salokcinnodrog

Mate, Blanks are a part of carp fishing, you are NOT going to catch on every trip, sometimes your fault, and sometimes because of the fish. As much as possible you really need to learn your water, spend time watching the carp, where they feed, what they respond to baitwise and what they prefer. Even now, although it doesn't feel like it weather wise, the carp are shutting down for winter, they will likely only munch in certain spots, their (usual) regular winter haunts, it is down to you to find them. We can all advise on best bait, best method, and what works for us, but that will be relative to the waters we fish (see post below). You will have to find where they are and what they want to feed on. Some waters really respond to bags, and others will respond to a food source bait, and yet others to those overflavoured hi-visibility pop-ups that we hate to love and love to hate. The problem is that many anglers move into carp fishing with no "apprenticeship" in other aspects of fishing, and as such don't understand feeding. I also understand from those in the know (actually the search facility), that the fishing is NOT easy anyway: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=34302&highlight=beadles Just by posting on an old thread brings it back to the top of the section for new updated information

Line through a Tail Rubber, and with the plastic peg going through the inside of an inline lead push the tail rubber over the top of the plastic peg (if worried about line damage a piece of shrink tubing shrunk over the peg will provide protection), and tie the mainline to your hooklink swivel. Then push a rubber tulip bead over the swivel knot and inside the base of the inline lead. The line goes outside the lead, which will pop off if snagged. Far safer than ever using leadcore on an inline set-up, which because it will always trail behind the rig in the event of a snap-off is NOT safe!

Hit the search facility and have a dig with "Cambridgeshire waters" as your search terms. I also know about this thread from the top of my head: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=46616

You've only got a PB of 11lb and got the bug, then don't take the fun out of it and start pushing too far and too fast. Learn the waters you are fishing, and get experience of those waters and fish. From that you will gain far more and better knowledge and have more fun than just trying to get another set of numbers. I know that you have opened up other threads asking how to fish, or "bemoaning" blanks, as of yet, don't bear a grudge or think me mean, but I don't think that you have the knowledge or understanding to be catching 20+ carp yet I started carp fishing in 1984 (on and off with other species), but it took me until 1992 (I think) to get my first 20lb+ carp. When I did get my first 20 I had gone from the water where I had "decided" I wouldn't do any better to a lake where to be honest I was really out of my depth. That year aiming for the 20+ I had 1 fish, sure a PB at 21.10 but I didn't enjoy it; I stopped enjoying my fishing and it became a very negative obsession to catch. After that year I went back to the "easier" lake, and started catching, enjoying and learning what I was doing again. I was still catching doubles, and good looking fish as well, and eventually by chance from that same water, I eventually caught what was my very first 20lb common. Add into all that, don't think that 11lb is a small fish, the average size fish is probably around 10lb, so you have caught a large fish. The magazines make mugs of us all by making us think that we all have to catch "BIG" fish. Carefulcarping has also pointed you out to the search facility ( Search) Slide down to your area on this link: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=27977, and some of the waters mentioned may well have been mentioned in the past, so any of them you can put into the search as your reference terms and then click "search all terms"

There is a list of lakes in Hampshire here: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=27977 It may be worth having a look around and see if any of those lakes are already mentioned on the forum using the search facility, although contact numbers may have changed if you want to contact them directly It really pays to learn a lake and you will struggle to find fish on any lake at this time of year, even an "overstocked" puddle. Just because you blanked 3times it doesn't necessarily mean you are doing things wrong. It is carp fishing, the gear may be right, but the technique and application may be wrong, especially the location. The problem is, and please forgive me for saying so, too many people come into carp fishing expecting it to be easy and to catch every time; that doesn't happen. It may be worth taking a step back, forget the carp fishing gear, and start learning on silver fish, how to feed, where they shoal up and what works for them. Even on small fish you can still blank, but carp fishing is a whole lot harder, but what you learn from small fish will stand you in good stead. Now I happen to know that Broadland lake has produced lots of fish for many people, and at times the fish can be very "peggy" holding up in specific areas. For ages the best method was PVA bags full of pellets with boilie over the top, it may not be the same now, but it did used to work. The most important part of that though is location, fishing where the fish are.

Definitely NOT the Korda ones! In my humble view they are probably the worst lead clips on the market, and I don't like lead clips at all unless I positively have to use them. You should have: mainline to swivel with free running run ring or (fixed in terms of so the lead can come off) lead clip, swivel knotted to hooklink or attached to quick link, quick link to hooklink.

