greekskii

At least they paid £2 for a premium lead though.

The mk1 delkins are great. The new ones don’t have the water ingress issues being reported, just avoid the version in between. Mini microns are a good choice of alarm, the originals were pretty much indestructible.

Are boilies boilies if they are steamed? Steamies aren’t banned 🤫 plenty of good suggestions here already. Pepperami is a great bait, dip it in marmite before casting out.

That’s a brilliant question. I think you’d be quizzed on them but can’t see why not, you can take food items through.

I expect to hardly get on the bank 🤣 My task for this month is to cut around the new ticket a few times with a leading rod and try and locate some fishable spots in all areas of the lake so when I can get on the bank I can drop rods on spots with minimal leading around.

Big no no! Can’t be baiting next to someone. but depending on someone’s situation they may just do it anyway. Imagine driving an hour to bait up and someone’s in the area but not on the spot, 2hr round trip and no bait, can see why some may just wing it out anyway. other scenario is, did they even know you were there with it being dark? Seen this happen multiple times in the dead of night, someone creeps round trying to be sneaky and ends up baiting on top of someone in the next swim about 10yards away. Then someone rocks ups 2hrs later and does the same thing, still under the cover of darkness. Club water antics at their finest!

A lot of places are now banning these type of cradles due to fish being damaged by them. Just a heads up as in all honestly there’s some great packaway mats out there now, sonik just released a zip up one.

This can be true. I’ve had a single bleep and woken up to my line pointing at a right angle and reeling down to a snagged fish that has just kited in to the margins. Slack lines don’t help this at all but sometimes needs must. Another thing to be aware of, if your pop ups are balanced so they very slowly sink, if you get done, you will still be fishing. It may have moved or turned the hook point so always worth a check but leave it a half hour and see if you get another pickup, can easily happen. Like I said though. A sharp hook is a must, the fish isn’t getting hooked using the weight of the lead when fishing chods so it’s even more critical.

I fish chod rigs a lot on leadless leaders. You need a sharp hook as the most important thing. Just spread boilies, they’ll work over smaller items of bait but the hooking mechanics don’t suit the way fish feed on small items. Yonny is right, you’re missing some part of the puzzle and a shake up of tactics is probably worth a go. Find some nice firmer spots, margins are vital on smaller waters from my experience, and fish bottom/balanced/low pop hookbaits over it.

The bag probably costs more than the boilies do.

Not walking enough to locate fish, not moving on to fish & convincing myself I’m close enough!

All of these stories are why I like to go where it’s quiet and I can do my own thing! Of late I have been pushed to fish busier waters due to lack of time but it’s done me in. I’d rather blank on a harder and quieter lake than put up with all that comes with busier waters! Had one matey turn up as I was setting up, saying how he had hoped to get in his favourite swim that I was in for the weekend. He lingered about until he realised I wasn’t going to give it up! He set up next door and watched me catch within 20mins. He was in a huff before he left my swim so can imagine he lost his head in the swim next door!

Plenty of rod licence money out there for predator fencing. 2x a year clubs and fisheries can split for it. When the otters start hitting the Scottish and southern salmon rivers and the MPs start seeing the issue firsthand it’ll change. Whilst it’s mainly coarse species bearing the brunt of it they won’t pay it much thought. Public opinions being another issue for MPs. They don’t want everyone to hate them, after all it’s a popularity game.

On minimal kit, I take the same basic kit whether I’m doing 1 night or 4, more bait and more food but everything else is the same pretty much. I could probably cut down further, and likely will this year for a new water with long barrow journeys. However all my kit fits on the barrow so nothing on my back. Under Barrow bag with spares and other things like sack, tripod, etc. bedchair on top, rucksack, food bag and unhooking mat on top, rods on top of it all. I’m like a few of you, I have loads of bits of end tackle I never use but just keep in the tackle box because of the dreaded “you never know” that hasn’t happened for 5 years+ 😂 need to sort that out this year!

This is why I like my walled mat. So much lives in it when it’s on the barrow or being carried. Throwing stick, distance sticks, collapsible bucket, any loose items pretty much. ideal if stalking too as you can just throw loads in it and off you walk.