salokcinnodrog

Could I ask a question about the "hand test"? I have seen the videos where various rigs are dragged over the heel of the palm to demonstrate how the hook will behave. It would seem to me that this only demonstrates what is happening when the line is being pulled i.e. when there is tension in the line. This will happen when the boilie is being sucked in or if the carp is backing away. If the carp is just mouthing the bait or is blowing it out, the feature demonstrated by the hand test is surely irrelevant? Ideally you want the point to turn over and prick the bottom lip of the fish, whether that is done using a taut hooklink or the carp blowing the bait out. So draging it across your palm and getting the hook towards the edge just before you pull it off the edge the hook cocks and pricks the palm on the edge... I very rarely loose any carp, cant remember the last, if i get a run its on, and well nailed in the centre of the bottom lip.. Results speak.. I must admit I find the Hand test as described, and even the "over the thumb" test misleading as I can think of a number of rigs which will fail both of them are actually very efficient fish hooking rigs. A carp can only suck and blow the bait (and hook) in and out in its "natural" feeding, so almost every rig is failing at some point and not hooking every time. The most important thing is getting the feeding situation right, so that if a rig does fail first time, it is continually picked up as the carp is feeding naturally or comfortably. The more times or the longer the hook is in the mouth, the more chance it has of hooking the fish.

No, the lead pulls everything behind it. A method I do to make doubly sure is make up a PVA bag, put the hook into the bottom corner, and lick and stick the top of the bag around the lead link.

I'd actually avoid Inline Leads for running rigs. The nose of the lead may dive into the silt and prevent the lead from running anyway, plus if it hits a harder patch may damage the hooklink. I'd stick with the running set-up, and even use Leadcore, but NOT in the way you'd think, instead making a lead link, so that the run ring is attached to the lead by a length of leadcore: While Chod/Helicopter set-ups have been advocated for using in Silty waters, it has actually been pointed out by people like Tim Paisley in his book Big Carp that bomb-on-the-end-of-the line set-ups can produce a number of hookpulls due to the angle of pull being across the hook, leading to the possibility of hooks opening out, or even levering themselves out under pressure.

If you are losing fish to hookpulls, then the first thing I would change is the rig and hair length, they probably aren't long enough. Also an Inline lead fishing running, may well not be running at all. The nose of the lead may have pushed the hooklink swivel into the lakebed, or even the lead had dug in far enough so that it couldn't run on a take. edited for typo

It was "inner free", there was nothing inside it, but it was a heavy sinking braid. Can't remember what I did with it, although being as it is not in my house, and definitely not in my fishing tackle, it looks like it went into the bin, or got used to hold up beans on sticks.

