salokcinnodrog

Sky spent last night in the bivvy as it was raining, but at around 6am was sat outside watching and waiting. She's now totally relaxed and sunbathing.

I rarely have any problems with the Gardner Braided Hair Needle. They will go through most baits except rock hard boilies. https://gardnertackle.co.uk/product/braided-hair-needle/ It may be an eBay job if you can't get them from your American supplier. The other possibility is whipping a softer thinner hair to the hook shank. Rod whipping thread and dental floss are both pretty good. So tie your hook on with a standard hook knot, and then simply tie the dental floss/whipping thread to the eye, whip it down the hookshank and overhand loop the last two turns to create the hair with a decent loop.

You beat me to it. I also found this: https://hammertackle.com/en/blogs/blog/vantastic-lukas-carp-fishing-adventure-in-greece

Back in 2016 (!), I fished Alton Water near The Wonder and caught roach to 2lb 5oz on the cage swimfeeder, size 16hook and either double red maggot or maggot and caster. The first 2 or 3 swims down the slope I found the best at around 30-40metres, regularly recasting. The fish tended to switch on from around 4pm until last light. Birchwood on the other side I found better for bream on the feeder, and for float fishing for silver fish if you go to the right. That is down a small farm lane with a combination lock gate at the end. You get lock number when you buy your ticket. Ardleigh I was fishing back in 2005 for carp, but the bream would come on big beds of groundbait and if you could prebait the day or two before would often be there all day, with the occasional carp. Go into Ardleigh, and down Lodge Lane, near the petrol station. There is another Lodge Lane on the other side of the reservoir. Wick Lane dam area is also easily accessible. I never did very well up near the main fishing lodge.

Alton Water and Ardleigh Reservoir are both within your 30minutes of Colchester just off the A12 towards Ipswich. Day tickets via their website, and should come up on Google fairly easily. I spent a lot of time on both of them in the past, and the swimfeeder and heavy baiting can be the best approach for bream and roach, although carp tend to be late afternoon through the night on carp tactics, but day tickets don't allow night fishing.

Best way to use maize is sprouted, or just as it starts to ferment. I prep mine by soaking with a teaspoon of soft brown sugar and salt, then after a 24hour soak, boil it up and leave for another night. I've watched the carp ripping up the bottom to get to it. It's a mix of roasted peanuts, coconut oil, lemon juice, chilli and garlic with added salt and sugar, and depending on supplier, soy sauce. Actually with a natural preservative or two. The worry about preservatives in a bait kind of amuses me, as sugar and salt, lemon juice and smoking were done for that exact reason naturally before we started playing about with chemicals. Another preservative is glycerin or glycerol, and I think is an attractor in its own right, as well as being the base of some very successful flavours. Synthesise it and you can get diacetin and triacetin, which were the original base solvents of Scopex and a number of flavours, Chocolate Malt and some spice flavours. The big problem with triacetin and diacetin is the cost compared to glycerol. I would struggle putting peanut butter in a bait, I love my crunchy peanut butter sandwiches too much to waste it... Saying that peanut oil is a very good additive as the lipid and fat content; 10ml peanut oil and 10ml of olive oil is pretty good.

I had that on my syndicate lake, for almost a whole year. I joined in September 2020, and did not catch a carp until August 2021, just before renewal when I had a double and a 20 in the same night. It was a stressful struggle. I got to the stage of if it could go wrong, it would go wrong. The next few years were gradually learning the lake, a few more carp, and pike in winter or on the occasional pop-up, but getting to understand the place. That learning, just when you think you have it sussed, it turns around and sends you gremlins.

Or look at The Enduro's if you want to look at12ft. I know they are 12ft, but not a bad price: https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product-category/sale/

I actually bent the central spool shaft on one of my DL's. I can't claim it was any fault but my own, it fell off the barrow when pike fishing, however the broken handle of another one just was not. If I had a choice between the basic ST(?) or the DL, I would go ST everytime now. The main reason for switching from the DL10000's was that I needed to cast further than 90metres, which I found the maximum comfortable distance with 0.35mm 15lb line on them. The joys of going to bigger waters from 2acres... Built to last and quality. I think that it was just the extra money per reel that convinced me Aerlex was the best option. I had absolutely no problem with a quick half turn to tighten up the front spool drag and click anti-reverse off.

I have really used and abused my Aerlex's, for fishing, spodding and marker float work. I know that the gearing is lower, reel handle turns compared to bail arm rotation, but I actually feel that may be better in terms of the work they do. I think I got them around 2005, so to be still going with minimal care is some going, just the occasional drop of oil. They get covered in groundbait, occasionally soaked and still do Big Boy work. Not bad for an £89 reel. I preferred them over the £105 Biomaster I think it was then, although it might have been I didn't want to spend the extra £20 each on 5 reels... I've said since that Shimano quality has dropped, reels were built to last, now they are built to be upgraded or fail... I'm still using my 7000 Beastmaster XTA's for fishing, and still getting positive comments from other people on the syndicate. The DL10000's I have just don't feel as robust. Give me the original Seaspin Baitrunners, or the 4000/6010 Aero GTE Baitrunners and I would be happy with them on lighter rods.

Simple overhand loop knot, but large enough so that the knot doesn't go into the boilie as you thread it. If it is still a problem, drill the boilie before putting it on the hair, something I do with rock hard baits anyway. If you glug them in a glycerol based bait soak, it can be worth putting them on a half cocktail stick before soaking. Nothing worse than hands that smell totally fishy and it won't wash off...

I've been comparing it to the old Vitalin and after treating it as I did Vitalin, it does not seem to bind as well. It definitely needs a lot less water, and there is less flaked maize than in the original.

