salokcinnodrog

How about you simply mark your line when you get it right first time? Then knowing where the line marker is you cast out to another area, and clip up again, then retrieve and cast to your spot? You avoid line twist that is created by winding round sticks, and you also get your rod out to the spot faster, even though you have cast, retrieved and recast, compared to putting round a set of overpriced banksticks, then lifting and untwisting from them as you reel in. Seriously for years I have got to my features without banksticks, by various means; walking them out, clipping up and creeping up on emergent features, or by allowing line out before reeling in and then clipping up, hitting a marker float etc

Let's see, arrived at Earith at 12ish, at night, in the dark, walked line along bank to distance of island feature, cast to edge of island, caught fish within 10minutes. Walked line along bank, had another fish just before first light.

Them and rats chewed through it while fishing

Sadly you can't sew over repaired holes that have already been fixed and chewed again

I allow for it Easy enough when you keep your rods back and tips not overhanging the waters edge, as I stand close to the edge when casting. I also have a line marker on the line, so it is easy enough to be sure where I am in relation with the rods on the rests.

Some figures for you, I measured it at work today Width 650cm Length 190cm Basically if you are under 6feet tall it will be long enough, although if you are quite broad chested it may be a big tight widthways. I think you would be able to keep your sleeping bag wrapped or folded inside when you pack away.

Yes, yes, and yes! Don't know how long I've had mine, but it is honestly worth the money. The only thing I have had to do is put a new mesh on mine as it got battered and torn after catching on brambles and mice. Spomb, do not get the Fox one!

I tend to reel in every day to check my bait, I need to check I still have some on the hair, so I reel in all three rods at the same time. After getting the distance right in the first place, and clipped up and cast, I mark the line, power gum or insulting tape I check where the line marker is on the rod in relation to rings, buzzer etc. When I retrieve at the next reel in time, it is no problem to actually put line in the clip before reeling in. I then have no need for distance sticks.

No problem Reel your rods in, walk your rods out, both or all three, clip up, then cast them in turn. No leaving rods unattended

One of my spots in Nazeing just happens to correspond with the distance from an overhanging tree branch which I attach the lead to, to the second swim along the bank and footpath. Only 63metres, but try working out 63m in wraps I have actually seen somebody put their distance sticks on the bank in this swim, and a cyclist fell over them as he avoided a car and a dog and dog walker coming into the car park through the gates. There are some swims that you can't walk the line out, you are 'stuck' in a dug out, but it's still easy to mark the line with power gum or insulation tape after casting to a marker. I have often said I don't think that a quick check with a marker puts the carp off. The number of fish I have caught by being sure I am in the zone, and retrieving the marker after aiming at it. In fact I have had numerous fish within minutes on various waters, from Weybread, Taverham, Brackens and Earith.

Gardner Pro in 15lb with a shockleader, been using the Sufix Sea leader recently

I tried reading that book, sadly it has over 1000 pages, and most of them are blank...

I still walk the line out for island and far bank margins, as well as having a pair of banksticks if the bank is inaccessible. A mate of mine who uses sticks saw me walk my lines along the bank at Nazeing, and commented it was as quick, and as easy as using sticks

What's wrong with an ordinary pair of banksticks? More money being fleeced from carp anglers with carp tax!

I reckon it does if you hook the little tufted blighter! 4am Friday morning a tuftie decided it liked my bait, hooked squarely in the bottom lip, and needed forceps to remove it. At least it was the 'short' cast rod, not one of the long distance ones. Returned the duck on the other side of the causeway, heard it flying away in a hurry, at least they were a bit more circumspect over the bait for the rest of the session.

http://www.totalfishinggear.co.uk/buy.cfm/bags-and-luggage/tf-gear-compact-weigh-sling/39/no/105623 We sell them at work, no problems.

I must admit a lot of my fishing tackle is saved up and worked hard for. My NG's I had a very good month at work, and didn't do too bad the month after buying 3 Shimano DL's. In those two months, I also redecorated and carpeted my ex's house, the hallway, childrens bedrooms and dining room. At the same time, I have also discovered that having loads of money didn't make me any happier.

