|
|
| | | Karlos | | Posts: 13293 |  | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
|
| | | Karlos | | Posts: 13293 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
In reply to Post #116
Check out the example section on this page.
LINKY POO™ https://www.w3schools.com/html/html5_video.asp
I used that, but removed the 3rd line with the OGG video example.
Then all you need to do is edit the source tag (SRC) to point at your video
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #115
That's why you build websites.... Whilst I make fairy cakes for fish 
Nice one Karl. 
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #115
Works on my laptop using both Chrome and Edge 
How do you do a video tag?
|
|
| | | Karlos | | Posts: 13293 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
In reply to Post #114
The HTML tags you use to insert an image won't work for displaying a video.
I have used the VIDEO tag to get your video embedded here...
Might not work on all browsers
|
|
|
|
Early May 2017. This video was three weeks after I had those five carp from Burghfield in April. This is the Nursery pit at Sonning. At the time it had always been a strictly no fishing pit, so I was hiding in the bushes. It now has a small syndicate on there. This video was taken at just before 5am. I had been baiting a gravel bar, I’d filled it up with so much tiger slime over the previous two weeks. Then it had a hit of bait. This was me going out there, the very first time after the fish had ripped it to bits. The Nursery is an incredibly weedy pit. Savage weed, the type of stuff where you often had to retrieve the leads and rigs via boat. This bar was five and a half foot deep. The week before, you could barely see the bottom, only in just a couple of places. It was totally covered in weed. Now there was not one strand of weed left on the entire gravel bar. If you notice, you will see a bubble come up from the bottom as I drift along. They were there just seconds before. A few days after this video was taken, I saw a carp that was unquestionably a British record on this same spot from the boat. A fish that had only been banked once before. I did not have my phone in my pocket, much to my disgust. As the video ends, you can see the back of the gravel works where the gravel used to get washed in the far corner. The long bank coming right from that corner is the small causeway constructed by the aggregate company to separate the Nursery from Sonning Eye many years ago.
Not sure the sound works on the video on here, and you can only view it on a phone for some reason.
|
|
|
|
Marlow On Thames 2017. Self takes of two smaller ones, both incredibly special to me though.
Great examples of spawned in the Thames originals.
|
|
|
|
Walthamstow, January 2012. Lake is frozen solid beyond the fishes head. I had to wait hours that morning for it to thaw enough to get the rods out into open water to the right. I had put out a five kilo bag of pre soaked T&M the evening before. I had five carp this day in three hours, including a brace of mid 30's. S2 on long running naked chods. I was the only person on the entire complex. It was absolutely bitter. Classic old Stow mirror, with a big underslung mouth.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #107
Received today Mark with thanks.
|
|
|
|
FishOn Ricci, ScopexPineapple S2 13mm balanced
Forum member Bob, a special old one, ScopexPineapple S2 13mm pop up, well done Bob.
|
|
|
|
Roach Pit 2014. The last fish I caught from the plateau. Third time I caught the biggest fish in the lake within fourteen months, from three different swims. It was totally obsessed with my hook baits. Before I landed it for the first time two months after becoming a member, it had already been banked twice by other anglers on my hook baits. It was my personal best for a long time, so I had to have a water shot with it. 54lb something it weighed here (top photo). This was the last time it was ever caught I think. The fish kill occurred the following winter/spring. It’s such a crying shame. She was one of the biggest carp in the UK at the time, she would have got far bigger still. I went up the other end of the lake, caught a few more, one of which was another repeat. I really wanted to catch a fish called ‘Shauns’, but I was starting to get far too many repeats. I caught another carp four times. Other carp twice. It was already time to move on. Being a dream breaker for everyone else by catching the biggest fish in the pond over and over again is just not the one.
The first day that I landed this carp, was very nearly my last on this earth. I left the lake late that night in a rush. I’d just caught my first UK 50+ and was buzzing, but I had work early the next morning. As I drove through the new Forest at great speed at 1am, a herd of deer ran out in front of the carp wagon. I was travelling far too fast, I swerved and missed the first few but hit the stag. He very nearly came through the windscreen. The car went into a massive spin. I was left facing the wrong way up an unlit dual carriage way. The collision had taken out all the lights on the front of the car. A large lorry was coming down the dual carriageway straight towards us at speed. The doors would not open from the impact. It was a couple of seconds, but it seemed like an entire lifetime. I pulled my dog close to me and closed my eyes, convinced we were both about to die. I felt the car shaking violently as the lorry had seen us at the last moment and managed to swerve around us. I got the car started after numerous attempts, got us off the dual carriageway at the next exit just as you come out of the New Forest. A tow truck took us home to London hours later. I had to have the car jet washed before this photo was taken. It was literally a scene from a horror movie with blood absolutely everywhere. It looked like the car might have hit a person, so it had to be cleaned before the insurance company picked it up as written off. There were bits of the stag hanging out of the front grill. It was a very lucky escape that night in the New Forest.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #106
We have a new hook bait I would like to get added to the S2 specials page this winter. The cheese bottom baits will be added at the same time as those get added.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #105
All sorted Dave. Going today will be there before Xmas. Happy Christmas.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #105
Any update on the cheese bottom baits Mark?
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #101
PM sent Mark, thanks very much.
|
|
|
|
Borntofish was picked by Elena yesterday night. If you PM me a delivery address this evening or early tomorrow your prize will go with tomorrows delivery. Please add in the PM if you have a preference for balanced or pop ups, 16 or 13mm. Any preferences what you would like from our range too. You have three tubs of your choice coming.
Well done Borntofish, happy Christmas.
We are completely up to date with all orders, right up until today. Our last delivery day before Xmas will be picked up midday tomorrow.
FishOn tackle had their new stock sent today, they will have it in the shop tomorrow. They have the full range of our ScopexPineapple S2. The full bore food hookbaits this time. The Tackle Box picked up their RedBerryVanilla S2 yesterday. They already have them up on their website. Will do my best to keep both shops stocked going forwards.
https://tacklebox.co.uk/bait-and-additives/specialized-hookbaits-red-berry-vanilla-s2-specials/
|
|
|
|
Walthamstow, January 2012. Tinpot came up there with me for the first time. I’d been catching loads during December & early January. I put out 5kg of pre soaked TigerNut & Maple freezer baits the evening before. We got to the gate so early, just to make sure we were first in the queue for that swim. But we need not have bothered, we were the only ones on the entire complex that January morning. We had thirteen I think it was between us doubled up in the same swim, with two rods each. Long running naked chods with S2's. It was such stupid winter fishing. In a lake that apparently contained barely any carp anymore I kept being told. Maybe compared to what it used to contain, but for me who never fished it back in its heyday.... It was still absolutely black with beautiful carp.
I have a photo of Tinpot standing in front of three landing nets I think it is, the nets contained four or five big carp all banked at the same time. Tinpot caught a special one among his haul.
|
|
|
|
Roach Pit, March 2014. Not certain of this fishes name.
|
|
|
|
Elena picked out OatcakeFred this time. Having a cartoon profile photo helped you big time.
If you PM me a delivery address today, your prize will go with tomorrows delivery. Please add in the PM if you have a preference for balanced or pop ups, 16 or 13mm. Any preferences what you would like from our range too. You have three tubs of your choice coming.
