salokcinnodrog

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

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?

Thing is Mate, Leeda, Mustad have the breaking strain printed on the packing, yet carp brands don't. I have been using 'shiny' swivels for years, long before carp fishing was big business. Most of the swivel is often covered in lead clip, buffer bead, bullet bead or lead.

A large number of hook shapes come from trout or salmon fishing, the hooks are often identical patterns, same gauge, but market them as carp, and price increases. Then you have wholesale or dealer price, and genuine retail mark-up, however some tackle brands do over charge on the price they sell to tackle shop at. Swivels are a major case in point, and tackle brands want you to use their swivels, after all, only a Korda swivel fits a Korda lead clip. A size 8 swivel is a size 8 swivel, although some genuine manufacturers do have slightly different barrel sizes. Yet the price for a Korda swivel is carp taxed, compared to a size 8 Mustad, Leeda or heaven forbid Breakaway Tackle swivel. All are probably manufactured at Mustad, the latter brands are around the same retail price, yet Korda charge 5 times the price... Fishing line, I recently made the point on Asso thread, there are I think only 6 line factories in the world, yet prices for monofilament line range from £8.99 for a bulk spool, to £20, on essentially what is the same product that costs pennies to make. Tackle brands stick silly prices on what they sell you. It probably actually costs more for the plastic spool and packing than the line on the plastic spool❗️😏

The Webtex stove takes the screw on canisters, as does the TFG. I now prefer the butane/iso-butane propane Go-system or Cadac canisters over Coleman ones. Past couple of years the Coleman canisters don't seem to work as well in cold weather as they used to.

Stoves, clothing and even sleeping bags are worth looking at in camping shops. Why pay carp tax when you can pick up a Polar minus 12 degree sleeping bag in olive green for £80 as opposed to £150? The Webtex Warrior stove I linked to is cheaper than exactly the same stove in the Trakker name, but from a camping store, not a tackle shop.

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

Quite a big stickie at the top of the Tackle and Equipment section on stoves😉 You might find some ideas in there. Like you I am totally against petrol stoves now, an accident with a Peak1 put me right off them These are my choices for gas stoves, I own both, and both have lasted well. https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/321507812729?chn=ps&dispItem=1&adgroupid=52284554832&rlsatarget=pla-414249613828&abcId=1133906&adtype=pla&merchantid=7335174&poi=&googleloc=1006826&device=t&campaignid=1058843953&crdt=0&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-134428-41853-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%252Fp%252FWeb-Tex-Warrior-Field-Stove-17x6cm-Steel-Hide-Accessories%252F1012714793%253Fiid%253D321507812729%2526chn%253Dps%2526dispItem%253D1%26itemid%3D321507812729%26targetid%3D414249613828%26device%3Dt%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D1006826%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D1058843953%26adgroupid%3D52284554832%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-414249613828%26abcId%3D1133906%26merchantid%3D7335174%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwy9LVBRDOARIsAGqoVnvBD8r5sgw6SDefGZfHH5W9vwjOwWEcEHdoja5684S2oYuPCvD8xXcaAvLzEALw_wcB%26srcrot%3D710-134428-41853-0%26rvr_id%3D1475678685017 https://www.totalfishinggear.co.uk/buy.cfm/carp-accessories/tf-gear-thermo-lite-stove/39/no/62195 Of the two, the Webtex Warrior I found cheapest and free of carp tax. There are other sellers on ebay around the same price within a pound or so. The TFG one has gone up around £5 since I bought mine, but is better than a lot of other big brands.

Rivers are a totally different matter to lakes, continual flow in most, the chances of debris coming down with the current rubbing your line up, playing fish round potential snags that compared to a lake, you know nothing about. You want a decent line with good abrasion resistance, and you may need to consider the distance you fish, a thinner line will get less line pressure from the flow, meaning you can use less weight to hold bottom. Casting upstream or downstream makes a difference as well❗️ For river fishing I would be using Daiwa Sensor in brown, or Gardner Pro, light or dark. I actually landed a 28lb river carp over brambles, thick weed and rushes on 15lb Sensor in about 4minutes flat. I stopped the carp getting its head down towards the snags in the middle, and only had the nearside brambles to contend with before netting it. Sensor was a line I totally trusted, although only in brown.

Muggas are one of my favourite hooks, along with Solar 101's. I know the Cryogen range are supposed to be one of the sharpest straight out the pack, but I found the Muggas hold that title as well😉 Strangely I never played with the ESP hooks despite working in Gladwells, as I was happy with what I was using mentioned in the first paragraph. I don't like chopping and changing, until I have tested, checked and thoroughly pushed a hook (or any item) to its limits, so my experience with the current ESP range is limited. I will say, when I used ESP hooks years ago, they held their point for fish after fish. I think one hook landed over 10 fish until I cast the rig up a tree trying to catch roosting fish and never got it back.