Problem is that river carping is a lot more about location, so river features and areas are often kept very quiet, and any information is not necessarily parted with easily. River Carping is very much even more time spent watching, locating and looking. Now I know that I keep referring to it, but I think that Neal Waytes River Carping has some information on the Nene. (Mind you on some chapters do be careful of misinformation!) As Leggs says, there are carp in the area around Bluebell. The river flooded over the banks into the lakes years ago, and some of the carp in the lakes did go into the river, so the whole area around and downstream will possibly give you an idea of where to start. From that you may have some extra information; if there are any controlling clubs downstream it is possible the sections are fenced off with controlling club signs If not local tackle shops will have information on who controls what part of the river, and so local clubs may be what you need.

I know that they have been sold. The rest is as yet up in the air

Thread moved to correct section. Is this any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=33587 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185

An old thread back up to the top How much do magazines and the fashion rigs actually work in our fishing.? Does using a KD rig really make that much difference over our standard knotless knotted? Come to that, could a line aligner actually work when we may be losing or not even hooking fish on a knotless knotted rig? Is switching to a KD rig the natural answer to that knotless knotted rig "failing"? How many people do think about changing the hair length, the rig length, or even how we feed the swim? Those things may totally change the effectiveness of a rig for the better (or worse). The "standard" hair rig was adapted by Rod Hutchinson and Roger Smith; Hutchys Sliding or Extending hair and Roger Smiths D-rig, both progressions from their fishing at the time. Strange we still use the D-rig (always capitalised due to the "shape" of the hair attachment), yet the sliding hair is almost forgotten in the annals of history. Often we change rigs for the sake of change, or fashion, we don't necessarily take the next progression of adaptation from what we already have. Its all well and good asking what rig to use, on a forum, or reading the answers in a magazine, but they don't give or cover OUR circumstances, we need to experiment ourselves. As anglers fishing we need to have an understanding or natural ability to play with mechanics, as simple as using a line aligner over a knotless knot, and as easy as changing the hair length

DON'T shout And secondly, LOOK: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=41949

As a man that has overcast in to many a snag, the best thing I can recommend to do is to point the rod directly towards the snag, tighten up the clutch and walk backwards keeping the rod in line until the hooklink or line breaks (or you pull in the tree your attached to). It should go at one of the knots, worse case at the reel, but your rod should stay in one piece. Be careful of flying leads/feeders heading back your way though! Wrap a towel or rag around your wrist and grab the line just beyond the rod tip, that way you avoid breaking off at the reel, the worst place it can go. When you do it this way you tend to break the mainline at the hooklink/mainline join

Moved to correct section and duplicates deleted

Read it carefully, and so as to make my point clear, I have boldened my reason for using it: No leadcore is safe, especially when you fish it with inline or pendant set-ups. The leadcore in those type of set-ups will ALWAYS trail behind the hooklink, there is NO WAY that the leadcore can be ejected. It is enough weight to hold a hook in and it only takes as little as 15cms, or 6inches, to be able to snag up on a branch, twig or weedbed.

