New Big Fish Weighing Tripod ! Another new product from the Trafford stable !

Hot new item just in for the big fish boys !

Jumpy scales and struggling has just been eradicated by the new Big Fish Tripod from the boys at Trafford A.S !

Never one to miss a trick, we have noticed the poor choice on the market for big fish weighing. What choice is there out there??? . . . . . . Erm, at the last count we think there's 1 !

And that one's limited . . . . . fixed length for a start, at around 4' 6" and about £15.00 dearer than ours, hmmmm need we say more !!!




Our new tripod stands at around 5 foot and has extending legs, letting it open up to approx ' 7 foot 6, making sure that even with a large sized weigh sling on, the sling is well off the floor.

The legs lock via nylon locking screws so they only require finger tightening to get a secure lock on the legs, they don't become a nightmare in the winter when everything's freezing up and, they don't damage the tripod legs . . . . .

Pictured below are the solid turned points at the bottom of the tripod legs, these can be dug into the ground for extra stability when weighing your (hopefully) new P.B !!





The top block on the tripod is the bit where the stability comes in, the whole setup is machined out of aluminium and stainless steel, no cheap and chearfull plastic bits on this pod . . . . . this also houses the hanging hook for the scales to go on (pictured below).

The pod should take almost any large popular dial scales, reubens, nash etc that have a rounded or pointed top to them.









The pod weigh pod will really come into it's own for people wanting to accurately weigh big fish when they're fishing alone as you can support the fish on the pod while you get your camera gear etc ready, no need to be in and out of the water/sack while you're trying to organise yourself .

Lads fishing abroad will also appreciate the usefulness of the pod when weighing large carp and cats .



All the leg components are the same specification as our now ' nearly famous ' TBR2 Barbel tripod, so no worries about strength or stability as the parts are all of the same standard - made for us by a British manufacturer ( yes a rarity these days! ) and come with a full 12 months guarantee, as you'd expect . . . . .


So . . . if you're in the market for a weighing tripod . . . . . come and check it out, they're just into stock now, and match, carp or specimen anglers will all find it an invaluable aid to getting a proper, accurate weight every time - there is no better way to weigh . . . . . . . . sorry . . . . couldn't resist . . . . . . . and . . .

at the super dooper - cheaper than the others on the market price - of only £44.99, you can also save yourself a few quid on the 'brand name ' products that are around, and at this price, is it really worth butchering an old sea tripod and making do ??? . . . . . . . . .

links to larger pictures are here if you want to see any of the components closer up, you can always save them and blow them up in windows picture viewer . . . . . .

or simply follow this link that takes you directly to the shops website page that features the tripod . . . . . .

Trafford Weighing Tripod - Click Here . . .

pic 1

pic 2

pic 3

pic 4

pic 5


pic 6

pic 7

pic 8



Pete's Mega Manor Session . . . . . . . .

Head Trafford Honcho and all round big cheese Pete Bennet has well and truly filled his boots on a recent trip to the Richworth Linear Fisheries complex . . . . . .

Proving he can really put his money where his mouth is, our intrepid ' bonsai boss ' (as he's recently been named by trafford's danny due to his small but perfectly formed stature presumably?) embarked on a 72 hour session on Manor Lake. . . . . . . . . .




Having set up and got his armoury all ship shape and bristol fashion for his assault, Pete then proceeded to take six fish in succesion in the first 6 hours of fishing !







Amongst his fantastic tally of 11 fish in total were 3 doubles and no less than 7 fish over the 20lb mark !!!

All fish came to the Active Bait Solutions ' malarkey ' freezer baits, Pete fished over 5 kilos of bait at around 100 yards - fishing to a gravel bar . . . . . . . . . . .








Pete was using his favoured ' Hi- S ' 3.5lb test curve FreeSpirit rods coupled with Daiwa Basia's and 15 lb Catana Mono . . . . . . . . .






Not content to just leave it there . . . . . our intrepid boss went on to bank one of the lakes largest residents . . . . . . known as the birthmark linear, the fish weighed in at a fantastic 37 lb !

An incredible one off session, topped by the fish below . . . . . . . . . .










So well done to pete. . . . . . a man that always delivers the goods ! A mega session and a new personal english best for him into the bargain !

A fine end to the season . . . . . .

Well folks it's here . . . . . . . love ot or hate it, the closed season is now upon us . . .

Personally, i'm starting to garner a distinct dislike to the closed season, for numerous reasons;

firstly, just as the light nights are upon us and you get a chance to actually set up in daylight after work. . . . . . it's over . . . .

then there's the alledged effects of ' global warming ' making the seasons go all out of kilter (personally i don't subscribe to the hype and believe it's just a natural bit of evolution going on here that all the airport and 4 x 4 and long haul flight taxes in the world won't fix) that mean if the weather's pants through may and june, the fish are spawning late june, july and into august . . . . . . as i have witnessed on the dane and ribble on more than one occassion in the last few years. What do they do with all that ' green tax ' money they collect anyway??? . . . . . . . Ever feel like you're in the wrong business? . . . . hmmmmmm

And why does it always seem to fish its nuts off just as the seasons ending ! Aaarrrggghhh lol !

Drives me mad it does . . . . . . plus it forces me to go stillwater fishing and ' fluff chuckin ' for trout i can't catch ! I'll get one though this year i swear . . . if it kills me ! And i'll learn how to actually use this trout gear, erm probably . . . . but . . . . it does give the banks a rest . . . and after yesterdays circus on the stretch i fished, the banks will surely need a rest.

There is though, something nice about going down a stretch of river after it's re-opened and working your way through all the fresh foliage that makes you feel a bit like an intrepid explorer working their way through unchartered territory . . . . . after you've finished hacking away and working up a profuse sweat in the process !

Roll on summer . . . . . . . .

