salokcinnodrog

Never be in too much of a hurry to catch bigger fish. Learn to enjoy what you have, and learn your waters and fishing. Learn how to handle fish, learn different methods, how to use PVA Mesh, bags and stringers. Experiment with baits, particles, boilies, until no matter what you can catch on any method more than those around you. Learn how to bait up with spod, PVA, catapult or throwing stick. Learn the features that carp like, the snags, weeds, rushes, gravel, or troughs. Learn how to find features, a marker rod and float, or just counting the depth down, so when you do go somewhere harder you can do it quickly with least disturbance. I started carp fishing in 1986, it took until 1992 to catch my first 20. Those years, and the lake I had that 20 from was the only carp of the year. I went back to my 'easier' waters to regularly catch, and strangely enough, I had a 20lb carp out of there in the end. I really don't want to pee on your fireworks, but with bigger fish, be prepared for blanks, it is not as easy as 'just catching'. I have a mate who fishes as much as me, who probably catches more than I do, but his largest fish is only 17lb, he just doesn't want to sit blanking, and wants to catch.

I think the numbers of fish are diminishing, but the ones left seem to be growing well at the moment. I heard of a couple more 5's caught this week on freelined bread, although I'm not sure where they were caught from, and haven't studied the background on the pics my mate posted yet. I'm pretty positive he won't mind if I fish the area as I used to take him along the river.

I took some persuading with the heat, Big Dave convinced me, so I was back on the chub hunt yesterday evening, my basic favourite method of a freelined dog biscuit. We walked along the river with the dog, one rod between us, taking turns at the fish. In the first swim he had one chub from a brick wall above the river which I had to climb down to net, I reckon around 2lb, just a quick photo in the net. We walked the whole stretch, looking for fish, casting in a few swims and then back to the car. I spotted a few fish, but had to do a bit of jungle stalking, climbing through brambles and nettles, opposite 'nice lady's' house, and as I did Dave realised we had left a baiting needle downstream on a bend and went to get it with Sky, so I rerigged with a Uni-knot holding a big Bakers Meaty chunk on the size 8 hook on 5lb Reflo hooklink tied to 6lb mainline. A cast to work out the current, then another to get the biscuit in the right flow, result was a good chub. As he came back I heard him talking to Sky, telling her I would probably be waiting with a fish in the net, which "knowing Nick is the biggest around". I needed his help to take the rod while I lifted net and fish over the bankside snags. When we weighed the fish it was a healthy 5lb. I've not seen a chub that big from the Gipping for a few years!

Even though I made a fair bit of bait myself I stuck with Gardner Bait guns and rolling table. I also only made 4 egg mixes, but could do 4 in an hour. It was a case of mix a 4 egg mix and gun (or roll) into sausages and cut the unboiled balls, batch them for boiling into around a hundred at a time, (I used a big chip or catering pan ), and while the first lot was boiling (1.30min) would start mixing the next 4 eggs. I would then have plenty of baits to boil and dry on an air drying tray or two. I would bag them into 500 or kilo bags after they had dried, or leave them air drying long term.

That looks like a 'pulled out' bend on the point rather than a bang against the lead bend. Do you have swan mussels in the lake? It may be quite a large branch you caught up on though. I have brands of hooks I trust, Gardner Muggas, Gamakatsu, Solar 101's and Kamasan B175's. Unless I have tested the hooks to destruction I will not use it in a fishing situation, and even then, I tend to test them on a 'small fish' water before using them for big carp. I want to know at what point it will bend or break. I check the point each cast and as said, it doesn't take much to 'ding' a point on gravel or a snag, even a crayfish can blunt the point if you manage to stick the hook in claw or shell, but those ones I mentioned really do hold their own better than others.

