salokcinnodrog

It is very rare that I use a fluorocarbon hooklink at all, preferring to use (Amnesia top) combi-rigs to braid or coated or uncoated braid rigs. I don't like the stiffness of fluorocarbon as that may not allow the bait and hook to travel towards the fish on the suck, whereas a braid hooklink can unravel as the fish sucks. If you worry about how the braid falls in water then it may look a bit of a mess, but by feathering the cast and using PVA bags, stringers or mesh you can totally eradicate tangling. Matching the braid to the lakebed, I don't worry about it. Kryston SuperSilk although white out the packet soon takes on the colour of the lkebed, looking tea coloured, but the other Kryston braids I use seem to match up, whether Mantis, Mantis Gold or even the black version, and I have had a lot of fish on Merlin, SuperNova and those I also don't worry whether they blend in. I actually think that the softer braids, no matter what colour, are more like a bit of weed around the area, than any other hooklink so are not as frightening as they may appear to the angler.

I agree with Nige's sentiments, but unfortunately I know it isn't always practical. A couple of years ago fishing in the winter with a week between trips my gear simply wasn't drying out, the bivvy was damp, and my landing net, slings and mats were still damp each trip. Now I was lucky, I was fishing my syndicate water, and so the only place that the equipment used was this one lake, yet I know that some anglers do fish more than one water. The bugs and bogies that get from water to water may not be instantly passable as the temperature is not warm enough for them to be active, or for the carp to pass them over, yet as it warms up they may then get passed on and become active. (Levigsp (Frank) knows far more about this than I ever do). The other option is for the fishery to provide the nets, slings etc, but even then we have sticky fingers at various venues. Therefore there has to be an effective way to clean your kit between trips, but equally it may not be practial or possible for the angler, so the theory of dip and rinse tanks is a good one, but they should be checked and replenished, and the active ingredients should be safe for the fish.

sorry but your point about not getting the same deal on a bulk buying bait manufacturers is a little off the mark im afraid . ive managed to source where a fair number of bait firms get their milk proteins and i can get a 20kg sack of casein for just over £200 and that includes postage. i think it works out about £8-70/kg, now when the bait firms are charging about £15-00/kg thats a very good deal. the more sacks you buy obviously the less it is. i had a price list sent through from them and if you buy a pallet of sacks then it works out to be £8-35/kg, no doubt this is how most bait manufacturers buy there ingredients. it took me a fair few hours of searching on the net and a few phone calls but all worth while in the end. well if you make alot of homemade bait that is. and at that price you can up the milk protein content of your bait and it wont break the bank Yes and No If you buy a sack of bait ingredients from a bait company don't forget that they won't sell it to you for the same price that they are able to get it for, so the price may be elevated, or not as cheap as you could possibly get it from the original supplier. Yet because the bait company is probably buying more than you can from the original supplier they are likely to get a better discount or rebate from them. In fact there is a very good example of this in that many of the Birdfoods that you can buy from Sainsburys are originally from John E Haiths. If you buy from Sainsbury's the price is definitely higher than you would be able to get it for from Haiths, yet if you bought it from Haiths you would not be paying the same as what Sainsbury's do. I would far rather buy any ingredient with a very low price, or at a discount, yet I can't justify in many cases buying a pallet of milk protein as it simply wouldn't keep, I don't have the storage space or cold store facilities. That pallet would likely take me a lifetime to use, and would likely have gone rancid by the time I could eventually use it all up.

Thing with baits now is that a lot of ingredients have come in from Animal Husbandry. There is a massive difference in quality that you (or bait compoanies) can buy in any ingredient. Fishmeal is getting harder to source, inflation etc and so prices have gone up. I don't know how many times I have mentioned HNV's point that if you buy the ingredients yourself you are unlikely to get the same deal as a bulk buying bait manufacturer, so it may well be better financially to buy it straight from the bait company. BFM was one of the best baits, yet compared to another fishmeal I used very little of it as I had a 'share' in New Concepts Mariner Mix which was also a fishmeal bait. From that I went onto The Biollix and Trigga, almost avoiding BFM altogether, yet I knew how effective it was.

The stipulation I have on bottom bait or snowman rigs is that the hook is line aligned, as I have noticed that shorter shank hooks (even curved shanks), I don't always get a good hookhold with no extension. The hair length is also then carefully watched to match the right length for getting the hook to penetrate into the middle of the bottom lip.

