salokcinnodrog

A common from early this morning, over 24 hours left. Another full moon tonight 🌕

After a couple of blanks recently I managed to get back amongst them, hopefully there’s more to follow.🤞

I am positive that I caught Covid back in January/February 2020, pre-lockdown, pre- restrictions when you simply could not afford to take time off ill, not knowing if you would get sick pay, or how long it would last.
If there is a positive it is that numbers of companies have taken to paying sick pay.
It is only since covid I've had my health issues, which started as pains in my right calf and shin, that my doctor thought from the pain, was a stress fracture. It spread through my right side since, hip, base of back up to right arm and shoulder.
The left side is fine, but is the knee I had surgery on, and is no problem. 
 
To be honest, I'm not sure or convinced on the vaccinations. The symptoms vary so much from person to person, complications from person to person, I do not believe that the vaccine is effective, nor healthy due to side effects. 

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

Hi mate, I make all my own pop ups using the same basemix as my bottom baits, wrapping it around a cork ball. I make mine up in one egg mixes, (minus the yolk) adding slightly more flavour than I would in my bottom baits. I also add a sachet of egg white powder from the supermarket baking isle - egg albumin. When rolling, I only make enough boilie paste to do a handful of cork balls at a time, to prevent the paste from drying out too much, which makes rolling a pain. I make sure that the paste fully wraps the cork ball with no gaps, cracks or visible joins, as when it boils and drys out, they will crack and break up. I also drop each one in a glass of water once I’ve rolled them to check their buoyancy. With the egg albumin, a 1:30 - 2min boil (you’ll have to see what works best for your basemix) makes them harden right up. I then air dry them somewhere warm for a few days (the airing cupboard!) so they dry out, then pop them in an air tight container, I’ve had pop ups like this last all season, in fact I’ve got a tub I made in 2021 and they still catch just as well as when they were first made. I have added a few mls of salmon oil into the tub and shook it about so the baits took on an oily sheen, when they absorbed the oil, they have still remained hard enough to sit out for 24hrs, I change mine every 10-12hrs though, just to ensure the bait is ok and not come off or anything, as they will take on water and the paste skin will swell, especially if the paste wasn’t tightly wrapped around the cork ball in the first place. I tie mine on to a spinner rig using dental floss, sticking a baiting needle is a no no for me as it often pushes a bit of cork through which leaves a large hole that water will get into and cause the paste to break down quicker. Dental floss doesn’t break the boiled paste skin so the bait lasts longer - that’s my take on it anyway. 

Definitely a mirror, I had to look twice as the pin scales are small just below the dorsal fin.
The stocking pic shows it a bit better, but with my arm and shoulder, holding them up is fun, so couldn't tilt it properly forward to show them.

Am I starting something in May?
I set up in 'my' baited swim on Tuesday, but after a blank night felt a move was in order. 
Another blank last night, but today I had fish showing so stayed where I was. Got swanned out on 1 rod, but the left hand in the shallower water by the island margins was left alone. Had a rather nice take on a little RH Infusion Naturalz as the sun set.
This little fella at 20lb 2oz was stocked in January at 17.

I reckon something like that, nice work Sir.
 
 
I think a lot of places have relaxed the ' 10day rule', now it's just stay off work until clear or you are fit.
One of the girls I used to work with did her test at work, tested positive (despite being vaccinated) and I had to send her home for 10 days. Two days later I tested positive, had to take my 10days off, despite not having another positive test. My symptoms was just a headache for a day then nothing else, but still had to be off work.

I will try not to change a bait unless I have to. I have cast out a bait smelling of me, once it has been taken by the fish it is now acceptable to the fish, putting a new bait on may mean I have to start again, and that may be having to wait for 48hours.
I have had takes where I cast out at the start of a session, and it did stay in place until I got a take. I knew the water, I knew some fish were particularly wary of 'new' baits, and would leave boilies for a couple of days until they were 'convinced they were safe'. Every other angler would reel in, fresh bait and recast.
Even on day trips, I have had numerous fish on one hookbait, until that bait is 'marmalised', or pulled off the hook/hair.
Get your rigs right, use PVA to protect the hook and there should be no problems with the hook being masked.
 