You aren't supposed to eat it😉😖😆 My Kryston Putty has lasted for years, it is reuseable, pull it off the rig (hookeye, olivette or stopknot) and put it back in the tub. It is the worry of how much and how good the new stuff is that concerns me. Last time I bought Gardner the pack contained a lump about 5mm thick, 20mm x 15mm. I have used other putties, none matched up to the quality of Gardner or Kryston. Nash and Korda were absolute rubbish. I mentioned about using an olivette, and moulding putty around it, this is my 'crayfish resistant' pop-up rig if they are putty munching.

I used to wander around Taverham targetting fish in numbers of swims with floaters and bottom baits. I could go round the lake two or three times a night until I found fish. I would classify that as stalking.

I think from the start carp will investigate anything that may be food, this includes picking up boilies on their first introduction, however my first choice is mixing them in with other particles. The problems of particles have been posted, tench, bream and roach just love sweetcorn, and the introduction of particles can have pike sat next to the bed of them waiting for their munchies, which can put all fish off, including carp. I've seen it first hand myself and I know Frank Warwick has written about it.

So all of us would like to see a slug extractor for throwing sticks! Had it happen to me on a homemade throwing stick I had made out of 25mm plastic conduit. I was able to remove the conduit stop at the base and with a thin twig push the darn thing out where it did immediately get dropped into the lake as I had pierced it.

I'm tempted to pull some of these posts away and set them up on a separate thread of their own, some 'misconceptions', some differences of opinion, but all are valid posts in their way, even if the final decision is different. Yesterday I spent most of the day floater fishing with bread, but at the same time I was stalking the fish, drawing them away from an overhanging snag tree. I watched every fish take the bait, but I was static in one swim. If it had rained, I might have wished for an umbrella, or more likely been grateful for the cooling effect on a hot muggy day. I also spent some of the time sat on a chair, other times I was sat on the bank holding the rod. This is where my fishing kind of encompasses all scenario's mentioned, disagrees with some, agrees with others, yet in a way is right and wrong. I caught, and actually lost count of the carp I caught from the swim, between 5-8lb a mix of commons and mirrors. I've fished a few swims with two rods where I can watch the carp taking the bait after pinpointing patrol routes. I'm not sure they are stalked as that was static fishing, but I did watch the takes. I've also wandered around prebaiting, going back seeing if fish are present, then (hopefull) quietly put a bait to them with a gentle cast of the float, maybe the water had coloured, or I was sat back out of sight. I've not seen the take, yet those fish were stalked. I have also targetted specific fish with floating baits, which I guess is stalking as it was a particular fish I was after.

Green is so passe, it has to be MTP or Camo now!

To be honest, I would reckon 2.75-3lb Tc rods will do the job nicely, and you are in the 'mid' range price bracket. 3.25 is a long chuck rod, from Korda fashion...😖😉😆 Look at the Wolf X rods, I have used and played with them, they will do the job nicely in 2.75 or 3lb.

Nice to see a new question on the same topic on a thread. A lot of the time as you pick up the rod and move the lead, the hooklink can tangle around the mainline, especially with fine mono and braids. When you cast, feather it down, that pushes the hook and bait away from the lead. As it falls, obviously the end tackle follows it down, it can coil around the lead as it lands. On picking up, it then tangles, making you wonder for how long. PVA'ing it up tidily can cure the problem, as can a stringer or mess. Even coated braid can tangle if it has been stripped or hinged, or is fairly soft and supple. With an anti-tangle, I found a stiff shrink tube is better than many softer anti-tangle sleeves which can bend and flex up. Obviously PVA stringers, even a single bait on PVA, can reduce tangles, but sometimes to get maximum distance a single bait is best. For that I will often go to a stiffer hooklink material, a totally uncoated braid, a stiff mono or fluorocarbon.

I normally use running leads, so as the line pulls tight and 'snaps' out the clip it creates a 'shock' strike, converting slow runs or pulls into a sudden definite run. If i'm using bolt rig/tight line, the clip shows up slack line if a fish gives a slow drop back. The bail arm at 12 o-clock I found is my preferred position; I find it gives better indication, there is more movement on the indicator even if I'm not using line clips. My The Ones have built in line clips on the rods themselves, but I did used to use Delkim Clips, which I would position right next to the handle.

