Recent content by Steve Reed

If you ever find yourself in North Wales, the Dee at Bala is worth a shot. The local club allow coarse fishing in the winter and do modestly priced day tickets. It has done some big grayling over the years. I have fished it a few times and the scenery is stunning.

I fish a fly syndicate on a river than runs through a farm. The cows always give me the 'come in our field if you think you are hard enough' look when I approach. Although I have never come to any harm, I much prefer avoiding direct contact if possible. On the odd occasion when they have made a...

I have used these. Beware of the heli bead which I find splits in half under pressure.

I have been a loyal advocate of Muckboots for many years and have owned four pairs. However, each pair has been poorer quality that those they were replacing. My current pair are shipping water after only a couple of seasons of light use, so it is time to switch brands. After reading all the...

Having worked my way through my fair share of good, indifferent and terrible jackets over the years I am now the owner of and ESP 25K quilted jacket. Two winters in, it is proving to be a very good purchase. Warm and crucially, keeps the water out.

I have one of these and I love it. Light, well engineered and a thing of beauty. The only drawback is that the open design means that general crud can get into the reel and I sometimes have to do quick clean on the bank to get things spinning freely again. If you are fishing with maggots, I...

Wrote this a few years ago for the Traditional Fisherman 'Haunted Swims' forum. https://traditionalfisherman.com/viewtopic.php?t=8211

Back in May…… Fast forward to today, government gives green light to property developers to sidestep environmental controls. Not difficult to work out what is going on here.

PM sent Mick

Weird isn't it Dave! Forgot about it when my local barbel fishing went down the pan but I have recently been bitten by the tench bug. I have one duo lite but would like a matching pair.

Reviving an old thread. Does anyone have one of these rods looking for a new home? Thanks Steve

Thanks for the offer Wayne. I will probably go smaller than the 35l. I like the look of the 20l one which looks ideal for my short session roving trips.

Thanks for the replies! I am a Drennan fan so will have a look at their smaller rucksack.

My Korum Ruckbag, which is several seasons old, has given up the ghost. It is still in fairly good nick but the long zip on the main compartment is knackered. I was going to just go for a straight replacement but have read some negative reports on the latest incarnation of the ruckbag and also...

I fished a very flooded River Loddon after dark a few years ago. I had to wade along a flooded path next to the river to get back to the car and I was amazed when my very bright headtorch picked out a group of chub mooching along the path. They were totally unphased by the torch and my presence...