irigs – full review

I’ve had the irigs app on my iphone for a number of months now, and although I’m not a dedicated carp angler I’ve tested the app out thoroughly in that time. For somebody who wouldn’t know a blowback rig from a fluro Mouthsnagger rig it has been a somewhat education in to the number of rigs that carp anglers use. At the time of writing there are 14 different rigs to choose from, I get the impression that there are many more different rigs out there so can only assume that i-angler plan on adding more to the app in due course.

Once the app has loaded it presents a scrolling list of the different types of rigs available, clicking on one of the rigs then gives a description of the rig, what I didn’t find very intuitive is that to then move on from the description you have to click “done” which then provides a list of the components required to tie the rig. I found myself swiping and tapping trying to move on to the next step, seeing the “done” button but expecting that it would return me to the home page of the app. A minor niggle but then again I do like user interface design. After providing an overview of the components required clicking on the “next arrow” then takes you on a step by step process of how to tie the rig, complete with images of each stage, until the final rig is displayed.

There is an assumption that the user knows how to tie certain knots as the instruction will say to tie for example, a blood knot, but if the user doesn’t know how to tie this then the app is unable to help. You could argue that most if not all of the knots are basic angler’s knots and most people will know how to tie them anyway but I think the developers have missed a trick here and should provide instruction on how to tie the knots within the rig, maybe something the developers should think about for the next release?

I would like to see the irigs app developed further in to a full angler’s rigs resource, covering all aspects of coarse fishing and not just carp fishing, but then again I would say that as I don’t really target carp.

In conclusion, the irigs app is on the basic side and could do with more rigs being added (both carp and other approaches), but if you’re looking to try out new rigs it could well prove useful, and let’s face it how many times have you researched a new rig, got out on the bank and struggled to remember the finer details on how to tie it, at least now you can refer straight to your phone instead of relegating your rig to a handful of granny knots.

Just try not to drop your phone in the water.

iRigs costs £2.99 and can be downloaded from itunes

Their website is www.i-angler.co.uk
Their facebook page can be found at iAngler facebook page
Their twitter id is @iangler

iRigs – An iPhone App for carp anglers: In for review

The guys over at iAngler have kindly sent over a copy of their iPhone app, iRigs for me to review. Having recently adopted my wifes iPhone 3GS following her purchase of the iPhone 4 I’m finally in a good position to give iRigs a good trial.

What’s this iRigs app all about? Here is some info pulled straight from iAnglers press release.

iRigs is a new revolutionary iPhone app designed for the dedicated Carp Angler, beginners and advanced alike. It’s the first of its kind, bringing mainstream Carp Angling to you on your iPhone, whether that be at home, in the office or on the bank.

With iRigs you can master how to tie an assortment of rigs that offer different presentations no matter what the bait or the conditions. These rigs cover every situation, whether that be a boilie nailed hard to the bottom, a Zig rig offered mid water or a Chod rig cast tangle free to a showing fish in weed, the iAngler Carp Rig App covers them all.

If your too excited to wait for my full and in-depth review, iRigs costs £2.99 and can be downloaded from itunes

Their website is www.i-angler.co.uk
Their facebook page can be found at iAngler facebook page
Their twitter id is @iangler

Drennan Brass Head Bread Punches – Review

drennan brass head bread punchesWith winter just around the corner and river roach fishing soon to be figuring heavily in my fishing sessions it’s time to look to one of my favourite winter tactics, bread punch fishing. I have owned a set of the Drennan Brass Head Bread punches for quite a while now and in my opinion, having tried a number of different brands, they are definitely the best bread punches available on the market today. Why am I happy to make that bold statement? Read on to find out.

The Drennan Brass Head punches are sharp

Quite frankly I wouldn’t bother using bread punches with plastic heads, I don’t find them sharp enough at all meaning they don’t punch out a good pellet. For me the cutting action of the brass head is far superior than the plastic variety.

