Loads of bits to look through |
The bit you should read.
This fishing blog details my angling adventures around the UK (although depending where I am in the country I also sea fish from both Boat and Shore, Carp, Pike and Fly fish). I will be giving a summary of 3 values considered by most anglers as well as the additional Disabled Access rating. Since being diagnosed with CIDP and regaining my motor function Disabled angling and Disabled access is now something I always consider when visiting venues. They will all be rated on a scale of 1* to 5*;
1. Fishability *****
2. Accessability *****
3. Value for Money *****
4. Disabled Access *****
I think these 4 points are the key issues which are readily identifiable with all anglers. Feel free to take a look and add your own comments along the way!
Monday 2 September 2013
Tackle Store Review - Cardiff Angling Centre (Cefn Mably)
After being repeatedly told about the massive improvements
in the shop at Cefn Mably Lakes, I thought it best to stop by before a recent
fishing session on their horseshoe lake and have a look for myself. It has been
several years since I’ve last visited this shop so had no idea what to expect.
The outside, unlike almost every fishing store, doesn’t have huge windows
displays, so first impressions would have to be made on entry.
A lot of changes have been made since my last visit. The
store is now set out in a long rectangle catering solely to coarse and carp
anglers. This is entirely fitting as you can only do this type of fishing at
Cefn Mably Lakes. The right side of the store is purely coarse (match) fishing,
and has everything you could require to fully kit yourself out. From pole seat
boxes, reels, rods and all the things you would expect to find a match anglers
box/holdall. There was a huge selection of hooks, mono, braid, floats and rig
bits. This coupled with and extensive pole fishing section meant it would be
very easy to while away a few hours finding new bits for an already over
following tackle box. There was also a small selection of Frenzee fishing
equipment. This is one of the only places in South Wales that I have seen this
product stocked, but they also have pretty much every other brand you can think
of including Matrix (which unfortunately is another rarity in local stores).
The left side of the store is set out for carp anglers with
rods, pods and reels all out and set up for prospective purchasers to inspect.
There is an equally large amount of carp terminal tackle, with lines/braid,
hooks, bite alarms and readymade hair rigs (and everything in-between) all on
show. The adjoining column between the Coarse and Carp fishing section is where
the groundbait/pellets are situated. There was a fairly extensive collection of
groundbaits (various brands) and pellets in many different sizes. There was
also good selection of hook baits, including expander pellets, hook pellets,
sweetcorn and meat. It was clear however that the bait on sale was
pre-dominantly geared towards catching fish at this venue, with repeats of
similar types of flavours and baits in different brands. With that in mind I
needed some more feed pellets after my brother “borrowed” the last of mine, and
decided on trying out some Sonubaits Krill flavoured micro pellets.
I was very impressed to see a full size selection of Drennan
Wide Gape Super Specialist hooks too. They also had the rest of the range of
Drennan hooks, which is worth knowing if you are a stickler for good quality
hooks (like me). Although there was a small range of Kamasan hooks, there were
no B611 to be found (I’m starting to give up hope). On enquiring however the
chap behind the till did inform me, if I was prepared to buy them in x100’s
they would happily order them in. Good to know. I also asked what fresh bait
was sold on the premises, as I wanted some maggots and casters to complete my
bait arsenal. They had no casters available, but did sell maggots. Coming in at
£1.70 for half a pint I thought it was a bit steep, but maggots aren’t
essential when fishing this venue, so half a pint would be more than ample.
I was very impressed by this tackle store and will
definitely be returning, even if it’s just to have another good look around
(not taking away from the fishery itself which was great). It had been a long
time since I had visited Cefn Mably, but it won’t be long before I visit it
again. With so much on offer and such a varying range it wouldn’t be hard to
imagine the bank card taking a hammering after a prolonged visit to this shop.
My only complaint would be the expense of it. Looking around almost everything
seemed to be slightly more expensive than I have seen elsewhere. Then again,
with almost every piece of coarse fishing tackle you can think of under the
same roof you are paying for convenience.
Tackle Store rating **** ½
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1 comments:
maggots are in fact £1.50 a half and £3.00 a pint. 3 pints for £7.50 on maggot and caster I believe
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