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What about those lines that glow with a uv light on them,might be good for night fishing ,so you don't get into a mega mess if you get a take

I been reading about how good these Obsidian reels are ,but I guess not having actually seen o e they bigger than my ultegra 4500..they similar to 5500 xtb

A simple stir fry ,nothing amazing ,but I live 2 mins from the lake ,and could get my lady to bring me dinner down,but I like to eat on the bank...

My next set of reels are going to be Okuma or Penn.. Either Inc's 6000 Or Rivals ,gold spool 6000

I have used Cotswolds before ,had a custom landing net pole ,with Gerry Savages philosophy engraved on the butt,a special...removable spigot ,so could break the net down under trees ..Had to wait well.over six months for it ,and none of my contact with them were answered.. Great piece of kit ,communication zero ,I'd not bother again .. Talking about test curves ,I fish 1.000 acre inland seas ,down to tiny farm ponds ,I've just sold a set of Ctx in 2.5 tc to the Pallatrax bailiff ,bloke ,replaced by some Bob the Rod built mk 3 armalites ,first version 9 eyes ,from the now defunct Fosters of Birmingham, literally, never used,up in the attic ,job.. Those 2.75 tc armalites are the most powerful carp rods I've ever had ...I understand all about distance and TCs,but I really love the players actions on the century's, they are ,on purpose the only rods I have for carping ,I can have anything I want within reason ,but I'm happy to just use what I have,and with that comes knowledge of the limits the rods can be safely used... I'm not missing out ...,compared to others ,which is a dangerous thought to have..

I got camo, rod sleeve and two bags, seems to bring much hilariously fun gests talk of looking like an angler in the Korda camp minus the extra hold hair mouse.

Okuma Reels mate = trendsetter 👍😎

Seen that myself fines are huge, you would be daft to fish a popular venue without a licence these day.

Wow that got ugly quickly.

You can’t go wrong for that price 👍

Now I’m confused here ( I know it doesn’t take a lot ) iv got a set of set of Korum 10 ft all rounders in 2 .25 and a set of Dave Lane Classic in 12 ft 3.lb with a 3.25 that I use for marking and Spoding ..umm oh yeah 🤔 A set of 12 ft 3.50 Prologic Fulcrum … and not forgetting the very naughty set of ESP onyx Quickdraw 10 ft 3.50 The reason for purchasing the ESP set was I needed to get my gear down to a minimum and they pack down to 50 inches, the 3.50 because I was using bags as I thought I couldn’t complete with the bait that was going in the water I was fishing and the thinking a bag approach would be the best option Soooo am I a fashionable or unfashionable angler? 🤔 Or just got to much gear 🫢

Yeah it seems pretty decent for the money tbh.

I havent done it yet, don't worry.

There you going again spoiling them 🙄 Nice reels 😎

I had one for a couple of years and it got the job done 👍

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@yonny, I have never thought of myself as a big caster, to me it was practice to put a bait where I wanted it. In the early 1990's, 2¼lb TC Armalite mk.1's and an Ultracast Cardinal, or 4000 Aero GTE Baitrunner, 8lb line and shockleader and a 2.5 or 3oz lead I would spend an hour practicing over the field to get 100metres so I could fish the 3rd bar at Weybread No.1 Pit, without as 1 person was doing, going out on a lilo... (guess who). When I moved from Norwich to Suffolk, I switched to mk.2's in 2¾ and the same reels or 6010's and discovered a very nice feature under an island on B Pit, again, over 100metres. The extra test curve was a bit handy with 3oz leads and 10lb line to a leader. The 2¾lb SP's were paired with Aerlex reels, 3oz leads, and 15lb line and used on Ardleigh Reservoir with a 125metres cast from Wick Lane dam end side to a feeder stream on the other. I was using a laser finder so could be sure of the distance. Nazeing Meads lagoons were real long casting, that's where I got the cheaper The Ones, a deal admittedly, (£50 each) in 3.25lb. At one point casting distance reached 150metres, from the sailing banks to the Plateau or the Long Island bars. Believe me I much preferred not having to cast so far. I think Century were far ahead of other manufacturers for years, the carbon and resins, it seemed to be Harrison who got close, then other manufacturers, although there were the occasional specials. I do miss some of the old names though, North Western, Conoflex and more.

