Publicity ban now so please keep anything via PM.
I think I probably had Rich's ticket after being on the list 8 years.
It is a cracking lake.

Used to fish it and have a mate on their now. A few gone to otters it seems. I've been sent a pic of one of the 40lb commons munched.

3.5% Kingfisher Red (hookbait version)
2% Spirulina
Will make a fishmeal very very dark and hold that colour pretty well too.
Wierd combo but it does the job.

As Mark and others have rightly said....
If a freezer bait needs glugging in goo/smart liquid or any other pile of highly flavoured crap, then it's a pile of rubbish in the first place.
And if it 'needs washing out' to make it 'palatable' to fish, then again, it is an overflavoured pile of rubbish too.

It's just another fallacy that is force fed to the massive by clever 'free video's' from the Korda Machine and it's ilk.

"Tell you what I'll do, I'll make the first one free. Then when you want some more, just come back to me".....

In reply to Post #149
Looking forward to reading this. The best hydro I've ever seen was a mackerel one which was the whole fish including guts. The smell was off the scale.

In reply to Post #5
Southlake\Redlands a decent option, you should be able to get in reasonably quickly.
Twyford Reserve on the Dinton ticket has a high turnover, a third at least drop their ticket each year.... It floods, has a one month close season and the most horrendous muddy paths and slopes around the lake. Some of the swims are virtually unfishable and the sole parking is a pub car park. There are some nice fish in there but a lot of negatives to get through... It's one for the more experienced angler and I think it's a venue that is more suitable if you're local and can get round regularly and fish short trips/overnights instead of session angling.

In reply to Post #4
No they're not. The 8000 is bigger, both body wise and spool. 7000 spools won't fit an 8000 reel and vice versa.

In reply to Post #20
There is a list somewhere... In a diary.
Roach to Spinny
Roach to Ivy
Ivy to Spinny
Spinny to Ivy
Rockford to Ivy
Rockford to Spinny
Etc etc etc
All linked via underground pipes so negligible risk.

I'd also add that CAC never had any authority or consent to move fish how they did, from Wedgehill and Holtwood. Any especially not from the Hampshire Avon..

In reply to Post #9
We did come up with some good names for those Roach (and then Spinny) fish.
Alongside Inter and Drac, we had Special Brew, Chippendale, Solar.
Then one of the features to cast to from Caravan Point was Madonna's Tits.
Best of times and such a laugh. No sponsored anglers, no names. Just fun.

In reply to Post #1
Just stick an old bivvy peg bag over the switches bit on the handle when not in use at all times. It then always stays dry and won't even suffer from condensation