I don't think that you missed it, unless I am blind as well... The size of the fish is a big consideration. The BHR supposedly caused loads of mouth damage, I can't argue that, but I personally never found any on the 20lb + I was fishing for. 'Bait reliant' or 'overstocked' waters I'm sure also get fish with mouth damage more than those with plenty of natural food. They may be getting hooked more frequently than those than don't need bait. I found loads of fish with mouth damage on a water where 10lb was a good fish. Match anglers, those getting into carp fishing, 'pleasure' anglers, all types of (barbless) hooks were being used. I think that the knotless knot slippage issue is down to tying, not superglue to hold it, but taking the coils down the shank. I always used the hair exit point as opposite between the point and barb of the hook. That can be as many as 20coils! Those that use 3 or 4, maybe 7 it will slip. As for braids in the mouth, hookholds and helping to reduce ejection, I have used line aligners for years, whenever Jim Gibbinson first wrote about it, however many years ago, and extended the hookshank with tubing. The superglue and braid issue. I'm sorry, I have tested it, yes it does cause knots to fracture. You look at a hooked fish, as you play it, it changes direction. The hooklink to hook knot, or other attachment, moves with those changes. If it is rigid, held in place, it can't. The fracture point is either at the eye of the hook, or just above the top of the superglue, the places that need movement. As for hooklink braid, I think Dave Chilton mentioned years ago that he was looking at materials used in the upholstery industry and went to them for the original hooklinks.

I'd switch back to the Aerlex! Mine got a dose of Rocket Fuel yesterday, squeak stopped, still running smoothly and put out 2 buckets of maize this morning. Just noticed that your reel is very full of line, careful that can cause Whined Knots.

'Braid' is a problem, as there is a difference between hooklink braid, and mainline braid, and even various manufacturers or tackle brands braids. Mainline braid is cutting, it's not designed for hooklinks (actually nor are many hooklink braids, being designed for upholstery). Years ago I played around with a Drennan hooklink braid, in 8-12lb versions, that I felt was too thin, too 'sharp' and likely to cut. For years I have used Kryston hooklinks, from the original Merlin, which was also sold by Carp-R-Us (Wizzard?) when it was changed to current Merlin, Supersilk, and Silkworm. I found Supersilk was another very thin diameter braid that gave me worries, as were 15lb versions of Merlin. I only use 25lb for that reason. Supersilk was white, although it did take on bottom colour, but I would get hooklink twist. I still use Merlin, although I was concerned when Dave Chilton sold Kryston, enough to buy up all of the Merlin we had in stock at the shop I worked in. I do have a spool of ESP camo sink link, which I bought to make a tackle order £100 for free shipping. That is used on Multi-rigs. Rigwise, I use braids straight through, or as the end part of a combi-rig. I'm also of the bigger hook size, 4's and 6's and have been for years, at least since 2008, with pop-ups and bottom baits. Having a size 8 to remove that is buried up to the eye, leaving almost nothing to snip with side cutters or grip with forceps is not fun. The knotless knot does not slip, and I have not superglued it. I have used knotless knots for over 20years, both with and without tubing to cover it as a line aligner.

Mate, When I was in my teens we had a Shetland Sheepdog, Sheltie, called Little Mo. I used to take her fishing, she loved it. Very well behaved, and despite being free roaming, she would sit still for hours watching. I still think of her. I think that we remember all our animals, not as pets, but more as friends. Rats? I got presented with this one morning: Exactly, she does try to bury it as well, although I think that is 'prey drive'. A predator does not necessarily want to give away the fact they are about.

Sky is still fishing with me, and still can't be let off lead. Today's extra dietary items were a goose egg she found in the margins and a dead thing that she found as I took her for a pee. She won't pee or more in the swim, has to go for a short walk.

Most of the big fish in the lake. I only missed the big mirror that was rarely caught. I did catch the two commons that swam around with it, both 8lb, one short fat and dumpy, the other long and lean. The big mirror was not a boilie eater, it only occasionally came out on sweetcorn, yet the two commons would take boilies, but I never saw the mirror pick one up, and I was no more than a rod length away in that swim.

Years ago I was fishing a local park lake, it's free, but I didn't want the locals knowing that I was there. I was arriving after dark, fishing the night and staying until lunchtime at the latest.

I'm not ready for two pics of them...🤣

I'd completely forgotten about them, d'oh, and I get online discount from Rod Hutchinson. Reminds me, I must check out the boilies section I have as I think I will need to order some more.

There has been an increased quantity of spam recently so for new members I have often been putting post moderation on. This is not because I don't want you posting, but sadly because I don't like having to deal with 30 posts advertising or linking to unsafe sites. Please feel free to introduce yourself in the New to Carp.com section https://forum.carp.com/forum/40-new-to-carpcom-new-to-carp-fishing/ and as soon as we can we'll approve the post so you can get a good welcome. To those members who have been reporting spam posts, many thanks, it really helps and to the other moderators, thank you for your help with this.

It sounds weird but screenshot your photo and crop it as that reduces file size.

What irritates me is that the mk.2 or 3 is frequently not as good as the mk.1, or is having to fix the faults of the mk.1 as in alarms. I had the original Fox Easydome, good bivvy, up in a couple of minutes. I even got a mk.2, nice, (thanks RichardF), it actually came with an improvement of an additional rib to push the porch out instead of a couple of clip-on bars as per the mk.1 and the skull cap had better coverage because of that. Then the mk.3 was awful, they extended the inner dome backwards instead of to the front. The mk.1 was my goto bivvy on Taverham in the 1990's until it was stolen. The mk.2 was my goto bivvy around 2007 or 2008 for another few years until I split up with Liz and lost it somewhere between housemoves.

Nick has no idea what is happening to it now. I lost interest after seeing 6 otters playing around and had numbers of the fish. It's one of those places, I fished it, caught fish, not really interested in going back.