Anstalt

Thanks again folks! The line is nearly brand new, after the first round of breakages I changed my line to brand new mono 10lb so its only had 3 outings so far. Will check the rings on my rod using the cotton buds as suggested, great tip!

Hi folks, Just a little update. Managed to get out last weekend and try out a load of these techniques. Loving the grinner knot, so much better than a half blood and about as easy to tie! Went with rubber float stops and a new cruiser controller and threaded straight through and that worked very well, quick to setup and fun to fish with. Unfortunately, I still had a breakage. My line snapped on my second fish. I'd been playing it a lot so the thing was knackered, clutch was loose, rig setup correctly and stuff so all seemed good. My line snapped above the upper float stop (so, I lost all my kit). To me, that can only mean one thing: my rod is somehow weakening the line during the catch. I had a quick inspection but couldn't see anything obvious. So, anyone know what I should be looking for? Any techniques to reduce friction on the line from the rod? anyways, thanks again for the advice folks

Thanks for all the awesome responses folks! My kits is mostly scavenged from my fathers old stuff and a few bits and pieces that I've picked up from other sources so had to go out and actually inspect the rod lol. Anyways, the rod I am using is a Daiwa Graphite and has the following written on it: "t/c 2 3/4 lbs". As I said, I'm a beginner so I've no idea what that notation might mean! The line im using is indeed monofilament. Again, I don't really know what the other options are or how/why different types of lines are better in different situations. For floats, I suppose it might help explaining my fishing style. Whilst I enjoy catching fish, a lot of the enjoyment for me is just chilling out on the bank with my brother and any friends who are joining us and having a good drink and a smoke across the day. As a result, we dont move around much and can often spook the fish that are in real close (though, they usually get within a rod length or two!). So, in order to get to where the fish are feeding, we normally have to bait up and cast out 2-4 rod lengths from the bank. However, either because im new, or crap, or both, I can't cast that far with just a hook and bait and so I put a float on the line. I normally use weighted pellet wagglers as I've found them easiest to cast plus they are cheap (and sold in local tackle shop). Specific pellet waggler I normally use: http://www.fishing-tackle-store.co.uk/Images/products/Ultra%20Pellet%20Wagglers/Loaded-Pellet-Waggler-Group-l.jpg (bottom one) However, because we lose a lot of floats I end up using whatever works. I did buy a proper float for surface fishing http://www.korda.co.uk/media/images/gallery/1697/gallery_image/523x392.jpg and it worked great for casting, but due to breakages I ended up losing the float at the end of my first session and was extremely annoyed! Finally, someone asked about how I was putting on my shot. To begin with, I was just using my fingers: position the line at the bottom of the gap and then squeeze shut. However, I lost a lot of shot like that so I started using pliers to squeeze them shut. I stopped losing as many but I suspect this weakens the line too much. That is why I switched to using a swivel at the end of my leader: the float could push against the leader when casting (so i stopped losing shot on the cast) and then I only needed one small shot above the float to control the slide. This shot never takes pressure so could be squeezed on. I think what I'll try for my next session, based on your advice, is the following: 1) Downsize hook to a 10. I primarily use an 8 to avoid the pest fish - they can swallow a 10 but they cant swollow an 8. However, an 8 might be preventing me from catching as many carp as I should be so I'll have a play. 2) Tie mainline straight on to the hook, and use a grinner. The grinner knot certainly looks great. One thing I definitely wasn't doing before was using saliva as I tightened (didn't know!) so will have to remember to do this! 3) Get another controller float, like the one I had before. Definitely better for casting. So, a few follow up questions then! 1) What is the best float for surface fishing? The korda cruiser controller seemed to work well but not having used others I dont really know what's best. 2) What is the best method for keeping a float in place when I'm taking my mainline straight through? 3) With a loose clutch, how do I keep the fish out of the margins? As I said in my OP, every swim on the lake has reeds on either side and some also have lillies, and every carp heads straight for the reeds when caught! Many thanks again for your responses, much appreciated!

Hi folks, First post here! I'm very new to carp fishing, I've been maybe 10 times so far with my younger brother. We fish a carp lake in Melton, near Ipswich. It is reasonably well stocked but the fish don't really get over 12lbs in the lake we fish on. Anyway, neither myself nor my brother really have much clue what we're doing, we've picked up some skills and information that allows us to catch carp but not enough to truely understand. What we normally do is surface fish using bread for bait. We've tried middle fishing with pellets / pellet wagglers as well as ledger fishing but with minimal success. With surface fishing we end up getting a lot of activity, the bait is cheap and the fishing is active so it is fun. My primary issue at the moment is tackle breakages. My line snaps too often! When it snaps, I lose a lot of stuff, particularly the float, and the costs are starting to mount up and I end up frustrated. I am looking for advice for a surface fishing setup that will prevent breakages. My current setup: Size 8 Korda Mixa B Hook This is tied to my leader using a tucked half blood. I usually use a lighter to burn the tag so it is harder to pull through. Leader is usually around 3ft long. At the end of the leader, I have a swivel. The swivel sits in the loop of a figure 8 knot. For the float, I normally thread a clip onto my main line and clip that onto the float. My main line is tied onto the leader's swivel using a tucked half blood, same as the hook. To stop the float sliding up the line, I usually put a BB above it. It cant slide down the line due to the swivel. My main line and leader line is 10lb. It is brand new line as the old line was quite a few years old. However, changing the line hasn't helped. When And Where Breaks Happen: Breakages are occuring above the swivel, i.e. on the main line, not my leader. I'm not sure if my knot if breaking, or if the line is snapping where the float is, or if it is the BB that is weakening the line. In terms of 'when' the line is breaking, it is normally as the fish is approaching the bank: it gets spooked by the shallow water, puts too much strain on the line and it snaps. Now, the fish we're landing aren't big: 8lbs is the biggest I've landed. I've tried employing the reel's clutch to better effect and this has reduced breakages on the initial take. However, the particular lake I fish on has reeds either side of every single swim so once a fish gets in close, you have to be on it otherwise it gets in the reeds and you lose the fish and usually your rig too. I need to setup my rig better so that it can handle the extra strain when in close. Questions: Ok, hopefully I've given enough information that you know how im fishing and the problems I'm having. My questions: 1) Does my leader setup seem reasonable? What could be done to improve the leader reliability? 2) Is the way I'm attaching my mainline to my leader good? What could I do better? 3) What do you think of the way I am attaching my float and keeping it in place? What is a better way to do it? 4) Landing fish: The videos I've seen of professional carp fishermen always show the initial strike, then it cuts to landing a really massive but docile carp. What happens in between?!? My carp seem to fight like mad the entire time. How long should you "play" the carp before bringing it in to land? I have a feeling that the way I am putting my float on the line is causing it to weaken the knot between mainline and leader, and I think I probably need to tire out the fish more before trying to land it. However, I'm just not sure and my experimentation hasn't really paid off yet. Attaching the float to the line is definitely a great mystery for me and my brother, we both end up bodging it with BBs / stopper knots to hold them in place but they always slip out of place and we lose tons of shot every trip. I'm really grateful for any help you guys can give me! Regards, -Alex