B.C.

Rain has stopped play until the weekend..... Even gave the Sunday work party a swerve, did a bit on Friday for another lake, but this weather has put me back on a couple of other things, so I'll try and pick up where I left off in a few days once the weather brightens up a bit........ Hopefully

Greys tend to bring out a new range of rods every couple of seasons these days, or so it seems..... If I was buying rods for the long term, then Free Spirit, Century or Harrison, bit more expensive, but worth saving up for imo... British build and design and a far better chance of getting spares, should you need them in a few years time.........

No mate... Once cured, it's air tight and waterptoof.... Like a waterptoof honeycomb (if applied correctly) ...... To be fare I bought the cheapest one, I'm sure there are prob better quality versions with better expansion... It's used a lot in the window fitting trade to seal gaps when fitting..... So it's basically weatherproof... the bubbles are tiny and it would only be any broken bubbles on the surface of the foam that could hold a little bit of moisture. It needs a little thought, as once a can is opened and used, you really need to use it all at once, it sticks to anything and the nozzle will block up , as this too, will start to cure, there are cleaning agents sold separately to unblock the nozzle, but that's just more expense..... A decent sized can of the foam is around £5, and it did the 16mtres with a bit of waste...... I'm gonna mess about with the spare lengths over the weekend and another can of foam, try and work out a way of totally filling them....... There is a case to say that the foam may not have fully cured inside the poles I did, as I was a bit hasty to test it and only left it for 18hrs and not the 48 that I intended...... I think it's known as "learning on the job" lol

Totally agree mate... I rushed it a bit and there were deffo some air locks in their.... Might need a line of tiny holes along them to ensure the foam can expand fully inside and let the air out........ I'm open to suggestions lol

Anyway, I think there is some milage in this pole which works out at about £1 a metre all in...... I have some extra sections to make up, and I'll take a bit more care with applying the foam, possibly drilling a few small holes along each length to let the air escape as the foam expands........ It's not something I use that often, and it's very unforgiving stuff....... ATM, I'd say it was good for use as a margin baiting pole, wher it can be drifted into the bank, but like I say, in open wter it's a bit snakey, unless I can think of a way to stiffen things up a bit............

Took a piece down the lake to test it for buoyancy, and it floated no problem..... So went back and got the rest, screwed all 16 metres together and pushed it out onto the surface....... It floats like a dream and turns over really easily , albeit with no pot attached........ It was a bit "snakey" at 16mtres, but I applied the foam really quickly and I'm pretty sure there were some air locks inside some of the lengths, which wouldn't of helped...

Next day cleaned them off and used solvent cement to attach the male and female connectors.......... This took about 45 mins as I was a bit sloppy when applying the foam....

Home made pole so far....... Screwed down some 2mtr lengths of conduit to keep them straight and squirted in some expanding foam at a few places along their length......... This took about 20mins for 8 lengths..... Had to drill out a few larger holes to accommodate the nozzle hose for the foam.

Yeah, it's a nightmare choosing, given the choice these days..... hopefully someone who uses one will comment.

I can see you point, although they don't bother me too much. Wasn't trying to put you off, just mentioning what could imo cause the odd pain in the butt. Some things you never really find out until you've already shelled out. The promo vids help with all the plus side of things, the negs, you learn on the bank..... Go for it, if you like the look of it...... Happy hauling...

Here's a decent review of it Chippie, albeit fresh out the bag..... Haven't used one or even seen one.... The overall weight of 13kg plus would put me off tbh. And I'm not too sure about a zip in ground sheet either, zips could get clogged with dirt easily. And it looks like you can't really peg it out properly unless the ground sheet is already zipped in (if you are going to use the ground sheet, that is), which could give you a few probs if you are setting up in wind and rain..... I could also see the zips going if you moved your bed chair for instance to get at something, and put any pressure on them....... Just my thoughts. I've also owned a brolly system of similar shape and design and although the central spoke above the door way offer better rain run off, the distance between the storm poles offers little stability and will have the whole of the front panel flapping about in the wind, which eventually pulls the pegs out, especially if there are gravel banks on your lake..... Like I say, it's just an opinion and I'm a big fan of brolly systems over a bivvy, but I'm not too sure about this one based on weight and the zip in ground sheet.

Well, the good thing is, having done a little test today.. The whole thing floats like a cork..... I put 16mtrs out and it floats fine with the expanding foam inside, another 2 sections will give you 20mtres.... The down side, even with the foam inside, it's still a bit bendy... pics soon.. left my phone usb in the shed..