Almost all the time.

I actually used to hand deliver rods if I could if it is close enough in East Anglia. In cases where I had to post rods (or long items), I would actually check the exact price and quote that on delivery. Carriers are really tight on long parcels right now, and to be honest, I wouldn't even think of selling and posting rods right now.

Welcome to Carp.com. This might be useful, especially the second post which has a couple of recipes if you want to make your own from scratch. The choice is then what flavours and liquids you add.

If you want to balance the rod to the reel the 10000 size is likely to be better. The 6000 is quite a bit smaller. The line capacity of the 10000 with 0.35mm 15lb line means you likely won't cast much above 90metres. If you do need to cast further look at Big Pits. The ST range of reels I have used, and I would say I'm not sure the extra money of the DL's is going to make much difference. I bought DL10000's for myself a few years ago when the DL's were first available, on my 2.75 tc rods. I don't think much of some of the build quality, but that is modern Shimano. I managed to bend reel handle grips, the handles themselves seem softer metal, and I bent somehow the central pin the spool mounts on, but I do use and abuse my gear. Saying that on the original Aero baitrunners I had, they got the same treatment and I never bent or broke them. Shimano reels as I said, seem to have dropped in quality. If you do want good reels now the mid price range in Shimano is not the best buy. The bottom price bracket, then the £100+ price is the place to go. Basically check and feel everything.

I agree with you Mate, but at the same time, in fishing and life, companies are creating and marketing things we don't actually need. Plastic bottles of water spring to mind...

Easily! You can do it a couple of ways: Distance sticks, you know how many wraps it takes to get your fishing rods to the spot, the spod rod will be the same number of wraps. The distance between the sticks is the same no matter what length rods you use. You can clip up and walk your end tackle down the bank to a physical mark; bankstick or even something like a bramble bush or tree trunk. The spod rod again can be clipped up on that physical mark. That physical distance does not change.

Like other things, I should have patented and registered the idea to stop tackle companies ripping anglers off😖😉😀

I've used wooden balls for baits, so I countersunk some, counterbored others to stop crayfish pulling boilie stops out. Thought 'hang on, that looks tidy, i'll do some real baits' so used the countersink for them. Colour coded? Would you like fishing colours? Yes I use my local tackle shops, yes I have worked in my local tackle shops, and there is always a rep coming in and trying to sell the latest 'must have'. Do you know how much stuff gets purchased and then ends up in the '90% off' bucket after being unsold for 5 years?

Don't be facetious; jewellery screwdrivers are tightened with fingertips not with hand pressure. My point has been, the countersink itself, the head on that is exactly the same from manufacturer to manufacturer. Come on, admit it, you work for Nash, this is taking the mickey out of anglers. When Rolson or Famag, Screwfix or whoever sell their hand countersinks, none are above £6.20. You by choosing manufacturer can get the handle size or shape you want. I can go into B&Q and buy one from a choice of manufacturers, and I am willing to bet that I could find one in the exact same shape as the Nash one. (Just to say, I have been in B&Q recently as I bought myself a new tile cutter, dowel and edging to renovate a bathroom and make a new bath panel, including countersinking the screw heads). Nash Bore Tool is more expensive than all of the countersink tools on sale there.

Do you really believe that? Or rather have you convinced yourself that? Or even worse, who pays your wages, and be honest, because your bias is noted? Nige, I have had one for years, like the Nash one which I got from Screwfix, the countersinks are designed for wood, which is why they are hardened steel. The difference in handle size is for the size of the hand using it, NOT for what it countersinks into. I could stick a countersink from my drill bit box into any of my removable bit screwdrivers if I needed to. The handle could be Stanley, a generic, or Rolson.

Nige, Would you prefer to pay £4.51 for the Rolson hardware countersink or £5.99 for the Nash countersink? That is my point, carp tax being added on non fishing items just to sell them to sheep...😖😉