Yes it is from the original Korda Rig Guide, from the days when DF was actually getting into the tackle shops and I had respect for them. I hate the article plugging by Korda that is now commonplace by the employees and sponsored/subsidised anglers in magazines. I have also found since the publication of that book that some of the stuff they now produce is NOT suitable for my fishing. Problem is that one of our best known anglers has said publicly that he uses Leadcore in lengths as long as 10feet long, although I believe since he has been forced to shorten it for another article Some anglers will catch fish with LC, and they will fish it no matter what, some may not accept the risks. I'm sorry, it doesn't take a "wrongly" set-up leadcore leader to kill a fish, all it takes is 10cm of leadcore and a fish can be tethered. A few years ago, I got into the water between New Year and Christmas, proper fishing as well and did a fair few experiments to prove or disprove some of the theories regarding Leadcore, and in doing so, managed to upset a certain Magazine editor when I e-mailed him my findings, and I got accused of being an armchair keyboard warrior in print in the magazine. The threads on here that gave the facts were all locked when people didn't or wouldn't accept them and the insults flew, all aimed at Keith and myself or those who were showing and telling the risks of Leadcore That 10cms of Leadcore can kink and trap beads so that rigs can't pass over the knot join, even if they do go through the proper central hole. Leadcore can shoot past the lead on contact with water on a cast, even when feathered, that shooting past is able to create a kink in the LC. Pulling it back does not necessarily remove the kink or pull it totally straight. In leadcore, no matter who's it is, there is the possibility of the lead inner breaking and poking through the outer sheath, which can also trap beads in position. If leadcore is able to wrap around any twig, it will prevent the beads (and rig) coming free. That twig can then be pulled and towed around, picking up more weed and other twigs and detritus creating a big bundle of rubbish that a fish is now pulling complete. I know that we want to keep our fish fit, but I'm sure they don't like doing "Wind Sprints" , and that in turn can break the fishes jaw (ask Keith), or eventually snag up totally, tethering the fish. I can give you pictures of bundles of rubbish pulled out of a lake, and in them, for some reason, there always seems to be a length of leadcore, even if it has managed to pick up other snap-offs, or lengths of line. Leadcore does NOT lay so flat along the lakebed, it is not supple enough to go into every nook and cranny, although mono is probably the same, it is not as highly visible as a length of LC laying along the lakebed. The abrasion resistance, I will agree, it is very high, only it is so high that the outer core (which may well be Kevlar or Dyneema based) is able to saw through wood, and is MORE likely to mark and cut the fish than mono, which usually slides over the fish. In fact last week I had a small common which I caught on Fluoro coated mono, and at one point in I saw the line go around the pectoral fin as it turned away under pressure and then came free as the fight progressed, I netted the fish, and there was no marks or damage. I have also got pictures of fish, which I have put on here before during the days when I did use leadcore, and there are marks which I believe may have been caused by leadcore rubbing along the flanks. Regarding the pictures I put up ages ago of fish with marks on their flanks, that I consider may well have been damaged by leadcore, there is no chance that that is spawning damage, not unless it takes roughly 2 months for (fresh) red marks to heal on rarely caught fish (the big fully scaled caught on 7/7 if anyone knows why the date is relevant) and straight line marks on another mirror and even a pinged scale on the first fish I caught from there which I caught earlier in the year on my second fishing trip to the water, which could not have been caused by spawning as of the time of the first 2 captures they hadn't been there to do it. In fact the first 2 captures came on my second fishing trip on the water in April, and the water was still cold and clear. They didn't spawn that year until May, I know I watched them when they did it.160acres of water to hide in, fish may not get caught for years between captures and some had never been caught before. It was during a time when I did use leadcore in my fishing. At the same time I was also fishing Suffolk Water Park a bit, which is very weedy, and lost a fish, that was guaranteed to be trailing a leadcore leader, fished Pendant lead style, as the line went above the leader knot when the fish cut along a gravel bar on the take. Another incident on that lake made me realise how risky any leaders can be; I cast my marker rod out one evening to have a dig around at what was in front of me, and got snagged up by something. Eventually I retrieved a leader fished helicopter style, complete with (plastic) bait, where the lead could not be ejected and 10's of metres of line caught up in weed a big bundle. The beads would not come free from the leader no matter how much hand pressure myself and the bailiff put on it. We had to use pliers to free the beads and the rig, which I'm sure the carp or other fish are not in possession of. I'm sure that Keith will always use his actual memories of having to kill a fish, it is a first hand incident, one that because he saw and dealt with himself is going to use as a reference. Now he has a water where leaders are banned, and since then has not had another incident, and I believe in his water he also drains down at times to remove any snags and branches that are a risk to fishing. The fish seem to have come on in big weights. Leadcore and leaders are things in fishing where if you use them correctly, as per instructions, will cause the potential for fish to be tethered, but add to that, there is so much additional potential for fish to be snagged/harmed if things are done incorrectly, like putting beads side on, or fishing too close to snags. As I said, it only takes 10cms of leadcore for a fish to be snagged up, and a small twig. If anyone has ever lost a fish, and watched it with a hook in the mouth, they can sometimes use a branch or twig and rub against it, swimming round in tight circles. That 10cms of leadcore may then snag up. Result, a snagged, tethered fish. I really didn't want to get dragged back into another leadcore debate, they do get nasty, and apart from smart alec remarks I'm not that way inclined. I prefer live and let live, but sometimes you have to try to point out dangers to whoever I'm sorry, I have copied and pasted some of my replies on another forum into the quotes, so some of it is repeated (as it has been done many times before albeit in different words), and I have also C&P'd some of this thread onto that "Leaders or Not" Thread

A couple of threads about Leadcore and Leaders: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=32598 That goes back to 2008, when I started experimenting to prove or disprove the safety aspect; Result for me was that Leadcore does NOT do what it says on the tin. http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=39794 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=40970 And ask Moorsey what has happened on the fishery he owns and runs in France from purchase to modern day

