Review Daiwa 150 SB seatbox - UPDATED 23.9.15

On my return to fishing after a 3 year break I found my old Penrose Seatbox in a  slightly sorry condition. I tidied the box up but on using found the old niggles of wooden boxes (I.e sticking drawers when wet) made life a little harder than it could have been.

So a new box was needed ! I had a budget of £200 but found limited choice for my needs. Ive always used a base unit for reels, pole cups, etc.so I wanted similar. My old box had 5 drawers and I couldnt see me coping with much less (although I do admit I carry too much gear).

I looked online at the Ultimate boxes which seemed great value, but reviews seemed split between excellent/awful which seemed too risky. Matchbox also had a few options that appealed, but in the end after actually sitting on one I went for the Daiwa 150 SB, slightly above my price range at £220.

Shallow front drawers

Base Unit

The box has the requisite detachable base unit (15cm deep), with 2 shallow front drawers and 2 full length cross drawers plus underseat storage.

2 Cross Drawers

I went to B&Q and bought some black L-shaped plastic to make drawer dividers with and a cheap storage box from Poundland which, after removing the lid, gives a great divided area for underneath the seat.  I also added 2 spirit levels to assist with setting the box up.

Underseat Storage

The seat is brilliantly comfortable and I can open any drawer whilst sitting down. The box is rock-solid and coming from the Penrose where I could tighten the screws until they bit into the legs,  then still find it slipping during use, this is a revelation.

The legs have never moved once in use and that's with still not feeling like I need to over-tighten the knobs. The legs themselves are 25mm round ones so any accessory that can fit the Preston Off-Box Rive (green) insert or similar, works a treat.

The footplate being a cassette type stows away nicely for transport but in use is also perfect.  I thought id miss the adjustability of a folding system but the height is just right (for my legs at least) and I can stand on the footplate without it folding up too..

I can honestly say this is one if not the best item of tackle I have ever bought and I really cannot recommend this box any higher for the price. Whilst a good seatbox will not make you a better angler - it's just made my fishing that bit easier and more comfortable meaning I can concentrate on other aspects more.

Thanks

Robin

* 2ND UPDATE 23.09.15 *

Nearly a year on from my update regarding slipping leg blogs and I'm pleased to say the legs haven't slipped the slightest in use. When i look back at the issue I had with the faulty 2 blocks,  I now remember that at that time I had used a bike lubricant in the blocks. Where I keep my box is not a totally dry environment and I didnt want any of the threads to corrode. Perhaps the oils reacted with the plastic somehow  or more likely the extra ease of movement meant I had unknowingly overtightened the hand knobs. Of course it still could have been a fault but its strange how 2 blocks failed so suddenly and totally. 

Anyway the upshot is that I haven't heard of any seatbox that doesnt have some kind of niggles. I still think that if you shop around and get it for a good price that there is nothing out there better for its price and size. I think any upgrade would cost at least £350 while I paid £220. So it gets a reprieve and returns to being superb in my eyes. 

http://www.daiwasports.co.uk/product/accessories/seat-boxes-accessories/daiwa-150-seat-box

(Old) UPDATE - 1.11.2014

Earlier this year I posted a glowing review of the above seatbox. its been perfect over the last 11 months until my last trip, when 2 of the legs on the main box started slipping; to the point it would slip with the slightest pressure.

This has really disappointed me as the box has been used less than 12 times and I'm not exactly vast at 13 stone. 

The box was returned to Daiwa who have replaced 2 of the blocks but as its now out of warranty I can't have confidence that the other legs won't fail as well.

It's a pity as I hate to give bad reviews, but I cant now recommend a product with such a major potential flaw.

Robin

Nick Gilbert Hollow Elastic - Review

I first started pole fishing well over 20 years ago fishing local waters for roach, rudd, perch and tench if I was lucky. Carp were a mystical creature that you might hook for a few seconds before they inevitably snapped your line or elastic. In fact when i first started pole fishing it was really meant for fish under 2lbs; the elastic was all imported latex and IIRC a no.8 was the heaviest I could get.

