crusian

I find I weigh the smaller species of fish Bream, Tench and Roach to the oz but large carp round it off. I weighed a large Mirror I caught in France on 3 different scales to try an get it to 50lb but it wasn’t happening lol so I rounded that off to 49 lb.  

I don't weigh every fish, although I do weigh a fair few.
Pike I tend to weigh if they look close to or into double figures, and carp on Bromeswell I weigh if they are around my estimate of 8lb, which seems to be an above average size for that water.
 
Roach if they are close to a pound get weighed, and bream my figure is above 6lb. Tench, I aim for anything above 6lb, so they get weighed, and chub my figure is 3lb.
 
In terms of pounds and ounces, and 'largest' fish or personal bests, the smaller species get accurate weights to the ounce, but carp and pike get rounded down. So my Alton pike this year bounced to 20lb 8oz, but I'll take 20lb as its weight. My largest carp was 33 and a bit, but to me its 33lb.
Bream and tench are a bit of a mix though. My largest tench is 12lb 2oz, but if it goes 9lb and a bit, i'll take 9lb. Same with bream, my largest is 12lb 4oz, but I have had others that I accepted 12lb as the weight.

After a break and now cominf to back to fishing. Im making the choice  to not weigh any fish.  Because that way im.hoping ill just enjoy the fish for what it is rather  then the lbs and ozs? 
Anyone  done the same?

Mine is like that, but as soon as she finds a job i do it, then they all build up, then as soon as I ask for something/to go fishing it's an OK. 
My motto is, sooner to do it, then it's done sooner 😁
I've only got to Jetwash the paths round house and finish front pointing(friend maybe paid to do this now).

So after the common I was limited to a couple of afternoons/overnighters due to a trip to Cuba with the Mrs, this took us into July. The fish I caught on this trip is an absolutely awesome looking kipper and was a bit dissapointed with the photos tbh (dodgy self-takes) but there you go. Enjoy:
Since catching the big common last month I've only managed a couple of overnighters on the bank and while I've not caught anything I've put the time to good use through observation. It's become clear all this hot weather had changed the habits of the fish and while they've been easy to find in the day it's not been so easy to catch them in those areas. I had a pretty good idea of where they could be caught having watched their movements during my short sessions.
On Saturday I was able to get out for another overnighter, only one car in the car park when I showed up, lovely......
As usual i found them straight away in a particular area but with the knowledge gained from previous sessions I knew that setting up on top of them was not the one. It really does take a leap of faith to walk away from a swim in which there's clearly loads of carp but that's exactly what I did, instead choosing to head towards the area I suspected they were feeding in. The swim I chose looked, for lack of a better word, completely dead, and I couldn't help but wonder about my sanity as I set up. I took advantage of the absence of carp by having a really good lead about, and after an hour or two I had the swim mapped and found what is probably the best spot I've ever found on this water; it was rock hard, clearly something had been digging around, a natural feeding area maybe? Confidence for the night ahead increased as did the amount of bait I planned to put in. Out comes the spod and 3 kg of boilie and pellet later I whack the hook baits out and sit down with a cold beer.
I was a little restless during the day and evening I have to admit, normally I'd be up trees, on the move, looking, searching...... but on this occasion I suspected the hard work was done and I just had to sit tight until bite time.... around 5 - 7 am. As it got dark I saw a few fish moving which suggested that my thoughts on location might be correct. I stayed up quite late and at around 1 am I got my head down having seen the odd fish but not as much as I'd hoped. At 3:30 am the rod on the new spot signals a twitchy take and I'm on it in seconds only to be disappointed that it's a tench. The moon is almost full and the sun is threatening to breach the horizon already so it's light enough to recast immediately. Two attempts and it's bang on the spot. Back to bed.
I'm struggling to sleep so by 4 am I'm back out of the bag just having a 'quick look' for carp (one of those quick looks that goes on for the rest of the day lol). I know I need more sleep but bite time is approaching and I want to see what develops. I see very little, a few tench, and I'm getting worried that my theory is completely wrong so doubts start creeping in.... wrong spot? too much bait? etc, etc.... until about 5 am when I see a carp pop its head out maybe 10 yards behind the new spot.
And another....
And another....
The next couple of hours is brilliant, I see a bunch of carp head-and-shouldering behind my spot and they appear to be getting nearer. At about 6 am I see one of the real monsters nut out, defo a 40+, and I'm smoking like a chimney trying to stay calm. It gets later, and later and before I know it 7 am is approaching which tends to signal the end of bite time..... and the sightings are starting to slow down.
It hits 7 am and I've not seen one for a while, I'm guessing my chance has gone, very disappointing,  so I head back to the brolly to see if I can sleep. I lay down and....
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..... off it goes!
Into the waders and I hit it - straight into the weed and it's locked up. I've just moved to drop off leads however (don't normally like to drop them but a lot of fish are being lost recently so it's mandated) which helps no end. I tease it out with relative ease and pump it back. I have to say it behaves well once hooked and the fight aint spectacular, which I'm not complaining about with all this weed around. Within 30 yards it's up near the surface and I tease it over the absolutely savage marginal weed beds and straight into the waiting net. Sigh of relief,  job done, get in!
Peering into the net I see it's a proper looker, a very dark double row linear, clearly a male fish, torpedo shaped, long and solid. Good size too, maybe a 30....
It turns out he's one of the oldest fish in the lake, one of the originals, been fished for since the first anglers hit this lake, a slow grower that's been steadily increasing in size over many years. He's a rare one, a once a year fish at most, so I'm feeling rather pleased as you can imagine. On the scales he goes 30 lb 6 oz, the first time it's done 30, which adds to my good mood.
The fish looks awesome in the morning sun, black down it's back, rosewood down it's flanks, and an almost mustard shade to it's belly. It's top half is like a fully scaled, as is it's front end and tail, with just a broad area either side of it's belly clear of these big golden scales. They really do not come much nicer that this, I'm well happy, so I take one last look before sending him back. The view of him snaking his way back out through the marginal weed forest is pretty breathtaking. Lovely.
I hang around hoping for a late morning bite which doesn't happen so I go home. Job done, happy days, I bloomin' love carp angling........
 

