Frenzee Match Seatbox
RRP: £649.99(standard package)
This stunning new seatbox is everything a match angler could wish for. The strong, lightweight aluminium frame provides a low centre of gravity and features an easy height-adjust system.
You can also customise the drawer and tray unit configuration to suit your own style. There is even more lockable storage space for additional tray units situated between the footplate and upper frame if required.
A raft of other key features include 36mm legs with threaded end caps, a padded carbon-friendly pole seat, snag-free fittings throughout, two spirit levels and a fail-safe integral footplate incorporating two unique 36mm moulded accessory blocks, which are ideally placed for keepnets.
A padded rear bar stops the box digging into your back while being carried by the shoulder strap.
You can choose from black, white or orange livery and a huge range of additional box accessories are available.
Drennan Long box
PAY AROUND
£10.95
The Long Visi-Box is Drennan’s latest addition to the Visi-Box family.
Measuring approximately 10cm x 37cm x 12cm, the extra length is handy for longer items of tackle such as floats and hooklength boxes.
As with all other Drennan Visi-Boxes, it’s made from a strong, wipe-clean semi-rigid EVA material. A transparent zipped lid lets you identify the contents at a glance.
NWAC Seat Boxes
PAY AROUND
Three-drawer box £69.99
Five-drawer box £84.95
North West Angling Centre has introduced this very affordable pair of NWAC-branded seatboxes.
With strong, light aluminium frames, the sturdy compact boxes from the Wigan company come with three or five drawers.
There’s plenty of winder storage space beneath the lid, which is deep enough to hold big-float river rigs. The high-density pole seat feels comfy and stable, and has a built-in rubber pole strap, while the three or five-drawer top section configuration allows for plenty of added storage.
The side-opening drawer is deep enough to hold spools of hooklength line, small hook boxes and rig leads, while the front-opening drawers take accessories such as scissors and disgorgers.
The large base storage area swallows reels, float and feeder boxes and catapults with ease.
Sturdy 26cm x 50cm-long legs ensure a level fishing position, and are compatible with most modern off-box fittings.
Kodex Predatory pike rigs
If you’re thinking about doing some pike fishing and need to invest in some new wire traces, this new range of specialist Kodex Predatory pike rigs has just about every base covered.
Made from tough but fine seven-strand wire, with machined crimps, the 50cm-long rigs come in 20lb-25lb breaking strains and are fitted with dependable safety clips.
Twin Treble Rigs
These rigs, like all others in the range, use high-quality components.
The wire is Japanese seven-strand with hi-carbon X-Strong trebles, matt black size 8 swivels and black copper crimp sleeves. The crimps are tensioned by air pressure technology to squeeze them to the perfect degree of tightness.
The upper treble is adjustable to accommodate various sizes of bait, then the patented floating crimp can be engaged to stop the upper treble moving. A red attractor fin on the upper treble encourages snap takes.
Price: £1.89
Deadbait Rigs
Kodex Deadbait Rigs have semi-barbless X-Strong black trebles (only one of the points is barbed, and this should be used for mounting the bait). Wire, silicone-covered crimps and attractor fins are the same as on the Twin Treble versions.
Price: £1.99
Single Hook Rigs
These are ideal rigs for lip-mounting bigger baits, with all the technology and precision associated with the more complex rigs in the Kodex Predatory range.
Price: £1.50
Spinner Traces
These wire traces feature a secure safety clip to attach lures quickly and easily.
Always use a wire trace above your lure to ensure you won’t lose fish – pike will cut through mono in an instant, and leaving hooks in pike is very bad angling practice indeed.
Price: £1.75
Matrix S36 and S25 Superbox
PAY AROUND
S36 Superbox £529.99
S25 Superbox £399.99
Match brand Matrix has thrown its hat into the new seatbox arena with its latest S36 and S25 Superbox models.
The S36 Superbox, available with a choice of an eye-catching green or grey frame, boasts many of the specifications of its hugely popular predecessor.
These include sturdy 36mm round legs with 25mm telescopic inserts, snag-free fittings throughout, and a removable modular drawer and tray unit system beneath the main chassis.
