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'BFW' Micro Mesh (Boilie Sized) PVA Introduction Getting feed to the target spot can take the form of a bait dropper, swim feeder, method ball, soluble bag, simply by hand or catapult - which one you use could depend on conditions at the time and personal preference. I've been using the...

Enterprise Niteglow Corn - Neon Blue Introduction When I first saw this product I had a bit of a head scratch - whatever next? Then my mind went back to my earlier days when I used to spend many a winters night surfcasting on Chesil Beach in pursuit of cod and whiting. On one particular...

Eurotec Angling Products Eclipse B and Enigma Baits Introduction Eurotec is a new angling company formed in 2003, who among several other angling services and products offer bait for the barbel angler. More details of their products and services can be found on their website at...

Essential Big Barbel Range I can't remember a company releasing three new baits for the barbel angler at the same time and have never seen barbel specific pellets before so when I surfed onto the Essential website and saw the range I had to find out more. I have made all three and used...

Fred Crouch Truepin Trotter by Ray Whittaker I have recently bought one of these; the almost perfect centre pin reel. A 3.75" diameter trotting reel which, on its first outing, caught a handful of feisty chub using sweetcorn under a wire stemmed stick float in about a foot of very fast...

Penn Slammer Live Liner 460 by Andy Boyne If you are looking for a bomb proof fixed spool with a super smooth front drag, a 'baitrunner' system and enough cranking power to 'pull the plug out' that doesn't cost 3 figures plus - look no further! The vast majority of my barbel...

Shimano Twinpower CI4 3000/4000SRA (Tri-Drag) by Chris Jones For my general coarse fishing work I've been using a pair of Stradic GTMs for the last ten years plus. They weren't exactly cheap back then and I wasn't anticipating replacing them at all. However, I was in the market for a...

Shimano 3500b Baitrunner by David Parker I have been through my fair share of reels during my angling lifetime - and many of them are still with me I'm pleased to say, ranged on their own shelf in my makeshift tackle emporium (the garage!). And I mention this because I want this brief...

The Pete Reading Barbel Centrepin by Jon Berry Four months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing this reel for Barbel Fisher magazine; it was very much a 'first impressions' appraisal, based upon a handful of trips, a small number of barbel and one enormous grayling. This is an update...

The Mill Tackle Company "The Barbel Catcher" centrepin reel by Glenn Smith JW Youngs are a well known maker of fishing reels and until recently still manufactured in England. Times change and having been bought by Masterline a few years ago, the old works were shut down and the reels are...

John Wilson 4000 Baitmaster by Ken Franklin When I started trying, albeit unsuccessfully to catch Barbel I used normal fixed spool reels without the baitrunner facility. One of them was an ancient Mitchell 300a borrowed from my Pike fishing tackle. They performed well enough but on the odd...

Aerial (replica) Centrepin from the Fred Crouch Gem Collection The "Jet" Narrow Drum Model Updated Feb 2016 Introduction : Having originally reviewed the Platinum Wide Drum Limited Edition reel, I visited the factory and was offered this narrow-drum to review. Obviously, I based the...

Aerial Centrepin from the Fred Crouch Gem Collection The Platinum Wide Drum Limited Edition updated Feb 2016 Introduction : I received this reel recently to test and review on behalf of BFW. As a user of Aerial Replicas for some 30 years, and also having an engineering background, I...

Daiwa Capricorn CA 3500 Reel by Darran Goulder Designed for heavy feeder fishing, ideal for specimen Barbel and Big Chub. Ball Bearings: 4, of which 3 CRBB (Corrosion Resistant Ball Bearings) Gear Ratio: 4.9:1 Line Capacity: 220m of 10lb mono Spare Spools: 2 Aluminium supplied...

Shimano Exage 4000 RA by Paul Thompson (Tommo) I spotted the Exage addition to the huge Shimano range of coarse reels in the Angling Times. At the time I was using a Shimano Nexus 5000re Baitrunner on one rod and a Shimano Twinpower 4000XTR on the other. I prefer balanced tackle, and...

Introduction Hmmm tricky this how to introduce the one reel that really needs no introduction? Shimano Nexus Baitrunner 5000 GTE How about it is a Baitrunner? The reel in one guise or another is more likely than not attached to your rod. The reel that is on your rod has a lot of...

Introduction The Twin Power XTR reel series are one of the top of the range reels from Shimano. Taking the reel from the box and spinning it gives you the immediate impression of a very smooth and classy reel featuring a fighting drag system and rear clutch. The reel is finished in a satin...

Introduction When I had a look at this reel and my initial impressions were good. I have a number of reels but had been impressed more and more with front drag versions. Double handles, well personally love them, some people do not, this little baby doesn't appear to offer that facility as...

Now, I know many that read this are Shimano fans so I have some work to do. Lets start with the facts; it is a medium sized reel with a free-spool facility and is aimed at the specimen/ general coarse angling market, it is suitable for braid, has a number of bearings, front drag and rear...

The market catering for barbel anglers has grown beyond all recognition, from the days when we used carp tackle as a near substitute for our needs. All that has changed with the increase in the popularity of barbel, and no more so than in the rod department. I think it is more difficult than...