Fast forward to 2015 and the pole is used to regularly land everything that swims and elastics range from natural (and double) latex to solids and hollows and most of the elastic I use now, starts at a No.8. In my opinion (and I know a lot of anglers prefer solids)  hollow elastic and more recently the addition of puller bungs has revitalised pole fishing. Having an elastic covering a range of grades and a puller to add some backbone has transformed fishing. I first discovered hollow elastics as Daiwa Hydro over 12 years ago and instantly it was an unbeatable upgrade for my fishing over what had gone before, now big fish could be specifically targeted and landed whilst the flexibility of a hollow meant smaller fish could also be caught on the same top kit.

However Hydro has always been at the top of the table for cost. This wasnt so important when I had 2-3 top kits and the elastic could easily last 2 years. But then I noticed a change. In certain grades Hydro seems to degrade quicker than at one time so the longevity now affects its cost. I have since been though virtually every mainstream brand of elastic in some form or another before a  few years ago deciding to try some of Nick Gilbert's hollows following lots of positive internet reviews. I have found them to be excellent both in performance and value for money and although i dont keep elastics in my top kits for years at a time now, Ive had no issues with the product degrading over time.

Most branded elastics seem to cost between £10 and £15 for 3m, while the NG hollow is available in specific lengths (to minimise paying extra for length you dont need) from £4 for 2m to £6 for 3m.TBH I'd rather pay more for the right product than get an inferior, cheaper replacement.

In this case I truly believe this product is equal to, if not better than the original. Hydro is the only elastic that can legally have a liquid in its core (as sold)  but in comparison I cant tell any difference in use.

Nick's elastic comes in a range of sizes as you'd expect but also some subtle variations :-


Amber Core - This elastic starts of quite soft but powers up quickly so has a wider rating than the                               other hollows. Nice to stop smaller fish splashing on the surface too easily.


Twin Core -    Soft but a more consistent stretch to give more control over a running fish.


Micro Bore -   Newest variation which as the name implies has a finer central hollow bore. This leads  to a much thinner elastic and helps alleviate any flattening of the elastic under pressure

Personally I like the micro bore blue (4-8) for winter silver fish on commercials; the twin core green 10-12 is absolutely gorgeous and soft but with a strong backbone and the new pink micro bore 6-10 seems great as an allrounder.

As I've said before - this review is my personal opinion. I haven't caught 300lb bags on this elastic (or any as you can tell from the blog !) but I believe it's outstanding. To elasticate 6 topkits costs me a maximum of £36 as opposed to £60 for most other products - that's a big difference. But as I said at the beginning of this post; if the elastic wasn't up to the job - price would be irrelevant.

Finally on my last trip to the Angel I was catching 3-8lb carp on a top kit using the Amber Core Black 12-16 for the first time. Last year fishing the same venue with a Middy 12-16 I lost over half the fish I hooked through pulls. This time using the same terminal tackle on the NG elastic I lost 1 out of over 20 carp. I need a bit more usage on the bank of course and maybe in the past I'd had a large amount of foul hooked fish - food for thought though ?


Thanks for reading

Tight Lines



website for Nick Gilbert Elastic


http://float-store.co.uk/NG-Twin-Core-Amber-Core-Hollow-Elastic

Under The Bridge - Sat 12th September 2015 - Lookout Lake, Angel Of The North,

After not being able to get on the bank since early July today I had my chance to wet a line and I was determined to just enjoy myself and catch some fish.

The Angel Of The North has become my 'home' fishing location as it right on my doorstep but more importantly it's a great fishery in my opinion; well-stocked with healthy hard-fighting fish and a mixture of species - somewhere that I would happily travel to if it was further afield. Luckily it's only 20 minutes from my front door. So apologies if this blog is becoming a bit  'Groundhog Day' but the only thing that would matter to be about today, would be actually fishing (and more importantly - catching !)

In previous blog entries I  haven't really described the layout of the fishery before in detail .Basically there are three lakes - Bassetts which is effectively pitched as a  training lake for beginners, then Bowes and my normal haunt..Lookout Lake.

