salokcinnodrog

Strangely enough, I have fished waters where either due to lakebed or fish, the knotless knot didn't work, I did have to go slightly more advanced. Same on Brackens; when I started I knew it was a riggy water, so I needed something different with my spin (sic ) on it from what I reckoned the locals were using (knotless knot on coated braid) and semi-fixed leads with hardly any bait around the hook. Extending or Bungee rigs are different, some fish learn how to deal with 'the norm', usually by association with capture or if every angler is fishing the same. I have played with Triggerlink, and I don't like it. It is too thick for my liking, even if it is attached to Amnesia as part of a combi rig it didn't seem to sit right.

Or use a braided hooklink and a length of tubing over the swivel knot and concertina the braid inside by 'stretching' the tubing down and as it retracts if will take the braid with it for an extending hooklink.

Knotless knot for braid, is no problem.

I have a Fox holdall myself, takes 3 made up rods, and the landing net in the central pocket. It also straps into my bivvy bag, so making it a full system. http://www.foxint.com/products/specialist-fishing/Specialist%20Luggage/ http://www.foxint.com/catalogues-sections-products.php?section=114&catalogue=1

Like you I ditched braid on the spod rod, although not necessarily for the same reason. I use the same mainline on the spod rod as I do on my fishing rods, currently Gardner Pro, but have used Daiwa Sensor in the past and both caused no problems chucking a Big Spomb a long way on the Aerlex and Big Bertha and her DD's. The shockleader I use is usually 60lb Drennan Greased Weasel, from the sea fishing section, the grey is softer than the other fluorescent colours available. Shockleader length is a minimum of your casting drop, plus at least 4 turns on the reel, and is connected to the mainline with a Uni knot. Tie an overhand loop in the shockleader, then put the mainline through the knot, and tie a uni knot back down the leader, and gradually pull both tight after lubricating. That shockleader will stay on the line all season, or until I need to change the line. That is a reminder, my spod reel line needs changing

If they are large enough, a kitchen knife and scissors sharpener, the swipe through ones, although I usually use a fine file, or just buy a new pair of braid blades. My Gardner ones I have had for about 10 years have had the dubious pleasure of being used for cutting wire for traces, and still work for cutting fishing braids

I had a wander round last year with a mate. We did actually drive up to the house, turn around in the yard, back to the car park and then wait around to see if anyone would 'apprehend' us so we could ask if it was ok to look first, but after waiting for some 20minutes with no-one around, had a wander anyway. Our choice was to go elsewhere as we couldn't see anything that interested us. It looks a nice set of lakes, some bubbling, tree surrounded, but no showing fish on the surface at the time. I know my mate Big Dave has fished it in the past, and he never caught anything much bigger than doubles, I think his biggest was around 15.

Life comes first, so take care of you and yours. Hope everything goes ok for you

This amuses me, probably for the wrong reasons. A raised edge on the front bar, i.e the bar inside the material sleeve, the bar above the door having material joining it to the front all the way along will stop water coming inside the bivvy, strictly speaking there is no need for a peak on a bivvy. A peak helps if you set up facing the weather, in theory it reduces rain getting into the front of your bivvy. However a stronger wind can blow rain droplets into your bivvy, whether you have a peak or not. The peak on many modern domes seems to be a part porch, or a cut down porch, with no storm sides. Not being funny, but I could not justify the money for Trakker, despite having the option to buy them through work!

Wafter, the latest name for an extremely critically balanced bait Seriously you could argue semantics, but to me a wafter should sink, but extremely slowly of its own accord, or have a neutral buoyancy, it would stay in what level of water it was put in. If it doesn't sink, but sits on the surface, then it is a pop-up! That slow sinking bait is going to be lighter than the freebies, and will be more easily sucked in than the free baits, and the hook will follow it in due to the hair. A bait that sinks with the weight of the hook, but would normally float, is a pop-up, even if the weight of the hook overbalanced it. Various hooks have different masses or weights, so a pop-up that is sunk by a size 6 Mugga is more likely to pop-up a size 10 101.

