I’m probably adding a couple of Oz at a time.
rolling table was a small 12mm one off eBay years ago, say £20?
the boilie gun i buy from screw fix (heavy duty caulking gun) £23 but mine has lasted 2-3yrs before they wear out.
so I probably spend £80-100 on ingredients that will last me 8months of angling. So £80 divided by 8 months = £10 a month on bait, I can use around 5kg a month, so 5kg for say £10-15 a month?
£100 divided by 8 months = £12.50 a month
all high quality ingredients, formulated to a mix that I have upmost confidence in, which (in my mind) are superior to a bag of shelf life’s, so it all works out.
obviously if I needed to be ladling 5kg of bait per session then the cost goes up as I would be replacing used ingredients sooner.
I was for years more confident in baits that I had rolled compared to shop bought boilies, even though I was using Trigga base mix and there were (are) Trigga Shelf life and freezer baits.
I seem to recall 10kg of base mix costing £72.50, flavours around £5.95 for 100ml, so prices are not that far different from the 2000's.
As said, the only reason I went to having bait made for me is I was testing and giving input to the company. When that went belly up, I simply couldn't be bothered with going back to making big amounts of bait as I was using around 10kg a month.
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I used to make my own bait from the 1980's through to 2000's.
The early years were making baits from scratch, koi pellet powder, semolina, Chappie dog food and casein were ingredients used in homemade baits, then from around 1991 it was New Concept Mariner Mix, which actually outfished Premier and Nutrabaits Big Fish Mix. Phil and I and other anglers were putting so much in to Taverham Mills we rarely blanked.
When New Concept was bought by Bob Church and Mariner Mix became unavailable I moved back to Suffolk and switched to The Biollox for years until Trigga was released.
The only reason I started getting bait made for me was with a new family I couldn't find time to make bait at a time that suited my partner. She'd moan at me for leaving a mess and the smell.
The Trigga recipe I had was brilliant and even Ken Townley and Nutrabaits found I had improved it from standard.
A bait company took me on as a genuine tester, and their baits pretty much worked.
It was only when they started screwing other customers around cutting baits I walked away after standing up for them.
I now pretty much buy all my bulk bait, although every now and again to use up my left over deadbaits at the end of pike season I liquidise them, mix them with semolina and maize meal and make around 5kilos of boilies for fishing.
I am not a fan of attractor baits, still preferring long term food source boilies, and still feed session leftovers in as I leave.
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A fair few ways to use rig rings on pop-up rigs:
Tie a rig ring onto the end of the hooklink material and then do basic knotless knot. You have the pop-up close to the shank and bend of the hook.
Again, a knotless knot leaving your tag end, but thread the rig ring, tag end through the eye, and you have a basic D-rig.
I frequently slide a rig ring onto the shank, hookbead fixed on the shank opposite the barb to point. That can be used on various rigs; Ronnie's and Spinners, Reverse combi-rigs or plain and basic straight on the hooklink and counterbalance.
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I don't know whether it is amusement or annoyance, but one of the fish in the syndicate has picked up the name of a Darwin Award winner to its name or features.
Last year in June I had a really nice linear at 33lb, part of a 2 fish catch, with an 18lb mirror on an overnight session. Really nice fish, beautiful, and while I enjoyed catching it, returned it unnamed, and put pictures on our FB page.
Going through the captures this year, that Linear has put on 4lb and been given the additional moniker.
One of the grievances I suppose for me is I know how much stroke pulling this person did in the background, yet despite being friends with the fishery manager kept it hidden from him.
No rule breaking as such, but just sneaky...
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1 hour ago, crusian said:
Ah , ran out of time editing ! .
Should I change from a Ridgemonkey Small Hook Ring Bait Screw as sometimes the screw seems to work its way through the hookhold and cause a bit of damage to the Carp's mouth ? .
I'm thinking of a plastic bait screw with no swivel .
😃
Like @InteraX I don't like them.
I would prefer a bit of nylon or bait floss on the D or rig ring as I have found that bait screws can work free and drop the bait, no matter how much a swelled bait is supposed to grip better.
It takes a big plastic one to grip properly!
Incidentally, I save cut down used rig materials for that specific reason, to use create a hair or for mounting pop-ups. It doesn't matter whether it is monofilament, coated or uncoated braid. The only thing that doesn't lighter blob nicely is fluorocarbon.