Well done OatcakeFred, happy Christmas.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #99
Will be going tomorrow.
Our last delivery day before Christmas will be this coming Thursday morning. So orders up until late Weds night will go out before Christmas.
|
|
|
|
|
Finally bit the bullet on the Hutchy S2s, cant wait for them to arrive and get out. A winter ticket that I've been waiting on has come up so figured they'd be the best opening gambit as the water temps drop
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #97
Going this morning Nathan. The two you mentioned and some RedBerryVanilla.
I will pass on your thanks.
|
|
|
|
Thankyou Elena, thank you Mark. PM sent
Happy Christmas
|
|
|
|
Elena aged 3, picked out the first winner from a screenshot of the who's online page last night. If you PM me a delivery address this morning, your prize will go with todays delivery. Please add in the PM if you have a preference for balanced or pop ups, 16 or 13mm. Any preferences what you would like from our range too.
Well done Nate, happy Christmas.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #93
"if you’re not a camper"
Well last night def felt like proper winter fishing on the end of that N wind across 70acres. Mad as hatter but I enjoyed it!!!!
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #93
That larkfield mirror 👌👍
|
|
|
|
Scans of prints. Mick's fish and the patch common from Farlows. Very early 2000's. Two Jan/Feb captures of back then what were the biggest fish in that venue. Mick's fish was one of the fish relocated by John Stent after Rodney Meadow was drained down. Most of them went into Harefield, but Mick's fish ended up in Farlows. It grew much bigger and went on to be the biggest fish in there. Farlows was somewhere I fished going right back as a child in the early 80's. When the Pet was the biggest carp. Before it was the very first lake opened up for any method trout fishing in the close season. All of the famous carp anglers of the time fishing in the Colne Valley would fish it then. Maylin, Zen, Bob Baker of Richworth and so many others. I used to get a train/tube all the way across London with my kit when I was twelve/thirteen. I had fished Little Britain lakes next door even before that with my Dad. Joan Jacobi, wife of Steve Briggs who worked in the cafe there for many years, always looked right after me back then. They remain friends to this day. A much younger Gary Bayes worked in Rod's Catchum 88 shop there. I went back there fishing various times over the years before they filled it right in with stockies. Only ever for a few day sessions in the middle of Jan/Feb. Things had never changed fishing wise. Bottom of the smelly bank, or centre of the factory bank. Bashing singles out long range into the middle in the silt. While every silly sausage was spodding loads of particles/freezer bait on top of any bit of gravel in January, after watching free Korda DVD's all over Christmas. Always with a bright cardboard pop up fished over the top of their spod mix. I would smash out bundles of fish on a day session, whilst they all blanked. Single hook baits, brown S2 food baits (no name then) blasted to the horizon. As the M25 became worse and worse traffic wise, those day sessions to Farlows were never possible anymore driving all the way from South East London to West London. That’s the reason why I first went up the Stow with Dempsey in the first place, M25 traffic. Winter days sessions, I have always absolutely loved them going right back to my childhood. 99% of carp anglers always used to hang their rods up for the winter. Best time of the year if you’re not a camper.
|
|
|
|
Scan of print, RMC Larkfield 2.
As it's Christmas and you will all be buying Xmas presents for everyone else. Over the next couple of weeks, my youngest step daughter will pick three winners at random on here. You do not need to do anything at all. Just be active online. I'll screen shot the who's online screen when it's busy, get her to pick a name out. That will happen three separate times. We'll send the winners a nice Christmas present of their choice.
|
|
|
|
Plenty of you on this forum seem to live up north. You have seen Carl and his son Jude from Stoke plenty this year. Last week Carl smashed his personal best on a short session. His best trip of an entire lifetimes carp fishing. Banked four before everything turned to ice at 6pm.
Banoffee S2 balanced over Rollinbaits Inception. Well done again Carl if you are reading. I think you are.
Scopex/Pineapple S2
Scopex/Pineapple S2
Scopex/Pineapple S2
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #87
I keep being asked this same particular question.  What information do you need? They are absolutely mustard, that's according to all of our customers who are buying them. Now our best selling hook bait.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #88
Listening to me droning on, spamming the bait section
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #86
When Mark talks we listen 👍😊
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #86
Thanks Mark. Any more info on the Hutchy special editions?
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #85
I have very rarely ever used our 13mm crushed cork pop ups. Always a 16mm for me on a chod or SHR.
Common thinking in carp fishing with normal pop ups/hook baits would dictate that you go as small as is possible. I will only use smaller hook baits when fishing over seeds in the summer, on the deck. For everything else regarding our stuff fishing wise, it is always the 16mm. That's often a hard one for carp anglers to get their head around. As like so many things in carp fishing, we are all preprogrammed a certain way by carp fishing media. Our hook baits work in a completely different way to everyone else's because of the process which they go through. So the complete opposite is true. The bigger the bait, the more of the goodness is contained within the centre of the bait itself.
Real food, completely untouched by any preservation, slowly fermenting inside a protected atmosphere inside the very centre of the bait itself. That's why they get better with age.
Common practice among bait makers is to lead you down a path of much bigger baits. As there is far less work involved in producing 25kg of 20mm, than there is making 25kg of 12mm.
Again, the complete opposite is true with us, as rolling is only the very beginning of the work with our hook baits. If we could make a 20mm hook bait in the same time scale as a 16mm bait, we 100% would. Put simply, there is far to much work involved for us drying that size of hook bait over and over again. It trebles the production times going from a 16mm to a 20mm for us. Trebles the energy costs. We would need to charge a fortune for them.
Bigger is ALWAYS better with our stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Mark. Do you use the 12s or the 16s for your chod fishing? Not a question about the buoyancy, more do you prefer a smaller or larger bait on a chod?
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #74
That's sad news. I remeber Tim from the old Cemex forum days.
|
|
|
|
Walthamstow, February 2012. One of the coldest days I’ve ever fished. It was so stupidly bitter that I could barely hold this fish up for the pics. This was the biggest one of a large multiple catch on a half day session. All of the fish were taken from an area no more than one foot deep. One foot of water, above six or seven foot of thick silt. The carp were moving through the silt itself. This particular fish was presumed long dead by the management. It had not been caught for many years. It was also far bigger than it had previously ever been. It was the most stupid days fishing ever. I literally could not keep the rods in the water that afternoon, I also could not feel my hands for hours it was that bitterly cold. The carp absolutely loved it though. Two over 35, another over 30 among plenty of others. I only arrived at 1pm and left at 7pm. I could never beat that day in terms of winter carping. Long running naked chod rigs with S2 corks, fished over loads of pre soaked T&M freezer baits. I ran out of bait that evening. Two days previously I had seen what looked like tiny roach dimpling on the surface under a strong torch beam in darkness. It was big carp feeding in the thickest silt, the silt which the anglers all steered well clear of. Living their best lives feeding on bloodworm. That’s clearly why this fish had gone missing for so long.
