kevtaylor

Mine was about 8 months old I think - I don't like going without him, but it takes about 95% of venues off your list of possibles. Nearly all of the waters I have inquired about do not allow dogs! I had 2 A4 sheets of venues to check out and only a very small number allowed dogs - it's an eye opener! You might find it better not to go down that route?

Pretty standard here for us to catch nothing but commons at certain times of the year, cant remember whether its pre or post spawning but on waters I've fished nobody caught anything but commons for weeks,all mid sized fish, not the whackers - probably all males..

I use a blow back rig with ring as my first choice, been using it for 20 odd years, if it ain't broke! I've landed quite a few where they have blown the ring right over the hook eye onto the hook length - seemingly impossible because you cannot get it to go back over again, you have to scrap the rig and start again. Just shows the force they can blow with and that's why the rig works a treat. I strip the last 5 mil for free movement.

Got the AVID Ascent 2 man bivvy - its a decent bit of kit, masses of room for 2 beds, you can actually get 3 in no doubt (I have). With 2 beds pushed to the sides there's a massive gap in the middle. I like the inner lining which you leave in, works a treat, outer fabric is top notch. I also have the Ascent Brolley Mk1 - fabric on that is unbeatable - proper quality. No complaints - AVID gear is the business.

Look like normal Common Carp to me - definitely not Crusians as their fins are convex (outwardly curved) not concave like you see in the middle picture. They could be a match type hybred F1 or whatever they are called which are stunted in growth.

I've got nowhere to go carp fishing, everywhere is an hours drive minimum for me so too far unfortunately and most are closed anyway. A canal Perch if you're lucky - I should move down south tbh Good luck to those doing a bit 👍

Unlucky mate - I go for smelt, they seem to be really good bait 👍

No I've not bought the trolling motor or sonar yet - no rush with lockdown, the ressies are closed anyway. Good luck down the canal 👍

You've made me try the theory, it don't work lol - always thought it would if I could find the damn thing but it's a bit tight for the Korda stuff I'm messing with and that's easy to thread anyway 🤦‍♂️ forget it get the Gardner one if it's made for the job. 👍 The pole threader is just a 1+ metre wire with a loop one end, might try it on some others I can't usually get line through

I've just found my pole elastic threader from years ago, a wire with an eye, no more struggles treading tubing 👍

Banging that is 😎

These are one of the hooks I've started using on a weedy barbless venue, on the face of it I think they are great and cannot see any downside, but if that changes I will update it on here 👍 Clubs hey 🤦‍♂️

Sorry had to - these ones look sick lol Just for the fans x

I must be an influencer - kill me now lol

Very true, this is because people see pictures on social media, don't understand the reasons behind the set up and copy like it's a fashion. I see a problem and buy kit that gives me a solution. i.e. additional long sticks for the front of the pod. If I can get my rod tips under the surface, that's first choice - less wind disturbance, bird life disturbance - and you cant see where I'm fishing. 👍

The function of having the tips high is so that your line is entering the water past the surface marginal weed - pretty obvious, but it does look carpy though doesn't it.

Oh god yeah - especially on my first couple of years on there, seemed like they were always under the power lines.

Dont know what you're on about, it looks carpy as....

Yeah I've spent this year buying kit as the carp venues were too busy for me, full day kits for carp/barbel/tench etc and full kits for Perch, Zander and Pike. I've done a day drop shotting on Pitsford Res for Perch - had a small one and lost a Pike on the heavy duty rod, a day on Rutland vertical jigging for Zander and had 2 small Zed's. Also been on my local canal and river practicing the methods and had a few small Perch and Pike. Oh and an afternoon deadbaiting on ferry meadows where I had a Jack and my son took the second run and landed a 15lb Pike - the jammy git lol I've told myself to keep up the predator fishing at least once a month throughout 2021 - not to treat it as a winter thing only. tbh I am seriously thinking of buying an electric motor with GPS anchoring and a Sonar.

Could it be that your experiencing lifting into a trailer, initial resistance then it's gone. I think at least a couple of my recent hook pulls were in fact trailers not hooked at all, particularly possible as your using pop-ups not rigs lying on the deck - just food for thought.

From keeping ponds and pads the only solution I know of is to pull up the pads by the roots which will be extensive/thick as your arm. Probably an annual job to get in and pull them up. As it's too deep for you to wade I can only think of chucking a heavy duty rake out. You could do it in winter when the pads are gone because its the thick connecting roots that have to come out, they are often up off the bottom when it's really thick.

If they are problematic I think I'd just fish tigers in small amounts, by all accounts they are not attracted to them and as a bait they work all all year round. Pop them up with a cork insert if you wish. Hate crays they ruined my river campaign, don't use pellets, don't use fishmeals they like those immensely.

I think it's the Mega in the 36mm x 22mm size 👍

I got some Gardner Bugs in medium which are about the same size as the larger Korda Black and Whites. Inexpensive and do the job and after reading what Yonny says I'm glad I didn't fork out for the Korda ones.