salokcinnodrog

To be honest a couple of cheaper lines are better than most more expensive brands: Daiwa Sensor Brown and Gardner Pro Blend, both are only around £10 for a bulk spool. Too many anglers weaken their lines themselves, albeit not intentionally, allowing line twist by playing fish on the clutch, line coming off the baitrunner, long casting, hitting the clip and then not replacing their line often enough. 'I've paid £20 for that, it is going to last a year'. I replace my line regularly after testing it, if that means every 3 months, then change it. Loads of 15lb lines on the market are sold with a given diameter of 0.38 or even 0.40mm. They are not actually 15lb lines at all, but incorrectly rated 18 or 20lb lines. 15lb Daiwa Sensor brown, has a diameter of 0.36mm, and from my personal tests, broke at over 18lb consistently with the knots I use. White was not as good, I could not get the same knot strength, it is also stiffer. Gardner Pro Blend 15lb was the same; high abrasion resistance, good knot strength although the 15lb diameter is 0.35mm. Something for you, many or most lines, the dye used to colour them is in there for a simple reason, and not one you might consider, not to camouflage it in water, but to make it softer, better to cast, and easier to knot. The fact they use colours supposedly to blend in the water. Tackle Box line tests

The Hardcore system can have the front off it, it unzips or folds back. It is a pretty good bivvy system. I would actually find it a bit big for day only sessions. Inside it is like a palace, the space is massive, a lot bigger than a Fox EasyDome, which is around the same size as a TFG Force 8 I think. The brolly gives me protection during a day and I'm usually in a fairly low chair, but haves the advantage of taking an overwrap as well for full coverage. I do sit on a chair across my bedchair on long session. I don't put the rear legs down, and sit it across the bed. I do sometimes have a spoke in my ear. Bivvy, from the term bivouac, a temporary camp, without tents or cover. Anglers however have added the shelter, a brolly system is a form of bivvy.

The Royale is not a bad piece of kit, as has been said the Pop up personally I think is a bit lightweight for any length session, although I do like how small it packs up. My reason for a brolly on day sessions is if I see fish move somewhere else, or fancy a move, its easy to fold down, sling in the rod sling and move. I do also use my brolly for roach and pike fishing, so I do move around a bit. I found a full shelter means I don't necessarily want the aggro of moving, which may cost me fish.

Have a look at an Oval brolly. Most come complete with stormsides already fitted, and you can get an overwrap to convert it into a full brolly. I have the TFG version, and overwrap. The only downside is the brolly only comes with a 'half' groundsheet, but I had a groundsheet from another bivvy for when I fit the overwrap. An alternative is the TFG Hardcore Brolly, which is the top picture. The plain oval is underneath. I have set the brolly up just to keep my gear dry, so its not particularly tidy.

It is a genuine pain most definitely. Stanley knife or razor blade cut the whipping on every rod, taking care not to cut the blank, then removing the old thread completely. Sanding the blank down to get rid of the rubbish left, then rewhipping the rod rings back in the right places, followed by a decent coat of a good resin on top of the whipping. Then, a thin mix of rod lacquer or varnish over the top of everything. The strip and clean will likely take a day in itself, whipping the eyes back on, dependant on how fast you are, and what equipment you have, half a day. Resin the whipping, and allowing that to dry, while having the blank turned regularly (or continually), at least 24 hours. Lacquering the rod, and that drying, again another day. I can do it, have done it, but if I told you I hate doing it, and would charge around the same price as a new mid range rod, £150 ish, then as Yonny says, you are better off having a new rod. Out of interest what make and model of rods are they?

Harpz, I do fish on hardcore banks, and that massive hole by standing on the peg, you then 'kick' gravel, stones and grit to backfill the hole. That peg I pictured, is on a driveway to the sailing club, I don't get the luxury of an inch of bark on top of it, maybe if I am lucky I might get broken down leaf mulch or mud and grit washed from the wood behind the drive.

