Cygnet Sniper Weigh Tripod Mk2 – Safe and accurate solution for weighing big fish also offering a solid metal block with threaded top for buzz bars. The Sniper Weigh Tripod MK2 is Supplied with a threaded bubble level to balance weight distribution; this can be removed and used on bank sticks and buzz bars. Each leg offers a one-touch drop-out leg adjustment and is made of 25mm aluminum construction. The heavy-duty stainless steel hook offers maximum strength and is designed to accommodate XXL weigh slings. Supplied with hard-wearing 500D carry bag.
With winter now starting to show the end of its self, we all start looking at our gear and…then it happens, the light goes on! Got to prep the gear for the spring sessions.
well… I do like to take some time to go over my gear pre-spring and that’s why I thought it would be ideal to put together a “Top 5 Picks To Not Leave Home Without”. In my opinion they are some of the best quality items on the market but also at very reasonable cost, not to mention how they can also make us much more efficient when bank side in search of the one!
In this video I show my personal ”Top Five Picks To Not Leave Home Without”. From Hook baits to batteries, Tackle organization to luggage there is something for everyone.
To buy and try any of the items seen in this video for yourself. Follow the links below over to Big Carp Tackle.
The euro pod kit has been designed and manufactured in the UK, The euro pod kit comes with,
1 x Colosseum pod and bag
2 x 9” twist lock banksticks
2 x 3rod adjustable buzz bars
2 x Ratch-it, 3/8 universal angel adaptor
2 x 20” front legs that will adjust to 32”
2 x mini pod points
2 x 19” F/S banksticks
1 x easy tight key
The Pod is fully adjustable for those difficult to fish swims. Ideal for many big waters on the Continent and for river fishing. Making this the most versatile adjustable pod kit available.
To buy and try the Summit Tackle – Colosseum Pod, for yourself. Follow the link over to Big Carp Tackle HERE.
The new technologies and materials gradually filter down from the aerospace and Formula One industries to the fishing tackle industry.
This has enabled us to entrust our concept of ‘the perfect curve’ to another range of mouth-watering rods that feature improved recovery for enhanced casting performance.
The new DMX MKI rods are more than capable of carrying the much-vaunted ‘DMX‘ crest. Featuring an attractive, skeletal handle and titanium dioxide lined rings.
FEATURES:
Low diameter blanks produced from S-3K 40T woven carbon
Abbreviated handle with anodised collars and butt cap
EVA/Japanese Shrink Tube butt grip
DPS18 reel seat with silver collars
Guides – three leg design with titanium dioxide centres/gunsmoke frames with 50mm models in range
Laser etched butt cap
Line Clip
To buy and try the Rod Hutchinson DMX MKii rods for yourself. Follow the link over to Big Carp Tackle HERE.
The Sonik Tournos, like all other items from Sonik, boast outstanding quality to value. Along side it a list of features almost as long as my arm… it puts these reels way up high on the quality to value ratio.
If you are in the market for a new reel, then this is one to take a look at! Not only offering a light weight yet solid construction from the hi-strength carbon composite body and rotor to name just one of the many top features… but the incredible price point is something you will not shy away from!
This video takes a look at a number of the reels features that really speak to me and make this a goto reel for any large lakes and rivers here in the USA. Yet another fantastic Item from Sonik.
Like many of you I am constantly testing different types of pack and hook baits. What works one day may not work the next, it can be maddening. For the last couple of years I have been tracking what works and where. Last year I decided to purchase a bottle of Korda Goo in Bumbleberry Supreme to see what the goo game was all about.
Korda Goo is a flavored, liquid attractant that you add to your baits. They offer 24 flavors in Smoke or Supreme. The Smoke is thick and is used to glug your hook baits or PVA bags, the Supreme runnier and is great for soaking hook baits. So far I have purchased four of the flavors, Bumbleberry Supreme, Pink Almond Supreme, Scopex Smoke, and No Name Supreme.
The Bumbleberry Supreme is a slightly thicker than the other Supremes I have. It is a bright magenta in color and has a wonderful berry smell. This worked well in the summer months, especially in the river. To test the effectiveness of the goo, I tried white coconut cream boilies that were soaked overnight in the Bumbleberry. I cast one soaked boilie and the other with no attractant each over oatmeal and creamed corn pack. It didn’t take long before I had a screaming run on the Bumbleberry boilie. My fishing partner, Mark was still not sold on the goo idea. He is more of a plain pack bait and sweet corn guy. Excited and hopeful, I threw another Bumbleberry offering, I did not have to wait long before my alarm was singing once more. After releasing the second carp, I hear “Goo me” as Mark gestured to the sweet corn covered hook in his hand. We both landed a few fish and attribute the goo to our success that day.
