kevtaylor

Back on the rods, feels like an absolute age since I've been out (July on the syndi), and how I've missed it. The france trip doesn't count obvs 🤣 forgot that already! Was doing a garden re-design through summer after the lakes closed for spawning and that took right up until just before france late Sept. Got tonight to get back in the swing of things, in a swim I know, the spots still there just a bit smaller with more weed growth. The lake is back up to overflowing due to the recent floods, Got 3 rods close together, fed about 1k of boilie and crumb. Heard 2 crash out since I've been here in the swim next door up against the island snags. Here for 3 nights next week and gonna push myself to carry on into winter, targets not been out so fingers crossed 🤞

Tough day on Pitsford 2 pike and one perch, sadly none for Ben this time. Had the perch on a ned worm crawling it along the bottom in prob 40ft drifting away drom the dam, missed another take and lost one the way up, tried lots more passes but lost them. Had a small jack on a 3-4 metre diving crank bait from the causeway and a better pike last knockings in a bay by the big dam on a chatterbait with a 5inch shad attached. Lovely weather for the time of year, great day out!

I should really have gone Grafham, that place owes me a good perch but Pitsford seems safer as I'm taking my son, he's not the strongest swimmer and Pitsford is far smaller, yet still massive obvs. Hopefully a few more trips after this one Rutland and Grafham once we've got our sea legs sorted, frightening depths. 👍

Back on Pitsford sunday with my son, perch and pike fishing on the boat - buzzing for it seems like an absolute age since we've been. Seems to have been good numbers of perch caught early in the year so hopefully we stand a chance now they're back 🙏 Oh or a mid 40 pike on the perch gear would be interesting 👀

Not that I'm aware of, licences are for the anglers themselves. You may need some sort of registration with the environment agency but that's a pure guess, because it's them who'd support you if you had disease outbreaks.

Re-booked for Sept 2026 👍

I use the ESP Tungsten loaded semi stiff in brown - the best I've come across 👍

I've got some Gardner Tricklink probably in 15lb that's quite supple, had a play with that - seems good. Gonna try the Trilene Fluoro I've bought for leaders next was better value and bigger spool around 100 metres, feels supple and pulls straight just like the specific leader spools where get less of it. With the clarity of the water I'm on I do think should I be using less visible booms, moved onto the fluoro leaders a couple of years back due to the clarity. Might have a play around this winter/spring, but want to keep the leadclips if poss so it will have to be a supple material.

Because I don't use stiff mono or fluoro booms I don't have to deal with the knot or crimp issue, if I did I'd prefer the crimped look but have concerns over damage or try to master some sort of perfect loop knot. I can't see me not using a braided boom section despite the visibility of it over fluoros and monos, simply because I don't like the idea of it sitting funny. I'm not finding clear gravel areas on the pits I'm fishing. If I went down the stiff boom route I'd have to use heli's as standard and I much prefer clips for convenience/lazy and imo better hooking. What are you fishing over with the booms and what set-up?

Lol - thats what they said to my mate, seems off, it's snapping below the stated breaking strain surely. Then if you get it a bit wrong well below.

My mate used the crimps as described and pulled hard on the finished rigs - every one snapped at the crimp. Thinking he was doing something wrong he explained the issue to a guy on the Korda stand at a show - he made a rig and passed it to my mate who pulled it and it snapped at the crimp exactly the same, the guy didn't know what to say and hurried away to a different customer. I won't use them full stop after this, not that I was considering anyway. I'd recommend really testing the finished rigs, are they as strong as you imagined?

You're talking about buying a flash to stick on top? Or is the inbuilt enough? Cheers dude 👍

Wychwood Extricator 3lb I think - Corks

My last 2 sets of rods have both been 12ft 6in, a mix of casting ability and yet retaining playing action. I've got a pair of 10s which in hindsight are utterly pointless and should be sold as they'll just gather dust. A 6ft may be useful for stalking under a canopy on occasion but in half the videos you see of this type of fishing it looks so dangerous they shouldn't be doing it anyway! 🤬

Night shots Can anyone please help with camera settings for this nightmare area? I've got 2 lights that I put on banks sticks with each pointing across the fish (is this right)? and I'm told this is better than using flash. If you shoot with auto settings you get a blurred shot through movement, so I assume you up the shutter speed consideraby? I've got a night portrait setting but cant see that working in this situation. Thanks in advance 👍

Tough week in France, Brothers Lake. Weather was all over the place but not really doing anything, light winds going all over the place and temps freezing one minute, warm the next and regardless of that the fish seemed to migrate into the 2ft shallows every night - so odd. Was expecting to smash it on the dam wall in the deeps 🤷‍♂️. Stupid fish - anyway ended up with 7 to 45 which I said i'd be happy with before the trip. Nice lake and surroundings, would go again, recommend having 2 anglers although you can have 4. Special thanks to our Yonny for the camera advice, the final pic is my last self take with max blur it really pops, thanks mate, getting the hang of it slowly 😎👍

My Carp Porter barrow front food bag must be over 15 years old - looking a bit tired but functionally mint, might treat myself to a new one of those one day. My barrow itself is fine and again over 15 years old. Shimano Big Pit Bait runners - absolutely mint after god knows how many years 25 maybe, serviced twice max, superb reels - semi retired them this year! Will probably end up back on them tbh - they dont make reels like that anymore bullet proof. Cotswold Aquarius rod bag - must be getting on for 10 years and mint, looks almost new except for a bit of mud here and there, can't see me replacing that tbh Aqua black rucksack, not that old 5-8 years but again the quality is right up there, cant see that ripping or anything - mint Blue Tool box with clear lid I found in mums garage - used for a tackle box - 30 years - banging 🤣 thats always gonna be my tackle box. Fox lightweight chair - 30 years - mint, replaced elastic once. Not much lasts as long as we hope it will as this thread shows

Just use a kicker mate

Looks tidy mate 👍

You have stripped the coating for the hook loop? This is my other rig - another multi (slip D style), bottom baits and wafters - can do with a stiff link with a supple end loop or just coated braid stripped only for the hook loop. Will put a pic up later 👍

Nice one buddy 😎👍

What do you think of this mate, is it everything I need lens wise? Scenics and portraits? https://www.currys.co.uk/products/canon-eos-250d-dslr-camera-with-efs-1855-mm-f3.55.6-iii-and-ef-50-mm-f1.8-stm-lens-10192408.html

Thanks for the info mate I would consider second hand reconditioned for sure, had looked at a few online. I thought mine would last my lifetime but it won't even take a picture or respond to any button pressing.

£500 any good?

Not silly money, knew I should have added What have you paid - lets try that and half it lol