Founded on 12th September 2023. A bit of banter, a new products list, and a step into the Tackle world.
There's rarely a dull week in fishing (apart from when I'm trying to catch something), and this week we've got the All-nighter series final. One of the biggest matches of the year, our local lads will go head to head for the crown (although its really just about who can stay awake for the longest). We'll update you with the results next week, so be sure to pop back to see those.
We've also had some more brilliant catch reports this week, perhaps most notably from local carp angler Scott Lake who bagged several carp up to 24lb from Rackerhayes' Dores pond last weekend (see the stunning pictures below!). Well done Scott! Daryl Pattey also deserves a mention for his 5 tench up to 6lb from 'Gully' on Island pond in a day session last week, and while we are on the subject of tench, there have been lots caught on Linhay pond over the last month or so. Coming out up to the 7lb mark, this is a pond definitely worth a look if you're after some bites (and some really good sport too!).
We're also really excited to share some more new products with you this week. Korda have released their new PVA bucket system which we really like for its originality, neatness and, (as its Korda) we know its going to be exceptionally well-made.
We've also begun stocking the (fairly new) Mainline Green Supreme groundbait which is flying off the shelves (see here). It's proved a great all-round fishmeal groundbait for carp, tench, bream and beyond, and its green colour is of great appeal in coloured water especially.
But of all of the new products, one that really stood out was the new Strike King 'toad' soft plastic predator lures. We actually liked these so much that we've gone the extra mile and put them to the test on the bank this week, and we wanted to share with you what we found out.
We noticed that they came up in the water on retrieve (a toad-like feature we guess) and created a realistic motion (to go along with their very life-like look, a standout feature) that mimicked a toad. One thing we did notice though was that if the hook point was pointing out of the top of the lure then it rolled over, so ensure that it is pointing out of the bottom on use. All round though, a top product, and right in time for the pike season which is just around the corner.
A final mention goes to last weekends' NAFA open day which was a huge success, with lots of numbers turning out. If you didn't already know, the follow-up teaching sessions began last Thursday (8th) on Wheel pond and will continue every Thursday 6pm - 8pm until the end of the school holidays, so if you're interested in starting fishing for free then get yourself down there. Tight lines!
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Tackle Trader | 18th April 2025 | Blogging
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our blog, we hope you've had a great week. You'll be glad to hear that the local fishing has once again been fantastic this week, and with numerous reports of tench being caught from NAFA's Rackerhayes lakes and some big carp being landed too. Last weekend's NAFA Carp match saw the pick of the Carp bags, with Tim Frost taking the win with two carp for 46lb 10oz from peg 20 on Island, including a 25lb 12oz beauty of a common. Leon Wilson managed second with a single carp for 30lb 8oz from peg 4 on Dores, with Lloyd Radford third with another single carp for 27lb 12oz from peg 25 on Island. Unfortunately we don't have a product review for you today, but we will be returning with one for you next week, and it's another one of my favourite products that is a must-have for your carp fishing this spring. In the meantime we will leave you with our opening hours the Easter weekend and a reminder of the upcoming senior match next weekend: NAFA Charity Open - 27/04 Enjoy your holiday everyone, see you soon. ...
