Posted by Keith on July 2, 2010 under Carp and Coarse Fishing, Tackle Reviews | 
New version of the highly successful 60″ Oval Brolly but now with the addition of 2 full length ribs that ensure that 4 ribs are in contact with the ground at all times.
JRC have also added a full length detachable pole so the brolly can be assembled quicker.There is also a few new extras available in the shape of a full on mozi cover and an overwrap also available from Keens
Highly waterproof material with hydrostatic head of 10000mm.
Bar stitched and Fully tape sealed for maximum strength and durability at all stress points and seams.
*Stainless swivel storm pole attachments included
*2 x 24″ storm poles included
*PVC groundsheet included
60" Oval Brolly with Mozi Infil Panel attached
*H/duty pegs included
Dimensions -
H125cm
D195cm
W265cm
………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Ok, so that’s the gen up on the product but how did it perform in the real world? Well, I took my brolly down to my syndicate water Crayfish Pool, near Heathrow Airport for 4 nights of vigorous usage!
The first thing you notice with the brolly is that it is so incredibly quick to erect! Seconds and you have a totally waterproof canopy to start your session under. I was a little skeptical as to whether or not my huge Nash Wideboy bedchair would fit under it, but my concerns were flawed as it fitted under with ease!
Pegging all around from back to both sides
What you have to remember though is that it is just a brolly with storm sides…..it’s not a bivvy and obviously won’t give you the same level of protection achievable with a much larger bivvy.
What you get for your money though is a very stable, waterproof and well constructed oval brolly, which if you like to travel light, as i do….will provide you with the perfect tool for moving swims quickly and keeping your kit dry on overnighters and short sessions.
It really is the most ideal bit of kit for the mobile approach as it packs down into a long narrow fabric bag which will fit into just about any rod holdall.
The ten screw in style ‘T’ pegs are a little on the weak side and the rubber heads tended to twist a bit on attempting to screw them into the hard soil of the Cray pool. I didn’t use the ground sheet as Ive never been a fan of them really.
Top notch stiching all around and excellent strong feeling storm pole attachments
Not because of the quality or any problems….I just prefer the quickness of not having one. Or having something else that gets damp to put into the car at the end of the session!
There are numerous pegging points around the back and sides of the brolly and these offered up a really good purchase to the ground with the pegs.
Karabina attachment for the Mozi infil panel
The two supplied storm poles are only designed for the sides, but there is a further two storm pole adapters at the front of the bivvy which will screw into any long bank stick or selected storm pole, which is not supplied.
Further more you can now purchase the extra mozi cover which drapes over the front of the brolly. This was a must purchase piece of kit for me due to the masses of anoying little biting insects that inhabit the numerous venues I regularly fish.
The mozi net attaches via a small Karabina to the top of the outside of the brolly. It then drapes over the front and side and pegs down all the way around.
The release catch inside of the brolly feels strong and robust.
There is a good quality, strong feeling zip down the front center of the net which allows good, quick and clear access to your rods.
If you plan to peg the mesh all around then you’ll need to get yourself about another 6 pegs which don’t come supplied. Albeit I felt that it didn’t really need them.
Mozi infil panel draped over the front of the 60" brolly
All in all it’s a cracking piece of kit which will save you a stack of time and effort on the bank side. It will keep you dry, warm and very mobile.
I don’t honestly know how I managed without one this long????
Great stuff from JRC….a really well thought out piece of kit which will certainly see a lot of bank side time with me. I’m smitten with it even after just 4 nights of fishing with it.
8/10 for this piece of kit….the only reason it didn’t get full marks is that I felt the pegs could have been a bit better.
Posted by Keith on September 3, 2009 under Carp and Coarse Fishing, Tackle Reviews |
Angling Technics Microcat Bait Boat MK II
(Review courtesy of Nuts about Carp)
After many years without owning or even wanting one….I found myself being left a bit behind the crowds at certain venues I fish, where some times the only reliable spot to gain a run from is tight up to islands etc. I couldn’t stand being at the back of the crowds so, off to the shops I went and was ready to part with my hard earned reddies to the tune of some near £700….that was until I saw the host of other nice tit bits available for the new supposed improved ‘cat’.
