Daiwa reveals new gear for 2014
This past year has seen Daiwa embark on a campaign of mid-season launches in the UK – especially reels. Over the past few months the company has introduced the latest TDR, Entoh, Theory, Pro-Caster and Windcast models – oh, and don’t forget the top of the range Air pole and several new rods.
Would the Scotland-based giant have had anything left in its locker for next year? Well, yes. At its first trade show of 2013 it soon became clear that plenty of excellent new fishing tackle had been put in the vaults for next season.
There would be no new flagship pole this time around, as these only appear every three or four years. There was, though, an upgraded Airity pole, slightly lighter and stiffer than the original and with butt sections made from X45 carbon cloth that aids reinforcement to prevent section compression. If you have a tendency to over-enthusiasm when striking then this could be the perfect pole for you.
There was also a brand new 14.5m Match Winner power pole, and a superb new range of mid-priced cult black 12ft and 13ft Whisker DF carp rods, including matching Spod and Marker models.
Matchwinner Pole
Designed with commercials in mind, the new 14.5m Daiwa Matchwinner pole is rated to a size 20 elastic and is ideally suited to both open water and margin tactics.
Constructed from Daiwa’s super dependable high performance MSG multi strand graphite cloth, it features a diamond satin easy glide finish on its eighth, ninth and 10th sections and comes with a spares package compatible with nearly all current Daiwa models.
Price: £999
X45 Airity Pole
The original Airity hardly needed improvement, but Daiwa has re-vamped it with the strategic use of a new X45 construction on key handling areas, creating anti- compression zones that allow for more confident handling.
The new model is also claimed to have an enhanced feel and performance at longer lengths and comes with an amazing eight spare top kits
Promo price: £2,999
Spectron Rods
Striking Spectron rods will replace Daiwa’s Connoisseur collection next year. These include 11ft and 12ft pellet wagglers, two 13ft float rods (one power), and 13ft/15ft and 17ft/20ft river models. There are three feeder rods too – a 9ft/10ft light feeder and bomb, a 10ft/11ft rod that looks ideal for commercials, and a long-casting 12ft/13ft beast that is perfect for heavier set-ups.
Price: £240.99-£350
Whisker DF Carp Rods
Sharing the pedigree of Daiwa’s top-end signature Infinity DF (Danny Fairbrass) carp rods, the latest UK-built Whisker DF range claims a breakthrough in design. Offered in 12ft and 13ft lengths and with 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.5lb test curves, with matching spod and marker rods available, they have a custom-built look and feel that will make them much sought-after next season.
Price: £175-£185
Certate Reels
Certate reels offer a choice of sizes and specifications to handle everything from light lure work with low diameter braids, up to high-speed retrieves for cranking in larger plugs and spinners. The mid-sized 3000-4000 models are widely considered to be the best float and feeder reels available.
Price: £335-£360
Team Daiwa Luggage
Re-designed with the modern Daiwa logo for 2014, the retro black with red piping deluxe range has withstood the test of time. Made from tough PVC-backed nylon, it features durable reinforced plastic bases. Two new carryalls will also be available next year, taking keepnet bags and easily enough bait and tackle for a weekend’s fishing.
Price: £8.99-£64.99
Red Eye Sunglasses
How clever are these polarised sunglasses? They heighten the visibility of red/orange thanks to a special coating, making them especially useful when floatfishing with blaze-coloured float tops. With polycarbonate lenses, they are also highly water repellent.
Price: £49.99
Hyper Sensor Line
This new mono mainline offers a greatly reduced diameter, and more abrasion-resistance over the original Daiwa Sensor line.
It has improved knot strength too and will cast a long way thanks to its low diameter and super-slick finish. It’s available in bulk or on single-shot 300m spools.
Price: £12.99 (6lb-30lb)
£5.99 (5lb-12lb)
Seatbox Accessories
This latest D-Tatch system is both versatile and convenient. It will fit both square and round legs (up to 25mm in diameter) and has a carrier stub that can be left in situ on your seatbox and used with any one of the new accessory fitments such as pole socks and roost, spraybar, keepnet connectors and accessory arms.
