tucker74

i use a drennan no1 stillwater blue, 2 no1 shot and smallest swanshot 6 inchs from the hook, plumb the depth to the swanshot exactly. Any movement of the swanshot will move the float any pick up float pops up a good inch and half.

I think your problem might lie with the molasses and the length of time your particles were in the bag/mesh before being used allowing the molasses to be absorbed by the pva. Also oil based paritcles seriously affect the melt time sometimes for the pva not to melt at all, unless it states that it is pva friendly. A few years ago i pre tied some in mesh with pellets the night before thinking i'd get ahead of the game, and as always i tested one when i got to the bank, 35 mins later it started to break down, turns out it was the oil in the pellet being absorbed into the pva over time causing the problem. So i had to make them as i needed them and they broke down almost straight away.

Just another art to be lost in time, knots and whipping wire traces

I am currently using Adrena Line 12lb rated. Its actual BS is listed as 13.4lb. This is marked by Korda at 250, 500 and 750 mtrs so you can put 250 mtrs on each of three spools and have 250 left for a spare spool. I currently use Stroft leader at 4.2 kilos which makes it about 9.25 lb BS actual being just under 11lb BS so if I break off the theory is that it will be at the leader or the knot to the swivel. (I only have 1 direct swivel between reel and bait and the lead weight and all its attachments are free running) Someone may say that I have got it wrong but I am happy with the performance I achieve and have only been broken off by a fish once in the last 3 of 4 years and that was down to the fish ramming me into a snag and leaving me hooked up on it. I tie on via loop to swivel rather than Palomar, though Palomar knot is recommended. It is just my preferred way. At the end of the day, it`s about having confidence in your reel to bait set up. I am probably going to cause some controversy and debate here now as I do not use any drop back indicators. Why? Because the line is free to run and because the lead is stationary whichever way the fish runs it will take line thus activating the alarm. i also use adrinaline but this line breaks where it likes have done some good testing make sure if you use this line your hooklength is of a lower breaking strain. i love this line but for this fact. 3 tests on footy field breaked with 70 yards of line trailing 50 yards trailing and 50 yards trailing. it did not break at the knott once. its worth testing your main line

yep here's what i mean had to get the camera out. as you can see the main line comes over the back of the sofa and the weight stays straight with line then kicks the boom out to which the hooklength is attached. close up of the boom

the ring on the main line is plastic with one of them g clips on then clip your lead on the g clip thing swivel or not plus with those line rings you can get them with stiff tube which kicks your rig away from the main line through the weight if you get what i mean.

worth keeping hold of then, i struggle to find 14s with the spade end these days.

nick, i dont use them for my ledgered baits mate only when float fishing, small hooks no hook turning on the eye, plus the tag end sticking out all over. it is small fish only routine for me. tucker

curently in the box and tied are drennan super spec size 2 esp t-6 raptors size 10, 8, 6 fox arma points size 7 & 8 drennan shrimp hook size 8 for float fishing drennan barbless carp spade end hooks size 14 to 18 and kamasan barbless crystal spade end hooks. i think the spade hooks give a better presentation when using small hooks as the main line comes in down the shank and tag end of the knot follows the direction of the shank of the hook. (hope this makes sense).

yes i fish bosmere hard water not many fish but i liked it till the rule changes. the biggest ive seen out is 28lb. no such luck on my behalf though. if you fish the car park end towards the lilleys you will have some cracking tench and eventually the carp do show there. but you will find more often than not when you wake at 4am on a nice summer mornng the fish are on the oppisite bank the closest swim to that area about 100 yards away, the swim to your right at the hall end. the other thing with the club if you want to catch fish on short time the thwaite lakes are good fish to mid doubles. had over 250lb of fish in 6 hours of fishing be warned you only need one rod there, twos a hand full.

from what i remember the 60lb flouro adds extra weight and is less prone to kinking,

i got a mate of mine who buys the mags eventually i get them chucked my way. i think it was advan carp fishing nov08, with an article on some bloke who takes the lead out of the core and replaces it wth a length of 60lb flurocarbon

i dont use leaders or lead core and i test every lead that i make to make sure it ejects where it is needed on the take usually.

top stuff mate 666 better than me martyn

for standard bottom rig thats the one, for chod style silicone insert both ends then as your first drawing, on the take front end swivel out first, then in thoery the lead flips and slips off it dont take much to dis lodge the lead have played but not tried yet. but unless the rules say eject leads on the take, this is all point less and we will use re std rigs. neon is unlucky that he has to go this far.