yonny

Agree, I'm no smoker but I know that booze is 10 times more damaging than a bit of weed. Good post @Carpbell_ll.

Nah.... with a stiff rig the in-line will nose dive into anything but the hardest gravel which will kick the rig up rendering it useless. Stiff rigs and in-lines are not the one imo buddy.

That's backwards. It's a corrective action. You need preventive action. Stop the crime in the first place. Not lock people up after they've already done it. It's a real challenge for sure.

I agree. I disagree, too much of a sweeping statement for me that is. Rig length should be chosen to perform on a given substrate - to suit the rig and the angling situation. For every known angler that tells us one thing there is another known angler telling us something completely different. I wouldn't take any of it as gospel mate. I try to let the carp teach me what I need to know. A few hours watching the fish you're trying to catch will tell you more than any known angler can.

I only use fluoro for weed-free waters, it's never going to be as strong and durable as a decent braid. For St Ives I'd not go near it elmo.

I always found IQ and IQ2 to be ok.

You can use them in deeper lakes (depending how deep 'deeper' is). Tight lines - indication is bad enough when using back leads so you don't want to make it any worse. Not good for use in weed - very bad in fact. Whack them at the bottom of the shelf - to keep the lines pinned down as intended. 👍

That made me chuckle 😂

That's key here. If you really want to use a stiff rig you'll need to use a bigger hook imo. I'd also ditch the kicker. Both of these changes intended to open the gape which at the moment is far too small imo. I'd also lengthen the rig - this will mean it has greater flexibility to be taken but retain that stiff springy quality once in the fish's mouth.

I agree, they are a very primitive design really. I'm sure they work to a degree but nowhere near as well as we think they do.

It's completely natural for carp to use the margins on most lakes bud.

To connect the stiff to the soft? I don't think it matters that much buddy. Both with and without a swivel will work well.

Exactly mate. I first read that phrase in Terry Hearns book many years ago. Me and a mate adopted it. It sounds best when you have the biggun in the net..... "see, it only takes one bite"!!!😃

Hi mate. It means the lead must be able to come off in the event of a snag (so drop off lead clip systems are perfect). By the way..... FTM🔴⚪🔴⚪💪

It's up to you mate. Do what you enjoy. I am also going through a lean spell on a hard water but I know that all I have to do is put a hookbait in front a feeding fish (trickier than it sounds sometimes) and I will catch. If I keep going it will happen. When it does I'll be buzzing. I've struggled before and I'll struggle again. It's just part of fishing for special fish. Earlier in the year I went on a social to a day ticket lake. I caught a bunch. Did I get the buzz? Of course not lol. It was fun but I was bored after the 2nd or third fish and was thinking about my hard water.

Have a go with 6s buddy. Good for smaller fish too mate and you tend not to lose them which is always a risk with zigs👍

Deep waters tend to shut up shop in winter, they hold those cold temps and even the best conditions cant warm them up. Shallower waters have the chance to respond to higher winter temps. Either way, I've spent many a winter on low stock pits. One fish a year is a mega result. Most years it's no fish. If you have the balls then go for it but nowadays I tend to go for higher stocked waters in winter. Any fish is a result when the temps drop imo. Good luck bud👍👍

They dont show you the blanks on social media. Dont go thinking the top boys dont blank because they do. Fish for yourself buddy. It's not a competition. Focus on your own fishing and enjoy it. Your time will come🐋

As a very experienced winter angler I'd recommend finding a significantly shallower, higher stocked pit to target. But it's your call buddy 👍👍

When you have a real biggun or special one the look one your face in the pics is the last thing on your mind tbh. I try to smile but sometimes it comes out as a grimace 😂

Not according to the fish I've caught on it buddy. Carp dont know what a hook is imo.

Big for me. 2s and 4s. I use 6s for zigs.

Well I guess you can't get much surer than that 🤣

That's news to me mate. You sure you're not on about the Fox NTXRs? They had a well documented issue with sticky cases on the first models.

A couple of quid.... 3 quid..... I don't think an extra 100 pennies makes mush of a difference. I am not trying to disagree or anything buddy but I think any business charging 3 quid a day for kids and/or adults doesn't deserves to be called rip-off merchants. In this day and age 3 quid for a day out is pretty good if you ask me.