Reviews

I recently started using the Targus Seatbox. I’ve had it about a month now, and to say that I am impressed with it would be an understatement. It is a really fantastic piece of kit. I am not a small bloke, but this box, with its sliding footplate, are absolutely rock-solid. 

I have been fishing here at Decoy Lakes at 14 metres all day and the box just doesn’t move, making fishing long so much more comfortable, with no rocking or movement. 

The frame is a really chunk ‘Z-style’ design that is super-stiff and gives loads of room to add trays both above and below the frame. It is a cassette-style box, so you can fit up to five trays below the frame and as many as you need to get the right height above it. I’m a tall guy and I use two shallow and one deep tray on top of the frame to give me the right seat height, less than I have used on other boxes, which I like. I would rather be able to mi and match the trays I have in the cassette system below the box, than have to use them to get the seat height right. 

Really chunky 36mm legs are fitted all round and these are all double-extending, ideal if you are faced with uneven banks on rivers and lakes. The big handwheels make tightening up the legs  easy as they give you plenty of grip. 

A small detail, but one that I have come to appreciate, are the spirit levels on the back and side of the frame. These make getting the box set perfectly level so much easier and ensure that I am sitting properly every time. 

All in all, this is a fantastic box that ticks all the boxes for me. 

Jon Whincup

The large handwheels make adjusting the legs very easy.

The perfect box system.

Strong Z Frame.

This set of two large Pole Cups have a tremendous capacity and I find then especially useful at the start of a match when I want to introduce a good helping of feed to an area in the swim, a throwaway line so to speak, which can be left unhindered till the last hour of the match whilst feeding other lines on a little-and-often basis with the Mini Cups. 

The cups are supplied with pole tip adaptors with a standard screw fitting to suit Browning and most other poles. I already had screw adaptors fitted to my feeding kits, which as expected fitted through the cups and secured with the screw supplied. 

These cups hold an incredible amount of bait, 250 and 175ml which is great for activating a line without having the need to ship in and out more than once; they are also great for measuring bait. 

A great addition to my armoury when I want to kick start a swim quickly, efficiently and stealthily at the start of the match or for topping a line up when the fish are really having it!

Ryan Lewis

Hooks have always been somewhat a very personal subject when it comes to my fishing, find a pattern that you’re confident with and you stick to them. Trying something new is never easy and rarely feels right, however since the Sphere hook range was introduced, and having a trial batch sent to me, I have to admit to being instantly impressed and converted. 

The range consists of six varieties, Match, Ultra Strong, Ultra Light, Beast, CPS LS and my favourite the Sphere Classic. All these hook patterns have different applications, yet the Classic is what I would call an all-rounder. It’s a barbed hook with a long shank, great for pole or feeder fishing, with a great hook-up rate. It’s also a light hook, but this doesn’t compromise on its strength. A great big fish, pole and feeder hook that comes tied to high-performance monofilament, or loose in packets of fifteen. Sizes ranging between 12 and 18.

If you’re looking for a great all-round hook then look no further!

Gary Ford

Many of the commercial venues that I fish have bigger than average carp in them and quite often the swims have a few snags around that can cost you fish. In these instances I use Black Magic Gold Power Elastic, as being pure Latex it powers up really quickly after setting the hook, turning those potential match winning lumps away from the snags and into the waiting net. 

It is a great quality elastic and great value too. 

Available in four ratings in 6m lengths –

Green 1.4mm – 10 rating 

Blue 1.8mm – 12 rating

Purple 2.2mm – 14 rating

Orange 2.6mm – 16 rating

Gary Ford

Fish Counters have become an essential part of a match angler’s kit as most commercial fisheries impose a weight limit per keepnet. Come the weigh in and find that you have exceeded this means being penalised, something that can cost you the match. Keeping track of this can be difficult so it pays to play on the safe side and I do this by using two counters, one for the number of carp caught, and the other to estimate the weight as I go along. 

Browning offer two different Fish Counters, basically the same, but this one has a standard thread allowing it to be screwed into a standard fitting on a seat box and positioned in easy reach where it can be clicked without having to look away. 

Gary Ford

The CK Competition Nets are up there with my favourite items of kit as they are the perfect size and depth. No more bending over and stretching down, chasing the fish around the net as once netted and between my legs the 28cm drop means that the fish is in easy reach for a speedy pick up, unhook and before you know it’s in the keepnet. 

