hopefull

I use it most of the time, as the water I've been fishing has a load of debris on the bottom. Just a nugget folded over the hook on the cast does the trick, and it stops the rig-ring on the hook shank slipping back round too

Sounds like Newbarn Farm to me, just outside Totnes. 9 pegs on a 1 acre lake...

I use leadcore, mainly the Kryston Score stuff, in about 3' to 4' lengths that i splice myself. I've found it to be pukka so far - very heavy yet nice n supple too. I use running rigs 99% of the time, with just a buffer-bead pushed over the swivel spliced to the leadcore, and an inline lead running free on the leadcore. I then tie the leader onto the mainline with a palomar knot through a small spliced loop. This way, if i do snap off, the lead is guaranteed to slide free, and as my hooklink is 50% or so less of the breaking strain of my leadcore, it'll snap first anyway if a fish does get snagged.

Yeh, if Benson somehow swam all the way over from France....

Hi folks, Firstly, I apologise if I've put this in the wrong forum, but I wasn't entirely sure where to put it. Now..me and a couple of mates are considering going continental carping later in the year, around September time, but we want to avoid France and we are considering going to Holland. I've seen some cracking photos of Dutch carp before, but I can't seem to find any info on fishing there online. Don't spose anyone has anything that could help us out? Cheers fellas

i use a loop-to-loop method, with a spliced loop of about 2-3mm in the leadcore. I also use running rigs the vast majority of the time, apart from in very heavy weed or for long-distance stuff, so the lead can always slide over the top of the loops.

could a D-rig with a small bit of silicone holding it to the shank not work?

i give mine the thumbnail-test after each fish, as well as having a good look at the point to see if its turned over or blunted. If so, then change the rig, if not then whack it back out.

It can be a bit tricky, use a pair of forceps to hold the flourocarbon when tying the knot if it gets awkward. I'm using 25lb IQ and the Gardner D-Ceptor (i think that's how its spelt) stiff-rigger hooks, and it works a treat.

I've been tying mine using a Domhof whipping knot, that way the line only has to pass through the eye once when tying the hair-rig bit, then there's plenty of room for the tag bit of the line to be brought back through to form the D. Plus, it's a lot easier to tie very short hooklinks with that knot (1" chod rigs etc.)

As for a fake corn rig, i've been using 1 floating corn and 1 sinking maize, with the floating one on top on the hair. Combined with a size 8/10 hook (I use Iseama's with a bit of shrink-tube on the bend as a 'blow-back' and a little bit of tube on the eye to curve it in a little), it ends up critically balanced and fires back up into the carp's mouth, whilst sitting just above bottom debris whilst on the lakebed. Hope this helps edited to add...here's a pic of my rig

if the line snaps then i'd want the lead to run off the end of the leadcore, not leave the fish trailing 6ft of leadcore with a 3oz lead trapped running up and down it

surely it'd stop any leads running on the leadcore, or a discharged lead clip, from sliding off the end of the leadcore though mate? and Evans - i use Kryston Score leadcore

a clip between the mainline and leadcore mate? bit dangerous aint it?

its easy to loop-to-loop with a choddy mate. just pass the mainline loop (i use one about 2" long at the most) through your small leadcore loop, then bring the lead n hooklink through the mono and slide it all down nice n tight. should be sound

nah mate, red Ford Explorer. maybe you've got a long-lost twin? and most definately will have to get a session in bud and Paul - i've got the voucher mate, just gotto get long enough free time to use the thing!

aye, n i've got a full working weekend! gotto keep selling you your food eh mate (i'm sure i let you out of the carpark in traffic on saturday!) still, my uni holidays start in 3 weeks, and its off til mid-oct for me then tight lines bud

fished it last week and blanked on the specimen lake, so wandered over to the Course pond and bagged 3 in a couple of hours. Off down there tomorrow night hopefully, so if you're down feel free to come for a cuppa!

seconded, never had one come out or open up on me so far

Suffix Stealth Skin (i think it's called Sheath Skin now) does me fine for most of my rigs

Gardner Mugga's or Longshank X's depending on the situation

using stealth-skin in 25lb for my bottom-bait combi rigs, had no complaints yet. plus the inner braid is the same colour as the outer 'skin', so no colour-clashes when stripped back

its in the new Gardner catalogue mate. think its pretty much a 'shocker' rig, with a running lead and a stop-bead about a foot back to set the hook fully. allows the fish to move off with the bait before nailing it.

i use mugga's with confidence now. have a look at the 'claw rig' n adapt it to suit buddy