Stage 1 complete mate...... got 8 lengths foamed up last night that's 16mtres.... gonna leave them a couple of days just to make sure they cure properly.. In the mean time I'll get a little pot soted... Was thinking of using a "clip lid " pot....... Put some holes in the lid, which can be used to create a bit more of a spread of bait with particle , say 1mtre squared, instead of a little pile, just gives options , that way, especially when prepping a spot before fishing it. I've not made one before, so least ways we can learn a few does and don'ts from this one.... I'll pick away at getting it done through the week, I've taken a few picks of stage 1 and I'll post pic's and info once it's finished and tested, hopefully by Sunday night To be fair mate, you prob could use one at 25mtres plus, I'd like mine to go to 40mtres eventually, to get up the margin in an area where there are no swims cut out. Just depends on any cross winds, but I doubt a shop bought one would cope anyway at that range in wind.

That's exactly the way to do it, only in 2mtre lengths and a small piece of pipe lagging every now and then to help with buoyancy......

They are probably too heavy mate and will sink without loads of floats.

Sorry for the delay on this one fella's, been utterly flat out on other things...... Family dog's body I'm afraid... Will post up something as soon as I can..

Didn't know anyone else did a scull cap apart from Trakker.... So with that in mind and considering they clip onto the brolly spokes, I doubt you'll find one that fits a bivvy..... Have you tried messaging the vloggers?

Hi Crusian, glad you are finding them ok... I gave mine some serious abuse last year removing snags for most of the season. I've been told it's best to hang them, up or down, but TBH mine live, folded in half inside my unhooking cradle. I think as long as you use them regularly, you shouldn't have any probs. If I thought I wouldn't be needing them for a few weeks or more, then I would hang them up in a shed, away from any windows/daylight....... I've never had that much moisture that they needed tipping upside down. Usually , no matter how warm the weather, the cold water I'm wading in will stop things getting too sweaty. If I'm in a situation in session where they will be needed, then they are sitting right next to the bed chair, upright and folded down for ease of access. Standing like this, will help dry any moisture out, if there is any......

Well in Finchey , nice one Perhaps you could give it a little review once you've used it a few times?

TBH, I doubt it will go in a quiver/ rod holdall. And yes, it will be more bulk than a shop bought version.. I was thinking, a couple of bungee loops to fasten it all together and chuck it on the barrow. At the end of the day, it's extra kit, so will take up "some" room, although weight wise, shouldn't be much of a problem on a decent barrow.................... It's a cheap offering that will get someone by and give a few more options on the bank. I can't say that it would be at all better than a shop bought one, but I've seen one in use and it did the job.

Nice one mate..... Have you had a chance to use it yet?.. Looks ideal for the days only lake. Did a recent work party over there and there are plenty of swims where I recon it would be very useful, especially when any weed or pads sprout up. Also because of the overhead branches on some swims making casting a bit awkward.......... I've literally banned myself from buying any extra kit for a while. Last couple of seasons I've been a bit of a kid in a sweet shop. Some is unused . I'm going to have a massive clear out before I start buying any bigger purchases again. The makeshift pole will do me for now, both on the club lake and on another lake I joined where there are a lot of tight,close in spots....

Ok, so I went and bought a few bits tonight, enough for a 12mtr baiting pole...I'll try and get it done over the next couple of days, depending on the weather, comes to around £30, but there will be stuff left over for extra sections....... I did see this on the bay yesterday..£150 which goes 18mtres, carbon pole, probably less bulky than the one I'm having a go at.. If I had a spare £150, I'd be tempted..... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corus-18m-Long-Reach-Baiting-Pole-Includes-Float-And-Spoon-Carp-Fishing-Tackle/263216597298?hash=item3d48ee8932:m:mOZ2UDDlqCR173KscnQ9m7w Just gonna try and knock something up , for those on a tight budget. Should have some pics, hopefully some from the bank too, by the weekend.

Hi Nick, I know you are not a fan of leaders, just wondering what bs line you use, and what lead sizes for a 100yd chuck?...... Not a big fan of 6+ metres of shock leader, but always worried about crack offs without a leader on a long chuck..... Gotten away with no shock leader in the past, with most fishing done at short to mid range... This season will require a further chuck now and then. There is a 15lb minimum bs rule for mainlines. Do you recon that will stand up to being cast naked (Technium black) without the need of a braided shock leader? Cheers.

I bought some 12ft, 2 rod versions a while back. The only thing mine lacked, were some retaining straps inside. There is a lot of room inside for rods/reels to move about. Other than that they are well thought out. Handy lead pocket and also a pocket for bank sticks/buzzers on the 2 rod version..... I ended up sending them back, simply because the amount of movement on my kit inside the sleeves, without retaining straps, had me paranoid about my spools getting knocked about in transit...... TBH though, most products out there will lack "something".... I just couldn't see the point of buying rod skins and then having to buy reel protectors and tip protectors on top..... Now using Wychwood system select, nice and snug, but a bit too snug for Big Pit reels....... Still looking for the perfect single rod sleeves.