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

Review - Nick Gilbert Pole Floats

It's a well used adage in angling that pole floats catch more anglers than fish and its certainly true in my case.

I have dozens of floats that have never seen water and probably never will.Its also true that a handful of patterns would more than likely 'do' for the type of  fishing I partake in , however using the right tool for the job gives me confidence in my gear and presentation.

There is a trend at the moment for hand made floats to be en vogue and I've tried a few makes. Surely there are great mass produced floats out there as well ? Well there are. But again it comes back to confidence again. Trust that the float wont break or bend and do what's asked of it.

Which brings me on to the handmade and Commercial XT pole float range available on-line from Nick Gilbert.

I can easily say that Nick's floats are the best I've ever used. They are beautifully crafted and look good (enough reason on its own for some anglers !); they are strong enough to cope with commercial fish abuse; they carry the shot stated on the float (if I shot 1 float up in a tube, I know others will shot the same without having to go through the full process again) and they are all stable and do the jobs they are meant to do.

The 3 floats shown above are (from top to bottom):-

NG Mini Gimp - 1.5mm hollow tip and wire stem. Lovely short float ideal for fishing shallow, far banks on canal type lakes, or even as a margin float.

NG XT Mini Diamond - 2mm hollow tip and carbon stem. Ideal for bigger baits. However I have used this small float with paste and found compared to my usual long bristled paste floats that bites were more positive. From Nick's commercial range but with the same build quality as the hand mades floats IMO.

NG Decker HD - 1.7mm hollow tip and glass stem. Ideal for fishing on or near the bottom with bigger baits like meat or corn. Very stable float.

NG Gimp Glass (not pictured) 1.2mm hollow tip and glass stem. Tremendously versatile float, great for maggots, pellets etc for F1s and silvers on commercials. If I could only choose 1 float for all my fishing, this would it. Another stable, sensitive float.

The floats are available in a myriad of sizes with different tip diameters (& colours) and stem materials or diameters too, so you really can tailor the float to your own specification.

Nick's website is at  www.float-store.co.uk   The XT range are usually available from stock whilst there is a few week wait for the hand mades. The price for the hand made floats is possibly at the premium end of the scale, but these floats are not one session wonders like some I've used. If you've ever had an eye rip out or the float take on water and sit lower during your session you will know what I mean. The price and small waiting time for delivery are worth it and I'll be expanding my own collection soon !

Thanks

Robin

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