commonly

You could do with 6 rods in that swim looks so much to go for, I see the dude with the big bivvy is back… oh and nice reel  😎

Struggles pah! 
If I don't catch the biggun after this , there is no carp god. 
Lost 2 to cut offs, bivvied up next to a rats nest, caught a 12oz rudd on a zig, managed to get the extra night, went to the shops, was having a look round the lake, when I came back thousands of wasps are flying round the same rat tree. I've taken a rod, net, mat and the hand of god baiting pole and I'm currently perched on a boat. If it wasn't fishing I would have quit, but it beats a day at work so I will enjoy it anyway. There is still time for my luck to change. 

One of the smallest in the lake, but really nice to get and bend in the rods, from an old 2 acre pond.

One of the smallest in the lake, but really nice to get and bend in the rods, from an old 2 acre pond.

Whatever floats your boat init lol, I love catching Carp on the ressies, fishing at distance. When you lift into something feeling solid 100 yards, just feels wicked 👌 then it starts stripping you when youve got it half way back🤣 I find they fight so well on the ressies, 100% my favourite way to target carp lol. @yonnyit was your advice years ago that helped me get some of my first captures on a 90 acre water, which is now my favourite place to fish 🤣
I do try to mix it up a bit though, I go to a 4 acre estate lake with my dad, it's pretty easy to get a bite once you've cracked it, but tbf it's more about spending some time with him 👍
This year I've joined a complex with some stunning fish, I've managed 3 20s this year on the 4.5 acre lake, but still struggling on the 9 acre, not a single fish yet lol, they are very weedy lakes and just learning how to fish on them has been a massive learning curve and that's just presenting a bait 🤣

Im in a better place regarding the lake and the blanks, yes every blank session is a learning session, and i have tweaked my tactics and bait, to a point where i am getting odd half hearted takes, maybe nuisance fish but things are improving, thing is at 3 1/2 acres and heavy stock it should be a pretty easy venue, but i do enjoy being at the lake even if i dont catch

I find smaller lakes harder than bigger less pressured waters.
The fish tend to be more wary, more rig aware, even more bait aware, so getting ahead of both the fish and other anglers.
It is so much harder getting rigs that the fish aren't 'used to', although current fashions can make things a little easier if everyone is on spinner or Ronnie rigs, and you can come up with something different.
When I first went onto Brackens Pool I knew it was heavily pressured, and nobody used much bait due to the rules of no catapulting or throwing bait in, everything had to be attached to PVA. I came up with my sliding revolving ring presentation (an adaptation of something I had seen Rob Maylin write about), and used plenty of big stringers, 30 boilies at a time, and would put in as many as 20casts of stringers before my hookbait cast.
The first fish I caught was in a swim that was often ignored and was 30lb. 

I agree. Big waters are a case of find them, catch them. Small waters, anglers are on them all the time. You need a little time to figure it out.

I can relate to this massively. It was an 80 acre nature reserve with a very low stock that did it for me. I was nowhere near ready for it and blanked for a whole season before catching one right at the end (to this day one of the best I've ever caught). What a learning curve it was. The buzz from catching that carp set me on a path that I could never go back from.
There are very few blanks that wind me up. As long as I learn something (i.e. literally anything) about the lake or its inhabitants on a blank, I'm not bothered. Every now I'll have a blank session where nothing is learned and that's the only time I'll be a little peeved. Best thing for that is get back down there and bag one!

I'm like Ian in this respect, if it's easy what's the point?
Blanking is a natural part of the process and even if I were top rod on the venue there would still be lots of blanks going on.  The only people bothered by me blanking are friends and family who think it matters, I'm perfectly happy learning in my own time and enjoying the experience.  Looking back now I'd have hated to catch my target early, almost a fluke, not understanding what it means to be so fortunate - if and when my time comes it will mean more to me than 10,000 fish from easy waters.
Back in my 20s we fished a fairly large water, choked with weed and only 37 Leneys stocked in the 70s, we blanked for over a year but loved the lake, learning and social elements.  It took away any pressure to catch coz everyone knew the size of the challenge, we didn't really think about that or understand what we'd signed up to - we just enjoyed it.  We didn't know how lucky we were looking back was a great early experience that I still draw on now.

Couple nice ones on caught on solid bags, always good for a quick bite.

 

I have really used and abused my Aerlex's, for fishing, spodding and marker float work. I know that the gearing is lower,  reel handle turns compared to bail arm rotation, but I actually feel that may be better in terms of the work they do. 
I think I got them around 2005, so to be still going with minimal care is some going, just the occasional drop of oil. They get covered in groundbait, occasionally soaked and still do Big Boy work. Not bad for an £89 reel. I preferred them over the £105 Biomaster I think it was then, although it might have been I didn't want to spend the extra £20 each on 5 reels...
I've said since that Shimano quality has dropped, reels were built to last, now they are built to be upgraded or fail...
I'm still using my 7000 Beastmaster XTA's for fishing, and still getting positive comments from other people on the syndicate.
The DL10000's I have just don't feel as robust.
Give me the original Seaspin Baitrunners, or the 4000/6010 Aero GTE Baitrunners and I would be happy with them on lighter rods.
 

