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Not sure what this gizmo actually is supposed to do, if you want to wet your mono before casting just tip water over spool? Years ago, remember a company - maybe Kryston?? - brought out drops to put on mono to help long casting, err never seemed to catch on 😄 Myself and @greekskii have often had - 'words' - in the past, but for me not worth falling out over tbh 👍 I do have to agree with his comment: I’m not sure I get the whole point of all this, but you cast line out and leave it in the water for hours on end. It’s well soaked up to the distance you’re casting anyway.

The amount of birds nests I have created with spod braid when rushing to get the rods out, probably a good shout,

I should probably pre soak my braid when I’m fishing at range. Sweatbands the obvious choice. not that I’ve fished mono for years but I always used to have a couple of casts without a hooklink to the clipped spot to ascertain the difference in feelings from the braided leading rod. So I guess line was wet already when it came to the casts that mattered. in terms of the OP and breaking strain was really my point with the soaking whilst fishing thing. If I leave my lines out for 24hrs and it reduced breaking strain you’d certainly know about it! can imagine a very good pre soak of any line but especially monos and fluoros would be beneficial when there’s a lot of algae floating about or sediment in the water as to not discolour it?

Having previously used the sweat bands before a session it does make a slight difference, it was nice to have pre soaked line as I do find it makes line smoother and better to cast with and perhaps slightly less springy. But yes once it's been out for a while it is essentially the same. I always pre soak my line before I put it on tbh just seems to make it go on the spool better maybe I'll dig the old sweatbands out for the big one 😱

Ouch very expensive sweat band

I’m not sure I get the whole point of all this, but you cast line out and leave it in the water for hours on end. It’s well soaked up to the distance you’re casting anyway. you’re always advised to soak before spooling so it becomes more supple.

That's why I only bought 1 to try it out. Damn expensive for what it is. I said so. Apparently they have a patent on it, otherwise one of the other tackle companies would do a cheaper clone.

If you use a thinner line it will definitely cast further. There is a safety margin you shouldn’t cross so a sacrifice must be made on either distance and not safety. couple that with the correct type action/taper rod it will go miles. I would rather use a thicker line and catch them under my feet than a thinner line and cast past them.

If you don't soak your line Vs once it's been in the water for a while it just seems to cast better, wrap better and sink better once it's wet. I saw those things at the Essex carp show, good idea but not for me at that price, they were pricey I thought. I did use some sweatbands for a while that I would soak but I left them in the car or somewhere once and didn't bother doing them again.

I also thought that although mono does absorb moisture if soaked, it dries out again and pretty well reverts back to it's original state. It definitely makes it easier to spool up and is worth doing. If you are going for the big chuck, it's probably worth pouring a bit of water over the spool or alternatively do a couple of test casts to get it properly wetted before going for the big one.

If it does, it will be negligible imo mate. A wetted (not soaked) line will cast further as there's less friction on the rings. I honestly have no idea if a soaked line would cast further.... the extra weight might offset the reduction in friction.🤷‍♂️

It is probably the biggest factor other than the rod (and technique) that will influence casting distance. Has a huge impact mate. You will, 100%.

Hi all, How much does line diameter affect casting distance? Is there any empirical evidence or tests that have been carried out? I was out a few weeks ago and found that I couldn't cast as far as I expected, but then when I checked my line, I found that I had 18lb (0.4) loaded on my spools. I think this was because I was struggling to get any 12lb (0.33)/15lb (0.37) Daiwa Sensor Brown line last year. I have a feeling that if I use 15lb or 12lb line, I should be able to cast significantly further.

I've bought myself one of the new Reel Rapz at the Big One. It seems like a great idea if it does what it says on the tin (makes monos much more supple and heavier), but there are a few questions I have that you outstanding gent might be able to help me with. Firstly, does soaking a line affect it's diameter or breaking strain in any way? Secondly, does a soaked line cast any further/differently to an unsoaked line? Looking at The Tackle Box line tests and the stated line strength, I'm guessing those are based on dry lines. Does anyone know if breaking strength has been compared when dry vs when soaked?

👏👏 congrats

As you say GP , wait a while before your next trip - Easter ? . I must admit my local lake is only producing the odd Carp , the fish seem to be having a bit of a lie in ! . 😃

Quick update on the pond/fish. The covers are back on temporarily as the trees are blossoming and there's petals everywhere. On a more positive note, water temps are around 10C now and the koi are eating every day. Water quality is looking good and the fish are looking absolutely fantastic. You'd never guess they've been overwintering. I've been busy this week installing a 3 x 3m square parasol that can be erected to cover half the pond. It sees a lot of sun so my thinking is that A) it should help a little to prohibit algae and blanket weed growth, and B) it'll give the fish some shade at the height of summer. I have some bacteria boosters ready to go in when temps are 12+ and the bulb in the UV filter is being replaced again this month. I have some blanket weed treatment ready to go in case I need it but thus far it's not required. The bio filter is topped up with media. Shed loads of food in the garage. Basically all is ready for growing season.

Years ago I used to take the water temperature in the winter virtually every time I went but with the warmer, wetter winters of the last 10 years, I got out of the habit. I was fishing a 4.5 acre lake in an enclosed wooded area which is about 6 foot deep. The water certainly felt warm enough but the weather was pretty non-descript and cold and I wasn't totally surprised to blank.

Well glass half full it sounds that you did nothing wrong , Golden Paws . On my local water I registered a water temperature of 11C ; I don't know what type of water you were fishing , G.P. ? .

New wands 😁

a mid double common to christen the new rods

Great result @commonly well done!

Probably not earth shattering news for most of us but it's worth spending 5 minutes on.

Two days after the full moon and moon set on Thursday was about 7:15 a.m. so according to the theory, it should have been a good time. I did my first 24 hours session of 2026 on Friday and started at 6:30 and within an hour saw 3 good shows close in and put a rod on it and the other 2 out tight to an island. I had 3 slight pulls within the first couple of hours on the close rod and that was as good as it got. The water has good night form but I didn't have one bleep or didn't hear one fish roll. I went in light with the bait, only about a dozen boilies and a small scoop of boilie crumb in the boat and poured some dip/oil over it so it was more smell than food. I also put on a small mesh bag of crumb on the hook and dipped that and the bait in the liquid before sending it out. I chatted to the bailiff earlier who confirmed it was hard going and I spoke to 2 blokes in the next swims up on the way out and they reported the same. The water didn't feel too cold for March as we have had a pretty wet and warm winter but I'll give it a bit longer before my next trip.

Only 75p a pack on Total Fishing Tackle, ordered 35 packs to get the free shipping. bet that don't have them. https://www.total-fishing-tackle.com/avid-armorok-chod-hooks-barbed