salokcinnodrog

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/

For that I'd go back to a normal hair loop and boilie stop, or go 'backwards': put the hair through the rig ring or swivel, leaving 2 long tag ends and pull them through the bait, 4 times overhand knot your boilie stop in place and lighter tag the 2 ends.

Same swim, 2 weeks later. I've been putting bait in when I leave, and although I had a walk around didn't see anything to make me want to go anywhere else. Last week I did have 2 tench over the bait, biggest an estimated 5lb

Welcome to carp.com. I forgot the last time I was actually sane, must be something like 15years ago... Sadly being off work with mobility problems, needing a back operation and hip replacement means I spend far too much time fishing, but I'd rather that than be stuck in a 1bedroom flat all day.

It's ongoing just. I had to reposition the RH Hybrid Brolly last night in the middle of gale force winds after nearly being blown out. This morning I'll turn it at least so I can see the lake. I've thought about that but have caught fish on it for years so it's no longer a worry. It's one of those 'overthink' things, but if I could see signs of fish rejecting blobbed floss compared to tied on I'd go back to tied on 100%. It doesn't bother coots, tufties or swans...

Not just your problem, in the wind lighter blobbing the end can be a nightmare. Even worse for me, is this trip I managed to leave my lighter and spare at home. 2 days of lighting cigarettes from a gas stove until I went to the local village to get some supplies... The pop-ups had been tied on with dental floss on one, Merlin on the other (to compare). They both lasted 48hours no problems.

I've been tying hairs onto rig rings (or swivels) for years for snowman rigs and pop-ups, and because I had to deal with crayfish which can cut dental floss, mono or fluorocarbon, settled on Kryston Merlin braid. I found hair braid is too 'slippy'. Any brand uncoated hooklink braid should work, but I bought loads of Kryston stuff when Dave Chilton sold the company. I even go old school and have a loop at the end for a boilie stop for snowman rigs. So I tie the loop at the end of the braid, and normally using a plain simple blood knot tie the hair to the rig ring. There are occasional alternatives if I've been using single bottom baits or even wooden balls on the rig and they are tight to the loop and bait stop; I'll tie a dental floss or braid loop a pop-up onto the original hair loop. Uni knot a loop, put your pop-up in it, and pull the loop tight. With the two tag ends tie them into the original hair loop with 4 overhand or granny knots, then lighter blob the ends to stop any pulling free. A faff certainly, but it doesn't put fish off. I've found overhand knots or granny knots can slip, but lighter blobbing the ends stops them pulling back through.

All of my fish at Ardleigh Reservoir were caught at around 40-50metres maximum. One was caught at about 20metres when I saw fish moving around an inlet so cast a bait where I saw them. Even on Alton I don't think I cast more than 70metres.

The bottle of scotch is because you are a good ghillie, always providing for your guests...

Scaling back? I tried that and struggled, simply because it wasn't where I had gotten used to it over 30years of fishing. @elmoputney has a fit as my Plano tackle box ends up like a bombsite, just after the explosion... The top level tray is full of hooklink materials, leads, my hygiene stuff, pocket knife forceps, Klinik etc. I do have 2 rig bins for bottom bait or snowman rigs and a rig wallet for pop-up rigs, although one rod is my helicopter setup for big chucks, and stays setup for that. I simply tie the linklet onto a boom, basically hinge rig style. If I need a pop-up rig on one of the other rods I can grab a whole rig out of the wallet and fish that with run ring pendant lead.

Correct.

As @yonny says a knot below the chod will keep the lead clear. In fact, with a chod (or helicopter) setup should you unfortunately have a crack-off, you need the lead to allow the rig to come off the top end past the beads.

There is nothing to stop you putting a stringer on the hook or on the lead.

Floater fishing was quite possibly my 'goto' method on a couple of waters, Taverham Mills and Earith. Taverham is where I really 'formulated' my floater fishing style. It was handy for an evening after finishing work in the summer, and also for days to catch extra fish if I was fishing for a couple of nights. The daytime probably from lunchtime on I'd be walking round firing Chum mixers in, looking for fish. Good floater spots were not always in the main lake; Bruce and I used to find plenty of floater takers in some of the small channels and bays. At Earith we did try the same, but for some reason that was a lot harder in Virginia pool although George's, Pats and Reeds lake produced a few. Weird considering that Reeds and Virginia were joined. In fact the only Earith fish I caught twice I caught once in Virginia on a bottom bait, and once in Reeds on a dog biscuit. I ignored floater fishing for too long at Brackens, but eventually twigged (too late) that in summer it was worth taking a floater rod with the rest of my gear. It's something that I will be doing I think on most waters, always take some floating baits and tackle. Rods on alarms at night, and if you can get them on floaters during the day...

