salokcinnodrog

Knowing how 'plasticky' the current Shimano Ultegra reels feel, I know exactly what you mean. If I wanted to stay with Shimano it would be Aerlex's or Beastmaster reels from their current range, they are also budget priced. If it was the choice between the ones you mentioned, I'd go for the Penn reels. I played with them in the tackle shop and they feel built to last.

Like @yonny I think it's too late if they have closed down for winter, unless it's still fishing and producing fish, or you know where they are holding up. On my syndicate the fish appear to be in an out of bounds area, so there is no point in baiting until they come out. It may also be too early for prebaiting for next season. It might be valid if your are fishing a small water and they are constantly moving.

Your problem is setting the hooks with a shorter rod, not many are stiff enough. On a jerkbait or lure rod it is the fish hitting the lure that sets the hooks. You might find a 10ft carp rod with a 3lb TC is OK, but to be honest, not having done it myself I wouldn't know. My pike rods are 12ft and 2.75 or 3lb tc

I find preparing for a season and venue is the best way to make the catch results show. I've found that the less I do, the worse my results are. Just walking around the water is gaining knowledge, even better if you have a marker rod in hand... On Nazeing at times I felt like I hadn't prepared enough, whereas on Earith, Ardleigh and Alton I knew I had, and to be honest in reference to not enough prep and doing the preparation, I think the results showed in my catches. I know we all pretty much got messed over last year, lockdown, then often crowded banks so we couldn't get on fish, although I did not do too bad in the time I had on Alton. This year I really hope the government get their act together, but I'm not holding my breath. I would love to be able to succeed on the syndicate lake as there are some very nice fish in there, and that will come to plenty of time looking.

I have seen tigers blow. If you are going with a Brazil, find the floating ones, and use a 360 rig (shrink tube over the eye), or stick with the D-rig. The D rig can be used with buoyant or sinking baits😉

Yes they do. And yes I did cos I know what you mean, hopefully the space makes sense

This is the funny bit, there is no set distance for local; the police are having to use their own judgement, for absolutely every situation, not just fishing. The government is once again giving insufficient advice. Lawyers, councils and even the government ministers and home office are confused as to what is counted as local, 5miles, 10miles or walking distance. I have, as pointed out, a number of fisheries, including 2 reservoirs within 15miles, my syndicate at 23miles and various other waters. Ardleigh involves swapping counties, but is on that 15mile line.

Amusing thing is I could legitimately go to Bromeswell or Melton, as I need to do some training at work, they are 5 minutes from work. Go fishing for the say, then go in and do my training in the evening.

I did the same. I know science has proved that outdoors is the safest place to be, perfect isolation. Even essential shopping is on the high risk list, a place you are more likely to get infected. This is where you get the questions though, what defines local? What distance from home is that? I still walk Sky around Alton water, a 5mile drive for an 8 mile walk. I couldn't easily walk 8 miles from my flat with her. I have SWP, Melton, Bromeswell and Alton within 15miles, and the drive north to my syndicate is 24. In fact Suffolk Water Park is the same as Alton!

Already emailed my MP to make an effort to get it reinstated

Vitalin Original muesli https://www.vitalinpetfood.co.uk/store/item/original

Years ago my son was becoming interested in drumming, so I set up a load of bait buckets in order for him. Sadly I know in Ipswich that cancer and ICU wards have been closed and switched to Covid treatment. Other illnesses, mental health, cancer and stroke patients are being left with no help.

I'd be lost without bino's; I use mine for regularly scanning the water looking for fish, even at the wildlife. Especially useful in winter for watching the coots and grebes. If grebes are working an area, it can be a good pike spot. If coots or even tufties are about it can be a good area for carp food. Yes, occasionally I do look at other anglers, on an open bank I don't think it can be helped. What they do in the swim is up to them, but every now and again it can bring up a new spot. We have enough respect for each other not to 'swim jump', but I figured from where someone was fishing and catching from a patrol route. By working out the route I was able to find a spot fish were coming through for myself.

Great fun, especially when your bait is hanging off your rod tip just touching the surface and gets taken.

Baiting up over lilies doesn't stop the root tubers growing, they are thick. Cutting is the only way, and as mentioned, they will break away and regrow. This might be of interest:

Your finger! To be honest if I'm stalking, most of my fishing is within a rod length of the bank. If I'm snag fishing at any more than 20 metres, then I'm using my normal rods and reels. If your older reels are good, keep using them.

Take the roots out, which is easier said than done. Lilies are thick tuber type roots, and can be cut by saw. If you leave bits the pads can regrow from drifting roots. Canadian pond weed is a 'mare, take chunks out and it still spreads as thick. Hope for a cold winter and keep raking the spot to take out shoots and roots.

