wk9187

after having a very similar problem myself I asked the same question on here & the advice I went with was to swith to a mono mainline with a leader. I have started using a 12lb mainline with a 30lb braided leader ( lenght of the rod with at least 6-7 turns on the reel) and have yet to crack off again ! As I said I faced a similar issue & wasnt sure if was duff braid, or beacuse they braid kept drying out or if i had over filled the spool and the line was wrapping around the rings. What ever the issue was its sorted now I have switched over.

well if its any help there are two places that I would fish again. You could try the isle of wight fish farm, there are some nice fish in there for the size of water, and the guy who runs it with his wife are very nice and helpful. They have some very small ponds where you can go for a bit of sport, plus they have a trout lake as well if you like to fling a bit of fluff (had 3 fish out in 2 hours last time all around the 2 pound) I have fished this place a few time and even though I have been in the summer it has never been majorly busy. The other place I would give a try is hale common. Again its a small water (very coloured!) but the average stamp that I was catching was between 7-10lb and had a fair few in the day. Each time I have been there has only been one other person there. Take plenty of change as you have to get you ticket through an honesty box.

I went to fish this place a few years ago. Pulled up and spoke to the guy running the place trying to get a bit of info out of him having never fished there before, after waiting an eternity for him to even acknowledge me he was very rude and unhelpful and it was clear he really didnt want to give me the time of day. As i was on holiday i didnt have all my speci gear with me & enquired about tackle hire (as advertised on their site) only to be told ' you dont sound like a proper carp angler' Imo the small lake looked dreadful, very small with lots of peg... I didnt even bother to look at the large lake as I had already made up my mind that i would not be giving him any of my hard earned. I simply got back in my car and went else where. I have fished several other places on the island which I would/could recommend depending on what you are looking for.

I like to use short(ish) hairs about 5mm seperation with the hair coming off the bend Personally I think this a good starting point as you can always make it longer with some hair extenders if the situation dictates. I tend to have two type pre tied - normal bottom bait with hair coming off the shank and KD style for use with pop up/wafters - this covers 99% of my fishing situations

Hi all I have been tying my own rigs for a while now & have always made them up using braid. Having done a bit or research & from talking to & seeing what others at my local lake are using ive begun to start think about tying some using fluro & mono. However I'm a bit confused as to where & when it would be best to use each one. What are the advantages & disadvantages of each?? For example when & why would you use braid over fluro or vice verse, or when would you use mono over the other two?? There seems to be an endless & bewildering array of variations & I'm just getting a bit caught up in it all! Any help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks - just checked that out & might give that ago soon!

Hi all I'm looking to take a mate of mine fishing with me this weekend or the next. I'm looking for a decent runs water somewhere in either hertfordshire or surrey (have looked on past posts e.t.c but couldnt find anything) Just looking for a place where he (we) can get a bend in the rod as he has been with me a couple of times during the early spring on some big lakes (willows, rib valley) & as the fishing was pretty tough going we both blanked for several days! Dont think its doing the enthuasim much good If there was the possiblity of some bigger fish (for me )then that would be great but not essential as its better to get him catching & learning than sitting there blanking! Any help would be much appreciated!