So anyway . . . . my last session of the season was on the ribble on the wigan aa stretch . . . . and it ended up a much happier affair than my previous 3 outings where i'd only managed to scrape out 2 chub between the sessions . . . . i was seriously starting to think i was going to end the season on a proper downer, coming off the river with my tail firmly tucked between my legs, head bowed and dragging my feet. . .
I'd fished a stretch of PAA's water twice and had just one chub and a blank, and fished wigans water another occassion in what i would describe as the most perfect conditions you'd get if you'd paid for them . . . .and blanked !
Why is it there's always someone bank walking that tells you they had two doubles out and 17 fish the last time they were on just as you're contemplating packing it all in and taking up golf ! Yeah stick the knife in why don't ya mate, oh and don't forget to kick me while i'm down !

But back to the session . . . . .

The weather was absolutely beautifull . . . typical eh . . . . it looked . . . . . . just like this . . . . . . .




















And this . . . . . . . . .














The water was clearing up after its recent bout of colour, the swim i was fishing was deep down the inside shallowing to the far side so i fished one long and close in, one 2/3's over and straight across. Boily and paste over, pellet and paste down the inside . . . . same tactics as i'd been blanking with in the last couple of weeks !

But this time, it worked . . . . . so my sanity was saved and i could now stop worrying i was ' losing it ' lol ! Took those snaps about 5 ish after i'd had two barbel on the bank within about 6 or 7 min's of each other and a 'charlie chub' about two and a half pounds. So a hectic 20 min's from out of nowhere just as the sun was starting to drop in the sky.

The average stamp of the fish looked, like this . . . . . . . . . .




















That's me modelling my new Trakker thermal fleece top i'd managed to scrounge off our rep' (sorry, 'agent') clive just a few hours earlier ! Lovely lad that clive . . . . . . i've always said that . . . . . ;-)


Most of the fish came from the inside rod to paste wrapped pellet, think i had just one small barb, a chub and a lost fish to the far rod, and 4 barbs and a larger chub about 3 and a half to the inside rod, as well as dropping another due to me sitting drilling out pellets as the rod near took off and i didn't quite get to it quick enough . . . . . .

Ah well, that's one to look out for in the new season eh . . . . . .

The last fish banked was also the best fish of the session and indeed season - not a monster but still a quality fish in cracking condition that put up a fantastic account of itself, just into proper dark at about half seven(ish). The way it ploughed through the swim could quite well be the reason the swim seemed to go dead after that !

Weighing in at 8lb 2, it was just a good size fish, not to be sniffed at, that ended my season on a high rather than a downer ! Many thanks to that fish . . . . . . . . . .





















Would have done another better shot normally as this is a bit erm, crap but . . . the fish fought hard, it was dark i was on my own and self portraits are tricky with a lively fish at the best of times, so when the batteries gave up after that shot - rather than change em', i just popped her back in and off she went . . . . .


So that's it 'til june then . . . . . looks like the only river banks i'll be walking will have to be with fluff chuckin rod in hand for now, wish me luck i'm gonna need it . . . . . . .

Incredible 10/10 Barbel Rest Review ! TBR2 Scores With Anglers Mail Tester Ian Welch

All images and text reproduced with the kind permission of the Anglers Mail.

We are delighted to update our blog with the first review of the TBR2 Barbel Rest by a national magazine, tested by the Anglers Mails very own Ian Welch, who as many of you will already know is a well respected and accomplished angler.

The 2nd of January review is reproduced below in full . . . . . . . . . .

TOP TRIPOD

FOR most of my barbel fishing I like to keep my rod tips
close to the water to ensure effective line management,
but there are times when my pinned down, backleads,
leadcore and leaders slack line approach goes out the
window. It’s all very well keeping terminal tackle pinned
down and out of the way, but on big rivers and in heavy
water trying to be too subtle can backfire on you and you
have to adapt in order to succeed.



Despite the temptation to chuck baits into slacks in such
circumstances you will find that is not generally where the
fish are!
When the going gets tough barbel fishing shifts from
being a game of delicate deception to one of hanging on in
there and keeping your bait in the current long enough for
the fish to find it.
There’s no point whatsoever in hanging your line across
the current for it to be constantly dragged out of position.
it’s time to get those rod tips up to minimise the friction of
the water on the line - and the more line you can keep out of
the main push the more effectively you can fish.



Long, extending bank sticks have always been my first
step, moving up to storm poles at the front with short rests
and butt grips at the rear in more extreme conditions but on
awkward banks and in tricky swims they are a real pain.
They are not the lightest bits of kit to carry across several
fields either. Mates on the Severn and Trent had taken to
using beachcasting rests and although effective they were
unwieldy and awkward. What was needed was for someone
to take the best design features of the shore rests and adapt
them to the needs of river anglers.


























Enter the team at Trafford Angling Supplies and one of
the best bits of kit adaptation I’ve seen in ages.
Weighing in at a little over a kilo with a closed length of
a metre this is no sea fishing monstrosity but a neat tripod
system which fits into the side pocket of any holdall or
quiver. It’s designed to hold a couple of rods on any terrain
and I couldn’t wait to use it in anger and several planned
barbel and carp trips to a swollen River Thames provided
the ideal first opportunity.



The main body of the tripod features sturdy 18 mm
telescopic aluminium legs which extend to some 6 ft and
are easily secured at the required height by finger-friendly
nylon thumbscrews. The lock is solid and gives a totally
stable platform at any height. The legs themselves are
finished in solid, turned aluminium points so you can dig
them into the bank to increase stability but when you are
on rocks or gravel it’s a simple case of splaying then
adjusting the legs individually to create the correct
level.



Having got the platform stable it’s an easy job to
fit the top bar to the block at the top of the legs and
I was impressed by the moulding which ensured the
bar could not twist once fitted, no danger at all of
wonky rod tips here! The bar is locked with a collar,
heads have standard 3/8 in. threads and accept all
rod rest heads and bite alarms. I fitted mine with a
couple of Micron EOS alarms for overnighters and a
pivoting front rest for daytime work but any decent
front rod rests will do the job.



Rod butts are supported in cups fitted to a lower
bar. The lower bar locks into a moulded plastic block
which is adjustable for height so can be positioned
anywhere along the length of the leg to suit the
conditions - rod butts 3 ft off the deck, no problem!
















