salokcinnodrog

Oh and not forgetting 25kilos of boilies, in freezer and shelf life, RH The Nutty Bait, and a tub of 15mm matching pop-ups, it has a lovely smell, soft crumbly texture that should breakdown fairly quickly. There are a couple of pics a few pages ago. The bass have started showing in Suffolk, so I'll be chasing them as well. I've got a freezer full of mackeral and herring which are being added to squid on the hooks for whatever seems and likes it. That's cheaper to use up some pike deadbaits than be buying lug and ragworm as I can't dig anymore.

I've been chasing rays, had a few up to 7lb. I do use plenty of Sakuma 503's in 3/0 for them, 50lb Grey Weasel as I also use it for rigs with the rays, although I go clear Amnesia for bass, oh yes, and I got some more Lead link imps and Gemini oval clips.

My biggest is 23lb, and I have had a few 20's. More satisfying than a carp of the same weight. I use a semi barbed treble with a size 6 single up the trace, makes for easy unhooking. I was at a PAC fish-in earlier in the year, one of the other anglers was amazed that I had unhooked a double figure fish within seconds. I look at which side the trace is sticking out, turn the fish upside down on the unhooking mat, kneel over it, left hand through the gill, down to the jaw, lift and unhook with forceps or long nose pliers. Easier to see than explain.

Pike are probably one of my favourite species. The teeth are no problem if you know how to unhook them. I've never had a barbel, and living in Suffolk the chance of finding one is extremely hard. I did spend some time on the Norfolk Wensum after I saw a couple but they have disappeared again, and I don't have the time to chase a tiny shoal up and down a 4mile stretch.

To be honest, when I used to use a boat (dinghy) to put rigs out I found that a helicopter rig was not the best option. Helicopters are fine for casting long distances and in silt, but indication on them is much reduced. Even with Delkims I've had minimal buzzes at range (over 100metres) that has caused me to lose fish. At Nazeing Meads I had a spot at around 125metres, that I could reach, and had caught a few that ran away from me. One night I landed a 28lb carp around 2am. Around 4 I had a couple of bleeps, and a couple of twitches on the Quiverlocs, which I (stupidly) ignored. When I reeled in at first light after looking at the line direction which had changed, I discovered that the fish had run around 50yards towards me and arced into a snag. The Delks were set as sensitive as possible in windy weather, in fact I would turn sensitivity to maximum and gradually work down until wind bleeps stopped. I have also read articles on large waters where anglers have put rigs out and in the morning discovered that the rigs have been picked up, moved and ejected yards away from the original spot. As a result I prefer to use other set-ups, my preference is for a run ring as I don't like lead clips.

Such a refreshing attitude, purist even. I've had a few specimens of various species, but the two I really want are barbel and perch. My son when he was 10 or so has probably caught a bigger perch than me, and I gave him 2lb, but I look back at the pics and think I robbed him. I made sure he carried scales in his tackle from then on.

Welcome to carp.com. Enjoy your fishing, but go through life remembering that catching 20lb (or even 30lb) carp is a lot easier than catching specimen fish of other species. Take your fishing as it comes, enjoy it, learn from it.

Sell stuff, never gonna happen again

While the top layer may be UV damaged, I'm not as sure of light damaging line as I used to be; what damages it, is exposure close to 100% elasticity or breaking point, and our playing fish. I wonder even if copolymers are different to monofilament? Obviously storing line, keep it as with everything in a dry dark place.

As somebody who used to change his line at least once or twice a year, I only just changed my line last week after 3 years of regular use. That is heavy fishing with Gardner Pro, in weed, playing fish, casting etc.

Welcome to carp.com Have fun finding your way around

My tench gear is 1.75lb test curves, 8 or 10lb line, 6lb hooklinks and hooks between 8 and 12. I do love lift float fishing for them, one or two on buzzers and one on the float. Tench are a lot more wary than carp, so longer hooklinks, smaller baits, sweetcorn, maggots, worms or smaller boilies.

It sounds like bream are the predominant species! Thinking back to my previous post, I forgot to say on Alton in one particular swim I was fishing double 20mm baits on line aligners. It was the bridge swim where I was tipping Vitalin and boilies off the bridge and fishing on that bait. I never had a bream from there. In fact I never had a bream unless I was fishing for them when I dropped bait size to single 12mm baits or sweetcorn and used groundbait, but that was on bream specific gear. If bream are that big a problem I'd actually not cast in a swim unless I could see carp were present, a preference for margins. It might be you need to fish pop-ups off the bottom, above the bream and their feeding level.

I think that there is no such thing as a bream proof rig, but how you feed can be the trigger. Small silver fish and bream are attracted to heavy baiting, especially with particles, pellets and groundbait. The more you bait the more interested they are. Bream tend to be vacuum feeders, they get onto food and they clear it up, and that includes the hookbait, no matter how it's fished, bottom baits and low lying pop-ups are especially vulnerable. To avoid them feed less, or try boilies only. Don't put any free bait in, and fish just PVA bags or stringers, or fish boilies where although you may put 100 (example) in, they are not so close to invite or become a feeding trigger. The other thing is bream tend to avoid the margins, preferring to feed out in the main lake. They can have particular patrol routes! Now saying that, I used to fish Ardleigh reservoir and you could catch bream and then the carp would come before the bream pushed them out again. I caught both bream and carp on baited spots, yet on Alton, I never caught a bream despite using loads of particles. My rigs on Ardleigh and Alton were simply line aligned knotless knotted snowman baits on braid rigs, nothing special.

