THE CARPOLOGY TACKLE AWARDS

Life’s not a competition, but what the hell—we want to pick a winner anyway. There are tons of new items of kit released every year fighting for your adoration, and it is our civic duty to choose the ones that are worth of you, the CARPology reader. Let the battle commence… 

BIVVY OF THE YEAR: Avid EXO+ Bivy System  
Let’s face it, the world isn’t short of impressive bivvies—so it takes something pretty special to stand out. We’re not in the habit of flinging our Bivvy Of The Year title at anything that turns up with an impressive ‘set-up time’. It’s not a money race, either. But Avid’s EXO+ breaks all the rules. For a bivvy which essentially carries a similar design to that of a Tempest and a Frontier, it’s always going to be met with mixed opinions, but put those naysayers to one side for the moment and look at the facts. The leg-locking mechanism is a game-changer, and unless Avid has slapped an impressive patent on it, we’re sure you’ll be seeing similar designs across their competitors’ bivvies in 2024 and 2025. The central boss is as simple as it comes. The large vapour peak is bigger than everyone else’s. The material has a 20,000 hydrostatic head rating. It’s also a really nice 1.5-person size, so not too cosy and yet it doesn’t feel like you’re sitting on a church pew in the middle of a cathedral. And the split/roll-back groundsheet is a clever addition. As for money? Well, on this occasion, it is about the money. The bivvy, the fancy carry bag, groundsheet, Storm Cap, infill panels and pegs all retails for just £499.99! It’s CARPology’s Bivvy Of The Year.

BITE ALARM OF THE YEAR: Sonik SKS2 Alarms
Very few bite alarms can compete with Sonik’s SKS2 alarms in terms of features, looks and price point. From the beautiful old-school exterior styling, with its matt black outer, soft-touch buttons and rod-friendly rubber inlays, to how it puts two fingers up to the cost-of-living crisis with a £199.99 price tag for four alarms, receiver and bivvy lamp! Outstanding, and for that we salute you, Sonik.

BEDCHAIR OF THE YEAR: Trakker Levelite Oval MF-HDR Sleep System
Trakker is very good at everyday luxury—a fact it’s proven over and over again as a purveyor of rugged luggage, arctic-beating winter clothing and Gordon Ramsey quality cookware. And now the Northerners have gone and done the same with a new super top-end luxury bankside bed, which not only wins our Bedchair Of The Year award but also takes the Longest Product Name Of 2023, too. Ready? Deep breath… The Levelite Oval MF-HDR (almost there) Sleep System isn’t a lean beast, but it is comfortable. Extremely comfortable. It has eight legs, the high-density memory foam mattress cups to your body, and the railed mid-section ensures supreme support. To ensure you get its completely flat design dead flat, there are built-in spirit levels.

And then we come to the ‘sleep system’ part. The removable, reversible inner takes the bag from a 3-season rating to the maximum 5; there’s a pillow retainer on the base layer; the two-way heavy-duty full-length 10mm crash zips just never snag, and to stop any of that nice warm air you’ve built up from escaping, there are massive internally filled baffles over those zips.

Yes, it’s very heavy. Yes, it’s expensive (£549.99, but now quickly forget that bit), but my goodness, it’s full-on luxury.

BAIT OF THE YEAR: Sticky Baits Active Shelf Life Boilies
Even though we’re willing to shell out £500+ on something to sleep on whilst out on the bank, many baulk at the thought of stumping up more than £10 for a kilo of boilies—which is silly. Sticky broke the mould with their ‘Active’ boilies, and this year they’ve brilliantly bought us a shelf-life version of both the Krill and Manilla. At £12.99 a kilo, it’s the best investment you can make for your carp fishing—it’s the very definition of a ‘game-changer’.

REEL OF THE YEAR: Daiwa 22 Whisker 45 SCW QD OT
She’s a 10 but is also an active member of the Flat Earth Society. She’s a 3 but is mind-blowing at… The point we’re making is that there can often be a trade-off between looks and performance. Getting the balance just right is key, but occasionally an absolute worldy disrupts the algorithm. Somehow though, Daiwa keeps blending beauty with performance and coming out on top with both aspects, and the 22 Whisker 45 SCW QD OT is one such reel. Yes, it’s definitely more of a ‘top-end’ reel with a price tag of £280, but it’s loaded with the best reel tech, and it looks stunning in its black paintwork and red trim.

