ouchthathurt

I fished in much worse! 🙄

Mad!! 😂

having another go

I’d need to have a look mate, but they’re not the original ones with the x-wrap, shame, I loved those rods! My local tackle shop thinks he may have one in their rod rebuilding stuff, so im going to drop the tip in so they can have a gander

Interesting session today, I had a premonition that I needed to be in a certain swim, and got up early, abandoned wife and children to their prospective fates and shot down the lake. No cars parked anywhere, so the swim was mine! only it wasn’t, as when I parked my car on the grass verge, I could see there were a couple of guys fishing it! I went to drive off and park up and discovered to my horror that I was now stuck comprehensively in the mud! My father rescued the day with a 5 metre length of astroturf, wedged under the front wheels soon had the jalopy free again. Still, try again! A quick glance around the lake and I saw a couple of very subtle shows, reeds knocking etc. then one fish put its head out at around 100yrds in the far margin. An orange northern special pop up soon landed on its head followed by a krill bottom bait against the knocking reeds in my near margin. (Not a usual go to winter bait, but my son has done well this winter on them here, so worth a shout.) 2hrs later and a recast (with a small pva mesh bag of tutti fruitti crumb) and the orange NS pop up was properly ripping off! at a single ounce over the 20lb barrier, the first 20 of 2026 has hit the net.

Evening all, I am trying to source a 14mm tip eye to replace a damaged tip eye on my boys 12ft fox warrior 2.75lb tc rod, I have done the usual online searches but can’t find anything, (except the usual Temu/amazon stuff) or do I just order 3 16mm tip rings (which are easier to source) and do all 3 rods? (He wants them all to match - I get that!)

This mornings 5am to 10am session

Nothing exciting, but the boy and I managed a few commons this morning to start this years captures. now have to find a tip eye for a fox warrior 2.75lb rod (any ideas?)

another go for 2hrs today, another blank! My little girl had a fair few roach and rudd though.

I tried to go last week but it was frozen solid! 🙄 hopefully get another few hours in over the weekend

sat behind the rods in a wet and windy low pressure system, the lake was frozen last week. blanked unfortunately, but try again soon!

I’ve got a cross cast handle on it at the moment, it just needed an extra washer to get it to work. It will do for now, might have to speak to Weston developments and get some hold up handles for them all…

Yes mate, me too, but you can’t add it to the basket, so when I called up to place the order over the phone, he checked his stock and found he had none left 🙁

Hi all, hoping someone here can help me, I have a Daiwa windcast Z5000 that I need a replacement handle for, but I can’t find one anywhere! Daiwa UK don’t have any as it’s discontinued and Jim’s reel shop have sold out. Where else can I try? Usual internet searches are not producing the goods. or any aftermarket places I could try?

couple of low double Christmas commons

out for a few hours to bag a December carp. Fishing locked up to the reed line

One of the books I own, I thoroughly enjoyed it 👍🏻

After working a 2pm-2am shift, I popped down to a local park lake to await the morning when I would be able to park on my road (that was my excuse anyway) I managed a carp that probably wouldn’t look out of place in Yonny’s koi pond, but it kicks off October

two little 2lb test 11ft shimano aero rods with little shimmy bait runners out this evening, left rod to the tree in the water opposite, right rod next to the platform right of shot. Had 3hrs out, landed 5. Nothing huge, but nice to be out again

I saw that, and here’s me buying a family home for the family like a chump. Could have brought that lake and a caravan…

To be honest, if I want a different hookbait, I just make the pillows the way nick described, put the sausage on the rolling table and cut it like that. Also using a (I think, im sure someone will point me right) using say, a 10mm sausage on a 12mm rolling table will make more dumbbell shaped baits? Im sure I’ve seen/heard that somewhere. Never tried it though

Even if we did save the cash and became millionaires, what would the first thing we would buy?? a carp lake… you know it makes sense!

Don’t forget the carp anglers prayer… “dear lord, when I die, please don’t let the wife sell my carp gear for the price i told her I paid for it”

I do need to look at the ABS baits range once Tony stops the base mixes, my local tackle shop really rates his gear, back in the day he used to stock premier gear (I brought my first base mix from him in the 90s - premier aminos with some GLM to chuck in) he started stocking ABS when Geoff started doing that. Can’t say I’ve looked at the CC Moore bases, I haven’t needed to as of yet. I buy the robin red HB (Hook Bait) direct from Haiths, it’s a lovely deep red, it smells the business and i wouldn’t be without it, whether it’s the true original or not, I couldn’t say, but it works! Im pretty stuck in my ways when it comes to bait, I had sleepless nights when I couldn’t get any more boiled ham flavour from richworth, I did get a bottle of nutrabaits UTCS smoked ham, but it wasn’t “the one” for me (that’s not a reflection on the flavour, more my own views) so I just omitted the boiled/smoked ham flavour and just stuck to the hutchie shellfish sense appeals only, results didn’t change, but I found the new hutchie appeals didn't match the original ones, so I substituted it for the premier shellfish sense appeals, which was bob on. Caught a 42lb common on it first time out, so I was well happy with that one. The CC Moore belachan flavour I stumbled across when looking for a flavour I could pop in a 3 egg mix that my son could use on day sessions at a local runs water, rather then him emptying my freezer of my lovingly crafted boilies every weekend! I got him a maple flavour and popped the belachan flavour in the online basket as it caught my eye. When I opened it, the smell knocked me on my backside, eyes watering, gagging, the works! The wife was furious, so I knew then it might be a winner, which it’s proved to be. Only needs 1-2ml per 6 large eggs. of course, seeing as the bait has remained consistent despite the different flavourings over the years, this would suggest the base itself is the reason and the flavourings matter not a jot! Still, confidence is key isn’t it? I like to split my carping into 3rds, (I’m a simple soul) what (to me) are the important aspects?? 1: have I got my location right? 2: do my rigs work? 3: will my bait work? well, I know no3 is nipped, the bait has produced wherever I’ve taken it, so no concerns there. no2 - I have been using the slip D rig on size 6 ESP claw hammers tied with fox cortex coated braid or ESP coated braid for several seasons, the hook holds I’ve had have been to my satisfaction, and over the last 2 seasons, I’ve only had a few hook pulls - usually as a result of my sleep deprived stupidity! If im fishing a pop up, then for a high pop up I’ll use the good old hinged stiff rig, or a low lying pop up calls for a spinner, but as im fishing over particle and pellet this time of year, it’s bottom baits. that leaves no1 for me to have to concentrate on, arguably for me the most important, location!

New purchases, Korda extra small clips, ESP claw hammer hooks size 6 barbless, fox cortex soft coated braid. 35lb Korda boom, Korda crimps (krimps??) another Korda crimp pliers (my first set disappeared into my sea fishing kit)