salokcinnodrog

Welcome to Carp.com. What matters is how the rods and reels feel to you. Personally I would think that the 5010 baitrunners are a bit small on 3.25lb rods, but at the same time I think 3.25lb TC rods are too heavy for most fishing, they are long distance fishing rods. Fox FX11 reels are long distance casting reels, which is what a 3.25lb rod is designed for.

Monday night was couscous with stirfried chicken breast, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic and tomatoes, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, coriander and chilli seeds.

Aye, but he was not on my friends list, and can only have seen where I was fishing through Alton Water's page. Dave has also gotten wound up at even bream anglers not bothering to do any work. We've been targeting an area that all of a sudden has become heavily fished to the state that it can be difficult to find a swim or peg. Sadly the other anglers aren't catching as they simply aren't putting enough bait in. We've stopped naming areas, and clipping our photos to the extreme to reduce background.

Not one Mate. I know I can't see the whole of the water in one walk, it is 10 miles round, but Dave and I stop at bridge and look both ways, head to either Birchwood or The Wonder then study with binos from there, both ways up and down.

I should have bivvied further back as I could be seen if you looked carefully off the bridge. Not a recognised dog walker, I know a few of them by now, or correctly Sky knows their dogs.

Talk about others trying to cash in! Last week on my session before starting the new job on Wednesday, Dave and I arrived at the reservoir on Saturday. There had been no carp anglers on there at all this season, god knows I had been walking it enough, but Saturday, exactly where my bivvy had been, someone else had set up. At first Dave could not get why I was so upset about it, but I think other people eventually got him to understand. Ended up somewhere totally different, with a longer walk at another bay, not quite so sure of it, but it has prospects. Again, no fish, but more learnt. Fished the same spot again this week for two nights, from Sunday after work until tonight. Still trying to find them.

Enjoying it very much😀😉

For catfish, personally I would avoid mono or fluorocarbon hooklinks, and go to coated or plain braid, although plain braid will get plucked. Length I would probably look at 150-200mm long for rigs, with around 20mm from hook to bait on hair. Bait for cats is fairly simple, 20mm pellets, 2 or 3 on the hair, gives you a chance of both species, as will any fishmeal boilie.

Believe it or not, don't boil them for so long, but dry them for longer. 50/50 mixes are attractor baits, that do break down quickly anyway. You should not need to boil any mix for longer than 2 minutes maximum, better 1m 30s. Leave to dry overnight, preferably 12-24 hours.

For the rods I would say 'ouch!' 3.5lb is a heavy test curve that is designed more for long distance casting than fishing, fish playing. I still say that in the UK you need no more than 2.75lb TC, with an absolute maximum of 3lb unless you do need to cast long. Fashion has gone a long way in making life more difficult than it need be. Matching reels do make life easier, although the 10000 size is about right in either the DL, Beastmaster or XTB; the DL is a 'larger' baitrunner but with 15lb line due to line diameter and capacity you would struggle to cast much above 90metres. The other two from memory are 'big pit' style. After using DL and Beastmaster reels, I honestly think the Beastmaster are better quality.

I have Side cutters as I found the end cutters don't always fit in the fishes mouth😉, and Stanley Fat Max are definitely the best. I have no problem using barbed or barbless, although I do think that barbless can wobble and cut more during the fight as the fish changes direction, enlarging hookholds. A small or micro barb prevents that wobbling. I have seen carp eject barbed hooks after a snap-off, as long as there is no added weight. By that I mean no lead, leadcore or rubbish providing tension. If there is tension then it does not matter if the hook is barbed or barbless, it can be difficult to eject.

Big Dave was fishing for them today, he was chuffed he caught 3 @ 5lb each from the reservoir. He now prefers the challenge of fishing for bream and roach on Alton more than carp fishing on Bromeswell. I've not hooked any bream from the reservoir, yet, double 20mm boilies probably make that a tough proposition for them to pick up my bait. Things I've forgotten; tackle box, more than once😖 and driven home 70miles on one occasion to collect it, bedchair

Could well be😉

You can boil it, it increases the attraction, but it doesn't need boiling as long as it has soaked for 24 hours. Careful if you buy any other manufacturers boilies from there. Not something I will put down in public, but I have some suspicions...😁😉

Yes Mate, but be aware, it becomes around 60kilos or more! If I'm fishing for a few days, 5 kilos will last me easily. If you use a 3 pint maggot tub to measure it out into a bucket, add boiling water that will last you a days fishing easily.

