salokcinnodrog

All of my fish at Ardleigh Reservoir were caught at around 40-50metres maximum. One was caught at about 20metres when I saw fish moving around an inlet so cast a bait where I saw them.
Even on Alton I don't think I cast more than 70metres.
 

All of my fish at Ardleigh Reservoir were caught at around 40-50metres maximum. One was caught at about 20metres when I saw fish moving around an inlet so cast a bait where I saw them.
Even on Alton I don't think I cast more than 70metres.
 

Walk and look as much as possible, often leaving the gear in the car or at home.
I used to fish a 400acre plus reservoir; 4 or 5 days a week I would walk a section (as  @framey says breaking it down) or all the way around, then fish my 2 days off. The walking often gave me an idea where they were, weather and wind dependent, or I  expected them to turn up.
Wind may have more effect on big open waters than tree surrounded lakes.
A big westerly based wind used to push them up to the North Eastern end, whereas a northerly I would be looking into sheltered bays.
Don't forget your binoculars and polarised sunglasses, and even on big waters, the margins or close in can produce.
 

Great advice that 👆 do your own thing 

Korum Opportunist Mat Bag, with a Korum fully loaded tackle box in the kit bag, along with alarms, sticks, catty, pva tube, bait tub (bait tub since replaced with a Korum EVA eva bait and tackle station), Chair, rod bag and I still have a hand free for gates etc... I travel fairly light these days... short trips for me nowadays, even reverting to the use of a trolley as my back is totally naffed
 
Do yerselves a flavour and travel light... it do tickle me sideways when some bod with a barrow piled higher than the Shard say's...
"Ya gotta stay mobile man"...
🤣🤣🤣🤣

When I first fished a big pit I set my stall out and fished at 40yds or less for 90% of my fishing, especially when seeing most anglers casting as far as they could. I also concentrated on the bays on this particular lake as the fishing was comfortable for me and more into my style. Im not someone who likes to fish as far they can so I only ever launched baits to the horizon if that's where the fish were. 
Don't get sucked into what you see everyone else doing. 
And the obvious one is location, location, location.  Also Write down where you see them , the wind direction,  weather, the atmospheric pressure (in my opinion  and my findings were these factors play a bigger part on larger pits than smaller ones)all these will help you get  a picture of the fish are up to. 

Hi Nick, 
Plano tackle box - that takes me back and puts a smile on the face, wow!

Scaling back?
I tried that and struggled, simply because it wasn't where I had gotten used to it over 30years of fishing. @elmoputney has a fit as my Plano tackle box ends up like a bombsite, just after the explosion...
The top level tray is full of hooklink materials, leads, my hygiene stuff, pocket knife forceps, Klinik etc.
I do have 2 rig bins for bottom bait or snowman rigs and a rig wallet for pop-up rigs, although one rod is my helicopter setup for big chucks, and stays setup for that. I simply tie the linklet onto a boom, basically hinge rig style.
If I need a pop-up rig on one of the other rods I can grab a whole rig out of the wallet and fish that with  run ring pendant lead.

Correct.

As @yonny says a knot below the chod will keep the lead clear.
In fact, with a chod (or helicopter) setup should you unfortunately have a crack-off, you need the lead to allow the rig to come off the top end past the beads.
 

@framey
I did an edit on your post as the shortened form of Richard is in the censored group after insults years ago.
 
Sad isn't it, that an angler who probably started the mainstream fishing, not just carp, has nothing but that small memorial and a blue plaque.
Richard Walker was innovative, fishing for many species, catching big perch on a fly creation of his own as well as carp.
He was also a champion rabbit breeder I believe, writing a book on the subject.
 

Floater fishing was quite possibly my 'goto' method on a couple of waters, Taverham Mills and Earith.
Taverham is where I really 'formulated' my floater fishing style. It was handy for an evening after finishing work in the summer, and also for days to catch extra fish if I was fishing for a couple of nights.
The daytime probably from lunchtime on I'd be walking round firing Chum mixers in, looking for fish. Good floater spots were not always in the main lake; Bruce and I used to find plenty of floater takers in some of the small channels and bays.
At Earith we did try the same, but for some reason that was a lot harder in Virginia pool although George's, Pats and Reeds lake produced a few.
Weird considering that Reeds and Virginia were joined. In fact the only Earith fish I caught twice I caught once in Virginia on a bottom bait, and once in Reeds on a dog biscuit.
I ignored floater fishing for too long at Brackens, but eventually twigged (too late) that in summer it was worth taking a floater rod with the rest of my gear.
It's something that I will be doing I think on most waters, always take some floating baits and tackle. Rods on alarms at night, and if you can get them on floaters during the day...

Dress your dog up as a ferret, there's no rule against ferrets. Sadly, the rule of no guns rules me out.

I can't remember how long Carp Porter have been around, but I can remember Bruce Lait having one when we fished at Taverham and that was back around 2000!
I'm in the Carp Porter Porterlite group, and it does get used for pike, roach and carp gear when a walk is on the cards, although the gear for a 4 or 5 day session with Sky takes two trips.
It is used and abused.
 
