salokcinnodrog

I totally go against the 'no marker float' or not finding features daily. I have had so many carp within minutes of the marker float being cast in and baited up to. @elmoputney I also did very well on the water you are thinking about spodding to the marker float with pellet, chops and whole boilies, although one swim I confess, was just cast out to with a stringer and put some boilies out by throwing stick as it was long range. The marker float was used as a target to aim at, whether it was over silt or gravel. Sadly I lost the map I made of the water, but every trip I would still double check my swim with the float to be sure. I would do the same on Nazeing, and bait up to the marker with stringers. That would catch me plenty of fish. I wasn't into wraps, but would clip up to features, then walk it out along the bank to the right distance so I knew the spot for the future. Silly things like from the gravel hump to the stick pushed into the ground that would have no meaning to other people. The marker float was an essential though if I couldn't walk it out the distance. Cast as close as I could to it, knowing I was in the right area.

Good memory Mate. Those pellets were there for months, and fish avoided even swimming over them. I was digging around when this 'salt craze' started with my concerns. Now most baits do contain salt, sweetcorn ( tinned is often in a mix of salt and sugar), your boilies will contain salt as standard, often as a preservative as well as in the ingredients themselves. There has been various research relating to adding sodium chloride to the carp's diet as carp are often used as a food source in poorer countries, so best growth is required. I recall finding one from University of Chicago that at 5% of the diet, growth and conversion to protein stopped totally. The University of Basrah did a big study which the optimum amount is 1.5%. It is a pdf file if anyone is interested I'm still not a salt user myself; I don't add it into my particles or groundbait or my boilies. I could come up with various questions like 'at what point is too much?', but that has all been said before. I'm certain that even with undertow not all dips and troughs get flow through them, there is a 'barrier' between the main water and the water in the dip.

Day off Monday, I will get to the Post Office!

Same here.

I treated myself to a Carp Porter Porterlite. I had asked Ian @welder to see if he could straighten the handles on my freebie Theseus one, but after finding myself fully employed decided to get the Porterlite. If you shop around £105 carriage free is possible, or a local tackle shop might just price match. Saying that, I have just looked and many places are out of stock. I might still get Ian to straighten the handles on the old one, and then donate the barrow to a good cause, an angling charity or youngster, but I'm concerned that I have worn some holes in the carrybag with regular heavy use.

You could well find that there are plenty of bloodworm in the area, and even in winter there could be the occasional hatch of insects coming to the surface.

The inserts are not sold separately. If you find someone who has some, they have popped out of the rod ring😉 A new ring is often available through your tackle shop and is a fairly easy job to sort.

As the rods soften with age, you won't notice it, you will feel them as normal, you are 'in tune' with them. Your regular casting and playing of fish will see them softening at roughly the same rate on each rod. Certain rods will take longer to soften, dependant on quality of materials and production, and Greys are one of the manufacturers who use high quality equipment and materials, although I don't know if they autoclave the rod blanks. The best way to find the current test curve is gradually adding weight to find out at what weight will bend the rod to 90degrees from butt to tip. This will also give an indication of the action, you should be able to see it. Just sticking them on a spring balance may mean you don't find a true test curve as it is very difficult to stay in the same position on the rod butt and your colleague on the rod tip. Another way possibly is to go across a field and find out what casting weight is best for distance; if it is a 3oz lead, then the rods are around 2.75 lb TC, 3.5oz, then around 3-3.25lb. Personally I've landed fish to 33lb on 2.75lb rods, with no problems. I think the action is often more important than the higher test curve.

Happy Christmas everyone. Hope you all have a good one.

August to October really brought my fishing back to life this year. @crusian with a conversation we had made me realise how my fishing had become stale on Nazeing. It wasn't helped that it was a 70mile drive after work, and with my shifts I am often shattered so go first available swim, and often slept for 24hours out of 48. Alton Reservoir is 5 miles away from my flat, so it is easy to pop down for a quick dog walk round a section, maybe pop a bit of bait in, although in 375acres... I did enjoy my fishing on there this year, so hopefully it is a case of the same, a bit of roach fishing, some pike, possibly tench hunting, and probably carp hunting next year.

I've been waiting for that to happen, knew it was going to, it was which name went that caused any doubt. A bit sad that the Shakespeare carp rod name went as they used to make some very good under-rated rods. A mate of mine, his first rods were SK's I think they were, back in the 1990's. I always thought that the three/four rod names under one business was diluting the market, especially as Greys were the top brand, and the original JRC and Chub were more budget range, albeit very good brands. You also have Chub and JRC likely to be no longer competing in the bedchair and bivvy market, where Chub produce some very good bivvies for a good price.

