Tag Archives: fishing tackle

I trust everyone had an enjoyable Christmas time.  I certainly did but it’s only involved one fishing session, which I’ll mention in my next blog post. Meanwhile, here’s something I found in my drafts folder which I thought I’d posted this a couple of weeks ago. Better late than never, as they say… A quick message to inform you of two recent additions to www.fishingmagic.com; firstly part 2 of my “Alternative Ebro” article is online to read at:  https://www.fishingmagic.com/features/coarse_fishing/specimen_fishing/15601-alternative-ebro-part-two.html Part 2 covers all of the catfish fishing we did with our guide, Carl of Rio Ebro Angling, during the week we spent boat & bank fishing with him at Riba Roja.  I’m told by Carl that since we were there, some of his guests have landed catfish to 164lb, including lure-caught catfish up to 148lb!!! Also, if anyone has a bit of Christmas money to spend on a little bankside/backside comfort for 2012, I recently reviewed the “Stalk-Lite Mk II” reclining chair by Cyprinus for FishingMagic, and rather liked it!  You can read my full review here:  https://www.fishingmagic.com/features/reviews/15584-cyprinus-stalk-lite-chair.html If you’re impressed, you can purchase this chair for less than £30 from Tackle Discounts Online Fishing Tackle Shop online fishing tackle store. That’s all for now …

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Each May marks another year since the demise of Chatsworth Angling Fair; a show which in my eyes was much more than an event. It was an angling institution. Its omission from the year’s angling calendar is a sad loss for our sport. Very rarely are so many angling disciplines showcased in one place together; with Coarse, Match, Sea, Fly, Carp and Predator fishing all strongly represented. I have many fond memories of the Angling Fair, stretching back to when I first attended, aged twelve. Two of us were dropped off nearby, and made our way to the main entrance, where we realised children were only allowed free entry when accompanied by a paying adult. Having saved pocket money for a few months, we didn’t want to “waste” part of it on the entry fee. So, being a bit slimmer in those days, we found an area of fence we could slither beneath, and headed towards the tented village that made up the majority of the fair. What a revelation it was to find row upon row of tackle dealers plying their wares, with bargains to be found wherever you looked! We spent hours perusing the stalls, testing out tackle, …

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Every now and again, a simple but truly innovative product falls through the letterbox for me to review. The concept is such a perfect solution to a recurring problem that it begs the question “Why didn’t I think of that?”! One such product is the SteadyRig, from Essex-based company, Rig Innovations. So what is the SteadyRig? Believe it or not, it’s a product designed for safe and easy positioning of a camp stove or lantern! How I wish this product had been around a few years ago, when I was spending regular night sessions on the drains fishing for zander. So many times I set up my Coleman stove on a frozen, lumpy bankside and managed to partially boil a kettle, only for it to topple and spill my much-needed hot water! The SteadyRig has been designed to fit all popular brands of portable stove. There are ridges machined into the base plate, into which the lip on the base of a stove will locate to prevent it from slipping. Attached to the lightweight base are three adjustable legs, with removable mud feet for use on soft ground. The locking screws the leg adjustment have large-diameter knurled heads, making adjustment …

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What I’ve seen so far from Pro Logic’s new range of predator products, has impressed me. None more than the excellent Deluxe Rig Roll.  It is the biggest advance in pike trace storage that I’ve ever seen. So much so that I doubt I’ll ever buy a traditional “pipe lagging & a comb in a tub”-type rig bin ever again! To attach traces to the rig tube, the standard “inverted hair comb” has been done away with, in favour of slots which are cut into the foam.  These grip the wire trace just below the swivel. They’re a little fiddly to start with, but get easier with practice.  You may wish to improve the design further by using push-pins to secure the swivels instead.  The rest of the trace is wrapped around the tube, as you would with a traditional rig bin. In total, you can store up to 18 standard 2 x treble-hook traces comfortably inside the bin.  I tested with trebles ranging from size 8 to size 2, and it accepted them all with ease. A very worthwhile, practical product with several unique features which make it stand out from all of its rivals.  I have always been …

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The “Smart Float” – Review When I first received the ‘Smart Float’ to review, I must admit I was cynical, but curious. It’s a strange-looking piece of kit, but I love new tackle innovations, so I gave the float a test-run at my pond. The concept is basically a battery-powered LED float designed for night fishing. It has a built-in spring loaded mechanism which changes the colour the LED from green to red when you get a bite! The float is quite large and will cast a very long way but the LED is visible from a great distance, so the float can be used at whatever range you can cast it. Unfortunately, the red LED stays illuminated while ever there is a battery fitted. There is no ‘on/off’ switch which is a bit of a nuisance, because to turn the float off you must open it with the supplied spanner and completely remove the battery (which is included). LEDs themselves have an immense lifespan, so a bonus is that you will never have to ‘change the bulb’ in your float – only the battery. The instructions suggest positioning the float using rubber float stops, but I found these slipped …

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Please note: this article is now quite old. Whilst some of the information is still relevant, the standard and range of travel tackle available to buy has increased exponentially and I haven’t had chance to revisit the article to bring it up-to-date. I continue to host this page mainly for archival reasons. For some of the best current ranges of telescopic rods and travel rods, check out the following ranges: Shimano Travel Concept (S.T.C.) fishing rods Fox Prism Travel Series lure fishing rods Fox EOS Telescopic carp rods Nash Scope Snide travel carp rods Orvis Encounter Spin/Fly Combo – 2 in 1 travel rod Daiwa saltwater travel rods Savage Gear travel rods Travel Fishing Tackle Guide Deciding to take fishing tackle with you on a family holiday can be a potential excuse for divorce! However, if your situation allows, with a little bit of planning and careful purchasing, a lot of great fishing can be enjoyed – whether you’ve got a spare couple of days, or just the odd free hour here and there. The rewards can be excellent – catching exotic species you would never dream of catching at home, or if you’re a coarse angler on a trip …

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