salokcinnodrog

I mentioned the Solar chair last week (?)
It got its first outing this week, and I like it!
It is not as low as I was expecting and the extending legs are good. Get the back level, and to extend the legs, push the button and they automatically extend to full.
I've put full weight on it, on uneven ground, and the legs stay in place.
The added head rest cushion, attached by a locking strap is a nice touch, although I've taken it off.
 

I used to want my particles as fresh as possible, preferably still warm as I was catapulting them in.
Then I fished a water with hemp I'd prepared Friday, by Sunday it seemed to get better and better as it got sticky and slimy.
Pigeon conditioner is another one that as it smells a bit fermented is better.
Even so, I had some that went beyond that, that I thought was off, with mould appearing on the top, so I poured it in the margins for the swans, and within a few minutes carp were on it.
I simply don't take particles home, either poured on the bank to keep the swans and geese happy or prebaited.
If I don't go, I end up with a bucket of bait in the freezer. In fact I've just pulled a bucket of hemp out today for use tomorrow. I've got some ice cream containers full of particles that I'll leave in until the morning for the day after.

I mentioned the Solar chair last week (?)
It got its first outing this week, and I like it!
It is not as low as I was expecting and the extending legs are good. Get the back level, and to extend the legs, push the button and they automatically extend to full.
I've put full weight on it, on uneven ground, and the legs stay in place.
The added head rest cushion, attached by a locking strap is a nice touch, although I've taken it off.
 

I'm still using my Aqua rod sling that I got 20years ago.
I hope the new stuff is as durable as it was back then, although the plastic lining is starting to crack and flake.
 
I have to do line AGAIN.
Our friend Esox took a lot of line off the reel when it got tangled up in it, at least 50metres and above that I ended up with tooth fragged sections, so it's replace it.
I'm not 100% on the durability of Daiwa Sensor in heavy weed full of snail, I've just taken off the line from 3 Shimano Beastmasters, and it does not feel 'clean'. It could be me, but saying that I was frequently replacing it twice a year anyway.
So the replacement is back to Gardner Pro light. The last time I used that it lasted 3 years...

In my experience they get on the feed big time. Most of the waters I've fished close for a period for spawning (rightly so) but I've had seasons where they spawn so late they're only just finished by the time the lake opens. I've had, and seen others have, absolutely massive hits during this period. They just go mental and feed their heads off. Food is a huge part of their recovery process, they need it. They start growing the following years eggs almost immediately so they need the grub to fuel this process.

normally they just laze about in the weed to recover.
 
One of the problems with pre booking of swims IMO
you can’t necessarily get where the fish are unless the owner will let you move and that depends if anyone else is on at the same time.
anyway,
good luck, and I really hope the fish are in your area and you catch ‘em. Hopefully all the spawning will be done and dusted by then.

I'm still using my Aqua rod sling that I got 20years ago.
I hope the new stuff is as durable as it was back then, although the plastic lining is starting to crack and flake.
 
I have to do line AGAIN.
Our friend Esox took a lot of line off the reel when it got tangled up in it, at least 50metres and above that I ended up with tooth fragged sections, so it's replace it.
I'm not 100% on the durability of Daiwa Sensor in heavy weed full of snail, I've just taken off the line from 3 Shimano Beastmasters, and it does not feel 'clean'. It could be me, but saying that I was frequently replacing it twice a year anyway.
So the replacement is back to Gardner Pro light. The last time I used that it lasted 3 years...

👀
I know I said I was done with spending but come on.... 🤩

Was "Given" a Bivvy + Wrap, the fella said he has misplaced the pole for the Bivvy Peak, so thought could use as a Day shelter and Sell the Wrap....
Upon setting up yesterday I found the Pole, told him and he wasn't bothered, so up for sale it went and sold a few hours later....
So that's the Airport money for Wednesday (Holiday to Egypt).

Went out to a local pool on me club book today... 
Had 3 of these little scrappers, pulled off early as they were starting to swim  about in groups possibly getting ready for a bit o' Jiggy-Jig.
 
I'll give this pool a miss for a coupla weeks now... next trip out'll be on a river I think...👍
 

Thanks,
I spend a lot of time in the water hunting for feeding spots and clear patches when I'm at the lake. I know the course of the old stream bed, and pretty much know when the shallows get to swan reach depth.
The swans can get to be a right pain. There are 3 pairs on the lake, one at the dam and who is extremely dominant and a pair two thirds of the way  up who regularly argue with the shallows pair. We then have as many as 150 to 200 transient swans who are not yet old enough to have a territory that have been ejected by their parents. The dominant pairs (males especially) will attack or bully them.
The Fens on the Norfolk and Suffolk border are a big area for the younger swans. We don't feed them, but some of the reserves do.
For us swans can get onto bait or go through lines with absolutely no idea, yet geese and ducks avoid the lines.
 

Good to hear your feeling better n upto to getting out on the bank, or should I say out in the water lol.
Tight lines fella

I finish my antibiotics today, so that's good. The hospital has sent me a follow-up appointment to discuss tonsils out for next month.
I've managed to actually stay awake for a whole day.
I had been getting up, breakfast, ablutions, walk Sky and fall asleep, lunch, take Sky out, fall asleep, dinner and take Sky out bed then a rough night's sleep.
Fishing this week, although cursing at how quickly the weed has come up. On Sunday, only a few weeded over spots, within 3 days the surface is covered by blanket weed and any that breaks free drifts into the lines.
I'm going to have to go out in chesties to clear some of it. Not fun as the water level is still high.
On a positive note I have seen the big uncaught common that I would put at big 40's, and I managed to retrieve the line and rig that the pike bit through a couple of weeks ago, still with bait attached, but negative is that I haven't caught this trip.