Price: £5.99-£13.99
Black Widow Reels
Owning a Daiwa reel, especially in the larger sizes, can work out rather expensive. However, these quite stunning Black Widow freespool models in 3500, 4000, 4500 and 5000 sizes will go some way to dispelling that reservation. Sharing the same body shape as the popular Emcast models, Black Widows feature Air Bail and Twist Buster line rollers and come with a robust aluminium spool.
Price: £69.99
Morethan Branzino AGS Rod
With the extraordinary high price tag of £999 I doubt that the 10ft Branzino AGS Boat/Surf bass rod will become a ‘must have’ item for most people fishing off Cromer pier. However it is made from Daiwa’s best carbon cloth, weighs just 5.5oz and can boast a set of jaw dropping all-carbon guides which together weigh less than a single standard chrome ring.
Price: £999
Infinity Plateau Bedchair
The top of the range Infinity Plateau is a bedchair of flatbed design that provides the comfort needed for longer sessions.
It comes with a fleece mattress that can be removed for cleaning, and is of lightweight aluminium construction.
Price: £230
Mission Deluxe Bedchair
This new bedchair has a luxurious fixed mattress around a low profile steel frame. Features include a special screw lock back rest with extra legs for added support and spring-loaded leg locks with mudfeet.
Price: £114.99
Gekkabijin LRF rods
I have no idea how to pronounce the above name, but I can certainly vouch for the exceptional action of these rods. The super lightweight carbon blanks are remarkably soft and subtle in the tip, making them perfect for the fast growing mini species sea tactic of Light Rock Fishing (LRF). You get Fuji K guides, high- impact handles and super-fine solid carbon tips.
Price: £129.99-£149.99
Sundridge Igloo MK7 Suit
With winter on its way the new Sundridge Igloo MK7 is sure to be sought after by the predator angling brigade. This super tough garment is fully waterproof and breathable and has a very warm built-in polyester quilted lining.
Price: £129.99
Tri-Loader Barrow
To my mind the new Tri-Loader is a bit of a quirky item. Obviously it has three wheels, hence its name, but the high loading position and tilted angle are not filling me with faith in its stability, and it doesn’t look particularly strong around the rear wheel axle area either. Still, time will tell.
Price: £119.99
Saltist Sea Seatbox and Ruck Converter
What a great little idea this is. Designed for the shore or boat angler, the box has a deep base with a top tier tackle area that is quick and easy to access.
The clever Ruck Converter allows it to be carried in the rucksack position, and there’s a cushion to make the job comfortable.
Price: Team Daiwa Sea Seatbox £34.99
Ruck Converter £24.99
Saltist Lever Drag Multipliers
These new Lever Drag reels have a remarkable 7.3:1 retrieve ratio and can be set to three positions of engagement. They are best used for fish with attitude, but on the lightest setting they give you enough freedom of spool travel for tossing baits away from the boat with the reassurance of no overruns. What happens next is up to you.
Price: £299-£325
Grafham heads up new pike season
The traditional pike fishing season got off to a flying start with both stillwater and river fisheries producing some of their biggest predators of 2013.
At the top of the long list of venues hitting top form was Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water as it produced what’s believed to be its biggest fish this year so far in the shape of a pristine 25lb 2oz specimen landed by Rich Holden under the expert guidance of Waterland Fishing guide Gordon Howes. After locating a shoal of bait fish, the 27-year-old cast out a Power Team Hammer Shad lure in about 20ft of water and connected with the fish after half an hour.
It wasn’t just the pike anglers cashing in on the excellent sport on offer, with perch to 4lb and double figure zander reported along with similar results at Anglian Water’s Rutland Water.
Two new venues have also opened their doors to predator anglers for the first time ever this year.
In its first week, Eyebrook Trout Fishery in Leicestershire has already produced large numbers of pike to a best of 23lb and perch to 3lb 14oz. Top Scottish trout fishery Harelaw in Renfrewshire, has also announced plans to allow a limited number of pike anglers access from November 1 until March 10 2014.
Predator fishing legend Neville Fickling was one of several high profile anglers to target the resident predators for the very first time at Eyebrook Trout Fishery and is very optimistic about the coming season.
“It’s been a great start with lots of smaller fish being caught from all over the UK,” Neville told Angling Times. “It’s just a matter of time until the weather starts to get a little colder and the big fish will certainly go on the feed.
“Pike fishing is getting more popular every year and the demand for venues to facilitate predator anglers is increasing. It’s great news that venues such as Eyebrook are opening their doors to us.
