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I remember when I was told that I was cheating because I was using a spare rod with a float setup to check depths. I can also remember old boys saying that the use of bite alarms and as for boilies, well that was beyond the pail. Times move on, as long as we're all enjoying our angling without affecting others too much what's the problem?

Just had the green light for some back pay from work from 2017 and gave some thought on getting one. My circumstances are i Work a LOT of extra hours,always have. I’ve been looking at a few club waters some old sand quarry’s 40/50ft deep in places and tbh a deeper would be ideal for my fishing. With still having a youngish family and hectic work life my angling time really is at a premium. If it can give me an extra hr actually fishing then I’m all for it. 😬😎

I can see the cheating argument and somewhat agree with it, however on the other hand, i have always believed in using the best kit and technology i can for the job at hand. Personally the way i would look at it is its just another tool which we could have at our disposable. Its a choice if we use it or not and i don't necessarily think it makes anyone a less of an angler for it as using one won't catch you more fish, you still have to angle correctly, it gives you an advantage sure but we would always take every advantage we can get? It's just an advanced version of going out in a boat with a bucket with a clear bottom and using that to look below the surface. And remember, predator and sea anglers have been using sonar for years and no one questions their ability! I do think everyone should learn the classic ways first, learn the vital skills of watercraft and feature finding with a lead/marker and then if you wanted to, use a deeper pro or a device similar, you'll understand a lot more of what your'e looking at if you learn the old way first imo.

Is not having the new on the jetty/boat really a big issue? It's not going to add any time onto getting to his rods at all. I can see the argument that he was too far away and yes maybe in some circumstances he would be but after watching the video a couple times, the time it took him is no difference to someone to waking up, getting out the sleeping bag, unzipping the bivvy(if its winter/cold/raining ect) then grabbing the rod. He wasn't snag fishing, he wasn't fishing in weed, So clearly he had no immediate concerns for the fish. Unfortunately you'll always have that risk of a fish weeding you up ect when there is weed in the lake, If it happens, you just have to take every step to help ensure the fish's welfare. Remember, whatever form of fishing we do, it is never risk free for the fish, there is always small amount of risk to the fish health/welfare, it's just our duty as anglers to ensure that risk is kept to a minimal as possible.

If you have plenty of time use a marker ,if time is limited use a sonar, in dont hold faith in the fish finding ability's but for depth excellent , you will still need a marker though after to tell you what the make up of the bottom is . Just another tool to help you fish better.

a deeper is ideal for you then mate, I fish 6hrs a week usually on a Saturday afternoon, I have to fit in somewhere amongst bivvy anglers with far more time than me then try and nick a bite, with the odds stacked very much against me due to limited time, I grab any edge I can with both hands🙂

I currently use size 8 quick change swivels in to the buffer bead. They fit nice and snug. The bead isn’t stiff so has a slight bit of Malubility. Mine are from bank tackle. I used to use a tiny bit of silicone but now use anti tangle sleeves. Just for peace of mind. I do believe if you were using a stiff material it would be fine. One thing I will mention is the clip for the lead. Big eye swivels aren’t compatible, you can wedge them in but they won’t come out. I use forceps to alter the shape and the pva strips to lock in place on the cast. The upside to this is I can ensure the lead won’t just fall out at any time and I can test the pressure required to make it drop off.

Indeed the majority of the time, damage caused to weeded fish is by inexperienced anglers, and it can often be extensive damage. Experienced anglers can also inflict damage to a fish when fishing weedy waters though, it happens unfortunately, sometimes when second guessing what a fish will do in the fight. If a fish is lightly weeded, firm constant pressure, changing the angle and care etc, etc will normally free them up, as you well know. It’s when they’re well anchored that issue can arise, some pull just that bit too hard, and sometimes the fish is landed with damage, or the hook is ripped from the mouth causing damage for the next captor to deal with. I think the best scenario, apart from freeing and landing a fish with only the usual minor hook wound, is when the fish is slowly pulled towards the bank or boat, along with the weed that it’s engulfed in. Not an enjoyable or sporting fight at all but, this seems to be the way that the least damage is caused from what I’ve seen. When you say you’ve never seen a fish tethered in weed, does that also mean you’ve never heard of it either? I have sadly, and on more than one occasion, once there was even one of those safety beads still attached along with the lead. Luckily the tethered fish was on a long line, and was actually rolling on the surface for a few days which is what alerted a few anglers that something wasn’t right. Luckily apart from a torn bottom lip and a lifted scale, it was in pretty good shape and went on to become a big target fish. Regarding the jetties, yeah I know and understand their purposes but, the ones in the video are quite new, so I think it might of made more sense to make the business end bigger? It’s obviously not an aesthetics thing, as there are a few dotted around on there. There is certainly enough room on there for his landing net though, or as somebody else mentioned, he could of placed it in the boat that is moored up? He could of put his bivvy quite a bit closer to the actual start of the jetty too but, he chose not too, and it doesn’t look waterlogged, so I can’t understand why? I have noticed one or two other things that I found a bit odd when watching the video the second time, which could be down to how it was edited, I don’t know. Anyway, I don’t want to be picking fault in anything else, I just find the net thing a bit odd, and for me, fishing such a weedy water, and it is very weedy there, I think he should of been closer to the rod. He says that fish that are unaware that they’re being fished for, are easy to catch, that’s a very true but, very obvious statement. You can achieve that by being mere feet from the fish though, certainly a lot closer to what Martin was anyway. As said, just observation and opinion, he is after all a professional. They don’t alway get it right though. 🤭

I don't like them personally, I can't help but think the further we move into relying on tech the further we move away from natural ability, saying that. If I was already set up fishing and someone turned up next to me with the intent on markering, I think I'd rather they use a deeper. Everybody to their own, if you choose to climb or take the lift up Everest, who am I to argue.

I've got one, it's very handy, no point in flogging it with a marker rod when a deeper will give you so much more in a fraction of the time😉 I bought a dedicated little android tablet to go with mine so I don't have to use my phone plus I've got a slightly bigger screen to look at which is handy if you need reading glasses like me🙂