The block also acts as a ‘leg tidy’, the legs pushing
into it for storage when packing away. As with the
upper bar the lower is secured with a locking collar
and is unable to twist, giving brilliant stability at
the lower end too. The cups are deep enough to
hold the butts securely during the most violent
of takes and feature drainage holes for those days
when it just won’t stop raining.


























Although step by step assembly instructions with
clear photographs are provided, it really is a doddle
and I had it up and fishing in less than a minute
without having to refer to the paperwork.
And once set up it never really has to be
dismantled, between sessions I simply loosen the
locking collars, turn the butt and top rests through
90 degrees and lock them in place alongside the
legs giving a perfect streamlined fit in my quiver.



For those days when conditions change or when
you don’t need to get all of your line up it can be
transferred from a rod high set up with tips 15 ft
in the air to a ‘standard’ style pod with tips almost
horizontal in seconds.



To date I’ve used it in grassy and concrete swims
on the Thames and on a rocky River Severn gully
in challenging flows but I’ve also pressed it into
use on much smaller venues when I’ve needed to.
I’ve experienced a few severe gusts, torrential rain,
a couple of lightning-fast takes and my only real
complaint was that it was not available in a single
rod version for my smaller river work – then I read
the paperwork properly and discovered a single rod
conversion kit is indeed available!



British made, with all parts replaceable from stock
and with a 12 month guarantee this is one bit of kit
no serious river angler can afford to be without.




click here to go to the TBR2 Barbel Rest

1st Ever Manchester 40 ! Massive Manc Carp !!

An as-yet-undisclosed Manchester Stillwater has thrown up an incredible fish for local carper Jason Clarke . . . . . .


The dedicated Manc carper banked the history making fish on Monday afternoon, 23rd of October. The fish was weighed and witnessed by a number of people who all confirmed the scales were checked and rechecked. The incredible fish weighed in at a massive 41 lb 7 oz !

Known as ' angry ', the fish has been a resident in the water for a long time and was noted as a ' big framed fish ' as far back as the 90's when it stared appearing in the lower twenties bracket.

The water is known as an incredibly ' challenging ' water for a number of reasons and has seen more than a few lads, local and from out of the area, give up and walk away in frustration . . . . . . .

Not so for Mr.Clarke who persevered to bank the incredible fish below . . . . . . . . .
















More info will be added as it becomes available. . . . . . . .

Trafford Barbel Tripod Update. . . . .

I fished last wednesday on the same stretch where i've been 'field testing' the prototype pod. . . i've pinched the legs off one of the pods that came into the shop to upgrade mine to 'pointy feet' . . and now its all in black too with the black bars and looks so much better !

I fished in the same area as previous when i've been testing it, which is on a shingle banked bend - so again, no chance of the feet being 'pushed in' 'cos you just can't . . .

Round about 9 o'clock - after a chub at half seven weighing 4lb 12oz - the bites started to come back on. I had a good knock, then a visciuos take to the right hand rod. . . . out into the water i went where the landing net was laying in wait . . . .

just as i was netting the fish i could hear ZZZZZZZzzzzzz ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz coming from behind me . . i looked round to see the the tip on the left hand rod under full compression - a fish had took and was stripping line off against the clutch at an alarming rate !

I missed the fish i had on with the net the first time through looking over my shoulder at the other rod, so i hastily tried to net it and just about succeeded ! I had to drape the net over the fish in the landing net and literally just dropped the rod too, into the water . . .

By this time i must admit i was expecting to see the pod on the floor with the rod heading steadily downstream ! But . . . . it was still there, solid as a rock with the tip still round at full test curve ! So the fish was still on ! Not bad for barbless hooks and running rigs . . . . . . So i ended up with two barbel on the bank at the same time(not big fish by any means, around 5 and 6lbs) and a big reassurance that this pod really does do the business on banking that is otherwise tricky at the best . . . .

I'll drop a couple of pics in from the session later . . . . .

New Barbel Tripod ! Exclusive to Trafford Angling

well it's been a little while in coming. . . . but then again, the good things are always worth the wait eh . . . . .

We're calling it the TBR 2 . . . . as in Trafford Barbel Rest (2 rod)

Literally just out on sale this week, after the final touches have been put to it, it really does look a smart piece of kit and is incredibly practical as well as being possibly the finest tripod available in the u.k, solely designed and conceived with barbel anglers in mind.


Am i bragging? well yes of course. . . . . it was my idea! Born out of neccessity, i've been having a nightmare on an undisclosed stretch of the Ribble getting my banksticks in certain pegs. . . . untill i started toying around with the idea of using my beachcasting tripods to get around the problem. This works to a degree but they are made for beachcasting and are not ideal so i had to get my thinking cap on. . . .

And this is the result . . . .. . . . .



















The first thing you will notice is that the rest has a nice 'chunky' look and feel to it. Pick it up though, and it's deceivingly light - weighing in at just over a kilo (2lb 5oz with the double head and cups on to be precise).

It's overall length is approx 38 inch's and it extends from roughly 3 foot to 6 foot, more than enough for 99.9 % of conditions/pegs you're ever likely to come across !

It is incredibly stable, i fished last wednesday night (27th sept) when the wind was literally howling through the tree's, i was out on a shingle bank - so the points on the banksticks weren't even 'dug in'. . . . . . . well, actually i lie. . . mine's the pre-production 'test' model and hasn't even got points on the feet so that just goes to show you how stable it is !

Tripod legs in detail below, showing the 18mm chunky legs and solid turned aluminium points.

















Everything on the pod locks up solid for transportation, the legs lock into the bottom block that holds the twin cups, the cups can even be turned in-line without taking them off the tripod. Also a handy manouver if you're resting the butts on the floor but don't want to take bits off, just in case you want to put the rods back in the cups later in the session. Shown with cups 'in-line' below.

















