salokcinnodrog

It has been a while since our bankside cuisine has been on show so as Google does not like old threads, I'll start afresh.
Last night I had rump steak, so tonight's dinner was the steak trimmings turned into a curry with a diced potato, baby corn, chopped mangetout, fine green beans and half a tin of chopped tomatoes and Garam Masala and a dash of chilli powder.

Managed to get over to the syndi this week. Tough going but I managed to get on them eventually. Spotted 3 of the bigguns so was pretty excited. Had to wait until an hour before home to get the bite..... a little fully about 10 lb 🤣. Chucked it back without a pic.
Just on pack up I got another take.... lost it in the weed🤦‍♂️.
Such is life. Roll on next month for more punishment.
 

I'd like a mat that's also a sling and can carry rods and net inside for stalking, trouble is this then doesn't have sides like a cradle.  I don't want yet another mat, but one doesn't seem to do everything 🤷‍♂️

I do frequently even in shallow margins.
I've seen fish in the margins on my syndicate with their backs out of the water feeding. 
Bruce lowered a bait on a fishes nose in around 60centimetres. Two hours later he caught his first syndicate fish, followed by another that night.
 
 

I must admit I really don't like metal framed cradles, fish thrash and damage themselves, or thrash and get dropped onto metal.
I have 2 unhooking mats, a big Rod Hutchinson Cabrio Unhooking Mat, and a Chub Xtra Protection Mat. 
I do struggle with a mat with deep sides due to a screwed back, lifting a fish can be painful, and having to bend over a walled cradle is a killer, so the majority of the time I use the Chub Mat. If I need to use the barrow to transport my gear I take the Cabrio mat as it makes a really handy barrow bag.
The Chub mat folds in half and stores my pod bag and centre bar, my weigh sling and sack, and a spare pair of storm poles which double as distance sticks and camera phone mount.
 

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up:
29lb
@crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog


 
 
I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

little mid double caught on a quick 2hr session. 

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up:
29lb
@crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog


 
 
I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

I ended May on a low, the phone issues, followed by a hookpull on a fish I'd been playing for a couple of minutes. 
However June starts today, and maybe with some more spawning to go. Let's hope it is a good month

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up:
29lb
@crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog


 
 
I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up:
29lb
@crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog


 
 
I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up:
29lb
@crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog


 
 
I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

I did switch to a Gardner Mugga this session and adapted the rig slightly, a loop knot to the swivel, and a sliding pop-up counterweight on the loop. Properly nailed in the mouth.

I did switch to a Gardner Mugga this session and adapted the rig slightly, a loop knot to the swivel, and a sliding pop-up counterweight on the loop. Properly nailed in the mouth.

First thing this morning on a Nutty Bait pop-up:
29lb
@crusian 40metres, towards Scotty dog


 
 
I've just been through my pics and our Facebook group. I have caught it before at the same weight last year. It was one of the 2020 stocking

Years ago on Taverham, a mate and I were told that it was not fishing and just a few freebies would be the best way to catch. Dave and I had taken up a 10kg base mix bucket full of hemp. We put the lot in the plateau swim to the astonishment of other anglers. In the morning I think we had 10 carp between us, all over the hemp. All night there was rarely a quiet hour, the carp really got on it. 
You can fish one rod on limited bait and one on the heavily baited spot.
Personally I prefer fishing over bait, you get the bottom constantly being stirred up when the fish are on it, and that can disguise the rigs.
 

I use the Hemp ones on a multi-rig over hemp and in the bag of pellets 
https://rodhutchinson.co.uk/product/naturalz-wafters/
I'm just as happy with the 360 rig and a sliver of pop-up or a Nutty Bait pop-up over the bag as well. With the 15mm Nutty bait pop-up I have put in 3 or 4 whole boilies in the bag.
The sliver of pop-up is usually fished over spodded maize and birdfood when I want a small hookbait. I say sliver, I've trimmed it to the shape and size of something in the spod mix, either maize, maple pea or whatever.

Are you going in with preconceived ideas of what worked in the past will work now?
Lakes can change over time, from being a boilie only water to a particle water, or vice versa.
It's just a case of watching and location. Not the easiest thing to do, but instead of fishing spend a day looking. Even 'waste' a show if you see something by casting a marker float and lead at the spot and finding what they are on. 
You had the liners, that's a start; were they liners or dropped takes? Investigate the area between the bank and where you were fishing, out with the lead and marker. Maybe they were liners and you missed or overcast the feature they were on. If you were using a Chod rig, maybe you were done, something (not so nice) to think about, but I have found helicopter set-ups really reduce indication at the rod end. A single bleep and I was done, or an absolute screamer when the fish couldn't get rid of the hook. I have also had long range helicopter rigs moved over 30metres with just a couple of bleeps and a shake of the indicator. 
The last time I used an 'unejectable' rig on a helicopter setup was when Bent hook rigs were allowed!
 

The bag probably costs more than the boilies do. 

I use PVA almost every cast, either over spodded bait or 'empty' areas.
I've had a fair few fish from the syndicate on patrol routes with just a bag that has been cast in for about 5 hours. I don't have much rudd trouble though, there are not that many silvers. The big rudd tend to stay down by the western end, and rarely go up to the shallows at the east end. I did say I get silvered, but I also think that the pellets break down.
My bag mix is mixed sizes of pellets with some crumbled boilies added in. 
 

Watching for the mouse or whatever that surfaced and dived back down.
 
Something like that, although I don't actually write it down. I remember every swim and the distance from the original high water casting spot. 
I did message a mate this week after I got home: "After last night's phone dilemma, it crashed, I lost a carp this morning, hook pulled. Monster crab pop-up sliver on a coated braid Multi-rig. I'd played it from aiming at sneaky squirrel around 40metres. It ran right, so I waded out with my net, got it to go left, and it went past middle rod and hook just popped out. Not a good session. So upset I packed up a day early".
 
 

On Ardleigh I tended to recast The Method every 5minutes for the first 30minutes then leave the last cast before hitting the sack. That way I had a decent bed of bait in the swim. I didn't always spod bait in, sometimes just relying on the recasts. I'd usually prebaited the area a day or so previously.
As for PVA bags, stringers or mesh, I could just cast the once and leave it for the next day if I know it's on spot. If I'm not happy it is reeled in and recast. I'm not too worried about the occasional patch of bait elsewhere. A bag or mesh of pellets and crumbed boilies will get silverered. A few loose boilies in the area won't do much harm.
 

On Ardleigh I tended to recast The Method every 5minutes for the first 30minutes then leave the last cast before hitting the sack. That way I had a decent bed of bait in the swim. I didn't always spod bait in, sometimes just relying on the recasts. I'd usually prebaited the area a day or so previously.
As for PVA bags, stringers or mesh, I could just cast the once and leave it for the next day if I know it's on spot. If I'm not happy it is reeled in and recast. I'm not too worried about the occasional patch of bait elsewhere. A bag or mesh of pellets and crumbed boilies will get silverered. A few loose boilies in the area won't do much harm.
 

I'm guilty for doing the rods half hour before it gets dark 🤣 also baiting up with a throwing stick in the dark so the gulls don't catch them 🤣 no idea if they were going on the spot but it did produce a few fish 🤣
What I sometimes do is if I'm fishing two rods I'll keep a third clipped up and ready so if I get a take in the night I can send it out without fuss 👍

I use the stick late evening into dark, the damn gulls make it impossible otherwise. 👍