jameshodkin

You're missing the point of what i was saying in my post entirely. You made a comment basically stating that anyone who's fished and had success with Fluorocarbon line main line has only used it because they've fallen for the marketing hype which is a bit of a generalisation don't you think? If you read my post you'll see i reverted back to a form of Mono in the end, i just prefer to try all the options available to me for myself and come to a conclusion myself regarding whether or not it's the right path to take rather than sticking with the same tactics and tackle i've not had success with. Surely this is applicable to most forms of angling? Such as a hooklength diameter change when pole fishing for bits on a Canal? Or changing the float when trotting to one which provides better control in a fast flow? Sometimes a change can bring success, sometimes not but you certainly won't find out if you don't try for yourself

Not everyone who fishes for Carp at some point during their fishing year is a Korda loving idiot who just buys whats "trendy" gear you know Last year I fished a gin clear ex iron ore pit where the water is about 10-12ft straight off the rod tip, the Carp & Tench come in close within a foot of the bank and i found with mono i was constantly spooking them and getting liners. I didn't want to use backleads as there is a lot of weed and i thought this would be dangerous and could lead to snagging up should i get a take I needed a heavy line that sank like a stone and was less visible than the mono i was using. I switched to X-line which fit the bill perfectly and ended my run of blanks on the water, however after a hook pull after trying to bully a fish away from snags as i was worried about the fluorocarbon's knot strength and abrasion qualities i went back to mono, all be it a coated hybrid with the properties of both I wouldn't describe that as "falling for the marketing hype" i was merely adapting to the situation James

B*gger, hadn't checked the forecast for the weekend yet, heavy rain forecast oop north as well Had got enough brownie points in to get two sessions this weekend as well, best break out the goretex ready for a soaking! Piking both days for me, Saturday on a big pit and Sunday on a canal, the canal isn't usually my kind of venue but i nipped out for a few hours at dusk last weekend and had a 4lb jack grabbed by a very large pike whilst playing it, the power of the unseen monster was unreal it left my legs shaking! Needless to say i will be returning to the same swim, at dusk!

That's a proper Carp, lovely and dark

Great bait for Carp, especially in winter and on a water where everyone else is using boilies

X-line without a doubt is the best pure fluorocarbon i've used Tiger Line is supposed to be quite good as well I've got Ultima Power Carp on my Carp reels at the minute, used it last season on a clear but snaggy pit as i was worried about a pure fluorocarbons abrasion resistance, it's only fluorocarbon coated but seems to sink quite well but at the same time is very tough and breaks at much more than the stated BS

Certainly wearing it's winter colours

Pigeon Conditioner is well worth a go, use it myself when i'm particle fishing

It's a great magazine, I find the adverts less full of blatant product plugs than the ones in similar mags that were previously available Worth buying for Miles & Smith's articles, two of my absolute heroes

Absolutely whoppers those Chub are! On my main river a 4 is a very good fish indeed i think i'd have a heart attack if i caught a 6, cracking angling Anderoo!

Think alot can depend on the water being fished, on some venues deadbaits take the better fish and lives attract mainly jacks and on others lives can take the greater share of the better fish It can depend on circumstances too, if a large pike is used to feeding on fry & small roach in a bay swim all winter then i'd feel much more confident using a little free roaming livebait under a float than a whopping great deadbait fished hard on the deck Deadbaits are certainly more convenient though that's for sure

Thanks chaps! Roll on next weekend!

2011 has been a bit of a struggle for me so far, January was a complete blank for me with only a lost fish when out Chubbing to show for my efforts. Nipped out Piking yesterday for the morning to a pit that had just thawed out due to the mild spell we've had up here the last few days, managed 3 fish, a jack, a 10lb 1oz and this 16lb 3oz fish Crap photo as i'd gashed my hand open on the flying treble during unhooking and wanted to get the fish back asap Very happy to be off the mark!

diagrams of a standard Chod Rig here.... http://www.carp-fishing.org/Carp-Rigs/Chod...arp-Fishing.htm http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Angling-Times/S...carp-over-silt/

Hi mate, most of the time a leadcore leader is used which lays it all down on the bottom, if leadcore is banned i use some weighted rig tubing and some putty round the hooklink swivel as shown here: http://www.carpcatchers.biz/carpcatchersblog/?p=1316 People have also started using the Korda sinkers and a fluorocarbon mainline for what's being called a "Naked Chod" which doesn't feature leadcore or weighted tubing I wouldn't use a flying backlead with it myself, it's mostly fished with slack lines and the backlead will impair bite detection a bit. Bites don't tend to be screaming one-toners they tend to be twitching, stuttering affairs you see as the carp trys to shake the hook out but can't due to the aggressive curve in the hooklink Hope this helps James