salokcinnodrog

Welcome to Carp.com.

I went through a series of hookpulls years ago on Fox Series 2's in size 6 and 8. During the fight the hook was opening out enough to pull free, and then springing back into shape. It was only when one stayed 'straight' that I figured what was happening. The fish were fighting very hard, in a silty water, from the off, normally hooked close to the rods. My usual course of action on hookpulls is to lengthen the hair, working on my theory; Hooked at the extreme edge of the mouth/lip, getting hookpulls then lengthen the hair. Hooked deep down in the mouth shorten th

The one I used to use I can't find anymore😢

That and liquid yeast mixed together stinks. Not one you want to get sprayed with when putting out particles soaked in it...

Welcome to Carp.com. Earith carp lakes is a lovely venue, did well on there a fair few years ago myself on the Virginia side. Cracking looking fish most of them

I eat plenty of garlic, and rarely notice getting bitten, only the occasional, but I do hate the buzz when the darn things are about. I have a mozzie front for my bivvies, and its not just a thin mesh, it is thick enough to prevent seeing through it, although the further away you are from it, inside, the better. I end up either with front section on or off. (I haven't put the front section on the Hybrid Cabrio yet), and just resort to the Skin so Soft.

I don't have a problem with new ingredients being used, obviously because of the cost increase of white fishmeal and how 'we' have overfished certain areas, but I do want a consistent pellet, not changing from batch to batch. I knew that Skretting had changed from fishmeal to bloodmeal, but was surprised at the increase of non animal ingredients as well as the adding of insect meals.

Have a look at Skrettings website, definitely new ingredients being used, including animals offcuts and by products as they switch to what they call 'Micro-balance'

I believe that the make up changed from white fishmeal to blood protein when they went over to France. This obviously changes both the oil and protein percentage, even digestibility and break down times. I've stopped using loads of pellets as I don't have time to be checking each batch out. Gone back to preparing my own particles, chicken corn and hemp. Mind you even hemp is more expensive and grittier than it used to be.

Some makes are definitely more buoyant than others. Nutrabaits pop-ups used to be more critically balanced than pop-up, I have not used them recently so don't know if it is still an issue. Solar Pineapple and The Secret will pop-up a size 8 Solar101 hook nicely (largest hook size allowed on Bromeswell). Dynamite Monster Crab (orange) and Squid and Octopus were the same, although to go with Rod Hutchinson Monster Crab boilies I have been using their purple Monster Crab pop-ups. The Garlic and Spice is one of my own concoctions and is in a deep red.

Ziplock or plain freezer bags are perfect. I break mine down into 500gram or 1kg bags and store them like that in the freezer. Something else that works is supermarket ice cream tubs. Makes a 'single use' plastic tub multiple use, and they will stack tidily in a chest freezer. Just remember to eat the ice cream first and that once used triple chocolate ice tub is now fishmeal boilies... Thinking about it, don't wash the tub after use and you have ice-cream glazed boilies!

Sounds like what has become known as The Rapala knot. I use it on Amnesia and coated braid if I want a loop. With coated braid though the loop knot does become just a doubled length of line after playing a fish, so will likely need changing hooklink if you want the loop for the freedom of hooklink and movement.

Last year a mate had just landed a decent fish when he blacked out and fell into the lake. I jumped in and gave him CPR while he was in the lake, it took four people to lift him out, 20stone of wet (living) but unconscious angler. Scared? Hell I was. He was in hospital for a few days but is alive and well. It still gives me goosbumps thinking about it. Otherwise, the sounds of a hedgehog with his head stuck in a dropped tin can is quite spooky, banging against a tree trunk just off the path as you walk round the lake in the dark, as is waking up on The Meadow swim at Tave

Any elderberry branches hanging over the lake I would think would provide food for the fish. I have used them for roach on the river, started off fishing maggot, but feeding hemp and elderberry, then fishing hemp, then eventually switching to elderberries. I have had some nice nets of roach with the occasional chub doing that. Adding them to any loose feed, carp and other fish will eat them at the right time of the year, so potentially putting a hair of elderberries would work.

I've never used couscous, although I did read an article about using it to bait up with to prebait with to 'spread' the boilies smell around, mixing boilies and couscous together. To be honest it seems like extra effort that I can't be bothered with.