• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Middy Meat Screw System.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Reviews

Super Moderator
Staff member
Middy Meat Screw System by Anthony Pearson

This is my first attempt at doing a review and for most site members the product will already be recognisable. However, its versatility may come as a surprise!

Middy Meat Carp barbless hair-rigged hooks to nylon come in packs of six in five sizes from a size 14 to a size 6 and retail around the £2.00 mark.

reviews-albums-review-photos-picture3276-middymeatscrew.jpg

I’ve used them straight from the pack for a variety of styles of fishing and am pleased to say that the pre-tied knots have never failed in normal usage. I’ve used the smaller sizes to hair-rig cooked mussels to win a match with a net full of tench and had similar success when targeting commercial size Carp. Indeed where floating baits aren’t allowed they can be used to attach a big piece of crust which is then dipped into the water to ‘wet’, then gently lobbed into the margins where it will sink under its own weight. On its day this can be deadly.

It’s not so much the hook as the ‘screw’ that holds the bait which I think is worthwhile bringing to your attention. It is designed to twist into pieces of meat and I can vouch for the fact that these will stay on, even in flooded conditions. However, don’t expect to cast to the far bank on a large river as the meat will tend to fly-off in such circumstances.

When it comes to barbel fishing though, I’ll be honest and say that I remove the screws and re-tie them using my favoured hook length materials and hooks. This is easy to do and allows for variations in the distance between the bait and hook when tying.

So, they work well with meat, but what of other baits? Well, they’re great for chunks of hard cheese when ‘chubbing’ and are also surprisingly good for fishing lumps of crust and flake. I’ve even had a very pleasing small-river barbel on a piece of bagel fished this way (my wife's idea!!).

reviews-albums-review-photos-picture3277-dsc00064e-1.jpg

I’ve yet to target big roach on flake, but suspect they’ll be perfect for the task when tied to a suitable hook, and I’m sure they’d be as good when used with a ball of paste.

When applying my choice of bait I hold the screw at the loop to which the line is attached. I then twist the bait onto the open end of the wire spiral until the loop is almost invisible. This is both quick and effective

Disadvantages? The screw can tangle in the landing net on occasion, but despite the rumours, I’ve never seen them damage the mouth of a fish. Other than that, you can’t purchase the ‘screw’ separately as far as I am aware (hence my rating below).

Advantages: you can use them as supplied or alter as indicated above. They’re made of stainless steel and you only lose them if you have a line break, so can be used over and over again.

So, if you’re out and about over the winter, I’d recommend giving them a try.

Score 9/10

Anthony Pearson
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top