At that price, have a good look, then snap it up. Paint may be worn off or chipping, but as long as the metalwork is good it's a bargain. 
On the Carp Porter website I do know they do spares and parts, so if you need a new drop-in bag, locking screws etc you should be able to pick them up.

Hi Nick,
Thank you for the great feedback on how you fish with floaters, I will be trying the uni-knot loop and your other tips. Also any mention of Chris Ball and Brian Skoyles is always welcome - have you seen their book on surface fishing? It is superb.
I know the norm is to get them feeding, then cast out. I've done it the other way round a fair bit - cast out, then work the swim up.
That said, just like fishing on the bottom, sometimes a single hookbait can work.
That ghostie common is a cracker Nick, and great work getting the bigger fish from the pack.

A buddy of mine visited Hitchin museum today to see the exhibition of Richard Walker 
total items in pic below
whilst I appreciate fishing isn’t everyone cup of tea this is an abysmal showng
 
 

Brian Skoyles used to put some in a bag and add a dash of flavour, pour in around half a cup boiling water, shake and leave them until it was all absorbed. They would be slightly tougher but soft enough to put a baiting needle through.
 
You replied as I was posting

Thanks, but I think Chris Ball (RIP) did it as your version.
I do recall Brian Skoyles version in a Nutrabaits Bait catalogue magazine.
I never got on with fake plastic mixers, or even cork balls. For some reason I found using 'fake' surface baits they were rejected even faster than mixers or bread, and that's fast enough, even if I had fed constantly.
 
As much as feeding constantly frequently works, for some reason sometimes, the carp will pick up one surface bait then bog off and disappear. Difficult to gauge, but in this case, hookbait first, hopefully catch one while you have the chance. Normally though you can feed, get them feeding and then get them to take the hookbait.
 
This is one of my favourite 20's, a ghostie mix common. I'd gotten the fish feeding on surface baits around the lily pads behind me, but the ghostie would only take a bait touching the leaves. It took ages to work a hookbait in between the two lily beds and get it to take. It looked like the largest fish in the group as well.
I'd say it was stalking, so not bad for an afternoon fishing at Hintlesham when the other anglers were all behind the artillery waiting and blanking.

I used to use Bakers Complete rather than the meaty chunks, but use the larger chunks in the pack as hookbaits.
When I set up my hooklink, I tie a Uni-knot loop at the end, and put a hookbait in there, then knotless knot the hook on, usually a size 10, Drennan Super Specialist or size 12 Korda Longshank.
You can use a brown 'neutral' or lower flavour pop-up or the meaty chunks, although the meaty chunks can be slightly different sizes, whereas a pop-up is more consistent. Even a low flavoured or 'food source' coloured pop-up will work if you need to be able to see it.
I know some people don't like the knotless knot for floater fishing, but it does work for me, for both carp and chub fishing on the surface. The hooklink is usually Berkley XL in 7lb or Preston Reflo in 10lb for me.
Another alternative is feeding bread, on Bromeswell we'd feed whole, ¼ or ½ slices and wrap a size 6 in that.
Great fun to get them feeding right under your feet with only the hookbait touching the surface, but a half slice can be cast out quite a way. Reeling in if the bread comes off the hook is leaving freebies behind...

@framey
I did an edit on your post as the shortened form of Richard is in the censored group after insults years ago.
 
Sad isn't it, that an angler who probably started the mainstream fishing, not just carp, has nothing but that small memorial and a blue plaque.
Richard Walker was innovative, fishing for many species, catching big perch on a fly creation of his own as well as carp.
He was also a champion rabbit breeder I believe, writing a book on the subject.
 

Thanks, but I think Chris Ball (RIP) did it as your version.
I do recall Brian Skoyles version in a Nutrabaits Bait catalogue magazine.
I never got on with fake plastic mixers, or even cork balls. For some reason I found using 'fake' surface baits they were rejected even faster than mixers or bread, and that's fast enough, even if I had fed constantly.
 
As much as feeding constantly frequently works, for some reason sometimes, the carp will pick up one surface bait then bog off and disappear. Difficult to gauge, but in this case, hookbait first, hopefully catch one while you have the chance. Normally though you can feed, get them feeding and then get them to take the hookbait.
 
This is one of my favourite 20's, a ghostie mix common. I'd gotten the fish feeding on surface baits around the lily pads behind me, but the ghostie would only take a bait touching the leaves. It took ages to work a hookbait in between the two lily beds and get it to take. It looked like the largest fish in the group as well.
I'd say it was stalking, so not bad for an afternoon fishing at Hintlesham when the other anglers were all behind the artillery waiting and blanking.

Find em
feed em 
catch ‘em 
you just need to break a larger lake down into smaller lakes 
find the best view of as much of the lake as possible in each area 
follow the winds.
just visit as much as you can and walk don’t even take the gear if it’s not too pressured

How big?
Frameys' advice is spot on. On big waters I tend to find they're much easier to catch than on on small waters. The hard bit is finding them.

Skoyles that’s it 
 
well done nick

Brian Skoyles used to put some in a bag and add a dash of flavour, pour in around half a cup boiling water, shake and leave them until it was all absorbed. They would be slightly tougher but soft enough to put a baiting needle through.
 
You replied as I was posting