Tackle Trader | 08th April 2025 | Blogging
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our blog. What a beautiful week it’s been again, the weather couldn’t be much better for April! And you’ll be glad to hear that it’s been another productive week for local course fishing too, with the water temperatures warming the fish are switching on and we aren’t far off them having a proper munch now. Having walked around Rackerhayes yesterday there were plenty of fish moving, and it felt like the air was really on its way to those lovely summer temperatures that we are all looking forward to. This week I’m giving a product review to one of my favourite match fishing items for Carp too, and I’ve been really excited about this one. The product is the the Preston soft cad pole pot, which is in my opinion the best soft pot on the market. Firstly, I just love soft pots because they allow you to group your bait so tightly that is especially important when fishing for less aggressively feeding fish, I couldn’t honestly now imagine my box without them. But what separates the Preston Cad Pots for me is their brilliantly thought through design. I’ve found it tough to come across a soft pot that stays on your pole when dipping your tip under the water, that the bait stays in when shipping out, and that don’t look conspicuous to feeding fish below your pole tip; but this one has the lot. They grip brilliantly on your pole, meaning that you very rarely lose one when playing fish, their white and blue colour matches the sky in virtually all conditions meaning that fish are less aware when you're fishing over them, and the circular cap design holds bait in brilliantly and makes it easy to tap it out once you’ve shipped your pole out over where you’re fishing. What adds to using these pots is that they are fantastic for all types of pole fishing. I often use them when cupping small nuggets of groundbait in for roach and skimmer fishing, when drip feeding maggots for tench, and of course when feeding small amounts for finicky carp. I personally stick to smaller pots whenever possible because I think it limits the chances of spooking feeding fish when holding the pole over them, but the big size also does a fantastic job of feeding large amounts if you don’t have a cupping kit. Coming onto the market at £4.99, these are a brilliant price and a must-have for your pole fishing not just this summer but through all seasons. I just wanted to say a thank you to all readers of this blog, I’m loving writing these reviews and I hope they are helpful to you, we’d love to hear your feedback in the shop if you've been reading weekly. I’ll be back with another in a couple of weeks, until that time take care and tight lines....
Tackle Trader | 28th March 2025 | Blogging
Hello all and welcome back, we hope you're having a fantastic week. We’re here with a short update, and are discussing the results from the NAFA winter league matches, with the Junior league concluding last weekend. And a huge congratulations goes to Noah who won both the match on Bradley with 8lb 10oz (peg 11), and the league overall, well done! The seniors also had an away day at Goodiford Mill for their penultimate winter league match on Sunday, with Jamie Pearce taking the win with an impressive 150lb 14oz on Peg 42. Gary Webber had 89lb 12oz from peg 11 for second, with Sam Powell bagging 67lb 2oz (peg 42) to take third. Next week we will be reviewing another must-have product for your Carp fishing this spring, so please be sure to pop back for that. Until then take care all, and tight lines. NAFA Junior League final results 1st, Noah with 7 points, dropped score 6 =1st, Liam with 7 points, dropped score 11 2nd Jamie with 8 points 3rd Saul with 11 points 4th Tom with 15 points 5th Elle with 18 points...
Tackle Trader | 21st March 2025 | Blogging
Good morning everyone, we’ve got another blog article for you this week, and what a fine week it has been! The sun is finally with us and yesterday was absolutely stunning, the warmest day of the year so far. While the weather isn’t exactly perfect for fishing, it does mean that the water temperatures will be warming and the fish will be starting to feed. And that means all the more reason for another product review on an item of tackle perfect for Tench, Bream and Carp, and this week I’ve gone for some of my favourite items in my kitbag, the Drennan match catapults. Coming in several different elastic ratings, my picks of the bunch are the Waggler range medium and Pole range medium. I find these ratings cover all the distances I need, and maintain grouping of my bait (no matter what the bait is) when firing it out, whereas the lighter versions sometimes spread it as I feel I’m having to over-stretch the elastic to hit the range. A fair few match anglers that I’ve fished with use the Waggler ranges even when fishing the pole as they say their bait groups better, but I personally find I lose some control of the range when using an over-heavy elastic. Additionally, I find that the elastics on these pults are about as durable as any on the market, which is vital when you're fishing a match and don’t have time to stop and repair a broken elastic, and also don’t want to be spending money to replace them week after week. Their strong frame designs also very rarely bend or break, meaning that they last for years. The pouches may be the only questionable part of these cattys, and I was sceptical when they were first updated as I was always a fan of the old soft mesh style (especially when feeding maggots), but I have to say I’ve had a lot less issues than I feared. The bait still fires in a great line, it stays in the pouch fine when you're firing, and these pouches are much more durable than their predecessors. As a result, these cattys are almost faultless, I believe that they are a vital part of any tackle bag, and while their job is seemingly very simple, they do it very well. I hope you have found this review helpful; I’ll be back with another in a couple of weeks’ time. As ever before you go this week, we will leave you with a reminder of the upcoming local match dates so that you can book in or avoid them if you're out for a pleasure session. The next NAFA senior match will be round 5 of the Tackle Trader Winter League on Goodiford Mill this Sunday (23rd), while the next junior match will be on Bradley tomorrow (22nd, the final match of the Winter League). Tight lines all and until next time, take care....
