yonny

I believe Mark Holmes is associated with them now. Personally I like to buy bait from a firm that produces bait rather than reels and gears.

I still have an original Micron M in my bag as a spare. Still works perfectly.

Historically Fox's cheaper options have been very good.

For sure mate. The water I've been baiting is only half hour away but I'm out of the house working 6 am until 6 pm, then playing with the boy until bed time, then having tea, before I even set off to spod for an hour in the dark when I'm there. It's bloomin' hard work.

It's little clues like this that end up as a biggun in the net 👍

I am also doing days only at the moment due to family commitments. Don't underestimate how much harder that makes it. If you're fishing for carp that have seen any pressure (i.e. almost all of them) they'll happily do the off if you show up and cast on their heads. If you can get away with it, pre-baiting can have a huge influence on days only results.

This👆👆👆

No idea I'm afraid buddy. I don't use a front.

I screwed my shoulder big time a few years ago on a French trip. 40 KG at 120 over the course of a week. It took months to heal (didn't help that I put it out again climbing a tree to spot carp a month after the trip). Try using both hands mate, it helps. But also takes some getting used to.

Hate to say it Elmo but imo this is just not going to happen😔 If you're hitting 50 yards with a catty you're already doing pretty well imo mate. I have the Atomic jobby and I can't get past 50ish. I have seen guys going up to 60/70 with a catty so I guess it's possible. Put some practise in with the stick buddy. Like me you tend to do shorter sessions. Spodding on their heads can kill these short sessions before they've begun. The stick is an invaluable tool imo.

You need the V2 brolly. Cheapest of the lot. Then you can buy the optional front for it 👍

Par boiled potatoes lol. Times change......

I think there is a big difference in booking onto a lake, and booking a specific peg. I'd not be interested in booking pegs, I'd sooner give up angling tbh. Can't be bothered sitting in a swim hoping the fish show up through blind luck.

Everywhere is rammed Elmo so I'd go with somewhere you can book and be guaranteed a swim. Elsons @ Stanwick is a gem mate.

Why would you but a few spools over 15 years? I knew first time I tried it how bad it was and never touched it again.

Lol.... I don't know which is worse..... the numpty that left a bucket full of banned bait in the carp park, or the cheeky git that opened it!

Best keep them quiet then 😉😁 Joking of course......

For me pellet is a massive no-no with bream about. They'll eat anything but big boilies and tigers is a good starting point if you're looking to avoid them.

Imo pulling the lead back is the kiss of death. There is a significant chance you'll foul or even blunt the hook, regardless of what substrate you're fishing over. The obvious answer is to go to a heli set-up with the top bead set to cope with any of the substrates out there. You mentioned that everyone is doing this - there is a reason for that. By all means keep your options open in terms of differentiating yourself from others, but make sure you have the very basics (presentation of a bait to a carp) right first. You're over-thinking it imo mate. This water sounds tricky enough without coming up with new problems. Keep it simple. The focus needs to be on presenting a bait to a carp. If you spend the coming weeks trying to do that whilst watching the water like a hawk, the carp will give you the clues you require to fine-tune your approach in terms of location and tactics. I think you're getting ahead of yourself by creating your own problems ("the silt furrows", "the fish don't act right", "the weather doesn't act right", "chods are for sheep", "it's too far/windy", "the water pressure....", etc, etc....). Whack a couple of baits out where you have seen signs of carp, sit down, watch, and use the info that nature will give you if you look hard enough. Keep it simple. Enjoy it. And get rid of the Fish-Spy lol. After all, that is what started this confidence issue you seem to have. No electronic device can ever be as effective as an angler tuned into the natural environment imo.

Why can't you feel the lead down buddy?

This. I thought that this had been established as best practise 20 years ago lol.

Good advice this. Taking advantage of the situation.

I will use as many as I feel I can get away with up to a maximum of 3. So if I have a load of water in front of me and I feel my chosen spot(s) can accommodate 3 then I'll use 3. If the swim aint so big or the spots are small I might use 2. In a quiet corner I might use 1. All depends on the swim and the angling situation. Depends where the spots are in relation to the swim. Normally they'll be on the bars/sticks so right next to each other.

This is the reason hooks snap as well as open up, in 99% of cases.

Nah, you'll only struggle when the yield strength is exceeded. Then the hook straightens. But that's almost impossible unless you have a dodgy hook hold (so force isn't loaded as intended) or if there is a quality problem with the hook (or more specifically the hardness of the steel). I work in this field (metal forming and treatment), trust me, they're fine mate.