Hardy Conquest Centrepin Reel

The Hardy Conquest Centrepin marks a return to making centrepin reels for quality tackle company Hardy. After a break of many years Hardy have launched their long awaited range of Coarse fishing rods the 'Marksman' range and to compliment them Hardy have launched the Conquest Centrepin.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am happiest on the riverbank trotting for Roach with my trusty Centrepin. So I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Conquest to see how it handles. Hardy have used Aerospace grade aluminium to create two models which are available at 4.5 or 4 inch. Both are available in a silver or black hard anodised finish.

The Conquest has a double ratchet mechanism and is designed around the gyroscopic inertia principle to make in incredibly free running. The perforated design helps keep the weight down and I was amazed at how light it is.

I was given a 4'5 inch Conquest to try for the day by a friend who owns his own tackle shop. He had told me the reel was outstanding and said that I wouldn't want to give it back. I took it along to my local River Stour to put it through it's paces. I used it in conjunction with a Shimano Anteres 13ft floatrod and set up about trotting some of my favourite swims. The Conquest seemed to weigh so much less than my own centrepin and I was amazed at how freely it ran. The river was running quite low but the line just peeled off as my float trotted downstream even in swims with little flow. I was soon catching a few Roach and I was seriously impressed with the Hardy Reel. Some of the countries leading anglers helped with the design of the Conquest and anglers like John Bailey did some vigorous field testing. At the end of my own field test I was smitten. Indeed my friend was right I didn't want to give the Conquest back!

I really enjoyed using Hardy's new centrepin and I give the reel 10/10.

Fishing Magazines

There are more and more Fishing magazines on the market these days and One of my favourites is Coarse Fisherman. This magazine is great value for money and full of interesting articles and its one i always look for each month in the shops.

Coarse Fisherman is a leading Coarse fishing magazine in the UK. It is a monthly publication and covers all forms of coarse angling.

It includes articles by some of the countries top anglers including Ex match ace and now Carp Guru Jan Porter and Specimen Hunting ace Duncan Charman amongst others. Each month it covers the newest techniques and reviews the latest tackle and baits explaining how to use them in easy to follow tutorials as well as keeping you up to date with the latest news in UK coarse angling.

You can find out more about Coarse fisherman and subscribe Here

Catching the impossible DVD

For those that have not seen Martin Bowlers new fishing series Catching the impossible here is a trailer. The series was filmed and produced by top wildlife camera man and keen angler Hugh miles who was behind the angling classic A passion for Angling.

Hugh uses all his years of experience in wildlife photography to show exactly what goes on under the water as he presents the fish in their native habitat. The series follows Martin Bowler as he attempts to catch specimen fish of all species. Martin is well known as one of the countries top specimen anglers and in this series he proves why that is by catching some real monsters. In the first three films we see him catching massive Carp, Rudd, Crucians and a monster Barbel.

The series also boasts the commentary of Bernard Cribbins who also did the voice over for A Passion for Angling. In this series we see Bernard in front of the camera as he talks bankside with Martin and gets in on the action as he lands a fantastic Pike.

Martin is also joined by some of the countries top anglers including Chris Yates and Terry Lampard as he attempts to catch the impossible.

I really enjoyed the first three films and feel disappointed that the series has not yet been picked up by the UK's terrestrial television channels. A passion for Angling was responsible for bringing thousands of people to our sport and Catching the impossible would do as well. Hopefully we will see it on our screens soon but until then the only way to catch this fantastic series is to buy the DVD.

For more information or to buy the series on DVD click this link Catching the impossible DVD

Drennan Avon Floats

The Drennan Avon is a must for all serious river anglers.

In the winter months I fish almost exclusively for Roach on some of Englands most beautiful Rivers. Primarily the Dorset Stour but also the Frome, Test and the Avon.

I love all types of Coarse fishing. But to me there is something very special about a river in mid -winter. I love nothing more than spending a day walking the banks in pursuit of specimen Roach. And there is no more thrilling way to catch them than trotting.

