salokcinnodrog

Personally I would avoid Sonik rods, the 50mm guides are awful. I have broken a few on the rods I got to test.

I would add shooting clothing brands to good bad weather gear, along with some military clothing. I use Hoggs of Fife trousers and jacket Try this https://www.hoggs.co.uk/mens/trousers/flexothane-4600-grn-bib-brace

@framey It's horrible, and NOT safe. A lead clip should never be used running. It totally negates the lead being able to come off the line if it breaks. The small inner bore will also jam up with any rubbish.

Sorry I split the topic as Yonny and I got into a bit of a discussion 😅 (If you are interested I will go through the rig pics in the Sticky, I just retrieved some back from photo bucket (hard work that!)

@yonny I think I'm going to split our discussion from this Ronnie rig thread, it's become an interesting topic in its own right. I do agree with you, but sadly it seems we are bringing up a generation of non thinking, parrot fashion learning, even sheep. That is not just fishing, but all over. Anglers copy Korda (choose any tackle brand) vids, rigs, rods, reels, even baiting up with spod mix etc, but there is no thinking behind it. You can see the queue for swims, "that swim produced, I'll fish there", the swim saving for mates, the identical angling from water to water. I keep going back to Brackens, but almost everyone fishing it fished the same; rigs, (lack of) baiting (a sneaky catty pouch), semi fixed leads on leadclips. It took a different approach to catch consistently and regularly. I do prefer to keep it simple, why tie a super complicated rig when something basic and simple will work? Why fish the same spots as everyone else? Most of us, I guess, probably fish high stock waters, where that fashionable rig will catch anyway. It catches, (for now) why change? 3months later the next fashionable rig is publicised in Carpology, everyone turns to the Far side and uses that. Baiting up is the same, in with DF's Spod mix, chuck 2 or 3 rods on top of it, fish queuing up to be caught on that high stock lake. Have baits progressed or regressed? Particles, OK, can't change them, but boilies? I know fishmeal is in short supply, or high priced, yet we have come away from food source baits back to instant attraction, dosed up to the nines in hydrolysates. There are alternatives to fishmeal that provide all the required nutritional amino acids. I miss the DT baits, his chicken meal was a very good alternative. Tails up, Liver Meal mixed with birdfood, semolina and maize meal. The Biollix, beef meal. Everyone is chucking in the same bait, just mixed with a different soak to the same spot.

Statement from PAC General Secretary, **** Culpin: THE PIKE ANGLERS CLUB AND THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY STANCE ON WARM WATER PIKING IN THE NORFOLK BROADS After many years of lobbying by the PAC we at last have the support of the Environment Agency in relation to preventing pike fishing in warm water conditions. Attempts to introduce a Bye Law prohibiting such fishing have not yet materialised but a campaign to draw the attention of anglers to the real danger to pike when caught in warm water conditions is being launched in the Norfolk Broads and hopefully elsewhere. This will include posters that will be distributed throughout East Anglia in tackle shops, boatyards and in public places. Fact sheets are also being made available to anglers and the general public alike. None of this would have been possible without the tenacity and determination of the former PAC General Secretary John Currie and the input of the Norwich and District Pike Club and we should all be grateful that their efforts have resulted in this positive development. We hope that with the endorsement of the Environmental Agency anglers will take a responsible and sensible approach to fishing for pike in unsuitable water conditions. The reality is that many pike that are caught in warm water suffer and die as a result and we at the Pike Anglers Club will, with the support of other organisations, always look to welfare of the pike as a priority. We are grateful to the Environment Agency for their support on this very important issue. **** Culpin General Secretary of the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain

That works! Levi when he was young kept wanting to go fishing, so I bought him the gear. His first trip, just a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon after dinner, I asked him how many fish he would catch. "10". He had a little roach after a few casts, caught a few more, then it went quiet, kept feeding, couple more, then got to 9 fish and went dead. I thought what the heck, got elastic in the pole, so put sweetcorn on, nothing, back to red maggot, and caught a lovely little linear, just as we were due to pack up. Perfect 10!

