bluelabel

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....

try this.... go to a big field.... put a lead on and chuck it as far as you can.... go find the lead, cut it off go back to the rod and retrieve the line through the grass..... takes the twist out of the line a treat