salokcinnodrog

Preconceived ideas? There are times when I go fishing with the intention of trying something specifically and will stick to the plan with the want to learn something new. I fished a couple of weeks ago over groundbait and used Fake Corn as bait to see whether it was a viable tactic for a particular fish, but although I caught, I got the area wrong and ended up with another "bag" of small commons. My corn set-ups usually involve 2 or 3 real pieces on a hair with just 1 fake piece to give it buoyancy and "stack rig" it, although the session the other week was all fake corn on a large (size4) B175 fished knotless knotted. It doesn't even need to be hair rigged, if you can find the right hook, then a single piece shank mounted is just about balanced. The 2 Carp this week came on my "experimental" bait tipped with a piece of fake corn as the hair stop. Rigs were a Combi link Amnesia to braid, and a straight braid hooklink, both to a size 8 Nailer and Line aligned.

It may be worth trying them. I didn't have any takes on them, but I haven't spent much time learning the water. All my sessions were only Day trips and have been limited, and seemed to be in the early part of the year up to April/May. Other than a few fish on floaters at the shallows I saw more fish hanging around the pump near the Dam wall (a bright white ghostie giving the game away), but it does not look like a safe area to fish as there were a few snags in the form of pump, a platform and some branches on the lakebed.

If your tubing is coming back whole, but with small marks in then it is doing its job! If you use a long hooklink then a Heli arrangement may well not be the best set-up. If that means that you have to use a Semi-Fixed or Running set-up then Leadcore is NOT an option. I've actually fished a couple of venues knowing that with snags (mussel covered branches and gravel) I needed to use 2 metres of Tubing to prevent problems. The best tubing I found to avoid being cut up was Armourtube, think it is now sold by Solar, although as with all tubing the threading may cause you grief. not sure what you mean with the heli set up and long hooklinks? have used them in the past with no proplems. What do you mean by long? To me a long hooklink is above 20centimetres at the moment, although I have gone up to 60centimetres in the past (not with Heli Leads). I found that hooklinks above 20centimetres with Heli Rigs were more likely to tangle, and that also depended on the hooklink material. Braid is definitely more likely to tangle than mono/fluoro. The only way to use longer hooklinks in my opinion, on a heli is to tie them back, which meant I may as well have not been using heli set-ups anyway as I can do as neat job with a Running/Semi-Fixed Pendant arrangement.

I have only fished it a few times, but every time I found the fish at the narrow end it was floater time, until the swans came along. Baitwise I'm not really sure what has been working on there. It didn't respond to bright pop-ups on any of my day trips. I never had the chance to get the fish really confident in any bait as it was only a "quick" trip just to see what it was like. The Bailiff was only really interested in getting his Day Ticket money and not giving out information. It may pay to get a food bait properly established as I have never seen any of the same anglers on there other than the Match Anglers

Do you mean Kirton Hall near Felixstowe in Suffolk? If so, then there is no substitute for spending time on the water watching and looking for the fish. The shallow margins on the High bank mean that the fish do not come in particularly close. Fish often hang around the Pump, and the narrow end, but the swans did make fishing difficult up there.

If your tubing is coming back whole, but with small marks in then it is doing its job! If you use a long hooklink then a Heli arrangement may well not be the best set-up. If that means that you have to use a Semi-Fixed or Running set-up then Leadcore is NOT an option. I've actually fished a couple of venues knowing that with snags (mussel covered branches and gravel) I needed to use 2 metres of Tubing to prevent problems. The best tubing I found to avoid being cut up was Armourtube, think it is now sold by Solar, although as with all tubing the threading may cause you grief.

Last thread on Shatterford: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=5500&highlight=shatterford

I've moved this into UK Where to fish

I agree with all that Shakey says, although beware there are a few Swim Jumpers about who will go off your efforts I was doing the same, mostly overnighters with a few longer sessions put in. Bream can really clean you out if you pile much bait in, or just as easily they can leave the bait alone for a couple of days if the Carp are in the area. I have had Carp out over massive baited areas (and I mean massive 10kilos at a time ) or just a stringer or small bag. This was on the first night or after a couple of days. It can appear to take the Carp a few days to find any bait and they do move around a bit, but as Shakey says, just concentrate on the location, walk as much as you can then get into your fishing, and multiple catches are a possibility as they may well get into a few shoals. The way I found to pick a swim was park at the lodge, walk down the bank to Lodge Lane, go back to car, then park at Lodge Lane and walk down to dam at Wick Lane and then the same along the other arm, and then decide on weather and sightings (not many sightings). Lots of walking involved. The Leather in my avatar is an Ardleigh fish, as are a few more of the pics I have on here Again, like Shakey I would like to get back as I have somethings I would like to catch up on, especially the Social life as there are some good guys on there. I think when the anglers know you, the kettle goes on almost immediately they see you come past. One word of warning I found though, try to avoid Friday/Saturday nights, especially if you are parked on the A12 side as I did have an occasional problem with drunken squaddies being a bit rowdy (not fighting just rowdy and some of their habits were a bit crude)

