Fish-Hants Gear Reviews

The FishHants Gear Reviews!

Browse this page for the reviews Mike and I give to all the pieces of (branded) kit that we own. We will be as frank as possible, but please remember our experiences are not representative of the Nation - we may have had exceedingly good/bad experiences with a product that are not guaranteed were you to buy the product. All we can say is that our kit does get a thorough going over - when you're sat by a lake for hours, you need to do something to keep you occupied!

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Fox 'A' Pod I have been extremely pleased with my pod. It is very stable, quick to erect and is very flexible in the ways you can use it. The feet can be used as banksticks on their own, you can take off the buzzbars for an exclusive two rod set-up for you can have a three-rod buzz-bar set up as shown here - my preferred setup. Once the feet have been firmly pushed into the ground, you can try and rock the pod all you would like - it will not budge! Plus its only £35 new! Bargain!		Whychwood Extremis Complete Brolly System A very fast brolly system to erect, stays solid in all conditions due to the four storm rods. The Front panel can be removed for the warmer summer months and closed up for the winter months with mossy nett windows allowing you to still see the water. The front panel sits back into the brolly about 6 inches which gives extra added protection in extreme conditions. 2 Rod ties on the top of the brolly and a very heavy duty groundsheet. RRP £149.99, paid £89.99 Great value for money! A great buy!
Daiwa Regal X Both Mike and I fish with the Daiwa Regal X 4050 (Mike has one of these and one 4550-he notices no difference). They are very smooth to use, and the drag and baitrunners are great. No complains at all, a lovely reel to use. £30-Nice!		Daiwa Pro Carp Rods Daiwa Pro Carp Z, had these rods for about 4 years and still going strong! the test curve of 2.75lb has softened slighty though, but that seems to happen to most rods after time. Very neat blank, not as thin as the newer rods but still look good. Standard Fugi Fittings which allow a smooth cast with a through action whick is great for playing fish close in. RRP £110, paid £74.99
Shakespeare Quo Bite Alarms I bought these bite alarms as a budget measure when I was just starting out. They were only £23 which is pretty good. They feature tone, volume and sensitivity controls, and have lasted well, still on their first set of batteries from four years ago. They have spent many hours out in the rain, and never faultered. If your on a shoestring - do it!		Fox Micron MX Bite Alarms Fox Alarms, need i say more, never let me down (touch wood) 2 sensitivities, usually use the least sensitive setting for carp. Tone control, volume control and a power in socket and an output for use with illuminating hangers. RRP 39.99, paid £29.99
Fox Rangemaster II Rods I have a matching set of Fox Rangemaster's. They RRP for around £70-£80 in the shops. I am VERY pleased with them. The blanks are lovely with a great 'X' weave in them - awesome. They cast very well, and are nice and responsive when playing a fish - big or small. The grips are also really nice to use. Overall- a a recommended rod for sure.		Terry Hearn Euro Zip Mat Terry Hearn Euro Zip Mat, super safe mat that also works as a sling, the zip feature allows the fish to be kept safe and easily returned to the water, comes with a carry bag. Padding is roughly 2-3 inches thick which is ideal for the larger heavier catches. Essential piece of kit. RRP 39.99, paid £21.99
		Pro Kennets Net 40inch net Pro Kennets 40 Inch Net with 6 foot handle. Been a good net over the years has landed many many carp. Very quick and easy to errect. In an ideal world (where i had money) i would replace this with a slighty larger net with a softer deeper mesh for exra protection for the carp. RRP £39.99, paid £29.99
		Nash 60lb Scales 2oz divisions, very adjustable, very sturdy dial, so great accurate reading, comes with a handy carry pouch. High quality scales, an item which will last for many many years, great buy. RRP £59.99, paid £49.99
Our General Reviews & Advice Bit.......... >>	Looks worryingly like normal Becks, and tastes like it. It costs about the same, and you'll probably still get ID'd for it like we did. But its not worth it. It doesn't help you sleep, it makes you go the loo a lot and you feel quite bloated. BEWARE OF THE DECEPTIVE ALCHOLOL FREE PRODUCTS! Once you realise your mistake (ours was after 3 bottles each) this waste of money will hang around for months.

TERMINAL TACKLE

Please use the picture below and the corresponding numbers to find out what we think of the terminal tackle we use - there are a couple of little extra small things we recommend too!

1-Nash Hair stops, cut to your own length, available in many different colours, super cheap, massive pack, need I say more.
2-ESP Raptor T6 Size 7-my choice for most waters where barbed is permitted, these hooks only have a micro barb, point stays super sharp, very strong hook
3-Drennan Baiting Needle-A great, cheap little accessorie for threading bait into hairs. Good protective design.
4-Korda Size 8 Swivels-very strong, very neat, perfect with the rest of the Korda series of products.
5-Korda Lead Clips-general prefere using these instead of inline leads as its easier to change the lead you are using. Very safe, as soon as you hook a fish, they become loose on your main line, so if your snapped off they will come the main line. Very safe!
6-ESP Raptor T6 Size 6 Barbless-My favourite choice for using soft hook bates such as luncheon meat, strong hook which makes it great for snags.
7-Korda tail rubbers- do tend to split a bit after time, but to be expected in all honesty, always worked well to prevent tangles and keep the lead on the lead clip.
8-ESP Barbless Big T Raptor Size 7-ong shaft so great for pop ups.
9-Pear Leads-The leads I always use. The inlines are great to use on sandy bottoms, but I use swivel leads and clips in snags.
10-ESP Raptor G4 Size 7-My Hooks of choice for either hair rig or simple float. Razor sharp, incredibly strong and micro-barbed.
11-Suffix Stealth Skin- 25lb, very similar to kryston snake bite, outer coating peals back to leave a fine braid. Great for combo rigs.
12-Kryston Score 45lb lead core- not a big fan of leadcore, pins your line down well, modern anti tangle tubeings work just as well.
13-ESP Hi Performance Swivels-My swivels of choice-strong, unreflective and spin easily-all you need from a swivel.
14-Kryston Snakes Skin 25lb- great for combo rigs, have to be very careful when peelings the outer coating bag as the fibres are very fine.
15-Kryston 12lb Silkworm- very light braid, great for fishing for smaller speices, very light material, does tend to tangle around anti tangle tubeing though.
16-Salter scales-Up to 25lb so cant take huge fish but cheap, strong and reliable so great for starters.

BAIT


	Sweetcorn-the original. Its colour, taste and aroma have been irresistible to carp for years-it never goes out of fashion or success. Many people fish waters with boilie after boilie in one flavour or another-if they're not catching try some corn and you'll probably get a bite! Green Gaint is best due to the size and strength of chunks-great for hair rigs. Buy the larger tins as they offer easier access to the bait when you're in a feeding frenzy!
	Frenzied Hempseed-We have only recently started to use hempseed. We do not use it as a mainline bait, just create a bed of it with the catapult or our hands, and drop some other bait on top. We are hoping to branch out and make some patricle groundbait with it and a variety of other baits too. Hempseed can be a DEADLY bait! Trust.