crusian

1, you can hair rig or not, it works either way... its just a different approach 🤷‍♂️
2, never said the hair rig has blown, just offering an alternative, doesn't have to be a prawn either... Cockle, Mussell, Meat, anything
3, just said do summat different... do what you want...🤷‍♂️
4, all the "Frippery" is pretty much variations on a common theme... there's been very little meaningful innovation since the invention of the hair rig
5, never said its an all in one solution, you can try different things and find what works for yourself
 
All I'm saying is that a lot of fish and venues see the same thing day in, day out, a different approach often pays dividends and the old methods are working because fish don't see them that often and trip up...
 
The thing that I see a lot is folks sticking to doing the same thing day in day out and moaning that the fish are off the feed, the water's moody, or there's a Y in the day
My message is.... if summat ain't working change summat...  do summat outta the ordinary... who knows... if it doesn't work try summat else... 🤷‍♂️😎👍

I’ve had more carp fishing “laying on” or with fishing the “lift method” with a cube of meat than I have any other method or any other bait.
 

If you want to up the attraction you could chuck in a few 8mm pellets with the chopped prawns, sit well back with the rod tip away, or parallel to the bank

That's great  thanks , Blue .
So I can see me margin fishing a Prawn on my 9' 11/2 t/c  fibreglass rod with 15lb line ? , and a Sz.6 hook ? .
😃

That's great  thanks , Blue .
So I can see me margin fishing a Prawn on my 9' 11/2 t/c  fibreglass rod with 15lb line ? , and a Sz.6 hook ? .
😃

Thought provoking post , Blue .
So do you buy ready peeled Prawns , or whole Prawns , and how would I hook them please ? .

I use the ready peeled from sainsburys, not the little'uns, the bigguns cooked or uncooked, chop a couple up to scatter in, no more's a couple. I use them whole hooked through the thickest part. Make sure the point of the hook is showing as a meaty prawn is tough to strike through... this is not a self hooking rig

I wish!
Can't see it happening, it didn't sell well, shame as it was absolutely awesome. Hydrotuff still your best bet.
Floater wise, can't help. Do a lot of zigging but seems years since I got a floater rod out.

Had diawa sensor and found it snapped like cotton in a few of the sizes 
only line I have ever been able to snap by pulling 
never even made it onto the reels 
used loads over the years
few of the gardener offerings 
the rig marole SLS 
esp most of the offerings 
Berkeley trilene 
ultimate etc.
sylcast 
and still have maxima on some sea reels
 
best was probably gr60

Show off 🙃

Impressive . I didn't know we had an intellectual amongst us , Elmo 😁 .

I've read the odd book and stuff 😂

You wouldn't tell anyone that part if you caught it hey - I've just had Nuggies, they'd think you just got over a condition lol

Personal gripe of mine that seems to be getting popular is venues allowing the angler to name the fish.  Absolutely would not happen if it were my water, they pick the worst names, zero  imagination, 'Suzie' - my wifes name', 'Brian' - my favourite neighbour- it's a joke, what happened to the creative names from the past that reference something about the actual fish.
I'd maybe let them suggest a name - then reject if it's poor, give them one more go and that's it - maybe ban the plonker 🤣
I was looking at a picture of a cracking mid 30 German fish that was obviously the son of a famous mirror in Bluebell (almost identical), and it was given a terrible name that meant nothing whatsoever 'Kev's Mirror' or something equally poor, done my head in.
Rant over - do better lol

D'ya know... when I started fishing with vintage gear, I was still using modern methods... hair rigs, lead clips boilies etc etc... but one thing I've found is that fish wise up to all this frippery... and one afternoon, I took a rod net mat and a pot of prawns... nowt else, and I caught... all I had on the line was a prawn, no lead, no putty, no swivels just a hook and a bait...
Our club lake has been carp fished for decades and they've seen every rig under the sun and everyone does the same... two rods one long one short, 30 baits around each lead clipped 5" rig, hair rigged size six with a 16mm boilie...
Nowadays there are different options of leads, hooklinks, self hooking rigs...  but so many folks use those options they're not different any more... so just a baited hook has been scoring, as the fish haven't come across such a basic rig... occasionally I use a bit of plasticine around a float stop for a bit of casting weight which can slide off the line in the event of a break, but in the main, its just a hook... pressured fish see every sort of rig nowadays... maybe try summat totally different...
 
 
Could it  be that carping has come full circle...???

I've used the Korda one mentioned and ESP zig and floater, both seem good to me 👍

Thanks Elmo , and Nick , sound advice there , many thanks .
😃

Water keeps rising 🤣 dry day today so should be off later 👍 no fish to report other than a tench 🤣

Ive got at least 10 buckets but my mate must have nearer to 30.
When we went Italy because I wasnt smoking I struggled to sleep and had weird dreams every night with at least 2 of which centered around a massive wall of buckets in someones swim it was like bait wars, woke up stressed out 🤣🤦‍♂️
The mans got 100 buckets, we're screwed! 🤣

You like the Hydrotuff, stick with it.
Sounds silly, but it can take a while to get used to a different brand or type of line.
Saying that, the Gardner lines, must be the best available.
 
Floater fishing wise, I go old school, still on Daiwa Sensor with a Berkeley XL, Preston Reflo or Drennan Sub Surface fly hooklink.

If you have no issue with hydrotuff, I would stick with it. 
 

Well... considering that Richard Walker's 44lber from Redmire kicked off the carping craze in the UK, I think its only fair we take note of the fact that he landed a 44lb Common on a 10 foot cane rod of approx 1.5lbs Test Curve... and not a spod rod 
Us vintage lads have seen everything in the carp world more or less, and we're still pulling 20's out on our bits o' cane...😉😛😎👍
 
That said, Walker was an innovator and I'm sure he would have embraced the modern methods had he been alive today

Do you mean us Pensioners , young man ? 😁

No I mean these guys 😂

Just thought the old school peeps might like their own vintage tackle section.