Bumbleberry Supreme
Bumbleberry Supreme after 30 minutes
Amy Demrovsky – with a lovely dark common caught using the Korda Bumbleberry SupremeMark Demrovsky – With a beautiful mirror caught using the Korda Bumbleberry Supreme
I was impressed with the results from the Bumbleberry and wanted to try another flavor so I purchased the Pink Almond Supreme. This has a very low viscosity, a faint pink color that reminds me of Easter eggs, and a pleasant almond scent. I paired this flavor up with a strawberry cream boilie with success during a late night session at our local reservoir. I am not sure of the reason, but the fish seemed attracted to this flavor more in the evenings than during the daylight hours. I feel that this flavor will do well when the water starts to warm up in the spring. I can’t wait to try it out some more.
Pink Almond Supreme
Pink Almond Supreme after 30 minutes
The next two flavors I purchased were Scopex Smoke and No Name Supreme. The Scopex Smoke is very thick and gooey with a brownish, yellow tint and smells like a buttery popcorn. I took this with us on our first 2021 Session on the last day of January. We have not been successful in a the month of January in years past. We headed out to one of our favorite spots on the river with a few holes that always hold a few fish.
We sat at the first spot for awhile with no action and decided the fish were probably camped out in the shallows, we packed up and moved to where we thought they might be. I was starting to get the feeling January was not to be kind (again) then I remembered I had stashed the bottle of Scopex in my bag. I baited up with a white coconut cream boilie and glugged it with Scopex. Mark decided to glug it over sweet corn on the hook. To our surprise when the bait hit the water the splash was an amazing color of neon green “Wow!” I will forever call it The Green Bomb.
Mark landed the first fish 15 minutes in. A January carp! We were elated that we finally broke the curse and decided to sit through the cold for just a while longer. I am glad we stuck it out, I found myself beaming over a perfect, dark bodied beauty. I am convinced if we did not add the Scopex we would have blanked.
Scopex SmokeThe Korda Scopex Smoke after just 30 minutes.
Amy Demrovsky – This common fell to the Korda Scopex Smoke
I have not used the No Name Supreme yet. Like the Pink Almond it has a very low viscosity, is orange color and the smell…well, I can’t pin it down but I want to say it smells similar to onion, maybe? I went online to see if I could find a description of the scent and could only come up with is “organic and natural”. I will admit that I think it smells awful and I can’t wait to make my friends smell it too. I am anxious to get back out and give this interesting goo a go.
No Name Supreme
No Name Supreme after 30 minutes
One thing to note; they will slightly stain your hands or clothes but will wash off of both easily with soap and water.
Overall, I am pleased with the results and will be adding more flavors to my arsenal.
In my last article I went into my approach to winter fishing, specifically using a feeder method and approach. To fish this method effectively you do require a few specialist items, the first being a good rod, that is not only capable of registering subtle bites at the tip end, but one that can also handle carp up to around 20lb’s in weight.
Over the last several years I have used a few different rods to achieve this, however, in truth these have been other rods I have had on hand that while useable were not really designed for the job. Around 18 months ago I started to look at rods that could match these needs and fortunately, around the same time period Fox International started to release a range of barbell rods which look perfect for the job.
Looking for a rod to land carp up to 20lb’s
I took a look at several of their offerings and as I typically use these rods in the winter, I wanted a rod that was up to the task, but also would not break the bank. I also wanted a rod that would offer a nice action to play carp on as well and not be overpowered on the small rivers. I settled on an 11 foot rod, with a test curve of 1.75lb’s and ordered them to arrive in the spring of 2020. Over the past 6 months I’ve used these rods several times and caught over 50 fish on them. They are exactly what I was looking for and at less than $75 per rod are also a great deal. Below is a short review of my experience of the rods.
Fox Website Description
Designed to offer outstanding value for money
Perfect for small river barbel
Also ideal for specimen chub and small water tench/bream
Lightweight low resin carbon construction
Fox Slik guides throughout
Top quality 17mm reel seat
High grade cork handle
Understated graphics
Matt black finish with gunsmoke cappings
Rod Styling
The rods while on the cheaper end of the spectrum are very pleasing to the eye. On inspection the reel seatings are solid and the guides are of a higher quality than I’d expect from a rod in this price range. I also love the cork handles which again, is of a much higher quality than I was expecting.
The tip section is colored white to stand out and has a nice soft action, ideal for registering bites. The rod is ideal for a small carp reel such as an EOS 7000 reel. As I had an old pair of Shimano 3500 bait-runners I put them on, and they have matched perfectly. The reels were spooled up with 10lb line and ready for action.
Rods in Action
Casting
For most of my small river carping I am fishing fairly slow moving water and either using cage feeders or small leads. I am not typically casting more than 2-3 ounces of weight and while I’m sure these rods could ‘lob’ something bigger, the soft tip is not really designed to do this.
I have found the rods to be very accurate when casting both feeders and leads and I have also free-lined with them to good effect as well.
