crusian

Right under the trees it's been bearable, except between 4 and 8.
Sky has been swimming every day as we walk around to keep cool.
I'm up in the shallows, but until this morning I hadn't seen a thing. The deep end is wall to wall with thick weed and is unfishable.
The weed is what had drifted, so I was able to net it out. It left me enough room to have the rods over the top.

When I set up on Monday it was absolutely scorching, but was able to get positioned in as much shade as possible.
Well back from the water, and positioned so we only get the full sun from 4 until 8pm.
 
I say well back from the water, when the lake is full, this spot is actually underwater.

Ooh, alarm ears! I'd forgotten about them. There were two types that you could add to your Optonics: the fixed ears or the moveable ones.
I had the moveable ones so I could put my Optonics in the box at the end of the session. I had painted the fronts white so I could see them. 
I also remember the multi-pin jack plug sounder box that Efgeeco made.
Here is a pinched picture 
The funny thing is that originally Dellareed recommended Del Romang to convert them as far as I can remember, then changed their minds and took it to court.
Catchum, Rod Hutchinson's original bait company! Seafoodblend, probably one of the first fishmeal baits, and very effective.

https://esp-carpgear.com/product/balance-beads/
I've pretty much given up rig putty. I've lost too much and it doesn't seem to keep it's shape. I've been using ESP tungsten balance beads for quite a few years and can't see myself ever going back. The photo is a Flipper rig (the bottom bit of shrink tube pushes to the bend of the hook) and my bait has been nibbled away by roach or bream but the bead is on a Combi rig and pushes into the knot and pretty much stays there.
Its dead easy to reuse it as well, just push it onto a small baiting needle.
 

I sold my ATT’s alarms as I found in daylight it was hard to see the underlit wheel led so only knew which rod had the take by the dangling bit indicator moving.
Now use Fox alarms with dual LEDs on the ears and a lot more visible 

That's amazing - and the cheeky sods!
My mate spends a lot of time looking for stuff on facebook etc  got the collecting bug from another friend.
I've not got a fishing room, just fishing kit in every room, garage and attic 😀

I think the quote to be used here  is 
don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story..
typical journos 

Believe it or not I can possibly beat that 😅
I have a full size faux taxidermy carving of the ex record carp, Two Tone, fully mounted in mahogany case. The centrepiece of my fishing room.  There's a funny story that comes with it too.
I came across it on ebay. It was advertised as a carving so clearly not the actual stuffed fish. I bought it, knowing full well it wasn't real, for the fishing room and thought I'd see if I could find some info on it. I posted it on the old Anglers Forum but no-one could tell me anything about it. But, the Anglers Mail got in touch and asked to do an article on it. Me being me, I told them I don't really want to be in a magazine, and turned them down.
So rather than just leave it.... they made a story up. They published an article, using the picture I'd posted on the Anglers Forum, that said the buyer had purchased it thinking it was the real thing i.e. the actual stuffed Two-Tone. The cheeky gits. Naturally, I went back to them and called them scum of the earth A) for making the story up, and B) for stealing my photo. Needless to say they never replied. This was maybe 10 years ago but the story  was still available online not long ago.
I just Googled it and found the image but the link no longer works.
 

Cracking news mate, are you going to ban the magic twig on your water? 

Next social in your back garden then mate?

Well as purchases go they don't come much more exciting than a new home and a return to my beloved Nene Valley. Carpy in more ways than one; I'll be 3 miles way from the Valley itself and there's also koi to 30lb+ swimming around in the back garden! Offer was accepted on Friday so now I just pray that nothing goes wrong and we're not waiting too long.

Thanks crusian,and yes to your question ...( a lot of generations  esp in mining/ saddlers)

What lovely 'photos , Ouch .
I especially like the little girl holding the Carp's tail .

Visited a couple mates fishing the river yesterday and seen this, how cool 👌🤣

Then back on home territory and ,part of a 7 carp hit ,using single bottom baits over a scoop of dried maize 

Then a night float fishing with prawns ,after eels ,not a carp I know !

Across the border, forgot my passport and facial recognition but made it...OK.. lol

Father’s Day fishing trip 👍🏻

My staffy would probably run away from a rat 🤣
 

For years there were no problems at Taverham, then more anglers started fishing it when Anglian Water took it on and litter started becoming a problem. Klaus bought a brand new bivvy and rats chewed their way in through the groundsheet and into his bait and food bags. He found a chewed pack of bacon dragged outside the bivvy.
We get a few rats on the syndicate now, not many, and as you can see, they don't cause me any problems, thanks to Sky. How she can wait patiently on the lead until they get close enough to her to attack them amazes me, she's normally head down and charge.

I bought a new dog because of rats at fishing, having them climbing up my spod rod in the doorway and running all over the bivvy was the final straw at Bluebell lakes.  I'd never experienced that level of rat infestation there before because of my previous dog largely keeping them away. I keep all bait in buckets outside the bivvy.
They've damaged cars there eating wires and getting into the vehicle for food/bait.
Not seen one on my syndi in 3 years!

Why not just use a bucket?  they've never breached my ridgemonkey yet. I never leave my bait in the bivvy either. And always close my food bag, then I throw boilies in other people's bivvies works a treat 😂

Finally finished the van build, reckon a few laps of a big lake Is due
 

22lb common caught today 

another evening, another few hours spent by the lake side