Every possible way and means of 'twist' has been looked into and resolved; the inner centre telescopic tube has been fixed solid so it can't move, the adjuster on the outer part of the centre has been 'crimped' to stop any movement and the cups lock up securely by a metal thumbscrew that tightens on to a plastic 'tongue' - which in turn tightens on to the legs - so it doesn't even mark the legs or take off any off the black powder coating !

The top block houses the twin rod bar that you screw your rod rest heads of choice on to. Again, this is absolutely solid - it's impossible for the bar to twist as it is locked flat on to the spreader block. You can also just see in the picture below, a 'hanging hook'. This would normally be used (in sea fishing) to hang a bag of sand or shingle on in bad weather to help stabalize the pod, i've had it left on to hang a bait bucket on or a candle lamp/light etc.

















Another really important point is that this barbel rest has been designed and manufactured totally in the U.K ! This is no cheap chinese import and all parts are readily available should you have a 'little accident' !

It is only available from us, and all parts have been manufactured for us by the countries leading tripod maker. When they come in to us, we then do the final modifications to get everything 'locking up' solid, so we see the final product completed here at the shop, and inspect them all to make sure every one goes out to you as perfect as it can be.

Which rod rest's would i recommend to go with it ???

This one . . . . . .

















These are my personall choice, usually called 'swingrest's' as they have a weighted 'disc' below the line-drop, that lets it find its own level. You simpy drop the rod into the rest and it will tilt to hold the rod perfectly every time. They have a good, deep line drop and high sides to prevent the rods 'blowing out' in bad wether, i've certainly never had a rod blow out of mine yet and i've been using these for about four years !

Again - available throught the website and at only £1.99 each they're a bargain !

How much is the TBR 2 then i hear you ask . . . . . . . . . .

Well it's going to be £39.99 . . . . . BUT ! . . . .

for now, to get it established, and put it at a similar price to the only other 'barbel rest' i've seen on the market - us nice chaps at Trafford are going to have a special introductory offer price of . . . . . . . . £ 34.99 (plus p+p if mail order)

The barbel rest of course, has a full 12 month guarantee against faulty parts etc etc, we can't unfortunately guarantee that you're going to get a bite a chuck using it, but you can certainly brag to your pals and show off - point and laugh etc etc as you see their rods sailing downstream after being pulled in, while you sit smiling smugly to yourself!

check it out here on the website !


Trafford TBR 2 Barbel Tripod

KORUM KM-01 HOOKS

Fished last wednesday on a very tasty peg on the ribble, the water was, and still is ultra low due to the distinct lack of rain . . . . . . not that i'm complaining about the weather, we never get enough sunshine - but it does make the choice of swims a little more difficult.

Decided to go ultra light with my prestons 15/17 carbon active and just one bottom rod, choice being the lighter top on my drennan specialist power barbel in case i got the opportunity to bottom fish.

Set the float up first as i was intending to fish a narrow channel a third of the way across the river, and i wanted to really get the method for slow-trotting small baits down to a fine art . . . .

Loose fed casters and hemp for half an hour or so while setting up on the bank to get the swim going before actually wetting a line - always a good ploy to get the fishes confidence up first. The bites came within minutes of running a 3 swan Maver commercial waggler down - i'd chose this type of float against a stick or bolognese as it proved to be superior for 'holding back' in the very fast water.

I was also tooled up with the new Fox Eyed Barbless hooks that have recently come out, as on first impressions they looked good; they later let me down badly which spurred me on to try these new korum hooks . . . . .

The fox hooks were a nice short shank and strong looking, slightly inturned point which i hadn't tried for a while, so they looked - 'worth a go'.

I lost the first two fish . . . . . second one felt a good 'un, landed the third, lost the fourth, landed an eel, lost the fifth and so on . . . . . till it was 4 fish to me, and four lost barbel to the Ribble . . . .

Now the hooks were barbless, so i wasn't concerned that hooks would be left in the barbels mouths, which they weren't as all four lost fish just 'dropped off ' at various stages from the strike to 5 mins into the fight....

personally, i put it down to the combination of a very short shank and the inturned point, the fish were all very lightly hooked in the lips and i think the leverage they get in such fast water meant the point would just not stay in deep enough to see the fight out.

That's when i tried these . . . . . . . . . . . . .













One thing i wasn't going to do was pick some more hooks with an inturned point, and its suprising how many there are when you look - definitely had to be a straight point next time around !

First impressions were good, perfectly straight point, and a nice long point too which i think is essential in a barbless hook - trying to prize one apart with my fingers, i noticed straight away that you can feel the carbon steel resisting my best efforts to open it up by hand . . . . .

Tasty ! These were gonna do !

Next trip out i was back on the same peg to put my mind at rest, same setup, different hooks - one of the things i also noted with these is that for this session i only used the one hook, as against four fox on my last trip - they just seemed to blunt so easy . . . . . . . so into the swim i went with 5 casters impaled on a 12's.

First fish came within minutes two rod lengths down the swim, hitting into these barbel in a narrow, 8 foot wide by 3 foot deep channel, can be seriously scary when they realise they're hooked, the power is immense ! The carbon active swung round into full curve and off she went - if anything was gonna give, it'd be now !

3 mins later, she's in the net - only a small fish but first hit and no hook pull !
20 mins later i'm into another far more powerfull fish, using the rivers flow to its full advantage . . . . . one minute - two minutes go by and i'm forgetting about whether the hooks gonna pull already . . . . after 5 min's, she's also gracing my landing net !

Weighing in at just over 6 and a half pounds, this fish really did put my gear to the test let me tell ya ! Every heart stopping lunge did my nerves no good at all but what a scrap and it's two out of two to me !














With the light fading i knew i wouldn't get much longer out of this session (this was a spur of the moment - after work quickie) but i carried on trotting and holding back every now and again to tease the barbel into feeding . . . . . right down the end of the run is where they normally like to lye in wait so it was there i held back the longest - at this point i can hardly see the float which is now 30 yards away in fading light, but i could feel the knocks to the rod tip, which is exactly what i got as the tip belted round as it hit my tight line - straight into the top section !

