kevtaylor

Young Max learning how to be a carp dog with veteran George - much to learn but he looks the part - much fun had.

New water - chilled vibes!

3 night blank on Swan Lake last week - Weds to Sat - arrived at about 10am Was at the right end (back of the wind - wide end) and in a swim that had done fish off the surface days before so felt super confident. Whilst setting up the fish were in front of me right up in the water, felt quite warm and sunny. Didn't bring floater rod (utter noddy) so 2 on adjustable zigs - different depths different colours - no takes, lots of adjustments. 1st night I moved the 2 adjustables right out into the middle following the shows and brought the depths down as the temp dropped. The 3rd rod was a bottom presentation - a lightly baited trap to the left of the swim which is nearest to the shallower water - causeway bank but still in 15 feet. I also baited the middle rod with the mindset that I may change to a bottom presentation at some point if it looked on. 11pm a take on the middle rod (zig) - bend into a fish and seconds later it's off - I reel in another zig - so it was a trailer - got the heart going. 2nd morning - it looked as though I had a fish on both baited patches - though it's hard to tell exactly at distance, but I felt confident all the same. Lad next to me (left) in the causeway swim had a 20 common (only fish out) from his right rod at 08:45 off the bottom - which would be his deepest rod - so that gave me more confidence for my left rod. I gave it right until about 2pm before the rods came in and I walked the dog, had lunch etc. 2nd evening the middle rod was changed to the bottom with a different presentation and both spots were topped up a little. Right rod still on the adjustable but lower overnight than the night before as it had been cold all day, I'd seen much less activity but still felt that I was at the right end of the lake and in a good swim - although it was now freezing. 3rd morning- no activity on the spots its freezing cold all day, lad to my left has a mid 30 common on his left rod at about 9:30 whilst packing up - his shallowest rod by far from a reed bed along the causeway. This now puts me in a panic for the last night, I've got nothing shallower than 15 feet and feel like I won't catch off the bottom - furthermore they don't seem interested in any depth or colour of zig. I decide to stay put for the last night - knowing it looks like a blank, reel in and walk the dog mid afternoon. Passing an empty swim on the causeway of Sandmartin Lake I go for a look, it's absolutely freezing facing the wind, just wanted to see the swim. To my amazement I see about 15 shows about 20 yards out in front of me in this empty swim - doing the total opposite to the Swan lake fish!!! I watch for a while - some nice low 20's - dark looking cracking fish. But then just as I'm about to leave I spot a huge common roll in the margin to my left - is it the 50? The swim to my left has been closed and I stand in there and there is a lovely looking clear strip in the margin just 8 yards from where I saw the common. So now I'm running back to get a bucket 🤣 so much for staying up. The last night was spent on Sandmartin - a margin rod left and right and the adjustable 20 yards out - sadly I don't think the fish came back and when a new arrival started crashing leads into my water that spelt the end of the session and time for home. Last trip till winter onto pastures new - can't wait. What have I learnt: Floater rod from March onwards just in case you hit a freak warn spell Going from a week of warm to a week of freezing it has taken 5-6 days for the fish to adjust and start feeding again - the main targets have both just been out in the 50lb bracket the following week, so I was days out with the timing of the session again. So hard when you just have to book weeks in advance and hope. So the more settled the weather the better in April it seems. Hate April

I've looked at that - does seem a good buy and Tackle Box is cool 👍

Yes - I now have a use for it and a puppy to play goal keeper! 👍

28 kilo for a small bivvy

OK mines the 1 Man Standard, used it about 3 times - for sale! Plus points: Good fabric, well made throughout, goes up quick, good ventilation - struggling here! Minus points: WEIGHT, packdown size for transporting (Looong car or van required), internal size - just fits in my Solar bedchair - touches poles both sides - leaving about 1.5 feet spare in front of the bed, 2nd skin - pointless as it only covers the top not the sides. This is the big 1 man, not the compact and only my opinions.

Last one - and the worst pic, but what an amazing shoul of prey fish I found in a corner of Bluebell Lake, in both opposite corners actually - the other shoul was about 20ft round - top to bottom, this much smaller about 8ft round.

This is the Raymarine Dragonfly 5 Pro bait boat screen. A the back end of a plateau on Mallard, Bluebell. Left screen, the more red at the surface the harder the ground, left screen shows weed etc. It will show more but I'm learning.

