What's your plans for the new year?

[yonny]

4 minutes ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Dinton Gold Ticket

Cheeky

[Pete Springate's Guns]

1 hour ago, yonny said:

Cheeky

I’ll be waiting for a looooong time for a Black only ticket-nobody dropped this year and only 2 Gold tickets available too!

[emmcee]

1 hour ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Very happy to receive my Dinton Gold Ticket invitation today so my plans for the year are sorted. I won’t be rejoining any other waters-full steam ahead on Dinton.
Ticket starts in April so my plan (dependent on how busy it is) is Spring on Black Swan, Summer on White and ‘Back to Black’ for Autumn onward👍🏻

You can only go if its essential travel 😂

You'll have to let me know when you are down there, be good to meet you. 👍

[emmcee]

58 minutes ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

I’ll be waiting for a looooong time for a Black only ticket-nobody dropped this year and only 2 Gold tickets available too!

I did put my name down to go back on white which could well crop up for me this spring. Been  Chatting to a few on there and I'm more than likely to refuse it, sounds like it's full of idiots.

Can't be doing with aggro when I'm fishing. 

Edited February 2, 2021 by salokcinnodrog
To remove *@§ etc

[elmoputney]

22 minutes ago, emmcee said:

You can only go if its essential travel 😂

You'll have to let me know when you are down there, be good to meet you. 👍

Hopefully will be lifted by April 🙏

Doesn't apply to Scott Lloyd though , he was there over new years and he didn't seem to mind how far he travelled to get to dinton on his last video 😭

[ouchthathurt]

I’m a bit envious! Good luck mate with the campaign, let’s hope we come out of lockdown in time for spring! 

[elmoputney]

1 hour ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

I’ll be waiting for a looooong time for a Black only ticket-nobody dropped this year and only 2 Gold tickets available too!

Good luck in your new quest 

[Pete Springate's Guns]

Thanks for the encouragement guys👍Really looking forward to re-acquainting myself with the place. I was a member before but dropped out, which I dearly regret and have been waiting to get back for 3 years.
Its gets very busy and its not for everyone but the stock is next level and there are some really good guys on there too😎

[chillfactor]

On 19/01/2020 at 08:18, chillfactor said:

Hopefully start a project with a mate that will see fishing local to me again , after everything local to me was wiped out by otters . Probably end up as a little syndi. Got to be dug first though! 

Good luck all for the season ahead & look forward to seeing the catches start rolling in 😎

Well 2 years on & 16 thousand  pounds 👀  in planning fees finally got the go ahead . To late in the year now so will have to be spring next year for a start date on the works . 

[framey]

Still, congrats are in order

[chillfactor]

9 minutes ago, framey said:

Still, congrats are in order

Thanks mate.... just looking at the date of my original post & it will be 3 years in January ! .where does the time go 🙈

[Carpbell3]

Thinking about giving canal pool a good go always wanted too if not that then maybe jigsaw just not sure if I want to be travelling for regular fishing could do KWP as a regular and do a few of the fancy day ticket waters for a treat.

Sod it sounds like a solid plan to me.

[newmarket]

On 21/11/2022 at 21:05, chillfactor said:

Thanks mate.... just looking at the date of my original post & it will be 3 years in January ! .where does the time go 🙈

So you’ll actually be living the dream at last Phil .

Congrats and good luck with everything fella , I know how much you’ve wanted it over the years 👍🏻

[salokcinnodrog]

On 21/11/2022 at 21:05, chillfactor said:

Thanks mate.... just looking at the date of my original post & it will be 3 years in January ! .where does the time go 🙈

Too darn fast!

I'm hopefully chasing both new stock and originals on the syndicate.

We went through the picture  records of stocked fish from 2020 after a capture last week. A cracking fish put on 10lbs in a year, and 14lbs since being stocked!

 

 

On 20/12/2019 at 10:46, yonny said:

Ha! Of course you'll become obsessed.

Don't worry about the times it seems less enjoyable. Those times are important. Without those lows you can never experience the extreme highs that come when it all goes right!

I have an obsession with the syndicate lake. No matter how much it seems to take the Mickey, everything against me, swans, drifting weed, pike biting lines, almost as soon as I get home I'm planning to get back

[B B]

On 21/11/2022 at 20:17, chillfactor said:

Well 2 years on & 16 thousand  pounds 👀  in planning fees finally got the go ahead . To late in the year now so will have to be spring next year for a start date on the works . 