|
|
|
|
Scan of print. Around 1997/98. River Thames, Hampton sailing club, Hurst park. My personal favourite ever carp, a common too. My first Thames 30lb+. One of a number of carp I caught around the same time, which I never saw photos of anyone else holding. It had the membranes still intact inside its mouth, they were thicker and more rubbery than its outer lips. The house behind my shoulder is on an island. That's the ferry/boat yard owners house who i mentioned previously.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #78
Wow fair play lol I don't think anyone on my syndicate are using them so I'll grab a few different s2's
Cheers for the reply 👍
|
|
|
|
2014, beach swim Weybridge/Wey. Special old Thames fish. A great example of what happens when people are setting fixed long lines to snare the carp. I used to pull out loads of them. Wooden peg/stake in the ground, long length of strong mono with a stone/rock attached along with baited double or treble hooks. Often just plastic corn left on by the time I dragged them out. It was clearly the same bloke or blokes doing it. A couple of us tried our very best to catch him/them too. When we could not catch them we started leaving very threatening letters where the snares were set, trying to stop them. It got to the stage where I would walk along the edge with a landing net pole at the start of every session, scraping the bottom to pick up the well hidden lines. They were being set between Hampton and Chertsey weekly at one point around the turn of the century. This fish has clearly had too nigh on rip its own face off to get free at some point in the past. You can see the scar damage further down its side, I would guess from shaking the rock while trying to free itself. We all know that it happened. The river Thames suffered more than anywhere unfortunately. This was the only carp I ever banked like this. He was clearly a survivor, one that had actually managed to free himself. I dread to think how many of the Thames's special old ones ended up on someone's dinner plate.
There was a thread on here recently pointing out some soppy old idiot giving out advice on some utterly crap video to use double Salmon hooks for carp fishing. That's exactly what the people who take them for the table use. Because once the hooks become buried in soft tissue, it's virtually impossible for the fish to free itself.
The Polish anglers who now fish the Thames after the big cats, are among the best anglers you would ever meet on these shores. The people who were raping the rivers for food in the early 2000's were not anglers. They were people who had just arrived from Eastern Europe and had to feed themselves. My problem was with them taking the special old Thames carp.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #78
Any of them. You will not go wrong with the standard S2. If the standard S2 has been used a lot on your lake, pick one of the new special S2.
The lad Russ below was one of the first to have the Scopex/Pineapple S2 along with Ricci. He was given them early last January. Russ does one night a week normally. That turns into a day in the winter. The results he had on a no publicity venue in Essex last winter were nothing short of incredible. On a lake where five a year is considered a great year. He absolutely rinsed the place in a couple of months in Jan/Feb/March. His results were so out of the ordinary, he was actually asked/accused if he was using hormones at one point.
He caught the biggest and most desirable fish twice within weeks at the coldest time of the year. All of the other bigguns except just one.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #77
Hi all I'm thinking of buying a few pots of the cc popups and was just wondering which are the most popular for the winter months to be used as singles?
Cheers
|
|
|
|
FishOn Ricci, Scopex/Pineapple S2 balanced tipped with fake maggots. Great photo
Forum member Ash, white S2. He did not say how big, but the common looks a chunk.
David, brace 30's Cherry Cola S2
Russ, Hutchie S2 & GPB2 over Essential B5
Lee, GPB2 over Trap Baits freezers
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #74
very sad to hear of Tim's passing.
wonderful man & an absolute gent. I tried to make arrangements to finally meet up with him this year but unfortunately he was too sick to get out. He was the first person to mention to me that wild carp will very rarely get caught from the same area in a lake more than once & when you find a new spot they are typically easier to catch. When I went back & checked mine & friends NA captures he was absolutely spot on & it's subsequently changed my fishing.
RIP buddy - I'll raise a glass to you this evening  
|
|
|
|
Scan of print. River Thames, Hurst Park, Hampton sailing club, late 90’s.
|
|
|
|
Another forum member sadly passed away yesterday. Tim Marshall. Tim who lived and fished in the States now, had been suffering a horrible terminal illness for more than a year. Tim caught his PB from one of the famous French lakes whose name escapes me on one of our S2 around 2017. A real proper monster. He loved pioneering giant lakes in the US. It was Tim Marshall and Gerry Giles (OldGeezer), both ex RMC & CarpForum members who were constantly asking me to write a book about my personal fishing and the hook baits. In Gerry’s case, it was literally never ending. He was so stubborn minded, but so genuine with it. Last Christmas was clearly going to be Gerry’s last. He was already soon to be in an end of life hospice, I had recently done the bookies for a life changing sum of cash. I wanted to make Gerry’s last Christmas as special as it could be, asked him if it was okay first out of respect. He would not have a single bit of it. Was totally adamant it would not be his last Xmas bless him. In a world full of people who would rob you blind as quick as look at you, he was something completely different. An incredibly honest and genuine man. What you have been reading recently on here, was for both Tim and Gerry twisting my arm. I have no interest whatsoever in writing books. That’s why I have been writing stuff on here whenever I’m in Brazil with my youngest son and have the time, for them really. Both Gerry, and now Tim have now passed.
I’ve had lots of lovely messages on our work phone from anglers about what they have been reading. It’s Gerry and Tim that you owed your thanks too. Both of them are at peace now. Both proper men and anglers, a very sad loss to carp fishing in general.
|
|
|
|
One of the first fish I caught from Roach Pit, Triple Row. I had three in 24 hours. Early spring 2013. Sugars2 cork balls on SHR's fished in the fresh onion weed, always the first weed to sprout in shallow water every spring. Find it, you will find and catch the carp. When the fresh Lilly pads start to sprout in deeper water even before that, the carp will be there like a magnet for a few days. They are so highly attracted to the first growth in the water every spring. This photo of Triple Row was just five minutes after the otter fence was constructed. Its tail had been done by otters. The night before the fence was completed, the otters were riding around on the carps backs out in the middle of the lake. I am sure it was a mother teaching the cubs to hunt. One of the main culprits releasing the otters en masse, was just up the road in the New Forest. Thirty men there on the banks to complete the fence for the weekend and all the associated noise did not bother them whatsoever. Incredibly this fishes tail was heavily treated with some special carp care medicine. It completely re-grew back within a year. You would never have known that this fishes tail had ever been savaged. If the fence had not been constructed at the exact time that it was, the Roach Pit carp undoubtably would have been otter food within weeks.