I've bought 2 shimano reels since my return to fishing and I've not been happy with either of them. Like you say the quality has dropped. I wouldn't buy another one tbh. 
I'm okuma all the way now tbh, great reels for the money the 8k is a great big pit reel, smooth, great line lay the drag is perfect and they handle anything I throw at them. They are the epitome of Elmo Proof. 
I was looking at the new versions of the big bomber spod reel last night the 8000 has a 128cm retrieve, if and when the rooblinos let's me down I will probably upgrade to one of these, then I can clean up the aerlex put the dodgy S clip back in and someone will still pay me loads for it, because it's shimano 😂

I've still got my biomaster xta 8000 reels, my dad bought them for me nearly 20 years ago as my first set of big pits, even though the bail arms have dropped slightly, they are still mechanically sound 👍
I retired them last year but got them back out recently for catfish and they're still going strong 💪

Well I picked a good day to log back in .
Congratulations on the pb hell of a common that mate 😎 
And thanks for the welcome back lads 😎

Where I live there is an abundance of disused ,deep quarries,some are barren,and fishless...but a few have some surprises and have held carp and other species for many years ..
When you fish these places,you have to think like a miner  ,and find the galleries, which are mined ,and step down into unimaginable depths ,find the galleries and you find the patrol routes..
The weather was awful ,I had a river running under my shelter,at one point ,wind,rain,hail,thunder,lightning..and a big fear of falling branches made it interesting..,then all the mica,clay residue gets everywhere...anyway ..
 
I found the marginal gallery, and fished very simple running lead tactics ,using the Ressi specials I use a lot..After the storm had passed ,I seen kingfisher,heard deer rutting,and woodpeckers, nature at its best ..

Ha! I’ve been lurking and not contributing for some time now but a new PB is worth sharing…..
I’m still on a session at Dinton’s Black Swan as I type this………Arrived at dawn yesterday. Clearly lots of fish still in the big ‘winter bay’ despite being on the back of a big SW. Lapped a couple of times, debating where to plot up with 3 nights ahead. Decided to keep it simple and put my rigs where the fish were actually showing rather than where they might end up……
Cast 3 singles out for drops amongst the emergent Eel grass which they seem so attracted to. Decided to get my head down for a couple of hours-I’d set off at 2.45am. An hour or so later I’m woken by a screaming Neville. Lifted in to a very heavy feeling fish which was dogged rather than spectacular. Worryingly, it hit the surface about 25 yds out and started shaking its head at me as I led it in; with braided mainline I’m always anxious when they do this with no water depth to cushion the lunges. Fortune was on my side and I netted a Common that got larger with every yard I gained. 
With the assistance of 3 other anglers we weighed and photographed an amazing creature of 53lb 2oz! Blown away! 

Great stuff lads .... good to see you out catching.  I'm off to churn pool at the end of the month with a few mates . First time fishing in a long time !  
Hopefully have something to write about.  

It wasn't until I encountered rats all over the swim, on the bivvy, everywhere - on a day ticket complex that I decided I needed a new dog if I was to enjoy fishing again.
I didn't feel ready for a new dog (6 months) but my daughter found one and put a deposit down in the hope I'd like it too - it was a great move looking back.
Still think of George daily but a new dog does help, we are supposed to have them at the end of the day being dog people - there's one out there waiting for you to give it a great life, that's how I see it anyway.  ❤️👍

I think the only difference is the LED, but not too sure for definate, you could email Gardner if you want to know for sure, I've only had the underlit so I think it's preference, I would definately advise on the deluxe receiver though, 
Sometimes the underlit can be hard to see in the daylight if you just get a single beep(good at night though) , and the single led to the side might actually be more visible in that situation but I tend to look at the receiver if I can't tell. 
 
 

So did you 🫢 got to be Blue, what’s yours ?

Well that contradicted me then 🤣
What colour are yours B B? 

I have one true green and 2 clear with green wheels, true green is better, but initially got a really good deal on clear before I broke one falling over  😂

Mine have lasted 8-9 years in all weathers (I did loose one when I damaged the gasket during a battery change, my fault tbh)
As @elmoputney says best alarms I've had.
So simple that nothing can really to go wrong with them.

Don't know who's making these pictures that pop up on FB but I find them hilarious 😂 simple things and that.
The write up for the bonny blue one good, she is opening a venue in Northampton 🤜