I believe that due to problems with certain parts of a foreign community and some fish going missing and aggression aimed towards the Bailiff who works at the factory the Day Tickets have been stopped. They were only available from October until March anyway, and a close season has been enforced I do know that ICI are looking to get a Full time guard going around the venue. I have heard that at the moment the Factory workers have the right to fish it, and the syndicate is not yet totally up and running. This is only the current rumour though, and until I hear anything else I don't know any different.

Some days my timing is just plain awful Give me a windy day, usually a headwind, and I have no end of problems. I either mistime it or force it extra hard and lose gear. That happens when I'm Sea Fishing as well. Either that or you are a gentle gentleman caster and I'm just plain brute force and ignorant

I've never lost any tackle using a commercial brand of marker braid straight through. Adding a leader is more likely to cause losses as you'll then have a weak point i.e. the knot! Was the other way around for me, I lost more because I wasn't using a Leader Give it a real whack and because of no stretch and a crack-off I would end up having to re-tackle. 3 or 4oz leads on a 30lb braid is not good, you actually need close to 60lb strength with a 3oz lead to reduce the crack-offs, whereas with an Amnesia or Greased Weasel leader I can keep at the 30/40lb (10lb per ounce of lead). As for the knot catching, tie a good knot, and position it at the back of the spool and you shouldn't have problems with it. The knot I use is to tie an overhand knot in the leader, don't pull it tight, thread the braid through the loop in line with the tag end, then Uni knot the braid down the leader, lubricate and pull tight. Never had one give way unless I have hit a snag, or been cut off. The cut-offs I have had have actually cut the braid rather than the leader as well

Sorry, I definitely don't agree that Leadcore will protect the fish, or even pin the line down better. In the Leaders or Not thread link above, we had a long discussion on Leadcore and it is not good stuff to be using. http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=39794 This new link gives a pic of what can happen with a leader, and it does not need to be leadcore to be a risk. A bead that can't slide, or a rig that can't release. Even look at the pic in the thread that Tony started in this section. Now please tell me, why use a leader? There is no need except for long distance casting, when you are using a Shock leader to prevent the mainline snapping on the cast. When you do use a Shock leader then the lead, and rig must be free to come loose and ejected. So a Running lead is the best set-up. On top of that if there is weed or snags present, then a leader can tangle up in it, so basically forget fishing there. All fishing must be done as safely as possible, and leaders, especially leadcore, are not the safest items to be using

I'll go with what others have said in their posts, learning to tie your own rigs is an important step towards your fishing targets. To get making your own rigs all you need is a pack of swivels and/or quick links, hooks and a hooklink material, and obviously a pair of Scissors/Braid Blades or nail clippers to cut the hooklink material. Not an essential, but may be useful is Silicon tubing, large enough to go over the eye when you have your hooklink knot or knotless knot and the hook tied on. I'll give you the link to the Rig Tying Stickies which has a number of pics and a couple of diagrams. While there are some more advanced rigs shown in there, my advice , again, as with others, is Keep it as Simple as possible http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185

I still occasionally lose tackle Even with a leader! I lost (eventually getting back) a lead, float and leader on a snag that had been "dropped" into the lake this winter. I'm more concerned about my fingers with the leader than losing tackle. A mistimed braid cast can cut to the bone, and I suppose because of the lack of stretch it may also mean a mistimed or off cast can crack-off. Might also be easier for you if you just type in Nick, instead of SALOKCINNODROG

Try these: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=33264 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=27479 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=32598 In most cases a leader serves no purpose other than creating another potential weakspot in your line. There is nothing more invisible to the fish than a line running along the lakebed, so try fishing Slack lines and Running leads, which should be explained in a couple of the links above

I must admit that I use a Leader on my Marker rod through to braid, although I can't use Tapered leaders (even Sea Fishing). I use Amnesia or Greased weasel for Leaders, and use a length long enough so that I have 4 or 5 turns on the reel when I have my casting drop. Couple of reasons for it: I still mistime the occasional cast and I would much rather not lose a finger on braid. I like the ease that a Run ring slides on the leader over the "stickiness" on braid, which can occasionally twist and hold the ring in place. I haven't found any loss in feel using a leader for such a short length

Copied from a PM I sent when somebody asked the same question So from Tony's explanation and mine, his is the easiest version.