The complex is far from the taunted 'hole in the ground' commercial fishery and is  very lush with plants and bushes but it is effectively built onto the side of a hill making it a bit open to the Elements at times. The small Bassett's Lake is at the lowest altitude followed by Bowes and finally Lookout Lake Which must be a good 50 feet higher again. However Lookout offers a more diverse stocking of species than Bowes,  so I find it more attractive.

Kitchen sink out of shot

Earlier in the week I'd spoken to Ann (the owner) to see if there were any restrictions for today and she'd said that the island pegs were off limits and with hindsight this was just as well, due to the strong (not forecast) wind that was ripping in from the east, which would have made pole fishing very difficult, even close in. It might sound a bit daft to say but with so long between my sessions I find that sometimes my fishing revolves about wanting to fish a particular method and fitting the day around that, rather than fishing the most suitable method for the day - reading that back now doesn't make much sense but I suppose what I mean is - for example,  I love fishing the pole, so perhaps on some days when a lead or waggler would be more suitable - I'll still look to fish a pole line; within reason of course - I'm not pig-headed enough to actually risk breaking gear if I can avoid it. 

I picked peg 24. Usually good in matches and situated immediately to the left of the low footbridge over to the island. I set up as the rain lashed down and decided on a few options.

I would start on the feeder tight across to the far reeds at the back of the island. It was about 30 yards and I could revisit my casting technique  with hopefully better results than my last attempt......i.e more time with the feeder in the water rather than in the bushes !

I'd also planned on 2 pole lines. A short 6m line just on the base of the main slope where i would aim for a bit of anything and at 13m across towards the footbridge where i was going to catapult 6mm fishery pellets every few minutes while fishing the feeder  to see if i could get the carp out from under the bridge. However this was already looking difficult as it would mean fishing directly into the wind. I potted in one ball of groundbait and a few pellets before starting to loose feed over the top. On the 6m line i cupped in a good size pot of particles. 2mm soaked micros with some hemp, casters and chopped worm. I wouldn't be fishing here for at least 45 minutes  so i wanted to get some bait down.

I also had a margin line to my left for later in the day whilst it was  possible the carp might come into my feet as is often the case here.

I'd set up a few different rigs for the pole. A DT pencil was nice and sensitive for the short line as it was a bit calmer here. The long pole was fished with a DT Open Water Tear to keep everything stable in the more choppier water and I did have a shallow pole rig (which I never used) plus a DT Margin Diamond for close in.

I picked a spot for the feeder and cast out 4 feeder loads of groundbait after clipping up before attaching a hooklength.

The feeder was slow on a 6mm hair-rigged pellet but I was getting a few liners before missing a bite. I tried alternating hookbaits but was having trouble hitting what seemed like unmissable pulls on the tip. I decided for some reason to try worm and 2 minutes later the tip flew round and stayed round. The fish was on but i quickly realised the clutch was on too tight and frantically tried to resolve this whilst the fish crashed towards the reeds. After rectifying my mistake i made some headway and the fish now swam towards me. This is where i started to realise that the carp in this peg were very used to their home. The fish headed towards the bridge stanchions and all i could do was try and steer it the opposite way. The fish certainly felt as big as anything I've had on a feeder rod before but as I tried to stop it from its intended target the hooklength gave way....gutted !

I'd started on a 0.15 bottom which obviously seemed too light now. So i tied on something a bit heavier and went again.

Next cast I had a slightly less savage take and had another decent fish on....for 30 Seconds before the hook pulled ! This wasnt part of the plan. I'd been fishing for 25 minutes now and had lost 2 fish and hadn't landed anything. There were fish in my swim but i couldn't get them out. I tried again  still using worm and this time when the tip went around I hooked and landed my first fish of the day, not one of the (presumed) carp from earlier but a 6oz skimmer. Small but I was off the mark.

 I stayed on the feeder for another half hour. Probably too long really as I continued getting tentative bites and liners but no fish. I tried different options through the feeder from just groundbait , to adding different particles but the result stayed pretty much constant. I'd now been on the feeder for about an hour with only a few small skimmers to show for it. Time for a change and a look on the pole lines.