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I just walked Sky round the lake and to talk to the bailiff who was fishing.
As we walked round I was keeping Sky calm, she likes James, so bounces, and because I thought he was margin fishing I called out 'hello' well before I got to him so he could come back to the main track past his swim, rather than me walk along the bank and possibly disturb his fishing, especially as I could see fish in front of him.
We did stand talking fishery, syndicate and rules for around 30minutes, and the fish in front of him evading his baits.
He was no more than 5metres from his rods even on the path.
Hopefully it is respect.
- crusian and Golden Paws
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I felt the switch Sunday night.
After a few trips not using the bivvy it was put up as soon as the rods were in this trip.
As I was setting the rods up we had a light shower in North West Suffolk, and at 2.30am it rained properly for an hour, and fish started crashing.
Yesterday a massive difference, fish moving during the day. First time I have felt comfortable putting in any more than a PVA stringer or bag full for months.
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So this weeks find is a pair of Optix polarised sunglasses.
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1 hour ago, S34MH1 said:
I’ve been using this bite alarm for a long time. While its performance, functionality and wireless range leave much to be desired, I really appreciate its design concept. Numeric readouts are far more intuitive than LED indicator lights. What’s more, numerical displays have no upper limit, so you won’t run into the issue of repeated colour signals that you get with light indicators. I wonder if anyone agrees with me? Also, are there any mid-to-high-end brands manufacturing bite alarms adopting this same design idea?
I have a very simple system:
My indicators and alarms are red, white and green. The receiver bleeps and the led lights in those colours.
As I go to the rod I check the bleeping buzzer for the correct led, and look at the falling or rising indicator.
This works with anglers who have a choice to be like me with different colour leds on the alarms, or those who chose to have one alarm led colour. The receiver will bleep, an led will show.
Now in the UK, there is a legal maximum limit on the number of rods an angler can use, a maximum of 4, and clubs may limit anglers to 3 or even 2, so the numeric readout is not a particular need.
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10 hours ago, BackInTheGame said:
this is the main reason i prefer private club lakes.
Sadly Mate, my local club is 'overfilled', so I had to join a syndicate.
- BackInTheGame and crusian
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51 minutes ago, kevtaylor said:
This is something that bothers me always has and something that came up on a recent Korda Podcast where Dovey of all people admitted to doing it all the time. To me this is pure noddy!
Re-casting at dusk, what is that about?!?!
Was taught early on you get the rods set and leave them ready for the key bite times with no disturbance i.e dawn and evening into dusk.
So on what planet does it make sense to reel in during bite time, cause commotion and smash the lead back out for no reason whatsoever?
We find a spot were happy with, cast accurately, use rigs we know present and reliable bait that stays as it should, it washes out (ages) along with the freebies and can stay out for the duration of your trip, unless you suspect something has got away with it.
Why would anyone re-cast at key times when you should be sitting on your hands - it's beyond me tbh - smacks of not being confident with all of your previous steps so doubts have set in, if not that why would you want a fresh hookbait that now looks alien to the rest?
Stupidity IMO
At Brackens I knew everyone else was going to recast around 6pm at night, so I would make sure I had my baits in place long before that, and use their disturbance to move the fish out of their areas.
Quite frequently I would get fish about 8 o-clock at night while they blanked.
I also try not to change hookbaits, even after a fish. The smell of 'me' is gone, the first fish found it acceptable, so changing it might upset that.
That attitude also comes with me now at the end of a session. My pop-ups are already counterbalanced, on floss and lighter blobbed, so don't come off unless pulled. I can quite easily just attach a fresh bag or stringer without actually touching the bait.
The only time Sky goes silly, talking and jumping, when someone comes to visit, and most people she loves, but there are one or two who she is not keen on for some reason, possibly because they are nervous about her.
On 24/07/2026 at 11:54, yonny said:Tbf I'm not bothered if someone moves in next door and they're quiet and show etiquette. If I see fish in an empty swim I'll move in there regardless of who else is about, but I'd be mindful of the situation.
I don't mind the majority of people if they move in next door, but sometimes there are some you wish hadn't. I make sure Sky is on bark mode, lol.
I try to spot fish, and if I do have to move in next to someone I will just stringer and one cast rather than make a massive disturbance.