Like the others have said, Fishing tackle is personal, you really need to know exactly what he wants, and it is too easy to get wrong. The only way my family buy me any tackle is if I have told them a stock number, model number, and I don't want an alternative!

I have kissed a few fish over the years, Usually blank savers. I can remember a week at Taverham Mills where for some reason I wasn't catching on the static rods, while Bruce in the next swim round had at least one fish every day, between 10-18lb. We were freshening the spots every day, yet for some reason they were ignoring mine, and going straight round into his area. I had had a few smaller fish during the week stalked during the day, or on floaters, but absolutely nothing on the 'overnight' rods. On the day we were due to pack up the weather totally changed, from dry and bright to typical wet and rainy Bank Holiday weather, I was wet, the bivvie was now wet so I was in a 'couldn't care less' mood, I'd had enough, just wanted to get away, just because I hadn't caught on my bottom bait rods. About 2hours before we were due to pack up I decided on a 'last' recast, and within 30minutes I had a 15lb leather, 14lb mirror and another. The 15 did get kissed as a 'blank' saver from the bottom bait rods. I also have pucs of a 30 that forced me to kiss it. I was at Nazeing and hooked a fish from the right hand margins, about 2metres away from the rod tip. I played it away and netted it very quickly, so it can't have been totally tired out. On the bank it became a wrestling match to get pictures, as it tensed to flip, I pulled it towards me so I could 'drop' down onto the unhooking mat. The guy taking pics managed to get one as I was mouth to dorsal. 😱😆 Freudian slip typo left in place😉

Try Strawberry and Cream Baileys if it is still available as a hookbait soak

I don't like using a leader either, but this year I had to after I discovered that the bottom was littered with blocks of concrete, bricks, tiles etc, and the possibility of long casting. 30lb Amnesia to 15lb mainline! Basically I was fishing in a reservoir that is over old houses, a road and other such. The thicker leader meant I was able to fish, even so I still lost a couple of fish, snapped hooklink and one smashed above the leader on a helicopter set-up. I started a thread on that link below. As I said in that thread, I make sure my lead or rig can be ejected, a large run ring that will pass over any snapped end, or if a helicopter set-up, a rig that can come off the end. You DO NOT want the lead ejected on a helicopter set-up. It is the lead that allows the rig to pull free, so no to Heli-safe for me as I think that is one item that is not safe.

We sell Copperhouse and First Rate in the bar at work. I never really fancied gin and tonic, but these and Strawberry and Cucumber, and Mandarin and Cranberry with the right tonic really do smell good. Sadly because I'm at work not had the chance to try them though.

I agree with some of your points, some rig pieces sold by manufacturers in my view are not safe, and should not be used. Thing is though tackle manufacturers need to make money, if everything is the same from every manufacturer/brand then the choice may only be the brand you use. However as others have said, sometimes rules are put in place on 'hearsay' rather than fact, but on others are to combat the 'idiot factor'. Yonny and I disagree on barbless hooks in weed, our opinions; I think that at times barbless hooks are safer, and get better hookholds. I can't recall losing many fish in a weedy water with barbless hooks, but I can recall one hookpull at Earith where I did follow rules. The same rig landed a fish later in the session. It was a size 8 barbless Carp-R-Us Nailer. I honestly think that I had hooked the fish too far forward in the mouth, and under pressure it pulled. I also think I did not have the fish feeding comfortably, not enough bait around the hook. Rig design with barbless hooks is very important, I personally think you need an extended shank, either a longshank hook with an inturned eye, or an extension with tubing and preferably a line aligner. This is where we come to the 'think for yourself' and tackle manufacturers. Too many anglers I believe, just follow fashion or fads rather than thinking about their fishing, and manufacturers with their adverts, dvd's or blogs often continue this 'sheep thinking'. I have a big dislike of leaders used improperly, with lead clips that don't release the lead, anything that puts fish at risk.

Adnams and Greene King😉 A few pints of Abbot Ale or Ghostship will do very nicely, but only ever in the pub.

For me it is coffee, made in a Bialetti, which is of course, not tackle 'manufacturer' branded. I also try not to drink coffee after 6pm as in winter especially, I don't like getting out of the sleeping bag unless it is fish related. Getting up to put boots on and a jacket for just a pee in the cold winter nights is not my idea of heaven. I do occasionally resort to Cranberry and Strawberry or Blackberry and Blueberry flavoured teabags, but have to boil the water in my saucepan as I hardly ever take a kettle now, space saving you know😖😆 Earlier in the year I did go through a phase of one can of Magners cider in the evening.

