B.C.

I was thinking about this a couple of days ago funny enough, as I was fumbling through the shed and found a couple of lengths of conduit. I just haven't got round to it. Since new year we've had snow, rain, snow ,rain it seems, whenever I've had any spare time.......As soon as I do, I'll post something up. I'll definitely be needing some kind of baiting pole on a couple of new waters..... I've thought this one through a few times......... Does a rig lay flat on the lake bed just because it's flat as it hits the water?..... Surely the lead sinking faster than the rig will effect this? I would think that the rig is vertical to the lead as it sinks. Anti tangle sleeve, small weight/putty half way down the rig and a couple of nuggets at the hook end should help with the rig straightening out as it sinks on the deck with a semi stiff hook link.... Maybe a slight tug once it's on the deck, if the bottom allows, before the nuggets rise.. I watched a fella using a homemade set up last year on Snake Pit, similar to what I described, that's where I got the idea from. He'd cut a "v" shape at the front of the little platform and just jerked the whole thing off (There's probably a smutty joke in there somewhere ). Once the rig and lead were off, he was able to lower it slowly by paying off some line. The "v" also helped with line lay on the retrieve of his baiting pole. He'd clearly been using it a while and made it look quite easy, but probably takes a bit of getting used to. I'll try and get something done over the next fortnight....... The year is flying by already.

Hi, mate, only just seen your post..... The work party was well worth it on the Sunday, good to meet a few anglers on my club ticket and get a little insight into one of the lakes, albeit other species, tench and perch.... The carp scene on that lake is pretty hush, a good few visits needed and a bit of working it out for yourself on that front, but tbh, that suits me.......... The 48hr session on the old club lake. Well, I went for a look the evening before I was meant to go and it proper knocked the stuffing out of me.... Someone has fly tipped near the gate and no one's bothered to clear it, been there for a few months now, dirty kecks in the car park and two lads fishing with 3 rods out each and nowhere to be seen. I found them chatting at the other end of the lake , whilst I was doing a lap. Had a word, even though I don't bailiff it anymore.. It's gone to the dogs a bit, to top it off I heard that one of the bigguns was found belly up a few weeks ago, but the club aren't saying much as to whether it was ottered or not, they are a PLC and are frightened of a drop in membership..... For the record it was a nice linear of around 37lb at this time of year. So glad I'm out of that club for now. I never bothered with the session, felt gutted for a couple of days and just walked around my new syndicate a few times, didn't see much..... It peed it down for the next couple of days and then we've got the bank holiday.... Tuesday looks good for me now, back on an old ticket I used to fish. Two lakes, one being a runs water... If the main lake is busy, I'll plot up on the runs water see how it goes..... Here's the Lin at 35lb couple of Autumns ago...... RIP.

I had a far bank spot at 65 yard between two sets of gnarly old tree roots, dead clean bottom where I'd been baiting, caught quite a few from there, about 10 years ago now, until one of the green eyed members decided to cut himself a swim on that bank, right on top of the spot, taking out some of the roots in the process...... Needles to say, he messed it up for both of us. I could hit the 4ft gap with ease on the lighter rods at that range, but could only get 80yds max with that set up...... Haven't fine tuned any real tight spots on my new water, so it's open water casts to baited areas about 10mtrs squared up to 100yrds or so. There are plenty of snaggy coves like the one I described above, at shorter range, just haven't been able to get in those swims yet. The lighter set up will probably get a run out , when I do get in there. Until I get a better feel for the beefier set up, which is getting there slowly. Unless I get over there with an almost empty lake side (not likely for a few weeks).. Then it's just the one cast per rod atm on short sessions.... Need a 48hr over really to give them a good blast about, and get a proper feel.