I just went through the archives and found this shot from a time before chairs and rod rests were invented.

Tank aerials 😅

You have to remember until the 70's they used sticks and bits of cane from the garden with bent nails to fish with. The progress has been immense 😂

That's a good point Elmo. My beast rods (Trebuchet Lite ( 13ft 3.75)) are out-and-out casting tools but they're nothing like the broomsticks of old. The tip recovers mega quick on the cast but they do maintain some playability. Obviously it can't compare to playing a carp on a 2.75 but they're nowhere near as bad as I expected when I bought them. First season using them I ended up playing a 30+ common on a zig with 8lb hook-link. I absolutely pooped it on the take, but they dealt with it easy. Modern rods are miles ahead of where they used to be.

I think technology has changed I work in carbon fibre in the aerospace industry and I know technology advances different fibres, resins are constantly being invented I had some 3lb rods 20 years ago that were like broomsticks my free spirit 3. 5lb tc are far more forgiving yet I can still cast further than ever. I'm not a great caster but with the correct rods i am starting to be able to fish more accurately at distance. I also had 3lb rods that felt soft like an old 2.5lb tc ,fishing can be an expensive hobby nowadays you are looking at £500 a rod for a comparable century these days. I paid under £300 for my last set of free spirit. I bought them because of the pricepoint and I have used toray fibres through work. Some people like shorter rods, some people don't, I think it's unfair to call them fashion victims for their preference.

Best to expect to use them the following year at the latest after order would be a good industry standard for rod builders. I know when Malc Rooker used to build rods it was more about the blank as it was difficult to find rods for large European waters 13 foot high test curve was his main market, reel seats and whipping would of been good for then but not the same choices as today.

125m is nearly 140 yards. I would suggest that if you're hitting that comfortably with a 2.75 then you are a way above average caster. You need to bear in mind that not everyone can cast that far. It doesn't make them some kind of fashion victim. I myself fish distance a lot but I'm not scared to admit I'm not as good a caster as I'd like. At 140's I'd be looking to use my 3.75's. I wouldn't even use my 3.25's, let alone 2.75's. It's about using the right tools for the job. While I agree on the short rod thing, I don't buy the high TC comments. It makes sense that the 90% of anglers who can only afford or only want one set of rods get a set that can do anything and a set that can do anything has a high TC. Regardless of that, all the of the great blank manufacturers (Harrison, Free Spirit, Century) offer low TC blanks for those that want them. Of course it might be more time consuming getting a set built but what's the point in ordering custom rods and having them built with off-the-shelf components that every man in a shed has in stock. Not true mate. You have these to start with: Harrison Torrix 12' 2.5 Harrison Accurix 12' 2.5 Harrison / Mark Tunley Dark Carbon 12' 2.5 Century Armalite mk3 12' 2.25 Century Stealth 12' 2.5 Freesprit Hi-S 12' 2.5 Freesprit CTX 12' 2.5 Freesprit E Class 12' 2.5 Of course they're buying in the parts after receiving the order. Most of your custom rod builders are a bloke with a fancy shed and they certainly don't have an accounts department. Even Roger Hurst (the UK manufacturer for Free Spirit standard/factory builds) works out of a shed with a couple of young lasses helping out. For sure he'll have standard Free Spirit components in stock but if you want standard components why would you be getting a custom rod instead of a factory build? As mentioned by everyone else.... great quality, poor service. I had a pal that ended up cancelling his order it was that bad. Tbf most of the custom builders are in the same boat.... overloaded with orders, not enough resources. That's no excuse for poor communication though. I sent a set in to a very reputable builder for re-build a couple of year ago.... it took nearly a year to get them back (!) but they were great when I finally got them.

Think they have all but stopped selling a 2.5tc I'd say the higher tc rods are more bought for casting pva sticks and bags the 2.5 is not strong enough for anything other than the lead. Last time I can recall using a 2.5 rod was a used hyperloop tip snapped on the first cast 2 oz lead and a small pva bag, got 3lb to rods after that.