smufter

You won't be disappointed. Cracking bit of kit. Some things you buy and immediately think "how did I manage without this" and the t4 is one of them. A bit like the RidgeMonkey Duo bivvy light or Korda Tacklesafe. Best bits of kit I own.

Oh well. My spool arrived this afternoon. Initial impressions are that it seems a bit thinner than 0.35mm but it must be right! More of a green colour than brown but can live with that. Comes off the spool nice and straight, seems very little "memory" but the spool itself is a lot bigger than a "normal" spool so that could be disguising it a bit. If it sinks as well as they say it does, this could be interesting.......

I've just ordered a spool of 16lb for my daughters rods for when we go to France. I'll let her be the guinea pig lol! Diameter seemed spot on at 0.35mm. How you getting on with it????

Plenty of decent rods around for about £50.00 a pop. Chub Outkast, Sonik VaderX, Daiwa Black Widow G50, Shimano Velocity, plus others from Wychwood, Nash, JRC etc. You need to think about what type of fishing you're going to be doing. Distance work, or heavy baits/rigs and you're going to need a higher test curve than short range work, surface fishing, single baits that sort of thing. I'm a firm believer in using as low a test curve rod that you can get away with.

Their sinking line sounds interesting.....reasonable diameter too.

You won't be disappointed fella. As I say, they are super strong and ultra sharp, straight from the pkt.

Save a lot of time and head off over to here.... https://www.banktackle.co.uk/hooks-41-c.asp 50 "Continentals" for just under a tenner delivered. You know it makes sense Rodney

I use Shimano Technium Black. 15lb is 0.38mm so bang on your new ruling. Great line. Knots well, casts and sinks well, and much stronger than it's "quoted". Possibly one of the best all round lines there is.

Most of my sessions are either days, or 24 hours so I tend to use a brolly. Off to France in July with my daughter, so was looking for something a little more "substantial" for a week under canvas so my wife bought me a Quest 2 man bivvy. It's my 1st "proper" bivvy, and only cost £149.00 brand new, (didn't think it was worth spending any more on something that was only going to get so little use). Gets very good reviews, and doesn't look too bad at all. I could have got another make in a one man version, but fancied the idea of the two man as I don't like having everything cluttered up around me. For £149.00 I think it offers terrific value.

Anyone any experience??? Looks like they offer an 11' 2.75 in their range, could be a "viable" alternative to either Baby Ballista's or FreeSpirit TS's..... http://www.mivardi.co.uk/products/rods/carp-rods-2-piece/spotter-3-30m-2-75lb/

Total fishing tackle also 10% off using the code ebay. And it doesn't run out tonight

Appreciate what you are saying Yonny, it's nice to be as light as possible. But the MHR I have comes in a 5.5kg fully inclusive of poles, groundsheet and pegs. The Trakker Tempest comes in at 4.4kg PLUS the pegs, which would put it around 5kg??? Add a groundsheet to that (which doesn't come as standard) and you're not far off the weight of the MHR. The LoPro is lighter I'll grant you at 4kg (according to the ESP website) but again, that is without the groundsheet, (and again, you have to pay extra for that too) So not far off 5kg all in. At the end of the day mate, you are talking about a kilo here or there, (if that), basically the difference between taking 1 bag of bait with you instead of 2, a few less spare weights in the bag or a few less pot noodles... Also, I guarantee that if you compare the quality of the material of the three, the Wychwood's would be better. And, of course, you get the bullet proof 5 year warranty on the Wychwood. During my research, the only negative I found for the MHR was the length packed down. Not a problem for me, but I appreciate it could be for some. I found quite a few for the Tempest, (which eventually ruled it out for me). To be honest, I didn't research the LoPro because that was never on the radar mate.

Looking for a "comfy" chair, without it costing the earth ( ).Prefer a low one, ideally with a fairly high back so that I can doze off comfortably, doesn't have to have arms but the legs must lock in place (have had a couple in the past where the back legs have collapsed, much to my daughters amusement!!).Lightweight would be nice too and doesn't have to be reclining.Any suggestions please lads???Rob

Thank you

Yep, I reckon I could get my rod sleeve laid out along the back. Got to say, I did seriously look at the Trakker as an alternative, but a couple of reports put me off. Plus my previous experience with the Solace was enough to convince me that Wychwood was the way to go. Being able to sit so far back in the new one puts a whole different perspective on things. Just seems I've got a load more room around me to play with.

Well, sad to say I blanked. Not a beep. Weather turned a bit worse towards the end of the day, wind got up and the rain got heavier. But the brolly performed brilliantly. Well chuffed with it. And here are full details of the "New" MHR that Wychwood launched yesterday, along with some other interesting gear.... http://www.wychwoodcarp.co.uk/news/post/the-best-selling-brolly-range-just-got-better Seems to tick all the right boxes.