Swearing will not be Tolerated on the Forum. I have removed and edited posts to remove [censored] language. There is no need for it. If you cannot post without swearing then simply do not post! As for Swearing, I don't care if you use asterisks, @, figures etc to replace a letter. The Implication is there and as far as I'm concerned counts as Swearing. If you cannot post without swearing then simply do not post! The post will simply be removed and the Member who swears will be BANNED INSTANTLY.

Asso is a subsidiary company of Italian company Gruppo, who have made fishing lines for other companies, and design the packaging for them. I think there are a total of 6 fishing line manufacturer factories in the world, and between them they make every brand of line.

It may well be the same as P-Line Floroclear. There are only so many line manufacturers in the world, and most tackle brands all sell the same lines under their own name, and at different prices, so I am pretty sure Asso do not manufacture lines😉.

I have the stainless standard P1, and I love it. It comes in its own carry bag, with a separate holder for the central extending bar. Everything locks together easily, is all easily adjustable, from the P1 leg banksticks. You do have to buy the buzzer bars separately, but they are the best fit. I did have some longer Solar banksticks which I can use if I need to increase the height of the rear or front, and as they are Solar, do not look out of place. The legs can be adjusted in angle, over 100 degrees of movement, so it is stable on every bank. Stable, easy to adjust, whats not to like? Personally, I prefer metal over carbon, I would be too likely to stand on a carbon stick and break it. It may weigh more, but the weight of stainless is its longevity.

Says it all really😉 While I do use my The Ones, I really do prefer the 2.75 NG's. I don't think I can cast much further with 3.25's than I can with the 2.75TC rods, and I seem to get more butt ring frap-ups with The Ones and the 50mm ringing compared to the 40's of the NG's, although I know the newer models from Century do have 50's, but that could be down to the stiffer line (P-line Floroclear is not the best casting line). When I used it on my SP's and 40mm, no problems with Aerlex's, but with it on Beastmaster 7000's it has caused a couple of frap-ups and crack-offs. It may be my timing and technique though, although thinking back I recall smashing a ring with the Beastmasters and the P-line on my NG's on a miscast. The Ones are essentially a mid price rod, compared to top range rods in the SP's and NG's. I did have my NG's custom built for £690 by Century, the ball stop on the butt before it was standard. Playing fish I notice a difference, but I feel and watch the rod and line on both, although with the stiffer higher 3lb test curves I don't feel in control as much as with the lower TC. In fact, one of my nicest looking 20's was caught on a Daiwa Pro-Specialist 1.5lb TC rod where I was very comfortable playing it away from an overhanging tree. That same rod landed numbers of fish, carp to 20+ and chub to 5lb on ledgered, float fished and floater fished baits. Sadly my hurry broke the tip as I put it in the car😖😳 My rods last a few years, I had the SP's from 2005 to 2012, the NG's I still have and The Ones are 2years old. I also have a very cheap set of Carp Kinetics in 2.5 for a small runs water, where the fish don't run to anything above doubles, and the park lake where I worry about thieving a...holics...

There is a trade embargo and sanctions that China does not get access to various grade carbons. The carbons produced in China are not as high a quality as those produced in Japan, and Korea and Taiwan ( Republic of China), are not allowed to deal those carbons with the Peoples Republic Of China, which is the big mainland. In fact, America and Mexico produce 48% of the Worlds carbon cloths, Taiwan 8% China 13%, and Britain 5%. British quality carbon cloths and prepregs are the highest quality in the world, and have been used in the Aeronautical and Space Industries, are still used in F1 and Indy Car racing. I think you will also find, a certain British Rod manufacturer is also the only one who uses autoclave technology to remove air trapped in the blank between carbon and resin, and excess resin.

I agree with Kev, although I do have a tarty P1 Pod. For ages I stuck with Century's, I have had Armalite mk.l's, mk.ll's, SP's, FMJ's and NG's. The SP's were a real casting rod as well, although I made the error of selling them to a mate when I got the NG's, in 2.75 when I was fishing mostly ranges at a maximum of 100metres. The NG's will still cast over 100, but I do feel slightly undergunned at times, so I bought a set of The Ones in 3.25, for £50 each new. I prefer the Century's! As others have said, there is a pricepoint at which rod quality seems so much higher, feel, casting ability, build standard. I made the point on another thread, I can drive at 120mph, but in a good car, a Ferrari. I would not manage it in a Nissan Micra! There is also something to be said for British quality as well, imported blanks don't have the same high tech carbons as available with British blanks.