I missed this post 

Wow what an exciting time for you hope the sun shines on you project.

I have a shovel an pick and willing to travel if the digger plays up. 
 

I followed a blog on the YouTube of a angler digging his lake and the stocking of the carp

https://youtube.com/@SouthWestCarpHunter 

[...]

7 minutes ago, B B said:

 

 

I followed a blog on the YouTube of a angler digging his lake and the stocking of the carp

https://youtube.com/@SouthWestCarpHunter 

I've been viewing also, he's doing well the lad is, not open until 2024 (I think)...

[newmarket]

As for my plans for the new year ….

More of the same really , determined to get to the larger residents on my little syndicate lake no matter how long it takes .

I just wish I could make more use of it timewise really .

plus I need a decent sleeping bag and keep getting outbid on them 😬

[B B]

17 minutes ago, Highy said:

I've been viewing also

Have a look at these  .

 

[chillfactor]

On 29/11/2022 at 16:32, newmarket said:

So you’ll actually be living the dream at last Phil .

Congrats and good luck with everything fella , I know how much you’ve wanted it over the years 👍🏻

Unfortunately Tim .... I Never got planning on my Land , like you mentioned that goes back a decade of trying. This lake is a friends project only down the road from me . We will hopefully make a start in the spring 👍

Other plans.... off to France in March now for a spot of monster hunting . 🎣🎣😎

[Carpbell3]

Just thinking about my annual visit to a runs water before settling in on the club lakes for the year, might try blue bells but got that snow ready to roll in this week see how things are for St paddies day weekend my birthday was nearly on the 17th missed it by a few hours, always been a good night out.

[Danny Hearn]

On 19/12/2019 at 20:10, elmoputney said:

I doubt I am the only one that has already started planning for the year ahead? 

Next couple of Months head down trying to work hard and save up a bit of spare dosh, get new syndicate ticket and a few odds and sods 😏 then about march crack on for the year with a new challenge and a fresh start, this year has been a real steep learning curve for me, the highs and lows were good lessons to learn, I learnt I haven't got time for a real serious tough challenge and want to go fishing thinking I have a chance, I know I will mainly only be doing overnighters that seems the way for me, I want to go to catch fish not just one particular fish, so will be planning and baiting accordingly, working it out as I go, I am happy with my bait choice now you will be pleased to know so no more dicking about with that 😁

Targets 30lb +carp, and some nice shots and hopefully a good few for the photo album, but really I just want to enjoy it, to be able to relax and do it my way, take in the atmosphere, and be at peace with my surroundings ✌️😁

Lose some timber (mainly for happiness and mental wellbeing, not cos I feel Inadequate without a 6 pack ) 😁

Take the girls more, and try to maintain a healthy work/family/fishing balance 

Also I want to become more accurate at longer ranges, and also better at the other stuff and not worrying about rigs and bait I am pretty sure they work now it's more location, tactics, accuracy and opportunity, 

What are you guys planning for the new year? 

I know it’s a few years old this comment but I did like it a lot. Very inspiring 

[elmoputney]

15 hours ago, Danny Hearn said:

I know it’s a few years old this comment but I did like it a lot. Very inspiring 

Still haven't cracked them all lol pb broken 3 times 27lb3 - 28lb4oz one trip, another last year I caught a usual 30lb at 29lb4oz lol still plenty to go at though and I'm still learning 

[...]

Got a few fishing ways planned (hopefully) for thus year, not broke 20lb barrier yet (😭😭).

Starting with trying Spodding more, using zigs.

[chillfactor]

Off to France in a week ..... could do with the weather turning some what 🙈

[Danny Hearn]

 

if anyone is interested I have a little plan for this year coming.

firstly a little ( edit ) little no not little huge lol ) story about my journey so far.

I have spent last 3 years on a small intimate wind protected silted up estate lake called hook lake in Hertfordshire. I plan for this year to be my last year on there regardless of if I catch the fish I joined for or not. 

when I joined it was my first real go at what’s considered by many as a hard lake to fish! and I was about to learn the hard way.

Bad thing for me was I started fishing when the lockdown rules finally allowed us to start doing nights. I dropped in first session and only by luck had 2 fish straight away and that set me up thinking hey I’m not too bad at this but little did I know I was about to be hit hard with a reality check.

