chillfactor

fantastic bit of kit mate ... spooning a rig out on the money & tight baiting on those margin spots is a real winner in my eyes . always fills me with confidence , I need to get a longer one myself for my syndi next year plenty of possibilities on there with one .

this sounds like a "big fish Ken Story Carl" if you believed everything he said before he died, your be after 25 lb perch too !

I take it your Salford priors direction from your user name Carl ? Your drive past far better fishing than the town centre stretch if you are .... Although there are fish to be had there as mentioned but far more boat traffic & the rowing club . there's some good specimen fishing at Salford priors itself . also where the main road passes over it ( SDM) bridge screams carp & a prebaiting mission . just never got round to it lol I did start a little campaign down common road a few years back with the marina on the opposite bank, caught a couple of low doubles , but the masses of litter that greated me on arrival every time had to be seen to be believed so didn't stick at it . But that's where a couple of 30+ are known to be .... also if your not a big lad I would give down there a swerve especially at night .

going off cold now Gaz .... should think your in for a crisp night & morning . sunrise over a frosty lake .... magic

not the weather you thought Gary .good frost in the Cotswolds this morning & sunny blue skies. tight lines

perhaps start with lighter leads say 2 oz even miss timing one your 15lb line will take the strain . Your get used to leaning into the cast & getting your weight forward onto your front leg & then casting. as you get into a grove step the weight up . I really don't think you should need a leader for 120 & 15lb line especially sensor pretty tough so I here .

if you can, practice giving it some stick out of harms way .... miss timing the release will be the biggest cause of cracking off with us mere mortals... blokes like Terry are a whole different level .

watching back a Video of yourself casting is a great tip , slow motion is even better ( most phones have this function ) you can break down each individual part of the cast & really see what huge differences there are when you get it right & wrong & really see what your doing rather than what you think your doing . 150 - 160 should be achievable without a leader 15lb straight through. Just practice is the best advice & try a selection of leads some distance leads really wabble through the air , some are better for cross winds etc .

What sort of distance are you looking for Danny ? there may be no need for a leader

I use two rigs .... both very simple .

I have wraps for both my bivvy's & on the long winter sessions they definitely help keep the condensation down & ice out & warmth in .

Ate you planning on doing long winter sessions 2-3 days ?

I take it you've got a titan to be able to sit on top of it ..... show off

Yes that's it mate .... carp buda Followed by the rig epiphany

Cross legged by any chance ?

Likely story

Funny when ever you post pics of your rigs Nick I always think how untidy they look & I wouldn't be casting them out . Point being we all have different ideas on what a tidy rig looks like .

That's it mate .... learn as you go tweak here & there & your be sorted. Agree with Vic above it's the wrong hook pattern really .

Personally speaking I think you have decreased the hooking potential with the angled kicker. If you draw a line from the top of the kicker to the hook point your see how much you have closed off the hook & now have quite a narrow margin for the hook to grab .

Daiwa emblem spod reel . I use the free spirit spomb rod 13ft coupled with the reel above & can chuck a large spomb as far as I need. The speed of the reel getting that spomb back in with ease is a joy to use & you do feel the benefits if your baiting heavy at range .

The swim in my pic above gets very little sun even in the summer due to its position on the lake & tree cover, so doesn't get a chance to dry out. As Nige pointed out they really protect the ground more than anything.

They were a god send on that session Nige .... hammered it down 2 of the 3 days . The swim would of been in a terrible mess without them ,as would I . Just to add the ones on our syndicate are heavy duty jobs , non slip & also don't hold water & already in the swim. Would I want to carry one.. NO

Wouldn't go anywhere near delkims... everyone I have fished with who uses them always ends up turning the sensitivity right down to combat wind & rain / bird life / small species/ yeah great alarms ! And a privilege Which you have to pay way over the odds for .

Are you the geezer that does live raves from his bivvy I've heard about Welcome to the forum

Hi Richard.... the setup your describing is geared around speed , so lends itself to the match side of carp fishing . If speed isn't an important factor just go for inline & short rig straight through . Also I personally think loop to loop for any leader will definitely be the weakest point & 99 times out 100 the loop on the mono will give. Leaders when used especially longer lengths should be joined with the appropriate knot . Your always get different views on leaders so don't let that bother you ,but unless you really need one then it's safer not to use one . Big fan of tubing personally.