Blank

...I'm back! It's been a while...plenty of coursework, days at work, and plenty of blanks!! Finally managed my first carp of 2006 just a couple of weeks ago, weighing in at just a couple of pounds, followed by another of a similar size. My first carp of 2006 The fish was taken on a local 'runs water' whilst I took a guest. Incidently the lad who accompanied me is a match-angler, so I offered to take him carping and 'show him the ropes', and the cheeky beggar only went and out-fished me...beginners luck and all that.... Ross Woolridge with his first session kipper ...and his second-session lump! Top Guide I say....

Ditto, or if there are pads, try flicking them onto the pads and tweking them so they fall off and sink very slowly...

A good forum gets even better

Entry 2: We need a 4x4 for the 4x4

The unfortunate, has become reality, a blank on the Surafce Challenge for January I tried more than half a dozen times over the month to try and sneak one; and have had fish feeding on the surface within just a few feet away from me, but have not succeeded in hooking and landing one, on rod and line. Ah well, now for the first fish of 2006 challenge!

Anyone?

Hi All, I mark 1 Maver Grim Reaper Pole, with the standard top twos, plus .5m extension. It is in excellent condition, and I'm selling it. Don't know what price to put it at as I cannot remember what I paid for it! Any help anppreciated. Nige

Nice one that man. We are members of the caravan club, going to look into that one, is a severe possibility.

Hi All We are looking for a vnue (anywhere in England) wherbey we ca aprk our motorhome by the swim. We have a week away planned and a water where we will get some action, not loads of runs + pasties, but not one or two fish.

Entry One I THOUGHT IT WOULD GO OFF ROAD!? Nigel Weston 29th January 2006 Konica Minolta DiMAGE X31

If posts were deleted mate, then I'm sure that there content were not suitable for an open, public forum. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and in no-way have to agree to other people's, but respect their views. I have no connections to mods/admin but I'd hedge my bets on the above.

Its 43 Acres mate, 2/3 surrounded by woodland, double figure bream in quantities! With double-figure tench, a nd 20lb+ Pike, so it's a defo specimen water! Hope mods don't mind: This should help http://www.sotangling.com/REDESMERE Nige

As with many waters, it is all specific to the certain venues and how much time you put in. Obviously some of the venues such as Redesmere will slow down, but some will argue that the fish will continue to feed, and a friend of mine had one of the big commons (the snub) at 31lb last December. However some venues such as Top Pool, seem to slow down completely, with other runs venues such as Bolesworth Castle continuing to produce, a mixed bag really.

Hi John I'm from Stoke, Staffs, and fish quite a few NW waters. As for clubs, well there are a number worth looking at. I am in Stoke-On-Trent Angling Society, with numerous waters across Staffordshire and Cheshire with waters that hold carp in excess of 30lb. There is also Prince Albert Angling Society, although there is a waiting list between 2 and 3 years. They too have many waters across the region, stretching further a field than S.O.T.A.S, however I would favour S.O.T.A.S if you were targeting bigger fish. As well as the above, there is Wheelock A.S, which again ahs some good carp stocks. However there too is a waiting list for membership. I would fully recommend the Stoke-On-Trent Angling Society. They are a pretty well-run club, with no waiting list, and some very picturesque and well-known waters that hold some real lunkers. As well as these it has good Pike, Bream, and Tench fishing, as well as many of the other coarse species to go at. For more info I’d check out www.sotangling.com As Elton said, I’m sure Julian will be on and give you the full run-down, so I’ve basically given you the major ones.

Bit strong them rods IMO, I would want somthing a little lighter, why have such power with a stalking rod? No particularly big lead/cast need?

Surely fishing in sub zero temps with water on your alarms will affect any alarms?

Well known NW venue Redesmere and River Ebro

Hi all, it seems many of my friends are catching and I'm not. Granted it's only january and im one of the unluckiest anglers LOL. To follow my fishing: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.p...blog&blogid=31& ...enjoy

