Phone

Beyond me. Listen to Renrag. I said I read, didn't say I understood. Phone

Just so you know the UK/EU does not have a corner on political idiots (or simple mistakes). To show her support for American workers, President Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis, has junked the standard black limo and purchased a new Chevrolet Equinox to ride around Washington in. The problem: the crossover SUV is built and assembled in Canada from parts also made in Canada. From the Drudge 8/31/2011 Phone

cory, I wish I'd never commented on this one. I believe you to be just slightly argumentative. I like that. But since I did, I strongly refute your last statement. Especially in view if the fact it is now a commonly accepted theory the moon is, or once was earth mass. If you believe that is true, as I do - where do you stand? Even still, I just read as the earth cools and becomes more spherical losses in mass are exceeding gains, especially gases. My last statement, or, for that matter, anything I say in this thread is BS. Phone

All, So, as the thread winds down is there a consensus or even a majority of what "Stret-pegging" really is? It must not be a "common" term for any particular method of angling? From square one, can it be defined in 30 words or less? Phone

The little "do-dad" wouldn't let me vote (?). Trust me, I selected "are you mad?". For the last 20 years or so night fishing has simply been way to stressful. I never did do what you guys would call night sessions (fish all night) very well. I always seemed to sell out for a good nights sleep. In fact, my idea of "camping" is going to a three star hotel instead of a five star hotel. Phone

Am I the only gardener on planet Earth who cannot grow geranium. My wife made me throw out the discusting looking plants from my box this morning. To add insult, she told me my plastic flower bouquet needed watering. I love geraniums. I even like the ones where the leaves smell differently when crushed. But mostly just geraniums. They hate me. Phone

corydoras, We seem to acquire and loose mass to space and from space at approximately the same rate. The more things change, the more they are the same. I do know after reading along on this thread the obvious has been missed. You guys should have concentrated on the "Australian Carp" thread. "The ocean begins exactly at waters edge." Scientifically speaking - You can quote me. Phone

After reading the inspiring comments in this thread I believe I'll be Irish on March 17th. Phone

Newt, After all these years Phone

gozzer, Wish I was smart as Newt. He can put up and example of "large numbers" of carp look like. NOT what you are talking about. "Due to the feeding behaviour of this species, large numbers can rapidly lead to a reduction in submerged aquatic vegetation and a rise in the turbidity of the water." The the best of my knowledge up until 1992 (when I stopped "caring - i.e. researching and challanging each such published statement I could find") there was no, zero, none, nada documented evidence of ANY case this was a true statement attributable to carp presence alone. You may, if you wish, check with the EA. They have (as of 1992) no documented evidence for this statement. It is a "common knowledge" statement of EA opinion. Carp don't, by choice, eat aquatic vegetation. We argued and argued what constituted "large numbers". They did conceed, in all probability the "condition" referred to is the result of "human intervention" in the UK. Further, they agree, it can and may happen with any of the many omnivorous species in the UK that eat all kinds of foods indiscriminately. Go blame the goldfish. The Aussies come closers than anyone to making the statement believable in print. The second paragraph is sadly true. But not BECAUSE of the carp. You are still trying to "kill the messenger". Does Bruno come on AN any longer? I'm tired of this thread. Phone Worms, without the mf. (no, I'm between II and Korea. Number never came up in conscription)

Kansas City Star Newspaper - Wed. August 31 "In January, Alison Murray purchansed her first-ever home, in Aberdeen, Scotland, but was informed in August that she had to relocate because the house has become infested with bats, which cannot be disturbed, under EU law, once the settle in. Conservation officials advised her that she could probably have her house back in November, when the bats leave to hibernate." Say it ain't so !! Phone

corydoras, Ha Ha, is that a good thing? In Arkansas to give a guy a coconut is to call him a "monkey" (not flattering). At the risk of taking the thread "off topic" in a much more rudimentary form common carp have a similar system. Of course they rely much more on the senses of the lateral line. My point is this. Long ago, I used nickel hooks with tin wire wrappings to make "hair rigs". With an acid based bait it proved to be 10 to 15% "more effective" in side by side (no science - and maybe I just "wanted" it to work based on the "sharks" wits). (This was long before there were "hair rigs" and "boilies" but the principle was the same - exposed hook point). You get the idea. Phone

All, Them's hot dogs! (I are one) Phone

BUDGIE, My work was mostly between the early 70's and 1992. Yes, the starches would go first. I am no longer an "expert" on the current "science". (I now believe there never was such a thing as bait "science" but we spent a LOT of money learning that). Yes, in theory, sulfur will artifically "act" like the fermentation process is/has taken place with corn proteins. It produces the opposite of "fresh". Chesters1, It takes a day or so for the natural sulfur to bind to the chemical sulfur. A pinch in a tin is "GOBS and gobs". Remember when you put it about the tops of your socks to keep the biting bugs off? Phone

All, FWIW, Sharks along our three sea coasts are being influanced by garbage. They can detect electric current in extremly small voltages/amperages. For example, the irregular heart beat of a dying fish up to one mile is detectable. As garbage is being dumped further and further out to sea sharks are being influanced. Tin cans are small electric current generators. Two different metals generate an electric current as they decay that "collects" sharks. They are appearing in weird patterns and that, to some extent, is one theory. Phone