The Drennan Brass Head punches have a relatively long wooden handle

This makes them comfortable to use, especially when your hands are cold, a common occurrence when fishing bread punch in the winter. The longer the handle the less chance of dropping them in the water (see below why dropping them in would not be great).

The Drennan Brass Head punches come in a variety of sizes

The punches come in two sets, the small set containing 6 punches ranging in size from 2.5mm to 7mm (these are the ones I own and are ideal for silver fish) and also a large set that contain punches ranging in size from 7.5mm to 11mm, ideal for the larger species of fish such as carp, tench etc. Both sets come complete in a handy little pouch ensuring they stay together and don’t get lost amongst your tackle.

A review wouldn’t be complete if I only pointed out the good things, in my opinion there is one downside to most brass head punches with the Drennan punches being no exception, most sink if dropped in the water, these Drennan ones certainly do as my 3 1/2 year old daughter will testify as I dropped one in to her bath to check, dropped like a stone. So one word of warning, be careful not to drop them in your swim. One more thing, it is quite easy to blunt your hooks if you’re not careful when pushing the hook point through the slot in the brass head, just make sure you locate it correctly and there should be no problems. Saying both these things, I wouldn’t swap the Drennan punches for any other punch.

You should be able to find them at most local tackle shops or check out the good old internet where you can expect to pay just over £8 per set. They also do a Drennan Flake punch set which I don’t own myself but if they are up to the same standard I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them If I ever needed a flake punch.

30Plus Robo chair review

The 30Plus Robo chair has become a very popular fishing chair since its launch, I’ve had one now for a couple of months and have to say I’m very impressed, both with its build quality and price.

Search ebay for the Middy 30 Plus Robo Chair

Buy the Middy 30 Plus Robo Chair – Full Monty Combo for £89.99 from Amazon

 

30Plus Robo chair overview

The Robo chair is constructed with a strong but relatively light weight, square aluminium frame and is upholstered in a very strong and hard-wearing, well padded material. It features 4 extendible legs with swivelling mud feet and a very easy to adjust back rest. On each leg you will find the Stargrip 360 system clamps which are made under licence from Middy Tackle, ready to take the full range of Stargrip accessories.

30Plus Robo chair in use

I’ve used the chair a number of times over the length of this 2 month review period for anything from a quick 2 hour session to a full day bream fishing and can report that the chair really is very comfortable. This is down to the padded upholstery, high back and the easily adjustable legs that ensure you can get the chair level in any swim. With the legs fully extended the Robo chair sits 43cm high of the ground and with them fully retracted approximately 29cm. Transporting the Robo chair to the swim is also easy due to it only weighing 4.9kg (10.8lb) and it’s folded down size of 66 x 24 x 54 cm.

Stargrip 360 system

The Stargrip 360 is a system designed to allow the attachment of accessories to the chair legs. It consists of a single clamp and linking arm that clamps on to each of the Robo chairs legs. (Each Robo chair comes with one of these clamps on each leg, ready to take the accessories). A separate block then fits over the linking arm which allows the attachment of the different accessories which range from bait waiters, keepnet and feeder arms or even an attachment for your brolly.

Search ebay for the Middy 30 Plus Robo Chair

Buy the Middy 30 Plus Robo Chair – Full Monty Combo for £89.99 from Amazon

Dynamite mixing bucket and groundbait/maggot riddle review

I’ve had the Dynamite groundbait mixing bucket and the complementing Dynamite groundbait/maggot riddle for just over 3 months now and hardly a day on the river has gone by without both being with me. Let’s have a look at the Dynamite mixing bucket first.

Dynamite mixing bucket review


The Dynamite mixing bucket is a vivid red in colour, is 17 litres in size, sports the Dynamite Baits logo and as buckets go, it looks very good. It is finished off with a metal handle complete with a comfortable wooden grip so it can easily be transported to and fro from the swim or carried around with you when stalking.

