Rucksacks 101 - Imagine your carp fishing without bespoke angling luggage. Wouldn’t it be really hard work?

When you think about it, good quality luggage with all the pockets, pouches and specific fishing design touches is the backbone of our kit. At the centre of that for many of us is a rucksack. An invaluable piece of kit that houses and transports all our essentials – the piece of the kit we’d be lost without.

There are loads of rucksacks designed specifically for carp fishing on the market. Some are incredible, some others not so much. We’ve picked four of the best to take a closer look at in terms of functionality and – what’s often the most vital piece of the equation when you start using these bags – comfort.

Rucksack accessories

Pouches
For a fully functioning storage and transportation system that will see you being able to find your baiting needle one instance and your spare socks the next, a decent inner modulated approach is a must. For this your pouches come into play. Buy ’em, fill ’em, get ’em in the main compartment and everything else should be a doddle…

Strap it up
Not so much an accessory but a basic piece of kit that you see on many rucksacks but not everyone uses. The sternum strap (the strap across your chest) is designed to stop the main straps from moving apart and keeps the weight of the pack on your shoulders, where it needs to be. If you use it, your strap should ideally be in line with your armpits.

Carabinas
A couple of these quick-clip carabinas on the outside of your rucksack can add another handy carrying option to your luggage. Boots, a mug, another pouchful of hook baits or whatever; clip them on quickly and easily to make life getting to and from your swim that little bit easier.

Test Bed
Although storage and capacity are huge things when it comes to the right rucksack, for most of us in a live fishing situation, it’s the comfort factor of a bag that really makes a difference. A 20kg load can feel twice that when your rucksack’s slopping all over your back and your spine feels like a herd of buffalo are playing a game of bulldogs on it.

A good rucksack makes lugging loads on your back and shoulders as easy as possible and that’s what we’re looking for in the ones we’re getting to grips with.

The Consistencies
To be fair, there are no specific, calculable measurements of comfort that you can record, so this bit is less scientific than usual. The test was to load each of the four rucksacks with 20kg of weight, strap them on and walk for half a mile – a bit more than many anglers would travel by foot to a swim, but we’re all about putting the leg work in here at ACF.

The comfort ratings we gave the bags are then based on how we felt after the walk.

JRC Contact Rucksack
JRC is producing some great pieces of kit these days, and after spending some time with the Contact we’ve come to see it as one of them.

Looking at it loaded up, the sack doesn’t look all that ‘standout’ from the crowd, but start to have a look around and it has some good, solid touches.
To start with it feels very robust. Good stitching, 500D polyester fabric construction and a waterproof bottom covering tick a lot of boxes when you’re dealing with the rigours of life out on the bank.

Then there’s the storage. The central compartment offers 40 litres of space, along with six external pockets.

One of the best touches is the access to the main compartment. The overhead flap zips into place either side of the opening so that all your bits and bobs will stay in place. However, the front of the flap doesn’t zip up, it just fastens via two clipped straps that run top to bottom. If you don’t bother with the straps you can still get your hand in for quick-access stuff without unzipping everything, with your gear still safe from spilling out – it makes things very quick and easy

Comfort-wise, the padding on the back of the sack and on the main straps is immense. With the straps adjusted and tightened properly it felt very good in all the right places and the waist strap helps to distribute the weight a bit better too. The inclusion of two bars down the back of the bag in line with the main straps – like a proper hiking rucksack – mean that the whole thing also keeps its shape well. We really like this rucksack.

Pros: Robust and simple, this is an old-school angler’s bag with loads of comfort.

Cons: Not sure how long the padding on the back will take to compress.

Test Result: Loaded with weight the bag sat well on the back and over the walk felt well positioned and very comfortable.

Capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions: 53 x 30 x 30cm

Buy The JRC Contact Rucksack

Sonik SKS Foldout Rucksack
This is a clever piece of luggage. At a glance it looks like a fairly standard rucksack. Take a closer look, though, and you’ll find a design that sees the whole back open out flat, offering four different storage compartments.

Essentially, it works by having a main section separated into two areas. At the top and bottom edges of the bag there are then two more compartments that hinge, closing over the main compartment and attaching to each other when folded up via two clip straps. What this means is that you have a rucksack you can carry on your back as normal to your swim, and when you get there you unclip the secondary compartments and it all opens up into a holdall-style arrangement.

The other clever bit we like is that when it’s all opened up, the tops of each of the four compartments are clear plastic so you can see exactly what you’re looking for straightaway. Not only that, but to save you getting your bag dirty when you lay it down it comes with a free groundsheet (stored in a side pocket), sized perfectly to the bag.

It’s all put together very well. Solid seams, heavy-duty canvas, quality fittings in terms of the clips and zips – it should last a fair number of seasons and plenty of abuse by all accounts.

On the comfort front, the padding on the back of the bag is more than ample, although the main straps could do with being a bit wider to spread the load on your shoulders. All in all a clever bag with lots of practical use out on the bank.

Pros: Very clever and functional with a free groundsheet and a free large tackle box to fit one of the compartments too.


Cons: Pricey, but it is a very good bag.

Test Result: On the walk the rucksack was nice and comfy on the back thanks to the masses of padding included, but the straps could do with a bit of width on them to spread the load where it’s heaviest on the shoulders.

Capacity: Around 30 litres
Dimensions: 57 x 44 x 21cm (113 centimetres long when laid out opened up)

Buy The Sonik SKS Foldout Rucksack

ESP Rucksack
This is old-school luggage at its basic best. No bells, no whistles, none of that namby-pamby padding, just a massive main storage compartment to hold all your gear and a couple of other pockets.

The ESP bag is a focused bit of luggage. But it’s tough as well.

Created from 900d nylon material, backed on the inside of the bag with PVC to make it relatively waterproof, at the heart of the rucksack is a large central compartment that will swallow pretty much everything your need it to. If it doesn’t, there’s also a generous rear pocket, plus two more either side.

The bottom of the back is covered in a reinforced, waterproof ‘foot’, so when you put it down the nylon material doesn’t suck up the moisture. Elsewhere there are also two straps across the rear pocket that clip up and are adjustable to carry an unhooking mat or suchlike.

Rugged and simple, focused and more than up to the task of lugging kit where you need it to be, the ESP rucksack is really a thing of simplistic beauty. But… then you have to carry it.

The back of the bag has a very small amount of padding in it, and the same goes for the main straps – although they are nice and wide to spread the pressure. The inclusion of a sternum strap helps keep things tight and in place, but you do have to watch what you pack at the back of the bag or get niggles with knobbly items digging in when you’re on the move.

Pros: Good, honest, solid bag that will hold loads at a very good price.


Cons: Not the comfiest when on the move.

Test Result: As we’d loaded the bag up with disc weights they didn’t feel too good through the back of the bag, but the actual weight distribution on the shoulders was very good.

Capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions: 46 x 42 x 24cm

Buy The ESP Rucksack

Wychwood System Select Rover Rucksack
Part of its new System Select range of luggage, the Rover from Wychwood is a great looking bit of kit from the off. Designed specifically for the mobile angler, it has four easily accessible pockets at the top, the back and either side of the main compartment for you to strategically position the bit of gear you need to get quick and easy access to when you’re hopping through multiple swims.

The main compartment offers enough space for the basic kit the roving carper’s going to need, with the access hole positioned over two planes of the bags construction, giving you a much bigger aperture to get your hands in and on to the kit you’re looking for.

As with the other rucksacks here, the Rover is well put together – solid canvas material, bulky zips, quality stitching on the seams and so on. Plus, you’re looking at a piece of luggage that should last several seasons if you look after it – a point emphasised by Wychwood’s lifetime warranty on the product.

There are some nice little touches as well, such as the separate mesh section in the top compartment and the two space dividers and another mesh section in the rear pocket, and especially the pull-out rain cover that sits in a zip pocket under the bag itself – very handy to keep your bag dry.

This is also a comfy bag on your back and on the move. The rear section where your back makes contact has plenty of padding, but what really makes the difference is the addition of a stiff board that fits into a zipped section in the rear wall. This stiffens the shape of the main compartment to stop things flopping around and protects your back from any lumps and bumps from the gear in the main compartment. As rucksacks go, this one is well thought out and well delivered, and at a pretty good price too.

Pros: Some very nice touches and high-quality finish.

Cons: With a lifetime warranty, we can’t think of any.

Test Result: The back board combined with the rear padding made all the difference to the comfort here, and the sternum strap also helped to create a nice, snug fit when walking.

Capacity: Around 30 litres
Dimensions: 45 x 45 x 28cm

Buy The Wychwood Select Rover Rucksack

Firstly Happy New Year to everyone and may 2017 bring all you wish and more! Last time I wrote, I gave you an insight into how I prepare and fish using bread when river conditions are low and clear. Well, after having a couple of sessions on the river and getting a few bites with some nice chub and roach, I thought I might tell you about the way the local French guys fish the bread. They also gave me a lesson or two in bagging up, which I’ll share with you too!

My method involved liquidising bread, which is very effective but time consuming and, as I learnt from my French friends, not always so effective when the fish are feeding hard. When fishing with bread it’s very easy to overfeed as bread is filling and fish will soon fill up on it, but when plenty of fish are competing for food it’s a different game.

The French prepare their bread in a different way. Firstly, any waste bread they get they dry out and once they have a bucket full they will soak the bread in some hot water. Hot water is poured over the bread complete with crusts and then stirred and prodded to break the bread down into a paste. The warm water releases the gluten in the bread, resulting in a sticky paste. However, the real trick is to make the paste without using more water than needed.

Next the paste is forced through a maggot riddle to make it sloppy; it should just hold together if rolled around the palm of your hand. If it’s too wet, add a little dry breadcrumb but ideally it should be a little sloppy. The idea behind this is that it forms a cloud through the water column, with only small particles of bread being released. Fish feel vulnerable in clear water and the milky column of bread soup clouds the water, bringing with it a flavour trail to attract the fish. My session started with four or five golf ball sized balls of slop being introduced, with regular top ups as fishing progressed.

My French experts had another trick up their sleeves: once fish were feeding properly, and if they felt there were plenty of fish feeding, then they would introduce some paste. This paste is firmer than the slop, made the same way but with more dry breadcrumb added to hold it together until it reaches the bottom. With fish feeding in the swim, the competition created often sees fish coming up in the water to feed. This can make them difficult to catch, so the stiffer paste will keep them on the deck. It’s then a matter of feeding slop to attract and the stiffer mix to keep them down and feeding right where you can catch ‘em!