I've gotta get one, we've used my mates on a deep pit but didn't find any fish of note but worked perfectly showing weed, depth and bottom variation. We also hung it over the side of the boat whilst predator fishing - brilliant having the fish shapes and ding noise when a shoul passes under - so exciting, but I think you can change that to the arches you see on other systems and that can show if a fish is big or not more accurately apparently- I no nothing just starting out so could be getting mixed up. This is a poor photo taken off the screen of a Lowrence system, not sure which but I love the detail of the wreck we were fishing and in some pics you could clearly see the Zander- what a day, loved it. Will try to get better pics next time.

I've been predator fishing with an expert, we're using 'Lowrance Active Target' and you can see what the fish is and roughly whether its a whacker or not - very exciting trust me! I've got a bait boat with Raymarine Dragonfly Pro 5 and again with the size of the arches you can kinda see if a whacker or not and the bottom detail is next level, I can see individual weed strands on one side on the screen and colour coded bottom hardness on the other side - pretty epic tbh

Hi Chill, Yeah I'm using my Avid 2 man HQ exclusively at the moment. Had it for about 5 years I guess, its still perfect, lightweight for it's size, easy to put up - tbh I have no faults. Think newer versions are even better. You'll not go wrong with AVID gear IMO You wanna buy a Ridgemonkey 1 man? 🤣

Sorry didn't see this. It's a Hyundai I40 - you're supposed to push the dead keyfob against the start button on the dash, but it did nothing.

Best bait I've used was completely un-flavoured, just salmon oil, eggs and Aminos basemix, forgot to add flavours but the fish seemed to love them more, much more in fact, what a session that was!

I've got 2 shelves full in the garage now, some go way back should just chuck them away I suppose - I used to always have half a dozen pots in the living room (glugging) which mates seemed to like sniffing every week, how they moaned when I moved them out 🤣👍

sell me one mate 🤣

What were really saying is we have been naughty boys and we have to call it a day..................for a while at least!

That is a banging point I'd go for that too - you can get almost everything else carbon 👍

I'm with Elmo - just can't seem to stop buying stuff, especially since the first lockdown but I'm trying to rein it in a bit - or closer to the truth - what else could I possibly buy lol Stuff sounds well needed to me Elmo - go for it!

Hi mate, Yeah looking at their website now it's this: A0530011 Dual Layer Brolly System and what a fine system it looks - I would not hesitate to buy that - not for one second. What I did do on my MK1 was cut small strips of leather ( about 8mil wide) and stuck them under the ends of the 4 main poles if you like - 2 back and 2 side I think), so they went into the webbing pockets at ground level. This prevented the poles ever pushing through the webbing pockets. They may have pushed through over time - I've seen that on other shelters and I had an old belt so did the preventative work just coz I could. I saw the brolly as a lifetime buy, and I'm not wrong - I will be back in it this summer on a new venue and still expect it to see me out, it is still perfect, but a bit faded - (carpy) 🤣 Whilst my MK1 doesn't have a clip in second layer, my HQ 2 Man does and it toggles in really easily, is a lightweight fabric sheet that I just leave in always, no condensation noticed at any time of year. I do think there will be a little in extreme conditions on the underside of the outer layer but nothing has come through to the inside ever. Quality of fabric on both my systems is top notch IMO I'm jealous TBH 👍

he knows his stuff that Taylor geezer! 🤣👍

IMO this will be the one. I've got the Mk1 brolley System 'Ascent' - so much better quality than anything I've seen, everyone who sees it makes a comment. The fabric was the same as the Ozz Tent and Ridgemonkey - heavy duty. Mk2 looks sick, and the toggle in second layer will be bang on no doubt, ribs have been pushed right up - its an ever better shelter no doubt, different fabric but it will be very good still - probably lighter than it was. I've got the AVID 2 man bivvy with toggle in second layer and zero condensation ever - and I've used that for years now, summer, winter no probs! I sound like a bit of a fan boy BUT their kit seems to be top notch every time IMO 👍

Good time to sell my Ridgemonkey bivvy then - any takers? Thought not lol

I can't even get in mine or turn it on if the battery in the remote key is out. I watched a video on how to reveal the door key hole then couldn't fix the door handle back to how it was. Once in there's no ignition key hole so you cant go anywhere anyway, if it cannot detect the keyfob your going nowhere.

Good luck with that - get it hidden quick style! 👍🤣