In reply to Post #10
They really were!

Going back a few years they used to be the place to call for a deal, not sure if it's still the case now as I've not bought any significant gear for years, but had quite a few bits from them in the past all for better prices than found online

In reply to Post #1
I do know the feeling well! I've a busy family life with young kids so most of my fishing these days is after my night shifts finish-I go straight from work in the morning and throw couple of rods out, I kip on my bedchair in the morning then spend the afternoon there before packing up and heading home, I usually do this religious but I've talked myself out of it a few times recently , I've done the hard work loading the van sorting the bait and tying the rigs etc only to talk myself out of it when the morning comes! It's definitely more common once the winter comes and the mornings are dark and wet but I've even knocked it in summer a couple of times

Pay your money and take your chances, it's the same for any make/model they all have their issues! Depends on what size you need too-do you just want something for your gear or do you want to kip in it? Do you need rear seating?

I had a 2005 transporter kombi for 10 years, kitted it out in back for sleeping and really liked it -had a few issues but it was the 2.5 engine- the 1.9 are generally less hassle, such was the power of the transporter resale value that I got more back when o sold than I paid for it 10 years earlier!

I had a trafic after that-a work mate was selling it and it was mint and very good spec- had that 3 years and it was good for me-then sold it to my mate and he's had a lot of issues with it! Typical

Ive currently got a 2009 caddy maxi as a day to day and a 2019 crafter as a camper-I drive lots of different vans for work and from a drive point of view the man/crafter is the best of the lot, problem is like most things there's too much crap on them to go wrong!


I love my caddy maxi, size wise it's perfect for fishing, I've rear seats in mine which fold and I can kip in it if needed too! I went for the 1.9 tdi rather than the newer 1.6 just due to reliability and parts availability, that era of vw/audi 1.9 engines really are very good and there's no adblue or dpf to worry about! Mildly annoying thing is the tax is fairly hefty

In reply to Post #65
I've had a few different fishing/work van setups now as well as done a couple of campers too, off top of my head for an ideal fishing van I'd say

Some form of wipe/wash down floor covering is handy-I've used that rubber coin stuff in my caddy

If carpeting I'd personally carpet only the ply removable panels (go for a dark colour) wouldn't bother with the metalwork, again I've had both (Ive actually seen a few vans with the floor carpeted!) and when loading wet smelly muddy fishing gear in the carpets not gonna stay mint for long!

Insulation wise I've always used soundproofing first-dodo mat deadn is something I've recently used followed by thermolining type insulation and then the dodo fleece roll on top of that and in the voids-don't use the rockwool type insulation!

You won't cut out condensation completely, and a roof vent mentioned above is really good advice if your planning on kipping in it regularly

In reply to Post #34
I make this correct, squeeze hard working people for every penny they've got and then still expect them to have enough spare money to splash out on what essentially is luxuries to keep these huge firms/industries in business, it's just not happening is it!

It's pretty simple, if people feel like they have residual money they will spend it, new cars/move house/renovate/extend/holiday/buy more fishing/golfing/camping kit etc etc so if these firms are going down the pan due to lack of sales that tells you all you need to know!

In reply to Post #4
Yep I've Seen that AA baits do them, 15kg sack is £32 which is actually the cheapest I've found so far, not sure what postage cost is though? I used to get them from a local tackle shop but he's struggled getting them the last year or so and has actually now moved shop out of town anyway

I'll probably go with that, I've used the skrettings and they are decent, tried a few of the pet store/supermarket types before and been unimpressed

Thanks all 👍

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good supplier of 11mm (or similar) floaters in larger quantities -15/20kg bag?

If your not concerned about a particular make/model and not fussy on spec then you'll be in a better position, if you buy based on condition/service history then you should get something decent for 6k

I've had mainly vw's, mostly with success but anything and everything has the potential to go wrong! I've currently got a caddy maxi that I use for commuting/fishing and a crafter as a camper, both nice to drive but heavy to tax! Do sometimes wonder if I could get by with an estate instead of the caddy


A transporter is a good size for actually sleeping in, I had a lwb with a tailgate for years and it was great for fishing out of! The early ones have come down in price more recently too, i would go for the 1.9 rather than the 2.5 engine if you get one

I like the caddy maxi its a really good size for gear but maybe not the best in terms of actually fishing out of, drives like a car aswell but as above I feel the tax is fairly hefty for what it is.

Everyone says stay away from the trafic/vivaro but I had a trafic crew cab for 3/4 years and it was a belting van,they do suffer with a few issues but at least they are common/known problems, so if you get those covered or look out for one that's had them sorted you should be good, they do tend to be better value for money than the vw's & mercs

In reply to Post #1
Just to add another variable in the mix, I recently had an issue in my garden koi pond where the fish were suddenly acting strange-koi very lethargic and my sturgeon doing laps of the surface on its back! Tested the ph and it was low, 5-5.5ish iirc
Got it back on track by water changing and buffering with bicarbonate and a few days later back to normal
Now this coincided with a LOT of rain in the few days before which obviously affects the ph because rain is generally acidic , going back to the original query could it be that the same situation had occurred ie large amounts of rain/incoming rainwater and as such the issues are PH related but caused by that and the leaf fall is coincidental