Your best cheap gear....

[Andy_1984]

my Leeda concept match carp, 12ft. its a float rod but can easily be used to ledger.

 

it cost me £30 when i took up fishing all those years ago (when i joined the forum) its accounted for so many fish on the bank from 2oz roach to 6lb carp and even managed to play a pike on it until the hook straightened (i wasnt so much in control to be honest but boy did it bend!), such a versatile rod. if it was to break i hope i could get my hands on another one exactly the same.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Andy_1984

[RUDD]

Reading an old thread, a post by Budgie caught my eye (ouch!). The gist being that some rods sold at bargain prices are actually built up using much more expensive blanks and are considerably more capable than their modest price would indicate.

 

Wondering aloud about this in a local tackle shop I got an astounding response from the owner, who swore blind that a recent(ish) Leeda float rod was really a Carbonactive blank with Leeda decals, discounted to a measly forty quid! The story went that, faced with a shortage of their own blanks, Leeda simply bought the Preston blanks and carried on regardless. Apparently, he sold out his allocation in a single afternoon once word got out, with people almost coming to blows over the last few.

 

So lets hear about those bits of kit. Not just the obvious "wolves in sheep's clothing", and not only rods, but gear you've bought over the years with a performance and/or longevity far exceeding what the retail price would suggest.

Considering that I am involved in the importation of Leeda tackle I suspect this local tackle shop has pulled the wool over several peoples eyes.

Leeda Rods are imported from china - there is a possibility that the factory has put the wrong decals on the wrong rods - if this happens it would be a breach of contract and the rods destroyed or returned to china.

The factory would then have to airfreight the correct rods to the uk at their own cost.

[davedave]

Bought a John wilson avon rod for £10 after seeing a private ad in tescos once, the rod comes with tip and float section and is probably the best 10 quid i've ever spent as it's so hardy and reliable, cracking rod.

 

Bought some decent banksticks second hand for £1.50 each which i was pretty chuffed with.

 

Bought an abu garcia carp rod off a mate for £15 which was quite a good deal, and a dragon carp reel for a fiver.

 

But brand new the best bargain i've had are bite alarms from amazon for less than £8 inc P+P, brilliant little alarms for the price. http://www.amazon.co.uk/fishing-alarm-Volu...1419&sr=1-6

[chesters1]

Considering that I am involved in the importation of Leeda tackle I suspect this local tackle shop has pulled the wool over several peoples eyes.

Leeda Rods are imported from china - there is a possibility that the factory has put the wrong decals on the wrong rods - if this happens it would be a breach of contract and the rods destroyed or returned to china.

The factory would then have to airfreight the correct rods to the uk at their own cost.

 

hi ,i'm after copies of the early leeda catalogues ,simon henton was looking into it but he seems to have left ,any idea where i can source copies or scans of parts of them,?

[Ken L]

The other is a set of Belstaff trousers. The were quite expensive when i bought them in 1974 but they are still going now and they are totally waterproof and warm. That's 27 years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Did you do a jail term where you didn't use them ?

2012 minus 1974 was 38 years the last time I checked......

[Renrag39]

Okuma FS Reels, excellent quality and reliability at decent prices.

 

Got my light feeder rod, a 3 tip Leeda, brilliant for £10 of eBay. Caught everything from tiddlers (and seen the bite) to a 14lb Ghost Carp. My Carp PB On 4lb line too

 

My Cormoran Black Bull HC 1-12g LRF/UL rod. £50 posted, brand new, absolutely beautiful action, ridiculously light, chucks up to a 7.5g jigheaded 4L kopyto with ease tbh.

[Guest Chris Perch]

Best recent buy - Two 12'9" drennan tench float rods for £12 at car boot sale used of course but good condition Gave one to a friend and kept one for myself.

 

Also bought a pair of new 9' wychwood extricator carp rods 39.99 each from lathams online well pleased with them and great for small waters and mobile fishing.

[robtherake]

That almost made me spill my tea LOL...

 

Lordy, wish I'd seen that; it was a full ten minutes before I could breathe properly again after reading about it. I still can't look at Phone's post without falling apart

[robtherake]

Plenty of boot sale bargains have come my way over the years- Shimano supermatch reel £5. Shimano 4010 and 3000 baitrunners £10 the pair, Shimano biomaster 2500 £8, Leeds centrepin £3, Drennan bomb rod £16, Drennan light feeder £12, Leeda assassin pole £8, Solar sod pod £10, to name just a few. A great place to pick up cheap gear.

 

What I'm really looking for though, are those unsung budget heroes. Kit that cost pocket money at retail price, but performs like it cost ten times as much.

 

My favourite is a little rod from WMAC, the 10ft graphite pro margin match. I bought it for the kids to use, but it now goes everywhere with me. We've nicknamed it "The Mighty Atom".

 

The action is tremendous: a sweet tip action on the strike which is soft enough for fun with smaller fish, with a completely progressive transfer of power through to the corks on bigger fish. It almost seems to play the fish for you, with no real effort required on the part of the angler. I find myself using it in situations where it really isn't the best tool, simply because it's so much fun to fish with.

It weighs next to nothing, balance is perfect, it's pencil-slim, but more than powerful enough when the situation requires it. If I had to criticise, the handle is a tad too thick for my taste, but that's all.

 

Best of all, it only costs just over thirty quid, and whilst not quite the equal of my Reactorlites (but there's not much in it!) it runs them pretty close at one sixth of their retail price.

[Dave H]

Did you do a jail term where you didn't use them ?

2012 minus 1974 was 38 years the last time I checked......

 

OK OK i did a jail turn

. I think they have lasted so long is they are so damn hot. I originally bought them for motorbiking but probably did not wear them for about 10 years but they survived a Garden sheds inhabitents like mice but they are still a cracking buy . I shall be on the bank with them this year for sure