yonny

I had a dodgy batch of MouthTrap that was breaking at the knot, moved to the CAMH20 in 25 lb and aint looked back. Brilliant stuff, also use the 15 lb version for a couple of boom/stiff applications.

Same as, chill. Sticks are absolutely invaluable to my angling now (not 60 quid invaluable tho....) I remember it wasn't a million years ago that I wasn't clipping up at all, let alone wrapping up. Funny how times change.

I can't wait to see one of my fishing mates with these Korda jobbies. They won't hear the end of it.

The stress is all on the leader bud, 8 lb mainline is fine for retrieving an empty piece of plastic.

Get a shockleader on and use any old cheapo 8-10 lb line. I used to use the expensive braids but got so cheesed off with having to wet the line and still ending up with frap ups, winds knots and general birds nesting. I just went to 10 lb pro clear with a tapered leader and hey presto, jobs a good'n.

The Nene Valley bud. It fishes terribly all along the valley in winter but we can only try.....

Nah, I use a decent sleeping bag, decent winter clothing, and the brolly I use for the rest of the year.

It's exactly the same as what it's like during the summer months lol.... Bivvys don't keep you warm fella. Your body are the only source of heat, assuming you aint using a bivvy heater. It's your clothing and bag that keep you warm, they maintain that heat, look after yourself and the bivvy doesn't matter.

For me the Nene Valley is right up there with the best areas for angling in the country. The Colne Valley might just edge it, but there's not many other places I'd rather be fishing. I've fished the NV for more than 20 years and there's still loads of places I'd love to spend a few seasons on one day. A lifetimes worth of angling.

The trendy carp brands don't manufacture clothing. They buy cheap clothing form China, stitch a label onto it, and sell it at a massive profit. It's all tat relative to the price. I went though loads of winter suits (including a Trakker one and a Chub one - both utter, utter pants) before I learned. They don't keep you warm and they last 2 seasons before they're ready for the bin. They all cost at least £100. It's carp tax of the highest order. IMO you want to go for stuff that is made by a company that makes clothing for outdoor activities. Think camping, hiking, hunting, work wear or even better, the military suppliers. You can spend as much as you want but it doesn't have to cost a fortune.

I use massive leads on silty waters. Set the top bead to the depth of the silt, don't feather the cast, I want it to plug as deep as possible. The bolt effect is second to none, done really well on this method.

I'm going to risk getting pasting here, but I think the Solar Pozi-Loc system (which they're still using on this P1 jobby) is absolutely rubbish. I used Solar for about a month then ditched it, for the money I wanted better. JAG, Defiant MPS, N-Brice, loads of better options out there IMO. The tiny little carbon details on the P1 serve no purpose whatsoever, they're just there to look good. It tells me form was more important than fit or function during the design phase.

I had Shimi Long Casts which were very good, but my current Infinity BRs are better I reckon. I do like my old school work-horse type reels. Have a search for the Daiwa Procargo SS4500. It is the none European version of the Castizm, exactly the same except it has a better UTD drag and a different handle. You can get them imported from Japan or Australia for less than the price of the Castizm if you find a particularly good deal, in fact a saw a guy on another forum got them for 140 a pop!!

It still wont let me!

I use bait runners but don't engage the drag by turning the handle, I use the switch on the back. That is surely the quickest option?

Well that answers that then. Judging by the responses I'd guess that if you considered pricing your time even at minimum wage you'd probs be making a loss? I make my own hookbaits and tbh it really does my head in (hand rolling corkers and forming little bits of fake corn from pop up mix lol) so I can't see myself rolling big batches of bait if it doesn't present a saving. I can imagine the satisfaction of catching a biggun on a custom home rolled boilie is spot on but I think I'm just too lazy!

Guys. I'm trying to work out if the savings made by rolling your own baits are really worth it. I mean, it all depends on what you value your time at surely? I figured we could have a go at working out what it actually costs us in time on a £ p/hr basis, add it to the cost of the ingredients, and see what we're actually saving? First thing we need to know is how long it takes to prep, roll, boil and clean up for say 20 kg. Over to you lads.

I hear they are fella, but I haven't bought/seen shelfies in years myself. In fairness that's just me being stubborn I guess. See for me that's not a shelfie bud. IMO a shelfie contains preservatives that allow the baits to be stored in the boot of the car for a couple of years or more. The above is a fresh/frozen bait with glycerin coating - I wouldn't trust that for prolonged periods. A decent bait has to be active, and a glycerin coating shouldn't be enough to stop that activity. I know of at least one bait company that adds preservatives to both their shelfies and frozen baits, some think it's the same recipe.....

Yo Beanz, I'm trying to PM you but it won't let me. Is your inbox full?

I think there's a place for partial air drying in order to prep baits for over-hydration i.e. saturation - to prevent the on-take of silt on very silty waters or spots. Also for salt curing hook baits. I'd rather air dry/re-hydrate for a long trip than use shelfies. As long as you know what to re-hydrate with the losses of attractors (which I do believe happens during air drying) doesn't really bother me.

You've answered your own question there fella. The point in a baitrunner is you don't have to do that. I agree with chillfactor, it makes little difference if you use a baitrunner or front drag - different mechanism, same result.

Yes it could indeed mate. I've been toying with the idea of replacing my Delks for a little while but frankly there's nothing out there 100% faultless to replace them with......

I have heard from 2 owners that fluoro skips over the rollers. No issues with normal mono though (odd, I thought). Apart from that I too have heard rave reviews.

Spot on. I still carry one in my kit for when my Delks go wrong in the rain (which luckily aint happened in a couple of years now after having mega problems previously). The micron M's cost me 20 quid a piece, I've replaced the batteries once in maybe 20 odd years. Outperforms my £500 Delks in the rain. Ridiculous.

They're all absolutely rubbish fella! On average I go through about 4 a year and believe me when I say I've been through all of them. - The ESP lasts quite well but the pouch warps rendering accuracy none existent. Then the elastic goes. - The Atomic lasts well but the pouches aint strong enough, they rip along the fibres and seams. - Drennan, the elastic aint as good as other carp 'pults, it goes in no time. - Fox - DO NOT EVEN GO THERE! If you have one last a whole session you're lucky. - Gardner, same as the Drennan, the elastic aint up to proper use. - Black Widows do last forever but the pouch isn't suitable for bait (and it's almost impossible to change it). So the winner is (and I never thought I'd say this).... the Korda heavy duty one. It's pretty average for accuracy and for distance but it does last better than the others. The weak point is where the elastic connects to the pouch and it has cable ties on to hold it in place. These can easily be replaced when they break (and they do) so it lasts quite well. My current one has lasted all season so far which is unheard of for me. Don't get me wrong, it's still rubbish (I've had to replace the cable ties twice already), but it's still going which is all I ask!