erik

not really. goretex works in a different way, membrane with miniscule holes, so proofing it with something like waterseal would ruin the breathability of it, the whole point of goretex.

as joephus says thompsons is the one. every year give the oval a coat of thompsons and stay dry as a bone. 5 litre tin should last you years.

it depends what you want out of your carp angling. a good quality, strightforward two rod set-up perfectly capable of landing any carp in the country can be had easily within the budget by dispensing with the unneccessary things, e.g. huge dome tents (get a brolly system, faster, cheaper more versatile), pods (unless you fish concrete banks stainless banksticks are more stable, less to carry, versatile) etc etc. keep it simple and mobile. it's no coincidence that the best guys out there, are not the guys with the biggest mound of tackle at the lake. you'll have more to spend on tickets and quality bait and that is what will catch you the fish.

whilst i believe barbed are safer to fishes mouths once experienced, to new and inexperienced carpers, they do pose potential problems, difficulty unhooking/leaving fish tethered etc. personally would have allowed barbless on day ticket waters but banned them in certain styles, long shanked curved hook patterns in particular. [ 28. April 2004, 09:54 AM: Message edited by: erik ]

shouldn't make any difference at all. i also always use hangers, don't have any problems in the wind, in extremely heavy wind dip the tips anyway.

do enjoy the compleat angler and pick it up again occasionally. been meaning to read some walker in the not too distant although book availabilty seems a bit limited + costly from a carp fishing perspective as thats what i do - hearn and laneys books would have to be the most inspirational for me. Also enjoy Chris Yates writings. hard to single out one though!!

neither - great all round anglers/ writers/ personalities but all time best anglers!!!!! not even close. there are many out there who, like walker was, are in a different league in terms of innovative thought, watercraft, dedication. great anglers but not greats.

stunner, nice one!!!

firstly - no need for three rods, better of buying two better setups. Secondly there are some great deals out there on secondhand kit. (A mate picked up two harrison ballistas and two tournaments for £210!!!) For a complete setup at a similar price I would buy - 2 emblem s 5000t's (Under £50 on the net), 2 Daiwa Whiskers 12ft 21/2(around £60 each on the net), 2 jrc stainless 12" banksticks with 2 buzzer bars (£34 for the lot, pods are uneccessary and extra to carry) 2 fox micron m's - (£20 each, simple but reliable and do the job) & 2 john roberts butt grips (£3-4) 2 1 spool big game 12lb green - shop about you can find it for £10 a bulk spool. all quality stuff more then capable of lasting years (other then the line obviously ) and landing any carp in the country!!! you'll obviously also need hangers, unhooking mat, net (jrc do this lot quite cheap).

carping can be the easiest form of fishing - commercial type fisheries or the hardest - big fish targeting on low stock waters. e.g. you try catching marys mate (wraysbury), the big burghfield common, heather the leather (yately) etc. massive challenges often requiring years of dedication. modern carping covers the whole spectrum of angling and offers fast growing hard fighting fish that are easily accessable to the masses.

agree. in the circumstances, open water angling, fairly open lake etc. there was not really much risk but again not the ideal impression to give.

reubens - quality scales. as for the carp angler stuff. agree with much. as a carp angler would love to have carp slip out of the mainstream, it's like a bloody circus.

definately interesting footage and well worth watching. no major criticisms but few things would have changed: - would have approached the rig alterations with a more systematic approach around rig fine tuning to the feeding situation. - where was the klinik?? - less tench footage, saw a few to many tench battles and on the bank, a look at the pick up would suffice. - suprised at some of the editing - why tell us you've sacked a fish all night in the summer, not good practice. - as mentioned above specific circumstances so you can't draw conclusions for every circumstance but think that was acknowledged in the program - e.g. clarity of water. overal thumbs up korda and danny though

whilst it has it's strong advocates as a mainline and would always use it on the marker rod, personally as a day to day mainline don't like it. obviously you've got to consider what type of fishing you're doing, e.g. range or close in, and how having no stretch in yer mainline will impact this, + balance with your rods etc. if most of your fishing is done say from the margins to 80 yds on averagely weedy stillwaters, as mine is, i really wouldn't bother. on a safety aspect if using braid would always make sure you use a long bit of tubing or leadcore as it can cut a bit like cheesewire.

in my opinion the problem with modern carp fishing is not the innovations themselves, walker used his own bite alarms etc. it is the commercialisation of waters that has taken the mystique out of catching large carp. however there are still waters (low stock predominently) out there offering proper challenge and proper carp angling despite all the innovations. watercraft needs haven't changed to catch the best fish . most seriously dedicated (probably <10%) carp anglers recognise that merit of capture isn't purely in size of fish despite the impression the angling press gives. i do think walker would recognise that although commercialisation has changed the sport and brought it to a wider audience the magic and challenge of angling still exists if you know where to look.

respect a bit of innovative thinking, and that's certainly innovative , however isn't there a slight danger of gouging the fishes eye out during the fight. must also pick up a fair bit of weed on weedy lakes???

jeepsters suggestion seems pretty good. the problem with all in one kits is that they appear cheap and good value but by and large are of poor quality, any line, hooks etc. would definately go straight in the bin. definately consider going second hand, as some great deals to be had but do your research and stick to fairly well known brands and you won't go far wrong. personally wouldn't bother with the pod, stainless banksticks are cheaper then all but the crappest pods, more versatile, and will last you for life.

would not transport livebaits between waters as there can be no better way to spread disease. utterly selfish.

to third the advice above - scrap the pod, and don't even think about a mallet (screw in peg does the job for bankstick holes)

if the bait is not in contravention of the rules then of course he shouldn't have to tell them, obviously the fishery owner as elton says is a slightly different case as looking after his stock. if the bait is made of many ingredients of course there is nothing to stop him giving some duff gen to those who are plainly nosey in the rude way.

hi newt, am not personally involved with echo although strong believer in what they are trying to achieve. in what way did you find the wording detracted from the message? purely semantics or something more fundamental in the tone etc. am sure any suggestions to clarify would be appreciated especially from those non-members looking in so to speak, obviously those who the site aims at. cheers erik edit note - sent you a PM. Don't want to hijack this thread - Newt [ 10. September 2003, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

whilst on the subject of things "oh he ho he ho". the new echo site is up at http://www.echocarp.co.uk have a look, should clear up the misconceptions that regularly do the rounds on the web.

where you based geographically?? not disabled meself but notice on waters locally to me (berks/hants way) club waters and day ticket venues often offer some disabled facilities more so then syndicate venues. usually limited to a few swims though. my local club water, has designated disabled swims (anybody can fish them but must be vacated if a disabled club member requires it) and an extra large portaloo set up for wheelchair access.

the Farnham angling soc. mill lane koi mushy died on sunday. top weight this year 41 1/2lb. will miss the old girl bobbing about.

very inspirational!!