Go for a centrepin reel😉 Something like Advanta Discovery. If you want fixed spool, I'd struggle now, you don't particularly want plastic gearing or clutch mechanism. I suppose the cheapest is Shimano ST4000. You don't need a Baitrunner though, a standard fixed spool reel will do

Crays can be a right pain in the rectum. I have had meshed baits, in armour mesh or stockings mesh munched. Armour mesh they can cut through, stocking mesh will pull and hole, so either way you end up with a ball of plastic on your hair. The little blighters will also cut mono hairs, so I would advise Korda Armorkord (see I own a Korda product), or 25lb braid as a hair. Rigs I would recommend using coated braid or fluorocarbon, although see my comment about mono hairs, coated braid is the best option. Plain uncoated braid they will pluck, twist and tangle. I would advise against using real bait pop-ups, and do not use putty on your rigs or tubing. For some reason Crays love tungsten, will pull it off, cut tubing into tiny pieces. They will also walk and pull down pop-ups to get the bait, and they can remove boilie stops. The answer as your original post is drilled wooden balls, soaked in a decent glug. My recommendation is a mix of liquid yeast, Marine 30 or KMG liquid, with a tiny amount of flavour per pot. The balls will float when you get them, but after taking on the glug for a few weeks they usually become critically balanced. I used to use a wooden ball on the hair, then tie on with a double overhand knot, a real pop-up to the hair loop as a snowman set-up. If they get the pop-up, you have the knot holding your wooden ball on, so still have a bait. If you need any added weight to weigh your hookbait down, use match angler's olivettes. As for chucking a pierced tin of dog food in the margins, you attract those in the margins, not much point if you are fishing any distance out as they are out there as well.

Didn't that go down 'twitcher hitter' route? I try to keep my lines and tips down as low as possible, although sometimes fishing a long way out with an undertow, or weedy margins, I do need to raise the rod tips.

A lot of flavour! With a 1 egg pop-up mix I add the same amount of flavour as recommended for 6 egg mix. So in your case use 5ml. When you work with a flavour you get 'nose blind', basically your sense of smell is overpowered and you no longer notice the smell. Exactly as your work or home, they have a smell that you don't notice, but others coming in do. (There is nothing like wet stinking dog smell, you only notice that for a while) To keep shape, roll them with a mix as dry as you can comfortably work, almost too dry. However if you are making the pop-up mix from scratch, then some ingredients do take on water and mishape them. I often have mishapes (which I am happy with myself) when I roll them. Don't boil too many at a time, keep them moving in the pan, as one side always sticks up out of the water.

In the land that time forgot, 😖 back in the 1990's, I used helicopter rigs quite extensively, and came across a number of problems, one of which was losing fish to hook pulls. Outurned eyed hooks like current chod hooks was not the answer with pop-ups, the cure was go to inturned eyed hooks like B175's, (or bent hook rigs, now banned) and or stop fishing helicopter set-ups if we used bottom or critically balanced baits. On most occasions I work on a simple premise: If I am losing fish to hook pulls, or the hook is right at the edge of the mouth, lengthen the hair. If I am hooking in the cheek, or the back of the mouth, the hair is too long. If hooked dead centre perfect. If not hooking anything, no runs, fishing in the wrong place. However, regarding hooking, by increasing the amount of free bait by the hookbait, more boilies, more particles or groundbait, can act in the same way as lengthening the hair...

Try bacon and egg in a brioche bun...

I suppose in terms of this year I half succeeded against the odds, catching 20lb carp and pike from Alton water despite Anglian Water keeping it closed for 6weeks longer than lockdown, although losing my ticket after a couple of Eastern Europeans cast over my rods 2 days on the trot and me pointing out very strongly they were in the wrong, was not part of my plans. A month on The Wensum after spotting 2 big barbel in an unknown area, but failing dismally in the low flow. Then onto the new syndicate in September, which I am still trying to learn. I have had a few pike out from there on a prebaiting trip... Goal for next year as always is to enjoy my fishing, catch a few and maybe a Personal Best. That goal is becoming harder over the ages, not because fish over 33lb don't exist, obviously they do, but because I prefer to catch genuine grown on fish from British fish farm heritage rather than stocked at 40lb plus.

Believe it or not, one of the least useable proteins for carp, unless as @emmcee says, you add an additional enzyme. (Bengers anyone?) Personally I think that as carp are omnivorous, able to eat both vegetable and meat matter (within constraints), a meat or fish protein is the best at supplying all the essential amino acids, although there is one non meat and strictly speaking, not vegetable, that contains every essential amino acid.