Jack81

Thanks mate. And thanks to all on the forum for your advice and inspiration.

First trip out with the finished reel this week. I went to Hintlesham fisheries and fished the bottom lake for the day. I swung a loop cast into the margin with a small porcupine quill float and a size 6 hook with a BB shot pinched 3" up the line. Bait was a juicy lobworm dug from the garden the day before. Barely 15 minutes had passed before the quill lifted a fraction and slipped away. My first carp on the pin! Later in the day I managed this one as well: Had a really good day with a few similar sized specimens falling to the other rod as well.

Quick update, still not got a nice shot of a carp next to my merlin yet. Fishing time has been a bit limited the last few months. However, I just bought another Merlin to 'do up'. This one is more battered but I've fixed the broken check and can live with the wobble. The handles aren't good and I really want to put some new ones on the old reel as well, as that is the only thing that lets it down. I'm happy to make the 'handle' myself from a section of dowling but can't find anything around to fix them securely. Anybody know if you can buy the screw fittings for centrepin handles anywhere? If not, any other ideas for securing the new handles?

I was surprised to see the pepperami I threw into the lake at the end of my last session float. I have tested them in the margins on a size 8 hair rig and never noticed before. Must be the fat content as suggested. Obviously that is not enough to pop up a large hook. Caught my first ever fish on Pepperami last year: First 20lb common, I was quite pleased!

Haven't actually read the whole thread but I'm guessing that most things that scare us in the night are completely harmless. The only thing you really have to worry about are other people and falling in! I was told recently that my new syndicate lake is haunted, that might explain why hardly anyone seems to night fish it. Suits me though, I haven't heard of any people getting hurt by ghosts so I'm not worried. May leave an extra cup of hot chocolate out next night session for the lady in a white dressing gown. Could bring me some luck!

I believe it's no trolling using a motor (which sounds like the case in this instance). I think you are allowed to do it under oar or paddle power.

Wow, the girth on that fish looks incredible. Looks like it could have been a 50lber that swallowed a 20lb carp for breakfast. I guess they are starting to carry a fair bit of spawn by this time of the year.

If you've had enough of books and DVDs and your all set up for the thaw I found this whiled away a few hours: http://www.3dcarp.webeden.co.uk/ The demo is quite good and you can go with fine tackle and a float for the bream/tench/roach if you don't fancy targeting Pisswings himself like a proper carper (I think that was his name ).

I think many would rather the public weren't around at all. Would make their life easier! Couldn't believe it when we went to our local park for a bbq and game of cricket in the summer. Had a great afternoon but towards the end one of the rangers came and told us we were not allowed to have a bbq in the park. Unbelievable! What is it there for if not for people to get together outside? If it was Australia there would be a bbq installed every 10 yards for public use. Hopefully this will get sorted out now that it has been brought to public attention. Sounds like a great project to get urban kids involved in the outdoors.

To be fair most of them are under the bridges, I guess its more fun to throw off. They are usually easy enough to spot in early summer when they do the Gipping clean up in Ipswich. Saw them pull out a couple of motorbikes a few years back! To be fair the trolleys get covered in weed and seem to make a good holding area for little fish in the summer so I guess they don't do much damage to the river. Just a pain when your best lure gets stuck on one!

Good work mate, you must have deadly throwing arm! I'm almost certain Mainline Cell boilies have coconut in. They definatly smell like they do. I've used them for a couple of years and they have caught me plenty of carp. Always meant to get a tin of coconut cream to stick in my spod mix. Pucka! uh oh, given the game away now. I'll get me coat.....

Cheers for the advice! I was hoping that the trolling would be a good way to quickly locate productice areas. Even if you don't land a fish a take is a good indication that it's worth fishing that spot with statics/lures on the way back. I did wonder what the hook up rate would be like as the fish is going to feel resistance immediately, but probably not enough to set the hook until I get to the rod. Maybe I will concentrate on static deadbaiting and lures, the canoe will at least get me into some unfished spots. I was thinking I may be able to use a weedless floating pike fly, weighed down with just enough shot up the trace to sink it. That way the shot should bounce along the bottom with the fly floating up just above it. No need for a float with that set up and don't have to worry about changes in depth so much. Something tells me it won't take long to find the shopping trolleys in my local river that way though!

My dad made me a 14ft Canadian canoe last year for Xmas and its been out a couple of times this summer, but not fished with it yet. He also gave me an outrigger for it and I've made the arms to attach it, they just need painting and I'll have a stable platform for a bit of pike fishing. This is a video of my dad's canoe (with my girlfriend catching a little bass at the end), mine is the same but only has one outrigger and no sail. It's paddle power for now but may get an electric outboard if I get serious about it. Obviously I will have a large unhooking matt, long forceps, etc in the boat and there is loads of room to unhook a (hopefully) monster pike. Again lifejackets are a must, my dad made his first canoe when I was about 10 so I've got plenty of experience with them. However I have never fished from one. As well as static deadbaiting and lure fishing I was thinking of doing some deadbait float trolling. Fishing with a partner to watch the floats while I paddle from the back. Anybody got any advice for rigs/tackle for this. I was thinking basically a wobbled deadbait presentation with a single hook though the head of a spratt and a size 6 or 4 treble in the side. I was then thinking a 1/4oz lead running above the trace to keep it down and a float fixed so the deadbait fishes a foot or two above the bottom. I was just going to have one rod sticking out either side of the boat. A centrepin with the check on one side and a baitrunner on the other. I'm still thinking about rod rest attachments but I think a few pieces of wood overhanging the side with holes the correct diameter to take a bankstick could be the most versatile. I have a fair bit of pike fishing experience but not much from a boat. Does that set up sound ok? Anybody have any experience of float trolling? Is a very cheap fish finder worth bothering with to avoid constantly snagging bottom?

I definately regretted trying fly fishing for pike the first time in freezing and windy conditions. No problem casting with gloves but constantly retrieving wet line though one hand mean't it was soaking wet in 10 minutes. Managed a one take, though it threw the hook fairly quickly. I gave up after an hour when I couldn't feel my hand.