The perfect Christmas gift for all of you anglers out there. Let the missus know that this is what you really want for Christmas. Go on, she won’t mind!

Beautiful women with monster carp – every fisherman’s dream!
priced at £7.99

Order yours today. I dare you!

Nantec Redmist Mono

TF Gear have released their Nan-Tec line. Nantec line claims exceptional reliability, performance, durability and suppleness all at an affordable price. Nan-tec line is available in several breaking strains, in gunsmoke, clear and Redmist and looks sure to make a big hit. You can pick yourself up a spool today over at Fishtec. Also, Dave Lane has written a nice piece on the Fishtec Blog where he describes his year so far, talks about the amazing carp catches he has had and also a little bit about Nan-Tec line, which he has been field testing. Well worth a look.

Online fishing tackle discount store Fishtec are offering free postage this week only. All you do is to use the voucher code below. Simply browse their on-line store, make your purchase and then at the checkout just enter code 21974 when prompted.

That’s it. You will then have your tackle delivered post free.

This offer ends on the 10th June 2011 though so make sure you don’t leave it too long before checking out Fishtec’s superb range of carp fishing tackle.

Shop now

Fishtec are at it again. There is a new voucher code to get you 5% off of anything on their site. The code is FTXPJAN5 and doesn’t expire until  the 8th March 2011.

Also don’t miss out on their promotion of the month. This month it is the TF Gear Force 8 Bivvy with a huge £100 off, now reduced to £124.99, (discount members’ price – £112.49). There is also a 2 man model available for only £174.99.See the bivvy here.

Also last month’s promotion of the month is still going – the superbly priced TF Gear Force 8 Spool Carp Reel at just £29.99, a saving of £30. See the reel here

In classic black with an XT7 spool finished in silver, the ST models from Shimano are packed with far more advanced features than you’d reasonably expect to find on a Baitrunner at this price point. Line lay is good thanks to our Varispeed oscillation which involves an oval and a square gear, computer engineered to interact perfectly. Incorporating a gutsy 4.6:1 retrieve, double handle and the equivalent of 5 ball bearings, the ST is available in both 6000 and 10000 size models. If you’re looking for a quality entry-level free spool reel, look no further than the new Baitrunner ST.

RRP £69.99 – Save money here now – Buy Now

It’s hard to predict what’s going to be a ‘classic’, unless it’s a Baitrunner of course… And this is your last chance to get one.

THE BAITRUNNER AERO RE 5000 LIMITED EDITION, the light carp/barbel/tench/specimen classic.

· Gear ratio 4.5:1
· Line capacity 240yds/10lb
· Aero Wrap
· Cold Forged Gear
· Equivalent of 5 Ball Bearings
· Positive Bail
· Double Handle
· Spare Spool

If you are on a tight budget and you are looking for a reasonable quality baitrunner type of reel for your carp fishing, then look no further.

Can you believe this price? The Okuma Interceptor Pro Baitfeeder normally sells for around the fifty quid mark.And that’s a bargain price for a quality reel.

Now, North West Angling Centre have gone quite mad and are offering it at under thirty quid.

For a baitrunner style of reel that offers  2 ball bearings, a double handle and a micro drag, along with a 5 year warranty, this is an ultra reliable baitrunner system at an ultra silly price.
It even comes complete with a spare spool. I mean, come on, you could spend that much on boilies for one session. And some.

RRP £49.99
Now Only £29.99

Buy One Here Today

Strictly speaking, a baitrunner reel is a reel using technology developed by Shimano. In fact, the term ‘baitrunner’ is registered as a trademark by Shimano (see http://www.ipo.gov.uk/), and has been since 1987, and so reels by any other manufacturer using a similar system should be called ‘freespool’ reels and not baitrunners. However, anglers have used the term baitrunner to describe this type of fishing reel for years, much as we tend to say the word hoover when, strictly speaking, that is a brand name, and we should say vacuum.

So again, what is a baitrunner reel?

Shimano Baitrunner DL 10000 RA

Well, a Shimano Baitrunner reel has an extra facility as well as the normal drag function. Most fixed spool reels use a clutch system either on the front of the reel spool or at the rear of the reel body. This is tightened or loosened and allows a running fish to take more or less line in order to prevent breakage of the main line when playing a large fish.

The baitrunner is an extra clutch facility that can be used to let line flow freely from the spool when the bale-arm is engaged. However, with a turn of the reel’s handle or by flicking the switch back into the engaged position, normal clutch tension is again applied.

What’s the point of this? Well, when you have positioned your rods in their rests and set your alarms and swingers etc. if you are using them, you can simply set the baitrunner to the free spool position. Now if a fish moves off with your bait or is hooked by a bolt rig, the line can be pulled freely from the reel and sound your alarm. Had the line still been fixed, then the rod could have been pulled into the water or the line may have snapped causing distress to the fish at best. As soon as you hear the alarm you can turn the reel handle or flip the baitrunner back to closed and your fish is on.

A baitrunner still has the normal clutch settings and this, as we said earlier, is set to control the tension during playing a fish. However, there is another setting that controls the freespool tension which is usually at the back of the reel below the baitrunner switch but in front of the rear drag right at the back of the reel. This can be set a little tighter when there is any danger of a fish running off into a snag whilst on the baitrunner setting.

To set up a baitrunner reel properly, the angler’s rods should be supported on a rod pod or rod rests and not held by the angler at all. This way there is no movement of either rod or line until a bite is registered. Flipping the baitrunner lever into freespool mode allows line to be taken with very little tension and the bite alarm will alert the angler. On the strike, the angler makes a small turn of the reel handle or switches the baitrunner lever out of freespool mode again thus reverting back to the clutch tension set by the ordinary drag. I personally tend to hold the spool still using tension from my fingers during the strike and then when I know the fish is on, start to reel to re-engage the baitrunner.

Baitrunner reels were designed to be used with a bolt rig. These rigs were in turn designed to scare a fish as it picked up the bait and felt the hook or tension in the line, causing it to bolt off and hook itself against the weight of the lead, hence the name bolt rig. If no baitrunner is being used, a large carp bolting off could easily pull a rod into the water or snap the rig or main line, causing distress and injury to the fish, let alone the damage or loss to the angler’s tackle box!

Rigs of course should be designed to come apart and or break away in an incident like that. I will talk about safety rigs and carp care in another article.

Fishtec are offering a fantastic pair of polarised TFG sunglasses free with every order over £20 for the next few days. Up until 27th July 2010 all you need to do is to spend over £20 at Fishtec on any fishing tackle you like and you will qualify for these great fishing glasses worth £24.99. Visit Fishtec Site

Great catch of carp and more …

via WalesOnline – Sports – Angling – Angling: Bumper haul for Richard Ellis.