Improvements to the original include a stylish new backplate, threaded inserts in the leg tops, plus a new anti-warp footplate that slides beneath the frame to make the box easy to transport.
Both boxes can be used in conjunction with the latest Matrix Feeder Seat, which is sure to be popular with anglers fishing open-water bream venues.
Olight H05 Active head torch
PAY AROUND
£24.95
It’s great having a ‘carpy’ headtorch but if it’s dark green or even camouflaged it can be a right pain to locate in the dark. Enter the Olight H05 Active, which makes no excuses for coming in bright orange, blue, purple or green. Powered by two AAA batteries (included) it kicks out up to 150 lumens of light and, in its lower-power setting, can last for 40 hours. A red LED offers a more stealthy setting for retaining your own night vision. The head angle can also be adjusted 10, 25, 35 and 50 degrees below the horizontal making tying rigs or playing fish in the dark an absolute joy. The whole unit is both light and very comfortable.
www.olightstore.com
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01H1SHM9A
Shimano Tribal Carp line
PAY AROUND
£8.99
Specifically for big-carp fishing, Tribal Carp line from Shimano comes in clear, green or dark colour options.
The super-smooth mono has excellent distance-casting qualities, good abrasion-resistance and superior knot strength.
It comes on 300m or 1,000m spools, and in 8lb, 10lb, 12lb and 15lb breaking strains.
Kodex Genomic Chod hooks
PAY AROUND
£4.95
These super-strong Kodex Genomic hooks are forged from the finest Japanese carbon steel, and feature incredibly sharp and slightly beaked micro-points for the best possible hookhold.
The pattern’s large offset eye helps to create the perfect bait presentation with pop-ups. They can also be easily tied using thick diameter chod rig materials. The non-flash, matt-finished hooks come in sizes 3, 5 and 7, with 10 to the packet.
Chub Vantage Solid Carryall
PAY AROUND
£49.99 and £59.99
These handsome Chub Vantage Solid Carryalls in two sizes feature rigid main compartments that have three major advantages over standard carryalls.
They have superb anti-crushing protection, maximise inner space by keeping the bags upright when not fully filled, and are easily accessed through the large closing lid which protects the contents.
Both bags are ideal for French carping trips when the van is packed fit to bursting point, as they will help keep expensive tackle items such a spare reels safe at all times.
Chub Safety Weigh Sling
PAY AROUND
£19.99
This hard-wearing Chub weigh sling has a fish-friendly PVC coating and boasts other conservation-conscious details. These includes zips with protection baffles for easy release, and Velcro strips just belowthe support bars for added security while carrying and returning fish to the water.
Fine mesh patches below the zips allow the sling to be used as retainer, and the base has a safe drainage system that lets excess water escape quickly.
JRC Reuben Heaton Scales & JRC Weigh Tripod
PAY AROUND
Tripod £49.99
Scales £69.99
Accurate fish weighing is essential to all specimen anglers, and these latest heavy-duty JRC branded Reuben Heaton scales are as good as they get.
They come in two versions that weigh up to 60lb in 2oz divisions, and 120lb in 4oz divisions, the latter being ideal for French carp trips.
So you’ve got the scales, now you need to something to hang them on. This new JRC Weigh Tripod is as robust and well made as anything you are ever likely to see.
Maybe a bit heavy for short sessions, it’s perfect for French trips. Key features include telescopic legs, a strong moulded spreader block, and a multi-position block with a buzzer bar attachment that allows the tripod to be used as a high rod pod on difficult waters.
Korda rigs
Component parts and attention to detail in every Korda pre-tied rig are of the very highest quality. The mechanics of each rig meet exacting standards, and the rigs are used by Danny Fairbrass and the Korda team themselves.
Under the guiding influence of Danny Fairbrass and Damien Clarke, Korda has a deserved reputation for innovative carp fishing products.
The Essex firm’s Underwater DVDs enabled anglers to see exactly what their mainlines and rigs looked like under the surface. Feeding habits, bites and aborted takes from big carp could all be witnessed in anglers’ living rooms.
To the list you can also add the championing of PVA tactics, unique leads, bespoke hooks, and a raft of ‘must-have’ carpy accessories. Even in such exalted company, Korda’s latest ready-tied rigs are quite exceptional.