Monster is lethal! My daughter was told not to drink them as the sheer amount of sugar screwed up her diabetes and blood sugar. Big Dave was drinking cans of Monster and started suffering fit's, seizures and his blood sugar levels have lead to diabetes. In fact he is the person I had to jump in the lake to save and prevent drowning, holding him afloat and giving CPR for 45minutes until Emergency Services arrived. I bought my youngest two children whips to start, until I was sure they were ready to deal with a reel. Full kit, I think they were both by Middy who do do a complete kit. https://www.middytackle.com/product.php?ProductID=1112 The advantage of a short whip is that they or you, can underarm flick it out, no big worry for casting. Both Lily and Levi started off like that catching small roach and perch. What we used to do was take the fishing gear down to the park lake, with them on their bikes. They would fish for a while, get bored, go for a bike around, fish some more. While they were cycling I was testing the gear to name sure it was good. Great fun catching a few fish with no pressure, then they'd see and want to catch, so you end up teaching them feeding and catching unhooking etc.

@yonny I would love to agree with you, but sometimes you have to remove the idiot factor, if this means roping off the snags or banning the lead clip and having rig checks... Personally I don't like lead clips, but that is me. They jam up with weed, which itself can stop the tail rubber coming off. Despite having to use helicopter setups at times, I don't like them either, much preferring to use run rings or inline leads. I do fish to snags at times, and try to consider even the hooklink. I want a hooklink that won't stretch and abrade like mono or fluorocarbon, preferring coated braid, and I sit on my rods, figuratively, not literally, 😆. @Bruce Many anglers get confused and kerfuffled in the world of rigs and bait, with both, try to keep it simple, find the fish first, put your rig where they will take your bait. Rigs get fashionable, get forgotten, then make a rebirth with a rebranding, yet while that rig catches fish, normally so will any other, in the right place. Years ago I fished Trimley lakes near Felixstowe, the lake had never produced a 'big' fish, biggest caught being 16lbs. I cast out a simple braided pop-up rig, on Merlin braid, Trigga pop-up, the pop-up height being the height just above the leaf litter, a piece of putty moulded around a power gum stop knot. . I caught 2 fish in the 'quiet time', middle of the day, a cracking 16lb mirror and even better the lakes first 20lb carp. Even betterer than that, it was from Welders favourite feature, the margin corner to my right. Simple rig! Simple fishing! I really must find those pics to look at those fish again!

@yonny it was done because lead clip tail rubbers, inline leads being pushed on so tight, or even glued in place and the bad indication of helicopter rigs near snags, that the only way to stop people fishing with inappropriate setups was to make it a rule.

Strange you mention that, Ultimate Bedchair cover comes with a mosquito screen. After this week, 2 barrow loads hurt! Like you I had gotten used to unloading the car in the swim then putting it in car park.

I dislike the helicopter setup as bite indication can be compromised. The number of times I have watched fish move with no or minimal indication at the buzzer and indicator. I have seen a fish take, and the indicator did not move, the buzzer did not sound, it was only seeing the line arcing through the water that gave away that a fish was on, at only around 40metres. (Pre Delkim). Even with Delkims, at around 120metres in the middle of the night, I had a 24lb mirror that bleeped a few times, which I hit. I recast, same spot, same distance, a couple of hours later had 1 bleep, no movement. In the morning the line was in a totally different angle to where I had cast it, and was running into a snag on the island. The fish had moved some 50metres. Regarding your fishery rules and 'no fixed leads', I would suggest you check exactly the meaning with the bailiffs, as I do know some where no fixed leads does include lead clips, inline leads, and helicopter leads. I.e they do insist on a run ring or totally running lead.

My rigs have barely changed in 30 years of fishing. For bottom baits a basic simple knotless knotted rig with a line aligner. For pop-ups a sliding ring on the hookshank stopped by a hook bead, and a coated braid hooklink stripped from the hook to the height I want the bait popped up. Either putty or a match anglers olivette is the counter weight. This works with pop-ups and snowman baits. Choose your hooklink material for the bottom you are fishing over. In weed I prefer braid as it lays better than stiffer materials like mono or fluorocarbon. The running lead can be fished with a tight line or a slack line. If there is no undertow, fish it with a slack line and your indicator fished at maximum drop only just providing weight. Whichever way the fish goes you will get a run, any bleep is notification of interest. If you fish a running lead it is a Bolt rig, the fish will run, but can run towards you so you need your indicator tight.

A fixed lead is basically any set-up where the lead cannot come off the line in the event of a break-off. A lead clip or helicopter setup could be construed as a fixed lead, the lead clip if the tail rubber is pushed on tightly. Heli safe clips are NOT safe, the lead needs to stay on to allow the rig to come off the broken line, a heli clip does not allow that to happen. The answer is to use a running lead, kits are available from Korum, Fox and other brands. As for Ronnie rigs, you can use them on running leads, but I would suggest you make the hooklink long enough to allow the hook and bait to slowly sink down on the lakebed. In other words use a pop-up hookbait that only just sinks the hook and swivel. It may not offer any advantage over other pop-up rigs.

