salokcinnodrog

The spod split is now in UK Carp fishing, I hope it makes sense https://www.carp.com/topic/26388-to-spod-or-not-split-spod-mix-idea/

I think what was my favourite winter swim was 'the point', the end swim by Pats Pool, the path up from main lake and the end of the track down from the car park. Casting past the end of the island aiming to the right edge of the coach company roughly towards the far corner of the lake. The drop off is in the swim around one or two to the right of that, the barbed wire ended in a tree and hawthorn bush, you could see the gravel bar running into the lake at low water level. I don't think I fished the actual channel into the main lake more than once or twice, I didn't see many fish swim through it, (Bruce did and caught), I preferred to fish the overhanging tree to the left, where I definitely caught. Even in the main lake I tended to fish the margins, towards the reeds on the Pingrees bank or the overhanging brambles by the pump House on the main footpath bank The advantage in margin swims was I could drop bait in by hand or catapult loose boilies if anyone was around... While I wasn't trying to hide what I was doing, I wasn't going to give spots away.

I'm tempted to split this topic, as although we are discussing spod mixes we are going into the effectiveness or not of spodding. On Earith I spodded bait in most sessions, albeit normally pellet and whole and crushed boilies, then topped the area up with throwing stick. I did try spodding particles in, pigeon conditioner, but on most occasions got breamed or tenched out, although there was an exception in one swim, a gravel slope or bar that had depths going from a few feet to 10feet, proper drop-offs. In one night I had 2 20's, my daughter landed another, and I had 5 other carp. The only time I really wanted to get into one particular swim was winter when I kept on catching from a particular area in it. Someone twigged what I was doing, so fished it; that made me look elsewhere and ended up catching what at the time was a personal best common. In the new swim, in February I still spodded in some pellet and boilies, and caught. Taverham used to respond originally to spodding, then that switched off, bait had to be in place for a couple of days, so the search for the carp then put a single bait or stringer on them became the best option. Again with that it could turn off. It did switch off once so a mate and I hit the spodded hemp, and caught loads in one night. Every water needs to be assessed, try it to find out. Sometimes spodding will work, others it will not. Non spodding waters, every now and again will respond to loads of bait spodded in.

Park lakes are a law unto themselves. They can be very clique with locals not wanting other anglers on there, and an almost permanent bivvy in 'the best swim'. I did fish it for a season, pretty much the only lake I fished due to no transport. I walked and even now walk it regularly. I prebaited heavily, catching a few fish, and was told by the locals when I fished "there's a guy prebaiting but I don't know what he's catching", I was trying not to laugh as my indicators were often bouncing. It took a while before they cottoned on! Saying that I was catching as many fish (not as big) on sweetcorn over Vitalin. The boilies were producing doubles while the sweetcorn produced mostly single figure commons. I also fished other swims, rarely the big double 'best swim', often going into the channel behind the island or the corner swim alongside the rushes. When I fished nights I was pretty careful to hide my bivvy, or even sleep rough under tarpaulin and on a sleep mat (see picture on other thread).

That is correct. The ST are better value

If you do use the reels for both carp and pike, make sure you consider reels with spare spools, or get extra spools. I use braid on my pike reels and rods, but mono on my carp rods and reels, hence 2 different reels.

I've got DL10000's and used them for carp fishing and have promoted them to my pike rods with braid on them. With 0.35mm (15lb) line on them, on any rod I think you would struggle to cast any further than 90metres, the line level goes down too deep. I also think they feel a bit 'lightweight', not the highest quality. I have managed to bend the centre spindle on one, probably by dropping it, and a handle broke. I got myself Shimano Beastmaster reels for casting longer distances, and despite being a budget big pit the quality is higher. The latest incarnation is on the link, but shop around you may get a better deal https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/shimano-beastmaster-xb-reel

Not above the mesh where it meets the leather. (You can see it better on the brown ones). I found that out when I did try to walk the outflow when it was higher than normal. However they are OK in rain, so I would say water resistant. They are decent walking boots as well, and comfortable enough to wear all day.

HiTec Magnums are hard to find at the moment. The Nitehawk combat boots are good. A couple of weeks ago I had to resort to chest waders to cross the outflow, and pull some weed out to get baits in the water, I got flipping freezing feet. Back on the bank and into the Nitehawk boots a lot warmer. https://www.nitehawkproducts.co.uk/clothing/footwear.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6t6ABhDMARIsAONIYyzJ2b0hwKArqSSBA5CB9gG5kqpCLWjany2yP4jpAVa7iedVkz785pYaAtSIEALw_wcB As Yonny says, warm legs help keep your feet warm. I've been wearing combat trousers with Hoogs Strathmoor over trousers over the top, but even with chesties they were cold.

It is weird about spodding or Spombing bait in, for me on Alton or Ardleigh it hardly ever worked on the night it went in, it usually took 2nights to pull the fish in, but there were occasional exceptions. On Taverham it didn't work, taking a couple of days to bring them in, except one occasion when 2 of us put a whole 10kg base mix bucket of hemp in; that was a hectic night.

My fish from Alton last few seasons came over Vitalin, pigeon conditioner and hemp. The Vitalin was only used as a binder so I could throw it in by hand from the bridge... If I Spombed it in it was just boilies, pigeon conditioner and hemp.

