salokcinnodrog

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.

Just thought , Fox do a range of their Rage Warrior rods in shortened lengths for boat fishing

Rod Hutchinson often explained something similar about the carp using gravel bars as the routes across gravel pits, and the silt in between being the feeding areas. Day time may be the time to fish on gravel and night the time to fish off them. The day is an 'inquisitive' take, night is a feeding take. RH also mentioned that the carp may hide in lily beds and weed in the day, occasionally picking up a bait, and again coming out of the weed to feed properly at night.

Again at Taverham, I spent a lot of time out in the boat or wading. The most productive spots tended to be small gravel patches, even harder margins, not the biggest bars or plateaus. These gravel patches were not true bars, often being no more than the size of a dinner plate. One of my favourite swims was a tight corner swim looking to an overhanging tree with gravel under it. The productive spot was not the gravel, where carp would often pick up every free bait, leaving the hookbait, but a grubby patch next to a fallen branchless tree stump. It was the route into or out of one of the back channels. Brackens on Nazeing was a lake where for some reason you had to fish on the gravel if you weren't fishing the margins. If anyone has ever seen the lake empty, the gravel bars often rise vertically from the lakebed, no slope. You simply could not get a take from the deeper silty areas. I think that some gravel bars are 'roadways' rather than actual feeding areas. If there is bait on it, you may get a pick-up, but carp are more wary and inspect everything, whereas in the silt adjacent to it is where the food is.

I definitely think there is something with garlic. It is the base for one of my most successful pop-ups, Verselle Laga garlic oil bird food liquid. It does also get used in a bait soak with liquid yeast if I can get hold of the yeast. Rod Hutchinson KMG I do believe stands for Krill, Mackeral and Garlic, and I have had a load of fish on that.

10? She's a Husky, make it 20... I should convert my barrow!

I think that 'no night fishing' is my problem as well. I have the motivation to walk Sky dog every day, but that is just about it. I've got plenty of bait ready, boilies and Vitalin in cupboard, ice cream tubs full of prepped particles in the freezer, so bait isn't an issue. Walking to the park with fishing gear and Sky is a pain, although I would have run that far with it as a kid! It's not like my pike gear is much, just a Rucksack of gear and deadbaits and my rod sling, but is so much easier to drive... Which doesn't exercise Sky...