yonny

Are you fishing it over a clean bottom?

This is why, when you do get a pick up on the chod, they tend to be absolutely nailed!

I don't think there is such a thing as a finicky pick up on a chod tbh. They either nail it or they don't imo. Carp feed by sucking/blowing with various degrees of intensity. If intensity is low we don't stand a chance with a chod, zero movement, no potential for hooking. Whack the chod on a boom and bingo, you have the HSR, which is a great rig in a low intensity feeding situation. I only ever fish chods over weed or really, really heavy chod and even then I'll fish it on a tiny 2-3 inch boom. This makes it 10 times more effective imo.

Not in my opinion buddy. The chod by it's nature is a compromise as it offers no vertical movement i.e you need the fish to really, really nail it in order to get a decent hook hold. That compromise is worth it if you're fishing a spot that couldn't be fished otherwise (over weed or the heaviest chod), but not if you're fishing a spot that is clean enough to fish a very short rig on a lead clip. Imo a bottom bait or wafter rig would be miles better for a cleaner deck or at the very least a boomed pop up rig (ronnie, hsr etc).

That's just mint @chillfactor. I have watched fished sucking baits up from afar, along with twigs, chod, all manner of rubbish, they manage to filter it all somehow. I believe a lot of the rare'n's, those fish that hardly ever come out, simply feed differently and the feeding behaviour described above is just one example of that. There is huge variation in the mechanics of how individual fish feed.

I completely agree. I gave up debating the benefits of hook sharpening on forums some time ago. Anyone that needs convincing that a sharper hook is a more effective hooker needs their head tested imo.

Farlows and Northey Park both spawning.

I think they were made by Osprey. Long gone now I think, not seen them for years.

I think I posted this once before but it's pretty interesting so I'll posy it again. It's a scientific study that pretty much proves that dropping leads has little to no influence on water quality/pollution. I'm not saying it'as ok to drop leads, it is in the very least littering if anything, but it does make for interesting reading. https://gardnertackle.co.uk/2018/05/carp-fishing-dropping-the-lead-sam-meeuwissen/

I think the biggest challenge is the manufacturing process i.e. moulding. There's loads of suitable materials that could be machined or turned but that's not cost effective. For moulding, plastics don't have the weight and glass is difficult to work with due to the high working temp/viscosity. Imo you're spot on that some kind of resin must be suitable but it's just a matter of finding it.

If any dedicated carp fishery in the UK bans leads next year I'll eat my hat lol

Although I would add that it is inevitable.

That's not accurate Nick, the EU regulations (RoSH and REACH) restrict the use of lead and it's compounds in the manufacture of commercial products. There's one geared towards the automotive industry too. None of them ban lead, they restrict it's use (i.e. you can use it with customer approval, or under certain exemptions). I work in manufacturing so am familiar with all this guff. It'll be ages before lead is banned imo.

I will normally go with the shortest rig I think I can get away with to suit the spot/substrate, which isn't always that short as I prefer to fish just off the cleanest spots.

The 4.5 oz ones are £2.95😮 I can't see any distance leads on the site.

Got a link Vik?

A debate is a discussion buddy, exchanging ideas and opinions. What forums are for. Your posts cite your opinion as gospel and take offence to anyone that attempts to question your beliefs. It's about as far from a debate as you can get imo. Further to that, you really need to keep any hypocrisy in check (that's not intended as an insult buddy, just an observation); that last post accuses Nick of being rude for assuming where you fish/what you catch, and then goes on to do just that in return. Think of this as constructive criticism, it's not intended as an insult. You've popped up on various forums and it seldom lasts more than a few days before you get banned. At some point you have to acknowledge it's you at fault and not the rest of the online community. You need to adapt buddy because it looks to me like it's heading that way already.

As in same price as lead suppliers online (50-60p each) or same price as Korda leads in the tackle shop (£1.50-£2.00 each)?? Big difference.

And do you think Gardener designed the curve shank hook bud?

Agree, BAF do really good gear. I also agree that it's a labour of love. Once you've factored in the cost of your time it's not that much cheaper than some of the decent off-the-shelf baits nowadays imo.

Biggin is more of a match lake, or used to be anyway. I remember going with my brother years ago, fished it on the quiver tip with corn and pellet. Had a rake of fish, also from close in.

Sticks for me, just for versatility.

That.

What I do when fishing silty waters is saturate my freebies in a mixture of water and liquid food i.e a hydroslate, this stops them taking on the silt. With those freebies comes the feeding situation (assuming they're put in the right place) which allows you to fish pretty much anything over the top. Regards shallow/deep water and pop ups/bottom baits, I don't think it makes a difference. The buoyancy of a bait (be that highly buoyant or not buoyant at all) should imo be chosen the suit the rig that will present effectively in the given substrate i.e. bottom baits on a clean deck and pop ups over weed or chod with wafters somewhere in between. I use pop ups for 99% of my fishing as I prefer the mechanics of pop up rigs and tend to fish weedy waters.

Interesting. What are your thoughts behind that buddy? I am of the opinion that if you can create a feeding situation effectively the hookbait isn't that important. As long as it's presented you'll get takes. It's creating that feeding situation that's the challenge.