Over the years I have bought and been given numerous unhooking mats and found most of them to have some drawback or other. Usually they are bulky or retain water. Neither of which features encourage me to take the things fishing. But as soon as a Korum Self Inflating Compact Mat emerged from it's bag I knew it fitted my requirements for an unhooking mat.

First of all it is not over large and it rolls up really compactly allowing it to be strapped to the top of a rucksack or stuffed in the brolly pocket of a quiver. Secondly it doesn't soak up water and dries off quickly. While it may not look as well padded as some spongy mats it has a tough, yet smooth, outer covering that stops stubble or twigs poking through, and sufficient internal padding to protect fish from gravel or stones. This mat is firmer than many others, and I feel gives fish more protection from rough ground.

Allowing the mat to fill with air under its own accord is the best option. Just remove the stopper and give the mat a good shake to unroll, then replace the stopper. Sometimes it can help to speed the inflation process by blowing into the mat, but if you do this and leave the mat lying in hot sunlight the air inside can expand and give the mat a convex profile that fish roll off!

The standard size mat (90cm x 55cm) is plenty large enough for barbel and is fitted with a pegging point at each end and Velcroed head restraining and kneeling flaps. Although I must say I am getting the urge to take a knife to these flaps as I have yet use them myself. To pack the mat away just unplug the stopper, roll the mat up from the opposite end to force the air out and secure it with the attached Velcro strap.

Dave Lumb

Posted August 2007

There's an awful lot of dispute as to what these days actually constitutes a barbel rod. Some would say that it has to have a million and one tip sections, or be built to haul in mahseer or similar!

Personally I don't use quivertips for barbel, so these only add to the cost, or the clutter in the tackle shed! This offering from Wychwood is extremely straight forward, in that it offers only one top section, rated at 1.75lb test curve. However that should not be confused with offering only a mediocre product, because this most certainly is not.

On first inspection the rod looks very understated, which is somewhat of a fashion amongst rod builders these days, one which I like. The blank is carbon grey with plain black whippings. Nice touches include a whipped on isotope holder on the tip eye and a nice turned end cap to the butt of stainless steel, finished with an engraved Wychwood leaf.

In use I found this rod an absolute joy to use. There is plenty of give in the tip to absorb lunges at close range, but there's so much steel in the butt when its needed to turn big fish. I have had carp to over twenty pounds on this rod on the pin, and at times I was just clamping up tight and using the give in the rod to play the fish, without at any stage feeling out of control.

And that really is the true beauty of this rod, that it will be equally as home chucking method feeders to the distance for bream, stalking carp at close range or catching that which it was meant for. I cannot pay it any higher compliment than to say that once I get hold of another two, it will have retired my old fox Kevlar rods, something that I never thought would happen. RRP £124.99

Mark Barrett

Posted June 2007

As luck would have it the first three times I took the Aqua Rover Brolly to the Trent it blew a gale, or as near as dammit a gale as possible.

With the Velcroed mini-stormsides attached the brolly has six pegging points, and with banksticks screwed to the two storm caps that the brolly comes with the whole thing was rock solid.

With stormsides attached, because the four rear ribs touch the ground, there is hardly any draught gets round the sides. The brolly can be used with or without its central pole, and is stable in either set up. If you are not using a bedchair you might as well leave the pole in place as there is plenty of room to keep all your gear dry. My previous trips under windy conditions had seen my standard nylon brolly both trying to escape and letting the wind and rain round the sides.

The Aquatex cover on the Rover is more heavy duty than the nylon umbrellas I have used, definitely waterproof, and has taped seams. Where most brollies have the cover either stitched or stapled to attach it to the ribs the Aqua Rover has plastic clips riveted to the cover. In fact everything about its construction is heavy duty, yet the weight is not much more than a 50-inch nylon brolly. It certainly doesn't weigh you down on a lengthy walk, and it folds up far slimmer than a Wavelock brolly to fit in a rod sling.

The Rover is rated as a 50-inch brolly - but that relates to the unextended ribs - so the overall coverage is greater. This does mean that it might not be easy to fit it into cramped swims. If you are spending just a few minutes in a swim you probably wouldn't be using a brolly anyway, but if fishing two or three swims in a day the Rover wouldn't be a problem to set up and dismantle quickly in inclement weather. Except in strong winds there would be no need to peg it all down or use the stormsides. Although intended for day session use there is enough room for a bedchair for summertime overnighters once the centre pole is removed.

There are similar umbrellas available for far fewer pennies, but as with all Aqua products the Rover is made in the UK from quality materials, and is built to last. If you are an angler that believes that being comfortable helps you fish more effectively this brolly will help you do that. Priced at £149.99 it is available direct from Aqua Products on 0845 1259399.

Dave Lumb

Posted January 2007

My requirements from reels are fairly straightforward. They should be compact, smooth, have a single grip handle with a 'torpedo' style knob, and in the case of a reel for barbel fishing a smooth drag and a baitrunner facility. Oh, and they should be tough as old boots and last forever!

I have never been over-keen on the Aero Baitrunners. There has always been something insubstantial feeling to them. Their drag is less than smooth, and these days they almost all come with those nasty dual grip handles. But I persevered with them because I had half a dozen of various vintages.

However, when one started to complain about cranking in heavy leads I took the plunge, chased the moths out of my wallet and bought myself a pair of Baitrunner 3500Bs for Christmas 2004. Oh sweet joy! They do everything I could ask. They are smooth, with no backwind when the reel's anti-reverse is on. The clutch does what it should. They feel solid, and with the big grip single handle they wind those six ounce leads in without complaint. They have been attached to my Chimera 3s ever since, unprotected on my rod sling. They have survived over eighteen months of abuse and are still as good as the day I bought them.

Some might say the short spool and poor line lay is a hindrance. In theory perhaps, but in practice it is not. Others might moan that the Baitrunner could be louder, but if I need more volume to alert me to a take I use Delkims.

Not the cheapest free-spool reels around, but in my opinion the best. The only real drawback is that they are supplied with only one spool, and spare spools are a tad on the expensive side.

Dave Lumb

Posted September 2006