Tackle Trader | 18th April 2025 | Blogging
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our blog, we hope you've had a great week. You'll be glad to hear that the local fishing has once again been fantastic this week, and with numerous reports of tench being caught from NAFA's Rackerhayes lakes and some big carp being landed too. Last weekend's NAFA Carp match saw the pick of the Carp bags, with Tim Frost taking the win with two carp for 46lb 10oz from peg 20 on Island, including a 25lb 12oz beauty of a common. Leon Wilson managed second with a single carp for 30lb 8oz from peg 4 on Dores, with Lloyd Radford third with another single carp for 27lb 12oz from peg 25 on Island. Unfortunately we don't have a product review for you today, but we will be returning with one for you next week, and it's another one of my favourite products that is a must-have for your carp fishing this spring. In the meantime we will leave you with our opening hours the Easter weekend and a reminder of the upcoming senior match next weekend: NAFA Charity Open - 27/04 Enjoy your holiday everyone, see you soon. ...
Tackle Trader | 08th April 2025 | Blogging
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our blog. What a beautiful week it’s been again, the weather couldn’t be much better for April! And you’ll be glad to hear that it’s been another productive week for local course fishing too, with the water temperatures warming the fish are switching on and we aren’t far off them having a proper munch now. Having walked around Rackerhayes yesterday there were plenty of fish moving, and it felt like the air was really on its way to those lovely summer temperatures that we are all looking forward to. This week I’m giving a product review to one of my favourite match fishing items for Carp too, and I’ve been really excited about this one. The product is the the Preston soft cad pole pot, which is in my opinion the best soft pot on the market. Firstly, I just love soft pots because they allow you to group your bait so tightly that is especially important when fishing for less aggressively feeding fish, I couldn’t honestly now imagine my box without them. But what separates the Preston Cad Pots for me is their brilliantly thought through design. I’ve found it tough to come across a soft pot that stays on your pole when dipping your tip under the water, that the bait stays in when shipping out, and that don’t look conspicuous to feeding fish below your pole tip; but this one has the lot. They grip brilliantly on your pole, meaning that you very rarely lose one when playing fish, their white and blue colour matches the sky in virtually all conditions meaning that fish are less aware when you're fishing over them, and the circular cap design holds bait in brilliantly and makes it easy to tap it out once you’ve shipped your pole out over where you’re fishing. What adds to using these pots is that they are fantastic for all types of pole fishing. I often use them when cupping small nuggets of groundbait in for roach and skimmer fishing, when drip feeding maggots for tench, and of course when feeding small amounts for finicky carp. I personally stick to smaller pots whenever possible because I think it limits the chances of spooking feeding fish when holding the pole over them, but the big size also does a fantastic job of feeding large amounts if you don’t have a cupping kit. Coming onto the market at £4.99, these are a brilliant price and a must-have for your pole fishing not just this summer but through all seasons. I just wanted to say a thank you to all readers of this blog, I’m loving writing these reviews and I hope they are helpful to you, we’d love to hear your feedback in the shop if you've been reading weekly. I’ll be back with another in a couple of weeks, until that time take care and tight lines....
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Hello all and welcome back, we hope you're having a fantastic week. We’re here with a short update, and are discussing the results from the NAFA winter league matches, with the Junior league concluding last weekend. And a huge congratulations goes to Noah who won both the match on Bradley with 8lb 10oz (peg 11), and the league overall, well done! The seniors also had an away day at Goodiford Mill for their penultimate winter league match on Sunday, with Jamie Pearce taking the win with an impressive 150lb 14oz on Peg 42. Gary Webber had 89lb 12oz from peg 11 for second, with Sam Powell bagging 67lb 2oz (peg 42) to take third. Next week we will be reviewing another must-have product for your Carp fishing this spring, so please be sure to pop back for that. Until then take care all, and tight lines. NAFA Junior League final results 1st, Noah with 7 points, dropped score 6 =1st, Liam with 7 points, dropped score 11 2nd Jamie with 8 points 3rd Saul with 11 points 4th Tom with 15 points 5th Elle with 18 points...
