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I have one but keeping hold of it I didn’t realise how expensive they are now? But I’m a big lump and have gone through a lot of chairs but the ultralite is still going strong after 3 possible 4 seasons ( I’ve had it a good while) If you travel light the ultra lite also has Velcro straps that...

Brilliant barbel rod in terms of enjoying the fight and controlling the fish but clearly only good for relatively light payloads I like with Rich’s 40g/ 50g feeders I don’t catch huge barbel but have had a few doubles on them and lots of fish in the 5-8lb range which go like stink 👍👍 And a...

Interesting stuff Personally I am a huge fan of the 12’ 1.25Torrix for small- medium rivers / feeders A bit of an anomaly as the top section bends through as you would expect , but the butt is similar in power to the 1.75 Torrix ? Sounds wrong but an awesome barbel rod The much neglected Dark...

I don’t read books as much as I should But do keep going back to a few Trefor West- barbel - lifetime addiction James Holgate & Dave Lumb pike books Just Williams- Nigel Williams Mammoth Pike - Fickling How to catch bigger pike - Paul Gustafson( much maligned in the piking world but I love the...

I don’t ‘ snag’ fish , but the river I fish predominantly has lots of willows and lots of snags and isn’t that wide so fish getting in snags is an occupational hazard. To suggest that I use these hooks to have a clear conscience or nonchalantly target snaggy swims “ cos the hook will drop out if...

If a barbel runs into a snag and despite waiting , changing angles etc it’s proper snagged at some point we pull for a break With a Gripz the hook is going to fall out ensuring the fish isn’t tethered I’ve had plenty swim into snags and put the rod down and put on the baitrunner - they have...

A number of barbel anglers use braid for float fishing and the breaking strain is normally north of 10lb but obviously very low diameter I use braid on a couple of my float rods and had no issues at all but I don’t catch low doubles very often Maybe have a look at a YouTube channel called...

Nowt wrong with the majority of factory built rods I fish for various species for everyone I started off with cheap off the shelf versions and I’ll almost certainly have caught more fish on them then than I do now ( but I had more time and it was pre-otters, cormorants etc) When done correctly...

And when you’ve used a DL pair for years you notice it straight away Joe I don’t think the rod builder was a barbel angler 😳

The following are both Chimera 3s Rod on the right hand side of the image was made by Dave Lumb - his standard build plus an isotope Rod on the left isn’t a Dave Lumb build I bought a pair 2nd hand just for the blank TBH - a back up pair just in case. Compare the reel positioning/ handle length...

I'm about the same - I've accumulated loads over the years. Ironically the more scales I have , the less fish I actually weigh nowadays. I thought the flyweights would be perfect but I dont think they lasted a season. But something that size and weight but with some robust innards would be...

I think a lot of us just enjoy procuring fishing gear? A perfectly normal obsession. I’d go for it Alan, it might just fit your style of angling perfectly and even it’s psychosomatic and the excitement of a new toy gets you on the bank a bit more or your confidence increases by 10% ( obviously...

I have 3 or 4 sets of Avons Always clean them and test close season and they’re always accurate Not saying I’d trust them on a record fish but been all around the houses on digital, weighmasters , spring balances and keep returning to them Main issue is the dials getting cloudy and hard to read...

Second hand avons

I rarely if ever break rods down so a hook keeper is a must for me Often missing on standard builds?? Also check handle length, can make a big difference to how it feels even with identical blanks

I’ve been away and get home today so looking forward to seeing what I got for £50👍 Do love a bargain

I spent 2 days with JW at his home in Thailand, only a few months before he passed. I used his own personal gear which was all Masterline / Rovex - I think they were called Big Boss- spools were half full, rods and reels covered in scales and ground bait, the rod pod fell over every time I had...

As Jon F said if it’s only for odd sessions on barbel or you’re trying it out then a wise choice We all fall into the trap of expensive rods= more fish , when in reality until you have reached a fair degree of proficiency , we don’t utilise those small percentages where a custom or high end rod...

Me too Got 3 rods , a weigh sling and some bank sticks for about the same price as a takeaway curry for 2. Perfect for son in law and grandkids who want to go muddy hole fishing and I’m sure I’ll give them a whirl too.