B.O.F.

Your bailiff would be having fits if he saw some of my rigs, no doubt about it. I fish some VERY silty waters, Cheshire Meres and old Mill dams in the main, and short hooklinks will often get dragged into the silt. Ok the fish are used to rooting about if they are hungry, but I doubt they will do it as much if they aren't. So I would be quite happy fishing a soft uncoated braided link of anything up to 2ft (if I am using a lead clip system). If I am using a helicopter rig or Chod rig with a leadcore leader I will use a hooklink as short as 4", as its the distance between the lead and the swivel that matters then, not the distance between the swivel and the hook. B.O.F. .

It's a very simple rig that can work very well, just don't use it on soft bottoms especially in shallow water, where the lead can bury and leave the thick stiff braid sticking up. Even Bream aren't thick enough to fall for that one. B.O.F.

At this time of year its not as easy as folk would have you believe. Not even on Prairie Lake. Give us a little more to go on, and we may be able to help. B.O.F.

They could use the Haynes Method of egg cracking (a la Carry on Cruising ). 1) Take a galvanised bath full of eggs, 2) drop from chest hight on to a hard floor, 3) strain resulting mess through a sieve! BOF

Dont know if I am wrong here, but I didnt know of any fishing other than sea fishing on the Park. You sure you dont mean Rookley Park on the Isle of White? B.O.F.

Try looking on Yorkshirefishing.net for a forum entry about my trip to Elphicks Prairie lake this time last year. The title was "In and Out" by the way. BOF