Over the last three months I have used the Dynamite mixing bucket not just for mixing up groundbaits but also to riddle maggots to clean them off or when I’m turning my own casters (when used in conjuction with the Dynamite riddle, see below), I have also used it to transport a few bait boxes and bits of tackle (floats, hooks, disgorger etc) when roving around my local river stalking large roach and rudd where I found it more convenient than having to rumage around in a bag for bits. I found the buckets handle more than comfortable when carrying for periods up to 10 minutes or so and when walking to a swim with my seatbox I’ll often hook the handle over one of the legs which frees up one of my hands for my carryall. Considering over the last 3 months it has pretty much been out with me constantly I can safely say that it is hard wearing, well made and shows no sign of wear so far.

The Dynamite groundbait mixing bucket can be picked up at most tackle shops for a bargain £3.99.

Buy from Lathams Fishing at £3.99

Or check out shopwiki for other stores that sell it.

Dynamite groundbait/maggot riddle review


So now we move on to the Dynamite groundbait/maggot riddle. As you have probably guessed it fits perfectly on top of the Dynamite mixing bucket but with its 3 strong metal supports it is just as at home sitting on top of any other 17 litre bucket. It has a mesh size perfect for riddling maggots and I have used mine many times for cleaning off maggots which I have just purchased or when I’m turning my own casters (check out my guide to turning perfect casters). It can also be used for riddling out those large wet lumps of groundbait and once again I have used it for this purpose and can report that it does the job very well.

The Dynamite groundbait/maggot riddle can be picked up for just under £9 at most tackle shops

Buy the Dynamite riddle from Lathams Fishing for £8.69

Or check out shopwiki for other stores that sell it.

30Plus Radar Lure rod in for review

Unbelievably it was only at the beginning of this years river fishing season that I went pike fishing for the first time, lure fishing to be exact and since that day where I walked the banks of the River Thurne in driving rain and experienced for the first time a take from a pike (I say “take” because I was that shocked by the speed and varociousness of the attack that I stood there gob smacked and didn’t even strike) I haven’t looked back and can often be found wondering around my local Norfolk rivers lure fishing for pike or spinning for perch.

30Plus Radar Lure Rod Butt

So it is with great excitement that I have just taken delivery of the 30Plus Radar Lure rod which I will be reviewing over the next couple of months. I was looking for a short lure rod capable of dealing with any of the large pike that are resident in the Norfolk Broads and at the same time didn’t break the bank (keeping the wife happy). I opted for the 7ft version of the Radar Lure rod over the 8ft version which is also available as I felt i didn’t need the extra foot in length. The rod is described as being “strong and stiff to handle large predators but with enough flex for casting control”. It comes with fully lined F.Factor SC guides, an EVA Polymer reel seat & grips, a handy line retainer and is rated to cast lures up to 90g. The Radar Lure was also developed using the same carbon AC-T technology used to build the very successful Radar Carp/Specimen rods.

It has an RRP of £32.50 but you will be pleased to know you can pick it up for much less than that, in fact Lathams Fishing has the 7ft version on for a bargain £20.99, the cheapest I could find. So if the 30Plus Radar Lure rod already sounds like just the job and you don’t want to wait until my midway and final reviews come out get over to Lathams Fishing now.

J W Young 13ft Trotter rod – On the bank review

The J W Young 13ft Trotter rod is described by the manufacturer as “an excellent all round float rod with a snappy and responsive tip action”. Over the last two months I have put the J W Young 13ft Trotter through its paces on the tidal rivers Yare, Bure and Thurne on the Norfolk Broads, read on to find out if the manufacturers description holds true.

Buy the J W Young 13ft Trotter rod new on Ebay for easily the best prices.

From www.jwyoungs.co.uk

Length: 13′ 0″
Recommended line strength: 2-4lb
Construction: Compact, three-piece construction on super slim ultra light high modulus blank
Rings: For fixed spool and centerpin reels

An excellent all round float rod with a snappy and responsive tip action. Sensitivity in the top section prevents hooks pulling out of roach, dace and bony mouthed grayling, but power in the lower sections comes into play to control bigger species such as bream and chub.

Recommended for use with line strengths of 2-4lb, the 13ft Trotter is equally at home teamed with a waggler or stick float as well as streamy water patterns such as the John Wilson chubber.