Again no monster but it took near five minutes to get this fish in as it had a 30 yard fast flowing run of pounding water advantage over me !

Weighing in at 4 and a half pounds it had to be the last fish of the evening so i quite happily packed up, safe in the knowledge that i had found a solution for this particular swim, and a new pattern of hooks that will be my first choice now for any swim like this i come across.

Take at look here for more technical detail on them . . . . . .



Korum New KM-01 Hooks

Okuma Polycast OPF-30

A few months back i was in need of a 'spare reel' as i'd been doing a bit of floatfishing and ledgering/ feeder fishing on a club water that had a good head of carp and tench. Methods varied between straightforward floatfishing under the rod tip, to lobbing a polaris out and then onto a feeder or bomb maybe later in the day.

I'm not exactly short of reels but i felt that i could do with a 'little baitrunner' rather than my carp outfit size reels, and not a 'float' reel either 'cos they wouldn't have the baitrunner/freespool facility, so i needed a compromise . . . . . . . .

I'd had a look at the Polycast's a good while back when they first came out, they looked pretty impressive, they had what i wanted, so i bought one ! (yes, bought not given one free! )

I took it out for the first time on the same club water, set up a waggler rod first and then my 11' 4'' feeder - thinking i'd just float fish first and feed a few pellets and skinz into a close in swim where i'd had carp before, but leave it to build up for a while before actually fishing it. So out went the float. . . . . an hour and a half later i was getting a bit tired of rudd after rudd, the odd bream (aren't they all odd?) and the occassional roach for good measure....... so out went 'the bomb'.

With a 1 oz bomb on a running lead, 6lb line straight through to a swivel and size 12 hook topped off with a 12mm Skinz hooker i was ready . . . . . .

As i was still flirting around for the rudd on the float rod, i had the quiver rod on a rest at my side with the baitrunner/freespool on so if a carp happened along i wouldn't have to be worried about diving in after the rod come a 'lively' carp ......

After a few chucks with the Polyscast i was impressed already ! Lovely and smooth, nice flat line lay, no line 'bedding' and an instant anti-reverse that stops the handle 'rolling' when you've just set the quiver right (the double handle helps this).


















Half an hour after chucking in i noticed a couple of quick tugs on the quiver so i dropped the float rod back onto the rest just in time to see the tip fly round and she was off ! The baitrunner immediately kicked in and the spool whizzed off at a pace akin to that scene from 'JAWS' . . . . . . alright i'm exagerating now . . . . . lol

Pick up the rod, quarter turn of the handle and im straight into the clutch which was by now flying off at some rate 'cos i hadn't set it ! So . . . . a little front adjustment and i was in control ! The clutch was impressive too, nice and smooth and didn't 'snatch' at all throughout the fight.

Five min's later and i'm sliding the net under what turned out to be a nice mirror carp, just getting into double figures at 10lb 3 ozs, not bad at all for a reel 'christener' so i was well chuffed !

For those out there that would like to know the technical specification . . . . . . . .

The model is Okuma OPF 30, it has 4 bearings in total - 3 ball bearings and a roller bearing. It comes with 3 metal spools, one shallow and another two deep - line capacity is approx 200 yds of 4 lb on the shallow and 250 yds of 6 lb on the deeps.

It's got an instant 'quick set' anti-reverse, it uses a 'rotor equalizing system' which means flat line lay to you and me . . . . .

All three spools are die cast aluminium, and the pinion gearing is all machine cut from brass which is another plus as this is the gear that takes the most hammer in any reel.
One thing i have noticed with Okuma reels. . . . . they sometimes seem too cheap to be true, and i'll admit when we first started stocking them i was as sceptical as anyone as to whether they'd be any good, but after god knows how many years they've been around now i'd say we have the least amount of faults with Okuma, and rarely ever send any back !

I don't think i could say fairer than that, and now after actually using one, i'd rate it on par with any of the budget big names like shimano or daiwa.

Not bad at all for a £35 reel . . . . . . . check them out on the site if ya like . . . . .

Okuma Polycast 30 Reel

Tried and Tested ...... Okuma Aventa Pro Centrepin

To anyone just getting into the river scene, or indeed the seasoned sages amongst you that have had a centrepin in the past and are looking at buying a 'pin' in the near future - i suggest you look no further . . . .

Hailing from the Okuma camp comes the Aventa Pro VT1002.

I bought one myself around a year ago, after previously owning a 'Leeds' Centrepin.
Now that one i couldn't get on with...... wasn't smooth, had no bearings, and you had to 'help' it get started ! It nearly put me off owning a pin altogether 'till these came out, and i ended up flogging it to some poor unsuspecting chappie! (good job he only wanted it for stillwater fishing ... ;-))

I bought my Aventa for the Dane really but with the odd sesh or two on the Ribble in mind too. First time outta the box and i'd ended up on the Ribble with thoughts of chub...... loaded up with 5lb Berkley XL and i was away . . . . . . .

I think i knew from the first drop in that me and my new companion were gonna get along just fine . . . . . . . . .

As i dropped a Drennan crystal loafer in, the line peeled away and the reel was off all by itself - no help or encouragement from me at all !

A few trots later i was right into it ! Trundling a cube of meat downstream the float sailed away and i was striking into the first chub of the day - which was no monster at just over 2lb, but a kind of 'average' stamp of fish for the Ribble.

The best bit is, that using a 'pin' is a bit like using your first carbon rod again for the very first time. Every movement of the fish seems to be transfered through the rod and it's just a totally different 'feel' to a fixed spool or closed face.
















Now for the 'techy' bit . . . . . . . .

The Aventa (well, all the Okuma pins) is machined from one piece aluminium, it runs on two bearings, has an audible ratchet - that i use for setting up to stop the reel over-running, but a lot of the coarse lads use it as a 'bite alarm' for stillwater ledgering for carp etc. (anything that's gonna go tearing off!)

It is double extra smooth, and you actually find when you're running a stick down and 'mending' your line, when the float takes off again - you're actually slowing the reel down with your thumb !