I love to disappear and be uncontactable.
I'm the same, about no mobile signal. Part of the problem is that different providers have different signal. 
As an example, near Botesdale and Redgrave, Vodafone is absolutely awful, signal will come and go from 4/5G one or two bars to Emergency calls only, yet EE offers an almost continous 4/5G.
Worse is it is not consistent, always one provider with best signal, it is fragmented, some areas  if O2 or Vodafone have masts in the area, you will get signal, where if EE or Three whoever don't, you won't.
 

I normally get pop-up mix from BAF.
https://www.britishaquafeeds.com/pop-ups-and-wafters
For normal size pop-ups I put them through a rolling table as per normal baits and boil them keeping them moving.
For the tiny ones they are all done by hand.
 
For a boilie or maize on the hook, I go back to a standard hair rig and line aligner with a rig ring on the shank.

I still use size 6's, and the rig is short, no more than from base of palm to tip of middle finger. I normally put the whole rig in a PVA bag of very small pellets, crushed boilies and ground breadcrumb.
I spent ages making a 1egg mix of pop-ups that small!
 
 

 
The bait is simply tied to the rig ring and lighter blobbed

You’d have thought a syndicate would have known not to put barbel into a lake …
 

It might not just be down to aniseed, it could actually be the whole pigeon conditioner and hookbait.
Small particles can get the fish grubbing, but quite frequently they won't take a big bait over them, a 15mm boilie is too big.
It may be that you need to be using hookbaits no bigger than 10mm, or the size of say 2 grains of sweetcorn.
I've had to come up with a presentation of small baits on the syndicate if I fish over particles, and that involves 2 6mm pop-ups meshed together on a Multi-rig, or the next experiment, meshed grains of hemp tied to the hook.
 
The alternative option is to use bigger baits in your groundbait or freebies, and that's not just a few bigger boilies in your pigeon conditioner, but bigger freebies altogether.
I say "bigger baits in your groundbait or freebies", but sometimes the carp will ignore the boilies themselves, so your bigger freebies may be bigger particles like maples, chick peas, kidney beans, or even just boilies as the freebies.
 
 

Weird how some cause grief, yet for others including myself, never had a problem.
 
Incidentally, "no bleeps on a take", that can happen on a drop back, no matter what alarm, and the cause is apparently water resistance and heavy indicators preventing the alarm sounding.
I was actually talking to a friend this week about the very issue, and I think the name he mentioned was Martin Crackoff on YouTube where the heavy indicators were deadening indication, so the answer was actually to go light.
We don't help ourselves with semi-fixed leads!

The theory of carefully putting chest waders on before striking the run goes right out of the window when you actually get a run.
The number of times that I've stepped into my trainers on waking up to a run without thinking, struck then realised I need chesties to play the fish, so play twister trying to sort myself out...

Went to a local days only park lake yesterday and in 8 hours had 7 fish including 2 x 18lb'ers and a PB common from that lake of 19lb. It really was a case of "buying your fish" as I used about 8 litres of spod mix and about 2kg of boilies. Every time I topped up the swim, the bites would immediately start and then go quiet about 15 minutes, which was the cue to top up. I had to ease up about half way through as I was starting to run out! I'm sure I would have caught more if I had knocked up another pressure cooker load.
I chatted to a couple of blokes on the way out and they had struggled but they did say they didn't put in many freebies.
This time of year, the fish really are up for a good feed. I'm sure that if I had gone down the "PVA bag and one bite at a time", I would have struggled.

Thanks @yonny & @salokcinnodrog.
Need to buy some braid then I'll be doing as you both suggest n spending a day or two annoying everyone casting a lead n float around

Before I fished Virginia at Earith I spent 2 days feature finding and pre-baiting. 
I mapped out the whole lake for myself and @brucelait, I know I had a hand drawn copy, I think we had one each.
Over 2 years I had a total of 4 blanks, and 2 of them were when the lake froze over while I was fishing.
I can't remember how many fish we had, but it was hundreds and many were over 20lb.
It's not that hard.
If you want full depths and distances then a float and lead, if you are happy with just 'rough' then a lead alone.
Use braid to a 30lb mono ( Amnesia) shockleader for a better feel, with a run ring and 3 or 4oz lead (maybe a lead link), and a marker float at the end.
Obviously cast out and feel around; gravel feels 'bumpy', sand is smooth, clay often a bounce as the lead comes free then slides smoothly, silt is the lead pulls free, but slides slowly. Weed almost pulls back, jams, comes through, sticks, and repeat.
Hold the line tight down, then pull a foot of line off the reel at a time until the float reaches the surface. Weed might stop it, even with a lead link.
If you use just a lead you are counting it down from the cast, I've always used roughly a metre a second, but it won't 'donk' on or in silt or weed. You then have to clip up once you find the spot and get the distance on sticks or walking it out.
 
I can't remember who said it, I think Dave Lane, mono is a smoother cast, and on distance sticks I think recommended taking a wrap off for the fishing rods. So if you got 15wraps with the marker rod and braid, go 14 with mono on your fishing rods.

It's worth sacrificing a day sesh just to mark up swims mate. It can mean the difference between a great year and a terrible one.

If I go mail order for anything I will only use them and The Tackle Box