Compact, three-piece construction on super slim ultra light high modulus blanks guarantees no danger of fatigue when holding the rod throughout long sessions.

Ringed for centrepins and fixed spool reels.

During this two month review period I used the J W Young 13ft Trotter rod for both trotting a stick float on large tidal rivers for Roach and Skimmers and also waggler fishing on a small boat dyke for large Roach and Rudd.

After taking delivery the first thing to notice is the hard zip top case/tube that the rod comes with which is excellent, the rod is further protected by a three piece divided cloth bag, that’s the looking after the rod taken care of then.

As the manufacturers description states the blank is in deed thin, making the rod light to hold and balanced off with the right reel it’s easy to hold the rod for long stretches, something that is essential when stick float fishing.

The J W Young Trotter has a screw up reel fitting which ensures that the reel stays firmly in place and over the review period I have experienced no problems with the reel fitting slipping or being hard to screw up or down and the reel has remained firmly in place throughout.

The Trotter rod also comes with a hinged hook retainer just above the handle which I found useful when moving about stalking large Rudd with a waggler and bread flake. As the retainer is hinged it folds back out of the way and so far I have had no issue with it catching the reel line when casting etc and due to its position don’t expect it to either.

Overall the rod is good looking with a quality feel but as they say looks are not everything, so how did it fair when put to use, lets find out now.

J W Young 13ft Trotter: On the bank
As previously mentioned, over the two month review period I have used the J W Young Trotter rod extensively on the Norfolk Broads tidal rivers, one such trip was to the River Thurne where I had the opportunity to really put the rod to the test.

Arriving at Cold Harbour Farm on the River Thurne near Ludham at 07:30 I quickly set up for a few hours of trotting a stick float up river on the flood tide which was already starting to flow nicely, with what wind there was blowing down river, control of the stick would be easier than if it was blowing the same direction as the tide.

The 13ft Trotter was setup with a Shakespeare Mach 2 front drag reel carrying 4lb line to a 2lb bottom. The hook was a size 18 under a wire stemmed stick float carrying 6 No 4′s spaced out equally with a dropper shot a couple of inches above the hook. The float was set so the double maggot hook bait just tripped bottom.

Three pinches of maggots were thrown out as loose feed two rod lengths out at the start of the session quickly followed by the first under hand cast (more of a flick). The bale arm was left off to allow the tide to peel line of the reel and I used my index finger to check and control the line as the float carried on up river on its journey. This was made easy by the relatively short distance between the reel spool and the rod handle. I always hold the rod throughout the trot to ensure I’m in control of the float and so that I can quickly react to bites, the light weight blank of the rod certainly ensures this isn’t a problem for long periods at a time.

The first bite came from a 4oz roach 25 yards down the run, a quick flick of the wrist while trapping the line against the spool ensured instant connection with the fish, the rod easily picking up the line over the 25 yards and within a few seconds the fish was easily swung to hand.

A pinch of maggots was introduced before each under hand cast and over a period of 2 hours I had taken a good 5lb of silver fish between 2 and 6oz before I struck in to something more solid. A few quick nods on the tip revealed the culprit to be a Bream which made a concerted effort to swim for the inside reed bed, with some considerable side strain I was able to steer the fish out in to the deeper water and after a couple of minutes a Bream tipping the scales at just over the 3lbs lay in the landing net. The rod easily coped with the bigger fish, the power in the lower sections coming in to play when applying the side strain to steer the fish away. Tidal River Bream fight considerably harder than their lake cousins and I was pleased with how the rod had coped.

Following a couple of Skimmers up to the 1.5lb mark the swim went dead for a few minutes, just as I was thinking through what to do next to spark it back in to life the float buried and immediately carted off towards the reeds, with a healthy bend in the rod and the lower section of the rod doing its work this was no Bream. Over the next 3 minutes the fish did it’s best to dive for cover in the reeds and over hanging bushes but I was able to control the hard surges easily, even though I only had a 2lb hook length I was confident that the rod was cushioning the violent runs and the hook would hold. What was the culprit? A perch just over the 2lb mark that’s what. Those of you who have caught Perch of this size will no doubt know how much of a fight they can put up, all during a strong tidal flood as well.