Further north, two budding predator anglers broke their personal bests at small Scottish Lochs.
The first was 13-year-old junior Pike Angling Club (PAC) member Michael Ward from Merseyside who banked a 21lb 2oz pike on a legered mackerel tail coated in Pikepro Mackerel Oil and Red Dye. A session at Loch Ronald produced a fish of 18lb for Daniel Fletcher (16) who offered a roach deadbait on a pair of size 4 Owner trebles close to a set of reeds in 4ft of water.
Running water venues have also been producing first-class sport for visiting pike anglers. The famous Royalty Fishery on the River Avon in Hampshire has already produced several fish over the 20lb barrier and one angler landed 12 pike to double figures in a single session.
Nigel Davis, owner of Davis Tackle on the bank of the river, said: “The best fish I’ve had reported so far is a cracking 26lb specimen which is a great fish for this time of year. So far lures have definitely been the best tactic.”
Thames barbel is new record
Carl Welch battled through the pain of a broken wrist and cracked ribs to bank the biggest barbel of the season and set a new River Thames record in the process with this 18lb 6oz specimen.
It was the first time that the Felton, Middlesex-based all-rounder had been able to get out on the bank since getting knocked off his bike while on his way to the waterway with all of his tackle earlier this year.
His efforts were rewarded, however, when he smashed his personal best after arriving at the venue at first light. And it only took 20 minutes for his tip to pull round after flicking out a 16mm Aqua Dynamix boilie in conjunction with a PVA bag filled with whole and crushed baits.
Due to his injury and the sheer power of the fish - that beats the previous venue record set by Guy Robb in 2005 with a barbel of 18lb 2oz - it took Carl over 40 minutes to land the historic specimen.
“The doctors told me to stay at home and rest, but it was like torture sitting there reading the Angling Times and looking at all of the big fish that were being caught,” said Carl. “So I just had to take some pain killers and get out there. I would have gone mad without being able to cast a line.
“When I finally got the fish into the net it was like someone was rewarding me for putting up with the pain and getting down to the river for first light.
“I didn’t know that I’d broken the river record until a few days after and that really got my head spinning. I’ve been fishing the River Thames for so long and it means a lot because it’s a venue that’s very special to me,” added Carl, who used a 15lb braided hooklink attached to a size 8 hook.
New Angling Times Issue 3130 out now!
This week big hitters including Des Taylor and Keith Arthur give their take on the week’s happenings plus read brilliant tactical advice from Steve Ringer, Dave Harrell and Terry Hearn. There’s also John Wilson’s final interview before he leaves for Thailand and he’s not holding anything back with his thoughts on otters, cormorants and the state of UK fishing. For tackle fans we bring you the latest gear from Maver and Shimano plus the eagerly-awaited Tackle & Guns Show while in the big fish world there’s a huge 4lb 7oz perch for Gareth Goldson, Julian Lewis-Jones in search of big sharks and a day ticket 50lb carp from Bluebell Lakes. Add that to the latest match results including how Des Shipp won at White Acres and you’ve got the complete package at your fingertips – out on the iPad now, in shops Tuesday October 15.
43lb Scar out at Bluebell
The saying ‘just like buses’ certainly rang true for Gavin Grimshaw who landed a brace of big commons during a session on Bluebell’s Swan Lake.
The 48-year-old Northants-based driver had never caught one over the 30lb-barrier in well over a decade of fishing the famous day-ticket water, but ended up landing three in the last fortnight, including two in an hour.
His golden 60 minutes featured a common of 36lb along with one of the lake’s most sought after residents – a fish known as the Scar at 43lb.
Speaking to Angling Times, Gavin said: “I’ve fished here forever, 12 or 13 years, and never had a 30lb common despite there being plenty of them in the venue. That all changed two weeks ago when I had my first and then I had the Scar at 43lb and the 36lb within an hour of each other.”
Gavin, who once agonisingly lost Benson, the complex’s famous common which topped the 60lb-mark, added: “I was on cloud nine and just couldn’t stop smiling.
“I knew as soon as I hooked the big one that it was a good fish. It had a huge tail like a paddle and took me 15 minutes to land.”
Gavin offered about 1.5kg of Mainline Hybrid boilies on a silty patch at 80 yards and fished a matching hookbait over the top.