I must admit that I don't buy hooks on advertising blurb, and avoid some brands as much as possible down to personal reasons. So my current hooks are Gardner Muggas or Gamakatsu GP204's (possibly the same hook pattern, maybe the same factory, as many really are despite all the different branding), and for pop-up rigs Kamasan B175's (which are the same factory as Drennan) I really don't worry too much about matching and camouflaging end tackle as I don't think that fish can identify a hook down to colour, or a lead as being a lead. My worry is that the hooks I use are good enough to land the fish I want to catch, and that my hooklink and mainline will be strong enough not to break. My hooklink for years has been a combi-rig with Amnesia and Merlin/SuperNova, or Mantis. I don't care about the colour on the lakebed as what you see in the lakebed margins is different to out in the middle of the lake. The stipulation I have on bottom bait or snowman rigs is that the hook is line aligned, as I have noticed that shorter shank hooks (even curved shanks), I don't always get a good hookhold with no extension. The hair length is also then carefully watched to match the right length for getting the hook to penetrate into the middle of the bottom lip.

Fish lost at the net to me usually points to one thing; trying to force the fish in, putting more pressure than you should in trying to get it into the net quickly. Allow them a little more time playing around before (or attempting to) net them. With barbless hooks as you net them, there always seems to be a time when you have a little slack as you move the net into position (not intentional, but trying to concentrate on fight and net into position is darn difficult), this sometimes allows the hook to pop out.

Latest news I have heard is that on the Main Lake, pegs 17-28 have been closed as the fish are spawning in the area. For anyone who doesn't know the lake, I think that these pegs are the first pegs on the road side of the point (as opposed to the golf course side), and also the pegs at the far end of the road bank.

Have you considered any of the clubs or free stretches that cover the River Soar? It was or even is one of the best rivers in the country for numbers of carp.

I must admit that I don't like Superglue anywhere near my rigs as it has a tendency after immersion in the water to crack and break. Since it has gotten into the fibres they can also then break. The simple solution I have found with Uni and Grinner knots is to lubricate, then work then tight and then pull them as hard as you can to test them. A simple answer to prevent slippage can be to lighter blob the tag end, or in the tag end tie a simple overhand knot. It stops the tag end then pulling back through the knot itself.

I have never had a grinner or uni knot slip with braid, and it is the only knot I use with braid for attaching hook or swivel with the exception of occasionally the knotless knot for hook

I know the lakes at Horcott, and the main lake is actually close on 10 acres. The Scout Lake is around 3 acres, and the top lake is around the 2 acre mark. The main lake is full of specimen tench and bream, which I know go to around 8-9lbs, but the carp are very few and far between. If you pile in the pellets and particles you will get plagued by ducks and tufties as the lake itself is no more than 5 feet deep. I would class this as a very difficult water, although in terms of value for money the Season Ticket costs £16, which includes Night Fishing. There is a 2 rod limit, and the old bailiff is on-site 24hours a day

Are ready tied as good as those that you can tie yourself? Playing Devil's Advocate for a minute; a ready tied leadcore leader with ready tied rig, Is it as safe as a helicopter or silt set-up that you could tie at home or on the bank? I have never thought about using ready tied shop bought rigs, simply because I can change and tie the things I need to myself while on the bank. That is not to say that shop boughts don't work, but that you may find that you have to adjust things yourself. Also while I know my knots, if the knot fails it is my fault, yet with a shop bought, who am I going to blame?

Me personally I don't like using helicopter rigs unless I absolutely need to. They are brilliant for long distance casting as very aerodynamic, and also for proper silt fishing, but other than that, I try to stick to pendant or inline lead arrangements. As for rigs to use, pop-up or bottom bait, fairly short rigs, or long enough to come out of the silt (may be a reason for switching to a longer rig on a pendant set-up). I used to braid on my silt rigs, but others have used fluorocarbon, mono etc. In other words, there is really no right or wrong, just what does or doesn't work for you.

Don't use braid on a spod/spomb rod. It doesn't stretch and is more likely to crack off than mono with a shockleader. I use Drennan Grey Greased Weasel in 40 or 60lb, or even Black 30lb Amnesia as my shockleader with the spod rod and not had a crack-off while casting.

