salokcinnodrog

I waited until dark to avoid the children, paddle boarders and kayakers on the River Wensum. 4½lb chub on half a cocktail sausage, size 10 Solar Tackle 101 hook.

Oh Mate, please don't. From the original umbrella tent, Fox Jekk shelter overwrap to a couple of Fox EasyDomes, Rod Hutchinson Apotheosis, JRC Roamer Dome, Nash Hurricane Outlaw Dome and overwrap, TFG Hardcore, TFG Oval and overwrap, then the current Rod Hutchinson Hybrid Cabrio Brolly system and Extension. Actually, it's not that many over 40years! I know I killed a few due to weather, the JRC poles delaminated, and I did manage to drop one of the Hybrids on a lit stove. I thought I used and abused my gear, but looking and thinking through that list it is likely that most died of regular use, or I changed due to circumstances. In fact the Apotheosis I gave to my kids to use in the garden. Strangely enough of all of them I returned to the brolly and overwrap, and I would happily go back to the Jekk overwrap over a 50inch brolly. As much as I love a comfortable bivvy, the size and weight of the pramhood or external spoke system puts me off, so I very much prefer the umbrella system.

Welcome to carp.com

I am absolutely shattered today, and my right knee and hip are agony. Yesterday was a busy day, from Ipswich to collect Bruce Lait and take him to the airport at 2.30am. Back home grab a couple of hours sleep and then go collect my son Levi from Basildon and back to Ipswich via Poplar Nursery at Marks Tey for coffee and a doughnut. Definitely a cafe/restaurant worth a visit.

I was looking at the specifications for both, and like you it would be I think personal choice. Quality wise, I think both are good, and it is just down to others opinions on which they think is best, and I bet you'd get people each saying each one is the best.

I managed to get myself a Radar key. Saying that I do go to the local co-op and use their toilet, which is disabled friendly. I dislike the Tardis like portaloos they are foul, and believe me working on building sites I've seen the worst.

I've owned bivvies by Nash and Fox, and both were good quality, if anything, before Fox were sold, the Fox bivvy quality of my 2 EasyDomes were very good. The Nash Outlaw Dome I owned was easy to use, in fact I still have it. @framey makes a very good point. A bivvy can go up very quickly, but it still takes time to put everything away and in order. It can make a mockery of the term, and like him, I hate 'quick overnighter'. My overnighter is, or more correctly, was, arriving after work, fishing the night hours and packing up first thing, usually before work. I may be fishing less than 10hours. Saying that, I do fish like that on the river, setting up just before dark, and being off by 8 or 9am. On an overnighter I will use no bivvy at all if it is going to be dry, or use a plain straight umbrella. The umbrella has an advantage, I can put it up over my bedchair if the weather does turn. If you need to use a groundsheet then that may also make a difference, and do you need any inner dome? Something else to bear in mind, may be worth thinking about, NashBait are being closed down in order to concentrate on Nash Tackle. Fox are so far solidly owned. It might be worth thinking about the possible connotations of that.

Grief, another month gone and we are into August already

Actually make it even easier, go 250metres, or 69wraps at 3.66 metres (12ft) and then you can get 2 fills from 1 1000metre spool

Put this in your memory, when you need to replace the line, take off around 300metres (80 odd wraps at 3.66m or 12ft, its actually just under at 292metres) and spool new line on top of it.

The 'through the middle' elasticated ones, I used to cut the elastic out and either use in-line or attach a quick link to. Have fun, it's a good method (sic) for carp, bream and even roach in carp waters.

First time with new reels is fun... The first time I put line on new reels (or spools) is to see what they take in terms of amount (say 15lb 0.35 380metres) and fill them with 15lb line, I do a uni knot loop, put it on the reels, pull tight and wind line on. If the line spool contains 1000m then the last bit is left on the spool. If the 3rd reel needs line I use a brand new line spool, so first time you might end up buying 2 spools of line.

I was trying to think of the name of Frensham Ponds, that's the subject of Chris Ball's chapter in Big Carp, I'll Let you Be in my Dreams. He had gotten the stocking records from Chris Yates. Sadly hit by a fish kill after a stocking of new fish.

