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Maples or tares would be worth a try. Both are dark, heavy and wouldn’t need flavouring. My memory tells me maples have been used successfully. But mates of mine have used particles (on the Thames) for carp and they haven’t caught any barbel like that….a few carp and plenty of bream certainly...

PM sent re Cutler book.

Many years ago I used the Dave Preston ‘cling film’ method to cook baits in a brick. I then cut up the brick to provide a variety of different sized square(ish) baits. This was for a heavily pressured carp water. It was very effective. In my current barbel fishing the primary issue is location...

That’s an interesting way of discouraging people from replying to your posts…..

And don’t mention the excessive abstraction at the top of the river….

Great fish, well done.

Apologies; the rucksack reference was about the pricing, rather than using it for your roving application (I use mine for saltwater fly fishing).

I was going to say exactly the same. Orvis stuff can be good but is fearsomely expensive. Other sling packs are available at a fraction of the Orvis/Patagonia/FishPond/Sage etc prices; whether they will do what you want is up to the individual. Same logic applies to waterproof rucksacks aimed...

I’ve never fished with an Allerton, so can’t comment either way. All my other float rods are hollow tipped eg Daiwa and Maver.

I use a Tricast Triaxial - a power float rod that has a spliced tip. An interesting way of softening the tip of a powerful blank. Old technology admittedly, but it works quite well.

This story has just been on the BBC1 breakfast programme. The sewage works concerned is Little Marlow. I’ve fished that stretch a little; and there is a sewage outlet halfway down. If you fish downstream of the pipe the river often starts to stink just after it gets dark…….

Once you have watched that, also watch ‘Gurubox’. It’s a hilarious take on ‘gogglebox’; famous (?) Guru sponsored anglers react to the underwater filming and the reaction of the commentators…… As I’ve said before, a decent feeder oriented specialist angler could help them out a fair bit.

Indeed; we have to cling to the impact of this sort of publicity. There is a very impressive LibDem MP (Layla Moran) who represents the Abingdon area; and she has been putting huge pressure on Thames Water for a while. In my time on the EA Thames RFERAC committee I had the misfortune to meet...

I use fairly fine orange cotton and a small dab of nail varnish as a fixed reference (in case the marker moves).

Double crimps work fine on mono that is thick enough to fit (just) the double crimp. If you dont fancy it just buy the Gemini links mentioned above - now available in many different configurations. They are superb.

Ive made my own bait on/off since the late 70's and would put Solar S &O in the top 5 flavours I have ever come across. Whether the current versions are anything like as good as the original I have no idea. As I said early on in this thread, these days Im pretty sure I can't make bait that is...

That's yet another reason for buying frozen bait.

Rich, Glad you are happy. All the best. Tim

Exactly right. Custom rod building is a damn difficult way to make a living. I bought an MT mult-tip and the whole concept was for MT to sell a completed rod off the shelf. Tom Pollard has been selling ‘ready made’ rods for years and now half his business is wholesaling rod components. I used...

FWIW I think I’ve started about 3 - 4 weeks too early. I’ve got one more short trip pencilled in for later this week and I will fish deeper water on the basis that they haven’t been in the shallow stuff previously. I can’t fish next week. Last year on the same water (70 acres) they didn’t feed...