My old dog Casper absolutely hated the otters so much with a real passion, he wanted to kill all of them constantly. Every night when they came to the fence he would be there waiting for them. He did not have a single bad bone in his body for any other wildlife whatsoever. He hated those otters with a real passion though. He'd chased a massive dog otter into the river one night on the river bank at Fen Drayton as a youngster. This otter was a very regular visitor to Fen, coming up the river every night. Likely from Ferry lagoon next door. That all stopped when Casper chased him into the river that night. He despised them with a real passion after that. He allowed a gang of young motherless ducklings to sleep under our brolly next to him every night at Fen. He was their guardian and they 100% knew it. Exactly the same thing happened on Roach Pit in spring 2013. This gang in the photos here, knew that by keeping close to Casper at all times, they were safe from the killers behind the new fence.
|
|
|
|
Scans of prints, special old carp. Photos taken by a good friend who is no longer alive. Good memories, looking at old photos connected to people who had a big influence in your life.
|
|
|
|
Old photos. Both from the 1952 Donald Leney stockings of DDAP's Brooklands. The common is the original 'big common'. This fish had not been caught for a couple of years before this photo, it was a couple of pounds down on its normal weight and completely empty. There was only a few Leney's left in there at this point. It had a large bit of hessian sack hanging out of its mouth. It went right down in to its gullet. It was clearly stopping it from feeding properly. It could not swallow and was slowly starving to death. Me and Steve Ludlow removed as much as we could. Pulled as much out as carefully as we could, cut it close to the gut entrance. Even though we could not get it all out, It clearly worked a treat. The following year it came out five pound up, at its highest ever recorded weight. It had never gone 30lb+ before, but it went over 32lb the year after this. Not bad for a very close to 50 year old carp at the time. It lived for quite a few years after this.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #69
Unfortunately it is rife.... many of our so called leading light are using cameras and drones now.... its a disgrace.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #68
"No drones, no cameras, just solid watercraft". Hear, hear. I don't care what others do, as long as it doesn't bother anyone else, but for me it's so much sweeter catching by casting a bait when others are using bait boats with sonars, gps and drones..........a young guy was telling me about his bait boat - just push a button and off it goes to the spot via GPS. All the way showing everything with the sonar and then when it drops the bait lowers a camera on a cable to see how the rig is sitting!!
|
|
|
|
Start of April 2017. Second part of a brace of Burghfield 40’s, second day as a member. This one was caught on a BBQ coated S2. I made some just for this session. Had them on one rod, caught this fish, gave the rest of the tub away and have never made them again since. They have quite a good average too. You can see from the one on the rig the fish was caught on, that it was not in the water that long.
Since I had found the carp in the open water a month before, by walking the lake in the dark, I had filled it in with so much tiger spunk. I got through three and a half 25kg sacks of dry tigers, just making the spunk for Burghfield & the Nursery poaching pit at Sonning during that month period. I did not use one single tiger nut which I had prepared from those sacks until months later. The whole lot went into a big chest freezer, ready to supplement other free bait for the river Thames when it reopened on June 16th. The spunk itself was applied to boilie crumb, the vessel to get it all to the bottom. A bucket of spunk went out there three times. This was when the really big displays of carp showing started. Very little food content, but the taste of fermenting tiger nuts in the silt which the fish had clearly spent all winter laying in. They remained in the same area for an entire month. I doubt they actually moved more than ten yards in that month. The entire lakes stock was balled up there. No drones, no cameras, just solid watercraft. Unfortunately those days seem to now be gone on most lakes containing big carp, as technology starts to take much of the real skill out of carp fishing. Now anglers just rock up and send the drones up, even on the low stock pits. The days of a watercraft advantage are unfortunately now long gone. You could have just started carp fishing yesterday, purchased a drone with all the associated gear... Now you know where every single carp in the lake is today. A step far too far for me. Where is there any skill in that? Golfers do not want a putter that does all the work for you. Tennis players do not want an automatic racket that will serve at 140mph for you.
Remove all of the skill, the great danger is that you actually remove what makes the very game itself. We need to be very careful, of not doing exactly that as carp anglers with technology in my opinion. Otherwise it will eventually take away what made it so great in the first place.
|
|
|
|
I mentioned the big common the Golden from the park lake being caught on my S2 at least three times in a post last week. That's now four times below. Twice now that particular fish has been caught in the depths of winter (Jan/Feb) on an S2.
I keep posting photographs of monsters getting caught on them over and over again. BlackSpot the Kent 60+ has been caught on an S2 or a Garlic likely twenty times over the past 15 years. I recently posted photos of The Little Grey (TH caster fish) that went 7 years virtually only being caught on an S2. Look at what's currently happening at Welly. The Krill is likely the flagship freezer bait of the past decade. It was trialed at the same time as the S2 was released to the public, on Roach Pit. The S2 absolutely blew it out of the water and back again. I could go on and on with similar examples.
I was never that good an angler in reality. I was just lucky to have had the Sugars2.
I realise this really upsets internet bait men, trying to sell bait, with their own personal bait theories. I'm not trying to be controversial at all. I'm not trying to sell pop ups. Anyone on my personal social media will tell you I've taken 50 bags off the bookies in the past four days. I'm asking the question honestly. Can someone point out a similar situation in the history of carp fishing? I don't seem to remember a time when the bigguns got caught on the same baits over and over again. Be that tigers, maggots, a certain freezer bait or pop up? We have always talked about baits 'blowing'. Why does the S2 not 'blow'? I don't personally believe that any bait blows. Just something better comes along.
It's now that S2 time of the year. In cold water, they just get even better.
Royston with the Golden, 56lb+ Feb 2024, S2 over his own homemade freezer bait.
Will, Rockford Scopex/Pinepple S2
Dan S2
|
|
| | | Karlos | | Posts: 13293 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
In reply to Post #64
"All I succeeded in doing was pushing it into the undercut beneath me. I lost the phone"
Shame you never had an iPhone/FaceTime back then, you could have called the lost phone and watched them feeding!
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #63
Gorgeous fish.
|
|
|
|
Scans of prints. 2006, Sutton 2. The Peach common. Another one of the A-Team from the undercut spot in the dead end swim, fifth or sixth day as a member. I only found the undercut in the first place, by losing a mobile phone. I was on my knees at the waters edge, rig in both hands, mobile phone wedged between ear and shoulder with the mainline in my gob chatting to a fishing friend. The Brown fish, a near 40lber cleared the water under the tree canopy right in front of me two foot away. It shocked the life out of me, I dropped the phone into the drink. Sutton is very silty and bloodworm rich, full of big roach and millions of bream. The water is always murky. I could just about see the light from the mobile phone in around 2.5 foot of water right in the edge. I laid on my belly with my arm at full stretch, I could just feel the phone with my finger tips. All I succeeded in doing was pushing it into the undercut beneath me. I lost the phone, but discovered that I could get a landing net pole three foot under the no fishing bank I was kneeling on. I had caught the big fully and the Unknown from the edge of this undercut. The Peach common was the first one that actually came from three foot under the bank, right in the big girls front room. I was about to rip them to bits over the following couple of weeks from this big undercut beneath the root system of an old tree.
|
|
|
|
First photo that ever went up on the SHB business page on 26th October 2012. It's a Stow fish which was caught in January 2012. Part of a big haul on a day session on S2, one of my first ever trips to the Stow. It got two likes on our work page. Was seen by ten people total. Nowadays the photos we do post on there get clicked on by an average 200,000 anglers across Europe. I didn't even have a personal Faceache account. I set the business page up, which was amazing. Back then they did not make you have a personal profile. No internet friends, I saw no one's feed. Nobodies disgusting looking Sunday dinner photos. No ugly kids back to school photos. I was never added to any poxy **** groups, or invited to play some mind numbing idiot game. I was oblivious to it all. It was truly bliss. The personal profile, had to come years later, when they changed the stupid rules to mean that you had to have a personal profile to control a business page. I called myself Mark Ferlangyboom in protest, until they made me change that too.
Advanced Carp magazine, actually stole photos of me from the Perfection Ground baits private page with a 50+. Printed them in their magazine, declaring me as ‘Mark Ferlangeyboom’.