I have no idea how they manage to manufacture these to sell at under a hundred quid when a Young's pin won't give you a lot of change out of £325.00 !

I'm just glad they do . . . . . . . . .

Check it out in the website here .........okuma pins

New !!! SKINZ Review . . . . . . . . .From Sonu Baits

Oh you are gonna like these!


Here they are .. . . . . . . . by rights these should have had a review in the Angling Times this week if memory serves me correctly, hailing from Sonu Baits who are a new company that is producing the exclusively on behalf of the Preston Innovations/Korum team - they're called Skinz, and are a completely new concept in hookbaits for 2006.

















So, just WHAT are they then?

Is it a pellet? Is it a Paste? Is it an Expander? Hard, Soft or what?

Hmmmm therein lies the tricky bit ! It is ....... all of the above! Hmmmmmm what are you on about i hear you ask . . . . . . . .

Well, it starts off in life as a rock hard pellet, erm shaped thing.... and you can get it in either 4mm, 8mm or 12mm, thereby giving you something for everyone whether you're into the match scene, pleasure fishing, carp fishing or barbel/river/chub fishing.

There is a groundbait pellet to come too, which is awesome to watch breaking down in a glass of water, i've seen them and they're unbelievable!! But, this is a review of the hookbait pellets as tried and tested by me last wednesday!

So, what do you do with them ????

Dead simple, chuck a handfull in a pot of water/bait box and leave them to it for half an hour or so, the smaller (4mm) 'hookers', take on water more quickly and are easily 'done' in about half an hour, the larger 8mm and 12mm probably need about 45 mins to an hour and half to be 'perfect'.

They don't really 'swell' like expander pellets so its pretty much what you see is what you get size wise from taking them out of the packet to putting them on the hook.
The picture below shows some in their 'hard' and 'soaked' forms ..........















The BIG thing with these over ANYTHING you're going to see is when you squeeze one....... they're like a squishy elasticated outer with a soft paste inner ! You can hook them direct on the bend of the hook, hair rig them, D rig them, in fact do whatever you want with them !

They will ACTUALLY CAST on a waggler, unlike expanders that have a tendency to fly off, in fact you can cast them on a waggler, a bomb or anything, and i'll testify to that 'cos i did !

They do not come off easily let me tell ya! I had some vicious takes on wednesday and even after striking it was still on ! The interesting bit is, when you split one in half and see the inner 'paste' thats inside ....... all encapsulated inside the stretchy, rubbery outter, it oozes out like porridge when you squash it, and , i have been assured - contains a plethora of fishmeals, betaine and attractors to keep that swim bubbling!

The picture below shows one i splattered in the name of a photo, althought its not quite as in focus as i would have liked but time is short !

















So you ask, what else can i do with them???

In short, anything you want ! Your imagination will be the only limit you can have with these little beauty's ........ the match lads will love 'em, especially those chuckin ' wagglers and feeders on commercials, the carp, chub and barbel lads will love them as an alternative to halibuts/ellips etc that are getting battered everywhere, and the idea's are already running wild in my head for the comin 'barbel' season !

Here's something i thought of already ..... pack a load of them (the groundbait version) in a feeder DRY for extra slow, extra long release and attraction, OR get some hookers, part soak them so they soften, then leave them for days on end in a flavoured 'glug' to fully expand and draw all the 'glug' in.......

They freeze well and defrost well, so no waste....... they remain in their hookbait state for a good couple of days if untouched, but are fully biodegradable should they stay untouched, but i can't see that happening!

You can actually squash them and mould them into a paste if ya like...... but you wouldn't .... probably ...... you could shove them in a pellet pump and pump them through to speed them up, or, you could pump a load of attractor through them .... see, the limits are endless, just give it a bit of thought !

I fished last wednesday with them, had a float rod and a bomb rod out, bagged up on a load of 'bits' fishing maggot on the float while i prep'd a swim for the bomb rod .....
i gave up on the float rod within half an hour of putting the bomb rod out as i couldn't handle the takes coming to the bomb rod on the Skinz ! The bream were having a go, as were the roach, and after getting smashed up on 6lb line the carp started to take an interest !

Final result was a scorching take and a carp just touching the 10lb mark sliding over the front of my landing net !

Tried, tested, and well impressed ! Due to hit the shop soon, we should have delivery around the first week in June so come along and check 'em out ! I know there'll be a few bags that won't see the shops shelves this year ........

check out the Skinz on the website here ......Click here for SKINZ

Tight lines . . . . . . . . Dave

Cheeky Little Tips Pt.3

On the subject of knots - to continue the theme, here's a couple more things to bear in mind or try, at you leisure.........

Ever question the amount of turns you put into a knot and what it effect it has? Well you should ......

Every article i can remeber seeing about knots always uses the classic example, and possibly the most well known knot in the world, the Half Blood Knot.
Funny thing is it's always shown using five turns which i never bothered to question 'till i started moving away, many years ago, from the old favourite line i had been using (maxima chameleon).

Trying out a 'more modern' line at the time, i was unimpressed to find the breaking strains weren't living up to the strain on the packet .........

Curiosity got the better of me and i started mucking about with different knots. Couple of knots later and a few pulls on a set of scales meant my old faithfull half blood wasn't living up to expectations which i couldn't grasp as it'd never let me down before ......... i knew there had to be a reason for it logically.

I started reducing the number of turns on the new line and bingo! better knot strength, a more compact knot and no problems !

Each type of mono has its own characteristics, i.e. a good line that has great abrasion resistance will be a bit 'stiffer' than a softer line (obviously!) , but the softer line lays better on the reel and casts smoother ..... therefore..... yep you got it, the softer line will not take a large number of turns very well because it basically gets 'squashed' easier when you try to knot it.

After hours of testing knots i found that a THREE TURNED tucked half blood knot gave me the best strength, neatest knot and the best reliability, especially on fine diameter lines. I've been using my three turned version ever since with no problems whatsoever, and can honestly say, the only times i've lost fish since has been down to me not paying attention or a snag that i hadn't accounted for but not my knots!