The rod varnish has allowed water underneath it, probably through a small imperfection, usually where the varnish meets the reel seat or a rod ring. Dry the rod thoroughly, in a warm dry place like the airing cupboard. It should not affect the rod but does look unsightly. If you want to stop it coming back once it's dry, the rod needs to be re-varnished, properly and completely. That is a job in itself and may mean the rod needs to be stripped down and rebuilt. Not really a job for yourself unless you know what you are doing.

In that case I must have arms like Thor😉😅 Don't push them in, screw them in. If it gets stuck on a stone or flint, wobble it, you'll feel it push free, then screw again. You may need to try a different spot or angle within the peg ring, but they will go in. The worst I have had to do is step on a peg to push then down the last little bit. The peg I pictured is just one on the movie bank which are all hardcore, there are 5 more on that bank alone, and many others are gravel based swims. By doing the way mentioned above, I get my pegs in without using a mallet.

Picture of Century's Autoclave on this link:

What are you hitting them with?😱 Mine are over 10 years old, get moved from bivvy to bivvy each time I buy a new one. I am very careful to not lose them, if one gets blown out, I go searching, but have spares, from each new bivvy I get. I have never needed to hammer a bivvy peg in, even in the ground the brolly is on in the pic. By screwing the pegs in by hand they held, and I have fished that swim a few times. It is in softer ground that I have problems, and wish for longer pegs. The wind loosens the pegs and pulls them free. Oh yes, think I paid £8 for 10 of these pegs, complete in a decent individualised carry pouch.

How many? Do better with these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/291567489266?chn=ps&adgroupid=57477848528&rlsatarget=pla-414619792718&abcId=1133936&adtype=pla&merchantid=101726052&poi=&googleloc=1006826&device=t&campaignid=1057753829&crdt=0&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-134428-41853-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%252Fi%252F291567489266%253Fchn%253Dps%26itemid%3D291567489266%26targetid%3D414619792718%26device%3Dt%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D1006826%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D1057753829%26adgroupid%3D57477848528%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-414619792718%26abcId%3D1133936%26merchantid%3D101726052%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMI9vifr8nQ2QIVT7ftCh3HeAo1EAQYAyABEgJ9U_D_BwE%26srcrot%3D710-134428-41853-0%26rvr_id%3D1456041847249

Open market on Oval brollies! The most expensive brand is not always the best, and I know that some cheaper brands work just as well. I will spend what money I have or have saved on gear I need, not the cheapest or most expensive, unless it is the best. I refuse to drop to less on my earnings, I can't afford to live on minimum wage, and in hospitality wages have effectively gone down over the last 18years already. If I dropped my expectations, I would be working at NMW, compared to the £20 an hour I was earning in 2002. Not nice as a manager being paid £7.50 an hour, the same as your subordinates.

1 small pike from today that took a lamprey nearly as big as he was. Thought I was on them again to start another early take, but when this came to the bank I figured the mummas were somewhere else so kept moving swims until I had to get back Fishing in the snow and a couple of todays swims, it was bright to start!

Out again tomorrow try another spot along the river. Saw a few roach topping there last week!

I got to the river for 8am, first cast with a dead roach on the float paternostered rod, and this chunky double took the bait within minutes, before I'd even rolled my first ciggie. Thinking i'd landed on them I stayed put casting around with smelt, roach and dead trout, but no more joy. Rest of the morning it got colder and colder until with the northerly wind it got quite uncomfortable. Having had a fish I packed up at 12.15. Chunky 10lb pike, todays view and Sky watching the world

It comes and goes. I think Early 70's was a good roach time, then they died off, early to late 80's then they disappeared until the 90's then gone again. The big roach area, fish over 3lb was upstream of Swanton Morley Great Witchingham. A couple of years ago a mate had a couple around a pound again at Drayton. The barbel in the area, was only 3 or 4 doubles, with one being caught all along the 3 mile stretch to a number of anglers between 11 and 13lbs. The majority of a few fish were between 7 and 8lb. I used to catch numbers of pike in that area, now there are less, with a few big ones, but less jacks. I was catching dace again last year that have reappeared. The fish I was catching looked healthy, so I think there are still some good pike around. Last time I fished that swim, again it was one pike, but the mackeral deadbait it took was the same size as the pike... The chub are still around but keeping away from the shallows downstream they used to show on before otters were in the valley in numbers. There are otters, I think the fish are still there, but not being so obvious, moving into faster deeper water.