Thats alright then, I hate Nash, lol😖😆 Had to return too many broken rods when I worked in the tackle shop...😖😉

Welcome to Carp.com. As others have said look in local animal feed stores for pellets, chicken corn, Vitalin even pigeon conditioner. Failing that ebay is a good source for things like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GardenersDream-Mixed-Poultry-Corn-Deluxe-Feed-For-Chicken-Geese-Duck-Seed-Food/254211112564?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144 Soak it in a bucket with boiling water for 24 hours, boil and its ready to use. Mix in with some Vitalin and you have a very good groundbait. Boilie wise there are plenty of good makes out there. Depending on what you want a food source or an attractor bait you have a massive choice. For boilies you could try Rod Hutchinson who do deal direct https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/bait/

I had my first session there this week, which although I blanked, I did enjoy and learnt a bit about the water. The session was a success in itself and while there I heard some good news about a job I had been interviewed for, start next week. As soon as I got home I just wanted to get back. With my start date for work, I've managed to pencil in another trip from Saturday until Tuesday and then work the next day.

Thanks, just thinking of that carp brings back good memories, the 20lb common that thought it was a 50😄😖😆 That undercut produced a number of good fish, and it was especially good when the lake was crowded. Strangely enough, with the topic currently ongoing in Tackle and Equipment about rod lengths and casting, it was a cast where you had to drill the cast at a very low angle to get a long way under the bank.

The angle you cast at will determine how far under the trees the lead will go, and the distance you cast. Working on ballistic theory, with no external forces, the study of bullets, leads, shapes etc, the lead being cast at 45 degrees will travel (cast) furthest, it will also hit the water at the same angle you cast at. Cast at 60 degrees, the lead will leave the rod tip at that angle, and hit the water at that angle, however 60degrees will mean it will dive down in the water at that same angle, not going under the trees as far as a cast at a lower angle. Feathering the cast can change the angle, as can hitting the clip. Hit the clip, and instead of the lead carrying on at the same angle it will swing down on an arc, further reducing the distance under the tree. It is pretty standard knowledge that dependant on you the angler, the longer rod you use to your maximum limits, the further you will cast. The shorter rods have become fashionable, a marketing exercise, in creating new buyers for equipment in most cases. However some swims do not lend themselves to long rods, overhanging trees and the like. The longer rod has more tip speed, reducing effort to get the same distance over a 10foot rod. Higher tip speed generates casting distance.

If the lead has moved, usually, somehow a fish is responsible, be it a fish trailing line, line 'bite', or a rig ejection. Undertow can move a lead, and cause constant action on the bobbins though. You may need to up the indicator weight to prevent this movement. Bobbins should NOT be chosen on fashion, but on actual fishing situation, and mega light bobbins are not suitable on every water, even every swim.

I'm not a great one for lakes with loads of rules, for my fishing. This may have changed over time, but rules are in place usually to cater for the 'most stupid' denominator or the 'idiot factor', although idiots are usually idiots whether they follow the rules or not. At least with rules in place they can be safely removed... If the rules state no leaders, no leadcore I'm happy enough, doesn't affect my fishing. My biggest turn-off is as others have said, being booked or stuck in a swim, although Smufter's lake with the common sense rules on that, that appear to have been carefully applied does still sound very attractive. On Suffolk Water Park, I don't like being stuck in a swim, not being able to move. If I arrive on Monday, set up on showing fish, and by Tuesday they have moved, so would I, but you are booked into a swim and may be stuck.

Strangely enough depending on water depth, of the whole lake, the deeper water is often the most oxygenated. A reservoir, the most oxygenated water will be 4metres deep or more. However, in a 'normal' lake you are looking at maximum depth being not much more than 3/4 metres, so mega deep water is out of the question. During warmer days I would be looking under cover, weedbeds, overhanging trees, snags, and the like. If you have undercut banks then these can be very good spots, and for obvious reasons you might not see carp in them.

This should explain it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46606125

Trying to find them in 375 acres... Put it this way, as much as I love everyone, it is one water I wouldn't name or say which area I'm fishing.