All, ATTA BOY Newt! Strange how American history is written. School kids over here believe "America" began because of the little skirmish with George. Actually we leave out the first two hundred fifty years as colonies from our elementary history books. Phone

Leon, Not up on the UK river politics of EA or the naysayers. Just an arms length observation on my part. The "spin" word looks to be a cheap shot at the EA? The article agrees 8 of the 10 rivers are as the EA says. Then spends an inordinate amount of space lambasting them on the other 2 whilst saying the EA is only "partly" right. Am I reading the article wrong? Phone

Dales, I wish I knew more, but I don't. I don't believe carnivores and omnivores feed in anywhere near the same pattern. In fact, I don't believe carnivores like zander have a pattern. The presents of "food fish" seem to be the only useful benefit to zander following shoals of feeding barbel. I could by way wrong? Phone

Smalltin, Rob's way would/will work. Just remember you can't "store" raw egg for very long. Use up what you make pretty quickly (like the same day). We call "paste" doughballs. Look on the internet for "doughball recipes". There will only be about 3 million or so different ones. If you see something that intrigues you ask about it. My favorite (I'll use American Ingredients by name, you'll have to convert to an English product you have available) 42 oz cylinder box of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats (be sure it is Old Fashioned and not "Quick" oats.) 1 (standard size - I forget the oz wt - maybe about 15 oz) can of cream style corn 3/4 hour before you are going to use this bait put the oats in a large sealable freezer bag with 3/4 of the can of cream style corn. Fluff it about until it is mixed (fluff ofter). The warmer the weather the quicker the oats will absorb the corn. After about 45 minutes take a palm full from the bag and with you fingers and thumb of the other hand squeeze as hard as you can exactly 5 times. If you wish to add exotic flavoring now is the time. Slowly, with brief intervials and fluffing add the remaining 1/4 can of cream style corn until the bait is the consistancy you want it to be. Personally I use a very dry doughball. We also use a LOT of Wheaties breakfast cereal and cream style corn. Or, Wheaties and "red pop". Rice and grits are favored cereal bases too. (Try well cooked rice with tomato catsup.) We don't do boilies and hair rigs but we sure know our doughballs. Phone (I should say, you squeezed exactly 5 times so you would be able to tell when to stop adding liquids. Once you have the bait the correct wettness to suit you I usually squeeze about 7 times before casting.) Really stiff doughballs will stay on a hair if you wish. With a dry doughball, maybe consider a piece of artifical corn on the hook as an "underlay".)

Norfolk, I'm about 1,200 miles from AnY ocean. The carp guys on the East Coast hunkered down for a while I suspect. Predator fishermen just got in the boat and put their face into the wind. Daffy lot. Budgie, I worked on a bizillion "well maybe" ideas. Factually, there are just to many variables to pin down (Ph being just one). Then there were the stupid fish. They wouldn't always cooperate when you "thought" conditions were identical. Without much fanfair we discovered that "releasing" agents that enhanced the natural action or reaction of proteins already present in bait was as successful or more successful than "adding" new ones. No possible marketing technique for "releasing agernts". The amount has to be almost microscopic. Save this one. Two amino acids are sulfur based. Both extreamly abundant in corn and corn is a good bait. Kind of natural. KenL, By all means that's the marketing aspect. There is a real science aspect. I'm afraid we never came close to a statistically significant result with just using amino acids. The biggest problem is fish can't read. Fish consistancy prevents us from having a "perfect" bait. Probably a good thing really. Phone

All, I see corn is often the bait of choice in the UK for many Cyprinidae sessions (here too). Is anyone using a pinch of flowers of sulfur (am I spelling that word, "sulfur" correctly for an AN audience(?)) to accelerate(sp) the release of the two sulfur based amino acids abundant in corn? They, the amino acids, begin - one with a "c" and one with an "m" but I forget the two names. Anyway sulfur works. A little is to much, use a very little. Also, related, are amino acids as "hot" a topic as they were in the mid-seventies? Don't see them mentioned much? Phone

Dales, You're not going to believe this - I don't know much about zander. Once a year I go zander fishing in Chamberland SD (world famous zander). I have hired the same guide for years (maybe 15). His employees go out at night and locate the fish and leave marker floats for in the morning (at dawn we leave in the boat). When we catch our "legal limit" we fill out the guides tag by lure fishing at the edge of the cloud (what I believe you are calling colored water(?)). It seems our lure caught fish hang in that edge and dart into clear water then back. The lure fish are either huge or small. There is a slot limit (forgive me, I don't know what the slot limit is) that is something like more than 6 lbs but less than 12 lbs (I made those numbers up but they are close). There is a cafe that cleans and prepares your fish for supper that same night. Ohh, probably 8 out of 10 years we bottom bounce lobworms (nightcrawlers). Do you guys use bottom bouncers? That's all I know about zander. Phone Edit zander = walleye

Worms, Ohh! Does it work if I use the "fast reply"? That's what I usually do. I have to go play bridge with my little ole blue haired ladies now. I consider myself "one up". Take your best shot but be forewarned I'm what you Brits would call a "hard water". Phone

Worms, From your link. "The Gulf Stream influence on the West Wales Coast have produced large sharks..." Global warming? Phone

Worms, I don't know how to add smiley faces. Phone