elmoputney

That's what I found too with straight through 6 wraps and it wasn't like I walloped the clip but I did go through a couple of spombs like that, one didn't open and cracked off as it went through the water leaving a spomb on my spot hardly ideal. I don't use spombs now either for that reason. 😂

If you like kranks you will love these, he does do them unsharpened and they are still sharp. But those next level sharp. But need rust proofing https://www.jprecisionhooks.co.uk/products/gapex-1

That's fair enough I used to do that most braids it was fine. But now I just use one as whatever the distance I don't have to mess about adding a shock leader when I want one, I had the same one on for ages, I also prefer it on my line holding finger to the braided line and think I get better feel from it. And less likely to slice my finger off when casting.

I find it better whatever the distance tbh, this may sound blunt as an answer not my intention but using a shock leader takes out the shock/spring out of the spod on casting as it takes the brunt of the pressure/load and tension of the initial cast so even at shorter ranges I find it helps with accuracy /consistency and all that stuff and if people see 4-5 turns of shock leader they think you are the bizness 😎 And then I cast and they think 🤡😀 I still struggle with distance tbh but it has helped get me as far as I've needed so far, although the swim I've started frequenting has a longer chuck so I'm challenging myself to pull up the big boy pants and try and improve my casting to it as it takes a good few goes too many.

I don't use straight through braid on my spod rod now, I lost a couple of marker floats and spombs that way (fox exocet poop braid) now I always use shock leader and actually haven't lost one that wasn't the aerlex's self closing bail arms fault since but I've always got those back because they tend not to get that far, they usually badooosh right in front of me 😜

I think for me my PB really comes down to the fish that mean the most to me. I try and enjoy all captures and I have a few favourites that I have caught over the years, the 17lb pond record was the one that made me become a proper carp angler I think. We had our tactics sussed and we slayed the bigger ones in that pond. We used to freeline dog biscuits right in the edge. Feeding off the smaller ones to create the frenzy, The 26lber I caught from the club lake all those years ago I prebaitied for 2 weeks and that taught me something I have used many times since. To the modern times my goal was a 30lber I nearly did that a few times and caught some cracking high 20s beating my pb a few times before my most recent one which completed that challenge and was a fish I really wanted in the album. That meant a lot but it seemed more fate than effort if that makes sense, i am always working at it week on week so it's not like it's zero effort but i didn't think I was building up to it, it just happened. But for me the fish that meant the most was probably this one a new pb at the time but it was not long after my dad passed away and it just meant so much at the time still does, I noticed someone else caught it a few weeks back and it just made me feel really happy to see it again. Fishing is just great, I love being able to go and relax regardless of if I catch or not, just being there is enough these days, but catching a few along the way makes it the special journey it is. Just enjoy the ride and challenge yourself as you go as you are the only person you need to be better than.

1pt red maggots Pole. Elastic for a quid (for a boa rig trial) 4lb line Ready for rudd match 2 tomorrow. Hoping for a carp later, once I finish work at 2 I am home bound pack and get the daughter then head off to the lake to get settled In for a bbq and the night ahead. Can't wait

Not a bad mornings work 4 5l bucket loads full for the freezer and a decent bucket which I will hopefully be using this weekend 😳 permission pending 😂

I don't add anything else before hand, I like to soak for a minimum of 48 hours, I've just cooked some up this morning actually will add some Molasses and bits once it's cooled a bit more. Then I am going to freeze some and soak some more to get a stock pile built up

You might as well add an inline castable weed rake to your set up if you are going to be using the twig. Or using breakaway leads with cable ties on, how an angling company cannot see its dangerous is beyond me. To me it seems the desire to create the next big thing wass more important than the actual thing.

I was just going to put this one up, it just gets worse doesn't it?

Got some more J precision hooks delivered today All size 3 advanced wide gape, long gape and curves, I've also got some ZR to treat them with no more rusty hooks for me. The LG'S look a bit good, long and have a sticky sharp beaked point 👌 I've also respooled my spod reel with the Ngt braid, seems alright tbh, should cast well as it is quite thin 0.28mm , I've added a shock leader to be on the safe side. Did you know its take your tackle box to work day? Need to make some new rigs and booms later 😂

Not really lol and I know i probably should 🙄

Mainly between 6 and 10ft no loads of variation really

I'm a terrible angler all the time mate doesn't matter what bait I use 😂 Tbh i hadn't even given it much thought until it dawned on me this weekend, but now I am sure it will 😳

If you use the magic twig you're not an angler but a head with a rod.

I think they must've done a get stuff from China phase or something because I think I could have got a better one off wish the frame just bent it was awful, it had no rope the bed just fixed straight to the mattress. I agree some sonik stuff is pants didn't rate the reels at all and had one of their other bedchairs that didnt last,rods went soft quickly and th eye broke, however the axs bedchair is pretty decent so far, and my shelter is decent. My daughters use my old jrc cocoon that must be 20 years old and still going, they don't make em like they used too. 😂

Neither granules 😉 The Rudd have bred and bred now you can't really walk into any swim without seeing them. We cleared 160lb odd the other week and we are having another match this weekend to clear some more out. But there will still be loads I now cheat and use a bait boat tbh baiting in bulk has never been so easy or accurate tbh, especially with particles, no spod spill, no reels caked in molasses and seed juice, I can even use a bait scoop so I don't get my hands dirty at all 😂 It's a lot busier than it used to be a few of the swims are sewn up quite often, my plan is to make them come to me and give them a reason to stick around 😳

I saw that earlier all the evidence I needed to see that they are a bit of a death trap.

Luckily that wouldn't be on my spod rod and I have decent reels on my proper rods okuma 8k. The bail arms don't spring closed on those.

I bought a solar bedchair it broke after one use absolute rubbish. I had to replace it through AD for a sonik axs duralloy. Which I might add isn't a bad bedchair for the bigger boys. It's light, strong and I think rated to 160kg or something.

just started soaking some and I think I've already used about 25kg of dry particles since may and I've only caught when using it or after prebaiting areas with it, can't be a coincidence I don't think, going to need to visit the animal feed place again soon. At just over 20 quid for 40kg seems mad not to mass de bait 😂

Thanks for all the replies everyone The main one I can answer easily to is Nick as it is lake specific, the lake is a lot more pressured nowadays tbh and it's certainly different to when I first fished it, and they see a lot more bait probably mainly boilies, also I don't think there is as many tench and bream these days the Rudd seem to be the key nuisance. I think I've worked it out overnight and the answer is the maize I am using, the nuisance species must not be able to eat it so much so they are leaving it in favour of the other seeds and probably the boilies. My mix is 50% maize with a mix of seeds, maples, white peas, and a few other bits finished off with Molasses and a top secret garlic ingredient, I found in an animal feed place I'm now more convinced than ever it is the missing link and I am planning to do some bulk cooking and freezing 😂 Thanks guys, time for some mass prebaiting while no one is watching I think 🤔

Not sure if it is just coincidence but my recent results seem to suggest I catch when I use it and I blank when I just fish with boilies and pellet. Is this the missing link👇 I just wonder if inviting them all to the party is the thing making the difference? Has anyone else noticed this?

I do that quite often lol