Maybe because you had 13 footers rather than 12😉 The only Century rods I found heavy were a set of FMJ's I had. They could cast to the moon, but were very heavy. Really wish now I hadn't sold them for the distance casting I'm doing now. Sonik or Greys? Neither, I would be going back to Century given the choice❗️

About 76yards, so not a real big chuck, dependant on your technique. I gave up on semi-slack, its tight or slack, no in between. Indicators as tight as I can get them, or at maximum drop, with no upwards creep, and line running along the bottom of the rings, and straight down from rod tip. I found I was missing out at times by using a helicopter set-up. I lost fish because of it! A couple of bleeps, and the fish had run 30 yards into a snag. I had had a run the night before, landed a 28, but the next take dumped me in a snag. A mega dropback, that basically, even with tight line didn't dropback on the indicator, and my Delkims, despite being set sensitive didn't give more than two or three bleeps. Hence my dislike of helicopter set-ups unless I absolutely have to. Hooklength material, coated braids, fluorocarbon, or mono are all more tangle resistant than normal braid, or go combi-rig.

Unless it's a long cast, I would honestly forget about using helicopter set-ups. Firstly you are fishing to an island, so you want quick indication; unless the helicopter rig is fished bowstring tight you may well lose indication, especially on a drop-back. I have see a carp take from the corner of an island, move the lead in a perfect arc, with absolutely no movement on the indicator, and (pre Delkim) no sound from the buzzer. It was only seeing the line, in daytime, move that gave notice of a run. Unless you had vibration sensing you may well miss the take, especially at night. Even a normal semi-fixed lead can result in less indication of a take. Personally, if there is no undertow, I would be going to running leads, and slack lines.

To be honest a couple of cheaper lines are better than most more expensive brands: Daiwa Sensor Brown and Gardner Pro Blend, both are only around £10 for a bulk spool. Too many anglers weaken their lines themselves, albeit not intentionally, allowing line twist by playing fish on the clutch, line coming off the baitrunner, long casting, hitting the clip and then not replacing their line often enough. 'I've paid £20 for that, it is going to last a year'. I replace my line regularly after testing it, if that means every 3 months, then change it. Loads of 15lb lines on the market are sold with a given diameter of 0.38 or even 0.40mm. They are not actually 15lb lines at all, but incorrectly rated 18 or 20lb lines. 15lb Daiwa Sensor brown, has a diameter of 0.36mm, and from my personal tests, broke at over 18lb consistently with the knots I use. White was not as good, I could not get the same knot strength, it is also stiffer. Gardner Pro Blend 15lb was the same; high abrasion resistance, good knot strength although the 15lb diameter is 0.35mm. Something for you, many or most lines, the dye used to colour them is in there for a simple reason, and not one you might consider, not to camouflage it in water, but to make it softer, better to cast, and easier to knot. The fact they use colours supposedly to blend in the water. Tackle Box line tests

The Hardcore system can have the front off it, it unzips or folds back. It is a pretty good bivvy system. I would actually find it a bit big for day only sessions. Inside it is like a palace, the space is massive, a lot bigger than a Fox EasyDome, which is around the same size as a TFG Force 8 I think. The brolly gives me protection during a day and I'm usually in a fairly low chair, but haves the advantage of taking an overwrap as well for full coverage. I do sit on a chair across my bedchair on long session. I don't put the rear legs down, and sit it across the bed. I do sometimes have a spoke in my ear. Bivvy, from the term bivouac, a temporary camp, without tents or cover. Anglers however have added the shelter, a brolly system is a form of bivvy.

The Royale is not a bad piece of kit, as has been said the Pop up personally I think is a bit lightweight for any length session, although I do like how small it packs up. My reason for a brolly on day sessions is if I see fish move somewhere else, or fancy a move, its easy to fold down, sling in the rod sling and move. I do also use my brolly for roach and pike fishing, so I do move around a bit. I found a full shelter means I don't necessarily want the aggro of moving, which may cost me fish.

Have a look at an Oval brolly. Most come complete with stormsides already fitted, and you can get an overwrap to convert it into a full brolly. I have the TFG version, and overwrap. The only downside is the brolly only comes with a 'half' groundsheet, but I had a groundsheet from another bivvy for when I fit the overwrap. An alternative is the TFG Hardcore Brolly, which is the top picture. The plain oval is underneath. I have set the brolly up just to keep my gear dry, so its not particularly tidy.

It is a genuine pain most definitely. Stanley knife or razor blade cut the whipping on every rod, taking care not to cut the blank, then removing the old thread completely. Sanding the blank down to get rid of the rubbish left, then rewhipping the rod rings back in the right places, followed by a decent coat of a good resin on top of the whipping. Then, a thin mix of rod lacquer or varnish over the top of everything. The strip and clean will likely take a day in itself, whipping the eyes back on, dependant on how fast you are, and what equipment you have, half a day. Resin the whipping, and allowing that to dry, while having the blank turned regularly (or continually), at least 24 hours. Lacquering the rod, and that drying, again another day. I can do it, have done it, but if I told you I hate doing it, and would charge around the same price as a new mid range rod, £150 ish, then as Yonny says, you are better off having a new rod. Out of interest what make and model of rods are they?