yonny

Squeaky bum time lol. I'm primarily a weekend angler so understand the struggles that come with other anglers. You just have to deal with it mate. Take your chances when they come, which you clearly do 🐋 Fantastic tale as usual mate.

That is brilliant!

If you take a look back at the last fish in the first post on this thread you'll see it's actually a recapture. In 2016 there was no weed and the fish were looking a bit rubbish, very pale. Just a year later with loads of weed keeping the water quality tip top, the fish were looking amazing. Just goes to show what a difference weed can make to a healthy stock.

Indeed. I believe that lin is one of Simon's fish. I like an odd one too lol. Believe it or not that fish is 35+ nowadays.

So we're now at the start of September and after the results on the last session I head straight back to the same spot. Enjoy: Another decent weekend for me down on the syndicate water. I basically headed for the same area that I fished last time, fished the same spots and used the same tactics. I actually set up without seeing any signs which is often a huge mistake (in fact it' something I advocate against) but luckily it paid off for once. The action started with a take just before first light on Saturday morning. The fish weeded me up briefly but I got it moving and thought it was a tench; the fight was almost non-existent. I netted it without using the head torch and only put the torch on to release this 'tench' from the net. I was a little surprised to see an ugly little mid 20 common staring back at me. I recognised it as a fish my mate had last year, a deep fish with a small kinky tail (it's spine is deformed which probs has something to do with the tenchy fight) but almost no width to it. It looks like a bent bream but I quite like catching the characters so I'm pleased with it. Daylight comes, self takes done, it weighs 26.02 lb. Back she goes. Bite time over I spend the day wandering about and witness my mate have a mint common off the top. Good angling. Another mate's had a good'n too and between us we celebrate with a couple of beers. Rods out for the night and I'm supremely confident; I'm convinced I have the spots rocking now and I'd have bet money that I was having a fish or two. Up at 5 am and I can see the fish are spread out but see enough near my spots to keep me happy. I have to wait a little longer this morning but at 07:30 the left hand rod goes into melt down and I'm into the waders and enjoying a great fight from a fish that clearly has some weight to it. I end up way down the margin up to my chest in the drink attempting to keep it out of a weedbed. It works and I net a very dark looking mirror. I secure the net and have a closer look; it's mint, huge set of shoulders on it, jet black. The colour of these fish this year is mental, they've darkened up no end due to all this weed yielding exceptional water quality; gin clear all year with zero algae blooming of any kind. On the scales the mirror goes 31.15 lb and the photos turn out beautiful in the morning sun, it really brings the colours out. Back she goes, happy days. I reckon I might be in with a chance of another and it proves so when the right hand rod absolutely screams off at around 10 am. The fight that follows is the best fight I've had this year; it starts off in the weed (they all do lol), then kites maybe 150 yards to the left into a shallow bay, it's like playing a rotweiler, proper rucking. Again the waders come in very handy and I'm miles away from my swim when I finally net it. It's clear the fish aint massive but my God is it a looker; a linear with the biggest golden scales you could hope to see. Absolutely beautiful. It just so happens that my Mrs is coming to visit (she was nearby anyway so thought she'd pop in) so I rest the fish in the net for 15 mins until she arrives. She hardly ever comes to see me fishing and she's never witnessed a proper carp on the bank so she's absolutely mid blown to see this wicked looking linear. Those bright golden scales mesmerise her and for just one second she almost understands why we do this..... almost. She helps out with the weighing and she does the photos for me which is an experience I really enjoy, I'm mega happy that she got to see one of these creatures I'm so obsessed with. The fish goes 25.02, it's a stocked fish that was put in some years ago now, a slow grower which given the size of those scales is understandable. Proper minter. In all a great weekend with plenty of action. I'm a little gutted I have maybe 3 weeks off fishing now which is a shame as it seems to be coming together for me recently. I just hope I can pick up where I left off at the end of the month.

Fantastic mate, what a way to settle the score😎

You keep forgetting your "imo" mate. With all due respect, the statement above is imo completely inaccurate. i have caught countless carp on size 4 hooks (and size 2 for that matter). They just need to be used on the right rig for the right angling situation.

No it's not. Imo.

This^^^^ Writing skills don't bother me in the slightest. As long as it's written with passion. I'll read Steven King if I want a well written book. I'll read Terry Hearn if I want some angling inspiration.

You can't get much simpler mate. Really effective for bag work.

As in solid bags Elmo? I think in solid bags simpler is better, particularly with bottom baits/wafters. I'd avoid tungsten and swivels (when mr carp sucks up that feed you want as little weight in the hookbait/rig as possible). Have you considered the KD? A curve is perfect for that.

They're great imo. He is a carp anglers carp angler, he enjoys it for what it is, as well as having the "the knowledge". I was listening to the latest Korda podcast and they mentioned that they have one with Micky coming up. Looking forward to that, he never seems to do anything like that. I agree, his books are brilliant.

Watch the vid mate, it explains it very clearly. I messed about with it years ago. A real hassle to tie, and I didn't believe it offered a benefit over a standard rig in the right place.

Tel is renowned as one of the great story tellers (within carp angling). His books are probably the most highly regarded of any in the modern era. I wasn't joking when I said Stinky is the first angler I've come across that doesn't rate his books. It's fair enough if Stinky thinks they're no good and that they are made by reputation and subject interest, but imo several generations of carp anglers can't be wrong.

I recently picked up a copy of Light my Fire by Ian Chillcott. I'm not a big fan of his writings tbh, I just thought it should probs have a place in the collection. I started it on Saturday and I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. It's nothing like his old magazine columns.

Agree. It was a huge source of inspiration to me. It was that book that taught me to feel the lead down🤣 I rate the 2nd just as highly tbh.

You have to be the first angler I've come across in nearly 25 years that doesn't rate Tel's books.

It's the guy that used to run UB Baits.

I've not used them but a chap I know that really knows his bait rates them very highly. I'd not hesitate buddy.

I feel we've lost our way a little as if you read back he's read most of these. But I guess we can change this into a general book thread.

Nah. Flick of the Tale is one of those few classics that can be read over and over again imo.

I completely agree with that mate. I think the fact his Burghfield story was already quite well documented in his vlogs took away from the book. And I expect that will be a recurring theme going forward. Shame imo. If you read his book titled 'Carp' from 1968, there is a chapter by a Dave Goodrum covering his capture of a 26 lber from the Electricity Cut. Now Dave is still around and I chat to him on a water I fish. He's a lovely chap and hasn't half got some stories in him. It turns out Dave took some of those original Leney's from the Cut back in the day and seeded this water I'm fishing. Magic stuff.

As an all-rounder it's one of the best imo. Pretty cheap too.

Currently, on my big water rods/spools I have: HydroTuff 20 lb - for weed. HydroTuff 12 lb (with leader) - for distance. HydroSink 22 lb - where braid is the one. On my small water rods/spools I have: HydroTuff 15 lb. I'm a massive fan of HydroTuff as you can probably tell. Its abrasion resistance is the best I've come across and that is the characteristic which I consider to be most important for the weedy waters I tend to fish. The other characteristics don't seem to be compromised too much by the abrasion resistance either. It sinks ok, it even casts ok, which for a snag line is quite unusual. The 12 lb with leader is perfect for getting the distance without sacrificing too much abrasion resistance. I also rate the Rig Marole SLS Specimon Tough (another snag line) but it's been discontinued. I still have some left that I use as a leader material.

This^^^^^^