yonny

Quick update on the pond/fish. The covers are back on temporarily as the trees are blossoming and there's petals everywhere. On a more positive note, water temps are around 10C now and the koi are eating every day. Water quality is looking good and the fish are looking absolutely fantastic. You'd never guess they've been overwintering. I've been busy this week installing a 3 x 3m square parasol that can be erected to cover half the pond. It sees a lot of sun so my thinking is that A) it should help a little to prohibit algae and blanket weed growth, and B) it'll give the fish some shade at the height of summer. I have some bacteria boosters ready to go in when temps are 12+ and the bulb in the UV filter is being replaced again this month. I have some blanket weed treatment ready to go in case I need it but thus far it's not required. The bio filter is topped up with media. Shed loads of food in the garage. Basically all is ready for growing season.

I had one of them! Back before RM was invented 😅

Whallop. Congrats!

I fished a rather secretive place that the members referred to as Toe-to-the-Brow Lagoon.... because that's how many guys set their zigs 🤣🤣

If it's bright I'd be starting at ~ 25% depth (from the surface). If it's dull I'd be trying mid-water i.e. 50% depth. Colours for bites or black for the biggun.

Excellent book. Increased in value significantly this past couple of years so worth keeping hold of.

Don't go for the FlipFuel gizmo that Jag marketed. You can get the same thing from China for peanuts mate.

This bad boy! Does nearly 60 lb now this one!

Yup! Been using it for 10 years+. I don't use a lot of boiled bait but when I do it's always the Shrimp. I had just dropped a bait deal back in ~2015 and was looking for something new. I'd bought 20kg of Essential B5 and was really struggling. Literally couldn't catch a cold. Given the track-record of the B5 I was reluctant to believe the bait was the problem but a pal of mine put me onto the Shrimp. On my first session with the Shrimp, 4 hours after casting out, I caught the big common I was after. It was like flicking a switch.... just started getting loads of bites. Just yesterday afternoon, with the temps in my koi pond rocketing, I decided to see if the fish would eat boilies. I chopped up a handful of Shrimp and plonked it in each corner of the pond. Given my koi have never seen a boilie I expected they'd take a while clear it up. Wrong. It was gone in about 1 minute! They absolutely love the stuff. I can't help here I'm afraid mate. The Shrimp is that good I'll not try anything else. I have 100% confidence in the stuff.

Great find mate. They look like just like the Drennan Continental Boilie hooks.... except massive😅

Good question. I can't see the size 2 Korda Chod hooks in stock anywhere. I spotted the Avid and Cygnet jobbies - both on sale too. Avid Armorok Chod Hooks Fishing Tackle and Bait Cygnet Choddy Hook Size 2 Barbed | eBay UK

So if cheapo airballs and a tub of glycerine are 17 quid in todays money, 22 quid for a pot of SHBs is starting to sound pretty good imo. Pays your money, takes your choice, innit. Imo that's largely irrelevant on a thread about SHBs. On the right day I'd take a tub of black foam over any proper hookbait, but this thread is about hookbaits.

Hinders pop-ups are 7 quid and a bottle of their pop-up glug is a tenner so you're actually not far off after inflation.

And my biggest common came on a white shrimp cork ball...... ....... so it's settled..... yellow, pink, orange, white, and match the hatch are good for big commons. And mirrors. 🤣

Absolutely fine imo. I regularly use size 4's with 13's and happy to use a size 2 with a 15 or 16's.