A few places; Leadshed, Hippysleads. It may be worth googling or searching them up on FB or ebay, as there are a number of places doing them cheap

Exactly. My supple section is usually 1/3 of the length of the rig. So a 15cm rig is 10cm of stiff material, and 5 of braid

If you want a supple, stiff, supple rig, then use a coated braid and strip it at both ends leaving a coated section in the middle. Simples Mind you, you could always use a large loop on the stiff section so it can turn easily if you are using a supple braid at the hook end

Surely with a second hook that may be flying you risk extra damage to the fish? Main hook in bottom lip, second hook catches outside lip, as fish is netted, hook in cheek tears out. Or as Andy has said, you have hook in lip, and second hook in throat, which could be difficult to remove and may or may not seal the throat or mouth shut.

I don't like maggot clips or the use of a second hook, and I'll stick to putting maggots on thread or floss tied onto rig ring or even sew maggots and thread onto a piece of foam or glue them to a cork ball

But should you have to do that, shouldn't they be ready to use straight out the packet??? I agree with Andy's theory, but plastic will soften after a bit of use, or be stiff before its used. You could just as easily rub and squeeze the tail rubber for a few minutes before putting it onto the lead clip. I'm not a lead clip fan, but those with a plastic peg to hold the clip to the hook link swivel, I think are safer than those that may be able to pull free

But surely all of those issues apply when fishing slack lines at any range, and yet the world and his dog say it's the only way to fish! (Ok not everyone, but a lot these days.) With slack lines you get no drop back indication, and the fish has to move a substantial quantity of line before you get an indication in any direction. A fish on a slack line could run sideways or towards you with no indication at all as the bobbin is flat down. I thought I was hitting a happy medium by fishing semi-slack, and keeping the line in the deck with a back lead. The back lead also means you can have the bobbins a bit off the ground to register a drop back, and a limited amount of line out so it's flat on the bottom. I normally don't fish back leads under the tips, usually I slide it out and drop it at the deepest point between me and the hook bait. I'm confused. I need a beer. I guess all ways have their good and bad points. Solve one problem you create another, solve that one and another occurs, and so on. I honestly think that with a slack line and running leads indication is increased. Think of a cable running through a conduit, you can pull it easily from end to end, but try to pull it sideways and you have a resistance, now underwater a slack line acts in the same way. Gary has pointed out the flaw with a slack line and running lead, the presence of undertow, so you want a sinking line that you can get down to the lakebed, either a good sinking mono or a fluorocarbon line. It can take a while to get the line totally slack and down to the lakebed. Cast out and tighten down to the lead with the rod tip under the water. Then as you put the rod on the rests, pull line off the reel, so much that line is drooping between the eyes, and put the indicator on at maximum drop, it's lowest point. You may find that the line tightens and pulls the indicator up, each time it does, pull more line off the reel. It can take as much as 20minutes to get it all down. There are times when fishing a slack line is not possible, as I said, no back leads, that same running lead set-up and I fish with the line extremely tight from rod to lead, you get indication from runs or drop backs

Would the line tight but through a back lead be enough to give this effect? The swim I'm in right now is quite tight, and really playing a fish in would be a nightmare unless the lines were on the bottom from a few yards past the tip. I usually fish semi-slack through a back lead to make sure it's all down. Sorry to fire a bunch of quotes and questions at you. Thinking many things at once here! I don't like back leads at all, they give the fish more time to get rid of the bait without any indication at the rod end, create another angle in your line from end tackle to back lead then lakebed to rod tip, another 90degree (ish) angle and the fish can move a long way before you get any indication as well. You could make life a whole lot easier, dependant on how tight the swim, by having the rod tips under water at the extreme margin. Don't fish with your rods over the water, but have the tips down in the water. Also even though I suggested a bolt set-up, I have still managed to fish with a running lead at distance, over 100metres, but if you can't then you want the lines as tight as possible. So tight, you're even trying to 'stretch' the line. You want your heavy indicator at the top, line dead tight. If you have any slack, then the fish can move away without indication, and if you aren't tight with the heavy indicator, then you won't get any indication of a drop back.

Here's a point for you, if you do snap off with a leader, as Gary has pointed out the usual breaking place is the mainline to leader knot, then the lead must be able to come off. A lead clip may or may not work, especially as the tail rubber has been pushed on so you don't eject the lead on casting. Switch to a large run ring, effectively a running lead, but by having the line tight, you make a bolt or semi-fixed lead; with that run ring the ring can slide off and over the broken point, even if the line has coiled itself into a bundle of loops. If there is no weight on the leader and hook link, then the hook can be ejected as per Levigsp's post on another thread the other day, with the callous/blister effect.

I don't agree. Most of my fishing is with size 4s, regardless of bait. Same here,