Well, after a serious debate with the bank manager (her in doors!) and of course many hours deliberating……what am I talking about, honestly I’d already made my mind up in minutes! I just had to have the fish finder fitted! One quick swipe of the Switch Maestro card and I was worse off to the tone of some £1500!!!! At least I now had a serious bit of angling technology to scare those bloody tufties with though! Ha……I just need a rocket launcher fitted and it’s the perfect bird scarer.
Anyway, I’ve digressed from the point. Now, I used to own an original A.T Bait Boat, the one with the mono hull design. I have to say I used it about 3-4 times and had very little pleasure from it’s awkward and un-pleasing use which ended in my selling it for scrap to a pal……due to a screwed up battery and un-opening hoppers! Arrrgghhh! It drove me to absolute insanity over a period of weeks. That boat cost me £400+ and I had no extra fish to show for it. Hence the reason I felt uneasy about spending house keeping funds on another boat.
The new Microcat, advertised as promising a host of new features to improve it’s use had me well and truly interested and the thought of having a fish finder really boosted the wanting! It’s not really to find the fish so much as to help find the features though. I mean, what price can you put on knowing the bottom make-up at 200 yards plus….certainly beyond my good casting ability’s. I very seldom fish at this range but, hell maybe I’ll start!
I think this is the only foreseeable problem with the use of a bait boat in the ‘big bait boat debate’, if you cant cast to a spot should you really be fishing there in the first place???? I often see anglers taking baits out to the most stupid places where they shouldn’t even consider as an angling option. This is dangerous to fish health and should certainly be considered first. Albeit, we cant deny the fact that bait boats are here to stay and they do have their pros too. No continued casting to spots trying to get it right, no rigs left with bait on hanging from trees and of course the simple introduction of hook bait and samples of bait such as hemp which would almost certainly be very difficult to disperse at any real range.
Now, the new boat comes ready to use out the bag with no need to prime it in the water like the old boat. This was always a real pain in the back side! With the Mk ii it’s just a case of, on with the handset and push button on the boat……out she goes.
The other new features are the addition of extended port & starboard leds and the those at the front and rear are now raised out from the body enough to stop the old problem of water ingress clouding visibility. The lights can now also be dipped right down or dazzled right up with the left stick on the handset.
Another new feature is the addition of line protectors on the hoppers and the complete casing of the on board battery chambers.
All this adds up to a vast improvement on boats of old and I have to honestly say I’m smitten with it. The fish finder is awesome and I wouldn’t purchase a boat without this kit on it.
I also purchased 2 sets of heavy duty battery’s and the solar charger which I have to say was great on the most recent trip to the lakes where I had a host of bites during the day.
Rig attached and ready to help bank me a biggun!
The solar charger made it feasible to just put the boat and handset on a top up between fish.
This meant that the one set of battery’s lasted all week! Great stuff!
All in all, very impressive stuff from Angling Technics. I must say I’m still a little gobsmacked at the price of all the additional bits needed, but overall its a high quality product. If your into traveling light then you may find the Procat a better option as it is far smaller in size and obviously weighs less than the weighty Microcat boat.
The ‘cat’ has a fantastic turning circle too, turns pretty much on its axis at range. This gives you all the accuracy you need to target the fish to the nearest inch even at 100 yards+.
The hoppers will also take a whopping 4kg of bait in them too!
4kg of hopper capacity!
My suggestions to anybody thinking of buying a cat would be to definitely purchase a spare set of the heavy duty batteries, a solar charger and a boat carry bag too.
This will give the boat good protection for transportation and good running times too. With the heavy duty battery lasting around 70mins with continuous use!
Posted by Keith on September 2, 2009 under Carp and Coarse Fishing, Tackle Reviews |
Mitchell Avocast 8000
(Review courtesy of Nuts about Carp.)