35lb 6oz is best of five at Burghfield for Ed Betteridge
Ed Betteridge has continued his run of form on the daunting 96-acre Burghfield Lake in Berkshire with a five fish haul.
The highlight of the Derbyshire-based Greys media manager’s session was a stunning 35lb 6oz mirror which he backed up with another thirty of 31lb 8oz as well as fish of 29lb 14oz and two of 23lb.
Targeting a long range spot which he’d baited the week before with Mainline Baits Hybrid boilies and Response pellets, Ed offered pop-up hookbaits on a short hinged-stiff rigs.
“This is my most successful session on the venue to date,” he told Angling Times. “The first morning of the trip produced only one bite - a 31lb 8oz mirror. The action was much more frantic on the second morning with the line bites starting at 3am. Between 7am and 9am I received four bites, resulting in one lost fish, a tench and mirrors of 23lb and 29lb 14oz.
“The third morning produced two more fish, including my first common from the water at 23lb, and the best fish of the session in the form of a stunning 35lb 6oz mirror. I was completely taken aback by the success of the trip and it will certainly be one that I will always remember from the low-stocked water.”
Death of Big Jona
Fishery boss Rob Hales says he regrets not closing one of his lakes in the weeks preceding the death of one of the country’s biggest carp.
Jona, who topped out at 61lb 8oz and was last caught in August at a weight of 58lb, was found dead last Wednesday at the Avenue in Shropshire. Owner Rob Hales told Angling Times the inhabitants had struggled having not spawned successfully this summer.
He said: “We think we had a slight problem on the fishery, something we had never seen before. The fish didn’t spawn successfully this year and we had a number of experts assess it. The fish that were caught in early August were stressed out and their immune system was weakened – they had a small parasite that all fish in all fisheries have but unfortunately the fish that had been caught were weaker. Really, we should’ve been closed when Jona was last caught, so I blame myself for that.”
Jona was believed to be about 20-years-old and had grown quickly since first being caught over the 40lb-barrier by Iain Macmillan in 2010.
Rob added: “She was a very special fish but the Avenue did a lake-record 48lb 4oz common last week and I’m sure that fish will smash through the 50lb barrier in the spring. Whether it’ll reach 60lb is another matter as you need a lot of things to come together.”
Rob, who discovered Jona’s body himself, said the fish would not be mounted. He said: “I thought about it but I’d rather look forwards than backwards.”
Top fisheries set to create more lakes
Two of the UK’s biggest commercial complexes have this week revealed plans to build new ‘pleasure angler only’ lakes after admitting they are turning day-ticket anglers away due to the sheer number of pegs booked for matches.
Neil Grantham, owner of Lindholme Lakes in Yorkshire, has announced he is working on three new waters to ‘readdress the balance of his fishery’.
“I’ve made the massive mistake of neglecting pleasure anglers,” he told Angling Times. “To turn them away because I’ve no pegs left is not right. Thankfully this will soon be a thing of the past.”
The biggest of the new waters, Benny’s Lake, will have space for 80 anglers and there will also be two separate 20 peg waters.
“Day-ticket anglers should be able to go fishing at the best fisheries in the UK every day of the week but there are too many that are booked up with matches. This isn’t going to happen at Lindholme anymore.”
Similar plans are also in place at Staffordshire’s Cudmore Fishery to ensure that pleasure anglers will always be guaranteed a swim.
Two new ‘canal style’ lakes are currently being dug to provide more pegs and the venue’s bosses admitted that it’s a ‘crying shame’ to turn pleasure anglers away when they’re booked up with competitions.
“We get very busy with matches, but it’s our aim never to be in the position to have to turn pleasure anglers away just because we can’t cater for their needs,” said Frank Clarke, angling co-ordinator at Cudmore Fishery.
“These two new waters will free up many pegs for the guys that just want to turn up for the day, which is how it should be.”
Fishing author asks for help
‘A celebration of Britain's canals,’ is how author Dom Garnett has described his current book project, which aims to be a ‘how to’ guide to methods and species as well as the definitive reference work on manmade waterways across Britain.
"Canals represent a fascinating fishing resource," he said. "There’s over 2,000 miles of water, with endless possibilities for pleasure, match and specimen anglers alike, not to mention a deep nostalgia and rich history."
