Steve1

Any rig that can leave leadcore attached to a hooklink is potentially unsafe. Even if the lead, clips etc are discharged the leadcore is still being towed and for some reason leadcore does seem to tangle around things, even if it doesn't become knotted. I used leadcore for several years thinking my rigs were OK. Cracked off one day and found a fish two weeks later dead in the reeds with my rig still attached. I use inlines most of the time, the lead had come away but the leadcore had still become entangled with the reeds. I've never used leadcore again. The only rig i think could possibly be safe with leadcore is the helicopter rig but even then I'd still have concerns. When the alternatives to leadcore are so good why take the chance????

Hi Newt, My concern is the maize could swell up. It was completely cooked before going into the mollasses but after a couple of days it's shrunk to the same size as when it was dry. I suppose the answer is to put some in water and see if it swells up again !!!! I'm off to France in a few weeks and I'm told it's the bait that's catching on the lake I'm going to.

Just in case anyone's interested I've now kept maize in mollasses for 2 days and it's gone crispy and hard. I'm not sure wether to use it now or not.........

Hi all, Has anyone kept prepared maize for any period of time in Molasses? i've kept it in CSl in the past but this tends to make the maize go crispy !!! Also, has anyone used "Red Maize" i've heard it's slighlty different to the yellow and is more digestible for the fish.

Try livebaits (if the lake allows them). Large roach make a great bait for Cats, if you use a sub float the bait will keep off the bottom and swimming round in circles all night. Make sure you use a tough hooklink like quick silver or something similar. Just flick it out into the margins and you should get a result. If you need to get further out don't cast your livebait as it generally knackers them, try whinching out the bait with a second rod, as long as you're using a sub float the hook won't get caught on the bottom. Good luck and be ready for the fight of a lifetime.

Hi RUDD, Where was the water you were fishing? I'm from Ipswich myself.

Look's like a sea fishing boom to me..... I've seen people use similar when out boat fishing for Bass in deep water (150-200ft). If your using a long trace with a Sandeel bait it stops the trace wrapping round the mainline on the way down. I could be wrong but it look's exactly the same!!!!!

Has anyone had any success surface fishing with a fly rod???? I had a go the other week but had trouble keeping a mixer on the hook, I tried a hair rig and also super gluing the mixer to the hook. I think the mixer was coming off on the back of the cast, it was OK up to about 15yds but anything further needed to be double hauled and the force was just too much.

Hi Zaphod, Yes I agree with you entirely, my sons been catching small silver fish on the float for a year and a half now!! I've been taking him to a local match lake that holds everything (including carp to 10lbs), In the course of catching species he's inevitably hooked a few carp and lost them (all apart from one). Although he'll have a decent carp rod I'll make sure he still has a good grounding in basic fishing/watercraft.

Hi all, Does anyone know of a suitable carp rod for a five year old boy? It needs to have at least 1.75lb TC and be about six or seven foot long (and reasonably priced).

I've tried rock hard air dried boilies, fish snowman style. 20mm on the bottom and a 14mm pop-up on the top. They cant get the whole bait in their mouths but I still end up hooking the greedy snots.

Hi all, Does anyone know of a bream proof bait? I can't use tigers on the lake i fish.