salokcinnodrog

Brackens was one of those small waters, only 2 acres but with around 12 or 14 pegs. Any more than 4 anglers on there the fish would switch off in many swims and 'hide' in the corners, when only 3 swims would give you a chance. The ' no free baiting' rule (catapults, throwing sticks and spots were banned), made things very hard, and you had to get your hookbait right into the corners, either under the undercut bank or tight under the overhanging branches.

I have one Nazeing Central Lagoon rig left, as described, only I had used coated braid to cope with the crayfish. it is the one on the left

I agree with that to some extent, but if you have all the other anglers all doing the same then you may want or need to be slightly different. I have to go back to Brackens on Nazeing, the majority of the anglers on there when I joined were all 'knotless knot' on whatever coated braid, with either fake corn or single boilie on the hook and very few freebies around. I had spoken to anglers who had fished the lake, and wanted to be different in both approaches; I wanted to fish over bait, (hence massive 20-30boilie stringers), and a different rig. The rig was easy enough, either a combi rig, braid and Amnesia or coated braid with a stripped section. The hooking arrangement is where I varied from standard, line aligned hook, with a free running sliding ring on the shank stopped from going round the bend by a hook bead. That gave me the option of changing hair length, and 'reset' with a snowman bait. I'm pretty positive for such a cute pressured water my catches were better than most.

If a fox can, I'm sure an otter can.

North Weald Airfield? On the A414 between Chelmsford and Harlow.

Aye, the birds. Sadly the land based mammals can't get in

Sadly fencing is the best way or even only way forward to keep otters out. Unfortunately this can prevent the other natural wildlife getting in as well. Until last year I had never seen an otter attack on a Swan, although I had heard of it. The otter attacks the neck to kill it. Other birds are also prey, from ducks and ducklings, coots, anything they can catch.

Crows, foxes etc will have likely cleaned up the original carcass, so I think it is a fresh one. Even though it has not rained heavily or at all in East Anglia since the New Year, the dew point means the ground is still wet and muddy. It looks like either the carp are shoaled up in an area on the lakebed (quite probable in winter), or the spot is the otters preferred eating spot, both are possible.

@jh92 Specially for you Mate, One of my traces crimped up using 28lb Drennan E-sox wire and matching crimps. The treble is a size 4 Partridge and the single a size 6 Korum Specimen from memory

I rarely put any bait in at the start of a session, and bait up on top of the rods after a couple of hours. One rod is always left unbaited, only the bag itself from the cast. I did used to tie pop-ups on through the rig ring, but found the thread and blob just as easy. The only exception now is if I tie a pop-up to the hair loop above a bottom bait to create a snowman.

Don't know if anyone is interested and can get hold of the PAC's Pikelines, but the first river sessions are written up in article form. Think it is the winter 2020 issue. My copy is constantly being borrowed by mates. I've also written in with the capture of the 21 pb of the time and the full season, so maybe they will get published.

Cut a length of bait floss or braid, thread through rig ring, double it over and pull through the pop-up with baiting needle, then lighter tag the doubled end.

Had 4 more today, biggest 14lb, others of 9 and 10. Final fish was a 5lb scamp Jack that picked up the smelt on the retrieve I use a single in 4 or 6 up the trace and a treble at the end.

17lb with a rare view, still holding the smelt 23lb

First pike trip of the year, in fact this season, has started well with 4 fish. The 2 smallest are 9 and 10lb, but I have just broken the pike PB as well with a 23

If there are loads of crayfish, otters will often munch them over fish. I know a few lakes that we discovered otters on by crayfish claws and mussel shells appearing on the bank well away from the water line. The other predators for crayfish are grebes, catfish and eels. The cats and eels can actually get into crayfish holes to eat them. The most simple rig I suppose is mono fished with a simple knotless knot. I prefer to add a line aligner to even that. As I said in my first post, a mono hooklink, properly tied hook, line aligner and that lovely whipping thread or dental floss hair, tied to the eye, then whipped down the shank actually still works

Andy, Like you I struggle with a low chair, although I do find the recliner useful. Have you looked at the JRC range? https://www.anglingactive.co.uk/jrc-defender-chair.html

So much weed in front of me, hasn't died away. I did hear fish splash the first 2 nights, but the last 3 were quiet, although the coots were active. I prefer the cold to excessive summer heat, although packing up in the pouring rain was a bit much yesterday 😳

Crayfish and rudd, proper rig tanglers; anything with soft braid you might as well forget it. Use a mono hair with crays and risk it being cut off, although 25lb braid won't get cut in half. How on earth crayfish can find a pop-up above them and walk it down to the lakebed beggars belief. This is where coated braid or if the braid section is VERY short, a combi-rig comes into its own to deal with rudd and crays. Worse is when you can't use real bait and have to go wooden, even if you do go to a genuine meshed pop-up. For me that is time for the rig ring on the hook shank and a braid hair with a uni-knot loop to hold the pop-up. Saying that @nigewoodcock has seen crays flare up at carp trying to get the bait, although I've caught carp with the pop-up chewed or even totally missing.

These ones? https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product/3x-enduro-carp-rod-12ft-2-75lb/

Rod Hutchinson did have some Enduro's on the Black Friday sale on the website. There is a link on Selling as a set of 3 I think, but I do know where there is an unused pair of 12ft 2.75's

Yes and no! I'm possibly a few years older than you and can go back to tying your hair onto the hook. I think that the knotless knot was a late 1990's idea, (I could be wrong) as until around 1994 I was tying hairs on with mono, whipping thread or dental floss, and using either biro, shrink or silicone tubing to keep the hair to the shank, and extend the hook shank. Personally I found that on some lakes or fish, a standard knotless knot rig could be ejected, but add a line aligner and the fish would be hooked. This was watching the fish at close range, seeing the pick up with the knotless knot and watching the hook and bait get blown out. The change to the line aligner put the same fish I had seen eject the rig on the bank. Instead of ejecting it, they couldn't deal with it and ran. If everyone is fishing the same rig, same length, or even same material hooklink then the fish will 'learn' how to deal with it. Add in how you feed, your baiting situation and you can change things in your favour. There are definitely times when you need something different from the normal. Pressured fish, particular spots or how you bait up may need you to change your rig.

Same view this morning, but what a sunrise. Still - 2degrees but beats being sat at home