A proud moment.
|
|
|
|
Scans of prints. River Thames, Hurst park, early 2000’s. The willow tree photo spot. I’m not sure if Matt was ever on this forum, he was on RMC as the Thumb & Blunkett. This was his first ever trip to the Thames with me. He caught this big leathery one on his first night in a heavily pre baited swim. I was desperate to catch this fish. I would love to know what happened to her. I caught her an exact year to the day later, in the exact same swim. I have never seen another photograph of her, apart from these ones here. It was a fish I always imagined could grow so much larger. It had a really big frame for a Thames fish.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #60
Congratulations on your engagement
|
|
|
|
We are completely up to date with all orders placed on our website, right up until an hour ago today. If you are waiting for a delivery from us, it should be there tomorrow, or Friday latest. That’s the first time in seven weeks. We have just gone through by far the busiest seven week period since we first started. By a long way. The photo’s below are from my personal social media five days ago. I’m only even showing them on here, in light of my little fan club of trolls/divs playing the same silly games on here again yesterday. I’d imagine if you are totally consumed with other people on the internet, your life is clearly not going so great. Just an educated guess. I hope that changes for you lot in the future. I hope you manage to find some happiness in your life. I got engaged to be married five days ago, never been happier personally. Engagement rings are worn on the right hand in Brazil.
The Cheese (TC1/TC2) was released nearly a year ago, with zero fanfare. Never mentioned what is in them, just released them at the worst time of the year (mid winter) and let our customers discover just how good they are for themselves. The biggest advancements I have made with the hook baits is since I personally stopped fishing. By far the biggest ingredient finds that I have discovered have all been in Brazil. The Cheese contain a very special taste enhancer from the human food chain. It’s 100% water soluble, and in terms of a taste sensation, there is absolutely nothing that comes even remotely close. It’s used in expensive restaurants in Brazil. It’s in part what gives the Cheese their incredible Unami aroma. They are by far the most advanced hook bait that we have ever produced. As many of our customers have discovered this year.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #58
Gary Watton with the Baden Hall bigguns when they used to run the British deaf championship matches on there.
All S2.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #57
Thanks for the advice just going on a social trip to Baden hall this winter never fished around crays before so was unsure what to do.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #56
They love them. Everything loves them. They are super soluble food. So anything that responds to food signals in the water, will respond to our hook baits, massively so.
Korda shrink wrap, the stuff with the holes in. Fish them on a resetting rig, game on.
The crays are only there when the carp are no where near. If there are carp in the area the crays will be in their burrows. Use that to your advantage. If you get cray'd... Move.
There's no carp there.
|
|
|
|
|
Looking at ordering my first tub of the hookbaits, can anyone tell me how resistant to crays they are or if they love them. Thanks
|
|
|
|
Forum member Russ. First trip back to his club lake since last winter. What started as a day session, turned into two nights of hauling. 13mm balanced GPB2 fished over Essential B5. He caught the 2nd, 3rd & 4th biggest in the DDAP's venue over two nights.
47lb4oz
40lb+
38lb12oz
37lb6oz
37lb
Forum member Jamie and his wife, 58lb+, S4 over Nutrabaits Big Fish
FishOn Ricci, Scopex/Pineapple S2 over shops fermented particle and boillie crumb
Trevor, Woolpack, GPB1
40lb+
Forum member Simon, Hutchie S2
Forum member Carl, DNA Bug crushed cork pop up over his own home rolled freezers
Forum member Tony, first time out fishing in months. 38lb+ GPB1
David Cherry Coke S2
Stoke Carl and his son Jude, GPB1 & Cherry Coke S2 over Inception freezer baits
|
|
|
|
The fermented garlic hemp as someone wrote is specifically for the timespan of just after they spawn, until late October early November. It's useless now until after they spawn. Freezer baits are better.
It's the garlic itself which is being heavily fermented, not really the hemp. It's the initial taste of decomposition that plumes through the water that makes it so effective. It's a super tool, for bringing fish to areas where there are no fish, then holding them there.
As an example. If I was to turn up on a busy pressurised lake, where all the fish and anglers are in one area.... It's the perfect tool to bring all those fish to where I want them. In front of me, up the opposite end of the lake.
There is nothing whatsoever that you can put into the water which creates the same reaction to move fish encamped in a certain area. Freezer baits don't even come remotely close. Live natural bait will not even create this response.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #52
He mentioned keeping it near a radiator if the sun not out but not recommended with the smell
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #51
The original post by Mark Casper was written in late Spring/ early Summer, so the phrase "(at this time of year)" means that, not early November ....
... also note that Mark also mentioned that the finished hemp was effective as a bait from Spring to late October in his opinion ...
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #46
Cheers karlos mi old Buddy hope ya well
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #46
I guess "in the sun", its means, in warm weather late spring/summer?
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #48
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #47
Drain water once boiled and then add salt, et al.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #46
Drain the water,in a large bucket of hemp.I thought the hemp is already in the water?
|
|
| | | Karlos | | Posts: 13293 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
In reply to Post #44
Mark's fermented hemp guide:
"Two or three large garlic bulbs cut in half horizontally.
Put them at the bottom of a large black bucket and fill with water and dry hemp.
Leave the sealed bucket in the sun in the garden for two weeks (this time of year).
Boil it outside (wearing a mask), remove the garlic.
Drain the water, in a large bucket of hemp, I then put 500g-1kg of salt.
Give it a real good glug of hemp or nut oil and stir.
That's it, it's so simple. The garlic will ferment at a much quicker rate than the hemp.
The massive stink, is from the garlic.
It will last weeks in the sealed bucket once the salt and oil are added.
I tend to always use it immediately though."
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #44
Probs pgb chocolate orange mate abs baits make it mate now I think
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #41
Where's the fermented hemp guide to how mark does it can someone link it or pin it going to have a play with it
Mark what was the bait you used to do that was like the S1 but wasn't and everyone used to catch on it
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #1
I'd not fished through the summer due to family and work commitments but managed to do the day on my syndicate on Saturday. Had on the GPB1s over a few whole and crushed tigers and caught two nice mid-20s
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #41
Thought I recognised that fish Mark. That's appeared in one of Terry's ESP Vid. They certainly don't bread them like that anymore. The thing with today's breeders is they are to good at it. There all over breed there all to perfect. We need more retards. To coin a horrible expression. But I think your get my drift.. 
|
|
|
|
And because I'm weird, this old dinosaur below means far more to me personally. One of the best river Thames fish I've ever caught. Just look at her. That sloping head. She is unquestionably ancient, previously a bigger fish too. You don't even see this type of strain in the UK anymore.
Donald Leney may have been the king of stocking ponds... But the 240 mile river Thames has always been the last bastion of real old school fish in the UK. Nowhere else comes even remotely close. It may have been completely polluted by Oxfordshire day ticket Simmos in the big floods of 2007, but if you want a 'proper' old strain UK carp, then the Thames has always been the one.
