biw

Thanks Rusty. Looking on the internet it appears that the rrp of the daiwa 1657 is £100 - i'd be happy if the insurance company coughed that up for the reels. Any advice on a good match reel?

I recently had my garage burgled and all my fishing tackle (excluding my rods and poles!) was nicked. It seems that my insurers are going to pay out and have asked for a detailed list of what was taken. The problem I have is that I had two mitchell match 440's that my dad bought me in the 80's and i know they aren't made anymore. What would be a reasonable reel to replace these with? I also had a Daiwa 1657 but they seem to be still available, should i just ask for 3 of those? Cheers for any advice/ ideas. Bill

If you are in Chingford have you tried any of the ponds in Epping Forest? Is your ten year old an experienced angler or just starting? If he's just starting then take him to Wake Valley Pond. There's loads of small roach that'll keep a ten year old interested better than blanking on a great big lake. Off the A104. Best swim IMO is opposite the road as you look at the pond.

Oh well, bought one anyway, arrived yesterday.

I'm seriously considering buying a nebula. Would it be a good choice for an all round pole? I know its marketed as a 'carp' pole but does that really make a lot of difference? Seems a good deal for £200. Opinions anyone?

Chris, could you PM me a list of the poles you have available?

Try Majorgeeks.com help forums for any spyware/ malware issues. I've used them twice (i had a homepage hijack & smitfraud virus) and the advice I got there was fantastic.

Chris Are the 13 & 14.5 CFS the same pole less 1.5 metres and a spare top kit?

i'm also looking for a new budget pole. I was looking at the MAP CFS 14.5. Is that any good?

LOL at Tenchbloke! I went on my first trip back yesterday, just to a pond on Epping Forest, with my girlfriend and a mate. Me and my mate floatfished maggot, while the other half used my old Browning pole. I had a whale of a time, we caught about 50 small roach & perch and some more decent fish to about 1/2 lb. A bite every cast and lots of missed bites! Lovely sunny day too. A perfect reintroduction.

Anyone have any idea what the fishing is like in the Roding? I haven't been down there for ages. I would like to know about the stretch from debden to buckhurst hill if anyone has any info. Thanks.

Hi chaps, I need to replace my pole elastic as I think its been on the pole forever. I wonder what the best size to use is; I had been using it for small roach, perch and chub to about two pounds. I'm not sure what number to get or who the best manufacturer is? Any help gratefully received. Bill

I have recently rescued my old favourite Ledger rod (Normark Black Medallion) from my parents shed. Unfortunately, mice have been at the handle and chewed a lot of the foam rubber grip off. Is it hard to replace or just ping off the end bung and glue a new one on & where to get new grip material? Should I go for cork (Mmmm comfy) or leave as origianlly intended? Is cork hard to fit properly? Should I just take it to the tackle shop? Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers. Just had a look on lathams and bought some new tackle (no method feeders though, i'll stick to my tried and tested open ended feeders for now) and noticed that they were selling imitation bread, maggots, casters & bloodworm! Whats that all about then? Imitation bread!

Whitey - I'm in the same boat as you (not been fishing for 10 years and going again soon). I just visited Lathams online and put an order in; all new line, weights, hooks, assorted swivels bombs, ledger stops etc etc. Pretty cheap IMO.