Decathlon

Has anybody tried shopping for tackle at Decathlon? If not, then do. the tackle is low priced and high quality, i recently got a brilliant 9' spinning rod from there for ?17.
Cheers,
Nick

Nick,
I visit them every year in france, just got a lovely fold up landing net for lure fishing, and a boat load of lead swanshot for next to nothing, I've heard they are moving in to England but haven't seen one as yet.

Regards, Mark

Have a look on their website Mark - www.decathlon.fr - and click on english. You see most of the range and where the stores are in Britain.

Don't forget that lead swanshot is illegal in this country. Just remember Matt Hayes.....

Matt Hayes got caught! swannys are the smallest shot I use and I've yet top feed one to a swan, at a quid for 35 shot in france, its rude to buy non toxic over here, its all a load of nonsense anyway !

Mark, you are entitled to your opinion but with all the idiots out there hell bent on destroying our sport i think we should all think before we commit to print!!!!!!

I agree that shot is a total rip off, and yes lead in petrol and shot in gun cartridges do loads more harm than the feeble amount that we lose, BUT it is illegal and I would suggest that they wouldn't be allowed to sell it in this country.

Carp Angler is right. By using lead shot we are only harming the sport of our coleagues in the angling world, and bringing the sport even further into disrepute.

I must agree over the use or rather non use of lead shot. It has been banned and therefore MUST NOT be used. I personaly think anyone found useing it including Matt Hayes should face a heafty fine and not just a warning from the ballif its far more serious than fishing without a rod licence and vast numbers of anglers are fined each year for not having one , but how many anglers are fined for useing lead. I dont know of one and which is worse fishing without a ticket or damaging the environment.. Both are serious offences and should be delt with to the letter of the law. I had to point out to a friend only today that Lead shot was banned a number of years ago nbut she was still under the impression that "you and your kind are responsable for the lead poisoning of swans and it wasnt untill I pointed out that it is no longer used and that it was her kind that polute the waterways with her boat that she went red and shut up. I would just like to add that I never seen anyone on the bank from any of the water agencys in the 25 years that I have been fishing so i wonder if and how they enforce any thing when you never see them.

Re your point about the lack of enforcement staff on the banks the only place you seem to see them is on the banks of salmon fisheries. I have had my licence checked twice in the last thirty years both times when salmon fishing.....
However please don't give the antis any more ammunition than they already have by using lead shot.

Goose Ganderton, you don't know what you're on about. I don't doubt that you know far more than me about fishing, but your comment about boats polluting the waterways was rubbish. As a narrowboat owner I can honestly say that we do everything in our power to protect the waterways. Who is it using washing up liquid to aid the dispertion of oil?
I'm not getting at you, but just take a bit more care what you say.
Thanks a lot,
n38t6