WickerDave

If I'd been broken 4 times in an hour I'd be thinking what I needed to be doing to stop this (heavier tackle) rather than how to keep on doing it more cheaply. There's an article at http://www.fishingmagic.com/news/article.a...=2&UAN=2059, if you scroll to the bottom there are more in the series from the author.

There's some details of the tactics for the various pools on their web site at http://www.woodlandviewfishery.co.uk There's also some old threads in this forum if you use the Search feature.

Here's a link http://www.jktackle.co.uk/acatalog/Grauvel...cimen_Rods.html but they are out of stock . It might give you some clues on what to search for though.

It's not that short, see the picture of the parts at http://www.bosfish.co.uk/products/RODS/ma595specialist.htm. The Avon top is the longest part at about 5½ feet. The cork handle does detach, this is not shown in the picture.

...to introduce line twist, see http://www.fishingmagic.com/news/article.a...=4&UAN=3640 You could give one of the "Spin Doctor" leads a try, see the bottom of http://www.specialist-tackle.co.uk/shop.ph...amp;subcatid=47

Well done, keep up the restraint . If you do get a tangle that locks up the reel, you can play a decentish fish trout fisherman style by pulling in (and releasing to give line) the line between the reel and lowest rod ring one handed, whilst still holding the rod as normal with the other hand. This is better than dropping the rod and hand-lining in the fish as it gives you the buffer of the rod bending to reduce the chance of a hook pull or the line snapping.

Couldn't agree more, 10lb ish carp shouldn't be crammed in a keepnet. If you weigh your landing net handle and landing net when wet, it only takes a few seconds to unhook carp of that size in the net (or on an unhooking mat but still in the net), weigh it in the net with handle still attached, slip the fish back straight out of the net, and scribble down the weight minus the handle/net weight. Minimal fish handling, but all the data is there to know if you've reached the elusive ton.

From their site ( see http://www.tacklebargains.co.uk/aboutus.htm )... Please note that our sole means of support is via email, in order to keep the prices as low as possible we do not offer telephone support.

Is http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/ProductsList/m...referrer/heaven any use?

Damn . Fishing the small pond is like shooting fish in a barrel, so they don't count from there .

Janet, Please read the above and repeat... "I do not really need another float rod" "I do not really need another float rod" ... WickerDave.

Despite fishing it regularly and getting some good mixed bags with plenty of carp, the really good fish seem to avoid me there . The best reported fish I believe are a 4lb 6oz perch from the smallest pond and a 29¾lb carp from the middle pond, both quite a few years ago now. A 3¼lb crucian is a very good fish. I catch very few crucians there, probably because I use too large a bait for them. The only record I stand a chance with is with a 1½lb barbel, they are growing on well now but most are still in the ¾lb to 1¼lb range.

Thanks for that, goosequill. I did tell the owner the next time I saw him, he already knew about them in that pond and didn't seem that concerned.

Note that the knob at the back of the Okumas for adjusting the free spool tension is a bit fiddly as it is small, much smaller than on a Shimano. I guess it depends how often you adjust this if this matters or not.

By weird/odd old chap I guess you mean Malcolm, the white haired 70+ owner. He was a bit of a "character", but was always OK with me. He died almost 6 years ago and it is now run by one of his sons. The new signs say that the closing time is 7 pm, but he does allow you to fish until dusk. Yes, the Mill Farm gravel pit carp are still pretty easy to catch considering the amount of pressure they get. This year it's the weediest I've seen it, so your losing 3 to 1 ratio might we even worst. He has put 300 small grass carp in this year so it will be interesting to see if this has any effect. The top (match) lake there is clear of weed and has been fishing pretty well lately.

Thanks Carl. Maybe I'll give it a try now the light evenings are shorter and fish an hour or two into dark - presumably he still allows night fishing?

Hard to the margin vegetation, so more like the kiddies splash pool .

I saw my first ever signal crayfish at Watery Gate a couple of years ago, just sitting in shallow water near the bank, so they've been there for a while. I nearly caught my first last week, see http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=77725, that was at Peatling Pools. How's Watery Gate fishing, as I've not ventured that far this year.

The sun is finally out, the skirts are getting shorter, and you go and ruin the holiday mood. I shouldn't have asked .

After a very odd twitchy bite to freelined luncheonmeat, I dragged my first signal crayfish to the surface yesterday, before it let go. This was in the smallest pond on the complex, which is only swimming pool size. In such a small pond, is this something to worry about? The fishing was actually pretty good in a short session, a couple of 7lb ish carp and a few tench, barbel, roach and rudd. There were however several more twitchy bites in different swims that resulted in no resistance on the strike.

The John Wilson Avon rod is fine for general fishing methods, including float fishing when using the Avon top. It copes well with double figure carp (well done, btw) but is still nice to use for fish of a few ounces. The only real disadvantage over a specialist float rod is that the top rod rings don't have any feet, which means that if it is wet the line can stick to the rod blank which makes casting a very light float difficult.

Nice report and pictures. That tiny mirror is cute. Did you try floatfishing or even freelining a larger bait (e.g. luncheonmeat) at the edges of the lily beds? That may have sorted the larger carp out.

OK, I'll let you off the hook this time . It is a good idea to take all landing, unhooking and photographing equipment with you when you wander. And maybe a first aid kit too!

Ouch and nice report/photos. Re the "we had left the landing net about 50yrds away with our bait rods so I played the fish as my brother ran for the net.", I hope the bait rods didn't have bait in the water, or else the pike police might have something to say.

Yes, the "John Wilson Signature Avon System Rod" advertised there is the JW Avon MkII.