11 things to buy this December
Because saving sucks (and let’s be honest, we’re out of a recession now, so sod it, let’s spend!)
1 CC Moore Northern Special Plus Pop-ups
As Gaz Fareham will tell, success comes from mounting up all the 1%’s. Washing your hands; perfectly round loops on your Hinges; razor sharp points. Bypass one-per cent for 10 with these 13/14mm high-attract pop-ups – put together by that very man way back in 2010. Now you can choose from three colours: Pink, Yellow and White.
“GIMME”: £7.49; ccmoore.com
2 Taska Evolve Shurelink Hooklink Material
Manufactured from 80% braided fluorocarbon fibres and 20% Dyneema, Evolve Shurelink is Taska’s new ultra-thin yet extremely strong hooklink. Due to the composition of said material, Evolve Shurelink can stretch up to 12% and because it’s 80% fluorocarbon, it does actually sink to the lakebed – and stay there. Available in two colours and three breaking strains: 20, 25 and 35lb.
“GIMME”: £13.99; taskacarp.com
3 Prologic Marker Braid
Traditional marker braids do one thing: tell you what the lakebed is like thanks to their zero-stretch nature. But why not be able to establish a casting distance and water depth? Thanks to the coloured sections on this thin, high-flow treated (read: it comes off the spool easier) braid you can now do just that.
“GIMME”: £29.99 for 200m; prologicfishing.com
4 Berkley Black Velvet
From the folks who brought us the greatest marker/spod braid ever – Whiplash – comes this new super line. Black Velvet is a true breakthrough in coloured braids as the colour simply will not fade. The lightweight coating makes the braid feel cashmere smooth and soft, resulting in a braid which casts a mile, has zero-stretch thanks to its 100% HPPE Dyneema make-up and exceptional strength.
“GIMME”: £59.99; berkley-fishing.com
5 Gardner Dual Gripper Butt Rests
These new rods rests from Gardner are built to look the part, grip any style of handle and not panic your wallet. The heads feature dual 13 and 20mm recesses so they’ll grip anything from corks and full duplon to slim-line, shrink wrap and abbreviated handles. And they look badass too.
“GIMME”: £1.99 per head or £4.99 for three; gardnertackle.co.uk
6 Mainline Baits Hybrid Groundbait
Mainline’s foray into groundbaits has produced many winners over the years, but this latest edition to the Impact Activated range is our most favourite yet. This isn’t just an attractor – it’s a mix which contains high quality food ingredients and will sustain rather than just stimulate a feeding response.
“GIMME”: £8.99; mainline-baits.com
7 Nash The Key Cultured Hookbaits
There’s special hookbaits and then there’s “our greatest game-changer in over 30 years” special hookbaits – and these, from Nashbait, are the latter. The hookbaits have been created through a 48hr rolling process that results in a bait which is rich in amino acids and nucleotides that are most effective in their free form but have always been lost during the heating process of conventional boilie production. But thanks to this new hugely time-consuming method Nashbait uses, all that goodness is retained.
“GIMME”: £8.99 and £9.99’ nashtackle.co.uk
8 Fox Submerge Lead Free Woven Leader
Ditch your leadcore for this lead free version which ticks more boxes and is fishery-rules-friendly. It may be missing the lead, but it’s actually heavier, way more supple, faster sinking, but it can still be spliced just like traditional leadcores. Available in Weedy Green and Gravelly Brown in 30 and 45lb and this month sees a new 60lb version go on general sale.
“GIMME”: From £10.99; foxint.com
9 Greys Strata Soft Jacket
Stand out in a sea of heavy-knit jumpers this autumn/winter. Greys’ new windproof and breathable jacket features a Thermatex300 Jersey Interlock face which is bonded with a micro-fleece backing which ensures you’re not only feeling super warm but looking super cool.
“GIMME”: £89.99; greysfishing.com
10 Thinking Anglers Hook Link Swivel Screw
Thinking Anglers: the company who innovate so many game-changing products which are then unfortunately copied. So remember this: Hook Ring Swivel Screws first came from TA. These small plastic screws can be used with all baits, from fake ones and tigers to pop-ups and bottom baits.
“GIMME”: £4.25; thinkinganglers.co.uk
11 Chub RS-Plus Bedchair
Chub have combined every-thing you need to optimise your bankside sleeping time with a healthy bank account. Thanks to its clever bracket design, it means the bed is 100% flat when folded out and can easily contain a sleeping bag inside when folded down. With a thick padded mattress design, six-legs and locking pegs, swivel mud feet and a retail price of just £109.99, it’s easily our number one choice when it comes to bankside sleeping.
"GIMME": £89.99, chubfishing.com
12 ESP Marker Dart
All the buoyancy of balsa, all the aerodynamics of balsa, but just in a blow moulded body which is even more buoyant, a billion times stronger, and unlike balsa, these come with two interchangeable coloured flights. Sorry, balsa, you’re out. Available in two sizes: Small (20cm) and Medium (22cm).
“GIMME”: £7.95; esp-carpgear.co.uk