Every aspect of the mechanics is perfectly executed. I’ve viewed all the variations under a magnifying camera lens, and the closer I looked, the better they became.
With superbly compressed knotless knots, millimetre-perfect loops around swivels, ideal length hairs, correctly placed kickers, and seamless, identical stripping lengths of coated braids, they render home-tied rigs pretty much obsolete.
KORDA MULTI RIG
This, the most versatile big-carp rig there is, allows the hook to be changed in a jiffy. It is most often used with pop-up and wafter hookbaits. The rig is constructed from Korda Kamo coated braid, the colours of which blend in over most lakebeds. The Krank Choddy hook boasts a wide gape and sweeping shank. Available in sizes 4, 6 and 8, barbed or barbless.
Price: £1.99
DF CARP RIG
Carp god Danny Fairbrass’s favourite all-time rig. With quality Korda Soft N-Trap 15lb coated braid and a super-sharp Wide Gape hook, the rig’s aggressively curved inward-facing shrink tube turns the hook into the fish’s mouth. Ideal for bottom baits, snowman set-ups and popped-up plastics, the moveable rig ring allows for natural movement and stops the bait being blown back over the hookpoint. In barbed or barbless, in sizes 10, 8 and 6.
Price: £1.99
CARP RIG
THIS ‘take it anywhere’ rig can be used for fish of all sizes from most venues. The Wide Gape hook’s efficiency is enhanced by a short length of shrink tube, and a small piece of silicon tubing on the hook shank ensures the hair exits at the optimum point. The rig is tied using Korda’s latest Dark Matter sinking braid in 15lb and 20lb versions, and finished with a size 8 swivel attached loop style, so it can be used with any quick change swivel. In barbed and barbless versions, sizes 10, 8, 4 and 6 hooks.
Price: £1.99
HINGE RIG
There’s no better big-fish rig out there. It’s all but impossible to tangle, even at extreme range, as the stiff element of the rig kicks the hookbait away from the lead on the cast to give perfect presentation. Constructed using 20lb IQ2 fluorocarbon and 20lb or 25lb Mouth Trap line tied to Korda Choddy hooks, the hook section is beautifully curved to allow the hook to spin into prime hooking position every time a fish mouths the bait. In sizes 4, 6 and 6.
Price: £2.49
IQ D-RIG
This superb clear-water rig took a prized fish from the Linear complex during filming of Korda’s Underwater Part 7 DVD. The 12lb IQ Extra Soft Fluorocarbon gives near-invisible bait presentation, and natural movement is achieved via a long D-style loop and tiny bait swivel. Ideal for balanced bottom baits such as wafters, and slow-sinking plastics that hover just above the hook, the rig is well suited to small PVA bag work. You get free Korda Extenda stops too. Sizes 8, 6 and 4.
Price: £1.99
Fox Royale Tri sleeve
PAY AROUND
£64.99
The new Fox Royale holdalls are available in two lengths – 12ft or 13ft – and will each hold three rigged-up carp rods. Their specially sculpted design enables them to be used with rods fitted with 50mm butt guides, and Big Pit reels. Features include stiffened EVA grab handles and an external storage pocket with enough capacity to house a landing net plus several banksticks. They also have reversible, padded shoulder straps, and are made from a robust hard wearing, wipe clean, treated denier polyester material.
Avid Outline Fluorocarbon Leader
PAY AROUND
£9.99
Fluorocarbon can be quite conspicuous when it’s off the lakebed, but the algae-tinted two-tone construction of these leaders makes them very hard for fish to spot at all levels in the water column.
New Avid Outline Fluorocarbon is indeed a very special leader or hooklink material. It combines supreme sinking qualities with new levels of invisibility, with great knot strength and abrasion-resistance.
On 50m spools in 18lb (0.35mm), 20lb (0.38mm) and 25lb (0.41mm).
Avid Carp Outline reel line
PAY AROUND
£19.99
Due for release this week, Outline reel line from Avid Carp is sure to prove a big hit with bivvy-dwellers.