Myself and Steve Baker planned another session to Biddulph Grange on Sunday 15th January 2006, in the hope of catching my first carp of 2006, and Steve in the hope of fulfilling his target; to catch the venue biggie known as "Willy". The on the day previous to our session on the lake, the weather was mild clear blue skies combined with mild night-time temperatures, things look set for the carp to be on the feed. The downside to this however was the unexpected frost the night before the session, and Biddulph being near Biddulph Moor, is very high up, with the downside being it would have been rather 'chilly'. Nevertheless we arrived full of hope and expectations, and managed to get the swim we wanted, with only two other angler son the lake. Conditions seemed to pick up as the sun broke through the clouds, combined with a nice wind, for me seemed good things to get the carp 'mooching'. We both decided to try the new Korda Maggot Klips, and combined these hookbaits with PVA bags of maggots. We found the PVA provided by PCI an essential piece of kit, providing a good strong brand of PVA, able to withstanding the dampness of the maggots, without bursting before hooked and cast out - ideal. I also tried what I like to call a 'combination bag' which comprised a small selection of crushed boilies, pellets and maggots. PCI PVA: Ideal for maggot PVA bags and 'Combination' Mixes I opted to fish my baits quite close, within thirty yards of the bank in fact, in the hope that the carp would be patrolling the marginal shelf/slope. However we were fishing as a team, so Steve tried to cover the other options by fishing his baits dead-middle of the lake. A tactic which proved successful when he received a carp-like take just 10 minutes after casting, however it was unfortunately a chub. It was between 2lb-3lb, but certainly gave us confidence in the new clips and the rigs, so Steve re-cast to the chosen spot, as we anticipated sport in the day ahead. After about two hours, we were checked for our licences by the bailiff, and as a result the other anglers were invited to leave the venue, as they had not got the specific ticket. GREAT! I found this great as one of the anglers was fishing a swim that I wanted to try a bait in. So after they had packed up, I cast a rig to the chosen spot. I had opted for a PCI Pineapple/Banana Pop Up, over a small bed off maggots. A couple of hours later I received a 'funny' take on that rod, as the line steadily tightened and the run seemed to get faster. I anticipated this turning into a 'full blown screamer' and hit it, however I did not connect with a fish Fishing toward 'The Boathouse' This was sadly the only other action of the day. However we really tried that day, trying different spots, and basically covered 60% of the lake with our baits, which either mean that the carp weren't as active as we thought, or they were at the shallow end of the lake. I have yet to catch my first carp of 2006, my time will come I believe. (PRAY!)

FoneSex Taken By: Nigel Weston Taken On: 15th January 2006 Camera details the same as Comp' 3

Just scald with boiling water - no binder needed - sticks like no binder can!

The Blank Goes On...!

After my surface attempt was failed, I was determind to try and catch my first carp of 2006, on Sunday 8th January. I decided that my best bet for a fish would be a local 'runs water' which holds carp upto around 13lb. The conditions were quite cold and overcast with what i considered low light levels and chilling easterly wind. The water is usually quite cloudy, and the clarity of the water on the particular day, showed that the carp were much less active, which is not suprising considering that they are cold-blooded, and have been experienceing quite a few frosts. I opted for a swim known as 'The Pipe' which gives access to a number of features. On the day, I had my mate with me, and decided to put his bait right into the bay where the wind was blowing. The depth was around 5 feet within just a couple of feet of the bank, and was hopefully going to sneak out a carp that was following the wind (They very often follow the wind in there, as there is very often a wind on the water because it is very open). 1.Check the depth, and lower bait to suitable spot... 2. Introduce small amount of bait around hookbait... I then walked back round the bay and put the rod on the rest, and setup his hanger with a semi-slack indication setup, whereby there was just a couple of inches of slack line to be taken up before the line would tighten and pull the indicator up. I opted for two approaches on my rods: 1. A 'roving' single hookabit that I would cast to different areas and depths every hour, in the hope of finding a feeding fish. 2. Fishing the bottom of the marginal shelf with a small particle bed and particle hookbait. A few hours passed and my companion recieved a few inches movement, however nothing came of it. I recieved the occassional bleep but nothing specific, and even a roving hookbait and stringer approach proved unnssuccesful. We persivered with the boilies hookbaits, and also tried counterbalanced baits with pop-up foam in the centre, but still nothing. We also tried small PVA bags from PCI, known as the 'Ready Bags'; ready made small PVA bags of pellets, a winter-luxury to save tieing up bags with cold hands, you can just hook one on! Fishing 'The Pipe' at a local runs water We also tried fishing a bay where there was little surface wind in the hope of catching a carp off the surface, however I was doubtful due to air and water temeprature being cold, and low light levels. And unfotunaltly we did not catch. The six-hour session was soon over, and am I now left as little bemused: Temperature? Inactive/Non-Feeding Fish? Low Water Level? Bait Location? I cannot really decide which if any of the above are a factor of my blanks - that's winter for you. Hopefully I will end my blank soon with my first 2006 carp!

Well Done to all ...isn't this fun!!!

all quality pics - hard choice but love "Awaiting the Blizzard"