This one session is all the evidence I needed to agree that the J W Young 13ft Trotter is more than at home catching silver fish time after time but has the strength in the lower sections to cope with larger unexpected fish such as the Bream and Perch caught during this session. However, how would the rod cope fishing the waggler in a weed lined boat dyke with quality Roach and Rudd as the quarry? Very well is the answer. I fished a piece of bread flake under a loaded waggler between a couple of beds of thick weed, taking a handful of Roach and Rudd to just over the 1lb mark. On the strike the rod quickly picked up the line and I was able to easily steer the fish away from the weed and through the clear channel to the waiting landing net, so it would appear the rod is equally at home fishing a waggler on a static water and not just running water.

To finish, all I can say is that the rod will remain my weapon of choice for all my future trotting sessions on Norfolk’s Tidal rivers and I look forward to putting it through it’s paces with some winter Chub fishing on the River Wensum, roll on winter.

Buy the J W Young 13ft Trotter rod new on Ebay for around £50.

J W Young 13ft Trotter rod in for review

I have now written up the full review, check out what I thought of the J W Young Trotter rod by reading J W Young 13ft Trotter rod – On the bank review

Being addicted to stick float fishing I’m delighted to get the opportunity to put the J W Young 13ft Trotter rod through it’s paces as soon as the river fishing season opens up.

Described as having a snappy and responsive tip action the rod is reported to be ideal for fishing the stick or waggler on moving water for silver fish with power in the lower sections available for bigger species such as Bream and Chub.

I’ll provide a full review on the J W Young 13ft trotter rod as soon as I’ve had it out down on the river, why not subscribe to my RSS feed to ensure you don’t miss the review

Preston PXR match reels review

Preston Innovations have long been associated with quality tackle from floats to seatboxes to poles, however, until recently one thing has always been missing from their line up, a match reel of any description.  With the introduction of the PXR match reel range, all that has now changed.

There are two models available in the PXR match reel range, the PXR 3000 which is the perfect size for float fishing and its bigger brother, the PXR 4000 which has been designed with feeder fishing in mind.  The body of the reels are made from light weight aluminium, sport a sensitive front drag, contain 10 ball bearings and feature a gear ratio of 5.1:1 which should help to reduce line twist but still provide enough power when it’s needed.

Each reel comes with a choice of single or double handle, zip up case and spare spool. The Preston PXR 3000 and PXR 4000 reels offer exceptional value for money especially as the RRP is £69.99, more than half the price of the Daiwa TDR 2508 with an RRP of £199.99.

Once again it looks like Lathams Fishing are offering the best price for the PXR 3000 at £54.99. Get in quick while they have stock.

You can also buy the Preston Innovations PXR 3000 from Fishtec for £69.99 including delivery by entering FISHAWFEB5 in the voucher code box on the checkout page

Tayberry Muddies County waterproof boots review

The best wellies for fishing

I’ve personally owned a pair of Tayberry Muddies County boots for well over 3 years now and if your looking for a pair of boots that are warm, waterproof and above all else comfortable to wear for long periods then I can highly recommend a pair of the Muddies County boots.

The Muddies County boots are 100% waterproof, have a flexible Neoprene shell for added warmth and come with a rugged hard wearing sole making them ideal for fishing. Due to them being so comfortable they are also suited to those extended days on the bank in the Bivvy, it’s even possible to roll down the boot to turn them in to a short boot instead of being full length.

Not only have I used my pair extensively for fishing I wear them almost everyday when I’m out and about with my dogs, be it in the garden or out walking, even on walks of a few miles I’ve never had any complaints regarding the boots and have always found them extremely comfortable. Even with this almost daily use they still look good as new.

At less than £50 for a high quality long lasting pair of boots you can’t go wrong. You can find the Tayberry Muddies County boots on Amazon