I found my older softer rods to me more accurate, perhaps it's just because I used them for so long that I got to know them better. I could hit an area the size of a car bonnet at 70 yrds clipped up, between snags or overhangs no problem. I also think this was because I wasn't really putting my back into it, so it was a more controlled cast....... In trying to improve on distance, at this stage, I'm a bit less controlled, so accuracy suffers a little so far.. There's a lot to be gained from technique, and plenty of YT vids outlining feet and arm positioning, bit like a golf swing (not that I play golf), but if the ball hits the sweet spot on the club it goes further with less effort. The sweet spot in terms of casting, would be getting the feet and arm positioning correct and releasing the line/lead at the correct angle. Once that is mastered, then a bit more brute force can be added, after that, the fine tuning comes down to kit imo., ie lead size, mainline etc and possibly using a shock leader.

TBH Tn, I'm up there with the worlds worst casters compared to most. Think it's years spent on small waters where 40 to 50 yards is enough.... And the kit I was using was geared up for this kind of fishing and with my bad casting technique, I struggled to hit 80yds, with a rig attached..... I had Shimano XTC 5500 reels and some old Fox Aquos rods that had softened up over time and had a 35mm Butt ring, great for playing fish on, but not great for casting too far.... I then went on to purchase some Shimano Tribal Velocity 3.25tc, with a 50mm butt ring and a larger 16mm tip ring, they were not expensive , around £50 at the time...And even with the small reels, the difference in distance was noticeable with the larger ring set, gained 20 odd yards without much effort.... Also switched to using a helicopter set up,with a 3oz zip lead which is designed with distance in mind. I was getting more distance with the Shimano rods, but went through a run of blank sessions, which in hind sight, could of been down to the heli set up affecting the sort of bite indication I was used to, I should of hit more of the single bleeps I was getting.... The run of blanks, got me all superstitious (madness I know).. So ditched the rods for some discounted Sonik S6, pretty much identical, same ring set and tc, got hold of some larger reels and can hit 100-120 yds now, purely down to a change of kit, my technique still sucks...... The next step for me is to improve my technique and then start going through some different mainlines, hopefully with some advice on the forum, having learned that most of the fish coming out on one of my water's are getting caught at 150yds. And only by a couple of guys that can hit that range. The fish have yet to really start moving around and are showing around a snaggy island at about 170 yrds..... A clear indicator, that having a long chuck in your armoury, is a definite edge over most anglers in certain situations..... Something I'll be working on this year.

Compared to yester year I'd have agree. And for most of us they are adequate,,,, Every now and then, you just need that little bit of extra "something" in any kit. And I think that's where the kit in the upper price brackets earns it's keep.... Slowly getting round to upgrading my kit.... The Cotswold Aquarious Pond Creeper looks the biz,( not a rod, but a carryall) all British too, it's on the wish list..... More like dreaming list

Yeah, it's often a false economy buying the cheapest... Obviously budget comes into it for all of us. But an upgrade, should be exactly that. Save the pennies for batter rods if you can. Otherwise you are just buying like for like in most cases imo. Welcome to the forum.

50 yards?..... Are you sure it's just the rods that are letting you down on distance? Sounds quite a short distance imo. Could also be spool size, type of mainline, or the sort of weight and shape you are trying to cast..... .... Just a thought, and a few things that you could tweak to gain a bit more distance.... All the best

For the budget you mentioned, the Wychwood 101 or 201 range are worth a look. A friend has some 3.25 tc, for a couple of seasons and they do the job. Atm, over here , you can pick them up for around £40 with Duplon handles, slightly more for cork handles....(101's). The 201's come in a bit dearer at approx. £50 I can't vouch for any that you listed in the OP.... But I've used budget Fox in the past and found them to be ok too.....

I have a couple set up on buzzer bars and 1 on a single stick, like Greeksi... The buzzer bar is handy as some waters are 2 rod only. If I use a third rod, which isn't often, then the single is placed somewhere to the side, giving me a bit of room in the swim, and usually fished down the edge, out of the way of the other two rods. This works for me, helps when landing fish, and less likelihood of all 3 getting wiped out at once by a fish,swan etc It's always handy to own a pod of some sort for when the ground is rock hard in the summer months, or if your water will accommodate stage stands, they too , are a good option when the ground is hard........ Rods don't always need to be perfectly aligned like a mag shot, fish the situation that is in front of you. Singles are best imo, but you can't always get away with it depending on your swim and how hard the ground is. I think, in the main, it is largely a personal thing whilst the ground is soft.... Once it becomes rock hard, then the pod gets a run out for me.