Oh yes, another pattern that was cutting down the mouth was Drennan Starpoints, although strangely I found that with chub they did not.

Some brands of hook simply are not as sharp as others. The sharpest I have found are Drennan/ESP who also own Kamasan, then Gamakatsu, Owner, Gardner and Solar. I did also find Carp-R-Us Centurions and Nailers sharp enough. These hooks do NOT need to be sharpened, they are already sharp enough. Now of course if you use other brands then I am suggesting swap those brands to one that is already sharp enough as above. Somewhere on the forum is a picture with a 3oz lead being lifted off the desk with the hook point resting on my thumb of finger. That was a Korda hook I think straight out the packet, definitely not a sharp brand! And yes, Owner FLB hooks were actually too sharp, the spade shaped point did actually cut down the mouth where it pr icked in and took hold My point was that the last hooks that I needed to sharpen were the Low Water Salmon Hooks, you cut the shank, put a solder blob on the top as your hooklink stop and tied it to your nylon, this was before the days of chemical sharpening, or maybe Mustad 34021's needed a touch up. A hook does not dig in on the pick-up or as the carp attempts to eject it, no matter how sharp it is. Basically the hook digs in as you play the fish, as you tighten the line and strike. Hook sharpening is a fad of sorts. Someone did it, made articles about it, and it has become as fashion, because JAG, Gardner or whoever can now sell hook sharpening files, lights and magnifying glasses to anglers.

I go old fashioned and use Maxima in around a pound, maybe two lighter than the mainline, or occasionally buy ready tied spade end hooks, hooks to nylon. I simply won't fish without an hook-length, it makes it easier to change hook.

Actually there was a time when hooks needed sharpening! It is since the advent of chemical sharpening that most don't need sharpening, although some brands... The low water Salmon blob hooks were just one example. That sharpest hook possible, I mentioned it in a previous post, can actually cut itself out of the mouth. Another point with that, you have taken off the protective coating, whatever it may be, the Teflon, PTFE, or may be just the 'skin', in areas other than gravel these can blunt off overnight in some waters. You increase the risk of a point turning over, and on one silty lake I fished, swan mussels would burr over almost any point, and even avoiding them you would notice a hook blunting after being in the lake overnight in the silt.

I can remember various climber needles, PTFE coated, steel or even knitting needles... I had a monkey climber mount made up that fitted onto my rod rod, so with the original Gardner pod my needles never got bent. The machined steel needles had a screw thread at the bottom which screwed into the bar along the pod. As for monkey climber bodies, PTFE with a metal loop, the Solar lightflo, PTFE with bases that could be swapped to increase or decrease the weight, think that was Gardner, with or without a slot for isotope or the original that was cut out of a herb container, although I could never get a consistent pair exactly the same.

I actually question sharpening hooks for fishing. If a brand of hook is not sharp enough, don't use them! If you sharpen a hook, then you are actually increasing the chance of the extra sharpened hook cutting or pulling its way free, potentially increasing hookpulls. Add to that, obviously you know that you the finer the point the more chance of it being blunted, or bending over. I don't think that my hooks need sharpening, I use them straight out the packet. A few years ago now, I put a hook on a rig, and cast it out. That hook caught me a 26lb mirror. I then took that same rig back to a local water, where it was used again, and landed a load more fish until I eventually lost or blunted it. In between fish it was rebaited, recast no sharpening. Since then I have landed hundreds of fish from a variety of waters on hooks straight out of the packet. As an aside for you, ask yourself, you know some tackle is sold to make money for tackle manufacturers, there is no need for it; how much do I really need to sharpen hooks so going out and buying a hook sharpening kit...

And when it does you'll be sitting there cursing and asking why you didn't test it. You may not actually know it's (not) happening either. You cast your PVA stringer out, attached to the hook, and it doesn't dissolve very fast, or at all. As you retrieve the end tackle the PVA finally breaks, falling away from the hook. How many times with PVA are you actually fishing a 6bait hookbait rather than a stringer? In summer that may work, but in winter...

Should be fine. One thing I will say, Drennan Supplex is not the best hooklink to use though. I spent a lot of time last week changing hooklinks, it got curly very easily!