RODS OF THE YEAR: Daiwa Longbow X45 M
On paper, this new generation of Longbow is the most powerful, most spec-ed up, mid-to-top-end Daiwa rod ever. New X45 bias carbon tech? Yep. Supplemented with new HVF nanoplus (read that as ‘more muscle, less fat’)? Of course. Built on the proven Magnum Taper profile. Obviously. Near skeletal TDG guides to reduce the downforce and speed up recovery? 100%. And have the ability to cast to the moon but play a carp with the equivalent finesse of a 2.5lb floater rod? Abso-bloody-lutely. Yes, they are expensive (but when isn’t ‘the best’ expensive), but they are worth every penny. From £310

LUGGAGE RANGE OF THE YEAR: Korda Kamo Luggage
Competition for items to carry and stow your kit in has come out from all corners this year. There has been RidgeMonkey’s Ruggage range featuring their own unique camo pattern. There has been the inventive and extremely well-thought-out bags from Grade. But our winner is Korda’s Kamo Compac Luggage range. Like Apple, Korda just makes great products, and the Compac really does tick all our boxes. Faultlessly woven together, thought out to the nth degree, with a stunning camo pattern, and with pretty much every type of bag and holdall produced to cover everyone’s needs and styles of fishing. 

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Adrift by Gaz Fareham
Some books are written, and others are crafted, and Gaz Fareham’s Adrift is most definitely the latter. As the byline states, it’s a collection of stories that are spread over 35 years. His writing is inspiring, the photography spellbinding, and as Gaz has proven with four volumes of the Subsurface Journal and three issues of SubMag, he knows how to make something look pretty. Almost 500 pages, which results in 180K words, 500+ images and stories from Coate Water, Vinnetrow, Nutsey, Yateley, Dinton, Roach Pit, Pingewood, plus overseas adventures to Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and beyond. Available from garethfareham.co.uk priced £35.00.

BAIT BOAT OF THE YEAR: Carplounge RT7
Yes, there are many other bait boats, and yes, they are all starting to catch up in the respect of producing all-in-one controls, but they just don’t feel like an RT7. How Tesla changed the electric car industry, Carplounge did the same with their original RT4, and they’ve now got the jump on everyone else with the RT7 and its outrageous technology. Everything about this boat is rethought from the ground up. The tablet on the controller is a massive 7-inch, and with the tap of your fingers you can enable V4 Autopilot and 3D mapping which is displayed in ultra HD rendering. There’s ‘Structure Scan’ that displays a 3D side view of the lakebed, which, when you see its accuracy and detailing with your own eyes, will blow your mind. What CL has achieved with the RT7 is quite astonishing, and best of all, it’s super user-friendly. 

LANDING NET OF THE YEAR: Korda Spring Bow
The perfect mix of good looks and refined materials, the Spring Bow has you covered whether you’re banging up on Brasenose 2 or planning a trip to the continent. Yes, it’s expensive—very expensive—but there’s a good reason for that (and before you say it, it’s not because it has Korda’s name on it): the spreader block is made by JAG and weighs less than a bag of crisps. The pole is insanely rigid, so it doesn’t flex, making netting easier. And it has a clever built-in floating aid, so it’ll lay flat on the water’s surface without one of those ghastly net floats on show. At £250, just don’t tell your partner.

Clothing Item Of The Year: Fortis Tundra
The markers of the legendary SJ9 jacket are back with more attire ingenuity. The new Tundra outfit (a jacket and salopettes paring) is available in DPM or Olive, and unlike many uber-warm outfits, this duo is both wind and waterproof. And just like all of Fortis’s garments, the cut on these is generous and comfortable. £179.99 and £249.99

Guest Chair Of The Year: Solar Sofa Chair
You might know Solar as the company that now makes luxury bedchairs. Now, the same technologies and design philosophies that enable you to get a great night’s sleep on the bank have been transferred over to create the world’s most luxurious guest chair. In short, it’s like a beanbag on legs, but one which folds down for a small transport size. £169.99