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It looks like comparing apples and pears, rather than apples and apples. The Gardner copolymer lines are great and significantly underrated for breaking strain. It looks as if the Gamma version is simply a truer (my assumption) rating. That could be construed as ‘clever’ marketing…… I use...

If it’s any help; I tried several Gamma lines a while back - both coated Fluoro and pure Fluoro. None of them were special.

Shimano XR series for me. Very light, biggish spool and a decent drag. Only negative for me is the very small anti-reverse lever. I tried a Cadence and Daiwa TDM beforehand. Previous ‘best’ was my pair of Shimano Aero Match 3’s.

I use similar to you - TA slim quiver and Saber (copy of TA compact) rucksack. I like the rucksack and find the quiver handle really good. I find it balances well. Tricast 2 or 3 piece landing net handle for really long walks as it is super light. Usually 1 rod, 2 rod rests and a brolly (only on...

Savay held some huge eels (as did Broadwater). I lost a fish at Savay that I’m sure was a very big eel and I’ve caught them on purpose in the past. I’ve no idea who runs Longlife, my mate got in via Thames Water/Clancy connections.

Peter Stone wrote about chub bite-offs 50 years ago. He ended up using braided hooklinks I think. I’ve had issues with bite-offs from tench when using longish nylon hooklinks. The solution was the short heli-rig that is standard issue these days. My current chub rigs reflect that and are...

We were targeting the tench (and bream). I had a Broadwater ticket when the BCSG still had it (to target the bream). But they weren’t very big at that stage. Also a Kingsmead ticket for a season in the very early days. Another mate got access to some of the other super waters (eg Longlife)...

Re Savay; if it any consolation, I (and my mate) were offered Savay season day tickets a while back - basically ‘on probation’. We both know Tom B as we have fished his CWP water. We fished Savay for a season without breaking the strict rules and hoped that a full syndicate ticket might...

It is a very good bait, put together by Stuart Morgan and the guys at Baitworks. I’ve been using it since the very first test batch as Stuart is my fishing partner. Since we started testing it we have caught barbel, chub and carp (and bream and roach too) straight out of the bag. There is an...

That’s a much better question. I have travelled far and wide over the last 25 years to (try and) catch interesting (to me) saltwater fish on a fly rod. It is an expensive hobby ! Long haul flights and lodges/guides are not cheap and you have to have decent gear or you simply lose the fish. I...

I have different ‘attitudes’ to spending in different parts of my life. I’m a relatively confident angler and use secondhand sometimes tatty gear as I feel it has no impact on my catches (I care deeply about line/hook/bait). It also might make other anglers think I have no idea what I am doing...

Keep up the good work. Happy Xmas.

At least three other current record coarse fish are listed as coming from un-named venues - so it isn't just barbel.

It was all really good stuff. I preferred the liquids, particularly the 'surprise' and 'magic' ranges. A mate and I did some testing for Archie - which was very interesting. Im not sure you could easily replicate the liquids, but the powders would be fairly straightforward.

Nearly all my coarse gear is bought used and I'm not into handmade centrepins. I have some fairly (circa £400) expensive fly reels for saltwater fly fishing - but they are a necessity. I also have a couple of 6 piece double handed rods, expensive but not so bad if bought used or 'ex demo'.

I used it years ago for chub and it was very effective.

Another club with lots of water is Kings Lynn. Rivers/drains are £6 day tickets or 40 something for a season.

I6ft, 20ft, 40ft, Middle level and cut-off channel all worth fishing in my day. These days I’ve no idea. The road runs right alongside a couple of them, which makes it easier to try a few different spots in a day. The relief channel was also decent - but a bit daunting as it is a big piece of...

I had a pair of NW carbon/Kevlar 1.25 test tench rods from the same era (late 80’s, early 90’s). Lovely rods as long as you didn’t have to cast very far ! They did a cheaper carbon version that was noticeably stiffer.

‘Alpinetrek’ website is worth checking out for bargain outdoor gear. Currently (for example) they have some Rab insulated/hooded jackets at 50% off.