Funnily enough I am still using an Aqua rod sling. I mentioned it earlier in this thread, the bait market became saturated, from one man bands to bait companies and the big difference in costs. If a tackle shop is buying boilies at £7.99 per kilo then to be sensible they will have to sell at £11.99. If an angler is buying direct at £7.99 then they won't be buying from the tackle shop. It is an ever decreasing circle. I suppose I am as guilty as anyone in that, although in my defence I was originally field testing rather than just getting discount. It is where there was the 'big split' with tackle brands, or bait companies selling only to shops, ( or rolling companies) or those that chose to sell direct, and to compete one man bands went straight to anglers.

There were quite a few waters stocked with fish purchased from the Redmire spawning explosion in the 70's and early 80's. I don't think any of the fish did as well as the original Redmire stocked fish which was a very good year, but they did have the looks.

I have a Leney from Redmire that as a baby made its way to Norfolk. The excessively successful spawning of the Redmire fish, with other originals, many of the netted fish were sold off to various buyers across the country.

Feral carp reverting towards the original wildie type have what is referred to as a Danubian Notch. However true wildies don't have it. I think it is like the straight head to the body, whereas bred carp have a slight dip.

As @framey says you will get loads of answers. In Asia I don't know what boilies you have or can get, and are likely to be different companies available to those in UK. I seem to remember you asking about bait recipes and had a bait around 30% protein which is about right.

It's that trying to undercut other companies, often with inferior products, that has caused the bait market to be such a nightmare.

I saw the news this morning although I had heard the rumours from about a week ago. Some of the early palatants and flavours after he split from Catchum and Rod Hutchinson were brilliant. I've used a few of the NashBait boilies but did try to avoid Nash as much as possible. Gary Bayes I believe came with Nash from Rod Hutchinson. Personally I think that the 'stabilised' baits were not as good as the freezer versions of the same bait.

I got hold of Hutchy's Golden Years after pre-ordering it almost as soon as it was given a release date. Rod Hutchinson was, or is, an angling hero of mine, and I have read many of his own books; from bait to tackle he was a pioneer and understood more than us mere mortals will ever get, so I was really interested in his early life and journey into carp fishing and this book most definitely does not disappoint. From his time at Redmire with Chris Yates, to Savay, with chapters on his captures by long time companion Brian Hankins and his joy for fishing and life by Simon Crow.

Tufty torch doesn't work on here when the mallards and tufties are in the mood. The only thing that keeps them away is a laser pointer pen. In daylight you have to line up on them with the laser pen underneath your binoculars and 'ping' them, that gets rid of them. I had mallards diving over boilies and particles a few weeks ago. I hooked, landed and returned one. The swan last week was not fun either. There were swan wars at the time, and one of the more dominant in the group decided to chase a younger one which tangled up in the line about 2metres from the rod tip, despite the tips being almost touching the water. It took 10minutes to untangle the poxy thing, holding a swan between my legs, while untangling the line from it's wing, head and legs, all the time keeping away from Sky who was on her long lead attached to the bedchair. This week the swans are keeping across the other side of the lake.

I used to forever play with ingredients in groundbait to make it 'active' and attractive for particular species. Roach love active groundbait and turmeric and ginger, so I would grind Ginger Nut biscuits and dry dog food and add them and a few teaspoons of turmeric to my groundbait mix of brown and white crumb. Bream and carp are not so worried about active groundbait, so it was looking for attractors rather than anything else.

I identify with that as well. And yes, I look at mates playing American football and think I used to do that. I'm also looking at kids coming through that weren't even born when I was playing. One of my mates I used to play with's son is now in the senior team. I retired from playing at 39, and now the kids who were starting then are now retiring.

There are 'only' about 30 on the lake this year, from over 100 2 years ago. Bird flu took a big hit on them, more so than the geese. The lake, which is just up the road from Lopham Fen seems to be a spot for young swans to grow before they go get their own territory. The 2 dominant pairs, there were 3, but 1 was killed in a swan fight keep moving them about.