I still prefer to fish my microwaved and rolled bread punch on the hook; it works well for me (the French use the heart of a fresh baguette). However, I have used this method a few times now and have to say it has just got better and better. The last session, in very difficult conditions, I fished under a stick float in about 7 foot of water. This produced over 50lb in not much more than 3 hours. With the line freezing in the rings, it was difficult to present the bait properly, but almost every run through brought a bite with either a chub or a sneep (nase) as the result.

The sneep is a fish not seen in the UK but there are a few in Europe, although not in every river system. The Meuse has pockets of sneep, with a 3lb fish a specimen, and they are quite sort after. They are a bit like a dace, roach and chub hybrid and they feed mainly on algae. This makes them not so easy to catch, although I have found that well presented bread appears to be their favourite treat and I have managed a good few over the last few weeks.

Hopefully, over the next few weeks, I will be catching a few more, along with some decent chub. I know the river holds some very big roach, too, but other than a few up to around the pound mark they have been absent. Hopefully I will find some in the next few weeks. The next challenge is to see if I can find a French grayling. I am told there are plenty around but mostly on trout rivers where fishing maggot is forbidden, so it will be a challenge that’s for sure.

It is that time of year again, when we reflect on the previous 12 months and all the angling joy they brought us. We’ve once again asked all the shops to nominate their favourite tackle items – here’s what they have decided is their Top Tackle of 2016!

Kieran Ryder – Store Manager – Ashford
I chose my favourite product of 2016 when experiencing those mixed emotions you get when recapturing the same carp for the third time in five weeks. The first time I caught the lovely little stockie that had recently been put into the syndicate it had evidently been attacked by a predator, leaving a large wound in its flank. The wound had begun to get infected and had lice and other organisms living on it. Naturally, I treated the wound with Gardner Intensive Carp Care, which was the first time I used the product after running out of my previous carp care kit. All good anglers use carp care these days but not many of us are lucky enough to see the results first hand. However, upon recapturing the carp two weeks later, the way in which the wound had cleared up was astounding. Not to forget to mention two weeks after this, when the little stockie graced my net for the third time, the wound was a very neat scar.

Buy The Gardner Intensive Carp Care

Jeanette Halliday – Store Manager – Beccles
My selection is a couple of little products I use from Cralusso. First up is the Cralusso range of Bubble Floats, which I use primarily on the River Yare for roach fishing as it’s a big river and can have plenty of pace on either flood or ebb tide. These floats are very versatile as you can run the rig through at the pace of the tide or hold back slightly with the bulk shot slightly further down towards the hooklength. The control of the rig and bite detection is extremely positive. I have had some good bags of roach and skimmers on both the River Yare and the River Thurne using this method. Next up, and I’m sure a lot of the regular lads on the Yare have been using these too, are the Cralusso Match Quick Snaps in sizes 12 and 14 – a great little product for attaching hooklengths quickly and easily without a lot of line twist when fishing double baits on the hook. These get the Angling Direct Beccles thumbs up!

Buy The Cralusso Range Of Tackle

Phil Spinks – Sales Assistant and Team AD Blogger - Beccles
My favourite product that I've seen over the last 12 months is the Korum Neoteric Reels. They come in two sizes, 5000 and 6000, and both come supplied with single and double handles. There are a few features that make the reel stand out above the rest for me. The 5000 size is the perfect size reel to balance up with lighter test curve rods. I use the 5000 on my 0.75lb Korum Xpert rods for perch fishing. The spool is a sensible depth so it doesn't need lots of backing line. I fill mine with 6lb line, of which they take approx. 150 meters. They do come supplied with a deeper spool if a heavier line is required. Personally, I like a single handle on the reels but for those who like double handles both are supplied. The slightly larger 6000 size is the perfect partner for slightly heavier rods for tench, bream, barbel, and carp fishing. In a nutshell, this is Korum’s flagship reel, boasting brilliant line lay and an ultra smooth drag. At last a small baitrunner that suits my style of angling!

Buy The Korum Neoteric Reels

Arron Newport – Sales Assistant – Chelmsford
At the beginning of the year I decided it was time to get a new bivvy and lucky enough the Advanta One Night Stand had just been released, which was great as this bivvy suited me to the ground. Even though I’m 6ft 4”, I like a compact bivvy and this was great. It looks awesome, it’s tiny when packed away, it weighs nothing, it’s super quick to put up and, most of all, it’s really hardwearing. This year I truly gave it a test. I use it two nights a week in all weather conditions, including a few torrential storms and huge winds, and, if I’m being honest, I’m not one to look after my gear. Despite this, it still stands strong with absolutely no leaks or defects at all! It really has been a great bivvy and I couldn’t ask for more. There are no negative points I could make at all and the price… well, that’s unbelievable. I have used and abused many bivvies throughout the years and this is my favourite to date. It’s a fantastic piece of kit and I couldn’t recommend it enough – and, even better, it’s now available in DPM!

Buy The Advanta Discovery CX One Night Stand Bivvy

Glen Burling – Sales Assistant – Colchester
My favourite product of 2016 has to be the range of Guru Feeders. They really are a phenomenal product, especially when used with the Guru rigging accessories, and I’ve had no end of joy using them over the last 12 months. One of their best features is their versatility – no matter what you can always find the perfect tool for the job. I use mine when I’m carp fishing and I have definitely caught the most fish when I’ve been using this method above all others. I really cannot recommend them enough!

Buy The Guru Feeders

Mark Williams – Store Manager – Crayford
In my view, the Shimano Velocity Carp Rods are the best all-round rods to have been bought out in the last year. My personal favourite has to be the 12ft 3.25lb version. This is an awesome rod. Not only does it offer great value for money but both the action and the finish are outstanding too. The lightness of this rod series is incomparable, even when you’re comparing them to rods marked at three times the cost. We have sold loads of them in Crayford, to some very good carp anglers, so you don’t just have to take my word for it!

Buy The Shimano Velocity Carp Rods

Simon West – Store Manger – Halesowen
The Guru Punch Box is a cracking piece of kit for keeping your bait bread and meat fresh away from the elements - come rain, wind or shine. The four sizes of punches supplied with the box cover all my bait punching needs, too. I have found that three discs of 8mm or 10mm bread, popped-up on a hair rig, are deadly for winter fishing and this has got me ‘out of jail’ more than any other method. The box is just the right size for a slice of bread and it fits nicely on your side tray and in the side pocket of your carryall, so it is easy to store and transport. Another plus is that the punches are a bright Guru orange colour, so you can easily find them if dropped on the grass. Another winner from Guru!

Buy The Guru Punch Box

Stephen Crowe – Sales Assistant – Norwich
If I had to choose one stand out product for 2016 it would be the Fox Zig Aligna Fluoro Kit, a small but extremely effective item that has changed my future zig rig fishing. It was only while fishing this year’s British Carp Championship semi-final at Brasenose One that I realised the efficiency and hooking potential of this product. After losing multiple fish on my usual zig rig set up, I switched over to the Zig Aligna with a small piece of fluoro yellow foam and the difference was astonishing. I went from losing 10 fish in a row to landing the next eight without losing a fish. It’s fair to say I will not be using any other item for my zig rig fishing from now on!

Buy The Fox Zig Aligna Kit

Ross Crowder – Store Manager – Rayleigh
I’m going to cheat a little and put two products at the top of my 2016 list. The first of these is the RidgeMonkey Bivvy Lite. This is another great product to have come out of the RidgeMonkey warehouse and it really showcases the huge advances that we have seen in angling technology over the recent years. This bivvy light is head and shoulders above others I have tried thanks to its great battery life and its outstanding durability. It has become an essential for me.

Buy The Ridgemonkey Bivvy-lite

My second favourite product is the new ESP Cryogen Hooks. The new treatment process on these hooks, which involves super heating the hook, has made these by far and away the sharpest hook on the market.

Buy The ESP Cryogen Hooks

Thomas Redman – Sales Assistant – Sheffield
I have been using the Advanta One Night Stand DPM Bivvy for around a month now and it's everything I want for my style of fishing. With a small footprint to fit in the tight swims I seem to prefer and an easy quick erect time, it is perfect for overnighters and early pack ups. The flat back design makes it seem like a TARDIS inside, as I’m able to push the bed to the back. It also features air flow mozzie vents for the warmer months and it is supplied with a lightweight groundsheet. To top it off it comes in the best carpy colour an angler could want!

Buy The Advanta Discovery CCX DPM One Night Stand Bivvy

Richard Howland – Store Manager – Sittingbourne
The River Stour in Canterbury, Kent, is where I like to spend quite a few of my days off in the winter. Armed with my trusted Drennan Acolyte 13ft float rod, which I use for trotting a float down rivers, I can just about fish anywhere and for anything. One of the best things about this style of fishing is that I'm not laden down with loads of gear. So, with the Acolyte Rod (which is the lightest rod I’ve ever used but strong enough to land River Wye Barbel, as past experience has proven), a landing net, and an apron full of bits and maggots, I’m all set. Being 13ft, I’m able to keep the float further out in the river for longer while trotting the far bank because the float will always be pulled by the line to the nearside as it goes down stream. There are 14ft and 15ft versions of this rod, too, but some of the places I go are quite tight. The rod is three pieces, which I fold down and leave it all set up with the Advanta Centrepin in the Drennan short rod sleeve, so I’m fishing within minutes of turning up. As I’ve said earlier, I’ve caught barbel on this rod and if you’ve ever caught a river barbel then you will know how hard they fight, so that will give you some idea of the confidence I have in this super rod.

Buy The Drennan Acolyte 13ft Float Rod

Jake Gallagher – Sales Assistant – Reading
My favourite item of tackle in 2016 has to be the Guru F1 Maggot and Pellet Hooks. They might just be small items of terminal tackle but they have made a huge difference to my angling. The new PTFE coating on both hooks not only makes them ultra sharp but also resistant to rusting. They come in sizes 14-22 to cover all situations, with sizes 16-20 being my personal favourite, particularly for winter style fishing. The F1 Pellet Hook features a slightly inwardly turned point that is well suited to presenting soft hook baits, such as expanders, on the pole along with other baits like corn. In comparison to the F1 Maggot Hooks, the Pellet Hook has a slighter thicker gauge of wire, which makes them more suited to larger fish or situations that demand more pressure to be applied to the fish. This hook is the perfect compromise for venues where there is a mix of small and large fish. Similarly, the F1 Maggot features the PTFE coating but has a more conventional shape to it that lends itself, as the name suggests, to maggot fishing in particular. I have used this hook extensively over the past couple of months in the Tunnel Barn winter league and have yet to be let down. For me, there is no other hook this good on the market and I rate it very highly!

