salokcinnodrog

At the moment I'm regularly blanking, but so are all the other anglers. One thing I don't or didn't have until recently is the ability to prebait before trips, although now landing a job 5miles away from the lake... Just to get time to fish now is the hope, as Assistant Manager of the hotel is always on call... I try to analyse every trip, learning from every session, although on a hard lake when no-one is catching is difficult. I think my biggest failure is finding fishable weedy spots or weed free spots that the fish will visit. Some weed free ones they avoid, especially when they have been caught on them before or the natural food is gone. My usual answer is always 'must try harder'.

The Swan mussel shells above the water line are a big giveaway, along with the way the corpse was left. Extremely likely to be an otter about! We discovered on my syndicate that the coots were going missing, numbers of their claws left in the field, no other remains. In the end a couple of us actually saw the darn thing, both during the day. Spraints weren't obvious, the long grass, sheep and out of bounds area meant we probably missed them until we saw the otter definitely.

I would be worried! Most of the time, a fish corpse will last no more than 48 hours on the bank; foxes, crows, rats will eat it. Only otters and foxes are strong enough drag the body up the bank. Otters have different types of 'patrol' or ranges. A dog otter may move around his territory, river to lake, over into female territories, whereas a female with cubs is likely to stay put. They will take the available food source, so if fish are within reach they will take them. They will also take coots, moorhens, and I have seen them take greylag geese and a year old Swan. Just because you still have silver fish does not mean the otters have moved on. In fact if you have loads of silvers it could be a sign that the bigger fish are not there; perch and pike will munch on silvers, the ill, slow and dying, and keep excess numbers down.

Obviously cos I have a tie in but have a look https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product/rod-hutchinson-sceptre-rods/

This government blaming the NHS or other utility for shortfalls is totally the governments fault. The government have not increased sizes or built new prisons, but settled for privatising them. Exactly the same for the NHS, water companies, even British Rail. British Rail was in the midst of modernisation when it was privatised. Lines were being electrified, locomotives and coaches were being upgraded. Britain had become the 2nd most modern in the world behind Japan (!), and 2nd most successful on timekeeping and profit in Europe behind only Germany. Strangely the Big 4 rail companies in the UK were nationalised in the first place exactly because they were putting profit over safety and service back in the days of steam. British Rail back then didn't want to modernise but had no choice as the 1960/70's came. Too many providers are behind the population. By that I mean we have a population of around 65million,yet hospitals that can only cater for 45million, prisons that can cater for the criminal percentage of 45million, not 65million. It is exactly the same for the water infrastructure, and we are still not adding additional infrastructure for new builds. I believe Bazalgette catered for a London population of 4million back in Victorian times (double the actual of the time) yet the population is now over 10million and can't cope. The London sewerage system being increased is a high profile to hide other failures. Sussex water pumping and piping sewage 2miles out to sea to hide it. If it is clean fresh water why is it not going back inland to be used for irrigation?

Problem is that it started with privatisation 30years ago. Various utilities including the water boards had been saving and investing money to modernise the infrastructure, yet as they were privatised this money suddenly disappeared. For years now Thames Water being a high profile company has been prosecuted regularly for various offences. This pumping of sewage into the sea and rivers needs to be stopped, and it needs government support for that to happen. Sadly the current batch of muppets in parliament are offering no more than lip service, and many are in all probability on the backhanded list of the water companies.

The Angry fish is what I use for pike fishing as well. I've had it on for a year on both with no problems, although the colour does fade. Amnesia is also used for comb-rigs or stiff links. One thing I have found with braid is that hitting the clip hard at short range with a Spomb it fails to open, whereas a spod will drop the bait.

This is what I use for spodding and marker/leading around with a leader. Worked out with a medium Spomb I can drop down to 30lb Amnesia

Danny Fairbrass once said curved shank hooks don't need a line aligner, yet I personally found that some fish were able to eject the rig on curved hooks without it. This was where I was able to watch the fish picking up and ejecting the hook and bait, in an area where few people fished. I add a line aligner to every bottom or snowman bait rig now, whether straight or curved shank. The shank length extension and the line aligner I believe reduces ejection. Some fish will still get away with it, but hooking I think is improved

I trust my own knots and those that my mate Bruce has tied for me. We fished together for a lot of years and have tied rigs for each other numerous times, but I could not convince myself to trust anyone else's. The combi section I do use on clearer water, no weed to mess it up or stop it laying flat, and 20lb Amnesia in black or clear to Merlin I found very good. I must stress though, after a fish or two on the Amnesia combi-rig, I would check and/or change the rig as the overhand to uni knot (shockleader knot ) on the Amnesia can pull through, even lighter blabbing the Amnesia. You have seen my tackle box... Plenty of items in there that haven't been used, lead clips, pieces of Cork, fake corn, leads and tail rubbers

As Yonny says don't over think what you're doing. I haven't played with rigs for years, I could put up current rig pics, they would be almost identical to pics taken 20years ago. My bottom bait and snowman rigs are knotless knotted rigs with a line aligner, or with a sliding ring on the hooks hookshank. My pop-up rigs are D rigs or with a sliding ring on the hookshank... Put your rigs in front of the fish, get them feeding on your bait. To be honest hookbait presentation is the least of my worries, but where I put my hookbait is important. The honest answer is I rarely use a Ronnie rig, and have never knowingly used a German rig. Most rigs are fashion, not needed.

