LATEST ADDITIONS

A good mate of mine, Tim Norris, spent ages trying to find the right bag for his carp fishing, scouring the luggage world, and trying pretty much everything out there in the process, before settling on one of these. I asked him how he’d decided that it fit the bill and he told me that it was just the right size – just big enough for his gear without being so big that it encouraged him to take stuff that he didn’t need (we’ve all been there, right?). It was also easy to access the stuff that he needed quickly via the external pockets and the single, full-size opening and internal compartments allowed him to arrange everything neatly inside. As he was telling me all of this, I realised that the NXG sounded like it ticked all of the boxes in my search for an all-round bag that I could take anywhere.

Although significantly cheaper than the superb ArmaPoint range of hooks, the Kuro range is very impressive. There are several patterns available, not all of which I have used, but this one – a curved-shank design with a fairly thick gauge – is fast becoming my hook of choice for bottom-bait fishing. It’s very similar to the ArmaPoint SSC; in fact, the only discernable difference to my eye is that the coating isn’t quite so dull and non-reflective. It’s still very dark, which I like, and the hooks work brilliantly.

On the right venue I am a real braid fan and have advocated its use in certain situations for many years. There’s always been a trade-off, however, between a braid that casts well and one that sinks. Generally, you cannot have one without sacrificing the other. The 832 was first given to me to play around with last year, and it took me a while to spool it up.

In the search for a robust mono that would sink and not let me down in the weedier spots of my new syndicate, I was recommended the Syncro XT. After a good soak in warm water it spooled up really easily and, despite it being 15lb, it bedded down quite nicely on the spool. I’ve since used it on several occasions and it has performed exactly how I need it to. One particular carp decided to charge through a hefty marginal snag just prior to netting, but the line held firm despite lots of grating.