Buy The Guru Hooks

Darren Harston – Store Manager – Lincoln
The Gardner GT-HD Mono has proved really popular since its launch. Its smooth finish and supple feel offers superb casting performance, it is formulated to sink quickly and the reduced stretch offers excellent feedback to the rod tip when feeling the lead down. This also gives improved or enhanced bite indication at long range. At £17.99 for a bulk spool, it is great value too!

Buy The Gardner HD Mono

Len Goulding – Store Manager – Waltham X
I write this sitting on the lake under my favourite product of the year, thinking that this will be easy to do without a doubt! The best product this year is the Advanta One Night Stand bivvy. The One Night Stand is a small footprint bivvy that will fit in the smallest swim on most lakes. However, not only is it compact but it is also cosy and it has kept me warm all night. Condensation hasn’t been an issue for me, but there is also an over wrap available if you wanted an extra layer of protection against the elements. You get all of this quality at an amazing price. I don't leave home without it; it's the business!

Buy The Advanta Discovery CX One Night Stand Bivvy

Phil Gray – Store Manager – Wroxham
My top product for 2016 has to be Fox's Grondel Lures! I was selecting new lures from the Fox catalogue, saw the Grondel's, thought they looked a bit different and so I ordered a few packs for the Wroxham shop. As soon as they arrived I purchased some and went off fishing with them the first chance I had. I was fishing on a large, open, shallow and very clear broad here in Wroxham and, after fishing deadbaits for pike for the first few hours of daylight, I changed to a Grondel on a size 2/0 7g jig head as the sun became brighter and started working the margins. I had 12 pike that morning and have never looked back. I now have a go with them every time I'm on the water and have had loads more pike and bucket loads of perch on them too! ‘Gotta love a Grondel" is a phrase often used in these parts now!

Buy The Fox Lures

Steve Potts – Sales Assistant – Willenhall
My tackle highlight of 2016 was the release of the Sticky Baits Manilla range. It is a fantastic all round bait for all seasons. Once you open a bag of Manilla boilies it smells carpy straight away; the essence of peanut is irresistible and carp love it. What makes it a great bait is the range that compliments the Manilla boilies, a variety of pellets in different sizes, glugs, wafters, stick mixes and much more. Since the release this summer, Sticky Baits Manilla range has accounted for big carp up and down the country, including considerable success for myself. On a new syndicate water, this bait has accounted for five 30lb fish in the first six weeks of me joining, which proves its instant attraction properties as well as being a campaign style bait. As the water temperature cools down, I will have full faith that my chosen bait will be giving all the great food signals throughout the layers as it did in the summer. This is down to its high digestibility and low oil content that allows an all season approach.

Buy The Sticky Baits Manilla

With the bookings taken over the phone for four of us a few days before, it was 4.20am on the 21st of December and I was trying my best not to make a noise as I got dressed in the dark. The good lady had work later that day and is not best pleased at being woken at this time of the night! I managed to make it out of the bedroom without too much fuss, but I had the next obstacle to over come. Muskett knew something was going on last night when I was loading the van but now he knew for sure, as I came down the stairs in my fishing clothes. However, the problem I faced was that the rule for the fishery is: NO DOGS. As Muskett normally comes with me on my fishing trips, he was sitting by the door waiting. Now, for those of you that do not own a dog, you will not know what this is like, but there I was trying to reason with him to move back from the door, that I wasn't going fishing, and that I promise to take him next time!!

We had arranged to meet outside the Sittingbourne AD shop at 5am, but before that I had to meet Paul Robinson at his house, as he had kindly offered to drive. After a quick chat with Simon Impett, and Ali Olteanu, who were driving in the other car, we were on our way. We were hoping that the traffic wasn't too heavy, as – fingers crossed – people had finished work for Christmas and the M3 was clear.

Over two hours later we were there, it was still dark but we didn't mind as it gave us time to have a bite to eat and drink in the local service station, which was just past the entrance to the fishery, and to talk through the ways we were going to fish for grayling on the river. Once it was light enough, we were through the gates and driving along side the river. Having never seen it before, I didn't know what to expect, only what friends had told me.

It's a small intimate river that is very picturesque, with little bridges here and there and loads of bends and eddies. Everywhere looked very fishy. We drove to the top of the section where you are allowed to float fish, which must have been a mile, and beyond that it's fly fishing only. I had been told by a friend that this was a good starting point, so Paul and I parked the car whilst Ali and Simon drove back down a short way to a couple of spots that looked good.

The river was low due to the fact that we hadn't had any rain for ages – until today! It was raining that fine rain; the one that gets you soaked without you knowing it. On went the waterproof trousers, the warm coat, and my newly acquired waterproof hat that I found whilst clearing out some things from my mother's house a couple of weeks ago. Out came my 13ft Drennan Acolyte float rod, the Advanta Centrepin loaded with 4.2lb line, a 4BB stick float, and 3.6lb hook links with a size 16 hook and a size 20 swivel, which a friend put me on to a while back.

Few people think about line twist as your rig trundles down the river but, if you are using two maggots, they are twisting all the time in the current. By putting a small swivel above your hook link, it can turn and twist as much as it likes. I never river fish without one these days, even when fishing with other baits.

With Paul still setting up, I decided to start in the very last swim of this section of river, right next to the sign saying: FLY FISHING ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT. As always, like everyone else, I couldn't wait to get fishing and watch the float glide down the beautiful river. I think I was too excited, as the very first cast was a complete mess up! As I flicked the float out to where I hoped the grayling were laying, the line went the wrong way round the reel and inside, wrapping itself around the central bar before I knew what was happening. Whilst looking down at the mess in the reel, I managed to put the tip of the rod into the branches of the tree above me. I now had a float hanging in mid air, line and rod tip in the branches, and a reel that I was never going to get any line from. What a great start!

Knowing that this was the only centrepin I had with me, I had to get the line out. Another word of advice I give to customers when buying this type of reel for the first time is to always take a screwdriver with them, because the only way of getting the line out from inside is to take the reel apart. The only way of taking it apart is with a screwdriver. There really isn't a lot to a centrepin reel, so it's not difficult to do, as long as you don't drop the screw in the grass... So now I'm standing very still, not wanting to move my feet, bent down, rod tip still in the tree, half a reel on the rod, the other half in my hand, looking for the screw in the mud and grass, thinking this couldn't have started any worse. Luckily for me, Paul couldn't see me from where he stood; otherwise, I would have had to explain the whole mess to him while he no doubt would have had a good laugh at me.

Retrieving the screw from the floor, putting the reel back together, and managing to untangle the rod from the tree, I was back in the game and ready to start for the second time that day. I had been trickling maggots in all the time I had been grubbing about on the floor and now, as the float trotted down stream, the fish were waiting. As I watched, the float dipped once then sunk under the surface, and I was into my first River Itching fish. It may not have been the biggest fish in the river but it was a grayling and once in the net I was over the moon! Like all fishermen chasing one species from a river, I had been a little worried that I wouldn't catch one.

Having hooked and lost a grayling at the net on the River Wye a couple years back, it had been on my wanted list for a long time. Laying in my net was the Lady of the River in all her glory. As I've said, it wasn't the biggest fish but I didn't care, IT WAS MY FIRST GRAYLING.

One of the things that nobody told me is that they will not stop moving! My God, trying to get a photo of one is a complete nightmare! With the photos done (just) and the fish recovered in the net before releasing, it was time to see if any more were lurking in swim. Trotting a float down a river is one of the best forms of fishing there is and knowing that a grayling or a hungry trout is there waiting for your bait is a complete buzz. The next couple of fish were brown trout and my God did they put up a fight on my light gear.

By this time, Paul was fishing just along from me and catching a few fish. They weren't very big, so I asked him if he wanted to swap as there seemed to be a bigger stamp of fish where I was and, like me, he wanted to get that first proper grayling under his belt. The rain was easing up, too, so I decided to have a little walk along the beautiful river to try and catch more grayling. With so much to explore, and likely looking runs everywhere, I never even got down as far as Simon and Ali, who were fishing down stream catching fish after fish (as far as I could tell from the amount of photos they were sending me on WhatsApp).

A couple of hundred yards from where Paul was fishing, I stopped and took time out to watch a buzzard that was sitting in the top of a rotten old tree really close to the other bank. He didn't seem to mind me standing there watching him hunt for food.

On my way back to a little bridge that I had caught underneath earlier, I met another fisherman walking the opposite direction to me. During our chat he suggested I try sweetcorn, saying that I’d get fewer bites but bigger fish. Taking this new information on board I walked up to see how Paul was doing, putting a few maggots into the bridge swim on my way pass.
Before I had got to him, he was calling down the River that this was by far the best day’s river fishing he'd had this year, and I couldn't disagree!

On cue, he was into another decent fish, this time a lovely brown trout slipped over the net core and into the safety of the net. With a few photos taken, it was time to get back to my swim armed this time with a bigger hook and a can of sweetcorn. After a few trots down without a bite I was starting to question this information that I had been given but then, just as the float came out of the rough water and I was bent down watching it going under the bridge, the float disappeared from the surface and I struck into a decent fish.

After the fish put up a good account of itself in the fast water, I landed my biggest grayling of the trip: 1lb 10oz. If I had seen the fisherman again I would have thanked him, because I caught a better stamp of fish after I swapped over to corn, but he never passed my way again that day. After a bite to eat and a nice hot cup of tomato soup, I thought about a change of tactics. I was catching well enough but wanted to try the feeder rod out. I had put it in the car just in case something happened to my other rod, but now out it came with a heavy semi fixed maggot feeder on and a 15 inch hooklink. On went the sweetcorn, and out went the rig. I didn't have long to wait before the tip bent over and I was into something that took off down stream at a rate of knots. There was nothing I could do to stop it. The fish had gone way down stream, as I watched helplessly, until the inevitable happened: the hooklink broke and I was left standing there wondering what the hell had just happened. Talking to the bailiff later that day, he said it could have been a sea trout or a salmon, as the river holds them, too.

I caught a few more fish on the feeder before deciding that I missed watching the float go under the bridge, so the rest of the day was spend back on the centrepin, catching hard fighting trout and grayling, feeding maggots but fishing with corn. All too soon, the daylight started to fade and we knew we had to be off by dark and hit the rush hour traffic on the motorway. Ali walked up to find us and find out what time we were packing up. Like us, he had stayed in the same place most of the day, having found a snag not far out that was a like a magnet to the fish and had picked them off one by one. All he kept saying was: when are we coming back?!