I can't remember how long Carp Porter have been around, but I can remember Bruce Lait having one when we fished at Taverham and that was back around 2000! I'm in the Carp Porter Porterlite group, and it does get used for pike, roach and carp gear when a walk is on the cards, although the gear for a 4 or 5 day session with Sky takes two trips. It is used and abused. At that price, have a good look, then snap it up. Paint may be worn off or chipping, but as long as the metalwork is good it's a bargain. On the Carp Porter website I do know they do spares and parts, so if you need a new drop-in bag, locking screws etc you should be able to pick them up.

@framey I did an edit on your post as the shortened form of Richard is in the censored group after insults years ago. Sad isn't it, that an angler who probably started the mainstream fishing, not just carp, has nothing but that small memorial and a blue plaque. Richard Walker was innovative, fishing for many species, catching big perch on a fly creation of his own as well as carp. He was also a champion rabbit breeder I believe, writing a book on the subject.

I looked at sleep systems, liked the look, then thought about the practicalities. In summer I often end up sleeping either under just a light cover or even with no cover, so the sleeping bag is taken off. In winter I might use both the sleeping bag and the cover. Note, in summer I don't normally get plagued with mosquitoes, but my cover does have a mozzie mesh hidden in a zip up pocket. Of all the sleep system, I think Solar ones are probably the best.

Very few tangles with using a PVA bag. I admit to using Ronnie rigs, multi-rigs and D-rigs in PVA bags, normally with a braided hooklink, probably around 100millimetres long, or between 6 and 8 inches. On my Multi-rig I don't bother with a boom, it's actually a continous double length of hooklink material, looks crude, but the pop-up is trimmed so the hook is standing up on the eye of the hook.

Walk and look as much as possible, often leaving the gear in the car or at home. I used to fish a 400acre plus reservoir; 4 or 5 days a week I would walk a section (as @framey says breaking it down) or all the way around, then fish my 2 days off. The walking often gave me an idea where they were, weather and wind dependent, or I expected them to turn up. Wind may have more effect on big open waters than tree surrounded lakes. A big westerly based wind used to push them up to the North Eastern end, whereas a northerly I would be looking into sheltered bays. Don't forget your binoculars and polarised sunglasses, and even on big waters, the margins or close in can produce.

Thanks, but I think Chris Ball (RIP) did it as your version. I do recall Brian Skoyles version in a Nutrabaits Bait catalogue magazine. I never got on with fake plastic mixers, or even cork balls. For some reason I found using 'fake' surface baits they were rejected even faster than mixers or bread, and that's fast enough, even if I had fed constantly. As much as feeding constantly frequently works, for some reason sometimes, the carp will pick up one surface bait then bog off and disappear. Difficult to gauge, but in this case, hookbait first, hopefully catch one while you have the chance. Normally though you can feed, get them feeding and then get them to take the hookbait. This is one of my favourite 20's, a ghostie mix common. I'd gotten the fish feeding on surface baits around the lily pads behind me, but the ghostie would only take a bait touching the leaves. It took ages to work a hookbait in between the two lily beds and get it to take. It looked like the largest fish in the group as well. I'd say it was stalking, so not bad for an afternoon fishing at Hintlesham when the other anglers were all behind the artillery waiting and blanking.

Brian Skoyles used to put some in a bag and add a dash of flavour, pour in around half a cup boiling water, shake and leave them until it was all absorbed. They would be slightly tougher but soft enough to put a baiting needle through.

Believe it or not I rarely use fluorocarbon on hooklinks, and when I use combi-rigs, still prefer 20lb Amnesia in black or clear, and the braid section is (still) the uncoated Kryston Merlin. (Black Amnesia slightly more supple). I don't use combi-rigs in weedy or silty lakes, sticking with coated or plain braid. I think that the lead often drags the hooklink into the silt or weed and then it sticks up near the lead, especially since I normally use a run ring rather than helicopter setups. On gravel I think either coated braid stripped at the end or combi-rigs work. Sorry I have to go back to the days of fishing Brackens Pool at Nazeing, both the combi-rigs and stripped back section rigs worked on there and you were trying to fish on gravel bars or in the margins.