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 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
Frenzee 1624 and 1420 hooks
Welsh-based match tackle brand Frenzee has just released these two new hook patterns aimed at commercial fishery anglers.
Both come in eyed and spade-end styles, with the 1420 ideal for use with many types of bait including pellet, meat and maggots. The wide gape, super sharp barbless is an all-rounder constructed using a medium gauge wire and can be used with hooklengths up to 0.20mm diameter.
The heavier 1624 pattern is a much stronger hook, and constructed using a thicker wire gauge, making it ideal for margin fishing when confidence is key. The super wide-gape hook is suitable for a variety of large baits such as paste, bread and small boilies, as well as multiple particle offerings. A true bagging hook that will not let you down.
Price: £1.25 per pack of 10
RW Floats
RW Floats are handmade patterns tailored to carp, F1s and silverfish on stillwaters. Pictured are five of the most popular patterns.
The Dink is the slim blue float with a 1.5mm hollow tip and a wire stem, designed for fishing pellets for small carp and F1s. A finer F1 Dink has a black body.
The Maggie (white body) has a carbon stem for fishing maggots, and the Muddie is the short float with a thick 2mm tip for fishing in shallow water in the warmer months.
The Shallow Slim is the small float with the carbon stem. Buy them at www.rwfloats.co.uk
Price: £2.20 each
Guru Inline Plummets
Guru’s new Inline Plummets come in 10g, 20g and 30g weights, and with the line passing through the centre, anglers can find the depth to within a millimetre.
The unique shape protects the line from snagging, and the tough body features a soft, orange latex section to stick the hook into. The absence of a full cork or foam cylinder is said to give lots more ‘feel’ over various substrates. In packs of three.
Price: £3.75
Gardner GT-HD mainline
Gardner has a great reputation for producing durable mainlines and this latest offering only enhances it. GT-HD is a low-stretch mono that offers improved feel and connection with fish, while also remaining supple and fast-sinking.
GT-HD casts very well and has that trademark Gardner toughness. The low-visibility colour is just right and it’s exclusively manufactured for Gardner so you won’t see this line anywhere else.
It’s available in 12lb (0.33mm diameter), 15lb (0.35mm) and 18lb breaking strains in 4oz bulk spools.
NGT Drop Shot Kits
Just in from NGT are these two Drop Shotting Kits.
Ideal for the novice lure angler, you have a choice of four 5cm or 7cm lures in various colours, 5g or 7g weights, and two pre-tied ready rigs on 8lb line to a size 4 barbed hook (or 10lb line to size 2 barbed hook).
Both options come on handy foam winders.
Woodgrain Tackle floats
These beautiful floats are meticulously crafted by Chris Snaydon of Woodgrain Tackle, using natural materials such as bulrushes and quills. Whipping thread decorates each tip section, while a photo-luminous vinyl makes them glow in the dark once charged with an LED light. Much more than just collectors’ items, the full range covers virtually any floatfishing situation.
Info: Go to www.facebook.com/groups/woodgraintackle for more information and pricing.
Daiwa Tournament Pre-Tied Drop-Shot Rigs
Daiwa’s Tournament pre-tied Drop-shot Rigs offer the lure angler an excellent and convenient ‘quick fix’. The Fine Finesse versions feature fine wire hooks and are ideal for smaller lures in a fixed position.
The WOS (Wide Offset Dropshot) rigs use an innovative knot and whipping arrangement to create a system that allows the hook to be moved without damaging the line.
Both types are tied to 120cm of quality monofilament, in hook sizes 2 to 3/0 and on 0.20mm to 0.35mm lines.
WOS Rigs £3.99
Fine Finesse Rigs £2.99
E-S-P Zig & Floater Mono
This clear, semi-buoyant mono is ideal as a hooklink material for all zig rig and floater fishing situations. Featuring a fine diameter to knot strength ratio, it is tough and durable, with just the right amount of stretch to make it perfect for combining with smaller hooks. It has superb knot tying qualities, with optimum strengths achievable when using carefully tied five-turn Grinner or Palomar knots.