Simon had fished down from Ali and like me had a walk about looking for different spots, but ended up back where he had started, catching good size fish including a trout weighing 4lb to 5lb. All the fish were put back in the river to fight another day.

We packed up as darkness fell and met up with Simon and Ali on the way out to reflect on what a fantastic day’s fishing we had all had. We’ll be back!

For more details visit... http://www.itchen-fishing.co.uk/

Reviewed by Carpology Magazine…

SLICE SQUAD - Whether you’re into boilie crumb or crushed tigers, this new offering from RidgeMonkey will save you time and energy!

This beast will chew through everything in your bait bag – tigers, boilies, pellets, nuts – with ease. The new Advanced Boilie Crusher from RidgeMonkey is also bigger and more powerful than anything else on the market. The array of corrosion-resistant stainless steel crushing blades result in a varied final texture, which when combined with the large hopper and quick-release handle will see you chomp through a kilo of boilies inside a minute!

Designed to fit on top of the standard 17lt RidgeMonkey Modular Bucket System, it features a see-through safety lid so you can see the contents as it’s milled down. And talking of chomping it down: the best technique is to rotate the handle forwards twice and then backwards twice, and this results in a more roughly textured mix.

It comes complete with a hardwearing drawstring carry bag and for those who are big baiters, there’s an optional 5kg Hopper Extension available. This has got Facebook/carp fishing’s next viral campaign written all over it: ‘Who can chop up a kilo of 18millers the quickest?’.

TIP: Don’t just rotate the handle forwards. Going back and forth will create a more varied mix!

Key Features
- Robust ABS construction
- Corrosion resistant stainless steel blades
- Non-identical blade pattern
- Designed for a varied final texture
- Removable handle
- See through safety lid
- Inclusive hard wearing drawstring carry bag
- Optional 5kg hopper extension available

Buy The Ridgemonkey Boilie Crusher Full Set

Throughout the winter months, the pike has to be one of the most popular coarse fish in the UK. As the weather cools and the prey fish begin to shoal up, the pike goes on the prowl and anglers up and down the country set their stall out to target this fierce, but delicate, freshwater predator.

There are many different ways of targeting them but one of the most popular and perhaps most exciting way of doing so is float fishing. There’s nothing quite like watching your float bob and twitch on the surface as they hunt out your bait.

Location
If you have a water in mind that contains pike, they can often be found in most waterways, then you need to locate them. In 99% of cases they will be where the bait fish are, so look out for any signs of activity, this might be small fish dimpling the surface or perhaps grebes working an area - if the smaller fish are there, then it’s likely the pike won’t be too far behind.

Failing that it’s worth searching the water in front of you. Snaggy areas are always worth a go and so are any areas where depths vary, perhaps where the pike could lay in ambush for an easy meal. This is one reason why float fishing is such an effective method; it’s an extremely mobile way of fishing and enables you to search out a large expanse of water in a relatively short space of time.

Conditions
Pike, like most coarse fish, don’t like extremely bright conditions, so try to pick an overcast day. The lower light levels make it easier for them to hunt their prey and with this in mind you will also find that dawn and dusk can often be the best bite times.

Even though they will feed when it’s bitterly cold, a milder winter day, perhaps with a warm wind to put a slight ripple on the water will probably put you in with the best chance of a fish or two.

Tackle
A powerful fish that grows to over 40lb, it’s essential that when targeting them your tackle is up to the job. There are dedicated pike rods on the market but in most cases a carp rod would be more than ample, something around a 3lb+ test curve with a decent backbone (helps aid casting a large deadbait) will be fine.

Reel wise, again, any carp model would be fine - a large size free spool reel loaded with 15lb braid or mono would probably be favoured.

As you’re float fishing there’s no need for expensive pod and alarm set-ups either, just keep a keen eye on your float for any sort of indication.

Rigs
There are many different floats and float rigs available, depending on where you are fishing and in what conditions, but a favourite choice would be a simple sliding set-up. The floats used for deadbaiting are often fished bottom end only, similar to a waggler, but the depth is controlled with the use of a stop knot rather than split shot.

To fish the float effectively, you’re looking to fish the bait up to two feet over-depth. Fishing them further over-depth can lead to fish being deeply hooked.

To plumb the depth, cast out the rig and see how the float sits. If the float cocks but sits low in the water and begins to drift, the stop knot is set under-depth. If the float lies on its side, the rig is set too deep.

Retrieve the rig and slide the stop knot up or down the mainline, depending whether the rig is set too deep or shallow. Recast until the float just cocks. At this point, with the spilt shot or egg sinker resting on the bottom, the rig is set two feet over-depth.

You can then carefully tighten up to the lead, anchoring the bait on the deck. The line is pulled at a slight angle and will be in direct contact with the hookbait.

There are many different floats on the market but there are two which cover most scenarios. The first and probably most popular and most sensitive is the slimline deadbait pencil, perfect for close to medium range fishing on calm days. The second is the hi-vis dart style float. This is very similar to the deadbait pencil but features a slightly chubbier body and hi-vis dart top. These are ideal for fishing slightly further out, say medium to long range, and on days where there’s a bit of ripple on the water. They are more buoyant and tend to ride the chop easier.

As pike have a mouthful of razor sharp teeth, you must always use a wire trace when targeting them. A trace of around 2ft in length constructed from around 24-28lb wire would be my preferred choice. I’d then add to this a pair of trebles (Sizes 4-8 depending on where I was fishing and what bait I was using). I always use semi-barbed trebles, with only one hook out of the three featuring a barb, this is the one that I’d hook onto my bait. (If your trebles have more than one barb you can always crush them down with some gentle pressure using longnose pliers.)

Finally I like to finish the trace with a pair of bait flags. I add these to the barbed hooks on my trace, so I always know which hook needs to go into the bait. I also don’t think they do any harm, the red colouring is quite striking and I think probably attracts the fish.

Bait
As you can imagine there’s a huge array of baits on the market that will catch, however there’s no ‘magic bait’ and much like carp anglers have their favourite boilie flavour and colour, pike anglers will have their favourite deadbait.

Mackerel, herring, sardine, smelt, lamprey, trout, eel, roach… the list goes on and on.

Personally I like lamprey. The skin is very tough which makes it excellent for casting. It also features an anticoagulant, meaning its blood doesn’t clot, so it’ll release smell and attraction into the water a lot longer than other baits.

However, I’ll often carry a good selection of different baits in a cool bag/box and will fish different ones on each rod, trying to find out if the fish are preferring a specific bait on the day.

A small tip is to pierce your bait before you cast it out too, take a pair of scissors and puncture the flank two or three times. This will release the baits juices into the water more quickly and hopefully make it easier for the pike to hunt out.

For this latest episode we headed to a very cold Reepham Fisheries for the first ever From The Waters Edge Winter Trophy, a friendly 'knock-up' match between friends, work colleagues and fishing buddies.

To find out exactly how we got on watch this latest instalment, from the waters edge.

The Tackle Box
Daiwa Connoisseur G50 Pole (Alternative)
Preston Pro V Pole Roller
Greys klip-lock Bait Boxes
Matrix Stay Fresh Hollow Elastic
Matrix Dacron Elastic Connectors
Matrix Large Winder Bung
Daiwa Pole Floats
Guru QM1 Hooks

With the bookings taken over the phone for four of us a few days before, it was 4.20am on the 21st of December and I was trying my best not to make a noise as I got dressed in the dark. The good lady had work later that day and is not best pleased at being woken at this time of the night! I managed to make it out of the bedroom without too much fuss, but I had the next obstacle to over come. Muskett knew something was going on last night when I was loading the van but now he knew for sure, as I came down the stairs in my fishing clothes. However, the problem I faced was that the rule for the fishery is: NO DOGS. As Muskett normally comes with me on my fishing trips, he was sitting by the door waiting. Now, for those of you that do not own a dog, you will not know what this is like, but there I was trying to reason with him to move back from the door, that I wasn't going fishing, and that I promise to take him next time!!

We had arranged to meet outside the Sittingbourne AD shop at 5am, but before that I had to meet Paul Robinson at his house, as he had kindly offered to drive. After a quick chat with Simon Impett, and Ali Olteanu, who were driving in the other car, we were on our way. We were hoping that the traffic wasn't too heavy, as – fingers crossed – people had finished work for Christmas and the M3 was clear.

Over two hours later we were there, it was still dark but we didn't mind as it gave us time to have a bite to eat and drink in the local service station, which was just past the entrance to the fishery, and to talk through the ways we were going to fish for grayling on the river. Once it was light enough, we were through the gates and driving along side the river. Having never seen it before, I didn't know what to expect, only what friends had told me.

It's a small intimate river that is very picturesque, with little bridges here and there and loads of bends and eddies. Everywhere looked very fishy. We drove to the top of the section where you are allowed to float fish, which must have been a mile, and beyond that it's fly fishing only. I had been told by a friend that this was a good starting point, so Paul and I parked the car whilst Ali and Simon drove back down a short way to a couple of spots that looked good.

The river was low due to the fact that we hadn't had any rain for ages – until today! It was raining that fine rain; the one that gets you soaked without you knowing it. On went the waterproof trousers, the warm coat, and my newly acquired waterproof hat that I found whilst clearing out some things from my mother's house a couple of weeks ago. Out came my 13ft Drennan Acolyte float rod, the Advanta Centrepin loaded with 4.2lb line, a 4BB stick float, and 3.6lb hook links with a size 16 hook and a size 20 swivel, which a friend put me on to a while back.

Few people think about line twist as your rig trundles down the river but, if you are using two maggots, they are twisting all the time in the current. By putting a small swivel above your hook link, it can turn and twist as much as it likes. I never river fish without one these days, even when fishing with other baits.

With Paul still setting up, I decided to start in the very last swim of this section of river, right next to the sign saying: FLY FISHING ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT. As always, like everyone else, I couldn't wait to get fishing and watch the float glide down the beautiful river. I think I was too excited, as the very first cast was a complete mess up! As I flicked the float out to where I hoped the grayling were laying, the line went the wrong way round the reel and inside, wrapping itself around the central bar before I knew what was happening. Whilst looking down at the mess in the reel, I managed to put the tip of the rod into the branches of the tree above me. I now had a float hanging in mid air, line and rod tip in the branches, and a reel that I was never going to get any line from. What a great start!

