yonny

I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It's not about fishing. It's not a comedy (although they're funny guys). It's about 2 fellas that were staring death in the face coming to terms with their ordeal by sharing their experiences over a past-time therapeutic enough to literally drag one of them feet first from the depths of depression. If you were expecting rig talk and casting lessons you've really, really missed the point.

Sounds familiar...... have a look at the post I've just put in the August catch reports mate!

P.s. I nominate @nigewoodcock if he's up for it?

See that is wise imo. Using it to create a benefit. Which I don't think a quick spray is.

Fair play @spr1985. As with most things I try to adapt to the angling situation. For years I used heli's almost exclusively. I just loved the way I could move the top bead on the leader to suit different substrates. I was convinced at the time it was the most tangle free system too (which is one of my top priorities). Early last year however there was a leader ban on my main water so I had to switch to something different. I'm not 100% sold on naked heli's (I'll use them if absolutely necessary but prefer not to) so I bit the bullet and went over to tubing and lead clips, something I'd not used in maybe 15 years. The switch was made easier by that Rig Marole braided tubing which I have to say is absolutely brilliant. A year or two on I'd maybe not switch back even if I could. I've found a way to use the lead clips very effectively. What I do is find a spot (clear area) and then find the edge of it (where it gets a bit choddy with low lying weed). If I can get a drop with a 2 oz lead in this weed then imo it's presentable. I then switch over to a 4 oz lead and smash it straight into this weed with my rig attached. If I pull back (which I don't, obviously) the lead is completely locked up in the weed, it won't move unless I really pull it out. It's basically fixed the rig to the bottom which increases the bolt effect significantly. The rig is pulled into the weed but the hookbait/hook sits on top of it. I've caught loads of fish doing this including some of the rarer ones (which I'm sure is a result of avoiding the more heavily fished clean areas. Obviously there's not always clear spots where the carp are. If they're located in heavy weed I'll reluctantly go for a naked heli (at the moment anyway, due to the leader ban) with the top bead set high on the leader. I now believe that the heli isn't nearly as effective a hooker as a lead clip arrangement, even though I've caught plenty on them. Strangely, based on my experience in the last 2 years, I also believe heli's are MORE prone to tangling than lead clips - if you watch a lead clip go out on the cast and it doesn't tangle then you never bring it in tangled. If you watch a heli go out without tangling you sometimes bring it in and it still has that tell tale kink where the base of the hooklink has wrapped around the line. I hardly ever use in-lines. I'd only use them for stalking in the edge where I can see them on the deck. I won't cast one as in my opinion it'll land nose first and interfere with the hook link. I'm not up for that. If I used pva bags I'd be happy to use in-lines but I don't use bags so I'm not! I've never used running lead systems. I want that bolt effect to be as strong as possible so they don't interest me. Lot's of talk about sensitivity and bite indication above. I have to say that doesn't really bother me. My priorities (in approximate order) are: 1. Tangle Proof 2. Effective presentation on the deck 3. Decent bolt effect In my experience if the rig is in the right area, free from tangles and presented you'll get takes. If my alarm beeps the first thing I do is get down to the rod and check out what the line is doing as it enters the water. That is night or day. If there' a carp on the end you tend to know imo. I'll always use the biggest leads I think I can get away, again for that bolt effect.

You sell yourself short mate...... Braxted is no push-over and you caught from there buddy. Don't knock yourself! Who're you nominating?

Interesting you say that @kevtaylor as I've always done better on unflavoured zigs. My thinking is that with no flavour they're forced to mouth the foam to see what it is. If it's flavoured they can make a decision to take it or not. I want to remove that decision. Might see you at the weekend buddy😉

Doubtful imo. I just went online to find out what it actually is i.e. what does the spray contain. The websites for the first 4 I found (Hinders, Proper Carp Baits, Uberbaits, Nash) don't tell you anything at all. Now I seriously doubt it's neat ethyl alcohol flavour, it'd repel the carp, so I'm thinking it has to be watered down. So basically you're likely paying for flavoured water, to spray on your bait and chuck in some more water lol. Maybe there's a slight pH change from the flavour which could serve as an investigation trigger but imo it couldn't possibly last more than a few seconds.

Imho..... snake oil Rob, all day. I don't think it'll be on the bait as it hits the deck, let alone after 5 mins. I'll only use liquids if I can leave to soak for a period. A brief coating just comes off instantly on the way down. The sprays have zero viscosity so they're even worse. On top of that.... flavour does not give off a food signal so it cannot boost a bait. It is purely for palatability. That's my belief anyway.

It's pre-strectched so it's an excellent casting line. What you lose with that is abrasion resistance so be careful around weed/snags buddy.

I am very envious just picturing that mate.....