I dont get line breaks for no reason, don't get the 'pigtail effect' after tying one up and i am 100% confident that if my line goes, it wont be right at the end where it matters most .......

Another cracking knot . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This one's the Palomar, in stages - absolutely reliable again......

Simply form a loop in your line and pass through the eye ........








Then tie a simple 'overhand knot' 'granny knot' whatever you want to call it .....













Then take the hook or swivel that you are tying on, and pass it up through the loop you have now made ...........












Now 'tease' the knot smaller, wet it and pull tight slowly and evenly - taking care at the last stages as it's tightening up , to make sure it all looks 'even'.

If tied correctly this will give you as near to 100% knot strength as you're ever gonna get ......


The end result should look like this ........










Enjoy people and have fun !!!!

Fluff Chuckin'............

well ok, this won't apply to most of you reading this if you're a general coarse angler/carp/pike, well come to think of it anything but a river angler!

Yes, remember, it’s the closed season…… remember that??? I do …. every year!

Being a river angler, I still have to abide by the centuries old rule that says, keep off the rivers from the 15th of march to the 15th of june (both dates inclusive of course) ……. This of course was brought in to give the rivers a rest and the fish a chance to recuperate, breed, and to give the bank’s a rest from the constant traffic of anglers. As we all know, or at least I hope we do, the fish do not spawn to order at this particular time of year, indeedy – last year the fish on the River Dane were spawning as late as august…… ‘nuff said……

We might not like it, we might not agree with it, but – we have to adhere to it !

Personally, I’ve stopped being bothered by it now, it is pretty refreshing to take a break and come back to the rivers come June with overgrown banks and new features to explore, a bit like having to rediscover your stretch that you thought you knew like the back of your hand last year …..

And still, I always say…… you know what, I’m gonna go float fishing/beach casting/rock fishing on Anglesey etc etc and I never do ! I usually get a daft idea of a d.i.y project to do and end up stretching it out somehow to the 15th of June !

But not this year…… oh no, with the acquisition of a Prince Albert ticket and a prior purchase of a fly outfit, I’d decided, what better way to keep a track of what’s going on with the rivers during the closed season than wandering the banks with some fluff chuckin’ gear ! Perfect plan but I had to work out how to use the damn stuff ……..

Fly casting lessons started in the back garden, and mines big (the back garden that is), I say lessons, I wasn’t so much being TAUGHT as doing my own crash course …..
For anyone who’s never tried it before, like me, IT IS NOT EASY ! in fact, the harder you try, the more of a pigs ear you make !

Onto the ‘net’ to do some research , couple of min’s later I’ve found instructions detailing the theory and scientific formulas for fly casting! God this fella knew his stuff, went right over my head apart from the simple diagram which went, rod up, ten past – stop – pause – rod forward – ten to – stop……. Hmmmm ….. now this I could get, back into the garden, swish thisaway, swish thataway, …… result ! It’s all down to technique like most things, and this does require some serious practise and technique, but with a bit of patience and common sense, I soon knew that any trout that dared to venture within ten yards of the bank was in mortal peril !!! God how I hoped they didn’t live beyond my ten yard maximum !

Armed with my newfound ability to fling some fluff the mighty ten yards I decided to venture down the Dane, which thankfully you can spit across in some parts ! Armed also with my assortment of various bits of ‘fluff’, no idea what they’re called but they look good …. I felt confident that at least I could cast out! Always a good start …….
And now, two trips down the line – erm, lets just say the river is yet to produce the goods!

It’s not for want of trying believe me but these ‘ere trout and grayling just aren’t playing ball yet, in all fairness I don’t think I’ve actually seen one taking! But, I am enjoying myself, which is what it’s all about – I’m getting to see not only some new stretches that I am slowly discovering, but I’m out ‘n about where I’m normally not.

And when I do catch my first trout/grayling/chub or whatever on the fly, you will be the first to see the results !

Cheeky little tips pt.2 Braid Knots

Now then, anyone trying to tie BRAID to MONOFILAMENT might just appreciate this little tip 'cos it's been tried and tested by the boys at Trafford AS and it's turned out to be as near to 100% reliable as we've come across.

So what's the problem???

well, due to the nature of the two materials - this makes it notoriously difficult to tie without the braid bunching up nicely as you tease the knot down, but then as it tries to get a grip on the mono, it all goes pear-shaped and the braid just slips away to nothing!

Knots such as the FULL BLOOD KNOT just won't work. They are by their nature, strangulation knots which work well on mono's of a similar diameter, and to some extent on different diameter lines - but just not with Braid........


With the braid being a very smooth material with a fine diameter, and the mono being a material that needs some 'bite', tying the two together can seem like an impossibly frustrating task. Worse still is tyrying to tie two completely different diameter's together, for example when tying up a heavy mono shock leader (40lb for example) to a braid of a much finer diameter. Even braids at 40lb breaking strain will be less than half the diameter of the mono, so even though the breaking strain is the same, the actual diameters are worlds apart.

So what's the solution????

Well, after trials with a barrage of knots at the shop, mooching through an old book on knot tying one day, i came across a knot that described itself as......

For tying lines of differing materials and unequal diameter, for example tying backing line to a fly line........

Now how much different in diameter can you get than that? Fly line backing is generally a thick Dacron type material that's usually a bit chunky and the line itself would be a lot smaller in diameter so it had to be worth a go ........

We were actually tying this up for a customer called shaun who's well into his carping and needed to tie a 40lb shock leader to his 12lb braided mainline, so far without success ......

After studying the diagram for a few minutes we tied one up.... now bearing in mind with a decent knot, most 12lb mono's usually break at about 14.5lb 'cos all the manufacturers seem to understate the 'real' breaking strain, it went at a shade over 14lb tied up with no rig glue or anything else done to it, just a straight knot.

Impressed, we tied another, same result. A few practise knots later, a spot of rig glue and we had it breaking just under 15lb !

And the best about it is, the knot ends up very small and neat, it flies through the rod rings without a 'clunk' and, as Shaun later testified, stood up to his rigorous fish playing the next trip out! So confident was he, that he was piling on the power without a second thought.

