chillfactor

The original composite Bivvy a few years back was designed for lightness & quickness ,they achieved this by ditching the aquatex for a lighter matetial. I brought one myself & it's been ok but you definitely need a wrap for the colder months, as you can't compare it to my aquatex Armo . It's basically a tempest design pole setup with a built in front , no vents , & a cheaper lighter material . I've noticed they have upgraded the matetial now which definitely needed doing . I got mine for lightness & quickness & small footprint which you can't fault it for. Would I buy another ? Probably not . But they have sorted some of the issues with the newer version it would appear.

It's geared around sealing & protecting natural products , while keeping that natural look, so even though I have never used it on a rod it will be perfect for the job . I have used it on cork though & It looked spot on just brought out the natural colour. Also won't tarnish your hands with any unwanted varnish smells which could end up on your bait .

I personally like my cork handled rods to take on a natural patina , they darken over time which I like. If you are looking to seal & protect them though, have a look at clear osmo oil. Not the cheapest of products mind but very good & will keep a natural look for the cork .

Just seen this ...Really quite mad these stats mate . And there's me thinking your a good angler On a serious note though , that percentage of captures falling to the same hook baits certainly makes you think !

Thanks for the info yonny 👍

Cheers Nige.... will have a look at some point 👍 Yonny & a few others who use them, what size do the specialist hook baits go up to & how hard are they ? This lake in France is full of Poisson Chat so anything soft just gets nailed .

Hi all , I looking at making some large hard hookers for France . Having never made my own bait before looking for any tips for making hi attract hard hookers . Thanks in advance 😎

That's some fish Kev 😎🎣😎

Was wondering if an otter watch type of thread might be worth starting . After our recent conversations .... might give people a heads up on areas to avoid unless fenced . ??? Or are we already saying it needs to be fenced to be worth the effort ??? I'm certainly of the thinking it needs to be fenced .

You can already see the next model upgrade having more than 3 presets & costing a bit more Also I personally wouldn't want to keep transferring my line from one spool to another then back again lol

The guys I know who are up & down the country netting all winter Kev . Were at a commercial day ticket lake in Northampton last week . Turns out there's only a couple of carp left in there.... the owner couldn't believe it considering what the stock should of been . He had seen the odd patch of scales but didn't think for a minute he had been wiped out . I completely agree Kev .... it's just a matter of time for all un fenced venues the way the last 5 years has exploded compared to the previous 5 . If you have fishing in your area guys then make the most of it & cherish the captures even more . How Many of our favourite captures on this thread are already gone .... won't be just one of mine, that's for sure !

Brutals the right word mate.... moved 6 fish from that lake to a small pond around half acre , literally in someone's back garden tge kitchen window looks over it ... about 4-5 miles away from the lake . they didn't last a night Four of them on the bank the next morning . Unbelievable

I own a little stretch of river used to love taking my boy down there to fish for brownies & silver's ... nothing much left in there now . I think your right about angling in the UK , but it's not "could be" it will be mate ...it's already started as you know from first hand experience.

We would of fenced it years ago if possible.... unfortunately it isn't fella .

It was a good friends lake mate & colleague ,gutted especially for him . Nothing to rebuild that's the end of that water mate .

Well lads what can I say , very depressing day to be an angler ! Absolutely no big fish left so the common above has been had this winter as I spotted it in the summer . Even the small amount of fish left the majority of them had half a tail . So from my findings today if your on a water getting hit hard by otters in a few years there be nothing left & what is will more likely be damaged . The future looks proper grim !

I used korda touchdown in the past for a low stretch line & would happily use it again . Good on abrasion compared to most pre stretched lines . I was using it in15 lb in weedy waters .

Not so sure mate .... with identity theft I bet there's plenty of dead people still searching the web lol

Agree with you there muft .... pretty much spot on to a Zander . Are they the same species Buzz?

Would probably look at 13ft rods your definitely have all bases covered then . Welcome to the forum 😎

Happy new year to all you guys , hope 2019 is a good one for you 😎

Same got some very memorable barbel captures , a brace of doubles back in the 90's stand out from the Severn & my first doubles from the wye . Was quite the barbel hunter back then driving about trying all the different rivers, good times 😎

That fully scaled is stunner 😎

Signed via link on fb a mate put up .

I personally use the solar butt grips & have been spot on fishing locked up ... can't vouch for the new design but the older versions are great .