ouchthathurt

I fish a small park lake of about 6 acres and it’s always full, I started scoping out rivers and recently broke the beach gear out to get a little peace! I have miles of coastline where I can always find a deserted beach quite easily. It’s easier than finishing work, heading to a lake and finding all the swims packed out, which is fairly common, especially with furlough.

I haven’t noticed an increase in hookpulls using sharpened hooks to be honest mate, I wasn’t out and out snag fishing admittedly, but I was hitting and holding to stop carp kiting into a corner (which made landing them more tricky) on the take and if anything, a touched up hook increased my hooking ratio, I only had one hook pull out of 20+ fish and that was a single figured fish trailing a large branch it picked up on the way in, I was destined to lose that fish regardless of whether the hook was sharp or not I think, a branch attached to the hooklink isn’t helpful! I thought I was into a monster until it surfaced! 🙄

If using braid, make sure you use a finger guard. Wet braid slipping over a finger on a big cast don’t half sting!

I have to agree, whereas pendulum casting is commonplace on the beach scene with distance in mind, (although with the current trend of lighter, longer 14-15ft beachcasters, a simple overhead thump can achieve plenty of distance and the pendulum is not as common) such casting practices, such as the full pendulum, half pendulum and OTG (off the ground) casts, designed to “pre-load” the rod tip by causing it to compress into its casting curve before the angler provides the “power stroke” (ooh err missus) which sends the lead further. I’ve used half pendulums and OTG casting styles, and with the multiplier in the reel down position, I could get the lead to really fly! But that was with a 13ft beachcaster, with a t/c of about 6lb! (Rods are rated 4-7oz casting weight) such casts should really remain on the beach, a carp rod, regardless of t/c is not designed to take such high stress/forces that such casting styles put on a rod, even some beachcasters are not recommended for such casting styles, the continental rods of 14-15ft would snap under compression, as would a carp rod sooner or later, that’s if the line didn’t snap before hand, these casting styles always call for a 60lb shockleader on the shore. Most swims wouldn’t have the room for these casting styles anyway I would have thought!

I use 12ft fox torque rods in 3lb t/c with fox EOS 12000 reels, I use the heli leads 90% of the time, when fishing at long distance at shearwater, if needed I would step up to a 4oz heli lead if required, however I would advise a bit of caution here, I snapped two rods under full compression going for a big chuck. (Those rods weren’t fox torque but another well known brand) the 3.5oz leads with a 3lb t/c are capable of distance in the right hands, as with anything, practice makes perfect. Just ensure that you make sure that there is no one opposite you that could be at risk in the event of a crack off, a heavy lead without line attached will travel a long long way! Check the tip ring and butt ring for tangles or “frap ups” (where the line wraps itself around the tip eye) and ensure the line is free to travel, check the bail arm is fully locked open and clear and you’ve got a good firm stable stance, then work your way up to it. If I’m going for 110yrd casts, I like to “warm up the carbon” by having a few 80-90yrd casts to bed the line and get it nice and wet before blasting the big un. With correct modern tackle, distance casting is achievable, it’s all down to technique and practice.

Couldn’t agree more, I use an oval brolly with storm sides, it’s lightweight, quick to put up and pack down and for a quick move, I can just pull out the storm poles and collapse the brolly, chuck it on the barrow and move swims as needed. I find when I had a bivvy, I was more reluctant to move, with a 50inch brolly, it’s so much easier. I’ve done week long sessions under a brolly quite happily.

When casting distance, with 12ft 3lb t/c rods I use 3.5oz leads, to be honest, I use 3.5oz regardless of range! Even under the tips I use 3.5oz leads.

Well after some thought (not much I’ll admit) I tracked down a pair of Diawa 7ht millionaire multipliers and ordered a pair of sonik SKS black 13ft beachcasters. Dusted off the beach stand, cleaned out the tackle box and sorted out the lug pump. Ordered the rods on priority delivery (next working day) still waiting for them... only ordered Thursday though so should be more patient!

We were issued with gortex socks in the army, they were rarely worn because your feet just got hot and sweaty and then cold, I just took an old pair of wellies and cut them down to slipper size. Luminous green crocs whenever I can get away with them, however I have gracefully deposited my backside in a puddle a few times as they have a sad lack of grip...

Of course Area 51 has drone busters, I mean look! The alien is right there in the top left of the YouTube video pic!