I very much dislike busy waters, even if the fish are mahoosive. I try to avoid even Suffolk Water Park if possible, preferring quieter less busy, smaller fish waters, where I can get a choice swim without worrying about it being ram jam full. Even though I do have a number of local commercial lakes around me, and I disagree with the local club, I do still have a couple of waters available that will show up a few fish which I prefer to being hemmed in.

Gardner Pro, works for me. Far superior to most more expensive lines!

And being as we no longer have a shop on site, we also relaxed the rules for all members as long as the link is direct to the item. We even put a nice post up for everyone telling them that as well

James, These may be of some use to you: http://www.totalfishinggear.co.uk/buy.cfm/carp-accessories/tf-gear-thermo-lite-stove/39/no/62195 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/321507812729?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&chn=ps&device=t&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0 http://trakkerproducts.co.uk/fishing-gear/cooking-gear/

I used the Dual Fuel Peak 1 and I also binned mine. I used to keep mine clean and regularly serviced, but it failed one trip. I took it apart on the bank, cleaned the generator and pump, put it back together and it still did not work. It would not fuel, despite being properly pumped up, so I took it apart again. I rebuilt it, but it still would not work. I repumped it, switched it on again and nothing, I lifted it up, and it sprayed petrol all over my face. I refuse to ever use petrol or dual fuel stoves again, and stick to gas. A single 500 size canister lasts me a number of days. A 5 day session I will actually only use 1 canister, and I do boil the kettle plenty and make decent dinners. That same canister will make it through a 4 day trip and a bit

Personally, for single nighters I would get a brolly system with maybe an overwrap if you do o/n's in the winter. In fact I use a brolly system for all my fishing now, both long and short sessions. A brolly is usually more versatile than a full bivvy, with maybe a couple of exceptions, the Fox Royale Classic, and Nash H-Gun.

This is C&P'd from the Slack vs Tight lines thread

You could have different presentation without knowing it, sometimes a bait sat on the top of the pile of freebies, and sometimes under or in the middle of it. It may do your head in not knowing which way you are fishing. I can understand all perspectives, a mouthful of bait picking up a fish that just cleans up a PVA bag of bait with a hook attached somewhere in there, the hookbait in the middle or under could be good, or on top it may be able to 'see' the bait and avoid it, or it being more blatant make the hookbait stand out more. I really hate this 'drop the lead', in most cases it is not needed, is actually a form of pollution, littering. In weed an inline zipp shaped lead will play through the weed far better than anything with a lead clip attached. Add to that fishing a leader in weed is a big no no. You are moving the weak point further up the line, and increasing the chance of a fish getting tethered. The leader knot in itself is a weed collector, if because you are fishing a leader in weed, if a break off occurs, that leader can go round plenty of weed, creating the chance of tethering. Also helicopter set-ups in weed are also a No, they don't give fast enough indication, the fish can move miles before you get any indication at the rod end. An additional point is that weed can be quite abrasive, not necessarily the weed itself, but snails, mussels etc, and a heli set-up increases the chance of the line giving way where the rig runs over it. Only a couple of screaming runs? That actually sounds to me like you are often being done, the fish getting away with it without any indication at the rod end. Try switching to a different set-up, maybe a 'paternostered' style running lead on a weak link (which will only give way if the lead is snagged) and you could find yourself getting far more fish.