I think I done 2 nights a week every week after that up until November so say 6 months and I only managed another 5 fish.So less than 1 a month so like more than 8 nights per fish.

what did I learn ? 

1. Carp from small lakes are clever! Like really clever! Or maybe it’s anglers being dumb ? But most times I could pull up at the lake see a couple of anglers on and go look as far away from them as possible and I would find fish straight away. I could almost every time guess where the carp would be from where the anglers were set up which was always as far away from them as possible. Sometimes when there was more anglers on the lake the fish were nowhere to be found ( I think I know where they were hiding now and this year with that and what I have learned myself so far I plan to take full advantage of this😉) but still even though I could find them I still couldn’t manage to hook 1 or stalk 1 or even set up without spooking them off somewhere else( I was yet to learn what it takes to master the art of absolute stealth) went as far as the waggler and also free lining.

2. Weather! With this lake the main problem in my opinion is the dissolved oxygen in the water. Hot summer days with barely any wind hitting the water along with silt releasing gas loads of silvers  no weed growing high air pressure all led to carp on the surface struggling for oxygen. To the amateur like I was you would say let’s hit them with a floater 🤣. No chance these fish were just trying to stay alive no way were they interested in feeding at all.this lake has suffered devastating fish kills in the past. Last year and maybe years before I don’t know but last year for sure  they done a siltex job on it and it has been alot better for the fish I have witnessed them dropping down and having a quick feed even in extreme temperatures but still get your head torch on at 3 am and you can still find them at times gulping air not interested in nothing apart from breathing. 

3. ( remember this is what did I learn) another important thing I learned so far was to monitor weather and only drop in and fish when the weather was in my favour. This meant I needed low air pressure which normally comes with wind normally rain which all helps oxygen levels and in this lake can spark a feeding spell from the fish and when they feed they will feed hard but that’s not it done yet. I learnt about storm rain and how it can deplete oxygen but still I had to fail before I learnt about this. 

4.getting them to accept a bait. Last year I didn’t fish from the start of may to the start of September. But I was down the lake twice a week when I could manage to sneak on without anyone seeing and getting my bait in there. At first many times I would turn up mid week and even then there would be people on and I would have to turn around drive off and I had wasted my time.

5 . washed out baits. As I said this lake is a silt hole. So if you drop in freshly unfrozen boilies They are going to sink to the bottom and suck up all that dirty silt flavour into the bait! Not saying the carp won’t eat the bait still they will and they do  but in my mind I want them to love the bait especially when you know the syndicate managers are feeding a pellet into the lake which soon becomes safe to the fish, I have been there before sneaky watching with no motor in the car park watching where they feed them 🤣 but I learnt that they feed them all over the lake not just in 1 spot. I even waited for the time to come and sneaked up to rubbish bags and found out what pellet they were feeding the fish and I thought I had cracked the code but all I realised when I bought the same pellet that unless the carp were eating them within 1 hour they became food for the silvers. Mush, so that was forgotten about.

I was sick of turning up after driving to the lake and out of respect for the anglers fishing turning around and going home with washed out baits which made me worry about if they was becoming deactivated or what not. I wanted my bait to already have sucked up enough juice so that they couldn’t suck up anymore in my mind making them even more attractive for these wary fish. So I started setting an alarm for 2 am and going to the lake even  while other anglers were there sleeping and being prepared to sneak onto the lake and plop in 1 boilie at a time if that’s what I had to do. The other anglers were all blanking anyway I wasn’t doing any harm I’m not like that I wouldn’t do it if I was doing harm I just knew that these fish wouldn’t be feasting on these anglers baits hard unless they was feeding them all the time like I was.

6. Dropping in at the right time. This is the most important thing I have learned. Weather conditions spots where carp are willing to feed(although with washed out baits they will in my opinion pick them up from anywhere in the lake as I have caught from swims where even the owners say nobody caught a fish out of there for as long as they can remember) getting the carp loving the bait all are part of the key to success on this lake.

After learning honestly by myself and with the help of google I already said I didn’t fish from the start of may to the start of September I dropped in when weather conditions were favourable and in one session had the same amount of fish I had in my whole first year on this lake, 7 carp. I was over the moon. I had more fish than some anglers had in years. I caught a carp that had been missing for a long long time it wasn’t huge just 16lb but it is a beauty if you check the hook lake website I’m on there and the owners wrote a little bit about the captures. after my capture of it they named it the leviathon which I’m quite proud of.

