salokcinnodrog

The main reason for putting the lead in is to make the bag more stable for casting, allowing you to cast it further. Just by keeping the bag close to the lead, attached to the hooklink swivel you make it more stable.

That is part of my view about leaders. They are only suitable for fishing if there is no weed or snags that can get tangled up and tether within. I have long said that tackle companies often bring out tackle that is not safe or suitable for fishing, but only to make money for them. Solar tackle do sell PVA bag/mesh clips, they can actually be attached to an inline or pendant set-up not just a helicopter style lead. http://www.solar24-7.co.uk/baitshop/advanced-rig-gear55cdd7abe430c/product/qcbs-quick-change-pva-bag-system

I am writing up on Suffolk venues where I have up to date information, and know what is going on. I will be updating and editing this thread as I go along. I may miss out some well known waters for certain reasons, if you do want information on a water I will often be able to give background information. GAPS have three venues of interest to carp anglers: Alderson Lakes, Needham Market. This is a two lake venue with carp in both, the Small lake and the Big lake. The lakes are gated and otter fenced, with the River Gipping running along both sides. It is possible on both lakes in some areas to park behind your swim on both lakes. In the Small lake you have carp to mid double figures, possibly a bit bigger, also present are roach, perch and tench. There is no night fishing on the small lake. The Big Lake contains carp to 30lb, along with a number of other good fish, double figure bream and tench. It can be very weedy in summer. Causeway Lake, Great Blakenham. Causeway is down a long track, again alongside the Gipping, and around 10acres. The largest known carp is around 33, a heavily scaled mirror called Edna I think. Barham B Pit, Barham. Barham B Pit is again with The Gipping alongside, a 20 acre lake. The largest carp I know of is high 20's. The A14 road bank you can park your car close by, but on the river bank you will be a long way from the car. GAPS membership is available from local tackle shops, but you have to pay extra for a night ticket, and a bait boat ticket on Barham. Suffolk Water Park. SWP is probably the best known venue in Suffolk, with carp to high 30's, and is divided into a number of lakes: Specimen Lake, the big carp lake has carp that have supposedly reached 40, 2 fish that have apparently made it are Grey Tail, sadly deceased, and 4.3 caught by Jim Shelley at 40lbs and ounces on one occasion, it has not been caught at this weight since. There are probably 10 or more other 30lb fish. Traditional Lake is another proper shaped lake, again with fish to well over 20lb. Then you have a couple of match lakes, which are available on a day ticket, but carp fishing is allowed when no matches are on. I think only Traditional and Specimen lake allow night fishing. It is always worth giving the venue a call to check latest prices. Hintlesham Fisheries. Another day ticket venue, Predator Lake containing carp and cats, Specimen Lake with carp to 30lb, Bottom lake, actually to me a nicer lake than the Specimen, and I would reckon carp to 30lb from my own sightings. Bromeswell Lakes. Bromeswell is one of my favourite little venues, a pair of lakes, Willow and Horseshoe. Horseshoe is around an acre, with an island running down the middle. Plenty of silver fish, and carp to mid doubles. Willow is around 2 acres, a snake shaped lake, with an island. The largest carp has been landed at 25lb, a big common, but recently I have heard of a mirror that has also made 20lb. Day tickets are sold on the bank, but talk nicely to Jon the owner and season tickets are available. West Stow Lake. The syndicate is for established carp anglers that have a number of years of experience and applying to join the waiting list will require a selection process to be gone through before you can be successfully added, details of which are supplied on application, through NS Fisheries. Carp go to over 40lb.

Maize is our UK term, corn is USA term, both refer to maize I think you will find. Unfortunately we tend to stick in the US term instead of the actual name we understand.