Haven't had any probs using it (touch wood).... But did feel quite wirey/stiff whilst loading, even after a two day soak... The swims I've fished recently haven't required much of a chuck though.

Personally think 10lb is a bit on the low side. ...... Even some of the smaller, scatty, male fish give the run around under the tips sometimes. And any bankside snag, they'll look for .. If you are not going to fish at range, 100yds plus, where a smaller diameter line will help you gain a few yds on the cast. Then i'd up the bs to 12 or 14lb...... Some waters will insist on higher bs of 14lb and above. You may get away with the 10lb for the next month or so... But once any weed growth or bankside foliage takes hold, I'd be looking to up the bs... Welcome to the forum.

It's the tackle firms that are the middle men in most cases. There would be more room to play with their mark up, then the Tackle shop's mark up imo. Totally agree, always best to see something in the flesh before a purchase. If you've got a decent local, they will often give you some feed back too, on what other customers have said about certain items. The opening times of my local don't make it easy to fit too many visits in, but I absolutely love browsing in there. Probably take for granted that he will always be there (been a tackle shop on that site or the building next door since before I was born).... He retires in a year or two and has been able to run the place as almost a second interest for some time. A real aladdins cave of old and new bits. Not sure, these days, if it could be run as someone's sole business interest... If it does eventually close as a tackle shop, I'll definitely be having a good rummage about beforehand.

I wouldn't touch their bait and some of their comments on the use of salt, such as "Carp can't get enough of it" , are not the best thing to put in print either imo. I'd agree with what was said in the OP about mark ups on most terminal tackle being too high. But I suppose that, if you are careful with your angling, you won't lose much end tackle anyway. So paying the extra for something you trust in, isn't such a big deal...... I just get annoyed, when inferior tackle is sold at quality prices from some corners.

At least Cherry are being honest in this instance. They are saying what we've all been saying and thinking for years. I honestly don't mind paying extra for anything that is 90% manufactured in this country by British workers. But if tackle companies are just acting as middle men for Asian manufactured products, but still selling at the same prices as if they've actually created and made something themselves, eg 300 or 400% mark up. Then I'll happily spend half an hour to source the exact same product and cut out the middle man, if possible..... Imagine being sponsored.... You can see the look of distain on most of their faces in promo vids, when they are obligated to plug a 10p piece for a fiver...... embarrassing. Must really suck the self respect out of a man.

Always worth a look imo..... Especially for outdoor clothing.

Work party tomorrow morning on a club lake, then a good walk round the syndi late afternoon/evening. Supposed to be quite mild, so hopefully see something pop it's head out .Gonna use up the last 2kg of last years bait on a midweek session on my old club lake, hopefully 48hrs. There's a week left on the ticket My weekend is a bit staggered finishing off a job and doing a work party.... And what with the up and down weather we've had, The few walkabouts I've done have been pretty much fruitless. My season starts proper on Monday. By that, I mean, I can really start putting my head into my new waters..... Out with the old and in with the new.... Buzzing .

^^^^^^^^ What he said.. They work pretty well in the cold too. Not as good as a coleman in real cold temps, but better than any gas stove I've used.... The Coleman has been relegated to the shed since I bought the £20 version of the bulin.....

I like the ESP Cryogen range, haven't even considered looking at other hooks for a couple of seasons now... A lot is down to personal choice. Not used the barbless though..... Gardener Mugga's are highly thought of and I'd happily use them without flinching if my favoured hooks were out of stock..... Not much help really, but I try to stick to what I've all ready got confidence in..... Chopping and changing can be a long , dark, winding road...... Headaches and half used packets of this and that. If I was really in a dilemma over the two, I'd buy a packet of each and make a comparison, choose one, and stick with it.... Job done.

