B.C.

One pair in kit bag.... One pair in glove compartment for any off the cuff walkabouts, nightmare not having polaroids..

It was a bit naughty holding a social on there when I think about it,... Most lads from up and down the country wouldn't know about that.... I didn't get any kit wet from the lake as I blanked and we've had good weather to dry stuff properly. But I shall re spool my reels as a precaution. I would deffo not have fished there had I known..... Lesson learned.... research a lake you don't know well before fishing it..

I know the feeling on that one mate.... Got Poundland reading glasses everywhere now, 2 in the kit bag and 2 in the van 😊

The spawning seems to be a bit sporadic round my way since that hot week a fortnight ago.... Hoping they go for it in the next few days so that it's over and done with, the water is very warm here too. Hope you winkle one out mate before they go for it...😊

When I turned up for a 48hr on the lake I wanted to fish, there were a few thrashing about in the weed , despite the drop in temps. I think the thick weed had helped to keep the water temp up. Jumped on the lake next door, very runsy. Fished until dark had a single figure mirror and a low double common. As dark fell I had 2 small cats and was plagued with liners so wound in and got some kip.... left in the morning. Not the session I'd intended, but good to get out and hear the buzzer go. Plan to go on the intended lake on Monday night.

Well in Chill, awesome looking carp 😊

Yeah, I was told this after the event...... All dried out properly and sprayed with steri 7, but cheers for the heads up.

All set for tomorrow, had a quick reccy tonight. The weed is up and the thick willow blossom is covering most of the lake. Think it's put a few off as there was nobody fishing.... Spotted a few fish in front of a swim that is fishable close in up to about 10 yards so if nobody is fishing when I arrive I think I'll chuck the weed rake out and make the clear area larger, enough to squeeze a couple of locked up rods on. Bait it, get the swim set up and have a wander while it settles down for a couple of hours.... It's a small lake of about 5 acres and the fish move around a bit, I've got 48hrs planned so don't mind making a bit of noise to start with... Hope it pays off 😊

Blanked the social, only one lad caught , from 25 anglers. The fish were not playing ball, not surprising with everyone turning up at once and a bit of noise going on.... However, these things aren't really about catching. Met some good lads from up and down the country....... It was held at Frisby Lakes near Melton Mobray, 30 plus acres with plenty of places for the fish to hide in , due to the island structure in the middle. Chris, the lake manager , has introduced 300 stockies to the estimated 300 odd fish already present, which go to 30plus...... Plenty of other species present including some sizeable pike..... If you are prepared for a bit of a barrow run, there are some beautiful swims around the back of the lake, lillies, finger bays, snags, it screams carp..... Set between two villages, both a couple of miles away, the place has a nice safe feel about it. If I lived local, I would definitely revisit, just to rectify the blank lol......... Gonna give my local waters a go this week...... got a carp cradle to Christen 😊

Got a social this Friday and Saturday, followed by a week of fishing depending on the spawning situation. Got a few lakes to chose from so hopefully they won't all be at it... If they are, one of the lakes contains cats , and they are well on the munch right now, so I will target them instead..... Not ideal, but at least it's a back up plan to fill the week..... Glad I got a load of chores done to free up next week, can't wait

Just bought a pair of these, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-NORTHWEST-Leather-Walking-Hiking-Waterproof-Ankle-Boots-Trainers-Shoes-Size/122423853396?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=422892424043&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 It's the second pair I've bought and I've found them to be pretty comfortable. They are very similar to Karimoor, which I have also used before and would also recommend for the price... If you are just using them for fishing they will last ages..... If it's raining or you are walking through wet grass, your feet will stay dry, but if you want to go for a paddle, pack some wellies/waders If you only do them up , up to the hooks, without using the hooks, they can slip on really quick when needed.

Could try over weighting the pop up a bit more, might help the hook stick enough for a full blown run.....

Unfortunately , the schedule 40 works out at about £2 per foot, as far as I can see so far.... Bit pricey really.... But does look a whole lot stronger..

I will look into it mate

Yeah....... Thanks for that......... It's a four man job lol

Thanks for the kind words mate. weather's been a wash out this week. Soon as I've caught up on a few non fishing bits I'll try and get my head round sorting this out..... There's a ToolStation near me that does 3mtre lengths quite cheap, about the same per mtr...... Might be worth buying these and chopping them in half, each length being 1.5 mtres instead of 2mtres, may make them easier to totally fill with the foam.... I think it would be difficult to make a dead straight one as the conduit , being black, absorbs the heat from the sun on the side facing up, and expands slightly, causing a slight buckle as the underside stays cooler...... I'm not too bothered if it looks a bit snakey, as long as it does the job.....

