Fish Kent .co.uk

The No.1 Kent based Fishing website

Fish Kent news & Views March 2009

March 2009 Welcome to the first of what will be a monthly feature on the Fish Kent web site.  This month we thought it would be appropriate to look at a few ways to keep bagging fish without spending too much cash.  Its very easy to get caught up in the hype and fashions of modern fishing and find your wallet emptying very quickly!  So below are a few tips and ideas to beat the crunch and keep the fish coming.  For those with money burning a hole in their pocket we have put together a feature on some of the best seat boxes available on the market... Enjoy!

FishKent.co.uk 2009

Bait boilies carping fishing angling maggots hooks line swivels lures pike carp chub tackle pellet sea lakes rivers

Beat the crunch

Buying cheap tackle can be a false economy as a decent rod or reel will last longer and perform better.  Luckily now the quality of tackle is mostly to a very high standard and you wont have to break the bank to get some decent gear.

 But you will find its the smaller sundries like hooks, line and leads etc that can soon mount up to a small fortune.  Carp tackle is especially well “marked up” but wander over to the match tackle section of your local tackle shop and you will find many items such as hooks, lines, silicone and feeders etc that are perfectly suitable for big carp and a fraction of the price.  Many “match hooks” now, for example go up to size 6 or 8 and are identical to many dedicated carp hooks that cost 5 times as much.

 Bait is an area that the tackle trade is cashing in on big time.  There is now every conceivable bait ready to go in a little pot, packet or sachet!  But concentrate on placing a bait in a well presented manor in the right place and you will find fish are less fussy about what it cost you.  Garden worms still make and excellent bait for Carp Bream and Tench and they cost nothing.  Our top tip for big carp this month is a slice of Peperami (optionally dipped in curry paste!) This has seen some big fish landed lately.  But sweetcorn (sugared and salted is best), luncheon meet and of course good old bread will bag lots of fish.

 For those baits that you do rely on a tackle shop for such as pellet and crumb, look into bulk buying a 25kg sack (share with a mate if it helps) these are available online and represent excellent value for money.

Match tackle - Seat boxes

This new seatbox from Italian manufacturer Milo is the companies new flagship box for 2009.  Built using weather resistent 6015” quality aluminium, that is guaranteed against corrosion. The modular base, which can be adjusted in height independently of the frame, features a gel pole seat with a 8 cm-deep compartment underneath, 3 front winder drawers, all equipped with “Magus” polycarbonate pole winders, and two front drawers for the storage of accessories and rig items. Designed to provide an extremely stable, comfortable and reliable fishing station, the Redheart 2010 incorporates some new features, such as anatomically-designed grips along the footplate guides allowing the footplate to be fully slid out with ease. Another innovative feature is a “two-in-one” accessory tray which, once opened, performs the same function as the two separate trays supplied on the previous high-end models. The spirit level indicator incorporated in the rear side ensures perfect levelling in any situation. The standard equipment includes: a non-slip sliding footplate, a folding side tray, a Daytona pole roller rest, a spray-bar support, a box clamp support with a curved accessory arm, a box clamp support for keepnet and a super padded adjustable shoulder strap. There is a high rrp on this box but, if you can afford it, you will not be dissapointed.

Milo Redheart 2010

Preston Space Station TX Seat Box

Developed from the original Preston Space Station the Space Station TX version has the same non marking style leg system, but also offers the advantage of a totally removable footplate.
This enables you to set the space station TX lower to the ground. Another modification is the tubular frame which now has a rounded box profile and has been lowered so more units can be added above the frame, without making the box to high.
Included with the Space Station TX is a removable Deep Base Unit (90mm deep) for reels and larger tackle items.
This can be easily added or removed depending on requirements.
Also included is one Deep Drawer Unit and one 2 Compatment Add-On Unit which comes complete 60 x 18cm Pop-up Slider Winders. Moulded retaining strap recessed pole seat with moulded pole retaining section is comfortable and practical.  The box comes with mud feet all round and is a very sturdy platform to fish from.  The box is perfect for the angler who is a bit shorter in the leg!  Extra units can be added easily for increased storage and height.  This box comes with an extra’s pack including winders, a tray and keep net arms.  This box is proving to be very durable and popular with a price that is appealing.

Octoplus Strongbox

The Strongbox is Octoplus’s first main attempt to break into the modern seat box market and as always they have gone about it in their own way.
From it’s ergonomic, revolutionary seat to its ingenious locking systems. It has a divided moulded base unit & unique drawer locking mechanism. The Strongbox is very stable and has the name suggests very strong. As with most of the modular boxes all parts are replaceable should you need to.
The Strong box is set to become a big seller, competitively priced and coming with the well known reputation of Octoplus.
The Strongbox includes a number of differences from any other seat box on the market that we have seen, The most obvious one, aside from the classy grey and black (with a hint of red) colour, is the innovative frame. The Strongbox has a low lightweight frame, his allows you to add more drawers above the frame without making the box too tall.
Attached below this new frame is a moulded base unit with adjustable dividers, and is just big enough for reels etc
The frame houses the four square legs which are non-marking, the usual host of add-on’s will fit such as bait waiters and keepnet arms etc.  There is an optional footplate coming, but this is not included as standard.  Overall the Strongbox is a well priced option that looks set to be very popular this year.
 

Maver Pro Seat box

The Maver Club and Pro seat boxes are priced to appeal to those who want a modern continental style box without the wallet busting price tag.  With the number of these boxes selling Maver have found themselves a good niche in the market.  

The box comes with all the usual features that you we have come to expect.  The padded pole seat is comfortable with a strap of material to help hold your pole.  The box comes with 2 deep front draws and a pole winder tray under the seat. The draw and tray units are fully customisable to allow you to tailor the box to your needs.

The box is supplied with a strong foot plate with sqaure legs and mud feet all round for great stability.  The usual extras  such as keepnet  arms and trays are available separately.  

The  Maver Pro is aimed perhaps more at the beginner / club angler on a budget, but the box doesn’t have too many compromises in quality compared to boxes costing twice the price.   

Match style fishing is making a big comeback right now and a continental style seat box is a must have item of tackle for those wanting to look good on their local commercial fishery.  But putting the inner tackle tart aside these style of boxes do provide a comfortable stable platform for pole fishing.  They help keep your back straight and make fishing the long pole for 5 hours a more pleasant experience.  Having all your spare tackle, top kits, bait and keep net to hand is very important and can save your vital seconds during a match and these boxes can make that winning difference.  Featured below is a selection of some of the best boxes available covering all price ranges...

Final thoughts...

March is a busy month in the fishing calendar with the rivers closing on the 15th and the Pike season coming to an end on most fisheries.  Its also the time of year when the Carp wake up and make themselves a little easier to catch, I hope so at least after the difficult winter we have just had!  Its worth remembering that the water is still very cold and the all-out summer tactics of spodding in 10 tonnes of bait are not likely to work well just yet! A more measured and subtle approach should see more fish landed.  

The most important job for March is to renew your EA licence(s) for the coming season, don’t fish without one, the fines are big and the EA do lots of good work.

Tight lines to all those who mad it this far through the page.  The next update will come online in the first week of April

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