What a surprise this one was! I confess to not really liking much that has fallen out of the Mitchell camp for some many years now.
I had a few match reels many years back but in fairness they were never really upto the grade of the shimano’s and dawia reels of the similar price tag.
With much of my angling using braided line for both fishing and for spodding and marking, my reels need to be able to handle this and of course last through the rigors of fishing sometimes 4 days every week!
The Avocast was a real shock, as it feels super sturdy and incredibly smooth for just over £100!
You really feel this is in the executive class of reel instead of the relatively cheap mid priced reel bracket.
The body is rubberized and protected against salt water intrusion which will help you sea fishing boys no end! 
The ventilated spool helps to dry out braided line……those of you in the know will jump for joy at this as you know it will aid in the line lay and help to stop the braid from ‘bedding in’.
The over sized handle and huge winching power make this a real quality spod reel.
Retrieving line is done with ease and although I haven’t used them for actually catching fish…..I can only begin to imagine how delightful they would be to use.
Front drag, instant anti reverse & 6 bearings certainly make it a smooth customer to work with.
Definitely time to give Mitchell another try.
Well done to the Pure Fishing Camp!
Available instore now!
Posted by Keith on August 14, 2009 under Carp and Coarse Fishing, Tackle Reviews |
Daiwa Basiair 45 Qd
(Courtesy of Nuts about Carp)
Well, this is a review that I must admit to being so excited about for so long that I just couldn’t sleep the night before using them for the first time!!!!
Go on say it……….’You sad foolish boy!…….’ Sorry, but I don’t often get so excited about a piece of fishing tackle that I can’t sleep!
So, the new Basiair 45 qd…..is it really worth it’s massive and quite ridiculous price tag of £599 RRP?????? £85 SPARE SPOOLS!!!!!
The reel itself weighs in a shade over 15oz which makes it the lightest reel in its class by a million miles.
It’s an absolute gem to hold in your hand and it’s lightness is due to it’s make-up of air metal magnesium and ultra light zaion.
Apart from weighing about as much as a small roach, it looks absolutely stunning!
The 4.1:1 ratio pulls in a touch under 90cm per turn and running on 8 bbs including 5 crbbs, it is about as smooth as a hand made Swiss Watch!
The 45mm spool as on previous Basia reels helps to aid the caster to distances one can only dream of, with supreme line lay, a very high quality line clip and machined wishbone handle, all add up to quite something special.
Every tackle tart alive will want one of these ‘Directors’ reels, but joking aside……this really is a spectacle to behold in the market of the highest class executive reels range. One which all other companys will want to follow!
It may be the wrong financial climate in which to release such a high price tagged Item of kit, but lets face it……it’s not everybody that’s going to want to purchase a reel of this calibre.
If you are one of those breed then give the Basiair a second look as it really is architectural angling magic!
I’ve now been using the Basiairs for a shade over 7 months and I am pleased to report that they are still as smooth as the day I purchased them! A regular gentle clean with some warm water and they come up like new!
I can honestly say after banking 4x 30lb + fish, numerous 20’s and lots of doubles, over distance, short range and rough ground, they still out perform anything I have ever owned or used………..pure bliss from Daiwa!
Posted by keens on August 11, 2009 under Carp and Coarse Fishing, Tackle Reviews |
Written by Dean (Keens Tackle)
With carp fishing becoming more and more popular throughout Wales more newcomers are looking for the best ways of catching that dream fish, but a lot of people forget that all important thing that will without a doubt put more fish on the bank than the most up to date rig and that thing is a good quality bait.
Mainline have been leading the way for years now with new flavours, shapes and sizes for all your days fishing from ground baits to dips and dumbells. For the day ticket angler they have a massive array of shelf life baits that can produce impressive results instantly or for the specimen hunter who will be working on a water the frozen range is far better suited with better ingredients and easier digestable protiens. The fish will recognise the difference in this bait and will keep coming back for more and in the long term will end up hunting the water wanting more and more of this bait leading to the big fish being caught. So before you make a decision on rigs to fish choose a quality bait to put on the hair first!!