Tackle Trader | 21st March 2025 | Blogging
Good morning everyone, we’ve got another blog article for you this week, and what a fine week it has been! The sun is finally with us and yesterday was absolutely stunning, the warmest day of the year so far. While the weather isn’t exactly perfect for fishing, it does mean that the water temperatures will be warming and the fish will be starting to feed. And that means all the more reason for another product review on an item of tackle perfect for Tench, Bream and Carp, and this week I’ve gone for some of my favourite items in my kitbag, the Drennan match catapults. Coming in several different elastic ratings, my picks of the bunch are the Waggler range medium and Pole range medium. I find these ratings cover all the distances I need, and maintain grouping of my bait (no matter what the bait is) when firing it out, whereas the lighter versions sometimes spread it as I feel I’m having to over-stretch the elastic to hit the range. A fair few match anglers that I’ve fished with use the Waggler ranges even when fishing the pole as they say their bait groups better, but I personally find I lose some control of the range when using an over-heavy elastic. Additionally, I find that the elastics on these pults are about as durable as any on the market, which is vital when you're fishing a match and don’t have time to stop and repair a broken elastic, and also don’t want to be spending money to replace them week after week. Their strong frame designs also very rarely bend or break, meaning that they last for years. The pouches may be the only questionable part of these cattys, and I was sceptical when they were first updated as I was always a fan of the old soft mesh style (especially when feeding maggots), but I have to say I’ve had a lot less issues than I feared. The bait still fires in a great line, it stays in the pouch fine when you're firing, and these pouches are much more durable than their predecessors. As a result, these cattys are almost faultless, I believe that they are a vital part of any tackle bag, and while their job is seemingly very simple, they do it very well. I hope you have found this review helpful; I’ll be back with another in a couple of weeks’ time. As ever before you go this week, we will leave you with a reminder of the upcoming local match dates so that you can book in or avoid them if you're out for a pleasure session. The next NAFA senior match will be round 5 of the Tackle Trader Winter League on Goodiford Mill this Sunday (23rd), while the next junior match will be on Bradley tomorrow (22nd, the final match of the Winter League). Tight lines all and until next time, take care....
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Tackle Trader | 18th April 2025 | Blogging
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our blog, we hope you've had a great week. You'll be glad to hear that the local fishing has once again been fantastic this week, and with numerous reports of tench being caught from NAFA's Rackerhayes lakes and some big carp being landed too. Last weekend's NAFA Carp match saw the pick of the Carp bags, with Tim Frost taking the win with two carp for 46lb 10oz from peg 20 on Island, including a 25lb 12oz beauty of a common. Leon Wilson managed second with a single carp for 30lb 8oz from peg 4 on Dores, with Lloyd Radford third with another single carp for 27lb 12oz from peg 25 on Island. Unfortunately we don't have a product review for you today, but we will be returning with one for you next week, and it's another one of my favourite products that is a must-have for your carp fishing this spring. In the meantime we will leave you with our opening hours the Easter weekend and a reminder of the upcoming senior match next weekend: NAFA Charity Open - 27/04 Enjoy your holiday everyone, see you soon. ...
Tackle Trader | 08th April 2025 | Blogging
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our blog. What a beautiful week it’s been again, the weather couldn’t be much better for April! And you’ll be glad to hear that it’s been another productive week for local course fishing too, with the water temperatures warming the fish are switching on and we aren’t far off them having a proper munch now. Having walked around Rackerhayes yesterday there were plenty of fish moving, and it felt like the air was really on its way to those lovely summer temperatures that we are all looking forward to. This week I’m giving a product review to one of my favourite match fishing items for Carp too, and I’ve been really excited about this one. The product is the the Preston soft cad pole pot, which is in my opinion the best soft pot on the market. Firstly, I just love soft pots because they allow you to group your bait so tightly that is especially important when fishing for less aggressively feeding fish, I couldn’t honestly now imagine my box without them. But what separates the Preston Cad Pots for me is their brilliantly thought through design. I’ve found it tough to come across a soft pot that stays on your pole when dipping your tip under the water, that the bait stays in when shipping out, and that don’t look conspicuous to feeding fish below your pole tip; but this one has the lot. They grip brilliantly on your pole, meaning that you very rarely lose one when playing fish, their white and blue colour matches the sky in virtually all conditions meaning that fish are less aware when you're fishing over them, and the circular cap design holds bait in brilliantly and makes it easy to tap it out once you’ve shipped your pole out over where you’re fishing. What adds to using these pots is that they are fantastic for all types of pole fishing. I often use them when cupping small nuggets of groundbait in for roach and skimmer fishing, when drip feeding maggots for tench, and of course when feeding small amounts for finicky carp. I personally stick to smaller pots whenever possible because I think it limits the chances of spooking feeding fish when holding the pole over them, but the big size also does a fantastic job of feeding large amounts if you don’t have a cupping kit. Coming onto the market at £4.99, these are a brilliant price and a must-have for your pole fishing not just this summer but through all seasons. I just wanted to say a thank you to all readers of this blog, I’m loving writing these reviews and I hope they are helpful to you, we’d love to hear your feedback in the shop if you've been reading weekly. I’ll be back with another in a couple of weeks, until that time take care and tight lines....