Knowing that this was the only centrepin I had with me, I had to get the line out. Another word of advice I give to customers when buying this type of reel for the first time is to always take a screwdriver with them, because the only way of getting the line out from inside is to take the reel apart. The only way of taking it apart is with a screwdriver. There really isn't a lot to a centrepin reel, so it's not difficult to do, as long as you don't drop the screw in the grass... So now I'm standing very still, not wanting to move my feet, bent down, rod tip still in the tree, half a reel on the rod, the other half in my hand, looking for the screw in the mud and grass, thinking this couldn't have started any worse. Luckily for me, Paul couldn't see me from where he stood; otherwise, I would have had to explain the whole mess to him while he no doubt would have had a good laugh at me.

Retrieving the screw from the floor, putting the reel back together, and managing to untangle the rod from the tree, I was back in the game and ready to start for the second time that day. I had been trickling maggots in all the time I had been grubbing about on the floor and now, as the float trotted down stream, the fish were waiting. As I watched, the float dipped once then sunk under the surface, and I was into my first river Itchen fish. It may not have been the biggest fish in the river but it was a grayling and once in the net I was over the moon! Like all fishermen chasing one species from a river, I had been a little worried that I wouldn't catch one.

Having hooked and lost a grayling at the net on the river Wye a couple years back, it had been on my wanted list for a long time. Laying in my net was the Lady of the river in all her glory. As I've said, it wasn't the biggest fish but I didn't care, IT WAS MY FIRST GRAYLING.

One of the things that nobody told me is that they will not stop moving! My God, trying to get a photo of one is a complete nightmare! With the photos done (just) and the fish recovered in the net before releasing, it was time to see if any more were lurking in swim. Trotting a float down a river is one of the best forms of fishing there is and knowing that a grayling or a hungry trout is there waiting for your bait is a complete buzz. The next couple of fish were brown trout and my God did they put up a fight on my light gear.

By this time, Paul was fishing just along from me and catching a few fish. They weren't very big, so I asked him if he wanted to swap as there seemed to be a bigger stamp of fish where I was and, like me, he wanted to get that first proper grayling under his belt. The rain was easing up, too, so I decided to have a little walk along the beautiful river to try and catch more grayling. With so much to explore, and likely looking runs everywhere, I never even got down as far as Simon and Ali, who were fishing down stream catching fish after fish (as far as I could tell from the amount of photos they were sending me on WhatsApp).

A couple of hundred yards from where Paul was fishing, I stopped and took time out to watch a buzzard that was sitting in the top of a rotten old tree really close to the other bank. He didn't seem to mind me standing there watching him hunt for food.

On my way back to a little bridge that I had caught underneath earlier, I met another fisherman walking the opposite direction to me. During our chat he suggested I try sweetcorn, saying that I’d get fewer bites but bigger fish. Taking this new information on board I walked up to see how Paul was doing, putting a few maggots into the bridge swim on my way pass.
Before I had got to him, he was calling down the river that this was by far the best day’s river fishing he'd had this year, and I couldn't disagree!

On cue, he was into another decent fish, this time a lovely brown trout slipped over the net core and into the safety of the net. With a few photos taken, it was time to get back to my swim armed this time with a bigger hook and a can of sweetcorn. After a few trots down without a bite I was starting to question this information that I had been given but then, just as the float came out of the rough water and I was bent down watching it going under the bridge, the float disappeared from the surface and I struck into a decent fish.

After the fish put up a good account of itself in the fast water, I landed my biggest grayling of the trip: 1lb 10oz. If I had seen the fisherman again I would have thanked him, because I caught a better stamp of fish after I swapped over to corn, but he never passed my way again that day. After a bite to eat and a nice hot cup of tomato soup, I thought about a change of tactics. I was catching well enough but wanted to try the feeder rod out. I had put it in the car just in case something happened to my other rod, but now out it came with a heavy semi fixed maggot feeder on and a 15 inch hooklink. On went the sweetcorn, and out went the rig. I didn't have long to wait before the tip bent over and I was into something that took off down stream at a rate of knots. There was nothing I could do to stop it. The fish had gone way down stream, as I watched helplessly, until the inevitable happened: the hooklink broke and I was left standing there wondering what the hell had just happened. Talking to the bailiff later that day, he said it could have been a sea trout or a salmon, as the river holds them, too.

I caught a few more fish on the feeder before deciding that I missed watching the float go under the bridge, so the rest of the day was spend back on the centrepin, catching hard fighting trout and grayling, feeding maggots but fishing with corn. All too soon, the daylight started to fade and we knew we had to be off by dark and hit the rush hour traffic on the motorway. Ali walked up to find us and find out what time we were packing up. Like us, he had stayed in the same place most of the day, having found a snag not far out that was a like a magnet to the fish and had picked them off one by one. All he kept saying was: when are we coming back?!

Simon had fished down from Ali and like me had a walk about looking for different spots, but ended up back where he had started, catching good size fish including a trout weighing 4lb to 5lb. All the fish were put back in the river to fight another day.

We packed up as darkness fell and met up with Simon and Ali on the way out to reflect on what a fantastic day’s fishing we had all had. We’ll be back!

For more details visit... http://www.itchen-fishing.co.uk/

Every year, Angling Direct Norwich goes head to head with a local gym team in an epic fishing match. However, it’s not only carp that are on the line in this fishing match! The teams compete for pride, their reputation, and in the hope to raise a huge amount of money for charity. This year’s match raised money for two incredible local charities. The first of these was East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and the second was the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) – both incredible causes that do amazing work in the local area.

Although the main aim of the match is to raise a huge amount of money for charity, we’d be lying if we said the teams weren’t a little bit competitive! Once again, the Gym Team, lead by Stuart Chase, clinched victory and were able to hold on to the Angling Direct Charity Cup for the second year running. However, we’re happy to say that this year saw a much closer fought competition between the two teams.

Only two fish ended up being landed in the match, with Angling Direct beating last year’s blank in order to take an early lead. However, Stuart Chase’s Gym Team answered back quickly, with an 18lb carp which ended up being enough to secure victory. Angling Direct’s ‘dream team’ of Highley and Crowe (their words, not ours) did manage to hook a further three fish. Sadly all three were lost on their way into the net – we’re assured that this had nothing to do with the angling abilities of our staff and was instead down to the fact they were fishing with rubber hooks!

At the end of the day, it’s about the money raised rather than the fish landed. We’d like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who turned out over the weekend to show their support, as well as everyone who took part in the raffle. We’d also like to thank the Bridge Inn and Lenwade Lakes, for their incredible support of the competition.

This year’s total was an impressive £3,000 – with £2716.40 being raised on the day and Angling Direct writing out a check for the rest!

£1,500 will be going towards EACH – which supports children with life threatening conditions in East Anglia. You can find out more about the charity and how to support it on their website: https://www.each.org.uk/

£1,500 will be going towards the EAAA – which provides emergency medical services for the people of East Anglia and air support for the local hospitals. Once again, you can find out more details on their website: https://www.eaaa.org.uk/

We’d like to once again thank everyone who donated at the event, as well as to the two teams:

Angling Direct Team
Nathan Highley (Captain), Stephen Crowe, Barrie Channon, Scott Kingsley, Andrew Hull, and Richard Wells.

Gym Team
Stuart Chase (Captain), Ryan Gardner, William Kelly, Andy Knights, Daniel Muskett, and Jack Muskett.

Team AD will certainly have a lot to prove in next year’s match, so make sure to watch out for how to get involved – we’re sure it won’t be one to miss!

Berkley Connect CM70 Mono
From the same stable that brought us the likes of Berkley Big Game and Triline, the CM70 is described by Berkley as: “Possibly the most foolproof line money can buy.” Finished in a Muddy Brown coloration, this is an all-purpose main line offering breaking strains from 8lb right the way through to 20lb, with respective diameters ranging from 0.28mm to 0.45mm.

Each new main line in the Connect range has been built specifically for carp angling, and is capable of dealing with every demanding situation that you are likely to encounter. Strong, durable, great abrasion resistance and with superb knot strength, this is a monofilament that will not disappoint. Don’t buy it expecting it to put miles on your cast or as a sinking line, that isn’t what it’s intended for. However, produced to be manageable even for the lazier carp anglers out there who may not treat their main line as well as they should, CM70 offers high shock resistance that not only improves your contact and feel with the lead but will allow it to cope with 99.9 per cent of what you can throw at it.

Supplied on 1,000m spools, for a miniscule £12.99, this is without doubt one of the best value for money copolymer main lines on the market. This is the perfect line for spooling up all three of your reels without backing for a ridiculous price and, better still, you can have confidence in the performance time and time again.

Buy The Berkley Connect CM70 Mono

Berkley Connect CM90 Mono
I understand that you might want to spend a little more than £12.99 on a main line. Perhaps you want to it to be denser to aid quicker sinking too; that’s fine. Do not fear, the CM90 is here. This is a main line that has been pushed to offer increased strength and reliability for when you are fishing the harsher environments out there. A limited stretch keeps you in contact with your lead when leading around for the perfect spot, while the manageable nature of the line makes this a lot more user friendly for bigger casters. Fishing is all about pushing your boundaries and this is exactly what the CM90 is designed to do. Many anglers prefer to fish mono lines and this is the one they should be using. It’s constructed from a pro-grade alloy monofilament polymer – I know, it didn’t really mean much to me either – but when I played with it I understood that it must mean quality in layman’s terms.

Priced at just £19.99 per 1,200m spool, it is available in the same breaking strains and diameters as the CM70, and at only £7 dearer this is a truly outstanding mono.

Buy The Berkley Connect CM90 Mono

Berkley Connect CF600 Mainline
Curly, thick and prone to kinking, yes we have all experienced a troublesome fluorocarbon main line, but thanks to the CF600 those days are firmly behind us as Berkley take us to the future. When I was first shown the line, I was with renowned carp catcher Ed Betteridge, who has managed to put it over 100 yards, and that’s without really tackling up to do so, which is promising for a fluorocarbon.

Bridging the gap between monofilament and braided main line fluorocarbon puts you in contact just that little bit more, which is essential when looking for spots with your fishing rod or, even more importantly, mid-battle you can begin to identify what twist and turns the carp are applying in a bid to gain freedom. Berkley told us that this is “the best fluorocarbon we’ve ever made.”

Not to be mistaken with a small business trying its luck, Berkley is a US-based company that has used a brand-new production development to bring this line to the market. The end result is superb, a supple hard to spot main line with ultra-high abrasion-resistant properties. Heavy, it sinks like a proverbial brick helping you gain a true line lay direct to your rig and lead arrangement.

The CF600 is available in five breaking strains – 10lb (0.30mm), 12lb (0.34mm), 15lb (0.38mm), 18lb (0.40mm) and 20lb (0.45mm) – on a 1,200m spool for just £49.99.