The outline of the two-tone reel line breaks up underwater, making it harder for the carp to detect than standard mono.
Its clear finish is combined with an algae-coloured tint to offer new levels of invisibility. The material itself has excellent knot strength but remains smooth for casting.
Its abrasion-resistant qualities marry beautifully with its slightly absorbent nature, making it fast sinking and ideal for all modern carp fishing tactics.
On 1,000m spools in 12lb (0.32mm), 15lb (0.35mm), 18lb (0.37mm) and 20lb (0.40mm).
Drennan Margin Crystal floats
PAY AROUND
£1.85
These new Drennan Margin Crystal floats look nailed on to become the best-selling patterns of the year.
They are the product of Drennan’s unique precision blow-moulding technology, and are built to the same exacting specifications as the award-winning Drennan Crystal Dibbers and In-Line Crystal Dibbers.
The 2.5mm diameter hollow Glow Tips make the antennae extremely visible, and they work exceptionally well for fishing in the margins, along the far bank of snake lakes and islands, or shallow up in the water.
Their transparent polymer bodies ensure the float is inconspicuous to wary fish. Incidentally, these bodies are produced on machines specially designed and modified to blow-mould on this miniature scale.
A thick 1mm glass stem offers strength and stability, while a double-wound spring side eye protects the line and cannot be ripped out from the body like a traditionally fitted side eye.
The floats come in four sizes from 0.2g up to 0.5g, allowing them to cover depths up to 6ft.
The highly visible Glow Tip is available in red or yellow, and is of sufficient diameter to support heavier hookbaits such as sweetcorn, pellets and worms.
VERDICT
Having used the 0.3g size last weekend on a snake lake, I can vouch for the toughness of these floats. Fished tight up against the far bank, my Drennan Margin Crystal got dragged backwards through weeds and reed stems by upwards of 40lb of hard-fighting fish. Then it was propelled forwards at ‘elastic-powered pace’ through water, grass stems and a hand- towel, before finally coming to rest nicely tangled around my pole-tip when I got a little too close into the far bank and found myself hooked up to it.
However, not a scratch or blemish could be seen when I wrapped the rig around the winder, and this was after five hours of abuse. Any reservations I may have originally had about the float flipping back over the line while shipping out proved completely unfounded too.
Nash Webcast Ultra Weave
PAY AROUND
Webcast Ultra Weave £8.49 (4m)
Other items from £2.49
Choosing the right type, size and breakdown rate of PVA mesh or solid bags can be crucial to success. Now Nash has made such choices very easy with its comprehensive new selection of PVA products.
The new Webcast range features Ultra Weave, ideal for maggots, and its slow meltdown rate allows it to be used in deeper water, or to be pulled back into the perfect position after the cast.
Preston Innovations bait bowls
PAY AROUND
Small £6.99
Medium £7.99
Large £8.99
Mixing groundbait has never been easier with these three new bait bowls from Preston Innovations. The hard-wearing vessels feature a stiff top ring to remain rigid in use, while collapsible sides make for easy storage and transportation.
They are made from a wipe-clean waterproof material for easy cleaning, and capacities are five, 10 and 20 litre.
Sunnycam Carpcam sunglasses
PAY AROUND
£129.99
Ever wanted to film yourself catching a fish, but didn’t want to lug a camera and tripod around? Then these new Carpcam sunglasses from Sunnycam should solve the problem. Ideal for Facebook or YouTube clips, the polarised glasses – with enough battery life for an hour of uninterrupted filming – are fitted with a good quality wide-angle video camera between the lenses. Basically it looks everywhere that you do.
Image stabilisation ensures that good quality images are just a click away. The glasses come with a Micro USB charging cable, dark polarised and clear lenses, carry case, retaining cord and cleaning cloth. Visit www.carpcam.co.uk
Preston Innovations Leger Weights
Preston has released several new additions to its leger weight range. The Flat Pear is ideal for fishing marginal slopes, as well as rivers, while the Distance Bomb has the classic streamlined ‘Arlesey’ shape to optimise casting distance. Finally, the Match Cube is great for casting tight to islands.
Sizes 15g, 20g, 30g and 45g.
Price: £1.99 per pack
