I was sent one of the new Westin W3 C&R Boat nets back in the May last year, unfortunately due to the type of fishing I was doing I missed out in giving it a good try until September this year, and I have had some very big fish in it so far so it’s been thoroughly tested.

The fist thing you notice about this net is its massive at 85 cm W x 95 cm L x 100 cm, the second thing you notice is that it can fold in half!

Folding nets are nothing new, but most of them are a bit wibbly wobbly when set up, which can be problematic. The Westin one, opens up and locks in place with two spring clip buttons, which helps keep its rigidity. Flip it over and so the weight of the net is resting on the joint and its very stable.

The mesh is “hook resistant” rubber coated, and obviously fish friendly, it is nice and wide so you can move the net around easily in the water. The depth is very generous, maybe too generous, but it does mean you can safely keep the fish in the net and hang it over the side of a boat with high freeboard.
I’ve not had any serious issues with this net, though I found it to be a bit “heavy” for want of a better word when I first used it. This was simply because I had too much mesh in the water. Hold the mesh by with the handle and you are fine.

Regarding being hook proof, its ok, I’ve not had much trouble with lures and relatively big hooks anyway. When bait fishing you will always have issues if you have a flying treble with any net. Bait trebles being smaller are a pain if they get tangled, and I have had a few instances of them piercing the rubber material. I’m not precious over hooks so I have simply cut them out with bolt croppers.

Some rubber nets can have a mesh that is too wide which in turn can damage the fins of the fish, but the Westin one is an ideal size and I haven’t noticed any fin damage after using the net on a good few fish now.

The handle also has a measurement engraved on it, if you’re into that type of thing?
The only thing I would change is the diameter of the handle, it seems a bit small, but that could just be because I have massive hands!

The best thing about the net however is obviously as its foldable it fists in the car better!

The one point I would make is that if you are fishing on your own, set the net up before you start to fish as doing it while playing a big pike can be frustrating.

The picture below shows a 25lb fish in the net, so as you can see its suitable for even the largest fish in the UK.

Bait elastic is one of those things that, until you use it, you don’t really appreciate how useful it is. I have used various bait elastics for numerous years, mainly in sea fishing, but they do have uses in pike fishing. The primary use is, of course, to stop your bait flying off on the cast – this is particularly important during very cold months where a cast- off bait could be the only one a pike needs for several weeks, if the water temperature is below 4 degrees.

The other reason to use them is the make sure your hook placement on the bait stays correct, a couple of times I have missed fish because the bottom treble has come out of the bait on water impact and twisted up the trace – no more.

Now you would think that all bait elastics are equal, and to be honest most are, however before heading off the other day I was desperately short, and popped into the local angling shop on the way – only to find that they only had some very expensive bait elastic dispensers in stock. These were made by Inova and were a shocking £9.99 for a pack of three – with little choice I bought a pack, and sulked off.

Now the Inova pack came with a holder for the elastic which I thought was just some tacky novelty, but it’s amazing! The reason I go through so much bait elastic is I inevitably drop them in the mud or water, leave them in my pocket or generally misuse them, so an applicator system with a lanyard is actually a godsend. Not only have I not lost it yet, it makes the actual application of the elastic to the bait very easy, without using excessive amounts! Absolutely brilliant.

If you were to list the all the things that take up valuable fishing time when you want to get your boat afloat, boat strapping would probably be quite low on the list, certainly time- wise. However I find having to ratchet strap my boat on to the trailer a pain in the bum, especially with cold hands, add to that straps that jam, or have salted up, and it becomes a chore.
I have two ratchet straps on my boat, one goes right over the boat and ratchets down to the trailer, and the other goes over the motor leg and again goes “lightly” to the trailer, to prevent engine bounce.

With the fitting of submersible trailer lights I was still looking at ways to make my boat more “user friendly” to launch – (not that it was un-user friendly anyway, but I am lazy!) So when I saw some boat buckles at a trade show I was instantly drawn to them, and got myself a pair.

Boat buckles are basically a retractable ratchet strap which is mounted to your trailer, they are fully submersible, and with a click of a button they loosen and retract like a seatbelt. So taking them off takes seconds, as does putting them back on.