Nick, I value your help and advice on here above many others, as from reading through many of your posts you always have valid points to your discussions as well as doing plenty of research and tests to find facts to back them up... recently I have been drawn towards the leadcore leader for its pinning properties,. however for many reasons I'd prefer to keep away from it, one being that I like my hooklink to be the weaker link than the mainline so if in the event of a lost fish, it'll only be trailing maximum of 18" of line and no lead (all though I do use running rigs mostly and semi fixed rigs using tulip beads when method feeding etc so they're safe regardless of where the line breaks.) I would like my hooklink, line and rig to be as inconspicuous as possible and yet pinned to the bottom as well as possible to stop spooking fish, so I'm guessing that a flurocarbon hooklink would be best? would I benefit from using a flurocarbon leader for the duration my line would trail through the baited area to help keep it as hidden as possible, or benifit more from having a flourocarbon mainline all the way through to reduce the number of knots in my line? how would be best to pin this to the bottom whilst remaining safe? as bits of putty up the line at intervals would prevent the lead coming free wouldn't it? the world of leaders is new to me as I tend to fish nylon mainline through to a nylon hook link, and all though I have had results on this, I'm hoping to target bigger fish through the winter and into next spring and want to do everything I can to aid in hooking the more cautious lumps. so my question to someone who is of far greater experience than myself is, do you have any advice on how I can create an inconspicuous, strong rig that will pin nicely to the bottom yet remain safe? are there any mainline and/or hooklink materials you have found better than most for this you could advise me on? I am asking because I have recently been fishing with whatever I've had knocking around in my dads old tackle box, but I am hoping to join a syndicate next season, and will be getting a new tacklebox and filling it all with new tackle, and as I've been out of the loop so to speak for a fair while what is on the market now is quite daunting and confusing and the mags don't really portray anything safe, and are mainly one large, continuous advert!! I'm asking you because I know you value fish safety above all else and have tried and tested many items out there, and the main reason is you are unbiased! Sorry if this is a long post I'm just a bit lost with it all and thought you the best person I know of to ask No Problem. A few of my tied rigs are in this thread and are basically the white background pictures http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185 All of the rigs I have tied in this thread have actually been used for fishing, and all have caught. When it comes to mainline, I use Daiwa Sensor Mono or P-Line Floroclear when I can get hold of it (available in USA and I have had to import it), and fish straight through. I have been using Anti-Tangle tubing over the last 30-45cms of mainline to prevent tangles and provide a bit of protection from snags and gravel, accepting that I will lose a bit of sensitivity with running leads and slack lines. Since I'm not 100% sure on whether the tubing is visible or not, looped or coiled up or not I have been adding a bit of weight to it. (My views on that have changed over time) To keep it down I use a small mouse dropping piece of putty, and shape it so that the putty allows the run ring to slide over it easily. This Running set up is pictured straight on my rods as I was retying rigs after replacing the Mainline. Running Rig with tubing

Locked, Copied and pasted

Paul, Is this any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=32598 I don't want to really get into the whole debate again as I have posted so much about it in the past, but any thread that makes anglers consider what they are doing and fish welfare is always a worthwhile thread. My thoughts are that in most cases there is absolutely no need for a leader unless you are using it for absolute distance casting, and if there are any weed or snags, then bin it, use a safe mainline straight through, and accept that you can't fish as far out. I did start a thread last week about line visibility, so I have a funny feeling that much of what is purported to be true in reducing the visibility of end tackle may actually be a bit of a myth (http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=51785

The line aligner has been covered again in one of the monthlies, Septembers Carpology, and according to palm tests, (which I don't necessarily think are always effective), was the best at grabbing hold and turning in to create good hook pr icking.

Don't know if it is any use to you, but I prefer the knot from the Kryston packing/leaflet. Put the swivel or create the loop and then make an overhand knot (but don't pull tight), take the tag end back through the overhand knot, and wrap around 4 times, then back up through the overhand loop. Now wet the knot and then gradually pull tight. With this knot I find it is soft enough with Kryston coated braids for them to still have some movement without breaking the coating. I also use it for stiff rigs to swivel, where my boom section is Amnesia

Definitely the best. Stood the test of time, so I see no reason to change. I have never had a Kryston braid or coated braid give way on me, and their putty is also the best www.kryston.com

Is this any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=48557 Not the "I don't use Bait floss" bit, but about the knot I use to tie baits on

Try this: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=41949 I refuse to use Glue on any knot I tie, instead relying on tying a good knot. If you consider that Superglue or rig glue are both cyanoacrylates, so essentially the same product. That glue may well strengthen a knot in the immediate short term, but water weakens superglue, in fact one of the reasons that superglue or a medical equivalent is used to replace stitches, so the wound can be glued, and then the glue will weaken and break off as the moisture gets into it. Also that glue will also stop lateral movement on a material. As you play a fish the knot is moving around at the top of the hook eye, swivel or splice. That movement may not appear to be much but if the knot is glued, the knot and line can't move, it may break instead.

Hence my choice for a clear submerged float The bait is well above the float even with only 30cms. I use that short a length so that I can eradicate tangles, any longer and really whacking it out any distance and a longer hooklink can be a right pain to cast. The other thing is that for hooklinks I often use a fluorocarbon hooklink, which sinks, so too long a hooklink may actually drag the hook and bait down. On the occasions I decide to go any longer I've found I need to be casting the hooklink out of a bucket or off the ground or unhooking mat, just don't let the hook snag up when you cast I've done a copy and pste onto the linked thread ealier in the topic

My food bait rigs are the same as my summer rigs, however I do usually tie up some pop-up rigs specifically. In the winter I do tend to use pop-ups more than the summer in an attempt to provoke a reaction and take from the carp when things are hard. I can't afford to lighten the mainline on my current lake, 15lb is needed as the lake is very snaggy. Is this any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=23380