salokcinnodrog

I've got 2 carp landing nets: a Fox Warrior net which has had the mesh replaced a few times and a Rod Hutchinson Sceptre net, both in 42inch. 
I've spent more replacing the meshes over the years than the landing net originally cost.
For years I lived with just one, but a few years ago came up with the idea of one on each side of the swim, so I could always reach one without, in theory of stepping around the rods to grab it. 
The 2 faults, they don't match, not that I really worry, and the second is many runs now seem to come on the middle rod...
I can't remember who it was by, but the original Springlock mechanism landing net I do miss. I borrowed one for a while back in the early 2000's when I had a load of gear stolen.

I found this last night in the  Andy Little book 'My Passion For Carp' page 58:
"The bait I used was very similar to the one I had used at Darenth during the previous winter........... I had slightly changed the original nix of Casien, Lactalbumin, Calcium Casinate and Gluten etc. In the new mix I substituted some of the lighter milk protiens with Semolina........ ended up with a heavier Casein, Semolina and Gluten"
Goes on to say it had a maple flavour, 20ml in a 10oz mix!! also says he used to add granulated sugar in boiling water as a sweetner!
 
Sorry if way off original topic, but hope it was informative?

Just looked in the Big Carp book, couldn't find it. but tbh it seemed the bloke was one of the first on Savay to use the hair rig and to fish with massive amount of bollies - at that time - at long range.
Sure I remember reading that he did simplfy the baits, and at that time the carp had probably not seen anything like his way of fishing it?

When I set up on Monday it was absolutely scorching, but was able to get positioned in as much shade as possible.
Well back from the water, and positioned so we only get the full sun from 4 until 8pm.
 
I say well back from the water, when the lake is full, this spot is actually underwater.

Right under the trees it's been bearable, except between 4 and 8.
Sky has been swimming every day as we walk around to keep cool.
I'm up in the shallows, but until this morning I hadn't seen a thing. The deep end is wall to wall with thick weed and is unfishable.
The weed is what had drifted, so I was able to net it out. It left me enough room to have the rods over the top.

When I set up on Monday it was absolutely scorching, but was able to get positioned in as much shade as possible.
Well back from the water, and positioned so we only get the full sun from 4 until 8pm.
 
I say well back from the water, when the lake is full, this spot is actually underwater.

Ooh, alarm ears! I'd forgotten about them. There were two types that you could add to your Optonics: the fixed ears or the moveable ones.
I had the moveable ones so I could put my Optonics in the box at the end of the session. I had painted the fronts white so I could see them. 
I also remember the multi-pin jack plug sounder box that Efgeeco made.
Here is a pinched picture 
The funny thing is that originally Dellareed recommended Del Romang to convert them as far as I can remember, then changed their minds and took it to court.
Catchum, Rod Hutchinson's original bait company! Seafoodblend, probably one of the first fishmeal baits, and very effective.

They’ve just put a video on social media of someone’s delks surviving a garage fire. 

The only putty I will use is still Kryston Heavy Metal. I have not found a good enough replacement. I've checked the new Heavy Metal, it is the same as the original, but as @Golden Paws has said, putty can get misshapen and in the hot weather in the UK at the moment, or Signal crayfish will pinch and eat it, (and tungsten loaded rig and anti-tangle tubing).
Your alternatives look good, and as long as they work.
I use match or pole anglers olivettes, either with the hole through the middle or fixed with tubing,  lock and slide, usually Drennan.

A 31lb 12oz mirror from the weekend. Also managed a 25-4 and 18-10. After a windy start on Friday, it got really hot but managed a bite on all 3 rods by boating out about 20 Creamino boiles and a bit of pellet every 3 hours tight to an Island.

Been making do with a folding camping chair since i came back to fishing, but fished yesterday and was so tired kept thinking need a recliner to snooze in mentioned to my mate on the lake Smithy and he sold me his JRC recliner chair in mint condition for 40 notes ideal

I've got a few new books, I only wanted From The Bivvy, Carp Season and More from the Bivvy 3, but for the price I ended up getting Tim Paisley's Carp Fishing, Carp Amid The Storm and More From the Bivvy.
If I put the books I already have back on the site I may end up making something back.

