kevtaylor

Thanks mate, I always laughed at the Diawa coffee grinders, now I am happily waiting on a set. The only other reels that do it for me other than my LC's are the old light blue Shimmy's but I cant remember the model and not paying over 2.5k for a set 2nd hand no matter how carpy they may be. I was thinking of rods that give me something different to the TE's but the Aviators just look like an upgrade of the same beast so happy days. I'm glad you like the spod rod that breeds confidence in my choice 👍

CcMoore do matching cork balls if available but their Air Ball Pop-ups last great, no complaints whatsoever and I've tested many brands and been disapointed over the years 👍

Thanks mate really cannot wait to receive these rods, not custom built as not got the time or desire tbh but the Black Raven edition. Despite always banging on about Shimano I've gone rogue with Diawa Tournament ST 6000's. Just wanted a lighter reel and not paying silly top end money, not that they were cheap as such, I kept to my Old Skool but Cool over latest silly money jobies and after the Shimmy spod being so unreliable I fancied a change. 👍

I'm not looking for big holes or clean spots as such, just a drop every time and a tiny amount of pull back and you're fishing. In my mind at the moment I'm not looking for clean spots anymore, if only to avoid and find the drops in weed nearby. Every venue is different but I think on lower stocked venues with wary fish clean spots are treated with extreme caution and hold little natural food e.g. gravel spots. How many people pick the same obvious far bank markers, find the obvious clear spot, pile bait on it and are surprised when nothing happens, wheres the natural food, wheres the thickest weed, what are they showing over? I'd rather set up and watch all day for them to show me where to put the traps than rush in crashing leads everywhere, not always possible I know but once you've seen them feeding in an area you dont have to wait next time as everything is written down and measured up.

Likewise but thankfully the need to spend fell on a sale weekend so I got some good deals. So the ceramic lining on one of the butt rings on my Torrix has cracked and fallen out - my fault rod not secured and fell on the barrow. I couldn't be without my babies for weeks in May/June so bought a new set of Aviators and Lighter reels than my Shimmy Big Pit LC's as much as I love them to bits. Line, back leads, floss, butt and tip protectors, 3 x Delkim line clips oh and 50k of Pro Stim Liver boilies. Oh and decided to get all 3 Torrix rebuilt instead of just a single eye replacement and the 3 Shimmy's serviced whilst I can be without them so to say it turned out to be an expensive weekend is an understatement. Thats gotta be me done spending now for the year!

Did Thursday to Saturday in one swim this weekend, had a stocky on the stiff hinge rig in the thickest weed bed in the area. Then back Sunday for the night as I was super keen having caught. This time chose a swim round the corner as all the fish were there on top but despite expecting a take come first light nothing materialised so back home tail between legs. Can't wait till Friday to get back down, but might have to fish a flooded swim just to get in the area if it's busy. Loving my fishing more than ever at the moment - gotta keep pushing on!

That retainer looks mint - not seen it before 😎👍

Well done mate 👍

blooming unlucky there mate, even the Undercover Pro sleep system which I got for £205 is a sound bed. Did you complain?

Which model did you manage to bend? The Solar beds are as good as they get IMO

Yeah got both as sleep systems, the undercover pro is the same type of system so shouldnt sag any more or less than the SP Tech - I love both and the undercover pro is lighter which is why I got it. My SP-Tech is the wide version so not suitable for a brolley which is why I got the other.

AVID Ascent Brolley System, MK1 - very good quality (Rip-stop fabric, heavy duty), full front system - can have letter box style or normal. The latest version looks sick to me - different fabric, has more headroom coz of the shortened internal spokes and a full inner lining to cure any condensation you might have got, I'd get one tomorrow if mine went missing. Pricey but well worth it, had the Mk1 over 10 years and no damage whatsoever 👍

I'm honestly finding Met Office totally different to the BBC, can't understand why, MET Office saying next to no rain this week, BBC says raining daily. MET Office is the one thats proving to be more accurate at the moment, or it has been on my trips so far, strange! Unless my data for BBC is not refreshing from when I looked days before?

Yeah they are entertaining for sure, the canal seems really shallow. I liked a lot of their older vids, pure lure fishing and setting hooks like pro's cough cough noddies! 🤣👍

I know we're carp, but gotta get one of these from the Snagged Bro boys 🤣

Yes I do really like the natural banks and swims it is a stunning complex, however access road is very bad and parking areas and paths also totally natural which isnt good at all in the wet. Hard to get the balance right I guess. I hope your lake doesnt look too managed for you, remember it grows back pretty damn quick. I do take a lot more pictures of the lake whilst at this complex so I obviously prefer the natural look over man made swims. Our 2nd trip to Italy we found the owner had ripped out all the far bank snags we expected to fish to, looked shocking, ruined the trip and ruined the bay area since, so I know how you must be feeling. 👎

I find the various liquids preserve the bait as they are salty. If I put the food source glug and some liquid krill on the boilies a couple of days before the session in a bucket they defrost, take some glug in and last for ages, I left them in the sealed bucket between session by accident and they were absolutley perfect still 2 weeks later. I don't air dry baits any more as that seems a bit pointless, I've also thrown in frozen baits and had no worries about that - why would you they defrost in the water.

I've got the Powa Pacs Atom which is good but expensive, bought for the plug socket and bait boat charging on the bank. However as has been said you cant beat Anker for a good reliable power bank, got one of those, highly recommended. 👍 Anker is a good brand full stop

No I didn't know, I suspected it but said to myself 2 x MK2 versions 'Nah can't be' - best thing I've seen during the investigation is a photo from someone with the older barrow and the new drop in bag, it clearly doesn't fit or open out fully, but they seemed happy enough to think it's bang on and post pics. Classic 🤣🤣🤣

So you know there are 2 x Carp porter Mk2 versions, pre and post 2017. Pre 2017 doesn't accept the drop in bag it's not clearly stated, or wasn't clear to me. Having a job to return it now 🤬👎

Another weekend blank, racking them up. Left what feels like my peg alone (West end, back of the wind) as there were others either side and only one down the windward end but out the way (East end taking a westerly). Did Friday night in one swim and had a couple show over the rods at dawn but far more were showing in a vacant swim round the corner, so I planned to move midday get the rods in place early afternoon once it'd gone quiet. I knew the swim a little and placed rigs all around the edges of the plateau with as little disturbance as possible. Was absolutely gutted to wake up and nothing showing, just one tiny liner, area seemed dead and noticeably colder than the day before. That's carp fishing in spring, never kind to me, onto next time. Oh and pushing that barrow through floods and sticky clay holes full of random brick ends is not the one and will finish me off pretty damn soon, where's that power wheel 🙏🤣

Ahh another - leave the top bead outside the hopper?

Is it worth sticking a PVA nugget around the bead, not sure if thats gonna solve one issue and cause another tbh, might be worth looking at though

Just received my Drop in bag for the Mk2 Wide Boy Barrow and it doesn't fit (or I cannot see how it would) despite my barrow being in the description of suitable barrows. Totally baffled tbh, are there 2 different Mk2 Wide Boys? Mines got a bar right in the middle of where the bag would sit. When I got the barrow it had a bag but you clipped it on from underneath, this seemed much quicker and I like the barrow to fold flat in transit so leaving the bag on doesn't allow that, so I took it off. Thank fully they sent the wrong colour so it's going back regardless, miffed though coz I wanted one, might have to be the 2 bags either side of the wheel. Anyone got any knowledge on this drop in bag issue?