Touring dozens of waterways from the Highlands of Scotland to the far south of England, Dom's work will feature both picturesque waters and gritty urban settings.
"The aim is to provide the most thorough book ever written on canal fishing, complete with up to date records and info."
Merlin Unwin will publish the work in early spring 2014. In the meantime, Dom is keen to link up with as many clubs and anglers as possible, with a special interest in remarkable or unusual catches, fishery details and colourful tales from towpaths across Britain.
You can contact him at: domgarnett@yahoo.co.uk or 07804 240986
Big bait for 14lb bass
Late summer nights normally provide the best chance of a large bass on the North Devon Coast and using big baits can often pay dividends - as David Brooke proved with this 14lb specimen.
The Combe Martin Sea Angling Club member was fishing with his friend Derek Ferret, who caught a 10lb 10oz fish the previous night, on an unknown local shore mark. Both fish were returned to the sea alive and were tempted using Ammo dirty squid presented on Sakuma Manta Extra hooks. David is no stranger to big bass having landed a specimen of 15lb 6oz back in 1984, also from a Devon mark.
Linear's biggest common banked
The biggest common carp at Linear Fisheries has been banked at a top weight of 46lb 12oz.
The fish, from the 26-acre Oxlease Lake, was caught at the Oxfordshire venue last week by Peter Blanks.
The 56-year-old Essex angler offered sweetcorn hookbaits over a bed of Tails Up pellets at 40 yards range and used Harrison rods, ESP mainline and a 15lb Korda N-Trap hooklink attached to a size 10 Korda Kurv Shank hook.
Chris Blunt, Linear’s fishery officer, said: “The big fish set a new lake record for Oxlease and a complex record for commons. It was weighed on two sets of scales by fishery head bailiff Roy Parsons.”
Big common on overnight session
An overnight session on the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake produced this mint common for Duncan Arrandale.
The Worcestershire angler banked the 33lb 2oz specimen shortly after dawn from a clear spot in the weed 40 yards out.
Duncan, who baited the spot with a kilo of whole and chopped Mistral i40 boilies, said: “Having just got the rods in before dark I had a couple of liners on my right-hand rod, so went to bed feeling confident.
“Just on dawn I received a couple more liners on the right-hand rod, then at 7am it was the left-hand rod that tightened up and was away. This well-proportioned common was the culprit – just in time for me to pack up ready for work.”
Duncan fooled the fish on a hinged stiff rig.
Bait tester banks new personal-best barbel
Barbel angler Adrian Needham enjoyed a productive session on a tough stretch of the Middle Trent when he banked a number of double figure fish including a new personal best of 14lb 14oz.
The Three Foot Twitch baits tester decided to put the company’s Rubby Dubby boilies through their paces and was pleased with the response when a 10lb specimen was quickly followed by another double of 10lb 13oz.
But the best was yet to come and half an hour before he was about to pack up, his new pb picked up the bait and ‘shot off like a train’.
He said: “In the last four sessions I have landed eight doubles from this stretch and this was the icing on the cake.”
Tuna trial boats two UK giants
Last week Angling Times reported how a cruise company in the Outer Hebrides was planning to start tuna fishing trips.
Now the skipper Angus Campbell has landed two huge bluefins weighing 515lb and 400lb on only his third trial run targeting them. Fishing 10 – 15 miles west of Leverburgh, the fish were hooked within 10 seconds of each other and took Angus and his two crew members about an hour to land. The 400lb tuna was swiftly released, but the second was bigger and had unfortunately swallowed the lure, so it was taken back to port.
“We intend to be very conservation minded and will operate catch and release fishing to sustain the population, but we’re still learning as we go on and are so looking at some new hooks which disintegrate quickly if the trace has to be cut. We intend to start taking anglers out between late August and October 2014, when the water here is at its warmest,” said Angus.
For information on the trips, keep an eye on Angus’ website www.kildacruises.co.uk.
360lb holiday Arapaima
This cracking 360lb arapaima was the highlight of Jeremy Smith’s holiday at Gillhams Fishing Resort in Thailand.
The huge specimen was tempted by the Somerset-based rod with a single pellet and after a powerful fight was eventually beaten with the help of a 6lb test curve carp rod and 35lb mainline.
