emmcee

I personally wouldn't assume they follow it at all, I'd only place a bait there if I actually saw them patrolling it or signs they patrol it. If you do decide to fish it then if its like lakes that I've fished before there may well be certain pick up points along it and not just cast on it and catch. One of the lakes the bars were mainly made up of large stones (the size of your fist or slightly bigger) and a bite cast on this was very hard to come by but by leading about you could find areas that were made up of much smaller gravel and this is where your bites came from. Just a bit of food for thought.

Agree 100% with all this. Location is everything in all fishing but winter especially as in summer they are mobile and winter not so, so you need to be "on them". In my experiences the only times they were mobile in winter was when the winters were very mild. I'll also second the snugpak gear as well. I've got the softie shirt and sasquatch coats. The Antarctica sleeping bag and special forces 2 sleeping bag and you are literally like toast.

I know from speaking to the owner of premier that he will and has to adjust mixes/wetness etc when rolling different sized baits and also different shaped (dumbbells). You may need a few trial and error mixes before you get it right. I'm guessing you might need a wetter mix. For instance, if it's say 1egg per 100grms then use 80grms and see how that rolls or You might need to add extra binder to hold it together for the bigger bait (wpc or egg albumin).

An update on premier. As said, I was down at premier last weekend and basically he is on his own doing the bait now. It used to be one person on hookbaits, one on making paste, a couple rolling and one boiling etc but not anymore. Well it's tony and his wife with no other staff so updating the website etc hasn't been a priority for them. They still do matrix RR, you just need to call them.

If I remember rightly I started with them in 1998. Matrix RR was my first bait I used. Sadly a few desperado's found out what I was on and got the bait through Geoff Bowers and fished off my back. I then went on to a custom supaminos bait and stuck with that and it would be my go to to this day .Had a play about with a lot of their baits over the years mind, catching on all. The best of which for me was the pro-fruit. As you say, never had a bad batch and nothing but great customer service.

My first bait from premier was the matrix RR with matrix flavour. Was an awesome bait, smashed up some tough lakes with that bait years back. I'm actually going down there next weekend so I'll ask him what the crack is regarding RR. I know in the past he has had agro dealing with a certain company so maybe that's come to ahead. Also RR changed over the years. It wasn't noticeable in a fishmeal but in a milk the colur difference was alarming so I'm guessing haiths had changed the mix due to whatever reason. Premier have always been honest regarding ingredients with me etc but I bet some firms will be cutting or swapping ingredients that they are no longer able to get due to brexit ,high import taxes, general costs etc and not telling the customer.

Out of all the lines I've used, the gardener gt-hd line has given me endless headaches. I used to get the odd line frap on a cast with other lines but this line I got them endlessly. I even started to doubt myself regarding how I spooled it up so even watched a YouTube video of Lewis read loading it up to make sure I wasn't being a complete noddy. Suffice to say I had spooled it correct but the line fraps kept coming. I changed lines and no more fraps. God knows what was wrong or happening.

I've used it with no issues in open water.

Hyper sensor is a "casting line" therefore thinner diameter.

I've baited up with bait that is still warm after rolling it. As you say, you don't get any fresher than that. As for a gun and better rolling table it will make your bait making so easy. When I rolled bait I could do 60 eggs no problem. In the end I used to crack the eggs into a Bowl and blend all the flavours etc into it then store in the fridge over night then mix, roll and boil the following evening. I had a little jug that I'd scoop the liquid up in, pour into my bowl and that needed exactly 3 scoops of powder and that made enough paste to fill the gun. I had the big tables, an air gun, burco boiler and you can knock up a lot of bait in a short time. I reckon 120 eggs would have been possible if I'd had wanted to, with another pair of hands then definitely possible.

My koi carp, carp and goldfish are spawning in my pond and have been for 2 days now. A local lake to me is also closed to spawning.

100% agree on location being the most important factor, combined with a little bit of luck and your onto a winner.

I'd say your chosen level is a good starting point. I know the profile plus range of flavours are very potent and can be overloaded but not sure on the response range.

If its a proper milk protein bait then you shouldn't need added "goodies", the milks will be doing everything you need on their own. And when I say proper milk, you're looking at £15 - £20 per kg to know it's half decent at todays prices of ingredients. Anything less than that then it's bulked out with calf milk replacer etc which is a good ingredient but nothing compared to the casein's, lactalbumin's and whey pro's out there.

Other than when I rolled my own the only flavour I had in my bait for the last 10yrs or so was black pepper essential oil. All freebies had recommended levels (6 drops per 6 eggs) and all hookbaits had half levels. We found making the hookbait over flavoured was the wrong way to go. Infact after a season i had my freebies made with half levels, always got to have an edge . Absolutely devastating flavour on its own in my opinion.

🤯😳😱 I wouldn't know what to take if I had that lot. Few hundred quids worth in there I imagine (hope you your missus doesn't read that bit) 🤣

Was it Terry Eustace (gold label tackle) that did these? Think I've got a few packs hidden away somewhere thinking that is what hook was used for the 360 rig.

This is how I take line off my reels now. I know then that I'm taking off a pretty precise amount say 200yds. I then know what amount of line I have left on a bulk spool etc.

Exactly this⬆️. If you can't find them though then maybe start baiting up a spot regularly and hope they come to you. That will take time , effort and of course a few quid for bait but the rewards might just be worth it In the long run.

Use wrap sticks if you have them if not 2 bank sticks pushed in the ground a rod length apart. Reel onto a rod , tie one end to one of the sticks and keep wrapping until all line is off.

Lucky you, its a beautiful part of the country along with the Jurassic coast in my opinion. A good spot for photography, wildlife and fishing

I see quite a lot of reports regarding rays from the Mersey. Bit of a trek for me that though. And as you say, it's all about enjoying yourself and I wasn't really, just going through the motions as it were. I've got a new spring in my step so all good.

This was my view yesterday morning after sleeping in my van after an evening on the beach. The sun rising over keyhaven with the the isle of wight to the right.

I'm good thanks stevo . Yes I've got the sea fishing bug good and proper. I didn't fish for carp at all last year and that for me is rarer than rocking horse poop but i didn't miss it. The year before that I only went because of travel restrictions etc during covid as I'm 90mins from my nearest beach. I've not renewed my syndicate lake ticket this year but I have kept hold of one ticket as its a proper history water that's had its highs through the 80's and 90's ,though been through a low the last 15 - 20 years but its been slowly restocked over the last 5 - 10 yrs with a few different strains of carp mainly in single figures that are now doing 20's and low 30's and I reckon it will be doing 40's before too long. I've got a couple of social sessions planned on there this year to have catch ups with mates but sea fishing is for me at this moment in time. The never really knowing what's on the end of your line is huge buzz for me. Different species are about through the seasons and if you're lucky you can eat a few and it doesn't get any fresher than that. Plus working out tides, features, watercraft in the sea is a whole new ball game and a challenge which carp fishing for me had become stale and boring. Also, if you know the stock of the lake then you know pretty much know what you're going to catch, no real mystery to it anymore. Hope you're well mate.

100% agree about the bed. By far the best one I've had. Not that I fish for carp nowadays which is lucky as I get an amazing night's kip when I use it camping.