gjc1

says it all really !!!!!!!!! no instant fix so move on ! i personally wonder how folk can invest that sort of money on a whim and then just change their mind ,is that amount of surplus cash available ? i know for me its not . changing worlds

very well put on all points ! its maybe an age thing lol ,im also of the same age group and fished for the last 51 years ,starting as a pleasure angler at 6 years of age then under the wing of an uncle match fishing then moving to carp in the mid to late seventies in the midlands,a change of area then found me game fishing ! up to this point there was no internet or social media so as has been said other than the odd magazine and caa meetings it was down to info gleaned from tackle shops or on the bank then along came the internet and things seemed to change very quickly ! info everywhere ,cheap imports ease of access to bigger then bigger fish and better then better venues driven by price ! were victims of our own success ! personally i can see why people drop out of fishing as quick as they drop into it ,theres no need to put in the ground work to catch a large fish so theres a lesser sense of achievement , it took me years to catch a a carp of 20+ wading through hundreds of smaller fish first ,its the same with other species ! would i change owt ?? NOT A CHANCE licence checks in this time ! once during the coarse fishing closes season in wales "i was probably about 17 at the time as id just started driving" yup once in 51 years !!!!!

thats about my thoughts as well !! its was just like this in the sixties and seventies as well as later. theres the issue of people generally wanting everything NOW and instant success ,being partly driven by imported fish and larger stocked weights, in the 70's/80's there were more naturally stocked fish and having to work harder for them created more of an achievement ! now it seems that possibly because of the easy dissemination of information via social media and the internet that achievements are much shorter lived and not worth as much ! " just my thoughts! there are also other thoughts lol" signed "grumpy old git" lol

a bit late really " well no VERY LATE " not been on for a while but ive had a few (6)trips out now on the big water with the low stocks of good fish since reporting last,im feeling VERY comfortable now being back at carping but its very quiet up here now with the weather ,we had a cold spell starting a few weeks back that came in all of a sudden and even knocked a commercial ive been having the odd day on off the feed ,ive stopped the pre baiting now for this year and planning on starting again next spring when the weather warms up again ! if we should get a warm spell ill get the gear out again but now im thinking of starting on a bit of piking until spring ,on a positive note when i do start carping again ill be hitting the ground running Plenty to catch up on on here though ,all the best guys

no ,no more liners ,the more i think about it im convinced now they were dropped baits,possibly off the bream in there ! yep really enjoying being back and that distance is to much for me (i used to be able to get around 130-140yds with a clipped down rig with shore gear) but not with any carp gear and arthritis ! nice to see and a confidence booster all the same as because of the low stock and size of the water its a rare occurrence .likewise on yours bud

managed another outing yesterday "same water and same swim"and almost the same tactics ,same result as well ,joking aside though im feeling A LOT more comfortable and settled whist fishing ,i fished one rod on a tigernut snowman and the other rod on a plain double tigernut and the other on a method feeder with various offerings out of my baiting/spod mix,one plus was during a lull in the rain i had 2 fish show themselves straight out from me , i couldn't get out to them though as im guessing around 150 yards + or there about ,still its food for thought and a confidence boost for next time ,hopefully end of the week !

yup they are used for tube fly heads mainly and you can get them for hooks as well ,they are "as far as im aware" only available cone shaped though!

shhh no shouting , i think your spot on about late spring , thats my initial thoughts as well ! but youve got to have hope and dreams to keep you going ,and all the time i can spend on the water this season/year will stand me in good stead for the spring i fish against myself and the water as ive said before so any fish i eventually do get is a step forward for me , plus there is always the possibility of a very good fish .no rush !, no panic ! and no publicity ! its all just for my own personal pleasure as it should be

not sure if this is really the right place but ! aye just a bit gaz ! cant do interactive bank though im a bit of a technophobe and only do dumb phones ,im just really getting a feel for the place, though ive spent a fair while just looking around before the fishing started ! ( i was hoping to start around may/june but building work unexpectedly started and i had to delay) and i have settled on an area that i know has and does produce fish occasionally " recon im wearing a trapper badge " pretty much agree with whats been said about baits by yourself and big common and settled on particles " as ive a lot of confidence in them from when i last fished for carp 30 odd years back and happy to stick with them for the duration plus its a big water with little pressure on the carp "or other species"from large quantities of boillies or other hnv baits so its natural ish ,whether this is the right approach or not time will tell ! theory behind the particles is i can use a variety of particle hook baits or fish a nut based boillie over the top (so it has a link to the basic background taste) giving a bait size the fish are used to ! im pre baiting twice a week regularly with about 1.5kg each time and generally trying to fish the morning and day after the pre bait and putting in about 1/2 a kg on each spot on leaving ! its taken a couple of sessions to get the feel of the tackle again so it becomes second nature ,and something i dont have to think about !,(i spent a day on a commercial just to give me a day casting,baiting up and handling fish again which helped ),its getting closer now to the stage where i can start thinking of doing a few over nighters ,im fortunate that i can get out mid week as despite the size of the water there are very few accessible swims and im limited due to a few mobility issues i will get there eventually no major rush ,im just enjoying being back on the water fishing for carp again.im having another session monday and ill get out later in the week as well ,each time out gets better and i discover something new and fresh about the water

cm temps are due to drop up here after monday "hence mondays planned outing "

doing the same sort of strategy myself ,i can get at the pre baited area from 3 swims without disturbing anyone ,im baiting from a double swim in the middle, into 2 separate areas (baiting with an idea from you , spreading the bait about a little bit rather than concentrated)1 at the left and 1 at the right of the swim then if the middle is taken i can still fish one rod on the edge of a baited area " well thats the plan for now anyway ,mondays the next outing ,baits prep'd and waiting and fermenting nicely !

definitely phill

fishing the same swim as last time gaz? good luck any way

the very best of luck gaz !

good luck ,keep us posted