Coming under the title of 3M Thinsulate Lined, what man could resist the urge to don such marvellous headgear? The special microfibres have more surface area to trap more warm air and insulate better than the larger fibres of other insulations.

Price: £9.99.

Contact: Fox at: www.foxint.com

They are exactly what it says on the tub: High-Visual Pop-Ups. Aside from the blindingly bright colours, they’re also loaded to the rafters with Mainline’s finest sweeteners and flavours. We’ve been dangling with the Pineapple Juice version recently and even we’ve been catching…

Price: £5.25.

Contact: Mainline Baits at: www.mainline-baits.com

Special new groundbait that contains “GPS90”. In English, that means it’s the most powerful, super soluble fishmeal available, which stimulates carp into a feeding frenzy. Can be used as a groundbait or a Stick or Method mix and during the field-testing process it has produced a 40lb+ lump for Li’l Nige Sharp. Nuff said then.

Price: £3.25.

Contact: Bait-Tech on: 01473 241811.

Meet the Melt-Ex range of PVA bags. The unique stippled anti-static texture film prevents it from sticking together, and this “anti-static texture” also means you can remove one from the pack and it remains open so loading and tying is kiddies play.

Price: £2.99-£5.99.

Contact: Kryston at: www.kryston.com

From the people who brought us The Source and the first commercially available fluoro pops comes this range of naturally balanced fish attractant groundbaits. The four mixes come in completely different colours so you can now turn the pond water to your chosen colour.

Price: £3.50.

Contact: Dynamite Baits at: www.dynamitebaits.com

A clever range of ball chains that are unique in that it can be converted to fit recessed screw head as well as extended screw head hockey stick links. This means you can use Solar/Matrix etc. links with Muddy Waters dangler heads. We said it was clever.

Price: £5.00.

Contact: Specialist Tackle at: www.specialist-tackle.co.uk

It’s still the best hook on the market for Stiff Rigs, but the latest Stiff Rigger has been refined. Improvements? How does the now ‘trade mark’ Teflon coating and a ‘directing in line with the shank point’ (rather than being reversed), grab you?

Price: £3.40.

Contact: ESP on: 01865 748989.

This 17ltr giant bucket may not have the coolness of camo bros, but they don’t have all of this: a substantial carry handle that allows easy transportation and this one is made in quite a flexible grade of plastic. Plus we love the red anyway.

Price: £3.95.

Contact: Dynamite Baits at: www.dynamitebaits.com

These could be your secret weapons this winter. The process used to cook these fresh particles ensures you get a natural product every time you crack the seal. Tigers In Talin, Hot Hemp, Pulse in Talin, Particles In Talin and Intense Hemp.

Price: £5.49 to £7.49.

Contact: CC Moore at: www.ccmoore.com

The problem with winter is obviously the carp are far harder to catch, but two, PVA doesn’t like melting. Cue Wychwood’s PVA 3 Ply String and Mesh Tape. Both comes in handy dispensers, both are very strong, but both melt very quickly.

Price: £3.49.

Contact: Wychwood at: www.wychwood-carp.co.uk

The thick, syrupy liquid that is designed to be denser than water, which dispersing as it reaches the bottom and spreads a highly attractive cloud back to the surface. Boost your prepared particles, pellets or groundbait.

Price: £6.99 for a 500ml bottle.

Contact: Mainline Baits at: www.mainline-baits.com

Hemp used to be just hemp. Not any more. Now it has got to be different and have more pulling power. Spod standard stuff out and you’ll have a standard session. Spod this “loaded to the brim with chilli” hemp out and you’ll be catching more than Dave Lane.

Price: £6.99.

The Bag Mix. Wedges. Ball Bearing Swivels. Solar has reached true pinnacles in invention over the years. And now this… 0.4mm diameter 20lb mono for making ultra stiff hooklinks. And best of all, use with the Rig Cone to forms advanced hooklink shapes. Nailed!

Price: £5.99 for 20mts.

Word from many of the “Trigga users” is these shelf-life ready-mades are even more effective, particularly short-term, than homemade versions of the same bait. Paisley and Cottam love ’em, so that’s good enough for us.

Price: £4.99.

Since Reuben Heaton went worldwide, anglers have been crying out for a decent pouch to store these weighing gadgets in. It looks like Shimano are the first to get it right. Padded and has a meshed ventilation panel to allow air to circulate so you don’t get condensation build up – thus making the job of reading the weight an impossible job.

Price: £9.99.

