yonny

Use a brown pop up and trim it down until it sits perfectly. You're dead right that overly buoyant hook baits will be ignored if they sit too high in the surface film. By trimming down a pop up you can get it just right and the hook bait will last for hours. I certainly wouldn't be inserting cork into mixers as they'll still fall apart pretty quickly.
As long as the hook bait sits ok in the surface film and you have them feeding properly, you'll get bites.
👍
 

Thanks mate will just stick with the one I got then 👍

@jh92 tbh most of the really well protected mats with sides pack down pretty big. If you're desperate to save space there are a couple of smaller/lighter options such as the Fox Easy Mat, and there are some even cheaper rip-off versions of it (think NGT and Shakespeare offer them). Worth a look but ultimately a bigger/bulkier mat will offer more protection.

Thanks for the reply mate. Is there anything you would suggest for rough ground?

This👆👆👆
Wrap sticks cannot give you line twist unless you're taking line off the clutch👍

Several years ago I bought a big Nash cradle with a metal frame. I set it up in the front room when it arrived, then packed it back down, and sent it back. Did not look at all safe to me.

This is the one. Decent.👆

Several years ago I bought a big Nash cradle with a metal frame. I set it up in the front room when it arrived, then packed it back down, and sent it back. Did not look at all safe to me.

Thanks mate I will have a look. Been unloading the barrow completely and packing it all in the bivvy for the last 15 years or so.. Never thought about leaving stuff on there and covering it up 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤣🤣🤣

Thinking anglers cover up 
I do have one and have used it but I just use a prestige cover

I would never go back to walking the lines out… never ever ever..,you get a run in the early hours hopefully to land a fish then you got to walk the length of a football pitch or further sometimes less maybe in wet long grass to find your broken branch mark that hopefully nobody has moved to use for themselves.  
 
I can’t recall having issues with line twist using sticks…but in the dark days before I used the sticks I was passing my nephew at the back of our swim’s doing the dreaded walk and noticed he was walking out his rigs with his bait runners on I said that explains how he was always getting line twist, he was never happy with his line 
 

Got out today... over me club lake...  a nice scrappy common got in on the act and gave me a good tear up all the way in from about 30 yards out... Rod was a 9'3" Sharpe, reel is an Abu 77 Cardinal, had a smaller carp which didn't stay still long enough for a shot... also had the scabbiest Bream in the lake...🥴 

1st trip of the year to the syndi, looks like a blank but you never know 🤞

Yeah I like snugpak - recently got an SJ6 in black, was supposed to be for fishing but I like it so much its my everyday coat instead.
I was gonna get another snugpak jacket SJ9 to go with the Tundra bottoms but I didn't want to rip it on the brambles, I've already got tangled in them this trip - cut my face up lol
I thought the tundras felt more hard wearing than the SJ6 fabric.
Ain't gonna be cold again that's for sure.
For wet weather I've got the Geoff Anderson which goes everywhere with me all year round, Fortis didn't make the waterproofs then but no regrets - both excellent 😎👍

Coincidence. I just bought a pair this week too (the salopettes).
I went for the Sungpak Torrent Extreme jacket instead of the Tundra jacket. Really like Snugpak stuff and tbf if they did waterproof salopettes I'd have got them too. Impressed with the Tundras though I have to say.

message username and deleted message so all good
although it was a tempting offer i decided it probably best not to take them up.......

First trip of the year tomorrow but been busy buying stuff I dont need in prep obvs 🤣
Got the Solar undercover Pro sleep system, lighter than my SP Tech - will be on the barrow again this year so trying to lighten the load.  Got for £205, seen after on AD for almost £450 - unbelieveable ripoff.
3 pots of NS1 pop-ups discounted from a show in Essex.
Bird Torch - same show.
Then as I'm not buying a new 1 man bivvy and going back to my old Avid brolley system I justified that the money saved could be spent on the Fortis Tundra 🤣 Got the bottoms from the show with a £20 discount.  Then the coat after at full retail 👎
Oh and the Diawa 18 Emblem Spod 35 SCW QD Reel because my Shimmy Spod (new) ceases up whenever it's left out in the rain or damp (rubbish, what a let down thats been).
Think thats it, broke but happy! 😁😎
 

You can sell the infinity spool for 40 and make a profit. Result 🤣

Yeah mate can't fault them yet! The only issue is one of the spools is not a sportsmatic-x but an infinity, it works fine but doesn't match, it has a black ring around the top instead of gold and in my head it won't catch 🤣🤣 luckily I found someone on Facebook selling a set with a spare spool and he agreed to sale the spool separately for £33 posted (legend lol)
Even though I haven't used them yet they feel solid and smooth. I also like you can get some upgrades for them lol. 

froggie I lent on my self take button whilst waiting for one of the fish to settle on the mat, it looks like I’m in a meditative stance 
fish is totally swallowed by the mat! 

Did a quick overnighter on my winter estate lake last night, wind hacking into my face, mild night, overcast with showers on and off. This lake is a typical mixed fishery, rather than an out and out carp fishery, but has a good head of carp to 25lb(ish) the frogs were active in the margins, a sign spring is springing. I had a hectic night, with 14 carp landed plus 2 bream from 18 takes, a few low doubles, a smattering of singles and a couple of 20s to top it off. 15lb 20lb ghostie 22lb 14lb 
 

I'm still here (on the back row) looking over 🤣

Good lad.
Those old Daiwa reels are absolutely bomb proof. I picked up a set of Emblem Pro's (the fishing version of the old Emblem Spod Reel) for a couple of hundred quid to use on one specific water due to their silly long retrieve. I use them for 90% of my fishing now despite having several other sets worth much, much more!

Reporting from the social, I decided to move on Saturday morning had a walk round with Dale and decided it was best, I moved into Bogmageddon and after a slog with the barrow, fannied about and found some spots, it soon became apparent I had made the right call when I saw one bosh to my left, then another to my right, got the rods tried to throwing stick some boilies out as I managed to lose my spod in a shimano faulty bail arm incident, that the others didn't rinse me for at all 😂
Of course within minutes there were a flock of seagulls trying to eat every last one. But I figured I has some in the zone, within an hour I had a weird bite lifted One bleep dropped right back then lifted again, and I was in, went right to get behind an island then went left to get behind another, then wstsyed deep to try and lose me over the massive plateau betwixt us, but I got it over, it tried to go through all my lines and eventually I netted the beast of bogmageddon, all 27 and a half lbs of it, Leon (commonly) came to assist with the photos and as actually managed to make me smile for one 😬
As I write it's lashing down the swim looks like a wet Glastonbury and I'm not looking forward to packing up but it's been fun and eventful, maybe time for another but it doesn't seem as likely today, hopefully I've pushed them down for Leon to have a busy night tonight. 

So I managed to get them for £200. Loving them, can't wait to try them out 👍🤣