kevtaylor

Think it's safe to say that the RT is the best, the most expensive - but some owners say the most unreliable, I couldn't say if that's true or not. I've got the ND2 with Raymarine fitted external still costs 2k, but happy with the boat and sonar. I'd say Raymarine is the best sonar for bait boats, I've not seen better anyway.

One day ticket venue I've been to bans particle, possibly because of it not being prepared properly, which I fully understand, but also specifically no sweetcorn!!! The most widely used bait, straight from the can being banned - unreal! I use it anyway, just keep the tins in my food bag. I'm pretty sure sweetcorn has never harmed anything, unless maybe you hit it with the can?

Full of fake corn, that my man is the funniest thing ever. What so people feed fake corn as freebies - that has and never will happen utter BS. On the rig it doesn't come off 🤣🤣🤣 A biopsy on the fish - as if that happens when one fish dies 🤣 I would have humiliated him talking utter nonsense and treating me like a prat, it might have got heated. Fake baits are always banned for the same reason, crack offs, cut offs leaving a permanently baited rig in the water, which is fair play.

It took some time to get that shot mate yeah, camera wanted to focus on the branches in the foreground.

Both mega fish caught neither. After 2 Scales I really wanted Two Tone but Mr O got him when he got in that tiny hole one winter- fishing for a ghost - still gutted now - why my fish lol Seen a pic of patch caught from the lake over the river pre syndi days.

A few from Kingy last week, 4 fish in shot, were loads in the snags. 2 from a previous syndicate, both mega fish Patch Common and Scaley mid 40 and mid 30.

I seen a clip of that video the other day - he's amazingly accurate with it. I asked my mad friend to make me a boilie tommy gun years ago - still waiting! 🤣

All true, however sonar has shown me things that I would never have found with a marker i.e drop offs that are actually undercut, like a catfish highway on Swan Lake Bluebell. Also my mate taking me straight to an undercut bank in the old river bed at Pitsford Res, Perch hotspot, you couldn't find that by any other means. Sonar also shows bottom hardness, mine does anyway, I'm not saying you can rely on it soley but with a combination of manual work and tech it can be useful on occasion.

Rudd imitating weed - love it and probably exactly what you are seeing. I spoke to a guy on my syndi about this and he said on this venue its suspended plant matter and the interesting part was that he said he only gets this in the evening - not all the time - really bizzarre! My arrival times were evening - seeing the stuff on the screen - yet casting and getting drops ok, there was low lying weed there but fishable, certainly not top to bottom. Any idea of just using the boat to find spots went out the window at this point, you have to combine manual feel with the technology imo

Its too easy to over think everything, we all do it. If tap water Is good enough for Mr Hearn - it's good enough. I've used rain water and pond water and I thought the bait went off quicker, might have imagined it though, I've used tap water since 👍

Terry Hearn uses tap water to make his GLM bait splash, made a point of saying as such, good enough for us.... I use tap water to wash my baits out and prepare particles, wouldn't even worry about such a thing tbh certainly wouldn't pay for bottled water unless I'm having it.

Bought a boat and pole during lockdown, had to do something! Anyway since used both and both have caught me fish, generally it's been the stealth that has been the successful element, measuring to areas of fizzing going on, then dropping a rig right on it once the fish have moved away. Those spots did loads of bites, especially in December when less active, and the quieter recast maybe sped up the next take. The pole is useful in the same way but more of a pain doing it, still a good tool though. Vast majority of the time I find my spots through observation first, then casting, first choice is still to cast the rigs and spod, however the tools are a decent alternative or addition to the casting and spodding. I've used the boat attached to the spod line just to bait up several times, that's an edge IMO. I spoke to a guy with the all signing all dancing boat, he explained that he was using the drop down camera to find little dinner plate sized holes in the weed and dropping the rigs on those, then checking the rig and amount of bait eaten the following day etc. Sounded mega but he hadn't caught anything in the 50 nights he had done on the lake to that point. To me this proves that it's just a tool, without the observation, watercraft, basic fishing skills it still will not help you catch fish. I see people blindly using boats a lot, no checking of drops, pulling back for snags etc nothing, even with sonar I have to check the drop manually, and I don't trust autopliot and spot saving completely either and still clip up the rods and have far back markers, nothing much changes tbh you have to be able to carry on effectively even if the boat stops working at the end of the day. Sonar has been really interesting on some lakes and has shown me features that I didn't know about, however on other lakes I've found the readout totally confusing, making it appear far weedier than it really was, areas that looked solid weed top to bottom were in fact fishable, I could get drops where I wanted them, very weird and misleading at times, although I'm sure that's rare, lots of suspended matter. At the end of the day casting gives me clear, instant and understandable info so it's first choice still.

Looks really good that, give us an update after some use. I've also looked at the Anker ones but so expensive, but it's a great make so I imagine they will be reliable.

Chris recently said they try to get in every night. It's a full time job keeping them out. Seen them on one of my current waters and the fishing has not been the same this year unless its me but seeing tail damage on fish in snags and a fish has been found by another angler 👎

I'm in - we'll make stuff noone needs - sorry Ali you've got new competition! 👍🤣

Not been seen for a good while, got a mate on there who's switched on and he's not seen it either so doesn't look great. the 43 went many years ago, went missing just before the fences went up same as the big common next door. I had the 43, cracking fish such a shame would have gone onto being 50+ easy.

BB's Naturals Range bivvy pegs - how much you knocking them out for, I might invest - looks carpy!

Think I paid about 230 for the Atom, I see the price has gone up since

Powapacks Atom - got the USB-C several USB's - 2 being fast charge and the 3 pin plug socket. Use mine to charge everything fishing related: baitboat, bivvy light, head torch, phone. I've dropped my Atom several times from kitchen surface height and it's not broken so it's decent. 👍

What difference is there from Steve Renyard's Bungy Boom that's been around forever, does the same thing - yet it resets and wouldn't snag on things? There have been other designs and all have been banned for whatever reason. The twig looks to be a snagging point for weed, snags and the net. I bet he's crying more now than when he thought it was going to be the one. But it's not! I saw one of the Nash lads tying elastic to the bottom end of a zig line, so it's hardly a new idea, and the guys original design was exactly the same -a bit of elastic tied into the rig, supported by proper braid for when the elastic snaps. To say it's a disappointment after hearing all the hype is an understatement!

I honestly think the bottom where your fishing could be like soup, what I mean is light silt sitting in a gulley, your lead hits the bottom through it but your pop-up or balanced wafter which I assume you're using is sitting up in the soup, fish are feeding beneath your baits, hence the suggestion that you try a heavy bottom bait. I'm dead sure I've had this happen to me and a heavy bottom bait is the only thing I didn't try, your above them, carp bury their heads deep in soft silt to feed. Give it a try fella, could be the answer, or a very heavy bag, 4oz lead or more - not much bait 👍

Heavy bottom baits might work

You can watch Mark Pitchers do a river challenge on the Nene if not already

They were in there 30 years back when my mate used to take me near to Oundle, lots of otters about so it's good to hear they are holding on strong. I'll be doing a bit further South near Wellingborough when I can pull myself away from the lakes, by all accounts there are some there to target. 😎👍