Tackle Trader | 28th March 2025 | Blogging
Hello all and welcome back, we hope you're having a fantastic week. We’re here with a short update, and are discussing the results from the NAFA winter league matches, with the Junior league concluding last weekend. And a huge congratulations goes to Noah who won both the match on Bradley with 8lb 10oz (peg 11), and the league overall, well done! The seniors also had an away day at Goodiford Mill for their penultimate winter league match on Sunday, with Jamie Pearce taking the win with an impressive 150lb 14oz on Peg 42. Gary Webber had 89lb 12oz from peg 11 for second, with Sam Powell bagging 67lb 2oz (peg 42) to take third. Next week we will be reviewing another must-have product for your Carp fishing this spring, so please be sure to pop back for that. Until then take care all, and tight lines. NAFA Junior League final results 1st, Noah with 7 points, dropped score 6 =1st, Liam with 7 points, dropped score 11 2nd Jamie with 8 points 3rd Saul with 11 points 4th Tom with 15 points 5th Elle with 18 points...
Tackle Trader | 21st March 2025 | Blogging
Good morning everyone, we’ve got another blog article for you this week, and what a fine week it has been! The sun is finally with us and yesterday was absolutely stunning, the warmest day of the year so far. While the weather isn’t exactly perfect for fishing, it does mean that the water temperatures will be warming and the fish will be starting to feed. And that means all the more reason for another product review on an item of tackle perfect for Tench, Bream and Carp, and this week I’ve gone for some of my favourite items in my kitbag, the Drennan match catapults. Coming in several different elastic ratings, my picks of the bunch are the Waggler range medium and Pole range medium. I find these ratings cover all the distances I need, and maintain grouping of my bait (no matter what the bait is) when firing it out, whereas the lighter versions sometimes spread it as I feel I’m having to over-stretch the elastic to hit the range. A fair few match anglers that I’ve fished with use the Waggler ranges even when fishing the pole as they say their bait groups better, but I personally find I lose some control of the range when using an over-heavy elastic. Additionally, I find that the elastics on these pults are about as durable as any on the market, which is vital when you're fishing a match and don’t have time to stop and repair a broken elastic, and also don’t want to be spending money to replace them week after week. Their strong frame designs also very rarely bend or break, meaning that they last for years. The pouches may be the only questionable part of these cattys, and I was sceptical when they were first updated as I was always a fan of the old soft mesh style (especially when feeding maggots), but I have to say I’ve had a lot less issues than I feared. The bait still fires in a great line, it stays in the pouch fine when you're firing, and these pouches are much more durable than their predecessors. As a result, these cattys are almost faultless, I believe that they are a vital part of any tackle bag, and while their job is seemingly very simple, they do it very well. I hope you have found this review helpful; I’ll be back with another in a couple of weeks’ time. As ever before you go this week, we will leave you with a reminder of the upcoming local match dates so that you can book in or avoid them if you're out for a pleasure session. The next NAFA senior match will be round 5 of the Tackle Trader Winter League on Goodiford Mill this Sunday (23rd), while the next junior match will be on Bradley tomorrow (22nd, the final match of the Winter League). Tight lines all and until next time, take care....