salokcinnodrog

Coloured mainline might have advantages, a bright orange Sensor or purple Wychwood (?) line might keep swans from hitting it... Personally I use Gardner Pro light (clear) in the clean clear water of my syndicate. Even where it is clear you still get suspended particles of silt sticking to the line, so my clear line is a khaki colour unless I wipe it clean every time I reel in. I don't think that stops me catching as I think that I caught the most fish of all the members last year. I think that at anything above around 40metres, the last bit of line to the end tackle is laying on the lakebed anyway with a tight line, it arcs down. I suppose in theory that is where fluorocarbon is better as it is invisible in water, but fluorocarbon seems to attract more silt particles than nylon monofilament. Even a clean, tight fluorocarbon casts a shadow though, same as mono.

I do confess to a can of cider at lunchtime with a bacon sandwich or two the past few trips. It's been too cold for me to sup a beer at night! I've been resorting to lemon and ginger or orange and peach tea in the evening after dinner.

These anglers from the other syndicate do go on where 'full-time' syndicate members are fishing, on the back of their results or work. This particular angler has not fished 'here' since last June when the other syndicate reopened after their close season. There are around 6 or 7 who only fish here between April and June. It's created a bit of antagonism, not just for me, but others besides. If it was an angler who fishes once or twice a month only on this lake I would not be so narked!

We have a problem in that 1 member was the membership 'secretary' for two syndicates, and one of them has a April to June close season. The secretary would 'recommend' members to this syndicate from the other so they would be members of both, but only fish here during the others close season. That then creates @elmoputney 's problem and freshly cut, prepared or baited swims are suddenly taken by people who only fish the lake for 3 months without doing any work themselves. I was gutted this year to cut and dig out a new swim, keeping it in keeping with the rest of the lake, prebaited it, gotten fish feeding and then finding someone else fishing it and catching one of the fish I was after. His publicised 'campaign' for a bait company was actually fish for 2nights where someone else had been baiting and dive in when they had gone, not as it was published. It's not the first time it has happened to me or another couple of mates on the lake. It's these other syndicate members who don't do any work themselves who wind me up.

It was just enough to allow the fish to slip the hook, not total opening and rebending. Elastic springback is I think it's name. From memory it is where the outer layers stretch and the middle is compressed. Once the force is removed it returns to shape

Tuesday was a Co-op chocolate cookie day.

It is if you don't bring it with you😉 My overnight kit is in a rucksack, and the receiver lives in a pocket in that, my day kit is my tackle box, so I don't bring it with me. On a day session it is not like I am miles away from the rods, or deep asleep.

It has been a while since our bankside cuisine has been on show so as Google does not like old threads, I'll start afresh. Last night I had rump steak, so tonight's dinner was the steak trimmings turned into a curry with a diced potato, baby corn, chopped mangetout, fine green beans and half a tin of chopped tomatoes and Garam Masala and a dash of chilli powder.

I do use my alarms without the receiver every now and again on day only sessions, so for them to be audible is important to me. At night though I wouldn't be without the receiver next to my head on the storm pole

I loved the Emblem 'baboons' and the gold 5000's they did. I was seriously considering them years ago. They were fetching big money secondhand.

The Nicks Pedant medal for correction and research...🤪🤣

@yonny I did have a problem with a particular brand of hooks (model no longer available) that were opening out enough under pressure to straighten and spring back into shape. Maybe it was a particular batch of the Series 2 being faulty, but I did lose a couple of fish before I tested and changed from them, and have not used the brand since. I have also had a few from other manufacturers that did just snap after snagging, at the point of the bend, or straighten out.

I did used to tie some up in Viscount Tackle back in the 1990's for a few people who had arthritis in the fingers, and struggled to tie their own. Not a big money maker as for 10 rigs we'd just charge for the tubing, hooks and swivels we'd used, but it kept customers coming back in each week for other bits like boilies, pellets and other tackle they needed. I had to laugh when someone commented "you wouldn't use that yourself", then when they saw me on Barham and my rigs were identical and I was catching.

