salokcinnodrog

That is another reason I prefer a specialist camera. I have struggled with phone takes, self takes are out. I personally don't use any additional light. I set the camera up focused on the picture spot, I have normally framed it inside the unhooking mat or a pair of banksticks either side of me. I also check my height inside the area. I am not too keen on cutting my head off!

Nowt wrong with a big bream or tench! I tend to do quite a few scenic shots as well, never thought the ipad or phone did them justice. The scenic shot below, when I took it on my phone, the colour was missing from the sky, yet its the colours that make the picture. I also found with fish pics, even on timed self takes, I could get better framing.

Secondhand Canon Powershot S3. SD card fits into my ipad connector so I should be able to import pics straight away rather than faff around.

I would say I am jealous of you all catching, 😖😆, but what I am jealous off is you have all been able to get decent pictures holding the fish, whereas mine have been on a dying phone and camera Some great catches so far, been a good month for fishing, the best weather of the year. Next new purchase was a new Canon camera...

We have come a bit off topic of just rigs, but just as an example this is the rig, the exact rig, hook etc that caught me four fish from the reservoir. I have made the comment in the past about hook sharpness; if they aren't sharp enough out of the pack, then don't use them. Get a brand that is. You can see how much abuse that has taken as the coating on the braid has been well rubbed and the point no longer looks sharp. The hair was the stripped hooklink braid long enough for 2x 20mm boilies, straight out of the bait bucket fished hard on the bottom around bridge supports.

Don't necessarily think of a rig as just a pop-up or bottom bait rig, although the Ronnie rig is pretty much pop-up only. I have used both the D-rig and Multi rig with bottom baits. My standard 'bottom' bait rig can be used as a pop-up rig, just by using a shorter hair, tying the bait tight to the rig ring, and adding a pop-up weight. I can use the same D-rig, Multi rig or bottom bait rig for snowman baits. On heavily stocked lakes it may be that there are not enough freebies around your hookbait, that could be pellets or particles, or groundbait. With a pop-up it could be that fish are wary of picking a bait that is 2inches off the lakebed. A single or double may recognise its not nailed down. A 20 or 30 may not. The kicker may or may not be the problem, there can be a difference from water to water, area to area on hooking fish. On one water I fished a standard knotless knotted rig failed to hook fish. I had to add a proper line aligner to hook them. Just lengthening the tubing on a straight shank can create better hookholds, a bent or curved kicker is not always necessary.

I use the plain Fabsil, either spray or tin. In my case it is always done on the bank when fishing. The spray is two cans per bivvy, or a tin is enough for brolly and overwrap. I use a brush, but have heard a sponge is better.

Welcome to Carp.com. A whole section devoted to fishing in North America, and your US moderator Buzzbomb is pretty knowledgeable on fishing over there. https://www.carp.com/forum/7-north-american-carp-forum/

I can get 2/3 boilies at a time around 80metres in anything other than a headwind. A stick does have an advantage in that you can put in around 5 boilies in at a time rather than just one, so it can be faster than a catapult! Straight or curved, you have to find what works best for you. I can use straight and slightly curved, but get some of the more severe curves and I am baiting the margins or my feet...

I still use a Cobra stick myself, my Ace is many years old, well used and irreplaceable. If I ever killed it I would really struggle to find a direct replacement. Look after your throwing stick, keep it clean, if you go carbon, keep it safe and protected. Yonny mentions distance, it takes practice, perfectly round, very hard baits that don't split, and a bit more practise. I am good for around 100metres, and I do spend time practising on the reservoir. I have tried a number of sticks, so here are my findings: You will need to find a straight or curved stick that suits you, not all are the same. I struggle with excessive curves, but cannot use a totally straight stick. I could not use a Korda Eazi-stick, they were awful. I needed two hands to use it to be able to come from a directly overhead motion, to keep the baits going straight. I can use a big heavy stick, but I do start to notice it after a kilo or so. 3 kilos is my limit! Since the demise of Cobra and being bought out by Nash Tackle you would think that Nash would make the best sticks, but sadly not, you will be looking at Fox Rangemaster, Cygnet Sniper in plastic, or for lightness, carbon for me it would be the Gardner Pro-pela. The loading port is a fad, it adds weight, slows the stick down in the air. Next point, cheap plastic, Cobra's were or are heavy, but it is decent quality plastic, it was built to last, not all sticks are now. Many while the shape is right, are of poor quality plastic that bends, cracks or even just gets marked and appears as a white line where the plastic has been damaged. Carbon, brilliant, very light, but take very good care of it. It is an expensive item to break. That means keeping it in a good strong tube, not just a plastic case.

In most cases rigs are a complete fad as Elmo has pointed out. For pop-ups I still resort to plain bog standard pop-up rigs, often a D-rig or a sliding ring on the hookshank, weighted down with a match anglers olivette. For the smaller fish on Bromeswell (4-15lb), it put loads on the bank for me earlier in the year. A coated braid, with a short stripped section near the hook. The pop-up either on a bait screw or a rig ring, and tied on. I do use Bromeswell as an experimentation lake, and the maximum hook size in the rules is a 10, so I use the largest size 10 possible. (Different makes have different size standards). This same rig has produced fish on the (big fish) reservoir as well, as has a coated braid line aligned rig with 2x 20mm bottom baits on a braided hair. I also mostly use running or bolt rig lead set-ups, rarely helicopters, I think that there is too much free movement on the end tackle end, with no indicator or buzzer movement on helicopter leads.

They should send them in polystyrene boxes so they don't defrost. However, unlike the others I will never refreeze boilies. Best way to get 'frozen' boilies delivered is before they have been frozen after being dried.

For years Terry Hearn used black Amnesia as his boom on stiff hinge links, because it lay well, even though fluorocarbon was available. I still use clear Amnesia in 15 and 20lb for mono hooklinks. My braids and coated braids are from Kryston before they were sold by Dave Chilton. I bought plenty when I heard the sale was going through, so I have Merlin, Snakebite and Mantis in the 'original' colours (Merlin changed years ago from an olive green and white to a black white and green configuration). Don't convince yourself you need your hooklinks to be totally camouflaged, nylon hooklinks are as good as any on the lakebed, only the abrasion resistance is suspect. The Mantis Gold I use is a charcoal grey almost black colour, and Snakebite is green.

I'm debating whether his account was hacked or it was a change of colours... I tend to favour the former, but until I know, the account is on hold. For me, more PVA, seem to be going through loads again on mesh and stringers.