Now the picture is a scan, not a bad one, so it will 'blow up' a bit if you use the windows picture viewer, just right click on the picture, choose 'save as' and send it somewhere easy to find like your desktop for later use.
If tied correctly and carefully, you will get as near as 100% breaking strain out of your line, put a spot of rig glue on it just to finish it off and see how neatly it turns out......

And the name of this Knot, The ALBRIGHT KNOT.

enjoy

Dave

Fox Stratos 10,000 reel

Well, we copped a look at a potential gem today during a visit by our Fox area rep', Steve Bailey. . . . . . . . .

Out of his box of tricks he produced no less than ........ a big pit ........
(i'll refrain from using the word 'baitrunner')
FREESPOOL Reel ! but we all know what a 'freespool' is . . .

So back to the reel in question...

On the face of it, it's got to be said, it looks tidy. very tidy.
The spool shaft has that slow oscilation that lays the line very closely and very evenly, in short it was as flat as a pancake - looked perfect.

It has a chunky feel that i like, it actually feels like they've put summat inside it instead of that hollow feel you get with some reels...... no soul some of them.
It doesn't look particularly 'flash', yet it just screams quality at you, and it's got some rather tasty features let me tell ya . . . . .

Shall we start with, ahem - no fewer than 16 BALL BEARINGS ! 16 for gods sake! where oh where do they put them eh? Oh sorry, i forgot the extra roller bearing, so thats 17 all in all!
Then there's the bail that locks in the 'down' position. Think on, it's only a small thing but most bails lock to stop them snapping shut during the cast in the 'up' position...... personally, i'm not a fan of this anyway, gets in my way - i like this downward thinking, very clever.

The spool is push-button, but, the drags on the front too........ hmmmm tricky, how did they do that you ask? Now think again, how many reels can you think of with a front disc drag, that have a push button spool too? Yep, same as me, none!
Aren't all push button spooled reels rear drag you ask? Erm, no, not this one.....

Very clever Mr.Fox.......leaves the back of the reel the space to stick, what should be stuck there, the FREESPOOL adjuster.(which is just as finely adjustable as the front clutch)

Also, the FREESPOOL lever folds FLAT when the lever kicks back into the gears, remember Daiwa doing that on their Freespools? Then they changed it to be 'in with the in crowd' Why oh why did they change it . . . . . . Well, Mr.Fox in his infinite wisdom, has gone back to the common sense way, and good on him. Why would you need the lever to be stuck out the back of the reel anyway? Surely it's better tucked away when not in use...... but i digress . . . . . .

So what else has it got? MASSIVE line capacity, bigger than that other well known one,(10,000xt) A very clever spool arbour for 'shallowing up' the massive capacity spools.
Did i mention a free spare spool? Or that to buy a spare spool (alloy) will only cost you £14.99 ! Cheap as chips i tells ya ...... Compared with......well, you know ;-)

Now then...... does it have any 'bad' points????? untill Darren said it, in his words not mine, its heavy...... i thought..... compared with what? a Shimano big pit baitrunner? nah........... not when you consider it's stuffed with 17 bearings!

I think it feels 'chunky' in a good way, solid even, all the usuall features and more..... plenty more, i've forgotten a load since seeing it, so i'll leave you with this pic' to have a look at........ enjoy, 'cos i will when i get my hands on one....

Wembley Carp Conference

As reported by Danny Hale, Rigmeister General of Trafford A.S

Nothing but good reports have been flooding in about the Carp & Coarse Show, 02.04.2006 which was attended by Trafford members, Danny Pete and Darren.

Many well known faces of the carp world were on hand for demo's on baits and rigs and talks on specialised subjects such as short session carping, and inside the carp's mind.

Record breaking stars such as Terry Hearn, Nick Helleur, Ian Poole, Mark Hutchinson Damian Clarke, Lee Jackson, Rob Maylin, Simon Crowe and many more were all on hand to answer any questions the public had.



Picture 1, one of the busiest stands of the day! The Free Spirit stand gets some much deserved attention.






There were many excellent stalls from the likes of Korda, Delkim, Sticky Baits, Trakker, Richworth, B.C.U.K, Gardner, Dynamite and of course Free Spirit.
Actually, full marks had to go to the Free spirit and Gardner stands which were second to none and well worth a visit for the impressive content they had.
There were many demo's of the new gear coming out soon like the new Korda backleads and the new Delkim buzzers.(available late April/early May)

So there's a nice little taster of what's to come for the 2006 season, and i can tell you, you won't be dissapointed!





Picture 2, Jamie Masson giving Pete and darren a run through of the new products from B.C.U.K

Cheeky Little Tips Pt 1

While i'm sitting around, waiting for Danny to bring me in some photo's of the Carp Conference i thought i might as well take the time to put a little tip or two together so here's one . . . . .

Going back to summer a few years ago, after getting my first half decent digital camera - it struck me that as i was sat there enjoying the sun, i'd realised like a lightbulb pinging over my head, the most obvious downfall of a digital camera.

After being used to years and years of carrying around an SLR camera (single lens reflex-35mm) i'd also got used to having my array of filters with me for these exact conditions - sunny no cloud, very bright - to take the 'glare' off the water for better clarity, and it also takes the 'shine' off the sky so for example, so the clouds appear very defined.

Gawping through the digital camera lens, the scene looked exactly as i expected it to be, way too bright !

In a flash of inspiration, the sunglasses came off my head and i held it over the lens of the camera, Bingo ! Sussed ! All became clear, no reflection on the water and clear skies just like that ! No great big bag of lenses, and as the sunglasses are always in my rucksack, no worries about forgetting them.

I rattled off a few shots and they came out just as well as if i had my SLR and a bag of effects lenses. I also figured out how to do a self portrait in the same mode by tying the glasses to the camera with the lanyard !

The pic below is from last summer on the Ribble and i think the clarity of the picture speaks for itself . . . . . . . So there ya go . . . . how to cheapskate around camera filters !