yonny

I have to say that Jan/Feb are without doubt the hardest months of the year. To give up just as we see temps start to rise would be unusual. You're better off fishing the easy lake in Jan/Feb and then hitting the harder waters around now. Signs of spring are upon us.

If the weed is really bad, I'll dump the lead. Safest rig is the one that gets the fish on the bank imo.

Chod is the obvious one mate. If you can find low lying stuff any decent pop up rig on a heli will do.

Tel uses hand rolled cork ball pop ups (he rolls them himsel). You can buy hand rolled pop ups.... they cost a fortune. I use different hookbaits for different applications. Some are expensive (e.g. cork ball pop ups). Some cost pennies (tigers). Use what you have confidence in.

Same 👎👎👎

Seriously? Almost every decent water in the country has had to be fenced. Most that are not have been decimated. The effects of otters on carp fishing have been beyond comprehension.

😂😂😂

If it's not some dodgy mute setting try these guys: Fault-find & fix Service | Kudos Tackle

Remote or standard?

This 👆 Very similar to CSL... smells of a slightly gone over chestnut ale.

With 3.5 oz leads I'd maybe go 15 lb. Or go 12 lb and downsize to 3 oz leads 👍

Subline is a really heavy line, not ideal for adjustable zigs. Assuming weed isn't an issue, use something prestretched like Touchdown, Gardner GT-HD, or Fox Exocet. The GT-HD would be my recommendation.

It's completely normal/natural, can't be stopped. A protective waterproof cover will help protect the system if you're worried.

It's probs light condensation on your bag from your breath, frosting overnight, meaning it's damp in the morning. A waterproof cover will help, it'll frost on that instead 👍 Good old winter fishing.... love it.

You want your mainline straight through to a lead clip/tail rubber (i.e. no tubing), with the longest anti-tangle sleeve you can find. Smooth cast and the tangles will disappear.

Completely water dependant imo. I had a great session spodding floaters over zigs after dark one hot summer night over on Swan @ Bluebell. God know how I got away with it as they're tricky kippers over there. I think it's ok on bigger more heavily stocked pits, less so on smaller or lightly stocked waters. It'd be the kiss of death on my current syndi - small and shallow - even getting the hookbaits out without spooking them is tricky. Wouldn't consider it for March if that's what you're getting at - I think keeping everything quiet will be critical for us.

Me too. Decent. Better than the Fox stuff imo. Have you read his book, Forces of Nature? If not, go and get it immediately (😁). It's right up there with Tel's books imo. Really, really good.

I'd just remove the last 20 yards or so and crack on.

@emmcee was it BL? You're going back a loooooong way with some of those carp names. Astra Max.... was in Tels book with some of those others.

I wish! Can't see it happening, it didn't sell well, shame as it was absolutely awesome. Hydrotuff still your best bet. Floater wise, can't help. Do a lot of zigging but seems years since I got a floater rod out.

Best boots I ever tried (and I've tried most) were North Face insulated waterproof snow boots (I think they call todays equivalent the Chilkat). I still use these now as the insulation is the nuts, but, like any boots, they only work if the legs are super warm. Warm legs feed the feet with warm blood.

Really tricky for me to answer as I chop and change when I feel certain baits are more/less effective at different times of year. I rarely use 4 ingredients in a mix tbh. In Spring I'd normally be using a pot of black foam or pop ups. Maybe a kilo of of boilies just in case. Post spawning I'd be boilie fishing. Soon as the weed starts dying I'd be playing with naturals. All water dependant of course.... I'll be on the tigers if bird life or nuisance species are an issue. I can't remember the last time I took 4 ingredients tbh.

Just Googled it and you can buy a 2m roll of 135gm2 polyester wadding for less than a tenner. That tells you all you need to know imo.

You can't tell from the description. It says "Fully insulated by 120gm2 wadding", but it doesn't say what the wadding is. There are loads of good synthetic technical insulations available, normally trademarked by brand (Primaloft is a common one), and there are various none synthetic downs available (such as goose down). I would guess that Prologic, who don't actually make clothes (rather they have them made in China), are not using highly technical insulations. Imo you want to avoid fishing brands.

Just to throw a spanner into the works I'd start in 5, 6, 10 or 11. Basically the central area, all on zigs, with at least one fished into the deeper hole with a zig at 5 or 6 ft. I'd set the alarm for midnight then stay up for a couple of hours which is your best chance of spotting them this time of year imo.