I have used Shimano reels for years (20+), and I honestly would not look at any other manufacturer for a fixed spool reel. I have gone from 3500 Baitrunners to 4000's, to 6010's, onto Aerlex's, onto the new size DL10000's and back onto Beastmaster XTA's with the front spool baitrunner system, all carried on working with minimal care. I have played a number of big fish on all of them (big being from doubles to 30+), and never has any reel missed a beat. I will be honest and say I have had an Aerlex, which I use as my spod reel, the bail arm mechanism has worn and the bail arm came free, which I was able to fix on the bank by fashioning a rubber grommet from a big rubber bead I can only put that down to repeated heavy use and abuse over 10 years! I do get to play with a number of reels at work, and I would say an ST Baitrunner is as good as the next range up DL, the difference is you only get one carbon plastic spool compared to an aluminium spool and a carbon plastic one with the DL, which may be a consideration when playing catfish. My DL's have played a number of 30lb fish, agin, ( I know) no problems, and some of those were from snaggy areas where I needed to lock up to get the fish away from trouble. The DL 10000 size reels I have used on Nazeing lagoons, and I would say that the maximum casting distance with 0.35mm 15lb line is around 90 metres, due to size and depth of the spool, the line can't pull off any further as you have taken too much off the top layers. I recently purchased a set of Beastmaster XTA's, with the front baitrunner spool and clutch, and that has increased the casting distance, they are a big pit, big fish reel at a budget price, can be got for around £55 if you shop around. The first fish I played on them was a very wild 8lb Sea Trout out of Nazeing with no problems, and had other carp since no problems. I don't mess about with line colour, well, other than a dark or light dependant on water colour. Daiwa Sensor brown, Gardner Pro in light or dark are my line choices, they take the abuse, regular casting, on spod and fishing rods, and playing big fish. Another important consideration is that a spool of line costs less than a £10, which if I do frag a line up on gravel or snags (which the Gardner is very resistant to!), it is cheap and easy to replace. A good reliable line is probably one of the most important items of tackle!

I use Amnesia regularly as part of my combi rigs, usually tied to Merlin, and I honestly don't know how many fish I have caught on that set up, it is very productive. I will say, after EVERY fish, change the hooklink, as Amnesia knots are notoriously bad after they have been tensioned and the line has stretched. I also use it in heavier strains (30lb) as a shock leader with my marker gear. In the long distant past I have used it as a mono hooklink, and have been thinking about it again recently as on gravel it is perfect. I would always tie on a softer hair on the hook, and use a (Rapala) loop knot at the mainline-hooklink swivel, and when tieing the hook on, use a 3 or 4 turn blood knot. Please note I test my knots, and these have shown the most consistency in giving best strength. As part of a combi rig, the overhand loop to Uni knot of the Merlin (Merlin going through the overhand knot and then uni knotted back down the Amnesia) is easy to tie, but as I have mentioned on other threads, not changing it after every fish has cost me another fish when the knot has given way. This rig, also pictured on one of my PB threads, has landed a couple of Pb's (d'oh), and on that thread has complete directions on tieing it

Other than the CAPS info on the website little is written about most of their waters. They are a busy club, many waters are very crowded at the weekends. Sadly there is nothing on the forum recently about any of the lakes.

I found the PVA bag with a braided hooklink very effective in weed, although on gravel, the lead did tend to increase the landing speed, pushing itself out of the bag, still damaging the swivel. The hook pushed through the corner of the bag meant that most of the free bait stayed around the hook and bait in weed as or if the lead came out. The lead was positioned in one corner, the hook in the other. To slow the bag down, a few floating dog biscuits, corn/PVA nuggets or pop-ups could be put in it. A bright pop-up or dog biscuits floating up gave you a target to aim at if you want to fire a few baits around it.

My problem with inline leads is that the damage that gets done to the hook-link, hooklink swivel, lead insert or tulip bead, especially on harder lake beds. I used to fish inlines regularly, and found I was killing swivels, tulip beads and the top end of my hooklink as it crashed onto gravel in water less than around 6 feet deep. Kryston Braid was less likely to be damaged than mono, but Dacron and mono could get fragged. If the swivel got marked and nicked, it could eventually cut through the hook-link. The tulip beads I was using as the lead insert regularly got broken, so I switched to a neoprene sleeve or catapult elastic over a length of stiff tubing running through the lead.

For fishing semi fixed use a run ring and tight line. For fishing a running lead fish a run ring and slack line. Keep it simple. Especially as I think lead clips are the spawn of the devil and should be banned