Available in three sizes the Hair Rigger net is one that will impress the match angler fishing for bigger fish using hair rigged baits as it has a really fine 2 x 2mm mesh which eliminates those annoying moments when the mounted bait slips through the mesh and gets snagged up causing lost time from hook ups and broken hairs. All three nets are light and easily manoeuvred, especially the wide-mesh speed versions, even in the strongest winds and throughout constant punishment I have yet to have anything break on me. 

If you hate reaching down to find the landed fish or have experienced hairs getting caught in the mesh then you need to check these nets out, they are simply superb.

Small – Width 45cm, Height 35cm, Depth 28cm, Mesh 8 x 8mm

Medium – Width 50cm, Height 40cm, Depth 28cm, Mesh 8 x 8mm

Hair Rigger – Width 50cm, Height 40cm, Depth 28cm, Mesh 2 x 2mm

Andy Blay

Keeping my bait in tip-top condition is very important to me, especially when I am using a lot of delicate (and expensive) baits like worms and casters. A quality cool bait bag is an essential in my book as there is no greater edge than having the best bait. 

The Sphere Cool Bait Bag is just right for me. The size means I can load it with six large bait boxes, or around a couple of gallons of bait, along with some cold packs when the weather is really hot. The bag has nice thick insulation to keep the temperature as stable as possible. 

Like all of the Sphere range this bag is made to last. The zips are nice and chunky and I really like the heavy-duty material which has a smart-looking weave effect. After several months of use the bag is showing no signs of wear and tear, even though it has a tough life. 

There’s not much more you can say about a cool bag, other than this one does the job perfectly. 

Jon Whincup

A crucial part of landing big carp quickly is having a landing net that is up to the job. Not only does it have to be strong enough to scoop big carp constantly, but it needs to be stiff enough to enable precise manoeuvres, even when using heavy carp nets. Over the last year I have been very impressed with the Hyper Carp XTR Landing Net Handle, which has been more than up to the job of landing carp well into double figures easily.

This is an extremely stiff handle, enabling me to scoop carp quickly, often before they realise what is happening. Yet, unlike many stiff handles, it doesn’t feel delicate or brittle in any way and has taken some serious abuse in its stride. I particularly like the reinforced wrap which gives extra reassurance that this handle is well up to the job. 

If you fish a variety of different venues the 4m length, three piece design, will come in very useful, and although it is not designed as a featherweight handle, it is perfect at full stretch, thanks to that rigidity. 

The bull-nosed male joints are another nice feature, along with the reinforced machined fitting they give maximum strength in all of the high-stress areas. There are even alignment markers that ensure the pole has maximum strength and rigidity when assembled.

Landing net poles have a tough, unsung life, but are absolutely crucial pieces of kit. If you are looking for a brilliant all-rounder then look no further than the Hyper Carp XTR. 

Jim Hall

Short rods are all the rage at the moment and are perfect for carp commercials when fishing at short to medium range. I have most of the CK rods as they are so good and my CK Carp Wand is often the first out of the bag when feeder fishing at ranges up to 25m. Ultra slim and made from the very latest advances in carbon, this 8’ rod is light weighing just 157g, has a forgiving through action, is extremely accurate, features top quality fittings throughout and has plenty of power in the middle reaches needed for constantly catching big fish. The snag-free keeper ring is a nice touch and being two piece means it can be stored made up and ready to go as soon as I arrive at the fishery. 

Supplied with a 1oz and 1.5oz tip it really is a versatile rod which is extremely useful in tight swims or when fishing from a platform.

Fil Passeira

If you’re a fan of short rods, check this one out!

Catching these all day is effortless.

Plenty of power to tame oversized fish. 

Edges in angling are everything, creating confidence in the mind and placing more fish in your net. 

Using Fluorocarbon hook lengths will give you a massive edge, especially when fishing clear venues for sight feeders, yet finding one that knots up well and is supple enough, especially in the finer diameters, not to lose any bait presentation can be tricky. Well not any more as Cenex Fluoro Carbon Hook Line provides all these and so much more, so if your waggler fishing for roach, trotting a chalk stream or on a canal in the depth of winter then you need to check this range out. 

It’s also brilliant as a leader or hook length when feeder fishing in clear water conditions.

Available in the following diameters on 50m spools – 

0.11mm 1.25kg/2.70lb

0.13mm 1.60kg/3.50lb

0.15mm 2.10kg/4.60lb

0.17mm 2.95kg/6.50lb

Justin Watkins