Inside

Little bit of drizzle here at the moment, so decided to break it out. Not a breath of wind so haven't bothered to peg it down properly. Loads more room than my previous Solace, can sit much further under it. Doddle to put up with the new central bar. Loving it so far😀😀😀

Have a look at the offerings from Bank Tackle too. https://www.banktackle.co.uk/hooks-41-c.asp Absolutely brilliant hooks, pin sharp out of the pkt and really strong. I am using the "Continentals" and have no complaints at all. The curves look good too, but only go down to 6's where I personally prefer 4's. And the service from Bank Tackle is second to none. 1st class delivery (free) and I have never had a duff order from them. They are the only people I use nowadays for my terminal tackle.

I think the new brolly is going to get a run out.....https://www.metcheck.com/WEATHER/dayforecast.asp?zipcode=Lewes&locationID=57235&lat=50.9&lon=0&dateFor=20/02/2018 Metcheck saying rain all day, Accuweather saying none at all. Now who do I believe lol!! Thing is, it looks so neat and tidy in the bag, I don't want to take it out and mess it up

If your generic NGT ones work for you, and you're reasonably happy with them, then an upgrade would be a waste of money............but don't let that stop you lol! I was using some cheap Avid ones, which were fine. But the chains were like chocolate, so I "upgraded" to Wychwood Slugs. They work for me. I look for 3 things in a bobbin... 1) Adjustable weights. You can buy bigger weights for the Slugs, but I am happy with them as they are for the moment. Not too heavy but I can adjust them if I want. 2) High visibility. I went for the bright orange ones. I can see them from miles away, so they certainly catch my eye should they start "dancing". Bright Yellow are good too. 3) Ability to take an isotope easily.

Another little teaser on the Wychwood FB page....

My lakes un-fenced. They haven't worked the code out on the gate yet.....

Oh well. Couldn't wait in the end. Went with my original plan and ordered the 60" MHR on Tuesday from Total Fishing Tackle. With the discount code (ebay) I got it for £116.99 delivered, and I couldn't really say no at that price. It arrived yesterday. My next session is next Tuesday. Weather forecast suggests that I won't need to take it with me, we'll see nearer the time! I won't bother with the two vents in the back. For one, I don't think I'll need them with the material Wychwood use, and two, I don't want to jeopardise the 5 year warranty. I'll let you know what I think once I've got it up and running.

I've not been before, but I'm a member on another forum and found these quotes from various guys regarding La Botte. Don't know if they help at all???................. "LaBotte is well known for chucking up loads of fish & like Charlie Lake, does benefit if there are loads of anglers on there. Don’t give the fish anywhere to hold up / keeps them moving.The management are spot on and will give you any help needed, to ensure you catch & enjoy your stay. As has already been said, the Maize that’s sold on-site is spot on, it’s also fed to the lakes during winter and all the lakes residents love it. Maxime, now produces a chilli mx and it’s also proven to be very successful on a lot of the lakes.I generally put a lot of Maize out with chopped boille and fish boille over the top but I know guys that just use the Maize and also catch loads" "Botte is a great water to just go and catch fish, fished it a couple of time and I've never caught less then 40 in the week.Best advise I can give on botte, don't fill it in little and often" "Fished Botte last september, loved the place i would agree it is an easier prospect to some of the other waters. If you find the fish you should catch. They move around in big shoals and constantly show and fizz up so location is never an issue.However if you are on the opposite side to where the bulk of the fish are you may struggle, thats why it worth being mobile as possible. The fish move off pressure so i think the more anglers on the lake the better as it keeps them moving around. We exclusively booked the lake and had 10 anglers which wasn't enough really and could of done with 12 or 14 really. It did mean though for those who could be arsed to move big catches where possible.I can't remember my exact figures but had over 15 fish, 2 being 50lbers and 4 or 5 40lbers. The commons are awesome in there.I used both boilies and particles and both worked equally well. Maxime's particles are a very good quality and its great having it delivered still warm from being cooked.Book with confidence". "Tom bait boat is a big advantage. I used rowing boat for the first 2 days picking the odd fish up. Day 3 I used a bait boat getting more bites. Ended up with 17 carp 2 x 50's and 3 cats. Lake is pretty flat 5-6 feet. Use Max's chilli mix. Fish for 1 fish at a time and build your spot up. Speard yourself's out don't give them somewhere to hide. Keep the fish moving and you will all catch. We've booked on for next year again. Good luck".