Available on 100m spools in 8lb (0.23mm), 10lb (0.26mm) and 12lb (0.28mm).
Price: £4.95
E-S-P Tungsten Loaded Coated Braid 20lb+ Soft
Tried and tested by big-carp legend Terry Hearn, this matt camo coated braided hooklink material has a tungsten coating that helps to pin it to the lakebed. It’s easily stripped and, impressively, it can be straightened out without the need for steaming. The super-strong Dyneema core has achievable knot strength of over 30lb.
The Soft version is perfect for subtle presentations using small boilies, plastics, nuts and balanced or buoyant baits. There is also a Semi-stiff version that is rigid enough to push the hookbait away from the lead, ideal for use with hinged stiff rigs. Both types come in muted camo Weedy Green, Camo Brown and Choddy Silt colours, supplied on 10m spools that fit most tackle boxes.
Price: £8.95 per spool
Drennan AS5 pole floats
The versatile AS5 Pencil, latest in the Alan Scotthorne Signature range of pole floats, offering little resistance to shy-biting fish.
The AS5 can be used with practically any hookbait as its slim profile cuts through the water cleanly on the strike. A top-grade balsa body is protected by an acrylic shell.
The carbon stem is bonded into the body, while a 1.5mm hollow Glow Tip is reinforced with a fibreglass spigot. The blackened stainless steel spring eye is double wound to avoid line becoming trapped or pinched. In eight sizes from 0.1g up to 1g.
Tronix Rockfish HTO Ultrabraid
THIS four-strand braid is highly resistant to abrasion, ideal for fishing by man-made structures. Its zero stretch factor and super-thin breaking strain to diameter ratio mean that you will feel every knock.
Price: £10 per 100m spool
Korda Chod Safe rig storage
The rig box design team at Korda have certainly been busy. This new Chod Safe will safely hold all your chod hooklinks.
There’s a section for carrying up to three leadcore leaders (or similar) and in total it will hold up to 28 rigs.
A unique pop-out handle allows you to steam hooklinks into a perfect curve, and it doubles as a compartment to hold the pins. It takes both short and long rigs.
Price: £18.99
Daiwa Tournament ready-tied drop-shot rigs
These two pre-tied rigs will appeal to the lure angler who likes a convenient life.
Made using Daiwa’s unique SaqSas lure hooks, there is a Wide Offset Rig that looks ideal for larger lures and features a clever moveable hook system that allows the depth to be adjusted without damaging the rig line. There is also a brilliantly pre-tied Fixed Drop-Shot Rig that looks ideal for all smaller soft baits and jigs. Two rigs per pack.
Daiwa J-Braid
This ultra-thin, eight-strand Japanese reel braid is super-soft and very smooth. A rounded profile makes for longer casts and quieter travel through the rod rings.
It can be used for everything from long-distance carp and feeder fishing, through to spod and marker float work, all lure tactics and even sea fishing. It’s available on 150m spools in sizes from 0.06mm (9lb) through to 0.56mm (137lb) in Chartreuse, Dark Green and Multi-Colour.
Nash Hookbait Balancing Foam Sticks
Price: £2.99
New Nash Hookbait Balancing Foam Sticks will add sight tips to boilies and pop-ups, balance nuts and particle baits, and form zig baits.
They come in 5mm and 7mm widths, are easy to trim down, and are available in red, orange, yellow, black, white, brown and beige. You get five 45mm lengths per pack.
Gardner Target Specimen Hooks
Gardner’s latest Target Specimen hooks have a covert camo finish, a beaked point and an inturned eye, perfect for a variety of baits and rigs.
Forged from high-carbon wire, they also feature a non-reversed bend which lines up the hookpoint with the shank, helping with penetration. It comes in sizes 10, 12, 14 and 16, in barbed or barbless versions, and a size 12 is said to be the ideal zig hook.
Price: £4.29