The pair I got were designed to grip gunwale rather than the aft of the boat, and so needed to be fitted on the side of the trailer. This wasn’t a problem but I didn’t want to drill holes in my trailer so I got some square section 5mm aluminium and mounted them on this, and then held these to the trailer frame with standard U-bolts.

As you would expect with something that is designed to hold a boat on, they are quite substantial things, and have a rating of holding up to 1500 kg – which should be enough for most trailered boats in the UK. On the down side they are not cheap things. I got mine for £150 for the pair. They do however make launching and recovering the boat a bit less of a hassle, and, accompanied by the submersible trailer lights I simply winch in and go!

One of the things I look for each season is a new type of lure. Contrary to popular belief Pike wise up to lures, and they wise up quickly – even quicker if lots of anglers are chucking the same thing. One thing that tells you that the pike in the water are wising up is you start getting bumps, or follows, rather then takes. Now this may seem alien to a lot of anglers, but if you’re getting follows, you are doing something wrong! It may be the retrieve speed, lure action, or just the fact that they have seen a lot of the same lure type – follows are more common with common type lures – reps and such like are cast by just about everyone, so the in most waters unless the fish are really “on” they will be weary of them, though the instinct to chase will still be there. I think this is why some lure anglers seem to catch a lot more than others, they observe the reactions of the fish, and don’t use the same three lures every day.

Anyway, I am always looking for a new type of lure that will still work in the zone I want it to, but with a different action that the fish haven’t seen before. So when a couple of boxes of Berkley pulse shad landed on my desk I quickly opened them, and realised I was looking at something that might suit my needs. They have an over- large paddle tail but are made out of very soft rubber. Having a deep body profile the tail causes the bait to roll on the retrieve side to side, which is very different from a lot of soft plastics – where only the tail rocks.

Out in the Uluru they performed very well, with the large paddle tail creating more lift than I thought it would, which wasn’t a problem as I simply rigged them with a very heavy 50g jig head to keep them down. I used a screw-type jig head so I could mount double belly trebles. The body on these lures is very thick which is great for attracting fish as it gives a good profile, but it can be a problem with hook- ups, but with the two size 1/0 ones I have had no problems at all.

The Pulse shad works really well at slow speeds as well, which is ideal for winter conditions, where a retrieve of 0.8 – 0.6 will see the body roll invoked. My two favourite colours were “Perch” which was like a translucent green with the obvious stripes, and pure white – which is “the” winter cold water colour.
Having used them for a couple of months now they are fast becoming my “go-to” lure with the large 19cm versions really scoring well on the large reservoirs – I am looking forward to trying the smaller versions on the river for zander, as I am sure they will work well in low flow conditions.

Low Profile multipliers are quite common these days, with seemingly every tackle manufacturer making one. However, as with all things, I have always found it best to stick to what you know, and since I first started pike fishing I have always used Abu multipliers in various guises. Abu have made multipliers since year dot so they should know what they are doing, and with their latest innovations they have really upped the game when it comes to low profile lure casting multipliers, though the price tag has gone up as well!

Previously my go- to reels were the Abu STX series, and I have had various reels in this series over the last few years, in fact I would say that the latest STX is one of the best value multiplier reels out there. They retail at £159 and they do everything you need of them. However, last year I was given a couple of the new MGX Revos. Now these retail at a whopping £219, which does seem quite a lot if it’s going on a pike rod and kicked round in the bottom of the boat, but I can honestly say I have fallen in love with them!

The additional benefits over the standard STX is that they are more compact and lightweight and have a better braking system. The lightweight frame is made of carbon and alloy, there are holes drilled in it to further reduce the weight, and the handle is pure carbon fibre. I can understand the need for lightness -when for example you are vertical fishing with super lightweight rods, but for pike fishing, casting bigger lures, there really isn’t much need, other than it looks all Gucci.

The braking system is top notch and is a combination of magnetic and centrifugal brakes and is claimed to be infinitely variable Though it has 28 positions of adjustment, really once you have set it up for your casting weight and style you only need to move it a couple of clicks to adjust for windage and such.

This is where the reel really stands out, so far I haven’t had a single over- run on this reel! Which is crazy! I did a rough count on how many casts I do per day when casting from a boat, and it was around the 320 mark. So I can say, “hand on heart” that I have made literally thousands of casts with these reels with no problems so far.