Either at the end as normal or out of the front. If I give a little bit of history, of one or two rigs, the Bent Hook Rig, and the Savay Loony Rig. The Bent Hook rig evolved on Fox Pool, (?) it was a longshank Hook (normally a fly hook, Kamasan B175) with a proper bend made in the shank, so the eye was inturned. On Fox Pool and everywhere else it was almost impossible for the fish to eject, however as it got into mainstream carp fishing, it was seen to be causing double hooking, causing mouth damage. Possibly around the same time on Savay, it was discovered that by lengthening the hook shank with (biro) tubing, it improved hooking of the rigs being used. I believe that there was also a sliding hair on a rig ring involved. Now with the mouth damage caused by the BHR, and being banned by most fisheries, the Savay Loony rig was not causing damage. The longer shank reduced chances of ejection, and it was noticed, combine a hook with a shank extension turned in, you have a Bent Hook effect, but with no damage. Then we have a 3rd rig, Jim Gibbinson discovered that protecting the hook knot with tubing, and bringing the line out of the front of the tubing, the line aligner, also gave the same effect as lengthening the hook shank and the Bent Hook effect.

Don't be worried by inturned kickers, 'closed' gape or line aligners, I think that has become a buzzword for missed indication or for using the wrong rig for the feeding situation. I.e. some carp suck and blow, others pick items up, it can be spot dependant in a water, or it can even be individual fish If you look at a Withy pool rig there is absolutely no 'open gape' at all, yet it is effective. The front of the hook, the eye, the inner of the tubing is what causes hooking or pri cks in the mouth. To have the line exiting the back flips the hook out bend and shank first. It will work with fish that pick up hookbaits and the hook pri cks the lip, but not suckers and blowers.

Just so people know, I do often do 2 and 1 on single sticks. I do like the stability of a goalpost setup, but if one rod is better placed in another direction. The one on single sticks is over a mix of mashed bread, particles, crushed boilies, worms and molehill soil, while the two are being fished with stringers over boilies.

I was using Amnesia in 25lb for a high pop-up version I was using with counterweight UNDER the swivel boom join. Produced one of the originals last year that had never slipped up before.

Personally I'd avoid Nash, go for the ESP. However throw into the mix the Solar A1 Bowlite or the RH DMX landing net. Solar, quite simply top tackle. Rod Hutchinson DMX, its what I use, but of course I'm going to say that I get discount: https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product/dmx-fixed-landing-net/

I agree with @kevtaylor, it's advantages are in it can be used for bottom baits, pop-ups and snowman as well as critically balanced. If you use it for bottom baits, just tie the hair slightly longer with a bit of a gap between bait and hook.

I ended up with gremlins. Last night of that session I had a decent run on a pop-up, struck into it and reeled in a bit then had weed clog up the tip ring, so I had to clear it by hand. Started reeling in again and whatever was there had gone, along with the rig and lead. I think that playing a fish I then pulled the line in front of a pike which bit through the line above the lead. Or maybe even a pike took the lead as it 'flashed' past disturbing the bottom and bit me off. And don't talk to me about bivvies and wind, having to turn it round in the dark in a hurry while being battered by 70mph winds. Poor Sky was hiding under the bedchair outside while I was having to use Solar banksticks pushed all the way in to hold it down.

I really don't like the metal framed cradles. I set one up as a display item in the tackle shop and was forced to look at it. I honestly could not recommend one. I have two unhooking mats, one is a Chub Extra Protection Duo mat, which doubles up as a dog bed, and a Rod Hutchinson Cabrio Monster Unhooking mat which on the barrow doubles up as a barrow bag. The inner cushion of the RH is removable and the mesh base allows water to drain out quickly. Both are impressive, do exactly the job required, but I would say the plastic coating of the RH cushion could do with being better quality, it's starting to age perish on the curves. Of the 2, the Cabrio had plenty of room for a 30lb common last year, but equally the Chub was comfortable holding pike, chub and carp to 20lb. The chub mat is also handy when stalking. The higher walls for me, make fish handling difficult, especially lifting for pictures, but my health is not as important as fish safety. Big problem may be that good tackle items which work are often discontinued and replaced with an upgraded version which is sch..

The new range is just about to be or just has been released. I do know that very little of the original versions were left on shop floors, Solar sold that much. Try going to Solar tackle (https://www.solartackle.co.uk/products/chairs-bedchairs) and look for stockists

I was absolutely shattered yesterday, 4 hours sleep on Saturday night so just added the link rather than give a full and proper answer, however the link does contain some of my sneaks. I use a bog standard coated braid, with the hook tied on, and a rig ring sliding on the shank or knotless knotted with the rig ring tied on, and both weighted with olivettes. I'd best give construction details for both: The first is obviously a rig ring sliding on the hook shank stopped opposite the barb by a hook bead. I tie the hook on. The olivette is the smallest required to 'sink' the pop-up, and is held in place by the shrink tube over the eye of the hook and silicon tubing, or totally inside the shrink tube. The second rig is a rig ring tied to the end of the coated braid, and the hook knotless knotted on. Position the rig ring in best position, I find so the bait is tight to the bend. I then hold olivette in place exactly the same as previous rig. Most of my pop-ups, the hooks are fished resting on the lakebed, but if you need to fish higher in the water, the silicon tubing will allow that, and a line aligner is perfect. https://www.tackle-up.co.uk/drennan-polemaster-lock-slide-olivettes-full-range.ir I also play with multi-rigs, but my pop-ups are trimmed so the weight of the hook is enough to hold them down, usually when I'm fishing over a bed of particles.

Is this any use? https://forum.carp.com/topic/23908-a-rig-guide-thread-including-knotless-knot/