salokcinnodrog

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.

I see more animals hit with crossbow bolts than I do with a catapult! Saying that I used to see a pest control officer using a Barnet Diablo or Black Widow for rats, and at one time they were a carp anglers best boilie pult. I really don't understand the logic of some people, those who are trying to ban a legitimate use of a catapult for groundbait or boilies, or those who aim for animals. As a kid I made longbows, catapults and other arrow launchers, and I am positive that not all were used legitimately, kids play fights, pigeons or rats as targets or the occasional school window... As for the police, if I misbehaved, I'd get a clip round the ear from whoever caught me, and if I was stupid enough to tell my mother, another when I told her, or if I was caught by the village Bobby, no matter how fast I ran or cycled, how many shortcuts I took, he was stood at the door talking to my mother when I got home. We have lost education, from one or two misbehaving children in a year group to one or two well behaved children in the year group.

Those mirrors are impressive looking fish.

I don't think that the weight is the problem, nor the packing away time. I can't do with sleeping on Ravishing Rachel, sorry the airbed anymore, it's too low, not that my bedchair is particularly high, but I can't get up from the floor easily. Comfort and space. I can do without the porch extension, but with it does mean I can sit on my chair when it's raining and keep dry. No matter what when carp fishing it is guaranteed to be 2 barrow loads, Sky has a bucket of food and a couple of stuffed hooves for daytime chewing. I got really lucky years ago, someone put a Nash Hurricane Outlaw Bivvy dome and overwrap on ebay and I picked it up for £10 including carriage, they made a spelling mistake on the listing, 'bivy', so no-one else bid on it. That lasted years, in fact I still have it, and that's been through a few storms. It's only my preference for an umbrella that made me switch from it. When I was homeless, it was home!

Funny you should post as I have a pan of maize simmering on the stove for this week. I get mine from Gladwells at Copdock Mill. It's definitely big enough to drill and put on the hair. I must admit I gave up on plastic baits, both for lake rules, and my peace of mind environmentally. I became concerned about leaving plastic baits in the environment should I crack off. The last few pieces I have found and retrieved are actually smaller than real grains of maize, and fake sweetcorn is smaller than the standard piece I use for bait. I do tend to trim a standard yellow (Nutty Bait) pop-up for use as a hookbait. I'm too tight to buy additional specific hookers...

I was using a Sonik Spod Marker Hybrid, but after rod rings losing liners I switched back to Century Big Bertha for the same job of leading around and the Spombing. I'm more confident in the Big Bertha for the weight of a full medium Spomb than the Sonik which didn't like big casts. I normally cast out and pull the rod tip to vertical or slightly backwards and as it hits the clip the rod pulls forward. That's almost exactly the distance I was fishing this week in a 20mph easterly, which was a 'cross tail' wind, coming at around 45⁰ over my left shoulder. That reminds me, I must give the Aerlex a dose of Rocket fuel, it developed a squeak this week on winding in. Means I will be cleaning up the 7HT's as well.

With braid and the Spomb you really want a straight drop down rather than 'skidding' it in as it hits the clip. I also use a 30lb Amnesia leader. I still get the occasional non opening, but that is when I tend to punch it rather than aiming high and dropping in. The Nash Dot Spod is supposed to open every cast, but I have found they seem to lack a bit of build quality (and class) and do appear cheap. They can also be a pain to push and click shut.

There are some baits that will work no matter what. Maize, corn, sweetcorn, bloodworm and other worms, even maggots are instant. Boilies are not the instant answer as it can take time for fish to find them, not every fish will eat boilies, or even will test every one because it is different. In terms of protein percentage 30% is almost perfect, the boilies and recipe look good. The location you put them in may be wrong, you may have put too many in for the conditions, long and short term. I don't know the weather or season where you are, it's spring in Northern Hemisphere, but round Asia to Europe, current temperatures are widely differing, some still close to freezing, some reaching 25⁰C.

Oh gawd, we're getting into the nuances of the English language, wind and wind, spelt the same only pronounced different. Whined knot... Because I will moan and whine after getting one...🤪

Or bad retrieve knot, when the line goes loosely onto the reel and as you cast comes off in a bundle and tighter knot than I can tie. I hate unpicking the darn things, and they usually happen for me when it's windy and I am mid way through spodding bait in.

1litre of water is 1 kilogram, so yes, that's a fair weight. I do always keep water in the car, a 5litre container for Sky so if she needs it on a walk or drive she has it available. That's my usual backup when we are fishing. Stupid thing is fresh water in the bowl is often ignored, and she has a preference for lake water.

That's in Norfolk, sorry Narfock

If I am barrowing my gear to the swim, yep, The Monster Cabrio mat definitely does make a good tackle carry on the barrow, but with the back and hip problems lifting fish up causes so much pain as I have to reach over and down, so the standard Chub mat is the one. I said that, then when I tried to go to just 'essentials', or the 'never know', I suddenly found that I needed them, so back came the tackle box. You know the one, 'I've got spare identical rigs in the rig bin', so you rely on them, then run out after a few fish, or blunting hooks, so you retie some more on the bank. Then there is the occasional of 'I'm sure they are sussing it', so you tie something completely different.