In reply to Post #1
Trees put millions of years of research and development into cork in order to protect their trunks from sun and heat. As lomg as it is good quality natural cork it will be fine on your rods.

In reply to Post #12
Killer chub bait, never tried it for carp, but always been meaning to.

In reply to Post #1
If you want to fish floating bread further than you can cast it you need some kind of controller float. Lots of specialist versions available in the UK for surface fishing but probably not so much in the US. You can make your own though, in the simplest form that would be a piece of stick fixed to the line with rubber bands a foot or two from the hook.

I don't fish for Grass Carp so can't give any tips on targeting them based on experience, but from what I hear they eat bottom baits aimed at regular carp so your standard approach with corn may well work.

In reply to Post #147
Yes, pretty sensible rules. Lots of them, but all seem reasonable on a quick read through. Boating and swimming are banned. I wonder how he got to the island in question while staying within the rules? I doubt Mainline stumped up for a helicopter...

Thanks for the replies. I have a few ideas for making a stinking bait that might be good in this situation, high leakage and solubility indeed. In the shorter term I have a tupperware that has been in the fridge since November with a mix of Sticky Krill and Key Cray that were glugged back then and not touched since. Might be worth a shot.

As for the algal bloom it is not "that" bad. Not pea soup anyway. The water looks murky and when looked at from a distance is green/grey rather than the blue/grey of clear water. Small amounts of surface algae (don't know what these are called?) collecting like a green surface film in the margins on the windward side of the lake. It is a club lake and lightly fished so doubt that any water testing is going to happen via the fishing rights holders. Also, I doubt the official bodies such as the local water authority would like to get involved until there are actual recorded fish deaths.

In reply to Post #14
Cool, sorry didn't realise you had sold the 50mm rods already.

I still think it is going to cost you a lot more than £200 to buy 3 x good quality 50mm butt rings and pay for someone to remove and redo the bottom 3 rings. Therefore much more cost effective to sell as is. Good luck and I hope you get the price you need - just need the serendipity of the right buyer at the right time.

In reply to Post #1
Yes, I got the subxcription because of the bait deal but I have a backlog of about four months worth of magazines to read. Even with a lot of time on my hands.

They are going the right way in terms of design of the magazine but unfortunately most of their feature article writers are really boring and cliched. It is hard to make the capture of a 50lb+ English carp seem dull but these guys have found a way.

Notable exceptions for Simon Scott, who is amazing, and also read a couple of articles from Terry Dempsey that I enjoyed that were published around March, (not sure if Terry is a regular yet as I have a backlog).

In reply to Post #4
I agree, it does sound like dissolved oxygen issues, particularly with the Pike deaths, they would be one of the first species affected.

I think of the monthly subscription as equal to buying a carp magazine as it is about the same price. On that basis it is very good value. And with a lot less ***** content than the typical magazine.

As people below have said, DL can't be expected to put this content up for free, he needs to be monetarily rewarded to make it viable to post regular videos. It is not being sponsored by one of the big tackle companies so the only other option is a subscription basis.

He has given up his job to try this full time and if enough people like it and subscribe it will continue, if not it will dwindle and be gone. Fair play to him for trying this and I hope it does well.

Edit: I didn't know $ h i t e was a swear word, but that is what is starred out above.

In reply to Post #2
Totally agree, if there are any snags, which there are on most islands, rods should be fished locked up tight and kept a close eye on.