Flatz does the Business for Mark

A few weeks ago before a trip to the Wye I was lucky enough to be given an exciting new Hinders pellet that will be released soon called 'Flatz'. 

I left Swindon early on Sunday morning and after a drive of just over an hour arrived at the river. It was a calm mild morning which was very welcome as the day prior had been heavy rain and very windy and the river was very coloured and pacey as a consequence. I unloaded the van and set off across the fields to the river, there were two other cars in the carpark and my two usual 'banker' swims were taken so I walked down the fields until I got to a wide bend where I could fish into some slacker areas on the swollen river. Fishing was difficult as the river was continuing to rise and a lot of weed and the occasional branch were rushing past often catching in the line and dislodging the feeder. After countless recasts suddenly the tip rattled and then hooped over as a Chub took a liking to the pellets and headed for the snags. After a short battle the Chub was in my net and a very welcome addition to the morning. The fish was returned, the hair rebaited with the pellet and recast. Almost as soon as the rig settled it was away again and the second chub of the session was banked. A biteless hour followed before the rod was nearly ripped from the rest again and the third hungry Chub of the day was in the net.

Just before lunchtime, I went for a walk to see how the other guys were getting on but they were calling it a day after a fishless trip. I dropped back into my swim, gathered up my kit and moved to one of my usual pegs but the flow was just too great to hold bottom for long so I moved again back towards the car park to a very wide sweeping corner peg and cast to the crease. These new pellets may be small but don't be put off by this as I was using them on a very short hair glued back to back - drop one in the margins and watch the intense halo of attraction and the oil slick from them its remarkable. Somehow they don't turn to mush too quickly so last on the hair well and in the last swim over 2 hours I had another Chub and 3 bonus Barbel which is testament to their effectiveness.

On a day when others had packed up and gone home these 'Flatz' turned my trip around demonstrating the potential of these versatile pellets I did try other baits on a second rod but the new pellets definitely outfished these on the day. 

I used a 1.75lb T.C Barbel rod, a Fox EOS reel loaded with 8lb line, a long rubbing leader as protection against the large boulders and bedrock, Korum 2oz flat feeder packed with Hinders Barbel Bomb and a few 'Flatz' to a braided hooklink with a size 10 wide gape hook and a very short hair with the pellets glued back to back.