Answered

If I give a full explanation then it seems patronising, yet what you forget is that other people NOT just yourself read threads and opinions, and may need a full answer or explanation. If I had just given a 3 word answer of "Use the Chod" you would have been happy, but it didn't agree with what you wanted to hear. In fact you trying to tell me about how Silt rigs and Chod rig got their name put my back up as I am pretty sure that I probably have a very long memory regarding a vast number of rigs, baits and tackle, in many cases long before some of todays anglers were born. Frank Warwick christened the Chod rig "the Short rig" Just put it this way, I've fished in the 70's, 80's, 90, 00's and now the 10's. Work out how many decades that is! You asked for advice, and I gave you advice and my opinion and some of it from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE! I would totally avoid Helicopter set-ups unless I absolutely have to, and the clue in that personal experience is in this line: 20years ago I was playing around with bomb on the end of the line set-ups and found that that was a fault that they had going against them. It meant that even with 20lb leaders I was losing fish, where even the shockleader was giving way. Then we switched over to that horrible poxy stuff called leadcore, which is something I dislike with a passion after finding out for myself how much of a risk it is in fishing. As for Jim Shelley, then I still honestly don't care, I have had personal contact with him, and sometimes what the great and famous do, is not always the best in terms of fish safety There are other rigs that are effective with a great hooking potential, and many a whole lot easier to set up on a standard lead set-up. Now I fish a water that is very silty; no matter how hard I search I still can't find a hard bit of bottom in the lake, it is very thick (smelly) silt, yet I haven't had to resort to Silt set-ups with the bomb on the end of the line yet, and I have had a fair number of fish out on limited number of sessions.

It wasn't Frank Warwick who christened the short rigs on a helicopter the Silt rig, it was Tim Paisley, shortened from the terminology from "bomb-on-the-end-of-the-line" as he put it "for brevity's sake" The Chod rig terminology came from a conversation between Terry Hearn and Jim Maylin when one asked the other "What's the bottom like out there?" The reply was "its a bit choddy". And Jim Shelley also had to change away from the Silt rig on a number of waters, because it didn't sit right, and wasn't hooking fish Just because someone "famous" does something, it DOES NOT mean that other methods won't work. I use Combi rigs, so I do know how stiffer hooklinks come off the swivel, being as Amnesia is a VERY stiff hooklink material Which is WHY I gave you the picture, so you could see a lead link.

The SILT rig set up (its proper name, NOT Chod, which stands for Claggy Horrible Old Detritus, or something similar), is designed for Silt fishing, NOT in weed, but has been (badly) adapted for any situation (by those who are too lazy to do anything else Actually the hooking ability of a Helicopter set-up is not great, and can be responsible for more lost fish than standard set-ups, some of which since you didn't get any indication you won't even know about. The angle of pull is across the line, so a ring swivel on mainline can weaken the line by rubbing, and then under pressure it breaks, also that angler of pressure can also lead to high numbers of hookpulls. It is something that Tim Paisley wrote about years ago when he was fishing The Mangrove Swamp in Big Carp Summer in his book Big Carp. Just because a lake is silty, or gravel, sand or clay you DON'T have to use a Helicopter/Rotary set-up. You could fish a standard set-up incorporating a semi-fixed or running lead, effectively a paternoster That way using a weak link, you can be sure that the lead will break free if required. Or by using (the only good use for) a Leadcore link, it will pull the lead down into the silt. The lead pulls everything behind it, reducing tangles, and with a flat (pear/bottle) lead, is less likely to sink right into the lakebed. Pictured below in the quotes is the set-up that Derek Ritchie used to land a number of fish in a water he was fishing, and Danny Fairbrass liked it so much he published it in his book The Korda Guide to Rig Making, or something along those lines You can play around with the length of the lead link, and also the breaking strain so that you get it sorted for how you need to fish

Fairlop Waters near Fairlop/Ilford. Dagenham Chase, between Romford and Barking/Dagenham Fairlop have a website which I believe explains rules, whether Day or Season, I can't remember, but I have no idea of fish stocks or sizes. Dagenham Chase was mentioned on here ages ago, may be worth having a dig through the search as I think it is Season Ticket. Obviously as with all of the area, may be worth checking with locals about security and safety on them

I received this message from Ken Townley today. Its something I knew about, but was unable to confirm or deny due to the Laws of Slander and Libel. It was probably an open rumour to be honest anyway.

Fine mono works just as well In fact I tie my snowman baits on with fine mono. Don't confuse yourself with rigs. In most cses a knotless knot rig will work, and is easy to adjust dependant on how the carp are taking. The first thing to look at is your hair length, simply by adjusting that you can get your hookholds in the right place. For my reference I look at where I hook (or lose) carp. If it is right back in the mouth the hair is too long, if I'm getting right at the front of the mouth or losing fish then the hair is too short, in the centre of the bottom lip, perfect. Also how you feed or quantity can change where you are hooking fish. These may offer some help: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=37603 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185

Sure its come up before, but have a look at Lee Valley Fisheries: http://www.visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/outdoors/angling-fisheries/ Day and Season Ticket lakes, and some very good fishing for whatever you fancy

I made that 34 at a quick count. You have OCD, need serious help and I reckon tablets are the only answer. I know I've got about 25 tied up, and as I use a rig and change it after each fish grab a new one out of the rig bin. When I get home or during my quiet times fishing I tie up a new rig to replace it. A few specific pop-up rigs, and the rest are mostly my "specialised" snowman sliding set-ups for my season ticket water.