The Drennan Avon Float is Perfect for this task, The Drennan Avon comes in range of varying sizes carrying from 3AAA to a mighty 7AAA These will suit whatever condition the winter river is in on the day. I generally use breadflake on the hook when targeting Roach and the Drennan Avon copes admirably, giving fantastic presentation.

The float is held in place with 3-4 float rubbers witch makes it easy to adjust the depth as the need rises. I personally tend to bulk the shot around 4 inches above the hooklength with just one smaller dropper shot on the hooklength itself. The Drennan Avon was designed with Rivers like the Stour and Avon in mind and works wonderfully in swims 4-10 feet in depth and ranging from a sedate pace to a river in spate.

When fishing for shy biting species like Roach it pays to use as light a float as you can get away with but still insure good presentation. This is why it pays to insure you have a range of sizes, it takes but a few seconds to swap until you get it right. The Drennan Avon has a large upper body which enables you to hold the float back lifting the bait to entice more bites, it is brilliant in design and does this perfectly without rising up, still giving perfect bite detection.

The Drennan Avon would be a great choice for the novice float angler as it is easy to handle and suits so many winter river conditions, One thing to remember is to shot the float correctly as the body is very buoyant and if not weighted down to the tip could leave you missing shy bites.

It can take many years to master the art of fishing with a stickfloat but once you have mastered it there are few things that will give you as much pleasure. I would advise anyone starting to invest in a range of Drennan Avon floats, they are great for novice or expert.

To order your Drennan Avon floats or other top brand tackle simply click this link

H3 Rod Butt illuminator

I have now added a H3 Rod Butt illuminator to all of my Carp rods and will soon be adding them to other rods that I use when nightfishing

How many of you have been woken in the early hours by a screaming bite alarm?

And how many of you have lost the fish because you knocked over your rod before you could strike?

Well this is the answer to that scenario! The H3 Rod Butt illuminator is a great idea. This nifty bit of kit fits securely onto the end of your rod. Then as darkness falls it starts to glow just like the isotopes in your hangers or swingers. This means that even on the darkest nights you will know where the darkness ends and your rod begins. It means 'No more lost fish' due to running into the rods as you are rudely awoken in the early hours.

H3 have come up with this clever little device, the H3 Rod Butt illuminator which is 20mm in length and 18mm in width with the diameter of the stem measuring 10mm. It has an isotope integrally fitted into it and it is this that glows in the dark. The casing is made from stainless steel and is very robust. So not only can the isotope be seen clearly from up to 20m away but it also gives added protection to the end of your rod. The H3 Rod Butt illuminator is simple to fit to your rod. You simply slide it onto the butt end.

I not only have the H3 Rod Butt illuminator fitted on my Carp rods. But i have also fitted one onto the end of my landing net handle. So i now know exactly where my landing net is at those critical times even on the darkest of nights.

This bit of kit is a must have for all Carp anglers who fish at night and here at UK Coarse Fishing Reviews we give it 9/10

Find out more about the H3 Rod Butt illuminator or buy yours now by simply clicking the link below

'Sixty Years a Fisherman' by John Wilson

'Sixty Years A Fisherman' is John Wilson's new Autobiography.



Published by Green Umbrella Publishing the book charts Johns rise from his modest beginnings in Endfield, North London to the heady heights of being one of Angling's biggest celebrities.

John Wilson is probably Angling's best known personality. With over 30 hardback books and his famed TV series 'Go Fishing' to his name.

But this is just a small part of Johns life and in this Autobiography 'Sixty Years A Fisherman' he tells of all the twists and turns that have made him one of fishing's biggest stars.

In 400 pages John shares his life from his birth in Endfield, North London and his beginnings as an Angler. To his formative years as a hairdresser on a cruise ship where he got to fish all over the globe. He then tells how after a brief stint managing a hair salon in Barbados with his new wife, it was back to England to realise his dream of owning a Tackle shop. John opened 'John's Tackle Den' in Norwich near to his beloved River Wensum. At this time John was also a budding Angling journalist and featured regularly in the national Angling press, He wrote and published the first of his many Angling books. As well as creating and building his own Fishery. These things alone had helped him to become well known amongst Britain's anglers. But it was 'Go Fishing' his first Angling television series that launched him to become a household name. The series 'Go Fishing' was to run for over 17 years with over 100 episodes and was to be followed with other hits like 'John Wilson's, Fishing Safari'. These television programmes and his many books all helped to endear him to the nations Anglers.