This is one of my pet hates... for stalking I use a split cane 8' Sharpes of Aberdeen rod with test curve of about 1.5lbs... there really is no need to go heavier than 2lbs for stalking with a ahort rod... my normal go to carbon carp rods are Nash Dwarf 2.75lb 9 footers and my vintage rods are again Sharpes of Aberdeens 9' 3"  maybe the same poundage probably less
Tackle shops are always trying to sell you what they want you to have rather than what you want... a good stalking rod can be had from NGT its a 2lb tc composite of 8' a through action and lovely to use... £20 to you sir.... (Go Outdoors also sell them)

Most definitely a through actioned rod for dealing with that surge close in, you want to be able to 'feel' the pressure you put on and a through actioned rod definitely does that.
 
Personally, I would go for a 9ft in 2lb or even 1.5lb if you can find one. While fishing close in, you get always keep back from the bank, and unless you are jungle fishing, fighting through undergrowth, the longer rod is a better choice for me.
 
You don't even need to think of necessarily rods described as stalking rods, there are good alternatives. Stalking rods are often 'carp taxed'. An Avon or Barbel rod with those 1 1/2 or 2lb test curves makes a very good stalking rod. For years I used a 9ft Spinning rod, my current incarnation is a barbel rod. 
My stalking goes from freeline floater fishing under the rod tip, to lowering bottom baits in at my feet to a gentle flick out with a float.
I have landed 20lb carp on an Avon rod with 6lb line, not once feeling outgunned, although playing it away from lilies was a bit hairy😖
 
This is where the extra length comes in handy as you could be fishing in 6 or 7 feet of water, and casting a float set slightly overdepth with a 6ft rod can see you struggle.
 
 
 
 

The latest video from Tel on his exploits on the Thames. No one tells a story like Tel, I could listen to him read the shipping forecast and not get bored! Very interesting revaluation about Nick Huellers 50lb'er that was reputedly ottered, perhaps it wasn't after all (or at least when it was alive.)

