Recent content by Mike Hodgkiss

For Barbel ,Drennan continental boilie hooks size 8

Re wrapped knuckles , as you let go of the pouch , drop the hand holding the catapult downwards then it wont hit your hand

Harrison rod blanks are widely regarded as the best available, most of the custom rod builders use them .

All good information , but this surely has got to be the dullest post ever to appear on BFW !

Alan ,I can remember when there were 6 tackle shops in York !

There has been a previous thread on this very subject , it will come up if you search it and it does contain a few more bits of advice / opinion on this subject . The advice I have given on this and previous threads has been advice garnered from experience . I have shipped a LOT of rods over the...

I am a little jaundiced on this subject .Having worked in a parcel sorting office albeit many moons ago , the rough handling that parcels receive in sorting , loading and unloading would shock you . As for cardboard tubes , great when dry , get one a bit damp and put any sort of weight on it and...

Yes , a big get out clause that one [ poor packaging ]. Look at couriers T & C's , that exclusion clause for damage compensation is usually near the top of the list .

On the face of it that sounds good news . In the past I almost always used UPS for long rods and rods going overseas ,and Parcelforce for UK , both were very reliable in terms of things arriving safely . The one I would avoid is Yodel . Regarding Parcelforce , it is cheaper to book it direct...

Could have changed Kevin , but last time I did a bit of research on this many excluded fishing rods , something about the material they were made of , or something along those lines

With regard to insurance , read the small print very carefully , most couriers will not insure for damage to rods in transit . May be useful to read the previous thread on this topic .

Try sending a long rod outside the UK mike , that gets really expensive now we have left the EU and all the customs charges apply

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I am not having a go at any one individual , it just that I don't get why these anglers [ mostly carp , but it is creeping in to Barbel fishing as well ] have to look so dreadfully miserable on their trophy shots WHY ? I think it's an affectation and would love to know who started it all , just...

I have thought of a solution Dan . If , as you say '' it's all about the fish '', then clearly the captor doesn't need to be in the picture holding the fish . All he / she has to do is take a shot of the mighty beast on the unhooking mat , then they can return it to the water looking balefully...