At the end of a session, my wafter or meshed pop-up hookbaits get taken off, put in a tub and reused next trip. By drying out, they regain their buoyancy.
I've again had loads of fish caught on those reused hookbaits, in fact the 23 from the other week was caught on a meshed hookbait out of the re-use tub.
 
The very fact that baits take on water may be to their benefit, especially if fishing over any groundbait or particle. 
 
 
If you are reeling in every day on a longer trip, a fresh stringer, mesh or bag and leave the hookbait alone, do not change it unless you absolutely have to.

Oh I don't know, put a repaired brolly in a charity shop, or donate it to a fishing charity. Much rather that than ending up in landfill.
 
I had to search for a specific garden wire, think that was a B&Q trip to search for the right stuff.
 
Years ago when unhooking mats started coming into 'fashion', and nothing commercial was available I converted a baby changing mat into an unhooking mat, covering it with  old parachute material. The padded foam outside shoulder was better than the polypops used in the beanbag style. 
A length of rope or paracord can be better than the elastic which I found could break inside the outer sheath.
 

Oh I don't know, put a repaired brolly in a charity shop, or donate it to a fishing charity. Much rather that than ending up in landfill.
 
I had to search for a specific garden wire, think that was a B&Q trip to search for the right stuff.
 
Years ago when unhooking mats started coming into 'fashion', and nothing commercial was available I converted a baby changing mat into an unhooking mat, covering it with  old parachute material. The padded foam outside shoulder was better than the polypops used in the beanbag style. 
A length of rope or paracord can be better than the elastic which I found could break inside the outer sheath.
 

I don't think they're noddy questions as I know I do or write things with no explanation as to me it may seem easy.
 
I'll do the pop-up explanation first, as you've got it, it  is simply trimming the pop-up by degrees until it's right. Braid blades and snick tiny pieces off, checking it in the margins.
I do do the same with Multi-rigs as well.
Sounds like more work than it is, as after a few tries you'll know roughly what to trim, then it's just the fine tuning.
To get the lead, either inline or pendant,  and the whole rig in the bag, I dry off the hookbait and hook totally, cover them in powder, then hook the inside corner and lay the lead in the opposite corner and fill with bits. Gently pull the lead up and shake the bag, topping it up. Gently squeeze, shake, squeeze and then lick and stick and twist the bag shut.
 
Helicopter leads are easier, bits in the bag, lead on top, then fill, lick and stick.
Hook the rig in outside corner.

I used garden wire the sort you use to tie back climbers but it wasn’t up to the job, then I got hold of a cheap nasty wire coat hanger sniped a piece off and used long nose pliers done the job perfectly lasted years 
 

Yes you can repair it. Its fiddly, 2 or 3mm wire. You'll need to get it through the spoke ends, pull it very tight and twist the ends together, then cut the surplus off the twisted section.

I don't think they're noddy questions as I know I do or write things with no explanation as to me it may seem easy.
 
I'll do the pop-up explanation first, as you've got it, it  is simply trimming the pop-up by degrees until it's right. Braid blades and snick tiny pieces off, checking it in the margins.
I do do the same with Multi-rigs as well.
Sounds like more work than it is, as after a few tries you'll know roughly what to trim, then it's just the fine tuning.
To get the lead, either inline or pendant,  and the whole rig in the bag, I dry off the hookbait and hook totally, cover them in powder, then hook the inside corner and lay the lead in the opposite corner and fill with bits. Gently pull the lead up and shake the bag, topping it up. Gently squeeze, shake, squeeze and then lick and stick and twist the bag shut.
 
Helicopter leads are easier, bits in the bag, lead on top, then fill, lick and stick.
Hook the rig in outside corner.

Yes you can repair it. Its fiddly, 2 or 3mm wire. You'll need to get it through the spoke ends, pull it very tight and twist the ends together, then cut the surplus off the twisted section.

Always best to show the mat under the fish mate  never know the fishes strength  but thank you  just ad a nice mirror