crusian

Thanks , fellas , that's pretty conclusive then .
😃 

no not really gt80+ is good but I think I'm going back to hydrotuff next time I spool up. 

Been using the HD for a couple of years having also used Hydro Tuff, both seem good to me.

Nope 😄

Hello Everyone 
I usually buy Gardner Hydro Tuff as my mainline as I fish close to snags ,short to medium distance .
Are there any other lines I should be considering please ? .
😃

Not the best start to 2026. The filter house is protected by a massive wooden lid that keeps the rain out. It's been so cold and wet recently that this wood is now completely saturated and weighs an absolute ton. It opens by means of a pully system that's attached to the house. On Sunday I was opening the lid to clean the filters and the fixings pulled out of the wall. I popped to B&Q to get some bits to repair it and thought I'd done a good job, until it pulled out again, hitting me in the face, cutting my nose, and giving me a lovely black eye. Monday morning at work everyone was asking if I've been in a fight 😂.
Water temps are rock bottom, with 3 degrees C the lowest recorded. All the carp are sitting on the deck doing nothing, which is probs a good thing since we've spotted a heron stalking the pond on several occasions now. I have a couple of months to figure out how I'll address that.
All that said, the carp are looking healthy and the water quality is good so I can't complain too much. I have to say it's tricky getting the motivation to get on the bank knowing how these temps are effecting the fish. I'd probably blank fishing the pond, let alone my syndi water!

Not sure if this is the right section to add this but....
Many over a certain age will remember the original series, it's now on YouTube with a new series and they have their own channel.
I have watched the first two episodes and have to say I really enjoyed it, so refreshing to not hear some bloke banging on about big carp captures, which in my opinion has been done to death.
I am no way associated with the channel, but if you want a break from the usual stuff, maybe give it a try?

I've got 2 , and as you say they're very warm , although they don't seem to breath much and you can get a bit of a sweat on if you're not careful 😁 . 

I've got 2 , and as you say they're very warm , although they don't seem to breath much and you can get a bit of a sweat on if you're not careful 😁 . 

Well the end of the year has gone well. The koi are doing great and still feeding most days due to the elevated temps. The nets/covers are now off since the leaves are gone. The water clarity is insane.... you can see every little detail on the deck in 2m. The temporary floating skimmer has worked a treat. I picked up a pond vacuum a month ago and gave the bottom a good clean at the weekend which means there's no detritus for any nasties to hide in ready for the spring. It's a real shame I can't post vids on here as I have some great footage of the koi milling about.
So now I need to plan for spring which apparently is the most tricky and dangerous time of year. Parasites wake up before the koi so it's essential I do everything I can to keep their immune systems working as well as possible. If you lose your water parameters early on, you're chasing your tail all year, so I have to be bang on it to stay a step ahead of any issues with algae, weed, DO, and ammonia, nitrite, pH etc.
Really enjoyed the last few months and looking forward to my first full year with the pond. Looking to feed heavily next year to get some good growth, while maintaining the water quality. I'll keep this thread updated from time to time for anyone that's interested.

couple of low double Christmas commons 

Literally ,right in,amonst those dying reeds,i had placed my bait..you can see the line  cutting down from the peg on the bankstick it was good knowing your freebie and rig were spot on 

Across the field from our cottage are a couple of small pools ..its where I go in the colder months ,or should I say rain ,..I thought I'd try the washing line method as they seem to spook off the lines very easily...any way this fish was one of two I fluked out ..

Althoigh it's not really cold at the moment, and to continue doing my winter sessions in some sort of comfort I always use base layering ..
Anyway I thought to upgrade and have bought Zerofit 'heatrub' made in Japan....all I can say is get some !!!!

Thanks very much for your detailed reply , Kev. 
😃

The Fortis Tundra salopettes are the best clothing item I've bought recently, waterproof and very warm indeed.
I bought the matching coat but in hindsight I'g go for their marine jacket instead as I cannot see me using the Tundra coat as I'm already warm enough in the salopettes.
Already got lightweight waterproof trousers and jacket but would look at the Fortis Marine stuff if I didn't 👍
Whilst the Catchdry coat may be good, for me personally it's too long and bulky - cant see that being suitable for days roving the river or carp stalking, but were all different.
Fortis looked at the serious competition (Geoff Anderson) and made stuff that probably almost matches but at a much lower pricepoint, serious clothing for serious anglers I'd say so you get what you pay for, but the pricepoint of Fortis is much lower than Grundens and Geoff Anderson.  Serious carp clothing was long overdue so well done Fortis I say.
 
 
 

Hi Everyone 
I see Skeetex do their own version of a Catchdry , or should I just stick to a suit comprising of salopettes and a jacket ? .
Your opinions please , ta .
😃

You've just sold it to me , Golden Paws ! 😁

If you want to look like a complete plonker, go ahead and buy one!

Managed to get a night in on Thursday last week. The weather was truly horrible and by the time I'd dragged all my gear to the swim and got the rods sorted everything was soaked through. A very uncomfortable night indeed.
I was rewarded for that horrible night by an absolutely gorgeous Friday morning... cold, but a a lovely bright sunny day. By 8AM I'd actually spotted some fizzing so was happy to spend a few hours scaring the carp off trying to find a spot in the area. Alas, it wasn't to be, so with the forecast telling me I'd be getting wet again I headed for home having originally planned to do 2 nights.
Mrs looked worried about me having never seen me come home early in nearly 20 years of being together 🤣
Tbf as I listened to that rain on Friday night I knew I'd made the right decision. Must be getting soft in my old age.
 

Kingy 1st Point - December

Did 4 nights on Bluebell's Kingy from Sunday 30th Nov, only 4 others on so got in the swim I wanted.  First night 4am as the weather front came in I got a take on the middle rod and landed a nice linear.
Same approach as last trip with pellet hookbaits and PVA funnel web bags.
No more action for the remainder but cannot complain in Dec and nothing else came out.
Hopefully back after x-mas for another go.

Winter sun found ❤️

That's a fair point, I would like to add anytime I did any cooking, tea making etc I did open the fart flap more to let air in, this was mainly when it rained hard 

Hello Elmo 
Sorry if this is hijacking your post , but is this a good time to remind anglers not as experienced as you to ventilate due to the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning ? .