Carpin' On 2010

On the weekend of March 6-7 2010, the Five Lakes Hotel & Golf Course in rural Essex plays host to the annual Carpin' On carp fishing show. Attendances over the 2 days reach several thousand visitors, with plenty of bargains to be picked up from both the manufacturers and retailers in attendance.

UKMA were in attendance on the Sunday and had a good look at some of the products being launched (or already launched) by the exhibitors.

PB Products

PB roducts were the first stand that visitors came across as the walked through the entrance, and with an almost full set of consultants in attendance manning the stand, there was lots of interest in their products. We took a good look at the products that the company were looking to push hard in 2010, and with demonstrations given to UKMA by Koen Koops and Ronny De Grootte, we were impressed with the items that we were shown. The rig tubing and tungsten tubing that we were shown will be a huge seller this year as it threads easier than any other tubing we have had our hands on. The product though that impressed us the most and left us open jawed in ammazement was the Shield leader material. Ronny De Grootte asked us to hold it tight and run the ultra-sharp edge of the companies braid pliers along the material under pressure numerous times and the leader material was still holding together and we could not break it using our hands afterwards with it looking like it had been put through a shredder!!!!! We have in our possession the tubing and the Shield leader material which we will be reviewing sometime in the very near future. PB Products also have a little solution to making line aligners that will make shrink tube almost redundant. We tried out some of the ready made rigs on the stand with the palm test, and the product caused the hook to turn instantly. Very impressive stuff indeed and if your shop does not stock the PB Products range, ask them to, as you and they will be seriously impressed.

Pukka Baits

Pukka Baits have been used by many anglers for a while now but until recently (when Kev Reynolds took Barston Lake apart during the BCAC Champion of Champions event in 2009 with over a TON of Carp in 48 hours!) not many people were aware of the companies products. With a comprehensive range of products, Kev has not flooded the market with loads of baits that are confusing to anglers to which will work best for them, but has decided to concentrate on baits that catch fish. UKMA took a good look at the range (as well as tasting several of the products on display), and we were impressed and would be confident in using any of the range all the time. The baits and products that we tasted were all natural in taste with no chemical or bitter aftertastes. What impressed us the most was the price that Kev sells the baits for! £55 for 10 kilo + £10 P&P makes the baits even more attractive to the angler. We honestly thought that the baits would be in the normal region of £10 per kilo, and without a shadow of a doubt, they would sell at that price!

A.C.E (Advanced Angling Equipment)

A.C.E had a good presence at the show and also had all the products in their range on display. With expert advice from Max Cottis, Steve Tasker and their consultants meant that the stand was busy throughout the day. The product that was getting the main attention was the superb i3 alarm and reciever system. The alarms were getting a lot of attention and the visitors asking questions about the product (which UKMA will be putting through it's paces very soon). The general buzz surrounding the alarms was one of extreme interest, and with features that other alarms do not have, eyes were opened. With Max Cottis' superb mind and eye for detail in developing new products, UKMA are looking forward to putting other items from the range through their paces as we recieve them.

Fox International

The Fox International stand was busy throughout the whole weekend with the team of consultants giving demonstrations constantly throughout both days to answer the questions that the public put to them. With anglers such as Ian Chillcott (UKMA don't know how Chilly was still vertical on the Sunday as he did not look too good!!), Steve Spurgeon and Chris Rose mingling with the public, you know that the advice given was good. UKMA spoke to Steve Cole and Steve showed us the new Exocet range of Spods and Marker Floats (introductory review can be found by clicking HERE) which impressed us. Also on display was the new Warrior Bivvy that was solid in construction and priced very competively. Fox also had their new lines on display which UKMA will be reviewing shortly, and first impressions look very good indeed. The new Warrior and Evolution ranges of luggage look very robust and should be popular with both functional anglers and "tackle tarts" alike.

Matrix Innovations

There wasn't much new from Matrix Innovations at the show, but the new product that caught our eye was the new banksticks that have a fluted point section that does away with the requirement for a seperate stabiliser. The fluted section is approximately 4" in length and will really hold solid in all banks. One little item that was attention to detail (and will appeal to the "tackle tarts") was that the new design thumbscrew to secure the inner at the correct height, has been tapped to always display the Matrix name horizontally on each and every bankstick. Obviously these banksticks are not going to be for the angler that likes to travel as light as possible - due to that each bankstick is constructed from a single solid piece of stainless steel - but for the angler that wants the ultimate in rod support stability, we don't think that anything else available comes close. Make sure that you check them out if you fall into the latter catergory.

Nash Tackle

Nash Tackle had one of the largest presences of the show, and it was very busy at all times. Gary Bayes was showing anglers tricks regarding baits that the anglers could put into practise, and all the staff on the stand were busy answering any questions put to them. The star of the show on the Nash stand, yet again, was the new Titan 2010 bivvy. UKMA only managed to get a quick close look at it due to the amount of people wanting to examine it in detail as well, but we saw enough to make sure that we have one on order for later on in the year to put through it's paces. The new Nash Tips & Tackle DVD for 2010 were also being grabbed by anglers at the stand, and UKMA have had a watch of the presentation, and unlike some other free DVD's, this one could actually pass as being a paid for production as it is not simply advert after advert of the products, but actual good solid angling advice that even anglers that don't use all Nash tackle could put into practise. Well worth picking one up from your local Nash stockist and watching it.

Dynamite Baits

The Dynamite Baits stand was also very busy with anglers putting questions to the consultants present, which included Terry Hearn, Nick Helleur, Pete Castle, Leon Bartropp and newly re-signed Jim Shelley. Dynamite had their new and old products on display for visitors to smell, squeeze, taste, etc including the Rod Hutchinson range. This year is going to be another good year for Dynamite Baits (even in this recession that is hitting everyone hard) as every product that is in the range will catch fish and have a good following. Anglers were especially welcoming to the new Rod Hutchinson Peach & Mango, Terry Hearn's Chocolate Malt and Terry Hearn's Banana Crunch baits.

Korda Developments

As per most shows, Korda had a good presence at the event with virtually all their consultants present to demonstrate the range of products. Anglers were very interested in the Sinkers and Krusha as well as walking away from the stand with goody bags of products that Korda put together. The way that Korda are so approachable at these shows and how enthusiastic they are about the products is how most exhibitors should be, and Danny Fairbrass and his guys should be applauded for doing this.

Rigmarole

Like Korda, the enthusiasm from the guys at Rigmarole regarding their products is to be applauded. Everytime we walked past the stand, every guy manning it was helping an angler out with practical demonstrations of their products. Anglers were intrigued by the Hydrolink and Cam-H2O hooklink materials as well as the superb Freefall rig tubing that has the stainless steel core making it sink like the proverbial brick.

Angling Technics

Angling Technics and the team were in attendance showing off their wares. A lot of interest was generated with the first public appearance of the bait boats in a proper Realtree finish rather than the plain black or sticker kits. These will definately be seen more on the banks (or should I say not seen because of the camouflage?). UKMA did think about ordering a Realtree Microcat Mk2 there & then, but decided to wait a while. Angling Technics haven't just stopped at the boats with the new colour but have also had the handsets made with the same finish.

Overall we thought that the show was well attended given that we are in a recession with disposable income being hard to come by, but we heard no complaints about the show from the exhibitors regarding people spending money.