Regularly check the rig and hook for damage. That means the hook must be sharp, and the hooklink itself should not be frayed, scraped or abraded. Here is a personal insight for you: I never found Korda hooks as sharp as some other brands like Gardner or ESP. On one of my own tied rigs, using an ESP hook, I landed a number of fish from a couple of waters, until I damaged the hook by catching it on a tree. By number of fish, the first fish was 20lb+, from Merrington, then I think 6 or 7 more from a water local to me in Suffolk.

I have done winter nights for a lot of years, since the 1990's! Sleeping bags alone have gotten a whole lot better. I have been at the lake when the lake froze over that night, on more than one occasion. I used to have a 'summer bag', which would go inside my 'winter bag'. Did I care the winter bag was red?😖😆😆 They kept me warm when it got cold. Then I switched to a minus 12 Polar bag by Coleman. Again very warm at night, when it was freezing over outside. In the morning I stayed by the lake until I had cooked my breakfast then drove home after freeing my lines. I have made the point before that as anglers we are 'conned' by 4 season, or 5 season when in reality we could do with knowing how low you can go. A minus 12 bag will allow you to survive at minus 12, it does not mean you will be warm. A 5 season bag is not always intended for the UK market as rarely does it get into constant month long temperatures well below freezing. Then we reduce a bags effectiveness by diving in fully clothed, complete with jacket and overtrousers, reducing the insulation effects of the sleeping bag, then we get up fully clothed and can't get warm. Sounds counter intuitive, but take off your jacket and fleece and sleep in single layer clothing you will feel warmer, and especially when you get up and put them on for the day. Also diving into the sleeping bag wet does not do you any favours!

"Do you have the intelligence to use one correctly?" I'm sorry, but as far as I can see there is no such thing as use one correctly, there are simply too many hazards around. We have the obvious carbon monoxide poisoning, but also anything falls on a bivvy heater and you can have flames that take hold in seconds. To keep heat in, you will want to shut the door. That increases your risks to start. Then while the heat is on, you may well fall asleep. Is that a sign of carbon monoxide in itself? A stove in the bivvy is a big enough risk in itself. I think every anglers groundsheet probably has melted patches on it from the stove in the foorway and putting a hot pan or kettle on it... The answer is proper clothing, decent sleeping bag. Finally, just as a reminder, and remember I know the guys concerned, it was that local to me: https://www.anglersmail.co.uk/news/bivvy-blaze-horror-81088

I played with Alivio rods years ago, they were better for slinging deadbaits out on the river than they were for carp fishing from memory. Not bad, but not the best. Put it this way, they were ok for budget or starter rods, but not as as upgrade. The Shimano 10000XTEA's, not bad, probably balanced with the Alivios. Daiwa and Shimano each have their devotees. Alarms, I would stick with the Att's. Spod rods, probably about the same. At the end, I hope the gear works for them.

I used to use a lot of boilie crumb, chops and boilie bits in my freebaits, winter and summer. Obviously you have the attraction the smaller bits provide, keeping smaller fish and carp picking them up. I rarely used any high oil pellets, switching to carp pellets only in the mix.

I have used various bivvies and brolly systems over the years, and the two with least condensation problems were the Rod Hutchinson Apotheosis and the Fox Easydome versions. (I don't like and haven't used the latest incarnation of the Easydome). My usual winter system is now a TFG Oval brolly with overwrap, which to be honest still gets condensation. Years ago I was on a 50inch Steadefast brolly and wrap. As Yonny has said, there is no gap between the brolly and the wrap, and even in winter, unless there is rain driving in, I don't usually shut the door. I have an original Gold Label Terry Eustace sleeping bag cover to stop drips onto the sleeping bag. I make sure I have a good sleeping bag and winter clothing to keep warm as I don't like and don't do bivvy heaters, or stoves inside the bivvy. You can help reduce condensation inside the brolly, a full groundsheet, with a decent layer underneath it. Dry grass, hay or straw, plenty of leaves under help, but admittedly they are not available on every lake. A few years ago someone left a double duvet at the lake, that made a good base under the groundsheet! I make sure the groundsheet is properly velcroed to the brolly skirts, and use my brolly bag, bivvy bag, even rod holdall to cover any gaps. Put the groundsheet down first, spread properly, then velcro (if your groundsheet has velcro) that to the brolly.