I would much rather be comfortable, but at times I wanted to be silent, in and out without advertising my presence. I would arrive after work at close on midnight, and then fish until the morning and pack up before the dog walkers and local numpties arrived. A full bivvy set-up and all the gear would have been far too noisy and left far too many signs of my fishing. In fact, my rods were even wrapped together around my landing net handle, no rod holdall, as that just added extra carry and most of the weight in the rod holdall is bivvy.

Old thread resurrected and I am still the same. Quite frequently I will have my 2 outer rods fished in the margins, the middle rod to 'the middle' is a bonus rod more than a catching rod. I mention catching 30's from the margins, and it still holds. THE BEST feature in any lake, including Brackens, and I caught from the margins of Nazeing South as well, even if the rods were on buzzers. My syndicate can be rock hard, maybe 150 carp in 45 acres, yet fish still get caught close in. My mate Bruce caught his first 2 fish from baits lowered in when he saw fish feeding in the margins. Within an hour one had its face on camera, in the middle of the night so did another, he was made up. My first 2 fish from the lake were caught around 10metres from the rod tip, just over the marginal shelf as well. The number of fish I have caught on dog biscuits lowered from the rod tip just touching the water, even with the centrepin.

Reckon pike spawning is about now on my lake. Not been really cold and now we are officially in meteorological spring pike and perch are the first.

I can laugh now, but got my car stuck in the mud as I came off the hardcore path. The lake owner told me to get my gear round to the swim and she would arrange a tow out in the morning. Bit of a telling off, but she is a lovely lady so know I deserve it. Two barrow journeys later, 1 Spomb that unclipped itself putting a bit of pigeon conditioner and Vitalin in after 3 casts, I'm now sat in the bivvy after dinner with a coffee.

The price of a house, around £115,000 for a properly conditioned one to original spec. You felt safe in them.

I liked the Ford's of the Sierra, Escort and Fiesta era. The modern Focus and Mondeo I really don't like; horrible to drive and no 'feel' with the exception of getting the ST version. Same with Vauxhall and the Cavaliers of the time. My 2.0l i Ghia Sierra was a beast. Ipswich to Earith in Cambridgeshire, 85miles in 45minutes, (Don't ask...), as was my Lotus Carlton. My eldest daughter didn't like it, until she discovered it was the Lotus. Funny thing is I ended up with speeding tickets in slower cars or vans. I do like my Golf, they go on, better than the A class Mercedes I had. Once one thing went wrong, the whole system and car went up the shoot. Believe it or not I can get me, my mate and gear for a weekend and Sky in the Golf, just by folding half the rear seat down. Just been keeping an eye on the lake, one of the VS stockies came out last night.

GVAC near me have a no floating bait rule on their waters. On one the ducks and seagulls fight over bread thrown in. It is in the village of Needham Market, and is the local beauty spot, public access so I can understand it.

My alternator packed in the other week. I'd driven around 20miles towards the lake when the battery totally went, must have been low anyway as I hadn't driven for a couple of weeks. Had to wait tor 2hours to get towed back to Ipswich. Cost £150 for tow back to mine, £50 for new battery as I think the old one was cold affected and wasn't holding charge properly, then £260 for the alternator. The garage had the car in over the weekend as the first replacement delivered Saturday was damaged. On top of £350 for MOT at end of December was not happy.

Buzzards, skylarks, grey wagtails, Egyptian and Canada Geese, along with the swans for me. That south easterly wind made it tough packing up. I would much rather have stayed curled up in the bag watching the water.

I have the joy of packing up today. Blanked, but to be honest I expected it. Far better 4nights fishing than watching rubbish television. The lake only occasionally throws up a fish in winter. Nothing carp wise has been out since December. It was the same last year, nothing out after the equinox until the spring. When those fish could be anything from 20 to 50lbs though...

I wish on a carp! Once the shelter is built then it is easy to keep warm, dry and out of the wind. I think this winter is the most I have set the bivvy or brolly up before getting the rods out, usually I get the rods out first before the bivvy in case I spot a fish and want to move. Putting the bivvy up almost tethers you to the spot.