lutra

No ban them I say. There bad for fish welfare and angling. You may think thats extreme and it maybe is, but they are bad. I've been fishing maybe 40 years, for the first 20 I didn't have one and like a lot of anglers probably didn't even know what one was. Now I have a few and I even take them and use them from time to time. Mostly when i go to places that insist on them, but sometimes for speed and to make it comfy for me. Not really because I think they are good for the fish. Ok so I do a lot of fishing stood in the middle of a river and it would be a ball ache dragging them all back to the bank and out. I know most anglers don't fish like that and maybe thats why I land fish like I do, but I do believe it is much better for the fish to unhooked them in the net, not be handled and never taken out of the water. We do it because it is easier for us, not because it is better for the fish. I never had a fish jump out of the landing net as they have much taller side than even a cradle. They are perfectly supported in the water. Will get far less burns from hot dry hands or suffer from high temperatures. Loss less slime from being handle and move from one thing to another and its fast. Way better all round on the fish. If I ever get a 40lb carp in a shallow peg, I will just have to get my feet wet. Which I probably would have landing it anyway. And I agree with Dave that we weigh and photo way to many of the fish we catch, but I blame unhooking mats for that as well. Or was it carp head/speci head trophy shooters it all seems to have snowballed around the same time. Slip the hook and send them back.

Well your the man Bob to educate us with clouded judgement's, as I've never had a 40lb carp or used a carp cradle. So how does it all work. I see on google images lots of big carp in cradles and an odd one having a bath at the same time. They look nice and comfy (well I can see why some might think that). Then I notice there doesn't seem to be a landing net in sight in most of these pic's. Hmm...... So if I'm reading it right (with my clouded judgement) the idea is to net your super size carp in a landing net. Honk it up the bank and tip this easy to handle big fish into your cradle without missing and unhook it. Then you hold it up and take a pic or two and pop it back down. Then you some how drag a weigh sling under it (hopefully with a bit of extra water if you remembered to fill the bath) and hold it up for weighing. Then back in the cradle for one last look or while you land another fish before some how carting it back down to the water. Sounds so easy Bob. ps. if its not moving it won't be dead, its just gone a sleep from all that being in a lovely looking cradle.

Sorry I didn't realise it was just about "Carp Cradles" Bob. Thought it was about Crib/Cradle style unhooking mats and fish welfare in general. Not just carp.

All unhooking mats are bad for fish. Would be better to just ban them and make everyone unhook fish in their landing net in the water. Sorry not everyone, carp anglers can keep them and take an age taking pictures of every carp they catch on them.

Often put some party mix in with my hemp and fished it in a block end feeder with a couple of bits of wheat on the hook. The wheat that is in the party mix is the last thing to find its way out of the feeder and thats in a good flow with the feeders holes drilled out with a 8mm drill bit. Catches barbel just fine, but can't say I've had great chub bags that way. That may just be me and I can't say I've tried just wheat.

I think a lot depends on what you are fishing for. I used to do a quite a bit of trotting for salmon with smallish pike floats (up to 20g) and used to get loads of chub even in slow water. When out trotting for chub and barbel 6-8bb is about the norm for me, but if I start getting roach and dace and want to stick with them, I'll go changing to a much lighter float. Maybe partly to fish on the drop more, but mainly because the bites are more positive and easier to hit.

Doesn't pay to have to much oil kick about, it just gives muck something to stick to.

That's the best excuse I've heard for wondering round in just a badly fitting loincloth. My balls are stainless ( ) and don't rust. A quick dip never did any harm.

I'd say from tail shape. Can't tell so no idea. From its wrist, Can't tell so no idea. Not many spots below the lateral line, but there are some signs. So no idea. Eye to mouth lineup looks trout like if you go by the book, but if you look at enough photo's and hold enough fish, I'd say its not a very reliable way of telling them apart. So no idea. Scale count, I got 13, but can't really see the top of fish. So no idea. First look said Salmon, second said it could well be a trout. So no idea, but tell him well done on the pb.

if your having problems with it, try a cast or two with no hook on. You maybe surprised how many bites you still get. I often start a feeder session with no hooklength and a biggish feeder on just to get some bait out. It can be amazing what bites you get. Even rod wrenchers not just little taps when there are biggish fish about.