I sometimes look on this web site, normally a bit banal about how to.... etc
But found this small insight into possibly one of the best angling series ever broadcast: 
https://www.carpology.net/article/features/an-interview-with-hugh-miles/
 
 

How you doing?
This session was a rather decent one, despite managing to leave my hookbait bucket at home with my medium Spomb in it. I spent an hour cursing and swearing as I used the small Spomb to put a bucket of maize and birdfood in.
The first night produced a tench of around 6lb on a straight out of the bag bottom bait, which somehow managed to go across the middle rod.
The 2nd night was quiet.
Last night around 11pm I had a strange occurrence on the middle rod, it pulled to the right, with what appeared to be a run, but there was nothing there, so I recast with a fresh stringer. At 3am I had the same thing happen again. I think that it was a goose or swan swimming through the line just in front of my rod tips, or a swan picking the hookbait up.
A couple of miscasts with stringers, but 3rd time lucky.
I was sat drinking coffee and eating breakfast when the rod went with a 22lb mirror, one of last years stocking, and a 10lb weight gain.
 Caught on a 360 rig with a meshed 15mm Nutty Bait pop-up with a stringer of 6x 18mm Nutty Bait boilies.
This morning I was starting to tidy up ready to pack up when the right hand rod went, which was the rod over the maize, and managed a rather nice 26lb mirror on the 'sliver' of Monster Crab pop-up on a reverse combi rig. 
This fish was from the 2021 stocking and went in at 11lb.
 

Across the border, forgot my passport and facial recognition but made it...OK.. lol

Then a night float fishing with prawns ,after eels ,not a carp I know !

Then back on home territory and ,part of a 7 carp hit ,using single bottom baits over a scoop of dried maize 

What lovely 'photos , Ouch .
I especially like the little girl holding the Carp's tail .

For years there were no problems at Taverham, then more anglers started fishing it when Anglian Water took it on and litter started becoming a problem. Klaus bought a brand new bivvy and rats chewed their way in through the groundsheet and into his bait and food bags. He found a chewed pack of bacon dragged outside the bivvy.
We get a few rats on the syndicate now, not many, and as you can see, they don't cause me any problems, thanks to Sky. How she can wait patiently on the lead until they get close enough to her to attack them amazes me, she's normally head down and charge.

Small common as I was packing up. Doesn't this time of year drive you mad. Spawning, not spawning, spawning, not spawning  🤷‍♂️🤣
Starting to feel like I'm on the wrong water again, think a long session on the reservoir is in order 👌

I had this caterpillar crawling along the floor of my bivvy, and so I didn't kill it I picked it up and took the photo.
It is an Emperor moth caterpillar and while not rare rare are not particularly widespread.

How you doing?
This session was a rather decent one, despite managing to leave my hookbait bucket at home with my medium Spomb in it. I spent an hour cursing and swearing as I used the small Spomb to put a bucket of maize and birdfood in.
The first night produced a tench of around 6lb on a straight out of the bag bottom bait, which somehow managed to go across the middle rod.
The 2nd night was quiet.
Last night around 11pm I had a strange occurrence on the middle rod, it pulled to the right, with what appeared to be a run, but there was nothing there, so I recast with a fresh stringer. At 3am I had the same thing happen again. I think that it was a goose or swan swimming through the line just in front of my rod tips, or a swan picking the hookbait up.
A couple of miscasts with stringers, but 3rd time lucky.
I was sat drinking coffee and eating breakfast when the rod went with a 22lb mirror, one of last years stocking, and a 10lb weight gain.
 Caught on a 360 rig with a meshed 15mm Nutty Bait pop-up with a stringer of 6x 18mm Nutty Bait boilies.
This morning I was starting to tidy up ready to pack up when the right hand rod went, which was the rod over the maize, and managed a rather nice 26lb mirror on the 'sliver' of Monster Crab pop-up on a reverse combi rig. 
This fish was from the 2021 stocking and went in at 11lb.
 

Rats get immune to poison, and learn to avoid traps, and as you say with traps you have to be careful with where they are put in  position.
 
I think that that is possibly because of patrol route?
I'm not 100% sure, but they use their patrol route as the base as it were, then when finding or sniffing food expand from there.

For years there were no problems at Taverham, then more anglers started fishing it when Anglian Water took it on and litter started becoming a problem. Klaus bought a brand new bivvy and rats chewed their way in through the groundsheet and into his bait and food bags. He found a chewed pack of bacon dragged outside the bivvy.
We get a few rats on the syndicate now, not many, and as you can see, they don't cause me any problems, thanks to Sky. How she can wait patiently on the lead until they get close enough to her to attack them amazes me, she's normally head down and charge.

For years there were no problems at Taverham, then more anglers started fishing it when Anglian Water took it on and litter started becoming a problem. Klaus bought a brand new bivvy and rats chewed their way in through the groundsheet and into his bait and food bags. He found a chewed pack of bacon dragged outside the bivvy.
We get a few rats on the syndicate now, not many, and as you can see, they don't cause me any problems, thanks to Sky. How she can wait patiently on the lead until they get close enough to her to attack them amazes me, she's normally head down and charge.