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It's not all about size of fish, how snaggy is the lake? how much weed? is there mussel beds? is there many gravel bars that could cause cut offs. I fish 15lb for most occasions because I dont know whether i'll be putting the rod in open water or next to a snag. It keeps my options open. I'd never fish anything lighter to snags because you want the abrasion resistance and extra diameter.

I looked up Kamasan on the internet, and I can't find a Kamasan website, but I did find a Kamasan hook range site. Almost every hook pattern in the trout range has been adapted into carp fishing. Years and years ago, Andy Little in the Anglers Mail Guide to Carp fishing did some rig pictures, and in one he recommended a particular trout pattern with a certain setup. For how many years were we using B175's? One of my favourite hooks for pop-ups, and when it was legal, for Bent hook rigs. It may actually be that I preferred size 8 and 10's that unlike many others who used larger hooks, I didn't get mouth damage on fish I landed with bhr's. The pic below, spot the Nash patterns, the Gardner, Korda, the Drennan or whichever

You'd be surprised what i've landed on 8lb line around weed and lilies😖😉 20lb from the lilies behind my right shoulder, size 10 hook, 7lb hooklink on a dog biscuit, and yes, thats Hintelsham. A very through actioned rod that was bent to the handle at times.

Personally think 10lb is a bit on the low side. ...... Even some of the smaller, scatty, male fish give the run around under the tips sometimes. And any bankside snag, they'll look for .. If you are not going to fish at range, 100yds plus, where a smaller diameter line will help you gain a few yds on the cast. Then i'd up the bs to 12 or 14lb...... Some waters will insist on higher bs of 14lb and above. You may get away with the 10lb for the next month or so... But once any weed growth or bankside foliage takes hold, I'd be looking to up the bs... Welcome to the forum.

Personally I try to avoid leaders altogether, going mainline straight through or tubing if I have to. Nige Woodcock made a tip on a thread a while ago to stop the tubing climbing. Lighter blob the end that is held in the lead clip or buffer bead. The lighter blobbed end stops it pulling out and up. The pic is my standard mainline with tubing on, and a running lead. I don't do quick links or lead clips

Welcome to Carp.com. On snag free lakes 10lb line is fine. It is if there is loads of weed and any snags you may need higher.

I know fish much heavier than 29Ibs has been landed with even lighter line then that. I do tend to see that alot seem to favor 12 to 15Ib line for most applications.

Thanks everyone, I've decided to go with the Merlin!

I like going into a tackle shop as well, it is almost an adventure in itself, even if I do spend more than I need. OK, I lead a sheltered life😖😅 The tackle brand is the 2nd middle man; I'm sure a number of tackle firms quite literally went to alibaba, and bought up massive amounts of tackle at cheap prices! As the tackle brands have no manufacturing of most items (there are a few exceptions), they buy and import from various factories via companies like alibaba. Chinese companies will often reverse engineer, then sell the design to someone else or copy and manufacture and sell. That from a number of companies, includes bedchairs, bivvies, as well as the smaller bits, although a few do own possible 'slave trade' factories in Far Eastern countries. By slave trade I mean because its Far East, wages are lower and i'm sure conditions not as good as here. I'm sure Drennan is a most definite exception to the hook factory rule, they do own their own factory, bought from Kamasan, keeping the Kamasan name alive in the process. Kamasan for years have been a big player in trout fishing hooks, so Drennan make it on both sides! I do not know Drennan own their other manufacturing processes factory, but they have their own supervisors in their factory. I keep harping back to UK made, a strange point was made by of all people this week, Donald Trump, and his 'banning' Chinese steel imports. The Chinese government want money, from exports, but they import very few goods themselves, import tariffs are high. By Trump equalising tariffs into USA, he could well be putting money back into USA production. Britain has been needing to do the same for years. How many British companies make in UK?

It's the tackle firms that are the middle men in most cases. There would be more room to play with their mark up, then the Tackle shop's mark up imo. Totally agree, always best to see something in the flesh before a purchase. If you've got a decent local, they will often give you some feed back too, on what other customers have said about certain items. The opening times of my local don't make it easy to fit too many visits in, but I absolutely love browsing in there. Probably take for granted that he will always be there (been a tackle shop on that site or the building next door since before I was born).... He retires in a year or two and has been able to run the place as almost a second interest for some time. A real aladdins cave of old and new bits. Not sure, these days, if it could be run as someone's sole business interest... If it does eventually close as a tackle shop, I'll definitely be having a good rummage about beforehand.

I have used SuperNova, SuperSilk and Merlin for years and reckon Kryston are normally the best braids around. If I said I first started using Merlin in the 1990's and still have a spool or two in my tackle box even now would that say anything? I use them as a straight braided hooklink, and as part of a combi-link tied to 20lb plus Amnesia or Fluorocarbon. The first pic is Merlin straight through, the second SuperNova as part of a combi-link. I think from memory I had just got back from a session catching 5 decent carp on that setup, so cut the mainline above the tubing and rig to strip the line off the reels to replace it. Abrasion resistance on both is good, although as with any hooklink, check it for rubs and abrasion after any cast. Another advantage I found with Merlin is that you can splice the hook and swivel rather than knot them. I don't keep SuperNova in the box now, Merlin does what I need it to, and I have something like eight hooklink material spools in the box at the moment. A word on SuperSilk, while it is white, it takes on the colour of the lakebed, an overnight dye in a cup of tea or coffee sorts it if you don't fancy casting out a white hooklink. It is very thin for its breaking strain, so I worry about cutting the fishes lip. Strangely enough Jackal is the only Kryston hooklink I am not keen on. I found the outer coating would strip and break easily, although the hooklink itself was good. I landed a few fish on hooklinks that I had cast out with a short stripped section near the hook, yet when I got the carp in, playing through weed, the whole hooklink was stripped. Coated Braids I use Mantis (and Mantis Gold), and Snakebite. I work on a simple theory, if it ain't broke, don't fix it