I have never really bought into the curve of the hook or tubing closing off the hook preventing penetration. That would make some very effective rigs 'not work', like the bent hook rigs, Withy pool rig, even the standard kickers or line aligner as well as curved shank hooks. I can understand the beaked point being used on gravel to try to reduce the chances of the point being burred over. Rigs incorporating line aligners on Gardner Muggas and on straight shank patterns have worked very well for me over years and years of use.

I have some real memorable captures: A 28lb carp from the local river caught on a 3hour session, which for years was my largest fish and one I still class as a PB, my first 20lb fish from Earith, my first 30 from Nazeing Brackens, a 4 fish capture over 4 days in winter from the Central lagoon and my current largest fish at 33lb caught in December. Plus a number of fish from the 350acre Alton reservoir, 2 20's in one night, 23 and 28, a night with 3 20's that was so severe with wind and rain I could not get pics of the fish, my camera and phone were soaked through. Two of the most memorable though were 2 fully scaleds from Ardleigh on the night of the London bombings. Memorable not for the fish especially, but because I had a very close friend who was on the tube when one of the bombs exploded. I had tried to ring him on the first fish, but only got his answer phone, he always answered. Thank god he survived and we still fish together as much as we can. The 2 Ardleigh fish My first 30 at 32lb. It was also my first fish out of Brackens pool at Nazeing.

85/90 gram😉 Haven't bought maggots in ages, but last time was a 568ml beer mug and the last of the tub and I had to do it myself as the girl in the shop didn't like maggots😂😁 I did tell her and she discounted the sale as it wasn't 2 full glasses😉

Only because rod lengths are in feet😉 Everything else length wise I use metric. Only with the fish weights do I still use pounds.

I rarely use distance sticks, but distance is always the same. 60metres is always 60metres. I usually walk out my rods, but I can use sticks. I put my spod/marker rod on the ground, and a bankstick/distance stick at tip and butt, then obviously do the wraps. A 12ft rod is around 3.65metres so I can work out that I need 17 wraps round the sticks. The 17 wraps over a consistent length will always be 17wraps.

When I realised it is 21years old I had to listen to (turn volume to full😂😉)

"baited the hook with trembling fingers, very good bait trembling fingers" 😉😂👍

The RH Apotheosis from memory was inner with the inner doors rolling down to the floor. I used to have my bedchair as far forward as possible, so I was stepping out of the inner. The inner capsules do make for a warmer bivvy than just an overwrap and reduce condensation. Unless you have a removable groundsheet in pretty much any tent, camping or fishing, you have a trip hazard. Don't forget that most dome type bivvies were not originally designed for fishing, no matter which manufacturer (or tackle brand). A bivvy for fishing, umbrella or Pioneer/pramhood etc is usually designed for the angler and has removable or separate groundsheet.

I remember from the EasyDomes that the inner capsule was also a 'trip hazard' as you stepped out of the door of the capsule. I probably have tripped over it. Long time ago, but I do have a pic somewhere. To be honest it is not anything that would be advertised😉

Couple of tench. It's a difficult water, maybe 120 carp in 45 acres, add the wind, swans, coots, tufties and weed, every fish is earned. Got wiped out by swans and drifting blanket weed a couple of times.

Drones are banned, 😂😉 Apparently someone used one and in doing so upset the gentleman who lives in the Hall overlooking the lake. Rules are tight, no remote control boats, no boating bait and hookbaits out, boats only to be used to free weeded fish, but only if there is someone else on the lake.

And they break as well😉😏

I use a Sonik Vader S&M Hybrid Spod and Marker. Biggest problem is the 50mm butt ring, they do get chipped easily in transit, I have had to replace it twice. Personally I prefer 40mm butt rings and the 50mm does NOT improve casting distance. I can cast Century Big Bertha with 40mm butt ring further, but as I use the one rod for spodding and marker/leading around now I slimmed the tackle down.

I'm off today until Friday. I was supposed to be going to Redmire, but dog sitter let me down, (not necessarily a bad thing), and seeing how weedy Redmire is at the moment put me off, so it is over to the syndicate lake. Plenty of pellets, maize and boilies in the gear, along with the dog food and tackle. Really not sure how to approach the lake as sitting and waiting for the fish to come over bait has not really worked. Finding them in 40acres of very weedy water can be tough, swans, tufties and coots make life harder