Another couple of hours on Bromeswell today, clearing swims, followed by testing the pop-ups work, and that the meshed baits are cray resistant, produced a number of fish, I think 15 fish between us, the biggest going just over 10lb

I may disagree slightly with Yonny, but not in a negative sense. You may get an edge if you are first onto a new bait, and can introduce enough for it to be 'the first thing the fish find'. My next point, is totally in agreement with the above in that when Trigga was released and I went onto Earith, I was putting a couple of tweaks into the bait I was making from the normal base mix. It may only have been adding Liver Elite, Sweet Cajouser and GLM extract to it, but it did prove more of a draw than the off the shelf version. Mainline baits have not had a proper main class fishmeal for ages, although some have got fishmeal in, although I can't remember off the top of my head which ones have according to the ingredients lists. Most of their baits I think rely on Yeast as the attractor, then with the main 'smell', Cell being coconut. I have noticed that all Mainlines baits ingredients have been very finely liquidised or ground, this does make for a soft bait that breaks down quickly.

Ok, warning to you, DO NOT use any lead system other than a helicopter set-up with Leadcore, and preferably don't use Leadcore at all, it only takes 6inches to be able to catch and snag if a fish swims around a twig, stick or root. Leadcore with an inline system, run ring or pendant lead clip is a recipe for disaster in the event of a break-off. Please don't think I am scaremongering, I used to use Leadcore, but advice from people on here, a lost fish that I left towing a leader, and having to get into the lake to release a snagged fish while I was experimenting with Leadcore setups to prove or disprove made me totally change my mind, and now I will never use it. Basically as far as I'm concerned Leadcore has no place in carp fishing.

The thread is located here:

It took me a while as I have been trying to update rig threads on the forum, but this may help you:

On a similar vein to the first rig pictured is a 15lb fluorocarbon hooklink with a line aligner (not yet shrunk over the kettle), the hook is knotless knotted, still with a continuos hair made from the fluoro, with the second pic being the full rig The fluorocarbon hooklink theory is that it can't be seen on the lakebed, not as stiff as the stiff link above, but slightly stiffer than mono

The next rig is a line aligned stiff rig with a hair made from soft braid. I have used Gardner Trick link in 20lb as the hooklink material. Being a stiff rig it really does prevent tangles, and can be used for long distance casting with no worries. To get it as straight as I have I have steamed the hooklink as I shrunk the tubing. I find this rig will lay itself flat and straight, and on the pick-up you want the fish to hook itself.

For those in Suffolk I thought I would put forward this little venue, of 2 lakes and a couple of stock ponds (no fishing), of mixed species, some nice roach, tench, carp and bream. I will give warning though, there are crayfish present though, and at least one big eel, of about 4lb, which was discovered munching them in a crayfish trap. The two fishable lakes are Willow and Horseshoe. Willow is basically rectangular, with an island separating the two sides, and the carp go to around 14lb as well as the other species. Horseshoe got its name as it is or correctly was basically Horseshoe shaped, however it has recently been extended slightly, a bay dug out leaving an island. The largest carp landed has been weighed at over 25lb, with another couple of 20's, although most are around 7lb. Working baits are obviously boilies, Sweetcorn, maize and pellet, although they do love a floating bait. At one end is the boathouse, and you can only fish from the central section, pegs run along the right hand bank of the centre point. The far bank is no more than 15metres away at its furthest. The other side you are fishing from the main bank towards the centre section, although towards the point you can be opposite someone. Another warning, a couple of swims do have crayfish traps attached to the stagings by cup hooks. Do not move them, or I will kill you The bailiff, Maurice, or owner Jon Hudson comes round to collect day ticket money on the bank. I will put the website up, but it is hopefully about to be rebuilt http://www.bromeswell-lakes.net/index.htm

Had a couple of small carp yesterday, fun fishing at Bromeswell Lakes. A couple of gorgeous looking mirrors, although I lost a decent fish that wrapped around a snag we didn't know about. My mate Al managed 5 all on floating crust.

Try this: http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/leisure/water-parks/taverham/fishing/ I used to fish Taverham years ago, and I have done a complete write up on the venue: The lake description is a post on that thread

Chumming is definitely a North American term; groundbaiting or prebaiting are definitely the UK terms. You can basically bait up at the start of the session, then gauge how much is in there by fish takes, and top up as it runs out. The thing is your river carp fishing is very different from the lake fishing. Do they turn up at a particular time, or do they just patrol up and down the length. It may be worth prebaiting a spot for a few days before you fish it.