As a well-known angler once put it, “If I said you could land a 20lber for £1.20, you’d bite my arm off.” He was right of course, and hence why we love these clips so much. With the swivel locked inside the clip, it means the lead always has to come off. The result means you lose the lead (there’s your £1.20), but land the fish (there’s the 20lber).

Price: £2.99.

For less than three pence a squirt, your hands could be bacteria free of diseases such as Weil’s Disease. The pump action dispenser releases a portion of odourless foam that can be rubbed into the hands and dries off in seconds. Available from all good Daiwa stockists.

Price: £3.99.

Season not got off to the bestest of starts? With many companies launching new boiled food on an almost monthly basis, it can be a painful job picking the one for you. Here’s a fact to make this choice a little easier: It’s Terry Hearn’s own recipe…

Price: £7.99.

“That doesn’t look to sharp. What colour gravel bar are you fishing over, bright green?!” That’s obviously a no, so sharpen up and make sure you not only match the deck, but pin everything down to it. With Gardner’s Plummet Leadcore (comes on a 20m spool), you can do just that thanks to the three colours: Mud Brown, Sandy and Green.

Price: £9.99.

Designed by Steve Ringer and originally aimed at the commercial carp market until the likes Damian Clarke and Ali Hamidi used it to huge success. It’s a real all round groundbait that is really easy to mix with loads of protein in. Clarkey has been using it in his spod and Stick mix…

Price: £5.99.

Chances are you won’t be able to ask Sharpy what he thinks of salmon oil, so we’ll what he thinks. “It’s fantastic!” This stuff is a high-grade oil that comes all the way from chilly Norway and a splash of this over your boilies will go along way to securing you a bite.

Price: £4.50.

Contact: 020 8715 8342

There’s a clue in the title when it comes to having your hookbait off the deck – popped-up. However, some bait producers ‘pops’ don’t cut the cheese and sink after a few hours. Anyone of the Tutti Frutti, Crab and Mussel, Multi-Plex, Pineapple Hawaiian, Ultra-Plex and KG1 pops won’t let you down, though.

Price: £5.50.

Yes, they’re flavours. Yes, to be any use you need to make your own bait. And yes, it could make you as good as Hearnie and Sharp. Why? Because picking one of these flavours from the shopping list means you’ll have a truly unique bait. Caribbean Fruit, Cherry Kola, Cinnamon, Coffee Cream, Condensed Milk, Cornish Ice Cream, Plum, Strawberry Jam and Tiger Nut.

Price: £6.99 for a 500ml bottle.

Spunked a fortune on big pits and 300 quid rods so you can get a few extra yards? You silly bugger, you. All you needed to do was splash some of this space-age solution onto your the mono and then your lead would go a lot further. Do it anyway…

Price: £5.35.

As we write, there are manufacturers the world over trying to produce a better braided hooklink than this, and, to put it bluntly, they can’t. The combination of the extremely supple slow sinking braid and the camouflaged colour make-up means it’s ideal for open water, light weed, or over sand and silt. 8, 10, 12, 15 and 25lb.

Price: £9.50 20mt spool.

Great for every season of the year. Why? Because it’s made in hardwearing Cordura, and they both feature double zip fastening, silvered and insulated lining with elasticised straps to stop the contents moving around. The larger version holds 32ltrs and retails at £17.95, whilst the small bag will set you back £11.95.

Price: Large - £17.95. Small - £11.95

Contact: ESP on: 01865 748989.

A bag that’ll swallow up the worlds most famous (and probably most popular) bivvy design – five-arm pram style bivvies. Stuff packing it back into that ultra tight bag that came with it; this bag allows you to just ‘lob’ it in and away you go. There’s even room for more clothing, more gear, more bait – more of everything really.

Price: £20.00.

Contact: JRC at: www.jrcproducts.com

Sexier than a footballers wife and better designed than Canon’s latest offering. Lined with the highest grade of thermal liner, features a sectioned hatch flap, which allows you to access bait in smaller amounts without losing the full thermal effect.

Price: £15.00.

Contact: Dave Lane at: www.dave-lane.co.uk

Part 6 of the ludicrously brilliant Underwater series. Filmed again at Wellington Country Park, this time we not only see Danny Fairbrass’ rigs in action, but also special guest appearances, Nick Helleur and Steve Fantuzzi too.

Price: £19.99.

Contact: Korda at: www.korda.co.uk

Fish spotting equipment at its best. A tough rubberised outer shell and lurking inside are 8 x 21 magnification with fully coated lenses. Comes complete with neck strap and carrying case.

Price: £15.00.

Contact: JRC at: www.jrcproducts.com

Try using a throwing stick without one of these. It’s a nightmare. Wrap it around your waist, load up with boiled food and away you go. It also has external elastic for holding catapults when not in use. Putting out 5kgs has never been so appealing…

Price: £11.99.

