CarpSmart Product Reviews

PRODUCT REVIEWS 

CarpSmart - PVA Mesh  

by Karl Franklin June 2010

 I have been using the PVA Stocking Mesh supplied by CarpSmart for over 12 months now and was quite impressed, so thought I would pen a short review.

I have to say it is just as good as any other of the more expensive brands I have used in the past.  It can be used for all the usual baiting scenarios…stick mixes, little bags of pellets etc and the stocking melts quite quickly with no residue as far as I can see, even in the very cold water conditions of the last harsh winter.

45 seconds dissolve time in summer is about the norm and 90-95 seconds in winter by my watch. I have timed this by casting out in to the swim and waiting for the foam nugget (placed in the Pva when filling) to pop up to the surface.

The weave in the mesh is strong enough to chuck a fair way without tearing or splitting, I usually make up little bags of pellets and put the hook point in the foam nugget that is placed inside the mesh.

This PVA is simply excellent value for money compared to leading brands and I buy mine in the 20 metre spools to save the pennies the same as anyone else so no favouritism here… but a freebie would be welcome Doc (hint hint). .

The stocking is available in handy 5 metre and 7 metre lengths and budget 20metre bulk spools (narrow & wide sizes) at great prices.

Tape and string is available too but I have yet to try them.

CARPSMART STAINLESS STEEL Banksticks

(Note: Out of stock at present Dr Bleep.)

At the tail end of last winter I was looking for some new banksticks so I duly purchased two sets (long and short) of CarpSmart’s own Stainless steel jobbies  (long-15 inch extending & short 12 inch extending),

I prefer fishing with single sticks where possible, as the set-up is rock solid and less cumbersome than a rod-pod and much more adaptable to the swims on my winter water which can be awkward with banks like concrete in places...

Thin and very strong, I've used both sets on this small gravel pit I was on last winter and they were rock solid… even during screaming takes and high winds!

The unobtrusive tightening bars on the main body of the stick nip up nicely against the flat beveled edge on the inner, to lock tightly in position and hold butt grips & buzzers tight with zero twist. They can easily be tightened or slackened with cold fingers in winter too, unlike some thumbscrew versions.

The threaded heads have a tommy bar on so it’s easy to tighten up to your bite alarm or butt rest every time...

For the tackle tarts amongst us these are sexy little buggers and look the part!

All in all, great sticks in SS at a very reasonable price for a product you won’t wear out or bend in a hurry.

Karl Franklin. June 2010 

Marine Supreme Review

by Adam Cooke aka 'Bivvy Basher'

Well where to start...One word to sum up Marine Supreme on the whole it is fantastic!

It has caught me plenty of fish in the ten months I've used it. It has done me fish out The River Avon to 22lb, my fair share of little canal gems to 10lb+ on the canal and a lot Leney strain fish to 19lb 3ozlb on my local venue.

This winter Jan-March has caught me well over twenty fish from a tricky park pond with high doubles from 17lb-19lb 3oz.
 The bait is a red and almost a dark brown in colour, it has a wonderful texture with all the key ingredients present in the boilie and once the fish are on it they stay on it! I found the more I used the more the fish started seeking it out on the next session. Being young and not very rich I don't use a lot of bait anyway but a few handfuls thrown in after a session did the trick.

When the bait is whole you can really smell the separate 3 fish meals but when you split the bait in half you really do get a waft of the cream extract. In my eyes fishing the baits in their softest form possible (don’t air dry them unless needed to) and in half forms is a certain edge!

You are giving off most leakage and is also something different from the norm…..it isn’t just a round bait any more. When the baits seem to be going a whitish colour they are still usable and brilliant for prebaiting with. When they start to turn and go white all the natural sugars in them are being released and certainly work whether you are using them on your baited rigs or simply fishing over them.
 Most my fishing is done on silty bottoms and one thing Marine Supreme doesn’t do is take on the smell of the bed easily. I have left my baits on all night when fishing over a silty bottom, reeled in, in the morning and they still smell as fresh as when they first went out, so don’t worry about the food signals diminishing the longer you leave it out.
 All in all the bait is a major success for me although I am now testing another bait called Metazoa developed by Dr Bleep and Big Paul from a new company called Pioneer Baits. I wanted to carry on using MS this season as I have total confidence in it... but the Doctor told me I had to test the new bait! Doh!!!

It is basically a fishmeal bait also with a Pepperami flavour and garlic additive.

P.S. Don't know what I'm moaning about? First time out on the Metazoa produced me three carp! Many thanks Doc and Big Paul. I will write a review after a few months but I miss the good old MS (hint hint Doc!). 

Adam....June 2011.