After that I thought these fish love the bait I’m gonna empty the place and decided to ignore weather and go hard. I blanked 3 sessions after that. Until full moon low pressure big winds late in November and dropped in after switching and feeding a more digestible bait ( that’s my bait guy not me he assured me it will be better and it was) I dropped in and had 4 fish in a session.  I imagine if i had had the help from people on this chat room I would have seen such success earlier and that’s what I’m moving onto now.

so finally my plan( got carried away sorry) most people I assume won’t read this far anyway unless I’m a good storyteller I don’t know I hope so I think my pal salinkodog might do 😉. I know I probably got the name wrong but I’m sure you don’t mind it’s the thought that counts. Mk
 

so I was talking to you recently and you said to me some fish hang around a certain area. I have had most of the stock from this lake now a lot of repeats the commons I’m not sure how many it’s hard to tell apart from by weight but 1 mirror I have had 5 times. Another 4 times and quite a few 2 times you get the picture. So I was told by salinkodog and I will admit 1 of the bailiffs on the lake who I will also admit has quizzed me up to what I am doing wanting to get the same success which I am proud of to be honest as he’s been on the lake for 20 years or more, I was told I need to fish in 1 area if I want to catch the carp that has evaded capture from me for the past 3 years.

So this year coming that’s what I’m going to do. But, I’m doing more than that I recently took a massive anchor like rake down to where this fish has been caught before and spent a good 2 hours chucking it out into the lake and literally dragging back logs off the bottom savage roots and all sorts and clearing a couple spots which are incastable by rod and can only be reached by baiting pole pushing under over hanging trees or setting up on the other bank and fishing a rod length out which I can’t be doing anymore I can’t be staying in stealth mode for like 48 hours at a time it ain’t healthy for the mind but I have done it and if necessary I can use this skill again in my career but it’s not enjoyable. 
 

so I have literally raked the hell out of 2 spots and upon doing this I noticed some massive undercut banks. God knows how far the banks are undercut but I learned that for 3 years I have been walking past this feature thinking I know it all and really I have been ignorant and not thorough enough in my searching. 
 

I also found a considerably deep hole right by an undercut bank and if I’m right I’m convinced the carp are using this area. I was literally swinging this anchor like rake at least 2 foot under my feet where I was standing. I have not seen anyone fishing either of the spots I have prepared for this year so I have just started dropping my chosen bait on them. I know the bait when I prepare it the way I do the carp love it. I mix water with condensed milk add a dash of vanilla extract taste it myself and it’s delicious, not at all overpowering and ok fish might be different but me I wanna keep tasting it more and more so this is what I wash out my boilies with they end up tutti frutti vanilla cream. This lake has story’s of carp going missing and I have managed to find one of them who knows I might find more this year because this hole is deep and in my opinion must have been excavated by carp.Bring back the rake through it it was taking ages to hit the bottom and it was like clay for the first time I had clumps of clay like stuff sticking to the rake and I’m no expert but in a lake predominantly silty and choddy I find a random deep hole and the rakes coming back clumped up with clay like material I have heard this is a good thing ?

why is this hole deeper than anywhere else I know of on the lake ? And why is it the only place I have found clay like substance? Why are the banks there really undercut? I’m no expert but it screams out carp getting special nutrients from clay and digging it out making it deeper than anywhere else. Maybe there is more clay around the lake but as I said this area is left alone and never pressured as far as I have seen and maybe they choose to go there for what they need. Also where this spot is there’s a huge oak tree which over the years has had massive branches snap off and crash down into the lake deterring anglers from fishing there. I would certainly never set up in that swim because of this and also as I only fish when weather conditions are perfect that’s usually high winds and I’m bad enough on there with the smaller trees let alone this huge oak tree which you only have to look at for a second to see it’s previous snap offs and it screams danger.

who knows maybe this little plan might lead to nothing I tell you 1 thing if it does I will be man enough to come on here and tell anyone who is interested but I’m convinced I have found an area on a small lake that has been ignored by everyone else. My campaign starts from the 27th March when my winter ticket ends but I have started baiting and preparation already I will reply to my post here when it’s due 

wish me luck at least 

Danny Hearn