yonny

You have to be careful with recommendations buddy as different options work for different people (I think it's something to do with blood type). Mozzies absolutely love me so I've tried most of the various solutions available. First option is deet such as the stuff from Lifesystems (as posted by Viking above). While it's not actually a repellent, it just 'confuses' mozzies, it does work for most people. Deet is bloomin awful stuff though, bleaches your clothes and terrible for the skin. Then you have the Avon Skin-So-Soft with citronella. It's not actually made as an insect repellent but it works for some people (me included). The SAS used to use this. There are newer modern solutions available as well such as Incognito which is a completely natural product. A lot of people swear by this but I got eaten alive no matter how much of this I put on. Then you have mozzy coils, the active ingredient being citronella, same as the Avon stuff. These work ok for me but stink the brolly out something proper. Basically you need to just try the various options until you find one that works for you then stick with it. No option works for every person (in fact stuff that some people swear by does absolutely nothing for others, hence why recommendations tend to be unreliable).

Is it not just that your pop ups ain't buoyant enough @crusian?

Whatever happens she'll love it mate, so will you.

Defo mate. Mine was a bloomin' nightmare on the bank as a puppy. Wasn't much better as an adult tbf🤣

I think you can tell by the shows if zigs are the one. Proper head and shouldering, with those little fizzing trails as they head back down, I'd be chucking a pop up out, all day. Slightly bigger shows/rolls, with slight flicks of the tail on re-entry, says to me to get on the zigs. I agree you couldn't put a number on it. Imo it's completely relative to lake depth, substrate, conditions etc.....

Those quiet shows where they just poke their heads out to the gills are the ones you're looking for imo buddy. That is more often than not feeding fish. Obviously fizzing etc tells you everything you need to know too. That said, I'll not ignore the big boshes either. I think the really big leaps right out of the water are just them 'playing' for lack of a better word. It still tells you where the carp are though.

I let the fish tell me what to do. If I come across feeding fish I'll chuck a lead at them. If I get a drop i.e. if it's presentable I'll chuck a hookbait out, simple as that. Just a couple of chucks will tell you roughly the depth and type of bottom (soft/hard, clear/weedy) etc. That is all you need to know if the carp are feeding there. Depth I'm not particularly bothered about, if the carp are having it there then who cares? If I see concentrated/prolonged activity i.e. clear evidence that something special is out there I'll have a really good mark up at the end of the session (for future reference). If it's a silt bed I'd look for seams between the softer/harder areas. If it's gravel I'd look for the edges. If it's weed I'll find the most presentable. If I locate anything at all that seems different from the rest of the lake during a session it'll be noted. Different normally means good. I would never fish a spot I'd found through marker work without seeing fish activity. The best spot in the world is no good if there's no fish feeding on it.

Get the spod rod first buddy. It can double up as a marker. Or just use your carp rods to mark up.

That.

45 - 65 quid is the going rate so if you see that again snap it up mate!

Exactly that buddy. Too many lines in one area. I see this a lot, particularly in France where they're always pressured. I watched a couple of mates do this to very good effect (on a French trip funnily enough). Pretty much as you say; both baiting towards a central area, both fishing to their near side of that area. What would happen is one of them would pick up a fish or 3 then they'd back off. Shortly after the other would have a couple on the bank..... and so on and so forth. They bounced those fish off one another for a week, kept the bait going in, and they ended up with a very good tally of fish as you can imagine (including some proper units).

It's no longer in print so you'll not find it new/at RRP. I managed to get hold of a copy for £51 off the bay. Those prices will continue to rise so keep your eyes on ebay and have the money spare ready for when one pops up for auction.

I've never struggled with either I don't think buddy.

Your decision should be made based on what the carp are up to buddy. If they're stacked up in a given area personally I think it's way more effective fishing as a team to set up either side of them or opposite one another. You can bounce the fish off one another. Personally I think 6 rods on top of them will likely push them out.

lol

You're not wrong there.

I apply wax to my sharpened hooks to inhibit rust so i can't imagine wax on the floss would have any impact.

They look awful to cast don't they?

That's the kidda.

Likewise. Real shame though. That fish was right up there in its prime. One of the best.

I have a mate that tests for them. He catches plenty. Decent bait by all accounts.

Any old fluoro leader buddy. I think @greekskii rates the wychwood stuff? Fox and korda do purpose made line savers. Defo worth getting.

I have. Handy when they're showing over heavy weed with a leader ban in place. Trick is to find out exactly how deep the weed is - you want it as close to the lead as possible without compromising presentation, otherwise there's not enough weight/interference to set the hook well (you get aborted takes and fish falling off as soon as you hit the rod). Given the choice I'd use lead-core or fluoro but not essential.

Nice @B.C.

I'd take the BS with a pinch of salt @greekskii. What I'd call a poor 0.38 line breaks @ ~17-20 and a good'n breaks at ~ 20-22. The HD goes 21ish so it's underrated and I'd almost guarantee you the PB is over-rated on BS.