I don't do wellies, preferring combat boots and TFG Extreme boots. https://www.totalfishinggear.co.uk/carp/clothing-and-footwear/tf-gear-extreme-boots One thing I do do is walk to the swim in combats, and then change into my Extremes, often changing socks. I know it's a faff, but sweaty wet feet get cold. Framey's choice of Muck Boots is a good one, guy I used to work with swears by the Arctic and Muckmasters

Honest answer is I would leave out the maples and maize from the particles, and I'd be using ground tiggers and peanuts in rather than whole. The fish will really get stuck in on smaller pieces, whereas with tigers, peanuts and maize, larger particles, they can be selective. I have seen carp picking out specific food items in a mix! The only reason I would use salt is if I was PVA bagging it, but with dry groundbait, if you are quick enough you can get away without it. Liquid wise, molasses and evaporated milk would be the only ones I would add, the milk is fine at creating a cloud. I think we try to be too clever at creating our own mixes, pigeon conditioner and hemp work on their own as they stand, as does hemp and maize. Even maples work on their own, and are a good tench bait. The other thing is adding to the cost with extra ingredients, pigeon conditioner, and maize are cheap. I do like using peanut granules and crushed or tiger granules in groundbait, but I don't honestly think it makes much difference. The advantage of having whole tigers, maize, maples and peanuts is you could use them as hookbait. Always a few crushed and whole boilies in the mix. I mention I have seen carp pick up specific items from a particle mix; hemp from a mix of hemp and tares, and hemp from a mix of pigeon conditioner and hemp. Whole tigers from a particle mix.

Terry Edmonds is leaving Shimano: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3286938691410183&id=288293097941439

After working another early morning breakfast shift at Honington I managed to get to the lake again for 9. Todays result was just the 2 Jack's, reckon 5lb tops The outflow is very high, so I fished the sheep fence swim. It is still weedy, and the wind is blowing it around.

As @yonnysays, any big pit reel will cast the distance as long as the reel is big enough. When I had my Century SP's twinned with Shimano DL10000's, the maximum distance I could cast with 15lb 0.35mm line was 90metres. Put on the Beastmaster reels, a big pit baitrunner on the spool, the distance went up to over 130m. There are ways to reduce line twist, and one simple one is DON'T play fish off the clutch or drag, use the back wind. Not sure whether it is just me, but I also think lead clips can cause twist, a reason why I prefer run rings, which are not fixed to the hook link swivel.

Facebook seems to have taken on all the keyboard warriors. On any post on a topic like HuffPost insults get thrown. I've actually had my account restricted in the past when someone insulted me and I responded by calling the person's post stupid and meaningless. Even fishing posts in some fb groups get 'queries' on fish weights, not the "are you sure that weight is right?" but real digs. There are some very good Facebook groups I am a member of like the PAC, Chub fishing, roach fishing, but most others run personally are not worth the effort.

You will get loads of different views, a Delkim vs Fox argument and probably each answer is right and wrong😅😉 Personally I bought a set of Delkim St's back in 2000, I'm still using them. I have a mate who likes his Delkim EV's. The Delkims St's still keep popping up on the ebay, at between £50-80. I have 'borrowed' a set of Gardner TLB's to play, nice alarms, but I think the ATTS are the current version.

I know the area, it is a proper fishery, right next to a Carmelite monastery, not far from Banham Zoo. You can be sitting fishing and nuns walk round the lake. Can't remember the fence or stile.

Stalking at Quidenham Mere

I've read through this, and with a couple of exceptions, it seems like we are all fishing gravel pits. What about other lakes, ponds or even meres? My current lake is a proper lake, mostly clay/silty lake bed, with feeder stream running in one end and out the other. Other than an old Causeway it is nearly all softer lakebed, with loads of weed. The spots I have found have not been in the weed, but have been rich in Bloodworm, depressions in the lakebed, or alongside rushes, proper Norfolk Reeds I can't claim any fish, so far it is theory, but I'm sure the causeway is not the best hard spot, it is down to finding spots the fish are currently harvesting

That 10lb pike from the double take has put on weight, I had it again today at 12lb. The twisted mouth and scar on the back was the give away. Caught this time on a dead roach. I also had another Jack. The jack was lightly hooked and the hooks fell out in the net. Mackeral tail for that

What about RH DMX range? I've got RH The Ones as well as my Century NG's and in terms of feel The Ones, although a lot cheaper, are very good. The current DMX rods also feel very nice. https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product/dmx-mk1-rods/

I would get one base mix and stick with it. I don't know how good Trigga is since Bill Cottam left Nutrabaits, but personally I don't have the same faith in the company I used to. Solar Club Mix, not bad, but Monster Crab is a Rod Hutchinson boilie as well, available as a frozen or shelf life. I keep some selfies handy as despite the stink, they are a top bait. You do not need much flavour, stick to the recommended maximum, or even go lower.

I have a mate who had a habit. He used to spend most of the day monged out in his shelter. We fished the same waters, while he was smoking, I spent time looking and figuring. He got so wound up with me catching regularly. Eventually his habit and not catching he sold all his gear, including the stuff I gave him. Eventually he managed to quit. It has cost him thousands to buy new gear, and he still refuses to get into carp fishing like he used to.