Well, I've got another shed to empty and shelve out. Probably find a few bits to get rid of ( although sentiment on some things makes it very very difficult to part with them)... I'll try and be a bit more savvy and look out for listing promo's next time lol....... Think the shift worker guy was just a bit unlucky for me

Good advice mate....... The last thing I sold on Ebay, the guy worked shifts, so the delivery (Royal Mail) left a slip through the door for him to collect at the sorting office, took him over a week and then another week to leave any feed back and then another 4 or 5 days for the funds to be released. In the mean time, I got charged 10% by Ebay, plus listing fees and lost another £8 for a handling fee by pay pal... I never bothered chasing this up, but I may have been overcharged somewhere along the line..... 2 x Att alarms plus receiver,plus spares kit decent condition.... Sold for £85 but cleared about £60 ish, plus I had to package and send..... I prob need to look into it a bit more to save money, but I hardly ever sell on Ebay, just buy, so don't really know the shortcuts........... Rods are the worst to send £20+ for postage, due to the length. Sometimes there's discount deals, but still £15

Hi mate.... The Ebay fees are a killer these days, plus you've got to pay postage and rely on them being delivered in one piece, and rely on the honesty of a total stranger to say that everything is ok when they arrive..... I have gotten rid of a few bits and bobs on Ebay, they take 10 perecent of anything sold plus charge for advertising it too...... Also, the cash isn't paid straight away, you may have to wait a couple of weeks before they release the funds........ A far better way , I've found, is too find a "used tackle group" on Face book, which is for your area. There are no fees involved, and people are local so they can collect or you can drop the bits off and the cash is straight in your hand.... Also, because there are no fees , you can price things slightly lower to help get rid....... For the sake of a couple of quid, I offer things dirt cheap, just to off load them... If there is no interest, then you could always pass them on for free to a youngster or someone who's a bit skint.

Rain has stopped play until the weekend..... Even gave the Sunday work party a swerve, did a bit on Friday for another lake, but this weather has put me back on a couple of other things, so I'll try and pick up where I left off in a few days once the weather brightens up a bit........ Hopefully

Greys tend to bring out a new range of rods every couple of seasons these days, or so it seems..... If I was buying rods for the long term, then Free Spirit, Century or Harrison, bit more expensive, but worth saving up for imo... British build and design and a far better chance of getting spares, should you need them in a few years time.........

No mate... Once cured, it's air tight and waterptoof.... Like a waterptoof honeycomb (if applied correctly) ...... To be fare I bought the cheapest one, I'm sure there are prob better quality versions with better expansion... It's used a lot in the window fitting trade to seal gaps when fitting..... So it's basically weatherproof... the bubbles are tiny and it would only be any broken bubbles on the surface of the foam that could hold a little bit of moisture. It needs a little thought, as once a can is opened and used, you really need to use it all at once, it sticks to anything and the nozzle will block up , as this too, will start to cure, there are cleaning agents sold separately to unblock the nozzle, but that's just more expense..... A decent sized can of the foam is around £5, and it did the 16mtres with a bit of waste...... I'm gonna mess about with the spare lengths over the weekend and another can of foam, try and work out a way of totally filling them....... There is a case to say that the foam may not have fully cured inside the poles I did, as I was a bit hasty to test it and only left it for 18hrs and not the 48 that I intended...... I think it's known as "learning on the job" lol

Totally agree mate... I rushed it a bit and there were deffo some air locks in their.... Might need a line of tiny holes along them to ensure the foam can expand fully inside and let the air out........ I'm open to suggestions lol

Anyway, I think there is some milage in this pole which works out at about £1 a metre all in...... I have some extra sections to make up, and I'll take a bit more care with applying the foam, possibly drilling a few small holes along each length to let the air escape as the foam expands........ It's not something I use that often, and it's very unforgiving stuff....... ATM, I'd say it was good for use as a margin baiting pole, wher it can be drifted into the bank, but like I say, in open wter it's a bit snakey, unless I can think of a way to stiffen things up a bit............

Took a piece down the lake to test it for buoyancy, and it floated no problem..... So went back and got the rest, screwed all 16 metres together and pushed it out onto the surface....... It floats like a dream and turns over really easily , albeit with no pot attached........ It was a bit "snakey" at 16mtres, but I applied the foam really quickly and I'm pretty sure there were some air locks inside some of the lengths, which wouldn't of helped...