Buy The Berkley Connect CF600 Mainline

Berkley Connect CB2000 Braid
Last but by no means least is my favourite. I’m a little biased because I am a very big advocate of fishing with braided main lines, but I can only speak with any real conviction from my experience.

The benefits of using such a line are extensive. Direct contact, superb at range and great to cast, but you do have to spend a little more time looking after these lines to get the most from them. Described as the “ultimate braided main line” the CB2000 utilises 100 per cent Dyneema PE fibres that have been seamlessly spun together, providing you with an absolutely zero stretch, zero water absorption main line, offering a tough yet castable option.

Breaking strains range from 25lb at a ridiculously low 0.25mm diameter, right the way through to a hefty 80lb and a really impressive 0.40mm. This is one line that I believe you can not only fish with but in the right strengths could be used to marker and spod, allowing you to finally use the same lines on your fishing rods as well as your spodding and feature-finding sticks. Available on 900m spools for a respectable £89.99. This might appear expensive but that is purely because the other lines mentioned also boast such good value for money. Typically, braided lines are much, much dearer. This is the one I will be looking to use for the foreseeable future and will hopefully have a more in-depth used and abused for you to read next month.

Buy The Berkley Connect CB2000 Braid

DAN MURRELL’s VERDICT
“A super impressive range of lines for every situation.”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS 10/10
VALUE FOR MONEY 10/10

Over the last few weeks, I've been fishing the mighty Rutland water for zander. Although I've fished Grafham water several times over the last few winters, Rutland was a new adventure for me. Rutland has a much higher population of zander than its sister water Grafham, although on average the Rutland zander are much smaller, but the thought of a few bites sounded like a good option and it’s a stunning venue too. At around 3000 acres, location can be an issue, especially on your first trip. I was given some kind words of advice from venue regular Stephen Collett and it was definitely very useful information (thanks, Stephen). Having a fish finder/plotter is a huge edge for this style of fishing. I had recently bought myself a Lowrance Hook 9. The advantage of having a decent fish finder is that it helps you notice features that you would otherwise sail straight past, including features such as drop offs, underwater pipes and shoals of bait fish. Once you find a promising looking spot the location can be saved on the GPS. As well as bait fish, the predators can also be clearly seen on the screen and by adjusting the sensitivity the lure can even be seen beneath the boat.

One particular feature I have found productive on both Rutland and Grafham is areas of boiling water, where the reservoir is fed by an inlet. These can clearly be seen without the aid of any fish finder and seem to attract plenty of fish. The tackle used is very important in my opinion; braided mainline is a must and the lower the diameter the better. The fine diameter means the line has a much smaller surface area so it cuts through the water better, keeping your lure down near to the bottom. My chosen braid was a Korum Jig Braid in 0.08mm, which breaks at 8lb.  I like to keep the jig head size as light as possible, although a minimum of 20 grams is as light as I generally use and often I have to use 25-30 grams or, on windy days, even up to 40-50 grams.

A fluorocarbon leader rather than a wire trace will produce more bites too. I used a 10-15lb fluorocarbon. A short stinger attached to the lure is also important in my opinion; this is made from a soft wire and it will get much more abuse than the fluorocarbon leader. I'd say 80% of the zander I catch are hooked on the stringer. As for worrying about getting bitten off, I can say it hasn't been a problem for me and generally the pike don't seem to like the deeper water – the few that I have caught have been safely landed.

Rod choice is also important; you want a fast action rod that will handle the heavier jigs. If the rod is too soft you won't set the hooks and miss lots of bites. Also a faster action will impart more action into the lure with less effort. I've been testing the new Korum Speed Lures Rods and found them perfect, especially in the 7-28 gram model. Many of the productive areas on Rutland are very deep and most of the zander I’ve caught from there are in around 70 feet of water. This is why the low diameter braid is a must, otherwise you wouldn't keep in contact with your lure and it would constantly be dragged away from the bottom as you drift along.

There are two styles of fishing I have used on Rutland this winter. When I have enough wind, I like to drift along over my pre-chosen areas, usually with the aid of a drogue to keep the boat moving nice and slow. My fish finder will tell me how fast I'm moving and personally I like to keep it around 0.65mph or less – basically as slow as I can but enough to cover a decent area. The drogue is basically an underwater parachute that slows the drift down and also keeps the boat slightly more stable on windy days.

When drifting, the lures are presented vertically directly under the boat. I lower the lure until I feel it tap down on the bottom. Then my favourite action is to lift the lure quite fast off the bottom, around 12-18 inches, pause for a second or two, then slowly lower the lure back down until I feel it tap the bottom again. Nearly all the bites will occur while you’re slowly lowering the lure back down. The bites are brilliant, usually a very positive thump on the rod!

The second method, which I have used very successfully recently, is casting the lure away from the boat. This may sound like I'm telling lots of people how to suck eggs but the retrieve is slightly different to how most anglers would generally work a lure. Once the lure has finally hit the bottom, lift the rod up, lifting the jig up off the lake bed, and then slowly lower the rod back down until you feel the jig tap the bottom again. Controlling the speed that the lure falls is important; balancing the right sized lure with the right size jig head can make a big difference. If the jig head is too heavy the lure will fall too fast. Achieving a nice fluttering drop is what you are trying to achieve. Basically, sink and draw the lure back to the boat. It is also worth vertically working the lure next to the boat for a short while before reeling it back up for a recast, as quite often a zander will follow it in and be persuaded to grab it under the boat. Again, like the vertical jigging, most of your bites will occur while the lure is dropping down.

A very important part of fishing these deep reservoirs is fish care. Once a fish is hooked in the deep water, the worst thing you can do is pump the fish up too fast as the pressure chance will cause the fish to gas up. Once hooked, keep the rod horizontal and retrieve the fish slowly; take your time giving the fish a chance to adjust to the pressure changes. Once the fish is landed, try to return it fairly quickly. I can appreciate why many zander anglers will measure fish rather than weighing them as it means they are out of the water for less time. When you return the zander – it may sound slightly barbaric – torpedo it back in head first. This will mean the zander will dive down deep and adjust to the water pressure much better.

The zander fishing I experienced over three trips this winter on Rutland was brilliant. Due to flat calm conditions, casting lures was the order of the day for most of the time. The average size of the zander was much bigger than I had expected and most of the fish I caught were 5lb and the best fish just over 8lb. The bites are what it’s all about for me, feeling that sudden thump as the lure is falling, and, as I mentioned before, it’s beautiful surrounding to be fishing in.

As you all know by now the cod have not shown up this winter although there still might be a spring run.

However this has not stopped our anglers from having some great days fishing close by in our estuary. There has been a huge influx of dabs along the Thames Estuary, far more than we have ever had before; these lovely little flatfish have provided us with some cracking sport on days when we would have cancelled.

Techniques are completely different to what we would normally be doing but once you have adapted your rigs and style to suit it’s easy. You can use really light tackle as we are only fishing on the gentle neap tides, carp or spinning rods are fine and 2 hook flattie rigs with one up one down are best.

Choice of bait isn’t critical, tiny bits of worm, squid, herring, mackerel and sprat all work, fished straight down with a plain lead, you don’t need to cast, indeed when fishing straight down when you get a bite, lift up the rod, if the fish isn’t there you can drop back down and wait for it to bite again.

There are a few Thornbacks around inshore; usually numbers start to increase around mid February depending on water temperature.

Offshore is still hard with a few dogfish, thornbacks and whiting but again things will improve in 2-3 weeks time as the thornbacks start to move back in.

Prospects are good, there still might be a spring run of cod and there are plenty of other fish to be caught so don’t give up, change tactics and make use of what is available.

About the Chinook…
The place you need to come for a great day out fishing the Thames Estuary from Bradwell on Sea in Essex with one of the most experianced and friendly skippers on the East Coast. Whether you are a novice or experianced angler, they cater for both.

Due to an upturn in demand we have purchased a newer boat, she is a purpose built angling vessel, twin 330hp turbo diesels with a cruise of 20 knots, enclosed crew cab with seating for everyone, on deck toilet and a walk around island wheelhouse, she is a superb angling vessel, coded for 10 anglers.

To book a session on the Chinook III charter boat, which is based in Bradwell-On-Sea, Essex, contact Phil White on…

Visit – www.philwhitecharters.co.uk
Call – 07786080771
Email – philwhite31@aol.com

Reviewed by Carpology Magazine…

In a former life, Fox was a tackle box and bivvy company – and also known for making the Micron bite alarm. In 2016, they’re also now known as a clothing company, and this month sees they take a foray into a completely new market: footwear, and the outcome is stupendous.

Fox’s awesome clothing line is becoming as legendary as its buzzers and bivvies. And now the brand has ventured into footwear. The aim with this collection remains the same as the rest of the Fox Chunk range: to mix style with practical functionality –such as their Fold and Fix’ tongues that enable you to fix the tongue down for easy, slip-on access when you get a bite. Clever, right? Here’s how the four-piece collection shapes up…

Fox Camo Mid Boots
With hardwearing soles, a Fox Camo waterproof fabric outer, and a soft, comfortable interior, this is a technical boot for exploring both the banks of Burghfield and walking around Tesco’s when en route to the lake. There’s masses of ankle support, a reinforced toe section and rear kick plate for easy removal and they come in sizes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Buy The Fox Camo Mid Boots

Fox Camo Trainers
At last: a proper pair of “carp fishing” trainers which are both pleasing to the eye and functional. The mix of the Fox Camo pattern with the brand’s trademark orange pantone on the interior cushioning really sets them apart from anything else which is on the market. They are also totally waterproof and feature the Fold and Fix tongues. Available in sizes. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Buy The Fox Chunk Camo Trainers

Fox Explorer High Boots
For big hikes and all-weather expeditions, you need footwear that provides support on rough terrain and protection from the cold. The Explorer High Boots checks both boxes. Its hardwearing Vibram sole offers incredible grip, and the 3m Thinsuate insulation traps in heat. Fold and Fix tongues come as standard and they’re available in the six sizes stated earlier.

Buy The Fox Explorer High Boots

Fox Explorer Shoes
Great-looking, waterproof and insulated walking shoes at a very competitive price? Yes, please. The Explorer Shoe is a do-it-all kind of footwear: great for long walks in all terrains and all weather conditions. From water-soaked grass, snow-covered gravel and icy tarmac car parks, the hardwearing Vibram soles will have your feet fully planted. High-fives all-round, Fox.

Buy The Fox Explorer Shoes

It’s back! Korda’s Carp Fishing Masterclass returns and for the fourth time the brand has created the most comprehensive carp fishing guide around – it’s bigger and better than ever before!