'Go fishing' was to become hugely popular and in it John encapsulated the joy of the sport and encouraged a whole new generation to 'Go fishing' Be it River, Lake, Sea or Fly fishing John included it in his wonderful programmes. In later series of the show John started filming abroad and we saw him fishing in fabulous locations for everything from Golden Masheer in India to trolling for Marlin in the tropics. 'John Wilson's Fishing Safari' took this even further and saw him Fishing in countries across the globe.

John Wilson is without doubt one of Angling's Top Stars but he is first and foremost an Angler. John like me is happiest when he is out on a river bank long trotting for Roach but he's also at home fishing for Cod on a Norwegian ford or fishing for Tarpon in the Florida Keys. It is this diversity and exceptional skill and his love for the sport that has made him a firm favourite in the world of angling.

In its 400 pages with all its fantastic colour pictures 'Sixty Years A Fisherman' gives a clear picture of John Wilson's interesting and incredible life. John Wilson has worked hard to secure his place in Angling's accolades and deserves his success.'Sixty Years a Fisherman' is a cracking good read and gives a clear insight into How,When and Why John Wilson became and remains one of the worlds top anglers.

To see more information or order your copy click the link below

'Roach-The Gentle Giants' by John Bailey

'Roach-The Gentle Giants' by John Bailey was first published by The Crowood press in 1987 and some twenty years later it is still 'The' book for any Roach enthusiast.
The book covers many of the techniques used by today's Roach specialists and although it is true that Fishing tackle has moved on tremendously in the years since the book was written the methods it describes are sound and proven and when encompassed with modern tackle can only improve your results.

John Bailey is without doubt one of the countries best Anglers and a well known Angling author. John is now commonly seen on our TV screens presenting his many fascinating Fishing programmes such as the 'On The fly' series. 'Roach-The Gentle Giants' was Johns first really successful book and is on the topic for which he probably knows best. John Bailey has been famed as a true Roach specialist since the early seventies when he caught a huge amount of gigantic Roach from the once legendary River Wensum. The Wensum was without doubt the best river in England for Specimen Roach from the late sixties to the mid-eighties and it helped launch both John Bailey and John Wilson's angling careers as they featured week in, week out in the national angling press with Staggering catches of specimen Roach from that River.

Bailey wrote this book just as that golden age of Roach angling was coming to an end and he talks about the decline of Roach fishing on the Wensum and across England and tries to surmise what caused it. It is still fair to say that even to date there has not been a river that could even come close to producing the same number of specimen Roach as the Wensum in the seventies.

'Roach-The Gentle Giants' gives an overview of the countries top Roach venues as it looks chapter by chapter at the different areas of the country and encompasses every major Roach venue. Most of the chapters are written by Bailey himself but there are also entries from some of the leading Roach specialists of the time, many of which are now high profile angling specialists such as John Wilson, Tony Miles and Martin James as well as past legends like Archie Braddock, Owen Wentworth and John Cadd. Although there have been huge advancements in fishing tackle, the Roach is one fish that it has little effect on. Specimen Roach are without doubt one of the hardest coarse fish to target and an understanding of the fish and its habits is equally, if not more important than your approach. Bailey explains many of the best techniques from ledgering bread flake to simple trotting patterns that put with a good knowledge of the fishes behaviour will certainly help you catch more Specimen Roach.

The book features many shots of John holding those prized specimens from the seventies including fish over 3lbs! In the book there are also many quality line drawings which show and explain the different rigs.

'Roach-The Gentle Giants' may now be more than twenty years old but the methods it describes are timeless and I feel that it is still the best book available for anyone who is serious about pursuing Specimen Roach. 9/10

If you would like to order a copy of 'Roach-The Gentle Giants' simply click this link to order now

Hamworthy Lake, Rockley Park, Poole.

