Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Mono or Braid. ..,....no contest

                                          Dinton stunner.....BRAID WINS!


For the past 5 seasons I've exclusively used braided main line for all my carp angling and after realising the advantages and I can honestly say that I can't ever imagine a single situation where I'd ever want to use mono again!

let's look at the many various angling situations we are faced with and see which comes out on top...

Bite indication...with no stretch ,the lead moved an inch so does the bobbin.......BRAID WINS.

Feeling the bottom for features.............................................................................BRAID WINS.

Fishing in weed..braid cuts through weed...more fish landed...............................BRAID WINS.

Abrasion resistance on bars ,zebra mussels and snags..........................................BRAID WINS.

Snag fishing ...no stretch.....................................................................................BRAID WINS.

Diameter...much lower diameter for any given strength..so casts further.............BRAID WINS

Floater fishing ....with floating braid is a joy, line can be mended, and a strike brings instant contact with fish because there is no stretch......................................................................BRAID WINS.

Boating or distance work...no explanation necessary...........................................BRAID WINS.

Sheer joy of playing fish.......................................................................................BRAID WINS.

Cost.........because it lasts for at least a year and retains it strength .....................BRAID WINS.

Behaviour.......there is no line twist with braid, fish can be played on the clutch...BRAID WINS.

Sinking.....some types of braid, Bullet for example sink like a brick and hug the bottom, therefore are almost invisible in the water and the softness I'm sure doesn't spook fish as much as coming into contact with nylon....................................................................................................BRAID WINS.

as you can see I'm a big fan of braid and see no reason to be scared of it, the only one precaution I would give is to use it in conjunction with a softer rod in order to absorb the lunges of a fish at close range. Go on give it a go..............I KNOW YOU'LL LIKE IT !


Friday, 10 February 2012

THE ONLY WAY IS UP

The one thing we can all be sure about is, that when the lakes eventually do thaw out and the weather does turn milder then the water will warm up from the surface downwards . Meaning that for the first time in months the warmer water will not be the deepest water in fact the very opposite . The carp our quarry being cold blooded will always follow this warmer water, not for food but for comfort, so logically then we carp anglers must therefore fish for them in the depth band they prefer to inhabit. We'll catch fish on the tops of bars , on plateaux's, up the shelf and perhaps more importantly on the ZIG!  As a general rule I usually start at two thirds depth and prefer a fixed zig up to lengths of 12 feet and by using a super loose lead clip system hope to lose the lead on the take. In situations where I need to fish higher than 12 feet  then I recommend using the excellent Fox adjustable floats , a word of warning though , when a fish is hooked on one of these set ups it very easily tangles another similar set up close by. As for colour I find black and yellow to be very effective but I know others who prefer orange or red, experiment and find out for yourselves.                                                     

TIGHT LINES       MR.F                               one more on the zig!