Gardner Stainless Bug Indicator

How well is it built?

There isn't much to the Bug, and that's a big part of its appeal. The body is machined from stainless steel, so there's no plastic to crack and nothing to rust, and the chain is anti-rust as well.

The line clip is moulded in reinforced nylon, which is made so it won't damage the line and should stand up to years of use.

The body has a milled channel for a glue-fit Betalight, with the Nano taking a 6 x 2mm Nano Bug Betalight and the Mega taking a 10 x 2.5mm Bug Betalight.

That's a neat, flush way of adding night visibility to a metal head, though it's more permanent than a slot you can push an isotope into and pull it out again.

Why isn't it higher than 8.0? It's a simple head, and the O-rings on the clip are the kind of small part that needs replacing over time. To be fair, it's solidly made for what it is, and I think the score is about right.

Sensitivity & Visibility

How sensitive can a stainless head be? It depends what you're fishing for. On tight lines at long range, a heavy head is exactly what you want, because it keeps tension on the line, so a drop-back pulls it down and a take lifts it positively. That's the whole idea behind the Bug.

The flip side is that a heavy metal head isn't the most sensitive choice for short-range, slack-line fishing, where a light bobbin like the Sonik Gizmo Litez Bob is a better match.

The extended antennae on the clip grip the line, so it stays put, but the Bug is still a tight-line indicator first and foremost.

Visibility is the other reason it scores 8.0. A stainless body doesn't stand out by day the way a bright coloured head does, especially against a grey sky or dark water, although a Betalight in the milled channel shows it up well at night.

Overall, it's a specialist head that's spot on for its job.

Ease of Use

So, how easy is it to use? Pretty easy, as it's about as simple as an indicator gets. The chain hangs beneath the alarm, the line goes into the clip and the weight of the head does the rest, with no batteries, no jack plug and no extra weights to add or take off.

The dual-position clip gives you two settings for the line, and choosing between the Nano and the Mega is really the only other decision you have to make.

That comes down to how far out you're fishing and how tight you set your lines, with the Mega the obvious pick for the heaviest setups.

The one fiddly job is fitting a Betalight, as it's a glue-fit in the milled channel rather than a quick push-in. You only do that once, though, and I think the 8.5 reflects a head that's very easy to live with afterwards.

Is it good value for money?

This is a sensible buy for the money. It's one of the cheaper indicators you'll find with a machined stainless body, and for that you get a head that should last for years, a reinforced nylon clip and an anti-rust ball chain.

There are no electronics to fail and nothing to replace beyond the odd O-ring.

Next to the Fox Black Label Dinky Halo Bobbins, it's the plainer choice, with no LED, but it's heavier and made for tight lines at distance. The Sonik Gizmo Litez Bob is a lighter, adjustable head that suits short to medium range better, so the two do quite different jobs.

I'd recommend the Stainless Bug Indicator to carp anglers who fish long range on big pits and open waters with tight lines, whether or not they use back leads. Choose the Mega for the heaviest setups and the Nano if you want a smaller, lighter head.