Contact: Fox at: www.foxint.com

Filmed by the same bloke that we have interviewed in ‘Below The Surface’, Rob Hughes. And to sum up this DVD in a word, “Outstanding.”
      Welly Whackers Uncovered features one of the best lakes in the country: Wellington Country Park and also two of the best anglers in the UK: Ian Poole and Steve Renyard. But not only do you get to listen and see these two fab anglers in action, but this DVD also offers some incredible underwater footage, with carp to over 38lbs feeding literally inches from the camera!

      And that carp ‘of over 38lbs’ then actually gets banked! Also included is advice on stalking, bait, innovative rigs and location come under the spotlight. You even get Steve explaining how to tie his ace ‘Bungee Rig’.

Price: £16.99.

Contact: CARPology on: 01986 892449.

As used by Dave Lane! There’s no Photoshop trickery here, this stuff is a super copolymer monofilament with fluorocarbon coating. Plus it has super low memory, which reduces line clatter; is extra supple, ultra limp, and slow sinking, giving perfect presentation.

Price: £14.99-£18.99 for 1000mts.

Contact: Kryston at: www.kryston.com

A sling/sack combo so good you’d find it in Tim Paisley’s rucksack. Completely breath-easy nylon material, reinforced strapping, 36” opening and an Anti-Houdini clip (that’s a special clipping system so the carp can’t escape), and as the title suggests, it can be used as a sling or a sack.

Price: £19.99.

Contact: Solar Tackle at: www.solartackle.co.uk

Eating on the bank just became easy. Instead of having two knifes, one fork and a rotting plate, spend just £17.99 on this beauty and you’ll have everything to provide a three-course meal. It even comes with hand towels.

Price: £17.99.

When packed away, this one size fits all, Advantage Timber camo pattern poncho weighs just 11ozs. 11ozs of extra weight buys you a lightweight PVC, fully waterproof garment that features an elasticised hood, zip front and four rust proof poppers. Even Sharpy would go for that.

Price: £19.99.

Lurking inside these175ml bottles are specialist liquid that are intended as a dip or soak for your boiled food, pellets or add to any Stick or Method mix. You can’t overdo them, the carp can’t resist them and they came in Neutral, Assassin-8, Grange CSL, NRG, Activ Maple-8, Fuzion, Pro-Activ Pineapple and Pulse.

Price: £10.50.

Serious carp-playing alternative to dangle in the face of smug braid owners. This is a new variation of Shimano’s existing Technium line. It maintains all the features of the latter, but comes in a camo finish, and with a stretch factor of just 12%, it means greater casting and direct contact with fish.

Price: £32.99.

Contact: Shimano at: www.shimano.com

Redesigned for 07, the Polar Jacket has been given a more “fitted look” and now comes with shoulder and elbow reinforcements, mesh lining, zipped pockets and draw-cord waist. Match that with the trousers and you’ll be warmer than Eskimo. Nearly.

Price: Jacket, £29.99; Trousers, £19.99.

Contact: trakker at: www.trakkerproducts.co.uk

There’s has never been a better time to invest in carbon-rod-rest-ware. They light sod all, they’re strong, and best of all they look the part. Either chose from the euro, super chunky range, or the more dinky, slim line versions.

Price: 2-rod buzz bars start from £24.99; 3-rod, £1.99. The sticks start at £11.99.

Contact: Berkley on: 01270 655900.

That mad title means it’s underwear that is equipped with BREATH HYPER+°C, which can be worn without noticing – well, apart from the extra warmth you’ll get. It weighs nothing, it’s always dry, warm and comfortable and the clever bit is it turns moisture created by perspiration into heat!

Price: Top, £29.99; Bottoms, £32.99.

Contact: Shimano at: www.shimano.com

Although you wouldn’t believe it, summer is actually here, and the best device to keep your bait fresh is this. It has two six-compartment lift out trays with twelve screw top containers. The main compartment can hold 12kgs of boilies and below that is a moulded EVA base which has been designed to take a System Fox Box.

Price: £49.99.

We’ve had to re-mortgage the office for the amount of money we’ve spent with Canon – so there’s no way we’re gonna go for anything but the best to store our camera gear in. Fully padded, waterproof ball leather base and adjustable padded dividers. Got a nice camera? Keep it that way thanks to this bag.

Price: £40.00.

Both the Ripstop Fleece and Pullover Fleece are lightweight, warm and showerproof. They’re both made from hardwearing, durable and showerproof Ripstop nylon. Both have hand warmer pockets. And both retail at £24.99. The only real difference is one has a full-length zip whilst the other is a ‘smock’ style top. Sizes: S to XXL.