The session could have been even more memorable for Jeremy as on his last cast of the trip he hooked in to arapaima over seven feet in length and estimated to weigh 450-500lb. Unfortunately after playing it for over 40 minutes his line parted and the fish escaped.
Lea form continues for Joe Royffe
Joe Royffe’s run of form on the River Lea is showing no signs of slowing following the capture of this 7lb 10oz chub.
Returning to the same swim where he’d caught a 14lb 7oz barbel three days earlier he found the water had dropped back to its normal levels and with the colour having dropped out he knew that the chance of a decent chub was on the cards.
It wasn’t long before his hunch was proved correct and 10 minutes after casting out he connected with the 7lb 10oz specimen. This was later backed up with a small barbel of 7lb 6oz.
“I have now landed nine chub and seven barbel from the venue in the last five sessions alone,” he said. “There’s definitely the chance of an 8lb-plus chub from the river this winter.”
Joe used a 12mm Sonubaits pellet wrapped in paste on a combi-rig.
Avid reveals new gear for 2014
Last week one of the most innovative specimen tackle companies Avid Carp, unveiled their new products for next season, and Angling Times popped along to Staffordshire’s Baden Hall to take a sneak preview.
The team at Avid have been working hard behind the scenes on a number of launches including their first foray in to the rod market with two different models along with dedicated spod and marker rods which we able to put through their paces. They’re also releasing a new range of hooks which, as you’d expect from the brand, are a little bit different to everything else on the market.
Here are our favourite items which we are sure will prove to be a huge hit with anglers…
MSX RODS
These hand-built rods have 2.75lb and 3.25lb test curves making them ideal for all-round use.
Built using super high-modulus two-piece blanks, they also sport 50mm butt rings, full duplon handles and have the understated aesthetics you’d associate with a custom-build rod.
Prices: £199.99 for 3.25lb and £179.99 for the 2.75lb model.
DISTANCE SPOD
You need a serious bit of kit to fire out spod-fulls of bait over a disance – and this rod is just the tool for the job.
Constructed from a top-of-the-range blank, it produces an incredible amount of power to propel your payload huge distances.
Price: £249.99 rrp
DISTANCE MARKER
Purpose-built as a feature-finding rod it is capable of casting a marker float and heavy lead long distances.
The rod has a stiff yet sensitive tip that will transmit information back through the two-piece blank allowing you to feel every variation.
Price: £249.99 rrp
DSK RODS
If you’re looking to catch fish at range, These new DSK rods are the ones to reach for.
Designed for fishing at extreme distances, these are at the forefront of rod technology. The rods come as 12ft and 13ft models and are super-strong, incredibly reliable and will help you achieve long casting distances.
The rods boast abbreviated handles, 50mm butt rings and anti-frap tip rings.
Price: £299.99 rrp
METHOD FEEDERS AND MOULDS
THESE new Avid flat bed Method feeders are available in small and large body sizes, with a choice of weights from 1.5oz to 3oz.
The unique body shape has an aerodynamic design and weighted nose that allows them to fly long and straight so you can hit the spot every time.
Its quick-change system means that you can change the weight of feeder in seconds to adapt to any situation.
Prices: £3.99 for feeders, £2.99 for moulds.
REACTION HOOKS
THESE new hooks are finished in a non-glare green colour that helps with concealment.
There are four patterns – Long Shank, Chod, Curved Chank and Wide Gape. All of them have strength and reliability in mind and are sticky sharp to maximise hook-ups on a variety of rigs.
The hooks come in packs of 12 of sizes 4-10 and in barbed and barbless variations.
Price: £5.25 per pack.
SCREEN HOUSE SHELTER IS MASSIVE
THIS gazebo-style shelter is simply massive and is sure to find much favour with anglers who fish on the Continent.
The shelter is easy to erect and has four full-length zips on all sides that allow to attach a bivvy to create one huge complex with a central social awning. Features include four mozzie mesh sides, taped seams, groundsheet and pegs.
The shelter is 2.3m high and 3.3m wide, giving you plenty of room. That packs down into a small carry bag.
Price: £199.99
ZIGBOX STORAGE
AVAILABLE in November, this is the ultimate way to store and transport your
zig rigs.
The compact box is supplied with eight zig spools that will each comfortably hold four
made-up rigs. The spools have sliders that allow you to conveniently store zigs of all lengths.