Say you are using metal sizes, in engineering I think called a 'gauge". The higher the number, the finer or thinner the gauge. A size 10 hook may be made with 18 gauge material, but a size 6 or 8 is made from 14 or 16 gauge wire. Now think about the fight of the fish, by putting pressure on the hook, you are 'trying' to straighten or break it. A finer gauge wire or hook is more prone to straightening than a heavier gauge. It may have the elasticity to return to shape after the fish has gotten off, or it may not; if it has sprung back into shape you may not notice the problem. Then think about other issues, a small hook in a big mouth, less weight, or mass, more easily blown out. The bigger hook is more likely to get a point into a piece of flesh. Plus you have as @Carpbell3 has said. Yet with a smaller hook, a size 10 can land a big carp when on say a 1½lb test curve rod. I actually use size 10 hooks for floater fishing, a dog biscuit fixed to the shank of the hook by a loop or tying the hook on with a knotless knot after creating the loop so the dog biscuit is tight to the hook.

I have never bought a ready tied rig, other than hooks to nylon for smaller species, although mates and I have 'pinched' each other's rigs. There is a 'but' in there; at Nazeing I pinched one of Big Daves rigs after I had landed a fish and for some reason hadn't got another tied up. I cast it to where I had caught from, and within minutes started getting a series of bleeps on the buzzer which then stopped. Around 4 in the afternoon every day I would reel in, check hook and bait and recast, so at 4 I reeled in, replaced the rig with one of my own, freshly tied and recast the same bait out. Within minutes I had a take and landed a decent fish. When I got home I did a hook point comparison of my Gardner Muggas, Gamskatsu curve, whatever the number was and the Korda Kurv's Dave was using, by attempting to lift a 3oz inline lead off the desk with the hookpoint on the ball of my thumb. The Gardner and Gamakatsu hooks were sharp enough to draw blood without the full weight of the lead. The Kurv, I could lift the lead off the desk! Not long after Korda released their 'hand sharpened' hooks... I prefer to play around with my rigs, working on thoughts and theories in my head, and the experimentations and experiences in the water. I said years ago I don't think of Rig Mechanics of say the KD rig, Spinner rig or even the Chod rig as a rig that passes the palm or thumb test may still be a blank rig but the basic rig that is put in the right situation will catch.

Definitely nothing worse than cracking off on a big chuck when the bail arm closes, well maybe other than losing the fish or woman of your dreams...

Hmm! There are so many differences of opinion on tackle, rods, reels, line, hooks and alarms. What I use has changed over the years depending on personal choice, some of my tackle deals or 'sponsorship', even water to water, or personal ethical reasons. For years I used Century rods, SP and NG's were the last, but then got a deal on Rod Hutchinson The Ones in 3.25lb TC and Enduro's in 2.75lb TC. What rods I use depends on how far I need to cast, and at the moment 100metres is the limit. Reels I don't think that I have used any other reel manufacturer for freshwater fishing than Shimano since the days of Abu Cardinals, the original Aero GTE Baitrunners, Aerlex's, DL10000's and 7000 XTA Beastmasters. Line, again personal choice there are so many out there, Gardner Pro is the current. As for hooks, currently Gardner Muggas and Incizor's because annoyingly my other favourite hooks became difficult to get hold of. There is no magic answer, because every uses what they find works for them.

The Carp companies I think were catering to 'chav fashion' with the joggers. I'm not sure on hoodies as I do find a hoodie quite useful though. I much prefer combat or cargo trousers; a few weeks ago one of my pairs of combats died, finally worn through after 20 years, or is that the problem? I do get a fair few years out of combat clothing, it resists rip, tears and brambles. I avoided tackle shops for most clothing to be honest, much preferring outdoor and army surplus stores. There are exceptions, a few decent tackle brand hoodies, (not all are good) and an ESP fleece. Craghoppers use natural repellant. I had to look as your comment got me interested as I'm wary of things like DEET. https://www.craghoppers.com/nosilife/https://www.craghoppers.com/technologies/nosilife/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=10157901071&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7bWx3dGdjQMV66JQBh3CYg6dEAAYASABEgIrl_D_BwE

There is a fair bit of 'insect proof' clothing about already. It is standard for British Army combat trousers and jackets, but there are other sellers including Craghoppers. The standard permethrin impregnated clothing lasts for 70 washes, but you can do your own which lasts about 6 washes.