This fish below, is worth more than five lake 40's, or a 50 to me personally. I'm told that this another fish that appeared in an ESP video a year or two after this. Marlow On Thames, summer 2017.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Theale Lagoon, July 2021, just after the craziness of Covid lockdowns. Thirty to thirty five fish in 270+ acres. It used to be 500+ acres, until the construction of the M4 split the lake. Behind me in these photos is the M4, behind that is Wellman’s pit, the TH video earlier this year with the lovely dark RDAA/J12 strain carp. Theale had become harder and harder as pressure wised the fish up. I first had a ticket in 2015/16, and caught one on my first trip during the Thames close season, a small common from the sailing club swim. The first fish banked that year. A full timer moved in there when I left, stitched the area up for six weeks solid. Work was stupidly busy, I sort of gave up on it after a couple more trips. I could no longer compete for time working constantly, not on somewhere like Theale. I gave up my ticket that same year. In 2020/21 I was offered the chance again if I wanted it. This was really was going to be my last hurrah on the type of lakes I want to fish. Since SHB started, my personal fishing had became ridiculously political. Every lake I want to fish is full up with anglers sponsored by rival bait companies. Be careful what you wish for in life, it might just end up taking away the thing that you have loved the most for your entire life.
Theale had become totally granite. Nothing was being banked whatsoever, despite being fished constantly. Analysing situations, is what carp fishing on a new lake is all about to me. It was crystal clear instantly to me that the fish had just moved to the centre of the lake. Out of fishing range of all of the anglers. If you give a very small stock of big pressured carp a place to hide away from lines, they will start to live there. Simple. The far bank on Theale is more than a mile away. The pylon you can see in the distance in the scenic photos is on an island, that’s not even the far bank. There is a bay behind that bigger than most carp lakes. They were definitely living out in the centre of the pit now, far away from pressure. I have used a boat my entire angling life, I’m very good in a boat and well versed at fishing at range. I found a suitable spot at approx 500-550m and started to fill it in with fermented garlic hemp. They were on it instantly. Once they smashed the spot, three single garlic 13mm balanced on the spot was all that would be needed. Everything would need to be banked from the boat. Theale Lagoon is an incredibly weedy pit, savagely so. I hoped they would pretty much weed themselves whist I was on my way out there at full speed on the motor. Gardner sinking braid, the pit is a sailing pit. Speed boats and sailing boats everyday. I needed the braid down in the water. Long 25m mono leaders would help with this too, dragging it all down through the canadian pond weed. It worked perfectly.
The biggest fish in the lake, the mirror called the Machine took over the spot immediately. I had photographed this fish for someone else at over 60lb just three months before. The only fish banked that spring. Every time I went out in the boat he was sitting there. He was not scared of me at all, the king of the pond and he had already made the spot his. He looked ridiculous in the crystal clear water from the boat, a real big pit monster. There was another more leathery mirror with him, 55lb at least. But she would not go near the spot, sitting much further away. There's only one king of the pond, and she was not it. I had a bite the following morning, first bite from the spot. I flew out there in the boat, but got cut off on the hook link by savage razor sharp mussels. I would later find out that everything in the water, including the weed itself was smothered with them. I changed hook links from 30lb fluorocarbon booms, to 35lb coated braid. Changed leaders from 20lb to 30lb green Big Game mono. I lost the second bite to a hook pull the following morning. I was so distraught. I'd lost the Machine without a doubt. I asked Gardner tackle for some older versions of the beaked point hooks I was using, with a far meatier barb. No more micro barbs I filled it in garlic hemp and went off to work. The following week I was back, the spot had been decimated. This was going to be simple, I just needed to get them into the net! I was so excited, I knew what was about to happen. I watched the common clear the water multiple times through binoculars. The common was 55lb8oz and is my personal best. The mirror was 41lb+. The top three photographs have never been seen anywhere before. They are all self takes. A plasterer named Deano, who has fished the lake for seven years caught the common in the spring. He had previously banked just one small fish in those seven years. He purchased some GPB2 from us in April. First time he had ever purchased anything from us. In May, he banked this common at 61lb8oz on one. First ever trip with them.
|
|
|
|
How crazy is this. I was reminded today, that I had fished the park lake where the big common The Golden resides. It's become rather famous now. I showed it on here when a local lad had it three or four years ago now. Did not name the venue at the time. It's a monster. Everyone knows anyway now.
In 2007, my now departed friend Gary Bainbridge from Poacher Baits, asked me to fish the BCAC for him. He had a team entered and paid for, but one of the blokes had to pull out due to being in a car accident. Would I step in at the last minute. I did not want too, matches were very much not my thing at all. But Gary was giving me free bait at the time, I'd just caught all those fish from Sutton. I felt a little bit obliged. The money would also have been very handy at the time. The qualifier was at DDAPs Brooklands which I knew well. We won that really easily. The semi final was on Willen South.
James Armstrong and partner were leading the semi final until the last afternoon. They were fishing over by the pub somewhere over my shoulder in the photo, there were zero fish on our side of the lake. Two S2 at long range saw me catch three fish on the last afternoon, we won the semi final. Here's the mad thing. The common I'm holding was 28lb, something like that. Far bigger than all of the other fish. The other two I caught were pasties. The other fish caught in the match from memory were small too. I'm told by anglers who have caught the Golden, plus others who have fished the lake for years that this has to be her, on just size alone back in 2007.
I speak to anglers chasing this fish all of the time. Two of my customers have caught it on my hook baits. I could not even remember that I had fished their lake, let alone had most likely caught the fish others I speak to regular so dream of catching.
We came out last in the draw at the final at Horseshoe. All the fish were stacked in Summerbay. We caught a couple out in the main lake when no one else did, but had zero chance.
How funny to find out today from local anglers that in all likelihood I caught that particular fish 
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #30
Quote... Cheers bud - I'll hang on ordering then.
Forewarning. It will be a while unfortunately. We are so stupidly busy.
|
|
|
|
Stoke Carl, Judes dad. Two local mirrors. That top one is especially lovely. Scopex/Pineapple S2 balanced over Inception freezer baits & particle.
|
|
|
|
Forum member James & his sons William & Finley at the Secret Garden. They have had so many now after a couple of nights, it's hard to keep up. This is William (glasses) with a 61lb+ personal best, Finley with a 57lb+ personal best, James with a 61lb+.
Cherry Coke S2 providing by far the most bites for them, followed by Scopex/Pineapple S2. Fished over Cell & Royal Marine freezer baits.
Incredible photos James. Proud dad moment. Well done boys.
|
|
|
|
Forum member Rich with a new PB from Wellington Country Park last night. Turns out it's the same 50+ he caught two weeks ago after he looked at the night photos. Addicted. 52lb+
Hutchie S2.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #31
Tell him to WhatsApp message our work mobile Cam.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #14
Quote... Blimey mark was it really that long ago.... lovely to take the pictures of such pukka fish from the old father those 2 r absolutely mint... still in touch with toddy a few times a year the nicest of men.
It really was Micky, time flies. Toddy is an absolute legend. He's coming with me to Brazil soon, meet my family and live it up
|
|
| | | Cam | | Posts: 6454 |  | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
In reply to Post #26
"As promised, the people who donated to Gerry's Just Giving page for his hospice. Micheal Haus. Steurazahler forum name, please message our work mobile. We have a little prize to send you."
I'm glad Michael has been chosen here.