Featuring all the latest products from one of the countries leading carp fishing brands, as well as a whole host of old classics, Korda Masterclass Volume Four showcases a range of the Korda team’s best tips and tricks for catching your next personal best carp.

The team have put together over three hours of stunning footage hosted by some of the biggest names in the Korda team – including Tom Dove, Darrell Peck, Elliott Gray, and the big man himself, Danny Fairbrass. This killer team showcase the very best of Korda’s tackle range, demonstrating how to get the most out of your gear in four jam-packed chapters.

Chapter One sees the team at Gigantica again. An old haunt for the Korda gang, Gigantica holds some of the most impressive carp in Europe and the team really put their tackle to the test on the water. It’s a trip to France that the team will remember for a long time coming and if you’re looking to upgrade your rigging and baiting skills, then the tackle the team use here is the perfect choice for you.

In Chapter Two you’ll find Tom Dove a little closer to home, on St Johns Lake in the Linear Fisheries complex. Tom focuses on the joys of particle fishing in this chapter and he details what he believes is the best bait for the job. He also showcases some stunning tackle, as well as his favourite rigs.

The word ‘weeds’ can strike fear into the heart of any carp angler. Tom Dove and Elliott Gray battle weed-choked waters in Chapter Three, heading to Yateley Pads Lakes. They demonstrate that, with the right gear, you’ll be able to tackle the snaggiest venue with confidence.

Chapter Four sees Korda boss Danny Fairbrass joined by Darrell Peck in Germany. The pair demonstrates the tackle they use to cope with shallow and low stocked waters, getting in amongst some world class mirrors and leathers.

The free Korda Masterclass Volume Four DVD will be arriving in your local Angling Direct soon but, if you can’t wait till then, you can check out all the tackle used right here. Just click the big red button!

Shop For The Korda Masterclass Products Here!

You might have seen this handy little product being bandied around over social media lately but for those of you who haven't, what exactly is it?

To be used in conjunction with the separate 17-litre, olive, square container, the inner bucket complete with drainage holes has its own handle. So imagine you want to soak your particles, wash out your boilies, or perhaps you have arrived at the lake with your spod mix full of all the liquid goodness you added along the way. When it comes to spodding this can easily become very messy and water adds a huge weight to whatever baiting device you are casting of course.

Well now you can simply lift the inner bucket to begin the draining process and by turning the bucket it will safely sit on the edge of the large outer container, which will catch all that important liquid, leaving you a dryer and easier bait too handle - less mess, less fuss.

We love the fact that the Pureflo is a multifunctional device. You can use it to carry your bait to and from your swim safe in the knowledge that it will be protected in transit, which is particularly good when you have particles soaking away. Also, by retaining the extremely attractive liquid you now have a vessel to hydrate air-dried boilies or to soak pellets in, which of course can be drained away, leaving you to quickly get your bait out without dripping liquid all over the swim and, more importanly, your lines.

For the cynics out there, yes it is a bucket, in a nutshell, but one with multiple uses that can really streamline your chosen baiting approach.

Key Features
- Patented design
- Drain off liquids from any wet baits
- Drainage of freshly-cooked particle baits
- Separation of bait and liquid to preserved/frozen/stored separately
- Rehydrating air-dried boilies with liquids, oils, or water
- Glugging boilies/pellets
- Soaking/washing out boilies in lake water
- Preparing pellets with water
- Secure storage and anti-spill transportation of bait
- Protection of baits from rodents and birds
- Moulded plastic construction
- Designed for use with the Trakker 17l Olive Square Container

Buy The Trakker Pureflo Bait Filter System

I always try and set myself a target for each spring and, as normal, I set a target of one double figure tench - a high target but achievable at my chosen location. My choice of location was Bawburgh lakes, which I have fished for many years now and will continue to do so, as the fishing is so good and to be on my doorstep as well is an added bonus. Bawburgh has three main lakes which are (give or take an acre) 30 acres each: Bawburgh Lake, Lodge Farm Lake, and Conley Lake. Conley and Lodge Farm were my choice of lakes this spring. After fishing the lakes for a few years, I know where and when to fish different areas so had a plan of what to do but, as normal, this changed every trip due to weather, weed growth, and which areas were free from anglers’ pressure. My tench fishing started slowly with a few tench early on coming from Bawburgh Lake, which I tend to have a couple of sessions on just to make sure I have everything for the coming spring. I had an overnighter the weekend before I was meant to attend a tench fishers' fish-in at Horseshoe Lakes. As always, after what seemed to be a long winter it took a session to get back into the swing of this but this session I manage to land a couple of nice tench to 7.14lbs, which was a good result.

So, with a bit of prepping, I was ready for the fish-in, which I was looking forward to.
All the tench fishers’ events are always well organised and good company and this one wasn't any different. I started by having a good walk around with good fish-in buddy Darryn, we were looking for a couple of areas to go for, and we were lucky enough to come out first in the draw, which was a result. We chose boat point which gave us a lot of water to fish and different depths to go at. It also had plenty of form on the fish-ins, with Dai Gribble taking it apart the year before. To cut a long story short, I blanked but Darryn did have three tench to 8.4lbs from a deeper area to the right of the swim.

After that weekend, and my tail still between my legs, I retreated back to Bawburgh and had a short session on Conley. By now it was getting busy with other anglers but I still got somewhere where I thought I had a good chance of a fish or two. With the early May sessions, I tend to target the tench during the day and bream at night so, as I had arrived on the lakes late on the Friday night, I put a bed of particle, pellet, corn, and casters with three rods over the top all on flavoured plastic corn. As with most of my bream sessions on Conley, it ended with a blank but with a few tench rolling in the swim I changed over to fake Enterprise casters at first light. After an hour or so I had a bite and was into a hard fighting tench, which gave me the run around for a good few minutes until it gave up and rolled into the net. After taking a moment, I took my prize to the unhooking mat and on weighing this stocky tench it pulled the needle around to 8.2lbs.

After that one tench, it went quiet and I had to pack up but I was happy with the result as it was still fishing hard. The next weekend I was planning a 48 hour session and, with Conley being very busy, I decided to fish on Lodge Farm on arrival. The area I wanted to fish was occupied by Darryn so, with him finishing the next morning, I jumped into the swim behind for a social. When the next morning came and I had no action in my swim and Darryn had caught a few nice tench to 8lbs+, I decided to move into that swim.

When I got everything sorted in the swim I put the marker out well right of where Darryn had fished to see if an area I have caught from before was clear of weed, as there was a lot of weed now starting to come up. It was clear but the weed was thick to the side and the back of the spot so I was confident of a few fish moving through the spot. I started by putting out half a gallon of red maggots and fishing maggot feeders over the top and fake Enterprise red maggots on the hair. After the commotion had died down I started to get liners and within a couple of hours I had my first bite. What a start it was, in the shape of a 9.14lb tench about which I was over the moon.

A great start and over the afternoon the tench kept coming with another six tench to 9.4lbs. I had no action over night but as first light came so did the tench. The second one of the morning was another special fish and, on weighing, the fish she went to 10.2lbs.

I couldn't believe my luck with a couple of big 9lbs and now a double to top it off – or so I thought. It slowed up for a few hours and I only had one smaller tench before dark. Just before dark, I did then put out another four pints of maggot just to try and kick start the swim again in the hope of another fish or two in the morning. When I thought things couldn't get any better I was wrong. One of my rods rattled off the next morning and, after a hard battle, I landed another huge looking tench. On weighing it I wasn't wrong and, at 10.7, this one was a real tank. Just as I was putting the fish back into the retaining sling one of my other rods was away. Yet again it felt like a big fish and, after a tough fight with it finding the weed a couple of times, another big tench was landed and again the scales went past 10lbs to 10.4lbs and my first ever brace of doubles were safely retained and photographed before returning. I cast the rods back out for the last few hours of my session.

I had to keep looking at the pictures to make sure it was real. After the brace, I had two smaller tench but then, just when I thought my session was finished, the middle rod ripped off again and it felt again like a good fish. Surely this wasn't another big tench?! As it was fighting under the rod tip I saw it and it looked like it had the frame and length. After she went into the net and lifted onto the matt it was obvious it was another tench close to a double and after the needle had settled I was amazed. It went to 10.4lbs and yet another double.

And, with that, my time had run out and I had to pack up. To say I was over the moon would be an understatement and it was a session to beat all sessions. To have four doubles in a session as well as a brace shot was something I'll struggle to do again.

Reviewed by Carpology Magazine…

TO INFINITY… AND BEYOND? So: if we told you that you could fish right under overhanging bushes, without ever snagging up, you’d be interested, right?

A baiting pole is one of those bits of tackle that you might think that you can do without. Until you own one. Then you’ll change your mind… quickly. We’d go as far as to say that they can literally transform your ability to get the most out of certain swims. In one fell swoop you can penetrate deep under those overhanging carp sanctuaries, whose branches touch the surface. Without a pole, you can’t, it’s that simple.

The Cygnet Baiting Pole is a particularly smart example, in both senses of the word. Its carefully designed float and tray combine to ensure that you can get your rig out, tangle-free, every time. A partition in the tray allows you to separate rig and lead, to get that perfect drop, and the resulting peace of mind that comes from knowing that you’re presented better than the guy next-door!

The pole comprises 12 strong, overfit sections, all of which stow inside the largest one for transit and will comfortably fit into a rod holdall. Need to fish further than 12-metres? Well, the Cygnet boffins have thought of that. In fact, they’ve come up with an extension section that allows you to go as far as your budget, and common sense, will allow! Because the new 1.5m Baiting Pole Extension has a parallel profile, you can simply keep adding them to go further, and further, and further…

Key Features
- Comes as a 7 section put-over carbon composite pole
- The perfect solution for reaching inaccessible areas
- Stores within itself to protect it during transit
- Fish with Devastating accuracy
- Bait up anywhere within 12 meters of you
- 1.5m parallel extension available
- Finished in Cygnets trademark non-reflective satin black
- Discreet branding
- Supplied with protective end caps and cloth bag

Buy The Cygnet Baiting Pole & Accessories

Join The Darkside! Joe Carass checks out the latest all-round pole from Maver!

Last month I was out filming Match Fishing Live with England international Callum Dicks, when he excitedly used his new pole for the first time. Maver makes superb poles so when he said that he felt this one was the best he had seen and used in his time with the company, I simply had to get one to test.