The drag, like on all Abu reels, is fantastic even when screwed up tight for heavy braid fishing. I’ve used them with 50lb braid for piking and 8lb braid for dropshotting and the clutch is fine at either of these extremes, I’ve not tried them for full on 100lb braid and jerkbaiting, but I would suggest you would need a bigger reel for that anyway.

The line lay is impeccable as you would expect for such an expensive reel. One of the things I liked was the chucky handles, which at first looked out of place, but they are instantly comfortable and feel “just right” when cranking them.

So will they replace my STX? Well they already have and I’ve got one on each of my rods!  The only compromise is that I have got some reel covers for them so hopefully they stay nice looking, and not all scratched up like all my other reals.

I don’t do that much night fishing anymore, with the exception of Eels and Catfish there really isn’t that much need, unless you really enjoy it, of course.  However, at the end of last season I decided to upgrade my bivvy and bedchair combination. Getting rid of the old, beaten and slightly bent, bedchair was a hard thing to do. However, when my brand new JRC Extreme bedchair arrived I was glad I did! Not only is it significantly lighter at only 12.5kg – it is by far the most comfy bedchair I have ever been on!

I got the four- legged version, which is rated for a massive 170kg so it can suit even the biggest units out there. The legs lock out with little push- button clips which prevents them sliding back, which can be a problem on other chairs. The feet are massive which distributes the weight evenly, and prevents the chair “sinking” into soft ground. All the legs are adjustable with push-lock systems – that are standard for anyone that has used a JRC chair before.

The ratchet system that is used for reclining the chair is a bit different from normal, In that it works with a lever lock, this locks the ratchet tightly and although you can have it at various angles. As it’s a bed chair I nearly always use it flat, and this is where this bedchair stands out, you can have it totally flat! This makes a massive difference when trying to get comfortable at night.

The chair is padded all the way around and the padding overlaps the frame significantly, it is also comfortably thick – so that even if your leg or arms are resting on the frame you really can’t feel it that much. The major thing that really adds to the comfort of the chair is that the middle of it is made of memory foam! This at first seems a little indulgent for smelly pike anglers, but it really is nice! Not only does it act like memory foam should do, but it also provides good insulation from underneath so no more cold backs in the morning.  

There is a little pocket on either side of the chair that is about the right size for a phone, which is quite useful and prevents you lying on them in the night.

At RRP of £225 it is not the cheapest bedchair on the market, but if you want a chair that is comfortable and solid then this is the one for you.

As many of you will know the way I position and hold my boat for the majority of my Zander Jigging is with a Minn Kota electric outboard that is fitted on the front of my boat. It’s not a bow mount per se, but effectively works like one, as I have turned the head around on the unit so it works backwards – so to speak. Now there are many types of bow mounts you can have and different ways to control them. I have tried remote units and foot controls in the past, but for me nothing beats the direct feel of using a tiller. This is especially true if you are trying to hold over a specific spot in significant flow with a side wind! Quick turns of the outboard is needed in these conditions, and foot control isn’t up to the task.

You can, of course, get I-pilot for some of the Minn Kota range, this fixes your position with GPS and can keep you on a spot, but I haven’t had the chance to use one yet, so can’t say what it is like.

So I use a reverse tiller control electric fitted on the front -this has served me for several years. The only problem I did have, and put up with, was the lack of ability to control the engine from anything other than the casting deck of the boat, which, in reality, wasn’t much of a problem as I only ever used the electric when jigging, and I would be at the end of the boat anyway.

However with a couple of new seats installed I needed the ability to control the engine from slightly further away, which was an impossible for anyone other than Mr Tickle. So I needed some form of tiller extension.  In the end I decided on the Helms Mate jointed tiller extension. This simply pushes on to the tiller of the Minn Kota and tightens down with a couple of thumb screws to hold it in place. You need to get the jointed one so not only can you alter the speed by turning the handle, but you can push and pull the engine around as well.

By using one you do limit the turning circle a little bit, but not so much that it causes a problem when jigging. The one I got has an extendable handle that works on a push ratchet system, so I can use it more or less anywhere on the boat. The handle is a solid non- corrosive aluminum painted in a mat back.

It’s simply a brilliant bit of kit that does exactly what I wanted it to do, you can pick them up for around £50 from most chandlers.

