yonny

@crusian they're repellant to water but not waterproof. But as they're thermals and not waterproofs that's to be expected. You need a waterproof over it to tackle heavy rain. Regards tearing, I've had mine for 3 years and you've read my catch reports buddy, I put stuff to the test. No issues mate.

When set up correctly they're as safe as you can get. Korda deserve a medal for them imo.

Yes. That's the one mate.

Not meant a a dig! I genuinely think it must be awful for him lol.

I think we've figured it out Phil. Is it that Joe fella? I really feel for him doing all those vids/reviews saying how everything is so brilliant regardless of how good it is.

They just arrived. I'll try them out when home.

Agree, that shot in the Carpology article really grabbed my attention. I'm determined to find the right bits and pieces to replicate it. I really want to do some buoyancy testing.

Nah, the top of the D is different. I'm convinced its the Korda one in XL. I have some on order so time will tell.

Yeah it's rated to -20 lol

Lol, standard. We had record high pressure here just a couple of weeks ago (~1050 mbar!!). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51180211 My mate was on the bank and got the first take he'd had in several weeks. Off the deck too. That tells us all we need to know about how pressure itself affects fishing.

Imo pressure has nothing to do with how good or bad a water might fish. What does have a huge influence is the weather conditions that low and high pressure systems bring. In summer high pressure usually brings high temps with no wind - conditions that tend to see carp sunbathing rather than feeding. Low pressure systems (in summer) tend to bring big winds, overcast days and rain - perfect for getting the carp feeding. In winter high pressure can be good - it normally brings bright sunny periods which provide the warmth the carp crave at this time of year. Zigs can be a killer in this situation as they're on the move in the upper layers. Low pressure can still be great depending on temps. Some guys believe that pressure will dictate there the carp are in the water column (i.e. in high pressure they'll be up in the water and in low pressure they'll be on the deck). This is a load of tosh. The carp will be up in the water when they need warmth and it's sunny (which normally coincides with high pressure) and they'll be on the deck to feed (which normally happens when the conditions get them moving (big winds, overcast skies). Of course, these conditions are not always guaranteed. It can rain during periods of high pressure and it can be bright during periods of low pressure. Hence, the pressure itself has very little influence.

I'd have suggested the SJ6 or SJ9 for winter Smufter, but even that SJ3 can do a job. Great aint they!

You mean a No-Trace bead? They are the safest option out there imo.

I contacted the author through FB Messenger a few days ago but no reply👎

@elmoputney, PM me your address and I'll send these kickers over to you to try with the 5's mate. In parallel I'll get some XL's and try them with the 4's.

It does look like the Korda one cut down, maybe my sizes are just off. Does anyone have the hooks in a 5 or 6? I can send you some kickers to see if they match up lol.

Lads. I wasn't sure where to post this but I know a bunch of us are checking these out so thought I'd start a thread on its own. Bit of a long shot this one I'm afraid. I found the attached pic in a Carpology article. Does anyone recognise the D sleeve/kicker thingy? I think it might be modified/cut down which makes it hard to ID but I've got to ask as the combo of the hook and sleeve looks absolutely perfect. I already tried the large Korda D Rig Kickers with a size 4 Trig Hammer but it's way off, not the one.

Depends on the spot. Rigs and to an extent bait should be selected to suit the water and the spot you're fishing, but the multi and the spinner/ronnie are decent all-rounders imo. No mate - the chod is a pop up rig. Not suited to a wafter. I take the kit I need to tie any rig (to suit the spot I believe the carp are feeding on). Get on Youtube buddy and learn how to tie rigs. Ready tied rigs will do a job but hooks (the most important bit of tackle) will be dulled after a couple of takes so it pays to be able to tie your own.

So you have a little tag to pull the loop open? I've never thought of that. It does my head in fiddling to get that loop open lol. You, my man, are a genius!

I use a loop knot with a nice big loop so I can change between lead, spod etc without having to re-tie.

You should be OK mate if you're careful i.e. don't go for huge distances or hit the clip too hard.

E-mail them as I've seen fellas on another forum have some luck with responses mate.

You can tell on the bank who's using the shrimp. It stinks of shrimp that's just about to go off. Or something else I'll not mention lol.

It's a hardy fishmeal. Hard enough to apply with the stick but not rock hard. On paper it's not my kind of bait. It is (imo) over-flavoured and it contains oyster shell which I don't rate in a standard bait. But my results have been that good I just couldn't use anything else. It has birdfoods in it as well as fishmeals. It's not all that to look at but just goes to show what looks good to us is not always what matters.

FYI - the egg albumin goes into your mix at 10%. A handy tip, stolen from a very well respected cork ball pop up makers guide on another forum: Soak the cork balls in egg white. Not yolk (the white is the gluey bit). Allow them to go dark, soak the egg white for at least twelve hours in the fridge. Do not swim them in egg white, just a light coating. You want them damp, but not soaked in egg white, so do not flood them. When they are damp, sprinkle egg albumen over them in a bowl, until they all have a light covering. Stir them around with a spoon. The cork balls will end up with a glaze of egg albumen, and egg white. When you put your paste around the cork ball, the moisture from your paste, will reactivate your glue. The paste will be welded to the cork ball. You will find, that you pick it off in little bits, instead of it just falling off when they are cooked. It also helps with mixes that are hard to roll in a cork ball form.