The Darkside series of poles is a little different from what Maver has produced in the past. The three-strong range is built on a mandrel that is brand-new from the previous Elite Carp models and the current Signature range – the Darksides are slightly slimmer at the butt end and taper quickly to the pole tip. Maver claims that the mandrel change is necessary to increase the strength of the pole while ensuring it stays incredibly stiff and responsive.

The pole I had to test was the Series 3, the most expensive of the Darkside range. This is the pole that Callum is now using and I was surprised because there are costlier tools in the Maver lineup.

I was intrigued why he didn’t opt for a more expensive one, and he explained: “The Darkside Series 3 ticks every box for me. My fishing is so varied that I not only need a super-stiff pole but a super-strong one too, and the Darkside gives me that.”

But how does it perform? I took the pole for a nice session at Tunnel Barn Farm Fishery; with the onset of winter imminent I felt this was typical of what many anglers are now spending their winters doing.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was just how well balanced the pole is. It feels incredibly light when fishing at lengths over 13 metres, more so than any commercial-type pole that I have used before. You could easily be mistaken for thinking this is a super-light canal pole, such is its balance and rigidity!

On my test day I opted to dink pellets in at 14.5 metres into open water while employing a dotted-down float. Winter F1 fishing is a great test for the responsiveness of a pole and my day on House Pool was no different.

The F1s and skimmers were being particularly elusive and tiny bites had to be investigated and struck at, which more often than not resulted in a lip-hooked fish! A sloppy pole simply catches fewer fish in this situation, and thankfully the Darkside came through the test with flying colours.

It looks the part too and the understated – by Maver’s standards – graphics make it look bang tidy!

The pole package itself is a substantial one – six extra Darkside slotted power kits are included, along with a cupping kit, holdall, mini extension, clean caps and tubes.

For the money I reckon this is punching above its weight! It is just a lovely pole that will handle anything you need it to. I was well impressed and would more than happily use one for my fishing.

Buy The Maver Darkside Poles

Sadly fishing has had to take a back seat over the last few weeks after the unexpected death of my mother. Although in her eighties, she was still very fit and active; she had been out shopping and was cooking dinner when she suffered heart failure.

Loosing somebody is always hard and it’s very easy to drop into a state of mourning, almost feeling sorry for yourself whist grieving your loss. I was determined not to let that happen and along with my brother and sisters we felt it was important to celebrate her life. We soon got round to talking about the things we did as kids, including some of the trips we used to make to The Broads to fish places like Horning Ferry and Upton Dyke. Our tackle was basic, to say the least; old rods my father had managed to get from friends, reels with barely any line, proper leads if the old man was flush or, if not, an old nut from his mates garage. We didn't float fish much in those days; it was always ledgering and watching the rod tip. I think my dad was an early user of the swimfeeder, in the picture of me and my father you can see a hair curler hanging below the bomb. I can remember my mum not being too impressed with father using her hair curlers for fishing. Over forty years later, it’s quite apt that I still use hair curlers to make my big river feeders – but not my mother’s, I will add!

In those early days, Father would give us two bob (10p) and with that we would get maggots, a bag of breadcrumb and a few hooks or leads enough for a day’s fishing. Mother would pack up the sandwiches, biscuits, a kettle and picnic stove and we would all pile into the Ford Prefect and off to the river. I owe my father so much when it comes to fishing; he sowed the seed all those years ago and I am positive my life would not have been so eventful and enjoyable had I not took up fishing thanks to Dad. As I got older and could look after myself, I would often get Mum to take me to spots on The Broads or The Wensum and leave me for the day. I had some great times, caught some memorable fish and developed a love of fishing that is still as strong today.

Once I learnt to drive then the whole world opens up, be it girls or fishing, not having to rely on Mum’s taxi gave total independence. Work hard and play hard was my motto in those days and still is, but I never let girls get in the way of fishing; I remember once having a serious falling out with a girl as she couldn't understand why it was more important I went fishing on The Wensum rather than see her – how glad I was I went fishing that day as a 3lb Wensum roach was my reward.

Without doubt the fish which changed my whole life was the barbel, I caught my first one back over 40 years ago now and I was hooked from day one and they have been my number one species ever since. I have had over 4,000 barbel from more than 35 rivers in seven different countries around the world in the last 40 years. I still find a great challenge in finding new rivers to catch them.

My own son has never shown much interest in fishing but my daughter did and had a great knack of out fishing me if ever I took her! She had her own tackle at one point but as life has gone on she has lost interest. Her daughter, my granddaughter Florence, is very keen and has spent a fair bit of time with me fishing and I think the seeds are sown for her – all I need to do is germinate that interest and you never know she could one day take up the art.

Both my mother and my father were always interested in my fishing; my mother kept press cuttings if I appeared in the local paper with a good catch and my father was always keen to know what I had caught, where, and how.

I owe both my parents so very much, they made me the person I am today, but I can also be very sure that had my father not taken me fishing in those early days and mother not supported my fishing then I would not be writing this for you today. Many of my friends I have today I met through fishing. This includes my partner, who is now my biggest supporter. When I am having a bad run, she encourages me and more often than not her support is all that is needed to turn a bad day into a good one. She is also a great photographer and many of the pictures I use to illustrate my articles and blogs are taken by her.

My dream had always been to own a house by the river, luckily that dream has come true. My mother was so looking forward to visiting us in France and sadly now that will never happen. I know for sure she would love it out here, she would be quite pleased she didn't have to pack up a couple of tins of sandwiches and the tea making kit, let alone worry about four kids by the river. I can see her now, sitting by the river in the sun, knitting me a new fishing jumper, drinking a cup of tea and enjoying the eve of her life.

I had to come back to England for a few days to help sort my mother’s affairs and I have to say, after a few difficult days, it was great to get back to France. I needed some time to clear my head, so I got out the stick float road and bread and decided to find if the chub were hungry and they were. I managed half a dozen nice chub in a couple of hours; my French mate joined me and took a nice picture for me. When I got home and checked the pictures, one of them reminded me of a picture I had, taken a few years ago it showed a nice bag of Wensum chub; I can always remember my mum having a copy of this picture in a scrapbook she kept.

Thanks Mum, you truly were a wonderful mother.

With this test series we take a look at unhooking mats and of course, protection is paramount here. As much as we all love a pocket-friendly product, we honestly believe that this is one product that no angler should scrape on, ever! What we are looking for here is the complete protective package, how much padding is on offer, can the carp be retained for short periods without flapping off or out of the mat and how mobile the entire bundle is. Yes, before you say it, the carp we have used for illustrative purposes is rather large, measuring in at a whopping 84 centimetres long and 56 centimetres from dorsal fin to pelvic fin, hence the tight fit.

Aqua Products Camou Roving Mat

Weighs: 1.3kg

This lightweight unhooking mat provides a compact fish-care solution, with built-in retaining flap to ensure that fish are secure. The mat features deep compressible foam and a high-grade Aquatexx fabric. All these key features contribute to a fast-drying mat, which helps to reduce the risk of spreading disease and eradicating smelly gear in the car. It has two large elastic loops allowing it to be rolled compactly, making transportation and storage easy. It is available in camou and green and will suit all mobile anglers.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 9/10
PROTECTION - 7/10
VALUE FOR MONEY - 9/10
TOTAL - 25/30

Buy The Aqua Products Camou Roving Mat

Avid Carp Standard Carp Cot Unhooking Mat

Weighs: 2.3kg

The Avid Carp Cot is made of a 150D Breathastop 10,0000mm waterproof material, and a totally unique folding design that incorporates two built-in stability rods. The Carp Cot is extremely portable and folds down to almost nothing. It can be stored away in the carry bag supplied. With its handle and removable fish-friendly inner mattress this is an ideal unhooking mat/cradle for the angler who doesn’t have much room to store their gear and likes to be on the move. Not to be confused with the Fox Easy Mat; these are very much two different items.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 9/10
PROTECTION - 9/10
VALUE FOR MONEY - 8/10
TOTAL - 26/30

Buy The Avid Carp Standard Carp Cot Unhooking Mat

Chub X-tra Protection Cradle XL

Weighs: 2.9kg

Chub’s X-tra Protection cradle is a unique fold-flat design for easy transportation along with padded straps. One feature that really caught our attention was the integrated kneeling pad that makes it easier for the angler to get comfortable and, more imporantly, close to the fish for maximum care when doing catch shots. Helping to protect the fish while in the cradle are the improved extra-stiff non-collapsible sides, which makes it a great mat for the angler looking to transport his bankware or other tackle when moving swims or loading the car. The cradle comes supplied with its very own waterproof bag to help keep the carp slime at bay.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 10/10
PROTECTION - 9/10
VALUE FOR MONEY - 7/10
TOTAL - 26/30

Buy The Chub X-tra Protection Cradle XL

Fox Easy Mat

Weighs: 2.6kg

The Fox Easy Mat is a rapid-set-up design, with it taking literally seconds to put together, which is great. The pop-out cradle is designed for maximum convenience, with its 50mm base that fits directly into the Easy Mat offering full protection for the fish while on the bank. The thing we love about this mat is the sheer convenience of the whole setup. Supplied in a lightweight carry bag, which is nice and compact for both storage and transportation, this is a firm favourite on the bank.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 9/10
PROTECTION - 9/10
VALUE FOR MONEY - 8/10
TOTAL - 26/30

Buy The Fox Easy Mat

JRC XL Hi-Care Mat

Weighs: 4.9kg

With a heavy-duty Velcro retaining system that boasts high-density foam-filled walls, the XL Hi-Care Mat is probably the most protective on test. Made of 420D waterproof material with a perforated rubber mesh lid and base for maximum drainage, the mat won’t take long to dry despite its size. As the name would suggest, the Hi-Care XL is suited for fish up to 65lb, making it more than capable of retaining most fish in English waters. Other features you will also find are a removable 5cm-thick foam mattress, along with zips on either side of the mat to release the fish.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 9/10
PROTECTION - 10/10
VALUE FOR MONEY - 8/10
TOTAL - 27/30

Buy The JRC XL Hi-Care Mat

Nash High-Protection Beanie Mat

Weighs: 2.3kg

With an adjustable padded, removable strap this is another fantastic roving product for river anglers and carp anglers alike. The Beanie Mat has a tough Aquasense Hydra retention cover making it ideal to throw over the top of your barrow when taking a wet walk around the lake. The inclusion of an extra-tough, wipe-clean and waterproof base helps prevent the mat from taking on water. The mat itself has a high-density base with polyball beanie topper for maximum carp protection that the carp seem to bed down into rather nicely.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 9/10
PROTECTION - 7/10
VALUE FOR MONEY - 8/10
TOTAL - 24/30

Buy The Nash High-Protection Beanie Mat