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On 23/07/2026 at 15:44, framey said:
Sad news any independent shop closes.
They all need to club together to make some sort of association for themselves to make better buying power.
In the 1990's Daiwa and Shimano came up with the idea of one major tackle shop in the region supplying the rest. That major tackle shop got the biggest discount, who then sold on at a reduced discount to 'local' tackle shops.
The smaller tackle shops did not want to buy from the biggest shop.
Local shops preferred to buy stock out of the region.
It partly caused the rise of the mail order shops being able to sell cheaper than the local shops, and created the argument about retail recommended price to the mainstream.
Then you had the rise Fishing Republic and Angling Direct who were tackle shop groups that got big quick
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Another independent tackle shop in Norfolk is closing down
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On 04/05/2026 at 11:30, barry211 said:
they look awesome, i have to admit to getting back into making and painting 40k stuff about a year ago. it is suprisingly calming to lose a few hours surrounded by glue and paint.
not sure if it's appropriate here but this is an excellent charity that uses model kits for veterans as it can help with PTSD and gives a sense of belonging to a community again, if you ever find you have a kit spare (can happen i have heard) they pass them on to others.
https://www.modelsforheroes.org.uk/
A couple of weeks ago I sent a couple of models to Help for Heroes, a 1/740 Prinz Eugen which I had ordered in the wrong scale ( I build ships in 1/600) and an HMS Belfast I had duplicated.
Really pleased to receive this today and that it is handwritten makes it such a nice reply.
- barry211, yonny, Golden Paws and 1 other
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On 21/07/2026 at 21:23, framey said:
Wish I took more photos from those days.
I fished there in the early 90's when it was one of the few places that allowed close season fishing.
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On 08/07/2026 at 04:57, S34MH1 said:
I plan to buy a fishing vest recently, and I’ve found some merchants that offer custom logo printing services. I’m looking for highly distinctive and representative images of carp fishing. Most of the pictures I’ve come across are paid materials, so I’m wondering if there are any free options available. I won’t use them for commercial purposes. Paid ones are also acceptable as long as the quality is great.
A lot of tackle companies use a basic depiction of a carp with their logo or brand superimposed across the flank of the fish.
You might be able to 'borrow' legitimately the fish image and simply add your own name
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On 08/07/2026 at 11:50, crusian said:
Hello Everyone .
I hate this hot weather , but if I did try and go fishing , hiding in a shady spot would it be worth all the effort ? .
The water temperature readings I have been getting are in the 20's C .
So I'm guessing go for deep , but how deep ? , water ; aerated , and try to avoid the bright sun ? .
What are people doing please ? .
😃
I tried that last weekend, setting up in the shade of a big elm tree, and blanked.
Last year I created a bivvy spot right under the willows and again, the fish seemed to avoid the area.
On both occasions the fish caught were in the brightest and sunniest spots.
I would say that I should have moved, but with Sky I refused as I would much rather she was comfortable as possible, and unless I tell her will lay in the sun all day and overheat.
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On 23/06/2026 at 18:51, KarpfenMag said:
Just got permission from the farmer while i was looking round the lake, 80 euros for a year! he said no body has ever asked him before
I am buzzing
Brilliant news.
Hope you have a good one or two
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49 minutes ago, InteraX said:
Hi all,
Locally (SW London & Surrey), I have 1 club that's closed all fishing until 24 hours after the heat alerts have been cleared (currently means late Sunday), I have another that's closed fishing due to low oxygen and a local day ticket shut up shop last weekend due to the weather.
Whilst I fully understand low oxygen resulting in fish welfare concerns, I don't understand the club closing all fishing. Apparently it's for the member's safety and fish welfare. Fish welfare, OK maybe if the water has low oxygen, but as for member's safety, we're adults.
Is this a widespread issue?
If we are to start getting this type of weather going forward, what will it mean for us? I've been starting work early and doing some extra hours this week with the hope that I'll be able to get out tomorrow PM for a session. It doesn't look like I'll be able to now or if I can, the venue will probably be rammed.
How do they manage it on the continent? Surely they have worse issues, but they don't seem to have to shut down because of it.
Water depth and oxygen levels in relation to stress will be an issue in shallow lakes.
