big stew 76

hi fellow forum-ers! i recently bought 2 rods and reels from an offer in the anglers times. two 12ft 2.5lb tc carp rod and reel for £20 + £10pp. as this is my first carp reel im not sure on how it works?? i kmow the clutch settings on the front and rear and twist tha handle to make it work and the little switch on the bottom for the anti reverse thingy but there seems to be a new doofer on it!! as seasoned anglers i know i wont need many words to discribe this thing but for those who are not sure what it is, its a switch kind of thing just above the rear clutch control. if i push the lever up and wind the reel it clicks after a turn (or maybe less)what and how do i use this feature??? any help or advice or links welcome cheers all stew

cheers all for the nice comments and advise. i think im gonna get me some smaller hooks....

Yes! i cant beleve it, my 1st carp. ive told my Mrs 12 times a step by step guide on how i caught it and every time it fights a little harder! now its your turn!! lol i started at 1230h witha tin of sweetcorn and a flask of tea by dusk at around 1630h i was frozen to the bone with out a even a nibble! i was getting quite desperate because i have never blanked at this lake even though ive only been 3 times, so i came up with the idea of making a feeder bomb out of bread. as i was only float fishing and the light was closing in, i grabed a slice of bread and put about 10 peices of corn in it and squashed it together like a pasty and wraped it in main line with the hook bait on the outside of the bomb. i didnt have the confidence to cast it that far as it was a very crude atempt at a feeder! plop the bait went in about 7ft from where i was stood, my float tip went under slightly so i gave it a jerk to see if i could free the hook abit and it worked. i let the bomb soak for about 10mins and lifted it out, as i did i see the bomb desintegrate so i placed it strait back down. 2mins later i start to get a tap! i throw 2 peices of sweetcorn in to try and keep the fish interested then plop the float goes under!!! as i strike the clutch starts wizzing so i tighten up slightly to make sure the hook is well planted. to be honest it was quite an easy fight, i emagine as the water must have been very cold the fish do no fight as hard? but never the less it seemed like it went on for 15mins+. i grabed my landing net and guied the fish in, it was text book style! the hook even come out in the net! king neptue was shining on my behind this evening i tell you!! so here it is my 1st carp caught on a size 8 barbless hook with a single peice of corn on 4lb line.... this fish made me a very happy man

well after being made redundant and running out of work to do i had plenty of time on my hands and 450+ of pure cr*p to watch on sky. then i found Discovery Real Time Extra and started watching a smiling bearded man i remember from my childhood days called John Wilson. after 3 weeks of this channel i decided to dust off my old fishing tackle and give it a go. armed with 2 pints of maggots and a lot of good advice from forum users i pulled out about 10 roach! now i cant stop thinking about fishing. so yes in a strange way its ended up a very good year!

Just call me the roach king!! i had a great day, caught a fish on my second cast! the biggest of the day was about 6" long but size aint everything i came up with the bright idea of putting a few maggots on the hook to see if a bigger fish would take them! this method was floored as i under estimated how greedy fish can be. 3 maggots on a size 16 hook and i pull in the smallest roach of the day! lol i could hardly get the disgorger in past the maggots hanging out its mouth as it looked at me like a fat child with a mouthfull of cake!! now im just waiting for some fair weather then im out again!! cheers for the advice guys it helped me catch fish stew

Right im off to have a go! flask packed, tackle sorted and wellies on! im going to a recomended novice lake in north devon called Riverton if anyones around in that area for a fish pop in and tell me where im going wrong!! lol cheers stew

i was thinking the same thing and if i was in those areas i would take them up on there offer, but being as im in north devon its a bit of hike! thanks guys anyway for the offer oh and thanks for taking time out for a newbie, lots of people get fed up of the same questions being asked cheers all stew

hi first of all if you are reading this thanks for your time! as i am a total novice im just after some simple advice with regaurds to my set up. I dont plann to catch fish over about 5lbs its only small fry im after at the moment. ive got a 4lb main line witch will go down to a sz16 barbless hook with a float some where up the line!?! where abouts the float should go and what shots to use is the part that im not sure on, and as its winter is it better to fish deep in the middle of the lake or in the shallower parts?? also what type of bait should i use? i know that maggot can be used all year round but what else is a good winter bait?? any advice or tips are welcome cheers stew

Hi all, juat a short introdution! Im stewart im 32 going on 12 and i have this great urge to go fishing! I used to fish a little as a boy but have forgoten every thing i learnt so im here to pick some brains! cheers stew