It may be a total blanket ban as (mainline) braids are very thin and can cut fish if used straight through or as a hooklink, in fact a few hooklink braids fall into that category if they are so fine; Which is actually the reason why in many cases we fish with a higher breaking strain hooklink than the mainline I.E, 12lb Mainline and 25lb Hooklink If a water has a braided (mainline and hooklink) line ban I am quite happy using mono or fluoro. We all worry about how a hooklink behaves in water. Most rigs work anyway, whether they fall into thumb or palm test as failures. I know a number of big name anglers who use mainline and mono as their hooklinks, Paddy Webb and Lee Jackson fell into this category for a long time. Either use a finer mono for your hair, or continue the hooklink through with the knotless knot. You could simply tie your hook on as opposed to knotless knot, and then use silicon or shrink tubing over the knot. It worked before we had these finer braided hooklinks (Dacron being the first), and will still work today.

Meads is not easy, I know I've been fishing there Put it this way, its not a water I would recommend anyone without much experience go onto; a lot of anglers walk away with their tails between their legs, even on the supposedly easy Brackens pool, which due to its size has been heavily pressured, and specific rules make it a bit more difficult. Tickets are usually fairly easy to come by though, due to the number of dropouts each year. The waiting list for North Met is a case of (I think), fish one of their fisheries first, and then you are likely to get in. There are a number of Day ticket lakes in the area, of which (operated by LV), Banjo is probably the best.

Neither choice is easy, I can guarantee it. Actually I think by just choosing those waters you are limiting yourself as Glen Faba has some good fish in it, but I suppose at 120 acres may seem a tad hard work, but Bowyers also has some big fish. How are you going to split Nazeing as its effectively 3 waters? The North is very difficult with access problems around some of the banks, whereas the South and Central is pretty much one water with continual access, and Brackens is a rather hard 2 acre pool.

From Drayton drive towards Hellesdon up the back road. I'll let you work out where Green Lanes is exactly. Pikewise at Hellesdon Mill I found the mouth of the incoming river Tud better than the Mill pool. I did also manage a number of brown trout from the actual mill pool itself. As for the Carp around the city stretches from Anglian Water to around Dolphin Bridge; SSSHHH!

The carp in the Yare move a LONG way and can be very difficult to find as there is so much water for them to go into. At Thorpe St. Andrew, almost opposite the Girls High school on Yarmouth Road is an housing estate that was built about 20years ago. At the back of that housing estate is (or was) a footbridge across to an old square marina with wooden staging and platforms. Very weedy in the middle, but it was where the carp used to go into spawn when the water warmed up. Those carp have often worked their way down from as far upstream as New Mills Yard on the Wensum, or from as far upstream as they can get on the Yare into the marina. You are really going to have to spend a lot of time hoping, looking and fishing for the carp, but they do go to big weights. I've seen carp sat underneath the staging by The Compleat Angler just sitting sunbathing, and lost a few on the Riverside road area around Carrow Road. As for those bream, they can also do a moving act along the river. Thunder Lane they could be on the bends, or just as easily they could be down by Bramerton/Woods End, or Postwick.

More than 2 types of tubing, as you have also forgotten the joys of plain ordinary silicon tubing that can be used on hooks, often faster and easier than using shrink tube, especially if you are tying up rigs on the bank I also use shrink and silicon tubing on the hooks to create line aligners, which I have confidence in, and although they may be easy, sometimes a standard knotless knotted hook does not catch hold, so the line aligner can be useful. If I can get away with it, I would be quite happy fishing without Anti-Tangle tubing on the mainline, although I'm confident in its use, as a bit of extra protection against snags and gravel rub. http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=35896

There have been carp caught between Costessey and Hellesdon for years Anglian Water Fish Farm was on the mill at Hellesdon, and years ago when the river flooded fish escaped from the farm into the river. Green Lanes used to be the area they sort of holed up, shallows and deeps within a very short section of river. Years ago John Wilson wrote about having 4 bites in an evening, a 2lb roach, a 4 or 5lb chub, a double figure barbel and a double figure carp was the result. I know the exact swim that he took it from as well, although the fallen tree that made up one of the features is no longer there.

http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=46346&highlight=wildmoor+waters Just by posting on a thread brings it back to the top of the section