I'm positive we often overthink what we do, although I really try not to, preferring to spend time watching the fish if possible. At Taverham Mills I used to spend a lot of time up trees watching the fish over baited areas. There were times when the carp definitely avoided pop-ups, and I am positive after going out to my baited areas that the fish have twigged my pop-up, yet a switch to a lower sitting or even bottom or snowman bait later catches on the same spot. It's on hard bottoms, gravel and sand I really don't like using pop-ups, that's where I have seen fish avoiding them like the plague when there is plenty of bait out there.

In Tim Paisley's More From The Bivvy is a short piece on the 360 rig and his preferred pattern. I have a feeling Dave Lane was using JRC Connect hooks when he passed it on to him. I don't like the curved hook with it, as I have the mini swivel eye on the lakebed. The Incizor is a big hook with a fairly wide gape, and is heavy. The hook is equal and balances the the pop-up, so no additional putty needed. I do know it didn't work so well with a Solar 101! I wonder if my version didn't work because it is presenting the bait above the fish feeding on the lakebed. I know it's only a tiny difference in height above the lakebed, but would be above the background maize I caught over.

Now the leaves are grown the tree at the right does look more like Scotty dog. Just to the right out of pic, there are a couple more trees that to my mind and imagination look like cartoon characters, a squirrel, a pig and a 1940's cartoon aborigine.

The bait is on a sliding ring so can slide up and down the shank. It is stopped by a stop opposite the barb so the hook sits up as the pop-up lifts it upright. Don't forget it is sat on my hand, not in the water. The Nutty Bait natural colour pop-up is very buoyant, although I can't use a natural colour Monster Crab pop-up as it is too buoyant. As it 'stands' it sits perfectly. I just pulled the hookbait off the floss at the end of the session, so it makes it look funny with the floss still on. I'm like you, never had any mouth damage, and I think bans occurred because anglers didn't make sure the carp was in the bottom of the net before lifting. (Having seen some ITV4 Korda sponsored shows where the net is lifted by the handle when the carp is only just in the net, anglers copy)... Our rules are self enforced, and the only rules are no tiger nuts, peanuts or fake baits. Almost every fish goes up on the syndicate Facebook page, exception being a couple of anglers who don't do social media. I've tried the Spinner and Ronnie rig, and just have not had the same positive hook-ups as the 360 rig. I don't think that it is fish/rig related as unless every stock fish is super wary already, (they are already putting on a lot of weight on naturals), but the lakebed itself.

I must admit to going back to the 360 rig this week on 1 rod, the middle one, and that was the rod that went off with a fish. It may have been how I was fishing, over maize and the lead and rig in a bag with a few whole boilies and pellets. I do like the Multi-rig and my bog standard pop-up rig with the olivette as the counter or balance weight, and catch fish on them, but at the moment I am fishing mostly pop-ups. Notes with the 360 rig, make sure before you lift the net up that the fish is right at the bottom of the net. I have a micro mesh base in my landing net, so the eye doesn't catch but in a larger mesh the eye of the hook may need covering. My version in the picture is with a size 4 Gardner Incizor, a small sinker on the braid hooklink. The dental floss is where I had attached a 15mm Nutty Bait pop-up. I also use a run ring for the lead, which was a 2½oz dumpy, although the wind meant I had to fish a tight line. I got a couple of bleeps and a couple of minutes later it just went off. The fish was hooked just to the left of centre in the bottom lip.

One of last years stocking, I think went in at 11.12, now 19lb.