Other than playing the fish I was able to avoid the worst of it😉, walking next to the footpath which was all ivy leaves. There is a proper wooden walkway under the river cliff The Wensum is up a good couple of feet, that current is really boiling, although to the right is always a slack on the outside of a bend. That area has produced carp and barbel to double figures (not to me sadly), chub to 5, roach to 2 as well as pike. I have also caught some big dace trotting maggots on a stick float.

I can go days, even a week without a ciggie, then I just get the urge for one, normally when wound up and stressed.

Pike hit a bait in the middle, and turn it round to swallow head first. Zander, and perch, hit from behind, and swallow tail first. Always need to use a wire trace for zander, too much chance of a pike taking the bait. A treble sewing up the stomach is a death sentence for pike.

Closer to Norwich, about 10minutes from my daughters house, she lives in Eaton😉

Trip to Norfolk today Today's view, the bite alarm, the float paternostered roach deadbait using stonez on a weaklink, and the 9lb pike caught on smelt on sunken paternoster

I am the person who will rather pay £1.18 for a pen made in Britain over £1 for a pen made in China. I have gotten to looking at environmental cost, to why do we ship or air freight goods from China to UK on blooming great container ships. I have gotten to thinking about those sweat shop factories, and I have gotten to thinking about UK produced goods. Not being funny, but part of this is Brexit related as well. There will be Brexit, we need our economy working, we need to be producing stuff for ourselves, a manufacturing industry. We also need bigger name tackle manufacturers, like Nash, like Fox, Korda or whoever considering the environment and where they manufacture and what they charge the angler for their gear. If they charged a real fair price, then maybe a lot of this 'copy and paste' cheaper made gear would nit be produced to undercut them.

Roughly 80 yards? I think you have discovered exactly how far that is, doesn't sound much, but is really quite a chuck. Probably not what you want to hear, but bag work and chucking a lead a long way I would be going to a top brand manufacturer. Don't think you need to go much above 2.75, but 3 maybe 3.25 will add yards to your casting with a balanced reel. Lot of money, but my 2.75lb Century NG's will go well over 100yards even with a small bag, and they chuck big pike deadbaits out as well.😖😳 They do a couple of higher TC rods in the same range, as well as the longer range SP's. Even better, made in UK😉

I have some sympathy for British manufacturers, who design and build in this country, but too many big name brands have gone to the Far East, to get gear made while keeping the high price. Its also an environmental, human rights and other concern, the cargo ship coming all the way from China, the fuel to bring it that way, the risk of your container being one of four to fall into the sea every day. The child workers in the factories in China, at minimal wage, tuppence a day. I could quite happily see a couple of brand names slip from the tackle market! Some factories 'sell to the highest bidder'. One factory may make tackle for Fox, Nash, JRC etc. The brand that pays most gets their bedchairs before the next payer gets theirs. It is why sometimes there can be a shortage, as well as brands purposely holding gear back to create interest. You have as Yonny says, tackle brand owners making big profits in their own pocket yet not wanting to put money into R&D. Updated tackle, some of the new advances in tackle is a step backwards, some original gear is brilliant, yet newer models are frankly awful. I have a TFG oval brolly, I think it was £80, yet why should the same thing from Fox or Nash cost £200? Why should a Fox bedchair cost £300, when exactly the same from JRC is £150? The items are essentially the same, in some cases just a different badge! Carp tax, fishing line is fishing line, sea line is the same as fishing line, (example) yet the Fox, Korda brand is £20, compared to £9.99 for Sea fishing line. It is the same stuff!

Frank, Do the colder winters where the carp are under the ice and warmer summers affect the growth rates in any way? I recall or seem to think, some of those countries its ice covered, then almost 2 days later ice free, and up in the high teens degrees Celsius. Also in that our English method of carp fishing as it has emigrated across the globe has given rise to bigger carp being able to be landed? Or is this my imagination running wild...