I’ve got a 12 month collie, she didn’t take to fishing too well, she didn’t like being hemmed in a swim (they were “dugout” type swims at the bottom of a steep bank with a footpath running along the top) and got quite anxious - she’s a nervous dog anyway, she didn’t like other dogs walking along the path and staring down at her, I called the wife to come pick her up so she didn’t feel too stressed. She’s far better on the beach.

Best of luck to you both.

I did a 12 month blank once... I was never so happy to catch a 10lber!! Of all the carp I’ve caught from this venue since, that one is still in my top 2 captures.

I’ve used the crimp system and on the correct hooklinks, it can form lovely neat loops, with the wrong hooklink it will come undone on the lightest of pressures. They are useful for spinner booms and making up combi rigs, but to be honest, I’ve just gone back to knotting it! Using the domhoff (don’t know how you spell that!) for combi rigs and figure of 8 loops for spinner booms. I tend to favour a semi stiff material for the lake beds I’m fishing over at the moment so crimping isn’t an option for me right now.

Looks lovely mate, could be a fresh challenge to get your teeth into?

Of course if you continue to talk about such inflammatory and distressing subjects as giving up carp fishing and becoming a match man, I may have to ban you... 😛😛😛

I would have to agree with the other comments mate, I’ve got a small range of coarse gear, enough to go out and trot some maggots down a river if the mood takes me, but I couldn’t give up my carp gear, they say a change is as good as a rest mate, after a few float fishing sessions, I’m soon craving a carp fishing session. Once your gears gone, it’s very hard to replace. I sold all my beach fishing gear as I didn’t think I could use it again after my shoulder injuries, but 3yrs down the line, I walk along the beach wishing I could chuck a few rods out or stand in the surf with a bass rod, the sun setting, gulls screaming around me and I bitterly regret getting shot of the beach gear. Yet I can’t afford to replace it right now so I’m stuck. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

B’jesus! How much?? 😳😳

Just remember to soak the braid and have a few casts to bed the line in before going for the animal chuck mate.

You won’t need a leader with 20lb hydrotuff mate, it will be man enough for the job, just keep the cast smooth and unhurried and check the reel/eyes for tangles before you go for the big chuck.

We used to use chick peas soaked in whiskey! The carp went mad for them, the club wasn’t happy about whiskey in baits, then nash released the whiskey boilies which were just as good for a while. So many people used it as an additive that they wised up after a season or two.

Not a problem pal hope it helps 👍👍

I prefer a lower pop up generally mate, I’m not a fan of anything popping up over an inch to an inch and a half at maximum. I only fish the spinner over boilies, if I’m fishing over small particle/seed or spod etc then I prefer to fish a straight bottom bait, or a wafter type presentation. It’s about putting the bait where they are feeding I suppose! With the spinner rig, it presents the pop up nice and low, whilst keeping the hook point clear of the bottom. I don’t want my hook bait to be blatantly obvious, I critically balance my pop ups, so they only just sink. I make all my own baits and pop ups, I find a thin skin of paste over a 10mm cork ball gives me a bait of 11-12mm which matches exactly the 12mm bottom baits I make. My pop up paste is identical in ingredients to my bottom baits, only with added egg albumin (egg white powder) to give it a tough skin. Maybe a slightly higher flavour dosage as I boil the pop ups for longer than bottom baits. I lasso the bait on with floss and with a size four curve, to size 11 spinner swivel balances out nicely.

Did you ever get it sorted mate?

This is an interesting point, when I use spinner/ronnie rigs, I have the opening on the inside of the hook, so the opening of the crook of the swivel faces the hook point. I use shrink tube over the swivel/hook eye enough to cover the eye completely, up to 1mm of the shank and down over the crook and 3/4 of the barrel of the swivel. Ensuring that it doesn’t impede the swivel at the ring side. I don’t trust the cut down “kicker” method and I think it looks bulky and untidy, shrink tube is much less obtrusive. To change the hook involves cutting the shrink tube away and re-steaming after swapping hooks, but as I prepare 10-15 of them at home at a time, so I’ve got lots prepared, this isn’t an issue. I’ve landed cats to 55lb on this set up as described above, after a mammoth 45min fight, where it swam out of the net backwards and I had to fight it all the way back again! On checking, the hook/shrink tube hadn’t shifted a bit. I thought the Ronnie was a bit “blingy” and I chucked one out for the first time as an experiment, on a water where bites were hit and miss, they were very cute and riggy, I hooked 2 in one overnighter, my pop up catch rate on 2 waters that had really riggy carp doubled overnight with the Ronnie rig, I’ve got real confidence in it now.