I love to read how the thought processes behind catching carp have changed over the years. Or not changed in some cases - I'm currently reading john Harry's 'Savay' and the thinking behind his angling is way ahead of its time. It was published in 92 but could almost have been written yesterday. Really good read.

The Hideout is a size up from the Lo Pro buddy so it might not be as bad. I've not seen one set up yet so couldn't confirm.

That always happens to me....... I'm always holding back on buying new books as I'm busy spending a small fortune on books that are no longer available. By the time I get round to buying the newer ones they too are no longer available and worth ££££££. If my Mrs knew what I spent on all these books she'd go absolutely mental.

I'm thinking of continuing Vik's flavour of the week threads and thought shelters would be a good'n to cover. Imo there's no such thing as the perfect shelter. There's shelters that do certain things perfectly but they'll fall short at doing something else. A really good all rounder is the Armo, of which I've had a couple and liked them a lot, but they're quite heavy (~12/13 kg) hence I ditched them in favour of a lighter alternative to suit my mobile angling approach. Therefore my choice of shelter is made based solely on weight and ease/speed of set-up. I absolutely loved the mk1 Supa Brolly. I'm aware quite a few peeps had problems with them leaking but I have to say mine was the nuts. No issues with quality whatsoever. It was light (4.5 kg) and reasonably quick to erect/take down. However, Fox did the unthinkable and released the mk2 which used the thicker Ventec material (imo this was a really stupid mistake - they tried to solve the leaking problem by changing the material when it wasn't the material that was leaking at all, it was the bell cap!). This increased weight to 6.5 kg therefore when my mk1 was worn out from dragging it round gravel pits I knew I needed a different option. I 'ummed' and 'arred' for ages about what to get and very nearly bought a Tempest Brolly (4 kg and quicker to erect than the Supa) after seeing a few mates with them. That was until ESP released the Lo Pro. The Lo Pro, for my kind of angling, is about as close to perfect as you'll get. It weighs a minuscule 3.3 kg, lightest on the market. It can be set up in about a minute, and taken down in a minute and a half at a guess. Whereas before when I had the Armo's and needed to move to stay on fish I'd look at my set up and dread it, with the Lo Pro it's easy just to pull it down and chuck it on the barrow. It's so easy and quick to put up I'll often chance it and not bother - if it starts to rain I can always whack it up in 60 seconds. There is of course a price for this weight/ease and that is space.... it's not the biggest shelter I've ever had. At 6 ft 3" I'm not the smallest fella in the world either so while it's fine for sleeping in (it takes my compact bedchair easily) it aint the most comfortable to sit in. I have to lean slightly forward so's not to hit my head on the brolly mechanism. This is usually no problem as I'm out and about looking, up trees, on the move.... However, when we see heavy rain it's a bit of a ball-ache sitting all scrunched up trying to stay dry. But.... that is a sacrifice I'm prepared to make to stay mobile. Comfort is low on my list of priorities. The material aint very thick either, but I don't mind that one bit, it is where the weight is saved. I've been using it maybe a year now with no leaking or similar issues. No tears. Not a problem. I saw Trakker released the v2 of the Tempest Brolly which has increased in weight (noooooo)!!! That eliminates it from my thoughts when the time comes to replace the Lo Pro. Nash bought out the hide which is lighter than the TB meaning it's a genuine option, and it looks quicker to erect than the TB too. But if I'm honest, if I had to buy tomorrow, I'd get another Lo Pro. Yes it's small, yes it looks flimsy due to the thin material, but when I'm on the move with all my kit 5 minutes after seeing a carp bosh down the other end of the pit it all seems worth it. So lads, what are your priorities when it comes to a shelter and what did you buy with those in mind??

Likewise! Have you read his book @B.C.? It's right up there with Tel's imo. Proper captivating stuff.

ESP have made some truly magical vids in the last year or so. Search 'Terry Hearn' and you should find them.

Same almost everywhere nowadays buddy. It's nearly impossible for the average angler to find waters with numbers of big fish that aint very highly pressured.

This is brilliant.

Good luck @greekskii.

Trent View is half hour from Grantham buddy might be worth a look.

MCF the best for sure. All I used when I did use them.

Agree, I'm sure we'd all love to plan our regular fishing trips around the moon phases but in reality it's just not possible for most with real life getting in the way. We go when we can! Funny that, I have it booked off too lol.

Lol. So Mr/Mrs Spomb cashed in when their patent was rumbled by a new design (dot spod). Bet they didn't get anywhere near what it must have been worth a couple of years ago. Still, good business for them and good business for Fox I guess. Now the two options (dot spod/spomb) are owned by the biggest firms in the business they are free to do as they please with prices.......

Henchman style! I have heard of anglers seeing this. Not seen it myself but I have seen carp seemingly protecting others i.e. nudging them away from hookbaits!