Price: £24.99.

Forget loads of bags, think big, think just one bag. “The Hooligun 90 has a large main compartment, five external zipped pockets, including a large front pocket designed to take large sized tackle boxes,” Nash MD Kevin Nash told us. “Add to that the heavy-duty two way zips and padded straps, it creates a wonderful package.”

Price: £29.99.

Fed up with having a wet bedchair? Fancy having somewhere to put it along with your sleeping bag and bedchair cover? Then Dave Lane has the bag just for you: it’s durable and padded. Easy-access zip with shoulder strap and two sets of high-strength handles ensures you carry it with pleasure too.

Price: £40.00.

Base your footwear on The British Army’s Desert Boots and the result is something very special: a lightweight summer boot. Made from a light, breathable canvas/suede upper and ankle support, the Combat Desert Boots will keep you both looking and feel cool. Sizes: 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Price: £49.99.

Receiving the full white sheet “Ta-daa!” treatment, this collaboration between Korda and Sundridge will see you all tailored up in a subtle green, 100% waterproof, breathable and extremely durable material jacket and trousers.
      Both the garments have an additional 'breather' zips for increased air circulation, along with subtle Korda branding. Available from Small right through to “Giant”.

Price: Jacket, £119.99; Trousers, £79.99.

Contact: Korda at: www.korda.co.uk

Daiwa have excelled themselves when they knocked this up. Put on a micro adjustable front drag and super smooth Free Spool BR Clutch System on the back, plus a spool that’ll hold 190mtr of 15lb line and this is what you get – and all for under sixty-quid.

Price: £59.99.

Contact: Daiwa Sports at: www.daiwasports.com

Chub have managed to pack the Vantage full of features without creating an prohibitive price tag. Superbly styled, with a quick release back which allows the arms to be easily removed. The two-piece carbon screw-apart gives options when stalking or using from a boat.

Price: £79.99.

Contact: Chub at: www.chubleisure.co.uk

If you’re in the market for a swanky new rod pod, it’s worth scrimping on the rods that lay on it and spend that saved cash on one of these systems. Fully adjustable design that is 100% stainless steel yet weighs under 3lb. Includes fully adjustable 6ins and 9ins Pozi-Loc uprights and an extendible centre bar.

Price: £79.99.

Contact: Solar Tackle at: www.solartackle.co.uk

Measuring a whopping 570mm wide, this is Fox’s largest chair ever. This “lazy boy chair” is made completely from aluminium, so it offers exceptional strength, but doesn’t weigh the same as Michelle McManus. Fully adjustable and comes with mud feet.

Price: £79.99.

Rod bag lovers rejoice: Chub has just produced this six rod, plus accessories, carrying bag. It combines excellent all round protection, but with the versatily that a quiver provides due to the individually padded pockets that are integrated into the holdall and allows each rod to be removed separately.

Price: £64.99.

The main perk of this Humminbird is that it’s so user-friendly you can confidently pass it on to your mates next-door who’s struggling to get a bite. Cast it out, find the fish, see what depth they’re sitting at, tie up a Zig Rig to that depth and pull ’em in.

Price: £199.99.

Contact: Humminbird on: 01277 742157.

This time we’ll let numbers tell the story. The very same reel that we lobbed into a silty pond for six months has a gear ratio of 4.1:1, weighs a mere 21.1oz, has 9+1 CRBB ball bearings and can hold a whooping 270mts of 20lb line.
      The Tournament Entoh also combines the design benefits of ABS and their groundbreaking Hardbodyz to take big pit reels to a new level.
      The added feature of the CastLock, which locks the handle into place when the bail arm is opened, and is designed to be closed manually, ensures that line trap is eliminated. See, maths can be fun.

Price: £275.00.

Contact: Daiwa Sports at: www.daiwasports.com

These rods fully deserve the full white sheet “Ta-daa!” treatment. Developed using the XPR blank technology with the life-long blank finish pioneered on the ‘S’ Range.
      The carp rods have a firm semi-fast action that makes them suited to medium- to long-range work. Designed to be a player's rod with enough power in reserve to deal with PVA bags and Method balls.
      So how does it cope with wanging heavy balls into the lake, but retain that wonderful playing action? Well, thanks to this little lot: A new 40T carbon weave, the all-new Free Spirit machine-cut aluminium reel seat ion-plated with a blue-grey finish and with a milled isotope slot. It even has a shrink rubber butt grip and aluminium butt cap. Start saving…

Price: £130.00 to £170.00.