Made from watertight hard plastic, each box has a 12ins ruler so it’s easy to adjust the length of your rigs on the bank.
Each box comes
with 32 spare spool stickers for easy identification of what rigs you have ready.
Price: £14.99
SAFEGUARD ANY LEVEL CRADLE
CARP care is of paramount importance in today’s fishing world and this carp cradle from Avid has a fully padded exterior and interior for supreme fish protection.
The fresh design has mesh centres for better water drainage, a cover flap to temporarily secrure the fish, and is constructed with adjustable legs that makes them easy to use on uneven surface.
The sturdy, collapsible frame has a fold-flat design and is quick and simple to pack away in its supplied carry bag.
Price: £89.99
DEPTH GAUGE BRAID
BRAID is an essential component for any feature-finding and this new line from Avid has been specifically designed to transmit every bump and knock to your hand.
With its black marks every 1ft, it’s also great for plumbing depths.
Price: £39.99 for 200yd spool
Three Linch Hill thirties
Scott Lloyd has tamed Linch Hill’s Christchurch Lake in recent weeks, banking three thirties in two sessions.
The 24-year-old bagged a 39lb 4oz common and mirrors of 35lb 14oz mirror and 29lb 8oz during his first three-night stay, and returned a week later to snare a scaly 31lb 14oz specimen.
The Crewe rod travelled south to the Oxfordshire complex for his first session and managed to get in position before a change in the wind direction.
He said: “I applied the bait and got the rods out quickly before the wind swung. Shortly afterwards, the wind kicked in and just as I had predicted the fish moved in and the rigs were waiting! It’s nice when things go to plan because, as we all know, it’s so easy to be so wrong.”
Scott used 5kg of Sticky’s Krill boilies and pellets during each session and fished with Korda rig bits.
Big eels fall to corn
Raymond Wallace couldn’t quite believe it when his tench fishing session was interrupted by not one, but two, huge eels of 7lb 10oz and 6lb 4oz.
Targeting a lake close to his London home, the 64-year-old caught both fish using a waggler and a corn hookbait three rod lengths out. Both fish were beaten using a 12ft match, 3lb line and size 14 hook, over a bed of corn and mashed bread feed.
Raymond reckons that soaking his corn in halibut marine oil for three days previously pulled in the eels: “I’ve had success doing this for tench before and when I hooked the first eel I actually thought it was a record tench,” he said. “Then it started going backwards in that giveaway eel style. I didn’t even know there was any in the water. My personal best was 6lb 3oz before this and I’ve had a few 5lb’ers on deadbaits but these latest two were pure luck!”
Stiff penalty for abusive licence cheat
Rod licence dodgers could be in-line to face tougher penalties after an evader became one of the first ever to receive a community service order for his crime.
Law abiding anglers have bemoaned lenient sentences handed out to thousands of people caught without the correct documentation but the courts made a stand against the issue when Scott Riddle was ordered to do 50 hours of unpaid work and banned from the sport for a year.
The 29-year-old from Somerset was approached at his local docks by Environment Agency staff in January who asked to see his rod licence. He instantly became rude and evasive, giving a false date of birth and swearing before pushing past a bailiff.
Despite their best efforts to calm him down he continued in the same vain and was eventually handcuffed while police were called for assistance.
Appearing at Taunton Magistrates Court, Scott pleaded not guilty to fishing without a rod licence but guilty to obstructing an EA bailiff. He was subsequently found guilty of both offences.
Officials confirmed the tough sentence was handed out as a result of the violent nature shown by the defendant and EA staff member Richard Dearnley said: “‘The defendant could have saved himself a lot of time and trouble if he’d purchased a licence and shown a little more courtesy when approached by bailiffs.
“We watched him make five or six casts and there was no doubt he was fishing,” he added.
Since the conviction Angling Times have been inundated with comments on Facebook about the decision, and reader Andy Bristow said: “I don’t think this goes far enough. The fines should be at least £1,000 for the first offence. I’m currently unemployed so if I can afford a licence so can everyone else.”
Yorkshire’s Craig Brown also shared this view and believes good causes should benefit from criminals. He said: “Those caught fishing without a licence should get all their tackle taken off them and it should all be donated to charity.”
Others believe the punishment is too harsh, with reader Chris Warman from Newport adding: “Yes, he's committed an offence but a fine and naming and shaming should have been enough.”