It sure is some place. There are 3 or 4 absolute donkeys in there. I'd love for just one to get caught so the doubters know for a fact they are in there. 
And I'd hazard a guess that the fish you lost, the couple I lost and other fish that I know have been lost are more than likely these fish that are doing it. 

Its not for everyone but I loved it on there-just wish I’d had the money at the time to renew my Gold ticket. Biggest I had was 38 too. Like you I was flat rodded once in Peg 1; lost it to a hookpull, partially opened a Drennan Conti Size 4😳. Saw an absolute chunk in front of Peg 3 whilst out in the boat-thought it was a log until I drifted over and it grew fins and waddled off-I very nearly fell in!

The hooklink was a bit curly as it came off the spool, but was worse when I stripped it back away from the knot.. another upside is it makes the knot bulkier and grips your putty better

So after a couple of people saying they would like to see/hear about my time on dinton I've managed to find my pic's and even my old diary/ fish lists. So here goes, I'll start with my best session I had on there. I'll give a little insight into the season first  and to what then followed. 
So its 2006 and just before the start of the season a mate i worked with , who also fished dinton, asked me if I'd like to go on his bait. It was a homemade bait so something I'd not really done in my fishing and especially as I was more than happy with premier baits and also the fact that I'd given a recipe to tony at premier for him to roll for me and some mates on dinton that year but I wasn't sure. This mate and a few of his mates always caught loads of fish from dinton. 20 plus fish a year each which isn't or wasn't heard of on there, especially being they were all weekend anglers and along with the numbers of fish they also caught the big lumps. Over and over they would catch them between them all so I decided to go with him purely on the fact his bait had a knack of catching big fish. So my mates were left with the new premier bait and I went with my mate I worked with. He decided upon a milk protein bait to use that year, a very high protein one at that. So opening night (june 15th midnight)and my mate bags a 49lb mirror, the other bloke on the bait had a 44lb mirror and I sadly had nothing. I blame the draw Haha,  but straight away he was saying, "told you, this bait will have'em this year". Fast forward to the middle of October and we were struggling like mad. I'd had 4 or 5 fish til that point and my other 2 mates not much more. My other mates on the prem though (4 of them) all into double figures with a couple of the bigguns amongst them. I was well gutted, what a waste of a season I thought. Though my mate whose bait I was on said, " don't worry, this bait comes into it's own in the winter.  The colder the better". The following weekend and he had bailed out and gone to an easier water, now I was doomed. Now a lot of hard work, a nice slice of luck and if I do say so myself a pretty good bit of angling changed my season around.
Now fast forward again to 19/01/07 and my best session.  
So I get down usual time of about 3pm on the friday. Only a handful of us fishing the lake now as most packed it in at the end of October , so knew I'd get "my "swim. I was baiting 3 spots in this swim and had been since mid August when that area became unfishable so I hatched a plan to bait down there knowing it was free food for the fish and no one could fish off my back. So all sorted by 4-30pm. At 5-00pm I'm off to my mates swim, so I place my Neville sounder box on a bank stick as I had the box with wires back then and faced it towards my mates swim which was about 250 metres away (yes not good angling but it's what we did). So I get round there and its pitch black,  tea in hand my mate says "that a red light on your sounder box?". I looked up and said yeah but it will go out in a second,  did it hell. So I'm sprinting as fast as I could along the path, the nearer I get the louder the Neville is screaming.  I hald expected to find swans as it was pitch black and couldn't really see from my mates swim. No swans, middle rod is ripping. I lift the rod and thump,  thump,  thump.  Christ I thought, this is a lump. Not a spectacular fight, just a heavy weight.  My mate arrives as the fish is nearing the net and one scoop it's in. Head torch on and there's a lump of a mirror "the dustbin ". Onto the mat , in the sling and needle stops at 44lb 06oz. Well made up. Lift the fish for the pictures and right rod bursts into life. I hit the rod, one mate sorts the fish and another is there and he reasembles the net. Play the fish In and again no real fight but a heavy weight.  In the net and torch on and a big common is staring at me. So sort the common out and a new PB common of 38lb 06oz . So a bit of composure and we do the pics, mirror first and then the common (the blind eye common its called). Blown away and a call to a good mate to say what happened etc. Now later that night one of my mates had the biggun at 53lb and ounces and another mate had a 32lb mirror.  
So first light and camera in hand off I go to take pics for my mates. The mate I called the previous night said he'd be down as he wanted to see the 50lber.  Now once again not good practice but I left my rods out and bearing in mind one mate is the opposite end of the lake to me  and being 23 odd acres I'm a little off my rods. First mate done,  the 32lb mirror.  Then to my next mate with the 50, he's only 200/300 metres from my swim. We do his pics and hand shakes etc and I head back to my swim with my mate who drove down to see the 50. My mate asked if my rods were out and i said jokingly "yeah of course, I've probably got one on". Walk into the swim and left bobbin is jammed into the Neville's wheel. Pick up the rod and once again just a heavy weight and not being big headed but after catching a few chunks you kind of know when you've got a kipper on. So in it comes and it rolls into the net, yup it's a kipper.  On the scales and the needle stops at 42lb. This is a fish known as "Astra" . Absolutely gobsmacked, I recall feeling 10ft tall, on cloud 9 literally.  The rest of the morning and day past and it was soon dark again. It was just past 6pm and right rod goes, this time a 32lb 12oz common Grace's the net and my last fish of that session.  I recall walking back to the van grinning from ear to ear. And not just for me but my mates 50 etc.
Dinton doesn't give up its residents that readily,  maybe half a dozen on a good weekend in summer or autumn but that weekend there were 8 fish banked. It was and still is my best session and one that I know I'll struggle to beat and it became the centre point of what turned into one hell of a winter for me. 