Same, surprisingly in weed too, where I can feel every bump or head shake, the softer rods behaving like a spring and I never feel like i'm going to get cut off, the rods absorb everything. The NG's 2.75, I haven't tried a long chuck with, but with some small shimmy 5500 xtc, they are nicely balanced and very accurate. Perfect little 2 rod set up for a 5 acre lake I've been invited back on to, which, if I'd known was going to happen, I would have held back on the CAA ticket..... Came completely out of the blue after an 8 year wait.... The Snoik S6 will get a good blasting on the SYndi I joined, by the time I've used them enough to give a solid review, they would have been discontinued (think they already are)...... That's another good reason to save for decent rods... Parts and repairs are easier to get done if needed..

I know what you mean Rob, it all adds up mate...... Depends whether you want your new rods long term or for a few seasons and then another change. Which means you'll be trawling the forums again looking for advice... As far as rods go, imo, there is budget and top end........ The marketing hype will try to convince you that certain budget rods are "mid range" and whack another £100 on top...... I've never been in the position to just go out just spend £1000 on a set of rods. But I did get my hands on some second hand NG's 2.75 tc at least a decade old but well looked after £100 each and they knock spots off any of my other newer rods....... Convinced me to save a while for some decent beefier rods... The Sonik s6 will fill the void for me until the pennies are saved. There's some good advice from the other lads on this thread who know their stuff on rods, through experience. You rarely find them asking for advice on kit, but they are happy to share their info. All the better for the rest of us.

Might tap you up on the nut prep (fermented) at some point Steve.

Not from me mate, got a staple boilie that I stick too.... Interestingly enough though CM (and I'm sorry to go off topic here).... The place I've joined is a real head banger, It's done two fish this week, the first to hit the bank since early November. It's not rare to blank a season, and some "names" have gone away with their tales between their legs after a two season blank. The place was left fallow for a decade, and has been fished for four years since. My reconning is that they got so used to surviving on naturals, that a bright, over flavoured boilie, just doesn't switch a lot of them on...... They do get caught, but not in numbers, so for me it's the perfect opportunity to fish at least one rod on alternative baits to boilies........ There are no silly bait bans, some more pots could be on order soon . Incidentally, I've heard that bait firm being referred to as CC Less, more than once, can't think why.

Not sure I'd pay the rrp for Sonik rods, before thoroughly checking them out in the flesh..... I bought some S6's reduced, which were previously their top end rod, before the Dominator X.... when they hit the shelves they were £200 a pop, not worth that imo, hell of a lot of glossy laquer over all the whippings, too much, looks as though they have tried to hide some dodgy whipping...... They do the job, but imo no better than a £70-£80 rod.... what I've noticed is that mid range rods are usually a price hike on budget rods and as such are eventually sold at a budget price when a newer model comes out........ Can't remember hearing anything bad about Greys rods (others may have)...... Given the choice, if I was buying , I would choose the G4's if I could get them at a decent price, or even G3's which are dirt cheap, this is based on the Sonik rods I have. But ideally I'd be saving for some decent rods, Century, Harrison, Free Spirit etc. Because in my mind, a mid range rod, is a budget rod with a higher price..... Just my op.... Good luck

Beat me to....... I've used it a lot at differing ranges in silt. Never been confident with bite indication, hooked a coot that came right into the bank fishing semi slack. Thought a pike was having a go at it, mainline got hung up in weed, didn't hear a bleep. This was with a lead drop off system...... I like the safety aspect of the heli, but would advocate a heavy fixed lead, something that can plug into the bottom and help with a "bolt effect". If it's a clean bottom, I'd use a shortish hook length with an anti tangle sleeve, about 6 inch hooklength, helps with casting imo Don't worry about it laying over the lead. If you set it right with the sleeve and add some weight near the sleeve end so it falls right,and a couple of tapered beads, it can only fall left or right to the lead, and there will still be an inch or two of debris on the bottom, even though it feels clean, unless the spot is literally glowing yellow. I would definitely give it a go at some point. You may come up against a situation where it is needed . Nothing wrong with a bit of practice... TBH, it's like any rig imo, the basics are there for everyone to see, but the more you use it, the more you will tweak it to suit you or your water.