yonny

My bait thoughts revolve solely on what I believe carp can detect and what I believe they like to eat. My favourite bait (to use) is a decent boillie, no doubt, and I mean lots of them!! I fish them with pellets, lots of them!!! I'd say 90% of my fishing takes this approach. Carp absolutely love the bait I use (Trent Baits) and they love pellet. I know this not because I've been told so, it's because I've watched their response to it. They completely smash it up until there's nowt left. Simple. However..... there are times when boillies don't do the do for me. This can be caused by a number of things and for each scenario I have a different angle of attack. There are times when it doesn't matter how good a boiled bait you use, they prefer something else, it's a fact, I've seen it. My alternate baiting always has something a little different in it, although it'll also include some very well known baits such as hemp, tigers, peanuts, bread etc. I'm sure it's the 'different' that tends to see me do OK. Rest assured when I'm not using boillie, I'll be using a mix that no-one else is using.

Sorry I wasn't about to post on this..... I trust Gaz gave you all the info you needed buddy!

If you'd have asked me at any point in the last few years I'd probs have agreed with you. Not after this season though. It's been awesome for me.

@Pete Springate's Guns can I also just say that your username is the best in the history of any carp forum, anywhere, ever!

Lol..... think you're mistaking me for B.C.?? That stuff is awesome on tigers! Never used it for maize so if you do, please report back and let us know how it turned out!

Jeez B.C., if you thought last winter was mild I dread to think what you think of as cold!!!!😂

Agree, sweetcorn is a far better bait than maize, but maize wins hands down as a hookbait obviously. Tbh if it's just for hook baits I'd not bother with any special treatments..... in fact I'd probably use plastic corn if rules allowed it.

My biggest leads (5oz) I only use in the margin, under the tips. Weight is not necessarily just for casting imo bud.

The Tackle Box in Kent do a test of different lines each year (diameter vs. BS). It's a real help in determining what line you might need for a given water. You can find it here: http://www.tacklebox.co.uk/tackle-box-line-test.html

I tend to rate Korda stuff but I'm not a huge fan of their lines. They're nothing like each other buddy. The Carp Line is imo the best one Korda do, it's much thicker than the GT-HD for BS, stronger, better abrasion resistance, a work-horse carp line.

Arma Mesh?? It could potentially be deadly I'd think. There should be no way that can come off the rig, it'd be dangerous. I started using those bread bombs from Nash this year, they're brilliant. I really like them for wandering about chucking big old lumps of bread at carp milling about in hot weather.

I found the standard version much better than the loaded.

Lol, no mate nothing like that, I just like to know what I'm using. I tend to do plenty of research on the stuff that matters and it can only benefit us all if I share what I've learned over the years.

I guess if chods are for nods then ronnies are for yonny's😂

I can imagine lol

I see a lot of confusion over mainlines. Guys seem to compare lines that are intended for completely different uses. There are numerous different types of lines and each have different advantages/disadvantages, and I'm only referring to mono here.... not fluoro, braid etc..... Pre-stretched lines: These are your casting lines like Fox Exocet. They obviously have very low stretch and fine diameter vs. BS and they have a super smooth finish. The result is a line that casts really well. Unfortunately the abrasion resistance is what suffers. Hence in a weedy lake you want to avoid pre-stretched lines. Semi-stretched lines (I made that name up, not sure what they're actually called): These are the latest in line tech and include Gardner GT-HD and Shimano Technium. They are pre-stretched but to a lesser extent than the casting lines. This means they cast very well but maintain other qualities (so they can sink well for example). They beat the pre-stretched lines for abrasion resistance yet still cast a long way. All-rounders: These are the more traditional mono's, the meat-and-two-veg carp lines. they include stuff like Gardner Pro and ESP Synchro. Just because they're not high tech lines doesn't mean they're not very good indeed. They'll not cast as well as the stretched lines but they are hands-down stronger, with better abrasion resistance. If weed is an issue I'd not look past this group of lines. Snag lines: Brute lines, thick with immense strength and serious abrasion resistance. You'll struggle to cast these past 100 yards without casting lessons but if there's snags about this is what you want. Stuff like Gardner HydroTuff and Rig Marole SLS Specimon Tough. ***** Now I see guys comparing lines from different categories all the time. Just the other day I saw a thread on another forum asking if GT-HD or HydrTuff was best. They cannot be compared imo - the GT-HD would be best in a lightly weeded lake requiring big chucks, but with snags or heavy weed in the water the HydroTuff wins hands down. Therefore you can only decide what is best for your angling situation. You need to look at how far you need to cast and what kind of challenges your water presents (weed, bars etc) and choose a line to suit. I always err on the side of caution i.e. STRENGTH. What I mean by that is I would rather be a few yards short of the carp and be in with a chance of landing them, than being able to cast on their heads but lose them all to snags/weed. I have used pre-stretched lines on French trips to huge silty waters with no weed/snags, waters where you need to cast 150, and they've been great. But there is no way I'd choose to use them on the weed choked waters I fish in the UK. I think a lot of guys pay to much attention to castability. If you need to cast 150 then fair play, go for pre-stretched lines, if you don't (and most don't), go for a proper carp line, an all-rounder or semi-stretched line at least, one that will land you everything you hook. So next time you see a "what's the best line?" thread we need to stop and think before we go shouting out the name of what we're currently using. What is best depends entirely on the individual and his/her angling situation. If the angling situation varies, then it is logical that the all-rounders are best (the best of which imo is Gardner Pro). I'm currently suing HydroTuff due to a minimum diameter rule on my syndi, which is normally very weedy. It's been great, never let me down.

Good call Highy. Why not start a new thread bud?

Nah. Imo we're getting done all the time i.e. the rig is ejected multiple times prior to getting a take, so I make sure my rigs can reset themselves and fish as effectively as they did when they were first cast out.

Surely has to be time for a new flavour of the week lads? We've done rods, shelters, and bobbins...... so there's loads left to be covered. Someone have a pop.

Based on my observations your concerns were spot on mate. In 2016 I played around with the rig but soon stopped due to the inconsistent hook holds. This year tried with bigger hooks and the issues are gone. I think the extra weight of the bigger hooks, even though it's a tiny amount of weight, helps drop the hook. Certainly is. All my life I've been a hinge rig man but when the weed is very low lying, or over silt, there is defo a place for this rig imo.

I've moved over to the Ronnie this year after the weed died down on my syndi and I lost a couple on my trusted hinge rigs. Hook holds have been excellent - right in the middle of the bottom lip. The rig works better with bigger hooks I've found - more consistent hooking. Smaller hooks tend to catch in the scissors and I even had one hooked in the top lip. Bigger hooks (4's and 2's) stopped that. I thought the rig Ronnie was just another fad tbh but it's currently doing the business for me, big time.

If you're struggling with running rigs first thing I'd do is up the lead size and semi-fix it buddy.

No. The sheath sits in the tail rubber very tightly (can be tricky to push it in, in fact). Therefore as long as your tail rubber isn't coming off the clip, it'll stay exactly where you want it to. No crinkling, it's very robust, with a strong, almost elastic feel to it when stretched. No kinking either. It's solid stuff. I've never used it on a heli set-up but as I mentioned the sheath can fit snugly into whatever you want. You'd need to check that any beads can pass over the sheath on the opposite end obviously bud. It's reasonably supple. It's the weight that's the real strong point - it's so heavy it just sinks lightly into silt, weed etc.... I agree mate. I've shown a couple of anglers what this looks like in the margins on my water and they both went straight out an bought some. It's awesome bud.

I'm the same on a work morning....... On fishing mornings I'm up and away at 4 am with a spring in my step though lol.