This last pic is of my fish list that season. The last 10 were from November til the end of the season which was the end of March. 

Been looking into  it. The seat is extra cost to bucket. So its like  £50 for the bucket and seat which is a lot of money for what it is 

Thanks fellas .
The reason I ask about loop size is because of the height the pop up will sit at ( which is what I use for most of my fishing ) .
I remember a thread which was talking about smaller carp approaching the pop up along the bottom of the lake and so the pop up would be obviously off the bottom ( and possibly make them wary )  , but larger carp because of their bellies would have to approach  at an angle from above and therefore the fact that the pop up could be up to 3" off the bottom wouldn't be so blatantly obvious .
😃
 

Thanks fellas .
The reason I ask about loop size is because of the height the pop up will sit at ( which is what I use for most of my fishing ) .
I remember a thread which was talking about smaller carp approaching the pop up along the bottom of the lake and so the pop up would be obviously off the bottom ( and possibly make them wary )  , but larger carp because of their bellies would have to approach  at an angle from above and therefore the fact that the pop up could be up to 3" off the bottom wouldn't be so blatantly obvious .
😃
 

I’d say fish size isn’t the only thing that comes into play when choosing hook size, the water I fish is very weedy and a size 4 gives me that extra confidence when playing fish through that thick weed... especially because there’s a barbed hook ban also.

This looks much better...
 

Looks spot on mate. 👍

Looks better I think 👍

I use it as an all round rig as well. 

And forgot to mention there always hooked bang in the middle of the bottom lip. 🙂👍

I've been using the multi rig for around 12 months now and I've always used a curve shank hook with it and always a bank tackle size 6, up to now I don't think I've lost a fish in all that time. I'm 100% confident in this rig I use it for bottom baits, pop ups and wafters. A massive bonus for me is that it is so quick and easy to tie. 🙂👍

Haha, neither do I. One thing though my mates takes are absolute rippers  on these 6oz leads. With most anglers using 2oz - 4oz leads,  the fish ain't got a clue what's hit them. 

Just thought, I only use 16mm pop ups on this rig. Bait size my alter the hooking potential,  I don't know for sure. Yet my mate he always goes against the grain, 6oz leads, 12inch or longer hooklinks if most are using 6-10 inch hook links and his pop ups for this rig are 20mm and he nails them also. My mate is currently fishing  dinton and he will not use any other rig since he's gone over to this. I think in the 4yrs he's been using it he has only ever had 1 hook pull , which on a lake like dinton or any lake for that matter, you don't want hook pulls. And he always tells me  how they were nailed when he goes to unhook them.  

I'm not holding me breath...🙁