Yep that would explain why my informant (a lad I work with) would know. He's eel mad and is happy spending a lot of time dead baiting such seemingly pikeless places along with the rest of the lakes. I didn't get exact numbers ( I'll dig deep on Monday as it may not be a lot for time spent on there) only that he'd had a few pike from ullswater, not all small (not all jacks) and all healthy looking (not at deaths door).

Sorry Ian I was just pointing out that my informant didn't agree with yours in that there are some pike in there. No time now to look things up (work), but maybe with it being well east it brushes with different kinds of rock that give it a different ph level to other lakes in that area? Its long been known as a better trout water than a lot of lakes up there and trout anglers haven't always got on with pike......

There are pike in Ullswater, even some nice ones, just not many I'm told. Not sure why there isn't many, but trout tend not to like low oxygen and pollutants more than pike IMO and loads of steep sided, rocky, very deep and cold waters have a good head of pike.

Nothing thin will last long, so the first thing to do is hack out or smack down any remaining pointing that isn't 25mm down.

Guessing from your hand would say its around 15-16 inches long which would make it around 1lb 8oz. How big is your net?

Sorry must be that country lad up bringing that stops me understanding some anglers. I think of death as painless, its just getting there that might hurt a bit. So would the anaesthetic kill them or just put them to sleep slowly for a bit?

Not sure why if your happy sticking hooks in fish because fish don't feel pain, you would think this the kindest way? I was brought up farming, hunting, shooting and eating some of the fish I caught. Least messing is the best for me. Quick tap on the head, in a bag, in the freezer and put it on fast freeze for a couple of hours.

Nice one Ian, sounds like it was a good arm workout. Its been fishing good for me with better bags of silvers, chub and barbel in the last couple of weeks. Must be the time of year, but could do with a bit more water in it.

Do you think set lines are legal in Poland Andy? I've not googled it, but even if they are (I'd be surprised if they are), it sounds like the cowardly dogs know they aren't here.

Its always been poaching country down there Ian. The EE's must be soft lads, The English lads used to shoot at anyone that came near. Its a 5 minute walk from one of roughest areas in the country. The police don't just bob out there and are probably happy if the locals are doing a bit of fishing...... TBH given the number of polish that have moved in around there in the last few years, I'm surprised it doesn't get fished a lot more. Still good fishing down there, but maybe the EE's don't like chub and barbel and thats why the carp numbers are on the up around there. I was watching a shoal of them down there last season.

Personally from working with a few polish lads that fish, I don't think many of them think its OK to take fish here. One of them is back in Poland now Zander fishing and has been telling me of all the restrictions and licencing that is involved in fishing for them. Its no free for all and it sounds like the rules are well policed. So I don't think any of them come here with the idea fishing is a free for all take what you want. They can and do take and eat Zander in Poland with in the rules, yet I'm told the Zed fishing is way better over there and was backed up with pics of 10kg+ fish. From what I've seen, heard and read of them taking fish here, they know its wrong even if they try to claim other wise. I also think there may have been some localized problems, but its improving and it was never has bad as anglers would try and claim. Anyway they can spot a Russky from 100 miles away and would never have been fouled by that film.

Yes Verbena bonariensis by the look of it. Great insect plant. I've grown it from seed a couple of times and it does well for a couple of years, but then just dies out on me. Not sure if its just sort lived or its my soil (?).

Can't wait, but might be a while as I'm told chub are poor eating.

What difference? You mean you use the ones in packets from coocoos land.

I would say the point is the pots trying to call the kettle black and your trying your best to make rules that aren't there. Don't do or care for facebook Andy.