yonny

The Camotex offers really nice stiffness but once you've kinked it (very easy to do) you can't get rid of the kink. It also doesn't like sitting on the deck, you really need to weigh it down with blobs of putty. As said, The ESP Tungsten Loaded is the one. Miles better imo. No putty needed and pulls straight with no steaming. Banging stuff.

Not heard of that one buddy. You can add a little washing-up liquid if you choose, it lubricates the line making for better casting properties. I've not tried it myself (don't want my line smelling of soap lol). P.s. fluoro doesn't require soaking, just mono.

Overnight in luke warm (not hot) water is enough buddy.

She's a cracker @chillfactor.

I tried and tried to take my old staffie out fishing but I gave up in the end. The number of stalking opportunities he ruined was unbelievable. I swear he used to want to jump in and play with the carp....

Not sure that's the case @greekskii. The literature I've seen touts it as an all-rounder that accentuates curve shank mechanics. The Gardner spiel refers to the blow-back and german as well as the ronnie.

I can't help but think the gape on these will be almost completely closed if using a hook link with any anti tangling properties. The original Mugga is a classic curve shank and I do wonder if that pattern aint optimal in terms of performance then why does everyone offer something very similar? I'd defo be interested to hear reviews of the CVR from users. I did see a shot of it used on a ronnie somewhere and it looked good.

Yes bud

Very good stuff. But they say technium black is better.

Fluorocarbon! The best fluoros are probably Tiger Line and Gardner Mirage.

Your call buddy. I'd take the TE's over Greys any day.

For that kind of money you can get much better than Greys imo mate. Have a look at Harrison and Free Spirit, or maybe even Century if you're feeling really flush.

I wouldn't go anywhere near anything marketed as "A stripped out ultra light Special Forces edition" buddy. It's aimed at kids that don't know what they're spending their hard-earned on imo. Have a look at Dymag Mobile System and their 9 ft rods. Really good gear.

Could do worse buddy.

You need to figure out what's important to you fella. - For distance casting go for a pre-stretched line (e.g. Fox Exocet etc.). They cast fantastically but aint so good where abrasion resistance is required. - For general angling without too much weed go for one of the new low stretch/partially pre-stretched lines (e.g. Shimano Technium, Gardner GT-HD etc.) These cast well and have half decent abrasions resistance. - General angling in weedy situations go for a traditional all-rounder (ESP Synchro, Gardner Pro etc.). Cast OK, nice and strong. - Heavy weed go for a heavy line (Gardner hydroTuff, Rig Marole SLS etc.). Not so good for casting but you'd land a bus in a forest. - If you want your line on the deck go for a fluoro. Again, not great casting, but the benefits are obvious. There's no such thing as a line that will do everything perfectly (although the low stretch options are getting there). Think about what's important to you and go for the most suitable.

I've just moved back to braid after a couple of years on mono with a leader. This time I've gone 50 lb straight through. No knot at all. Aint used it yet so can't tell you what I think.

Put all of your rods where the carp are fella.

Honestly Phil, I'd not bother. They key to staying warm in winter is good togs and a good sleeping bag. Without them a flower pot will make next to no difference whatsoever mate.

Yeah I'm aware buddy. Last year we were given the heads up they'd be checking (not a problem, I always license all my rods). They never showed up. Pretty much mate. I've spent thousands over the last few years on tickets for waters that will likely never see any benefit from license funds. We fence them ourselves. We take all sorts of precautions to avoid disease. Water health/quality is monitored. Tbh we wouldn't trust the EA to deal with any issues effectively (i.e. fast enough) should they arise. Don't get me wrong, if I fish waters that benefit I have no issues with paying for licenses. In fact they're a bargain. But when I don't see any benefit I can't help but feel shafted. It's like paying car tax when you don't drive on public roads. I've been checked once. It was 1st April several years ago now and it was the only time I've ever been fishing without a license..... I'd just completely forgotten to renew. I called the hotline and got my licenses right there on the bank. Luckily they checked my track record, saw I'd always had my licenses, and let me off. Lesson learned though eh... idiot!!!

Nah, that's outrageous imo buddy. It's not their job to check. It is the responsibility of the angler to buy one. If we speak frankly, why would a syndi gaffer receiving up to a grand a year or more from each angler care if they have licenses? If we speak even more frankly, why should those anglers who pay to fish these waters exclusively have to buy a license? I'm considering fishing a public water this year. It'l be the first time in years I dont resent paying for my license.

That. And get a stove with a pre-heat pipe (a pipe that goes over the burner).

Yeah totally agree. I'll not be switching over to the RX+ I don't think for that reason.

Same here. Shame as the indication they provide is the best of any alarm imo. I moved over to fox and am happy with them.

They are just the latest in a range of rods that are obsoleted and replaced each year as a matter of course. We'll not know if they're any good until they're no longer made. Greys rod don't hold their value either - what does that tell you about the long term quality..... For that kind of money you can get almost any rod on the market. I'd go with a tried and trusted brand/model. You could get custom Century/Harrison/Free Spirits built for that price.

I wouldn't consider it a rut at all Vik. Water temps have been as low as 4 degrees. There is no getting away from the fact that that will render activity almost non-existent. I have spent entire days dropping live maggots on top of the heads of dormant carp in snags in temps like these with no response. Sometimes nothing will work, regardless of what you do. You just need to hope you're there when they decide to feed for more than a couple of minutes at a time...... I once spent an entire winter fishing one water without catching, or even seeing a carp, for nearly 4 months. It's winter fishing at the end of the day. It will happen eventually but while it's not we need to just sit back and enjoy the season, we can still try hard to catch a carp, but there's little point in hammering ourselves when we don't bag one.