Contact: The Tackle Box at: www.tacklebox.co.uk

Take the know-how of the chaps at trakker, let them use the best materials known to man and this is the outcome: the warmest bag we’ve ever used.
      Made from their revolutionary Armotexx fabric, which we hasten to add is guaranteed to keep you warm and dry in the most nut-shrinking conditions. Made up from three layers, it forms an impenetrable barrier against water yet is full of tiny pores that allow the fabric to breathe and perspiration to escape.
      The think fleece lining makes you feel like you’re in bed at home with the missus, the quick release zips on both sides allow for an easy escape and the snap lock buckles and slipover sleeve means once you’ve placed it on your bed, it wouldn’t come off.
“Dear Father Christmas, please, please, please can I have one…”

Price: £129.99.

Contact: trakker at: www.trakkerproducts.co.uk

Bulky, bendy, chunky, fish trawling style mesh… landing nets come in a bewildering array of shapes, sizes and of course, weights. You’re using one that weights a ton and has pike style mega-sized mesh, then you’re a plank. If on the other hand you’ve gone for this, the ‘S’ Net, then you’re a champ.
      Landing nets appear to have always been tackle producers biggest nightmare. The three main problems are the mesh, the arms and the landing net pole. Some get one right, but the other two dreadfully wrong, whilst others get all three totally and utterly incorrect.
      “Following 18 months development and testing we finally released the ‘S’ Net,” Simeon Bond, the MD told us. “Having been pushed by our customers to produce a matching net for our successful ‘S’ range of rods, this is the outcome.” It’s a do-it-all stunner and comes with three very large A* ticks.
      Weight has been shaved off thanks to the low resin carbon used on the arms and pole. The spreader has been reinforced thanks to being crafted from a solid block of stainless. And the mesh has a nice tight weave that not only makes it more comfy for Mr. Carp, but also make you look the part.

Price: £129.99.

All good anglers realise the importance of mobility. It’s an indispensable quality that we’ve all learnt from the likes of Hearn, Lane and Sharp. Without employing a little slyness and ‘quick-to-pack-up-and-move’, Terry Hearn might have missed out on plenty of bites – maybe resulting in him only having caught three fifties instead of five.
      Bivvy goliaths Trakker know a thing or two about mobility. Which is probably why they’ve launched their new Aero-Lite designed to give you a rock solid house but with the ability to pack up quick and move quickly because of its lightness and compactness.
      As cutting edge as any gadget you’d find in James Bond film, the Aero-Lite® is an ultra lightweight version of their multi award-winning design – the Armo bivvy, but instead of the three rigid aluminium poles, the Aero-Lite® features aluminium flexi poles. These aero grade aluminium poles were first used on Trakker’s Ultralite, and by using them here, the result is a bivvy that weighs the same a freshly inflated helium balloon (4.5kgs) and an incredibly compact size.
      And then there’s the extras you get, which will ensure you’re extra comfortable and don’t miss a thing when scanning the water. Supplied with both a normal zip-out front section manufactured from Aquatexx® with mozzy centre panel, and there is also a separate mozzy section which can either be used on its own or with the Aquatexx® front section.
      Absorbed that information? Good, because there’s still some more. Trakker have also thrown in an aluminium frame support system, heavy-duty “T” pegs, groundsheet, carry bag and a tension strap. Looks like you’ll be getting another award, Trakker…

Price: £349.99.

As your dad will tell you, in the good ol’ days, when carp anglers had teeny Cardinal 55’s, they wanted bigger and better. They then got offered the Baitrunner 3500, shortly followed by the 5010 range. Next came the Aero range and finally topped by the Big Baitrunner – a brute of a reel. Four generation of reels – all supplied by – yep, you guessed it, Shimano.
      The world leaders have now decided to make something that’s in the middle of a big pit reel and a Baitrunner. This is the result: The Ultegra Compact. Taking the all the features of the original Ultegra XTA, they’ve managed to condense them into a smaller, slimmer spool body, which means you’re left with one outstanding winder, but at half the size.
      Plus, with the arrival of their new AR-C spool technology, it means the line is tapered down quicker before it hits that first ring resulting it less ‘frap ups’ – and now longer casts. The weight loss is gain thanks to the ultra lightweight biomechanical handle and XT-7 body, and in comparison to its older brother, it’s a whopping 200grms less.
      The Ultegra XT-B is available in two formats: the XT-B, which features their groundbreaking Baitrunner Spool System (another first for Shimano – being the first company to slap a ‘ free spool system’ on a big pit), and the XSB with Instant Drag.

Price: £129.99.