The mostly deeper lakes on the main continent are not as likely to cause as much stress. Oxygen is not as big an issue in the depths of lakes as it is in shallow waters.
Fish can fight themselves almost to death in warm water, and take ages to recover.
54 minutes ago, InteraX said:but as for member's safety, we're adults.
In theory, yes. Yet every year adults as well as children die in lakes and rivers. A no swimming lake just outside Norwich, a number of deaths related to swimming in hot weather.
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19 minutes ago, BackInTheGame said:
i know i will get shot down for this but i am not a fan of dropping the lead every time.
yes there is a cost implication here as they are not cheap but most importantly for me it cant be great leaving all these leads behind on the lake beds. Yes i know they are made of safe materials these days but every angler dropping a lead on every take just sounds overkill to me.
4 hours ago, jules007 said:last of the big spenders here just got a bag of 20 lead clips so the lead will dump, i never use these but yet another rule on specimen lake due to weed NO inline or running lead
I absolutely hate dropping the lead.
Despite the theories of reducing the risk of picking up weed, and empty lead clips catches up weed. An zipp or distance inline lead will actually travel through picking up less weed than a lead clip.
Again, littering is an issue, just because you can't see it does not mean it is acceptable.
I know, stand on the bank of his lake, just throwing leads in. That is exactly what you are doing dropping the lead on every take.
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2 hours ago, greekskii said:
30 day battery life isn’t bad tbh. Assuming you did 4 full 24hrs a month you’d only recharge a few times a year.
For me though carrying a spare battery or two is easier than having to recharge an alarm on the bank if you forget to recharge at home. Or it drains quicker than expected or something.That's me as well, it is easier to change batteries than recharge them on the bank. I already carry 3 powerbanks as low phone signal kills battery life faster. At the worst I can pop to the local shops and buy a set of square batteries to get me through.
Rechargeable batteries have a limited life, heat destroys them, cold they don't work so well, and don't charge either. Hot weather can literally cook them off.
23 hours ago, BackInTheGame said:Just bought a set of Bitekeeper Cube alarms. I am not so bothered about how customisable they are as most is just gimmicks but I honestly think rechargeable alarms should have been done a long time ago. Arriving tomorrow so will see how they get on. I did search the forum but didn't see anything on here about them.
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2 hours ago, KarpfenMag said:
When I did my exam, the trainer — who’s in his late 60s — said, “If any of you catch a big carp, please put it back. You can’t eat one that size anyway.”
A friend of mine travels to Hungary regularly, where if carp are caught below a certain weight in kilograms are allowed to be despatched for food, above it have to be returned.
12 hours ago, KarpfenMag said:for me the language, but i remember the first week of the test 11 people failed out of about 50. and they were ofcourse native germans
Cheers, I speak some German enough to get around, but that's my limit.
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Welcome to Carp.com.
Difficult due to language or due to the questions and competence test itself?
Realisation!
in UK Carp Fishing
Posted
I was having the typical bivvy thoughts while fishing and made a major realisation.
In the days of a standard sleeping bag, it would fit onto a standard bedchair, from sunlounger to Lafuma, to original Fox bedchairs.
There were some decent cold weather sleeping bags, manufactured by cold weather sleeping bag specialists.
Tackle manufacturers got involved in the sleeping bag market, sleeping bags with pockets for the bedchair to hold the top and bottom on the chair, so it would not slide off.
Then came the gradual switch to 3 and 4 legged bedchairs and the now universal flat bed, and tackle manufacturers discovered a problem that they had created; with the position of the legs the pocket or flap holding the bedchair was now not suitable. Sleeping bags could rip, get caught up and tear.
Next innovation is the 'sleep system', bedchair and sleeping bag combined. It takes money away from other industries and puts it as a fishing essential.
The 'Realisation' is that this tackle innovation is to solve a problem that tackle manufacturers created for themselves and anglers.
Now having been outside at -12 in a sleeping bag, I would much rather be outside in a sleeping bag created for survival at those temperatures than a tackle manufacturers sleep system.
Of the bedchairs I have had over the years, from Lafuma and springs, to Fox, Bison, Badger (heavy, but very comfortable) Saber, Chub and Solar, probably the most comfortable was the Bison, not a flatbed like the Chub and Solar.
Not just in bedchairs, but in tackle, rigs and ideas, are we going forward or backwards?