Being in Germany, he was unable to donate as the site wouldn't let him as he's outside the UK, so he asked me to do it for him after sending me the funds via PayPal.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #28
Cheers bud - I'll hang on ordering then
|
|
|
|
Chris Bromley, 3 hour stalking session in a corner swim at the Woolpack. Hutchie S2 16mm balanced fished as single hook baits.
The friendly lin & the Sutton.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #27
Next thing to be added. We could not add it all in one go. It's been a nightmare keeping up as it is.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #26
Any update on the cheese bottom baits Mark?
|
|
|
|
Could not fit them all in one post. I likely missed loads, I'm sorry if I missed yours.
I'm not going to be about much in the near future. That does not mean I'm banned. That just means I don't have the time to deal with a lot of what goes on regarding here. I will be back.
We cleared up until the 10th on Thursday. We will be completely up to date with all current orders this week. Just a reminder, we have a two week waiting time on the front of the website as we are snowed under.
As promised, the people who donated to Gerry's Just Giving page for his hospice. Micheal Haus. Steurazahler forum name, please message our work mobile. We have a little prize to send you.
There is another younger member of this forum currently suffering from cancer, bigjim001. He asked us to make him some Pineapple & Strawberry S2. We have some spares done and they are for you Steurazahler.
|
|
|
|
Forum member Wayne Griffiths, new PB 73lb+ last week. He also banked a further 5 x 60's in the same week long session. Incredible Wayne, well done. GPB2 16mm pop ups over DNA Bug
Forum member James Jordan. First night in France last night, mid 50 & mid 40 straight away. Cherry Coke S2.
Young Jude from Stoke with an absolute cracker from his club lake, Scopex/Pineapple S2 13mm balanced over Inception pellet.
Jacko Lucy. All work over nighters very recently on a new syndicate. RedBerry/Vanilla S2 balanced over Scopex Squid freezer baits.
Mike Lyddon, GPB2 mid 50 last week on his French trip.
|
|
|
|
Forum member, wishes to remain un named. All from two London Park lakes this year on the Cheese. TC1 or TC2 fished over his own homemade freezer baits. Showed you the common in the Spring. These are just the better ones he has had.
Andrew Parkinson, on his way back to the ferry. Biggest fish in a 200 acre French public venue 61lb+. On a single overnighter. GPB1
Derek Hewitt, first evening on Riverton, 42lb4oz after a few hours. Hutchie S2
Forum member Simon, new lake record on a morning session, well done Simon. S2.
Dave Little, his 11th & 12th UK river 30lb+ within a few days from a very flooded Great river Ouse.... 31lb & 32lb. Pink S2 13mm cc over 20mm Shrimp as snowmen.
FishOn Ricci, two big commons from his Essex syndicate scopex/pineapple S2 balanced. The mirror from Nashy church lake on a hook bait we no longer sell. Fished over shops fermented particle and boillie crumb.
Chris French, two big 40's from a French public venue last week. Cherry Coke S2 over Proper freezer baits.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #22
Fair enough.
|
|
| | | Karlos | | Posts: 13293 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
|
In reply to Post #19
Temp ban to let things calm down.
Stirrers will be banned for longer, just knocked one on the head
|
|
|
|
|
I don’t understand why people are so quick to make snidey comments , mark does a lot to offer help and support to people it seems on here I personally wouldn’t bother as half of you lot who seem to be the problem couldn’t catch a cold , seem to spend more time hiding behind stupid names and being keyboard warriors rather than actually being out on the bank I don’t come on here often but when I do it seems that there are far to many people who are quick to try and mock and discredit people this place seems to have become toxic which is a shame as it has the potential to be a good platform
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #18
Look at the OMC thread.
Hopefully just a temporary ban.
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #15
What for
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #15
?????? Surely not?
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #15
FFS.....
|
|
|
|
|
Very sad loss to the forum. Banning Mark is a joke!
|
|
|
|
In reply to Post #12
Blimey mark was it really that long ago.... lovely to take the pictures of such pukka fish from the old father those 2 r absolutely mint... still in touch with toddy a few times a year the nicest of men.
|
|
|
|
2013 Roach Pit. Second capture of the biggun within a couple of months. The plateau swim had slowed down. At the other end of the pit the fish were sitting in the main snags in front of the pipe most of the time. Loads of fermented garlic hemp out on the main gravel hump would see this greedy fish instantly take over the spot within hours. She showed constantly on the area for the early part of the night. Then all went quiet until the bite at dawn. When the biggest fish in the lake is going crazy like this, she is marking the spot as her own. Making it clear to all the other fish, that this larder is for her. There were others I really wanted to catch more than her there and on it before her, but she scuppered that when she decided the spot was for her. She would do the same thing to me again a few months later. That was when it was time to leave. This fish would bully others in the snags. If she wanted to sit where one of the others was sitting, she would aggressively nudge them until they done what she wanted and moved. That's a very common occurrence among big carp. They have a hierarchy and it's normally determined by size, not sex.
There has been a recent thread on here with recommendations for a Cannon Pro1. I couldn't agree more. The best compact fishing camera ever made. In these photos, Scottie can be seen holding my old Pro1. I sold it to him when I purchased a Nikon SLR. The other photo is taken on that very Pro1 for example. Look how happy that mug looks when he used to actually go fishing. Jock of Cotswold Baits fame took the water shot. If you can pick these Pro1 up for £50 now, as a photographer mentioned on that thread, they are exceptional cameras for that money. For anyone on a budget that is a superb option, or if you cannot be bothered with an all singing dancing SLR.
|
|
|
|
River Thames, Weybridge, 2011. When the comedian David Walliams swam the Thames from Oxford to London for charity. This is a forum member and friend, the northerner Toddy with me in these photos. All photos taken by another forum member Thicky. This was Erics’s first trip to the river, we rinsed them. I can’t even remember how many we caught but it was loads. Toddy had 10kg of ABS fishmeal in his freezer, I had 5kg of Poachers fishmeal, we salted it all right up, crusted the surface with salt and left it in the bucket for a few days to work some magic. Snowman presentations. The beach swim we were fishing, was always very kind to me without being baited. It’s slightly downstream of a lock system, so at night, any fish wanting to travel upstream into the stretch above would all need to gather in the lock cut. In the nighttime period between the last boat going through the lock at 10pm, and the first boat the following morning 5am (approximate times in the summer). Carp will wait for the boat to enter the lock, then dart in at the very last moment before the gates shut. It’s a well rehearsed daily action for a lot of born in the river Thames carp. If you don’t get them in the night, you have a great chance early in the morning, when fish from upstream that have been waiting, descend upon you when the lock gates open. Applies on all rivers that contain carp. Just upstream, there’s the weir where the river Wey river & Wey navigation comes in. It’s a real junction. This session was amazing. When the comedian came past, our swim was surrounded by camera crews, and the most beautiful well to do ladies from the local area who all came to watch the action all day. I’m not sure they were ready for us. Stinking & covered in fish slime. It was all good fun. The fishing was exceptional. Erics mirror and the leathery one are both old Thames fish, the smaller long mirror is also ancient. Erics big mirror smashed into a moored boat on our side of the river in its desperation to get away. A real angry Thames carp with attitude.
|
|
|
|
The fish this lad has been hauling on work overnighters on a new lake are insane. Well done Jacko. RedBerry/Vanilla S2 16mm balanced over Scopex Squid.
|
|
|
|
S2 specials page was added to the website last night.