Hi mate, I am using fake corn, the hooks and the weight of the link just about sink the bait, so i would of thought the carp will have taken it right back due to how light the bait is? Also, i am just using small pva bags on the hook for feed, any amount of bait in this lake kills it in my opinion, too much disturbance. Like the Korda dig as well Just because the bait is light and only just sinks the hook and link does not mean that the Carp aren't wary of it. If the Carp are only just sucking and blowing on a short link or short hair, then they can still only take it in as far as it will go, just because it is light does not mean that it will go all the way back. You say you are fishing withjust PVA bags, you may well have got Carp that are used to being fished for like that, and as a result are wary of the bait, and especially the hookbait, which is why you are getting hookpulls. Try on 1 rod a bed of bait, forget about the disturbance putting it in, sweetcorn doesn't make that much disturbing splash, even less if you can tip it into the margins by hand rather than cattie it out The Carp may actually think "dinner bell" when the splash comes anyway. If they are still scared of the disturbance, then the obvious answer is to lengthen your hair rig length: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=37416

You can use a Coated Braid wherever you like, with any lead set-up, but I try to use it where it will be a benefit for a particular purpose. To totally camouflage the hooklink, or to prevent tangles. If you are using tubing and PVA then Coated braid may not be required for anti tangle purposes. Not sure how many manufacturers sell ready made coated braid rigs, but WHY? You need to be fully trusting your tackle; If a knot goes who is to blame, if it is your knot then you can only blame yourself. If it is down to a ready tied Rig, then who do you blame? It could be your fault, or it could be them, you won't know. Plus if you tie them yourself you can adjust each rig to suit the particualr circumstances, with a ready tied you can't Try these: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=40225&highlight=ready+made+rigs http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=37416&highlight=ready+tied+rigs http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=26753&highlight=ready+tied+rigs

Josh, Think outside the box mate Don't necessarily blame the hook, when it may actually be a rig problem. If you are hooking at the very extreme of the lip, and/or getting hookpulls, then the fish may not be feeding comfortably, or the hook/bait may not be going in deep enough. It may be that you need to lengthen the hair, or feed more to get the fish pre-occupied again. Extremely unlikely to be because you are using a Running rig, because the rig is not fixed at a set length, but the line is running it will not be pulled back as such. Had a thought though, if you are fishing over LARGE beds of bait, pellets and particles etc, then you may need to provoke a run, so a Semi-fixed lead set-up may be in order. Think you may need to see how the fish feed without casting in on them, and then see if they behave the same if a baited rig is among them. As for particular hooks, I only use brands that I trust, and that does not include Korda (sorry to all you Korda lovers ). I'll stick to Nailers, Centurions, and ESP Raptors, the hooks I use most, although for pop-ups I get out the Kamasan B175's. I test all my tackle before it gets onto the fishing situation, and then if it passes that it gets used on a small fish water. As for 4 miles on a bike, flipping heck, I do that for fun

Mono was around long before Braid, and catching well, only our constant want to improve made braid available. Basically you can fish Mono rigs pretty much as you would braid, and there are various types of mono around. Some are softer than others, and obviously you have various diameters for various strains. My suggestion is that with Mono Hooklinks you tie the hook onto the Mono hooklink with a Uni or Clinch knot (or grinner), and tie on a separate hair. I don't know if this hair is allowed to be a braid? ESP do a hair braid as I imagine do other manufacturers, or unflavoured Dental Floss can be stripped down. If not you can use a lighter mono than your hooklink, I often use 4lb Maxima for hairs or even 7lb Trilene XL. To protect the knot and hold the hair into the right place I use a bit of shrink tubing over the eye and down the shank. With Pop-ups if you use them you may find a slight problem in that the hooklink curves up to the hook with no real spot that it hinges on J as opposed to L if you understand what I mean. You can tie the hook on with a knotless knot, but I think that the stiffness can work against you at times, especially with Heavier, stiffer breaking strains of mono

Try going back to Naturals I can think of a couple of waters where the larger Carp refuse boilies and only eat natural baits like maggots and worms.

Any of these any use? Essex: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=34826&highlight=essex http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=36661&highlight=essex http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=33343&highlight=essex http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=32333&highlight=essex

This is where a lot of us switch off And you will sit there for hours and hours, even days, waiting for a run that may not happen and you cannot be bothered to do a 2 minute mathematical calculation. Shame on you Tony:oops: PMSL I do NOT do Maths unless I specifically have to. I get lost with Pi, only do 3.142 , although I can add up my shopping as I go round Sainsburys without using a Calculator , and know exactly how much a round of drinks is before the till has worked it out Now THAT little piece of information has caused a few Barman/BarMaids to have Heart Attacks and utter extremely quick apologies:twisted: