Carp Fleeces

As sure as eggs are eggs and day follows night, it’s going to get cold this winter. But don’t let it get you down. Give it a few months and spring will be upon us, shortly followed by summer and the return of the ‘warm’ weather. Unfortunately, in the meantime you’re going to have to endure some pretty horrendous conditions if you want to keep catching.

There’s no reason why you can’t continue to catch big carp in the winter, but one thing’s for sure – if you get cold on the bank you’ll pack up and retreat to the warmth of your house. And the one big problem with that is you can’t catch carp while you’re sitting staring at your TV in the warm, dry comfort of your home. Good clothing is vital to staying warm, and therefore concentrating on the task in hand while on the bank.

You only need to glance at the shelves in your local tackle shop to get an idea of how much clothing there is on the market. Picking the right gear for you can be a minefield, as not all of it is, shall we say, up to the task. The TC team checked out 15, purpose-made, fishing fleeces to separate the best from the rest.

The Test
Marc Coulson and Jon Bones use, abuse and report back on 15 fleece jackets, all varying in price and performance. Which one takes your fancy?

Berkley Bee Carp Fleece
Colours available: Green/black
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: Showerproof
RRP: £49.99
Contact: Pure Fishing on 0845 0500091

Daiwa Mission All Weather Fleece
Colours available: Camou
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: Yes
RRP: £69.99
Contact: Daiwa on 01698 355723

DAM
Colours available: Red/black
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: No
RRP: £29.99
Contact: Svendsen Sports on 02920 791700

Deerhunter Thunder
Colours available: Realtree Hardwoods Green Green, Black
Sizes available: S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL
Waterproof: Yes
RRP: £65
Contact: www.deerhunter.dk

Fishrite Specialist
Colours available: Olive green
Sizes available: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: No
RRP: £29.99
Contact: Fishrite on 01942 675020

Free Spirit Carpy Fleece Jacket
Colours available: Advantage Timber
Sizes available: Not known
Waterproof: Not known
RRP: Not known
Contact: Free Spirit on 01621 818302

Gardner Smokey Branch
Colours available: Smokey branch
Sizes available: XL, XXL, XXXL
Waterproof: Yes
RRP: £59.99 and £62.99 for the XXXL
Contact: Gardner on 01483 454678

BEST ON TEST
Greys GRX
Colours available: Green/black
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: Water-resistant
RRP: £49.99
Contact: Hardy and Greys on 01665 602771

Heathrow Bait Services
Colours available: Navy blue
Sizes available: M, L, XL XXL
Waterproof: No
RRP: £20 plus p&p
Contact: HBS on 01932 877577

Prologic Thermal Armour Fleece
Colours available: Advantage MAX 4
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL
Waterproof: Yes
RRP: £59.99
Contact: Svendsen Sports on 02920 791700

Scierra Santiago
Colours available: Black, green and grey
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: Yes
RRP: £49.99
Contact: Svendsen Sports on 02920 791700

Shakespeare Fleece Jacket
Colours available: Navy blue
Sizes available: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: Showerproof
RRP: £30
Contact: Shakespeare on 01527 510570

Shimano Tribal
Colours available: Realtree Hardwoods Green
Sizes available: M, L, XL, XXL
Waterproof: No
RRP: £39.99
Contact: Shimano on 01386 425826