As promised, someone who donated to Gerry (OldGeezers) charity post for his hospice and put 'for Gerry' on the donation is going to get picked at random later and sent some Banoffee S2 & Plum/Strawberry oil S2 for free.
|
|
|
|
Lovely message from customer Peter. 3 x UK 50's last two sessions. White S2 pop ups and balanced. Bloody well done Pete!
57lb8oz
52lb+
51lb+
Phil, new PB, S2 barrel. RDAA Junction 12, 44lb+. Well done Phil.
Dan, GPB1
|
|
|
|
Dan, first fish from a new pit, TC1 balanced
Alfie, Essex yesterday. Hutchie S2 balanced
Leon GPB2
David GPB1 & Hutchie S2 over particle
Adrian, Welly, S2 white balanced over NoNuts freezer baits
Stoke Carl, GPB2 over Rollin pellet
|
|
|
|
Roach Pit 2013, ‘Barbs’. One of the pits most sort after fish. Roach Pit was so great in my opinion, because it had such an incredible array of different types of carp. Long scaly mirrors to die for, but also the most incredible baulky deep set 40’s like Barbs. A real mix of epic strains Their mouths were all absolutely pristine. There are many pits with gorgeous fish in these days. But whose mouths have unfortunately been chopped to bits by low diameter zig hook lengths.
When I was finished on Roach the following year, I had a little go on Spinnaker, the big sailing club pit next door. I lost a very big fish in the margins, after getting it all the way back from the sailing club margins opposite. It looked just like Barbs. Identical, just bigger, and paler in colour. I can still see it lying on the surface beaten now, weeded, just out of the nets reach. It took off after righting itself, charged through the two remaining braided lines that were still fishing at long range. The hook pulled instantly. It would be boring if we landed them all.
Spinnaker
|
|
|
|
Walthamstow January 2012. Part of a six fish catch on a day session that contained three different 30lb+. This particular swim is on the centre path between the 2/3 & the number 1 ressies. I often used to get Number 1 anglers walking past me, moaning to me how hard it had become on the 2/3. "Caught anything"? Nah mate, I’ve had sod all. “Ain’t like it used to be, you should have been here a decade ago”. “There's no fish left in the 2/3 now, get on the number 1, spod the island". Thanks mate, I'll try that later. As they trundled off to fish the number 1 for 1000 carp. I'd be dragging the soaking wet sacks and mat out from under the brambles. It was absolutely crazy fishing. I’m not sure how many fish were left in there, but it was far more than I was ever used to fishing for. I often had the entire lake to myself that winter. This session I put out 10kg of pre-soaked TigerNut & Maple freezer baits the night before when I left at the gates closure. All put into a bloodworm bed in the silt that they were harvesting. I returned the following morning at first light, cast out two S2 into the deeply silted area. I had a brace of mid 30’s almost instantly. They had smashed all of the bait. Over the course of that day, I banked another four fish. This was the biggest one. It was a fish not even recognised by the management.
Hand sharpened Atomic Chodda hooks in size 5. The greatest chod/SHR hook for hand sharpening ever produced. Ten foot, long running naked chods on fluoro, casting the lead off the floor.
|
|
|
|
Lee with a really special one, GPB2 over Trap Baits DeepFish
Jacko, two lovely ones from work overnighters this week. RedBerry/Vanilla S2 balanced over Nash Scopex Squid.
Forum member Dean, Hutchie S2 Berks syndicate
Wade with three 30+ to 38lb from Riverton, including the original triple row, he was desperate to catch. All pink S2 13mm cc. His mate had a mid 30 on an S2 as well same trip.
Forum member Paul, 12lb+ barbel from the Trent yesterday GPB2 bottom bait barrel
Mark, club lake S2 over Wraysbury MC Nut
|
|
|
|
Marlow on Thames 2017. Bad self takes. This scrapper 30lb mirror had not been caught for a long time I was told. Not since she was a low 20. You will have seen the same fish a couple of years after these photos in a Terry Hearn video I'm told. My guess is, I dragged her from a stretch further downstream with the rake and the garlic hemp. Constant raking to disturb the bottom before fishing. Making so much noise and disturbance by throwing in a heavy metal rake, is actually a great thing when you are disturbing the bottom. The complete opposite of keeping quiet and being stealthy. Stealthy starts when you actually start angling and the fish arrive. When you rake, you create a scenario that imitates competitive feeding. Among fish, that is a dinner bell going off. A preprogrammed dinner bell from mother nature that other fish are ripping the bottom to bits. Very quickly you will attract the attention of the biggest fish in any lake by doing this. The dominant ones will come and take over the area/spot very quickly indeed. The dominant ones are always the biggest ones.
The following Spring after I was catching these fish from the Thames, a good friend was fishing a 270 acre pit with hardly any fish in. He was shown what I was doing on the river. He purchased the same rake himself, raked out a spot for the very first time. He instantly banked one of the biggest and most worthy carp in the UK by doing so.
|
|
|
|
2017, Burghfield, second day as a member. Part of a brace of 40's. Long running chods out to an area where I had seen the fish showing all spring.
Two months before my ticket started, I walked the lake with my dogs most mornings before work. I was living in Sonning at the time, close enough to be able to do this. I heard the first big carp show in complete darkness. The wind carried the sound over 250 yards across the water in the pitch black. This was in early March, the water was still absolutely freezing cold. But the carps winter quarters had already been found. My ticket would not start for another six weeks yet. I started loading it up out there with tiger slime. The tigers themselves, would get used for baiting the Thames. The slime produced, was used to hold those fish in that area out there. Over the space of that six weeks I saw over two hundred shows in an area no bigger than the size of a tennis court. I likely heard the same amount again in darkness. The area was very smooth silt. Clearly where they had laid for their winter hibernation in January and February. As they woke up, they wanted to show, release some energy and clear off the leaches that always smother them whilst they are laying in their winter blanket of silt. Clearly the otters, that had apparently now taken up residence in the back bays at the other end of the lake had never found them whilst in their hibernating slumber. One day they will, then they will take the lot.
Right up until the day of my ticket starting I was there at dawn. Every morning I would hear them, then see them when it got light. I already knew that this was going to be fairly simple fishing. The problem came when an existing member was already set up in the swim a few days before my ticket started. Luckily from chatting to him, he had seen nothing and was fishing to a completely different area of the pit. I was only waiting for him to leave. I had no interest in going and setting up anywhere else. I knew where they were, I knew I just needed three S2 out there and it was going to be game on.
I crushed up five kilos of Chocolate Orange freezer baits and soaked them in tiger slime the night before I went. A couple of large hand fulls of this would be fished over each hook bait. They were so nailed in on the tiger spunk, I did not want to feed them, I wanted to catch them.
First morning at dawn, I had a brace of mid 40's, I think this was the first one.
|
|
|
|
Forum member Sam, three recent big commons from days only Sutton 2. S2 over Poacher T&M freezer baits.
Jez, S2 over NoNuts freezer baits
|
|
