bluelabel

Just had the link from Angling Direct for the Aqua stacker boxes.... what an absolute rip off... Aqua....! you ought to be ashamed of yourselves, the prices are not just a rip off they are taking the proverbial... The cheapest is £29.99... you can buy the same boxes from Solent Plastics for half that price http://www.solentplastics.co.uk/stacking-plastic-containers-boxes/hinged-lid-euro-containers/product/APHL64/12/24-litre-lidded-european-standard-plastic-container-stackable-straight-sided-storage-box/ just because it's green and has your name stamped on the lid is no excuse for a blatant rip off... this is exactly the sort of behaviour that makes me avoid your products...!

if you start flogging them I think Delkim might have summat to say about it

they already have a reputation for being very good reels and fairly bulletproof.... a few folks I know have had them for quite a few years and the only bad thing they say against them is the lack of infinite anti-reverse... if that's their only fault, then I could live with that.... more bearings don't necessarily mean a better reel... I've had reels with 5 bearings that were worse than an old Mitchell 400 with none...! (in my opinion of course)

are there any British made reels....? as a case in point one of the threads on the (defunct) Crafty Carper forum was on the Nash Dwarf rods (9' 2.75lb) and matching reels... the Daiwa SS2600 was the reel of choice that suited the rods perfectly... I started off using Shimano 5000 RE's (spools too small) then went to Shimano 10000 XTE's from my 12' setup (too big) settled on the Wychwoods and they suit the rods nicely, but the Quick drag system takes a bit of getting used too... otherwise they are nice reels... great line lay too....

Simple answer.....? Daiwa SS2600 I want a pair of these quite badly..... best stalking reels bar none (IMHO of course) but cost being an option, I ended up with a pair of Wychwood QD5000's I may have to spank the plastic at some point... (hopefully without SWMBO finding out) The SS2600 will cast up to 70 yards with a good punch, so I don't think you need a big pit reel with the rods you mention... it would unbalance the rod for starters and balanced tackle is what you need

The Hamsters, Route 666... one of the best Rock Blues combo's of all time

I got 2 normal bedchairs in mine a wee while ago... head at the back feet at the front side by side... leaves a gap in the middle so both can exit... bought the wideboy cos I'm a big lad... not tried the wideboy plus one... though I think it could be done alongside a std bedchair... might be a bit of a squeeze though

I have an indulgence wideboy that fits in nicely across the back ...

I have the JRC STi 2 man and the extended wrap and you can get 2 bedchairs in... it's tight, but do-able... roll back the flaps to the inner doors and put the beds in longways with the feet to the outer doors.... there's not a bivvy out there that will house two big lads comfortably, with space to move freely and store away luggage unless you are willing to pay £500-700 for one of the monster bivvies

My bottom bait rig is a standard knotless in mono, about 8"-10" long, I've gone over to longer hooklinks as I have done better on them in the past... fashion dictated a shorter link for a while, but I've gone back to the longer links... with a 14mm bottom bait I'm using a size 8 Fang Twister I prefer the 8 over the ubiquitous 6 as the 6 looks a tad clumsy, I've even dropped down to a 10 on occasion.... I fish the bottom baits with the hooklink through the PVA with the hook pulled back into the bag and the bait hanging outside the bag.... I'm using running 2oz leads as some of the waters I fish insist on them. Am I missing bites...? when I get them no....

There's often a lot of discussion on hair rig length and what constitutes the ideal.... for years I've been using approx 5mm separation on bottom baits and I think maybe it's time to have a play around... I'm rather loath to start tinkering with my rigs, but that said, my bite rate has dropped off markedly over the last couple of years, so much so that I'm wondering if I'm doing summat wrong... I'm mainly using small PVA mesh bags of mixed 2 & 4 mm pellet and chops/crumb over a scattering of freebies... have I become too one-dimensional in my approach? or is there summat drastically wrong with this method (I use pop ups a lot and the hookers often contrast the freebies) (DT N-Blend freebies/crumb and Sticky Signature pop-ups) I fish the pop ups fairly tight to the curve of the hook (Ronnies) but on bottom baits I tend to fish a bit more separation, as I have said 5 mm or so... would a longer hair increase my hookups on bottom baits... do you think it matters even....?

both for me.... a pod on hard ground or platform and sticks otherwise

I had a pair of Shimano Hyperloop 2.75lb FA's and they were a cracking pair of rods... I used 'em in France and they were brill... bit dated now though.... I think I still have one up the shed... but their reels are superb... I have 5 Shimmies... a pair of old 5000RE and 3 XTE10000's I won't part with 'em

I wish I could unsee that... somebody pass the brain bleach

I fished it many years ago... blanked, it's an expensive day ticket (well it was back in 2001) I'd say you are better off finding something more prolific offsite...

Fox warrior and a Wychwood riot 65

I've been using the Wychwood QD5500's on my Dwarfs, (nice reels) but I have to say that I prefer the Shimmy Baitrunners... I have some XTE1000 that I loved using, but changed because they didn't fit the reel pouches that I had (yup I'm that much of a tackle tart) I'm thinking of swapping them back again... the only thing I'd miss on the Wychwoods is the cranking power of the bigger handles...! I still have my Riot 65's that I took to Les Quis many years back and I found them to be superb reels with excellent line lay and they cast like a rocket What's a dedicated tart to do....????

Think I'd be on to Daiwa....!

both reels are good.... I'd suggest that you take your rods along to the shop and try them on the rods for feel.... the decision will be down to how they suit you, your rods and price.... also ask yourself what you'll be using them for...? long chucks, margin work, bags, heavy leads, etc and base your decision on those options... for heavy work I'd go with the 5500, for lighter close in work the 5000, but that's just me... good luck whatever you go for

Fox Warriors all day long.... still got my old Mk1's.. for my own Carping at the mo It's my 9' Dwarf 2.75lbers, light, compact, fit in the boot o' me motor without anything on show to attract lowlife scum,

I gotta say that lightweight and comfy don't really go together... I look at it this way... the bedchair is either going to be slept on, or lobbed on a barrow to and from the venue, so weight isn't really an issue... buy the comfiest you can afford and sleep well... My Indulgence Wide Boy is the "dogs twitcher", and for a lanky six footer like me, dead comfy,

Nowt new... Gardner has been making "Flak Jackets" for years... https://picclick.co.uk/Gardner-Hard-Ball-Bait-Saver-Bait-Skin-Bait-142276533541.html applied the same way as the Korda stuff I believe and a bit better from what I've heard, as Gardner's product is a lot thicker... I used it at Les Quis many years ago as protection from the Poisson Chat... it worked okay, for the Chats, but I've not used it where crays are prevalent (don't think I have any left anyhow)

I have a set of the Taska ones on my alarms.... dead cheap about a fiver each if I remember correctly from Angling direct

Blimey... that's a lot of angst there about pods.... go with what feels good for you and damn the torpedoes.... if we all went the same way, life'd be dead boring... Meself, I use a pod occasionally (Fox black label compact) if the banks are rock hard, or I'm on a platform, but if I'm on a soft(ish) bank I'll use my Interlok sticks and buzz bars. I have to say that I'm a bit of a tackle tart when it comes to buzz bars and sticks, I have some old Fox ones and some of the early black anodised alloy ones, but my Inerloks are dead sexy and are my "Go-To" on most waters... What does annoy me is "Mallet Man" for goodness sake ! Learn to use Screw Point banksticks... you may even catch more fish due to less bankside disturbance... (and you won't annoy the rest of the lake users either)

I use longer rigs in silty lake beds up to 2' long depending on the depth of the silt....