carpmandanpower

Yep. Just returning now after 5 yrs out. Sold most of the gear too Pleased I kept all my end tackle etc though - so it's just the big stuff!

I see this has run on a bit. As I'm new to the forum I've done some reading of old threads and it certainly looks like the braid,barb,leader thing has been done to death with the same end result. Perhaps we have to agree to disagree (although I take on board carp machines point on cut offs). What stands out though is carp safety seems paramount to all of us, which is the way it should be, even if we have different ideas.

If I were splicing it to light mono I'd agree. (Well I do agree that just dumping a lead isn't safe) but I'm not going to snap or crack off with that mainline.

See your point but with 30lb braid I'm not going to crack off. Also I'm only ever going to use safe rigs, certainly nothing that's going to end up with a lead attached to it. Besides its never been an issue, I've never lost a length, in fact it stays tied up and lasts for months. On fish safety though I'd rather have a good length of tubing or core so that there's no bare braided mainline near the fish to potentially lift scales or cut dorsals.

Various to be honest.

I'll take a look

Know what you're saying tbh. 3-4 oz usually but abrasion resistance on gravel bars and swan mussels are the main reason. Also power pro in 30lb is a nice diameter, any slimmer and I'll chop a finger off!

Nice fish. Cracking colours. Good work.

Pretty much a combination of things I'd expect. Mono stretches, a lot, especially at range. Meaning you'll miss a bunch of the smaller activity. Braid will register a great deal more and therefore different takes - or at least they sound like that. There's also the case of liners from midwater. The braided line will lie differently in the water to the mono (different types of both mind) and therefore again, different results. I almost exclusively tend to use 30lb braid onto around 8 feet of lead core- and as slack as I can depending on the situation. Tends to stop the liners from when the school of bream are roaming. Usually means runs that seem like screamers in comparison to when I used mono but just a couple of feet can set of like a screamer when there's no stretch.

Likewise - I in fact always use different sizes of free offerings, without fail. Different flavours though? Think it would do my head in!

Indeed - and he needs to clean his teeth!

Good work! Used to fish there some years ago. Planning on doing the island ticket next April though[emoji1]

Funny how a mixture of different flavour boilies seems odd, yet a mixture of particles, pulses and pellets seems normal. I'd not feel confident on random boilies but in all honesty I doubt the fish would be bothered!

Hello all. New to the forum. Getting back into carp fishing after a 5 year break and thought I'd join a forum. Used to be very much obsessed and will no doubt be the same again soon. Fished Ringwood waters before, mainly Somerley, Hightown and Rockford - plus various others. Looking to get a new set up shortly, will probably do some piking and look for a rare winter river carp over the coming months before getting back on the lakes in spring. Anyhow, good to digitally meet you all.