Fishing Review for Hamworthy Lake, Rockley Park, Poole, Dorset

Hamworthy lake is a true beauty spot set in Rockley Park, Poole, Dorset. It is immediately adjacent to the shore of Poole harbour and offers great views of not only the Harbour and the RSPB nature reserve Brownsy Island but to the west is the estuary of the River Frome. The Lake itself is an ex-claypit that is some 12 acres in size and home to some real specimen fish. The Lake holds a variety of Coarse fish including Carp, Tench, Pike, Roach and Rudd.

The lake closes for the close season between March 15th-16th June but is free to fish at other times as long as you hold a valid Rod Licence. I have fished the lake a few times in recent years and this year intend to fish a campaign to target its large Tench and specimen Carp. There are many tales as to what the depths of this lake hold but i know of Carp caught to 30lb+ and Tench to over 8lb for certain. The lake is somewhat wild and there are not that many fishable swims considering its size so there is some competition to get on the well known 'Flyer's'.

The lake is very deep for most of its length although there is a shallow Bay at the Poole end. On average i would say it is at least 14 foot and can shelve to more than 20 foot so there is plenty of water for its inhabitants to hide. If you are targeting the Carp and Tench it is not an easy water but it holds some real whackers so your efforts could be richly Rewarded!

The lake also holds a good head of Roach and Rudd, I myself have yet to test its potential for these species but i have it on good authority that there are some real specimens there to be caught and a good stock of smaller fish to keep the resident Pike well fed and the visiting holiday makers happy with sizable catches. I have not heard how big the Pike actually go? But given the size of the water it has the potential to hold some very big fish indeed!

The local Fishing tackle shop is the Wessex Angling Centre, Poole. It is a good shop that stocks all major brands and has a good supply of fresh quality bait. They can be contacted on 01202 668244 and i am sure that if you pay them a visit they will be happy to give you any help and up to date catch reports from the Lake.

Wessex angling

Hamworthy Lake is set in The Rockley Holiday Park and is accessible to all visiting holiday makers although its size and level of difficulty is usually off putting to beginners although there are other lakes near by that offer good sport for the small price of a day ticket. The Rockley Holiday Park is a good place for visiting anglers to stay offering cheap accommodation in its many comfortable caravans at a very reasonable price. It has good facilities and is not only close to all the attractions of Poole and Bournemouth but is close to renowned Fisheries like The Royalty and Throop as well as miles and miles of the Dorset Stour, The Frome and the River Avon.

Rockley park

For those who have Sat Nav who want to visit the lake the postcode is BH15 4LZ. As i say i intend to fish a campaign on the lake in the coming season so maybe i will see you on the bank.

Check out other fishing websites and blogs at this link Fishing Directory

Fox stratos FS10000

I have been using the Fox Stratos 10000 for some time now. It is one of the smaller reels in its class yet it has 16 ball bearings that make it incredibly smooth. Its a free spool reel and of course has the patented multi-disk front drag system. The large spool is designed to aid with distance casting and has a range casting clip to help with accuracy. The reel was designed for the Carp Angler and is perfect for the job.

Although when i first used the reel it took some time to adjust to its weight i can now say that it has met all challenges well. The best thing about the FS 10000 is the way it lays line across the large spool which enables distance casting effortlessly. The front drag system is easy to adjust and very precise which really helps when you have got a real lump screaming across the lake! You can now pick up a new FS 10000 for around £90 which is great value for money. The Fox brand is known for its quality products and after sales service and after using two of these reels for over a year i have no complaints. Like the front drag the Free spool mechanism is easy to adjust. I have total confidence in these reels when playing big fish and confidence in your tackle is a must if you are to be a successful angler. The large Carp in the UK see an enormous amount of pressure on some waters and anything that gives you an edge is a must The FS10000 does that. All in all its a lovely bit of kit and i give it 9/10.

You can check the full details here on this page of theFoxwebsite Fox Tackle