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I’ve had a few anglers ask about the strange head torch I use while out on the banks at night, The Energizer Hardcase Tactical head light hasn’t been designed especially for anglers at all, it is in fact a helmet light used by the Armed Forces.
The torch has several settings, some are not needed for the angler such as infra- red, but the main light is a very bright high intensity LED, and the secondary light is either a red or a blue.
I prefer the red LED for most occasions and very rarely use the white one. Both lights have three settings of brightness, this is selected by pressing the buttons on the side of the torch. These are easy to find and ergonomic to use.
It runs on a single 1AA battery which lasts a long time if you don’t have it on full beam all the time, I have had the same battery in mine since last season, but, then again, I usually only use the full beam on very rare occasions.
It is also fully waterproof, I have used it in some torrential conditions and never had a problem with it.
What I really like about the setup, is with the headband attachment the light sits on the side of your head, not smack in the middle like most head lights available. What this means in practice is that it is a lot more comfortable, and you can wear peaked hats without the problem of shadow cast.
It has a full 360 degree rotation, which is useful to get the right angle you need, and it clicks to these angles and holds in place, even if you are running- not that many of you will be, but it means that the light is usable in other bumpy conditions such as fast speedboat use, where other headlights can flop all over the place.
The unit also comes with other attachments most of which aren’t of much use to the angler, such as helmet clip and Molle attachments, but it does come with a clip attachment if you want to fix it to things such as bank sticks or your bivvy.
They are reassuringly expensive at £84.99 but they are by far the best and lightest head torch I have used, by a mile.

There are a vast array of v-tail type lures available, but the one I have been doing quite well on for the last few seasons is the Ripple Minnow from Berkley, not only do these have a great flexible body which helps in imparting delicate movements to the v-tail, but they also, as the name suggests have a rippled body, which may not seem that big of a deal at first, but acoustically in the water it makes all the difference when targeting shy biting zander.

The ripples while not looking like much, force water along the side of the body causing acoustic disturbances in the water. It is this audio noise that in some instances can attract predatory fish especially in coloured water.

Anglers generally have a love hate relationship with V-tail lures, some anglers swear by them and use nothing else, some refuse to use them as their lack of action (compared to paddle tails) is hardly noticed. Myself, I like them, but like everything they have their uses and there will be days when paddle tails will be better. There are certain circumstances where V-tails will outperform other shads; namely when fishing in very cold conditions when you don’t want too much movement; and when target fishing or “sharp shooting” as the cool kids say, using your fish finder to identify zander up in the water column, because of the length of the lure it makes them easier to identify on the screen without being too bulky for zander to take; They also work well in smaller sizes on drop shot rigs for perch.

You can rig them normal jig heads with a single hook and stinger arrangement, but I like to do it a bit differently and rig them on an appropriate sized Jig head with the aid of some super glue and then get rid of the main hook with some side cutters as this hook is not needed and it is often the case that big hooks can impede both the action and hooking potential.

The only hook I use on them is the stinger which is made from Prowla 30lb wire and a size 6 Owner treble. This is looped over the eye of the jig and then a split ring placed through the eye, this not only stops the stinger riding up the trace, but also makes changing lures easy.
I find rigging like this give a lot better hook ups then with rigs incorporating a large single hook, it makes the shad body more “bendy” for want of a better word which means when a zander takes it, the lure will fold in its mouth making hooking easier. Also with the stinger mounted like this it is free to detach from the lure body again adding to better hook ups. With larger lures you can put two treble hooks on the trace, but this is really only needed for v tails over 7 inch long.

Svartzonker! No, it’s not a new swear word, but the name of some new Jerkbait lures that I’ve just received that have been taking waters apart in Europe!

The ones I received were the Mc-Mio – They are a bit like the Fox Mega Mouse, but with an articulated tail – that should give them some good action in the water. They are meant to be suspending, working within the first couple of feet of the water column. They are internally weighted with a ball bearing which also acts as in inbuilt rattle. At 24cm + 6cm tail and 60g they can be cast on light lure rods, but, to get the best out them, I suspect a correct jerkbait set up will be needed.

I’ve not put them through their paces yet, but they look well-built and the finish is superb, and the hooks are sharp – so I’m looking forward to some better weather to start chucking them with a vengeance. 

Also in the range are some large double-bladed spinners and spinnerbaits, which both look very interesting, and come in sensible weights for the big rivers.

They are available through Abu Garcia £TBA

www.svartzonker.se