Gav Walker

I currently use a jrc stealth, albeit a few years old. The overwrap is discontinued and doesn't cover the whole bivvy anyway. I'm looking for a more heavy duty double skin bivvy for use in winter as i fish all year round. sometimes loch awe in February can be a cold wild bloody place! I am prepared to spend up to 300 if i have to but if i can get it for 100 and it does the job I'll take it. I dont wanna chuck money away!

i'm looking for a new bivvy, dragon carp advertises one in both the weeklies, pram hood style, with a free overwrap, for 100 quid. now at face value it seems a bargain, but i tend to be of the opinion that if something seems too good to be true then it probably is. anyone bought or used one? any opinions appreciated, cheers.

ok thanks that's enough to get me going, i like to work some things out on the day, gives you a better sense of achievement dont you think ? just one thing.. does it ever get too cold for them? its a concern given current conditions. also,(being greedy here) do these stretches of the clyde hold any bonus coarse fish? that might alter my thinking regarding presentation etc depending on conditions on the day?

its a bit cold even for piking, fancied having a bash for grayling, any pointers? i,m in central scotland prepared to travel maybe an hour or so. i know the jist of the actual fishing but general info regarding venues, permits and rules etc would be appreciated. i'm not looking for any trade secrets just a wee bit help, thanks.

make a long weekend of it and spend a couple of days in loch awe and surrounding area, even go a bit farther west and north, some small hill lochs and rivers are teeming with small to medium brown trout, with few restrictions other than leave nothing behind when you leave. pm me and i can put you on to a few spots if your prepared to travel and put the effort in.

yeah ok maybe a bit hasty. but the discussions and points being made dont differ much from the last 8 pages of this topic. ('elders' issue aside ). but seriously, martin salter mp, governmental spokesman for angling and a keen angler himself, surely as an elected individual has influence within, or even over an unelected body such as the e.a? i've heard him speak up for angling on numerous occassions he seems genuine. can the e.a just create laws unto themselves? if so, why? any opposition from the esteemed mr salter can surely nip this in the bud? i shall try contact him through his official means but obviously he may a wee bit busy to answer personally!

elton, i suspect this is a political issue which has happened to rear its head in the forum- not that it doesn't belong here! but surely if posters in the conservation/ politics forum are, as u say, seemingly banging nails in their own coffin then they don't belong on a.n.? just a thought.freedom of speech etc.. i may be a bit hasty in my judgement i'm going to have look at aforementioned forum now.

as i said, i'm a pike angler in a country which caters for game anglers. obviously not in the usual pike haunts like lomond, ken and other southern lochs. even loch awe is pike friendly these days to a certain extent, but i like to get off the beaten track in the north and west, and trust me theres places where pike are still considered vermin and the people who fish for them not much better. criminals would be a compliment.

i've watched this post develop without reply for fear of a full scale rant so i'll take a deep breath and count to 10... it sure has diverted from its original purpose, there is definately a case to be made for re-starting topics when they go off at a tangent. sometimes the forum can seem a bit 'cliquey' (is that even a word? ) but i feel its because some less experienced a.n. users trust the views of the 'elders', not because of who they are or their 'standing' on the forum, but because more often than not they have honest, educated opinions and can usually speak for most of us anyway. is a new poster expected to recycle worms' or budgie's (for example) sentiments when its already been said, just to fit in, or get some kudos, ('cred'' for under 30's )? i'm a long standing a.n member, but a sporadic poster, thats my choice, i dont just post for the sake of it. the elders can speak for the vast majority of us on issues like this, and usually put it more succinctly, or effectively, so i let them get on with it. i suppose i mean- dont mistake a lack of sycophantic replies for a lack of support! anyway, back to the issue in hand, as a scottish pike angler i'm already constrained by the livebaiting ban , this in a country which is literally world famous for its game fishing. while being sympathetic, the ea and rod liscences dont concern me, nor do the game fish in my(our ) rivers and lochs. but anglers must, and usually do for the most part, show solidarity. obviously commercial fisheries and weekly angling comics etc.. have created a whole new breed of turkeys who vote for christmas. like the papers, e.g. the daily stun, who criticise the (any and all) government's mistakes, but sell their rags on the strength of the headlines! no scandal, no sales, bloody hypocrites! the angling weeklies have become the same, creating issues to suit their own short term agenda, no foresight regarding angling as a whole and therefore their own long term prosperity. they'd rather sell 10000 copies in a week than 3000 copies every week.( sales figures for analogy purposes only) god, i promised not to rant.. my point is- any legislation which constrains my fellow angler consequently effects me whether indirectly or not and should be contested. anyone know what r.h. martin salter m.p, our voice in the government, makes of this? is the e.a yet another quango who says and does the right thing at the right time to secure more public funding?not having to deal with them i genuinely dont know if they're weekend water warriors or a waste of oxygen. i'm going to lie down now, can i be 'an elder'?

i think trakker and wychwood market virtually identical brollies. maybe either of those make the overwrap?

it would appear that jrc have stopped making them so guess i'll have to improvise, although as anderoo will be aware after his own epic bivvy saga, buying mail order you're never sure if it'l fit till its too late. the nash one looks the part but i'd like to see it in action first.

hi elton, i've been a member of an for many years, since 2001 to be exact, and without being prolific i have posted many replies over the years. why then does my profile say i've only had 30 or so posts? it aint important, just curious. also, if you yourself is registered as member number 2, who then is member number 1? again, just curiousity

seriously, i hate to be a 'tackle tart' and buy expensive things when there are cheaper, just as effective, less fashionable alternatives. but i bought my fox alarms 9 years ago and they've been soaked, submerged, stood on , tripped over,bashed, beaten and otherwise ill treated over the years, and they've never even flinched. sometimes it is worth spending a few quid to get the real deal. i hate to admit it. just thought i'd mention it.

i have to admit i like my camo gear, although i do most of my fishing in the scottish wilderness, so its more about disguising myself from the wildlife so i can spot deer, ospreys,etc, even a pine martin once. but surely enoughs enough? 'fishoflage'??! you couldn't make it up if you tried!

cheers anderoo, but that was one i already tried. as far as i can tell its kent tackle and they appear to be out of business, no reply to e mail and phone number dead. correct me if i'm wrong if any one is familiar with kent tackle? it could be my mistake?! davy, i already have the zip-in panel, its extra waterproofing i'm after coz i've had it a few years, its still going strong but do sometimes get e wee drip in extreme conditions. i can spend 3 or 4 days out piking in scotland in january so i'm not kidding when i say extreme conditions!