Typical groundbait mix for use in the feeder
Bite Indication
As these rods are designed for barbell fishing they are ideal for the type of fishing I am using them for. In the UK, most anglers are fishing for barbel between 5-15lb’s but the record is in excess of 20lb’s and these rods are more than capable of handling that strain.
I use the tip section for indication and while it is not super sensitive, again it is ideal for carp. It does register small knocks but does not bounce all over the place. A ‘proper’ bite will see the tip pull around and most times the fish will already be hooked.
Playing a fish
Playing Fish
So far I have caught around 50 fish on these rods and they have performed excellently. They are soft and forgiving under the tip but also have plenty of power in reserve when you double them over. I have caught carp to just under 20lb’s on these rods so far but I would guess they could handle bigger fish, as long as you’re using balanced tackle.
One in the net
Conclusion
My initial 6 months use sees me very impressed, especially considering the price of the rods. They were exactly what I was looking for and are now a permanent fixture to my year round fishing tackle. I will primarily use these rods for feeder fishing but they will also be used for free-lining and most likely floater fishing as well. All in all excellent value for money and highly recommended.
Nice double landed on the rods
The rods are also available in 12ft versions and higher test curves (2.25lb’s).
To purchase the rods from Big Carp Tackle, follow the link below:
Let’s face it, a successful day of carp fishing stinks! The end of the day you are packing up wet, slime covered gear. The smell can be quite overwhelming and may forever be imbedded in the fabric of your vehicle.
To solve this issue and keep the depreciation of my vehicle to a minimum I purchased the Trakker Retention Welded Stinkbag. This bag holds my wet gear and really does keep the odor inside the bag. I use it to carry my net and weigh sling.
The bag is also durable and easy to use. I have stomped through thorny brush and thistle covered fields and have not experienced any rips or tears. The bag simply closes by folding the top over itself and secures with a clip.
Cleaning is a snap, just rinse with a bit of soap and water.
Trakker offers the bag in two sizes, Regular or XL.
Absolute must bring on all my fishing adventures!
Mark Demrovsky with Trakker StinkbagSmelly, wet gear going back in the bag
You can follow the link below over to Big Carp Tackle to the Trakker Retention Welded Stinkbag.
Rod Hutchinson – LEGEND MEGASPICE is ideal for the winter months.
Just a quick tip on winter flavors. I really like to spice it up in the winter and have found a lot of success in doing this. I know a lot of folks like the Rod Hutchinson Megaspice during the winter time. This is a pretty strong flavor and I do not add any other spices with it. I usually use one tiger with a piece of neon fake corn or with hard corn. Rod Hutchinson also has some alcohol based hi-leakage flavors in the range that are ideal for the winter months as well.
Give it a try….You will not be disappointed!
Head over to Big Carp Tackle and take a look at the full range of Rod Hutchinson baits and flavors.
If you don’t like the weather wait ten minutes, it will change.
It was a beautiful fall day in Colorado. We were landing carp left and right. We were having so much fun that we didn’t notice that the storm predicted for the next day had begun to roll in. The next thing we knew the wind began to howl and abruptly dropped the temperature 30 degrees. Packing up while the fishing was on because we were unprepared was disheartening. That night I began my search for brolly.
Glad to have the Fox R-Series Brolly on this stormy day
There are several different types of bollies on the market and narrowing down my choice took a bit of time. After careful consideration I decided on the Fox International R-Series Brolly system. I was like a kid at Christmas opening the box as soon as it was delivered to my door.
The first thing I noticed as I set it up in my front yard was how easy it was to set up. It opens like a giant umbrella. A couple of camping chairs, rucksacks, bait, and all the gear fit inside. For extra comfort in the winter, I bring my portable heater.
The main reason I purchased this brolly was the door options. As the weather changes so can the door! In the summer when you just want shade you can take the front panel off. Zip the front panel in and this is where you can choose to have it wide open or zip in the Mozzy Mesh (I call it the screen door), the PVC Clear door, you can see out of it, but I recommend adding an anti-fog spray if it is wet and cold out. I have found this to be the best option in the snow or rain. The last door is the solid Khaki door. This is a great option for privacy when you feel the need to take a nap. I do recommend you practice switching out the doors at home to get familiar with the zipper system.
I did a quit set up in my front yard to show the doors I mentioned.
Mesh Door (screen door)Door offMozzy DoorPVC Door (Window door)
Overall, I am very pleased with my decision to purchase the Fox R-Series Brolly System. It is around 18 pounds when you have all the doors, floor, storm poles, etc. in the carry bag. The material is durable and gives me a great space to hide from the dreaded wind. The pegs (steaks) are corkscrewed at the ends and go into the ground quite easily and most importantly they stay put! For even more room there is an option to purchase an extension to convert it into a 2-man shelter.
You can follow the link below over to Big Carp Tackle to the Fox R-Series Brolly System and extention.