I tried the long line first and put on a  banded 6mm pellet, again resulting in a small skimmer. This line was proving as difficult to fish as I'd anticipated  with the wind, although a few skimmers had made an appearance moving to the short line with worm was getting me a few more fish, some more skimmers again plus ide and a nice crucian. I decided to refeed another 3/4  pot and look in the margins as by now carp had moved into the water at my feet to hoover up any dropped bait.  I know from experience that these fish can be difficult to hook but it's so difficult to ignore them with their tails wafting in front of you. In the past I've tried pellets, paste and bunches of maggots with varying results. 

Worms have generally been a poor choice for me here on previous occasions but with the sporadic action on worm fishing the feeder I felt this would be worth a go close in. The water at my feet was around 10" deep so I threw in some hemp and casters to keep them occupied. I wasn't convinced the fish would be too happy to settle here once I'd  (hopefully) caught a few, so I also plumbed up a 2nd line at 6 sections to my left. This gave me a nice flat spot in about 18" - 2 feet of water. I again went for some heavier particles (hemp and caster) and some micros from a big pot.

 In my last blog entry the carp had definitely had the better of me and I'd realised that i was fishing too light both in terms of elastics and lines. I'd prepared a few rigs with 0.18 main line to 0.165 Hooklength and  a size 14 CS23 hook. I've always been a believer of using lighter elastics and taking my time to land fish using a puller as I've had plenty of  frustrating days with hook pulls on beefier gear here before  but this time I'd decided to step up to an NG Black hollow 12-16. Keeping with worm on the hook it didnt take long for the float to dance around before sailing away.A steady lift of the tip was enough to see the fish hooked and take off straight towards the bridge some 13m away.

This time I was able to keep the fish out of the potential snags and I had a 5 lbs (near) leather carp in the net.

I decided to drop in a little bait and try the left hand margin whilst it settled back down.  I didn't want to feed to heavily and send the fish into a frenzy. The same rig sat a bit longer in the new swim before missing a bite before the next drop saw a greedy 2oz perch take the whole worm. This was followed by a lovely roach probably a few ounces short of a pound. Nice to catch but someout out muscled on the gear I was fishing with.

 Back to the top kit and the next fish once again steamed towards the bridge and trying to stop it with the elastic at full stretch led to the hooklength parting. This time I re-rigged up straight through, as my quarry wasn't exactly being line shy. Losing this fish coincided with the day starting to unravel somewhat.

What I hadn't  mentioned so far was my usual nemesis....weather. it had rained constantly from before my arrival and with the aforementioned wind pushing in towards me it was a day for the umbrella. I'd already had problems most of the day as i had come woefully prepared with only a few pegs and a borrowed guy rope. I was using a new Preston off-box bracket to hold the brolly spike but the brolly was slowly spinning around over time and generally proving to be a right royal p.i.t.a.

I'd even resorted to using my trolley as an anchor but I made the ultimate schoolboy error. I got up off the box for some reason and didnt drop the umbrella. The resulting crack and the brolly lying at right angles to its (now considerably shorter) spike told me I wasn't going to fix this today. The central spike,  which was reinforced compared to the brolly's original had sheared completely above the bracket.

Shear Disaster ?

I would now have to fish for 2 hours+ without cover. I'm aware that a lot of anglers fish without any kind of umbrella but then I guess there are waterproofs and waterproofs. Mine are nowhere near top of the range and did their best for a while but i was pretty soaked when I packed up along with everything else !

Anyway - as the fishing conditions had got worse, the fishing was improving.  My next fish turned out to be my best of the day, a gorgeous bronzed common just under 8lbs. As usual this gave a great fight before I landed it but I now felt much more in control with the current setup.

I did try other baits but again worm seemed to be the best as i added another 20 carp or so, some good skimmers/bream and a few crucians to 1 1/2 lbs +.

 The strange thing about today compared to previous sessions catching carp close in, was I only had one hook pull all day (as against the last time I used this grade of elastic from another manufacturer) and none of the fish were foul hooked. Maybe I'd got the feeding right or maybe a heavy bait like worm just made everything less prone to being wafted about 

As i packed up I was soaked but had thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Loading my gear onto the trolley the rain stopped , the sun came out and bathed the lake as if to try and taunt me. If you ask me dry weather is overrated !

Sunshine After The Rain

Thanks for reading.

Tight lines

Robin