Fishing Tackle Reviews

I should have written a review for Leatherman multi-tools many years ago! I’ve owned numerous ones over the years, from my first Super Tool in the mid-nineties to the Crunch, Wave and Charge models. The only time I’ve needed to buy a new one is when I’ve lost one (such as when I threw one into the River Don, with a handful of maggots!) or if I quite fancy the features on a new or upgraded model (when they updated the Wave to include interchangeable driver bits, this was a gamechanger I couldn’t miss out on!). Perhaps because a multi-tool isn’t fishing tackle per-se – it’s something that’s just really useful to have with you on fishing trips – I hadn’t thought to review them. Needless to say, after the years of service they’ve given me I’m perhaps a little biased towards Leatherman tools. Just as I am toward Snap-On when it comes to ratchets, spanners & screwdrivers. I can rely on them, so I value them dearly. At work I’m a bit of a Jack of all trades, I’m a glutton for DIY and in general I’m a tinkerer! If something breaks my instinct is to fix it and …

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I’ve used Ultima Power Steel for 12+ years. In short, I think it’s absolutely fantastic stuff for all legering & feeder fishing, from carp & barbel to predators; by far the best mainline I’ve ever used. It’s clear, very abrasion resistant, has low memory and a very low stretch for nylon line. Power Steel used to be marketed as a coarse & carp mainline but it’s now sold as a sea and predator line. It’s still the same stuff on the spool though! I can’t fathom why it’s no longer pushed towards specimen anglers. With the properties it has, it’s ideal. For the first few years I used Power Steel purely for hooklinks – predominantly for barbel and perch – I was really impressed with how tough it was. I had previously experienced many breakages of mono, braid and fluorocarbon hooklinks when fishing for barbel – especially around snags. It was the part of my set up I had least faith in so I chopped and changed regularly, hoping I’d find something I could trust. After reading good things about Power Steel (back when it was still marketed towards coarse & specimen anglers) and, being familiar with the Ultima brand …

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The Warrior range of carp tackle from Fox International has long been associated with combining great features with exceptional value for money.  They have been immensely popular and successful rods for Fox, who have released several generations of Warrior rods over the years.  Despite Warriors being used by thousands of anglers, I had never actually used one!  Fox made my favourite-ever specimen rods (a pair of Zandermasters), so when I was offered the chance to use & review a selection of the limited edition Warrior+ (that’s Warrior PLUS) range, I was eager to see if they lived up to their legendary status.  These striking 12 foot Fox Warrior+ carp rods – exclusive to Tackle Fanatics – are finished with a full cork handle.  The blank – the same one used in Warrior S rods – comes in at 3.25lb test curve.  It’s made from low resin carbon and has a beautiful matt finish.  To further enhance the quality finish the rod has a classy anodised aluminium butt cap, etched with the Fox logo. I personally prefer a full handle over an abbreviated one and, even with wet hands, cork does seem to offer a little more grip than Duplon.  So …

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The Warrior range of carp tackle from Fox has long been associated with combining great features with exceptional value for money.  Warrior rods and other hardware have been immensely popular and successful for Fox, over the years.  So when I was offered the chance to use & review a selection of the limited edition Warrior+ (that’s Warrior PLUS) range, I was eager to see if these could live up to their legendary status. In this review I’ll look at the 42 inch Warrior+ landing net, designed for landing carp and specimen fish.  My first impression when I put the net together was that it’s extremely light.  This is thanks to its all-carbon handle and arms. The one-piece handle is a good thickness and, although lightweight, seems very strong.  At the butt end it features a subtle matt grip and a handy Duplon butt cap, which not only helps the handle bounce when dragged along the ground (as opposed to making the hideous scraping noise of handles with metal butt caps when they’re dragged) but it also helps stop the net slip from between your legs when resting it in the water whilst playing a fish.  At the head end you’ll …

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The Warrior range of carp tackle from Fox has long been associated with combining great features with exceptional value for money.  They have been immensely popular and successful rods for Fox, who have released several generations of Warrior rods over the years.  Despite Warriors being used by thousands of anglers, I had never actually used one!  Fox made my favourite-ever specimen rods (a pair of Zandermasters), so when I was offered the chance to use & review a selection of the limited edition Warrior+ (that’s Warrior PLUS) range, I was eager to see if they lived up to their legendary status. This is the Warrior+ “S&M” rod.  No, it’s not a sado-masochistic torture device!  S&M, in this case, stands for Spod & Marker.  This is a beefy rod, at 12 feet in length and with a test curve of 4.5lb.  A solid reel seat sits above a fully shrink-wrapped handle which isn’t merely a thin layer of plastic; it is slightly spongy to touch, with the feel of Duplon, and it gets thicker towards the butt which aids grip when casting hard.  The S&M is ringed with 5 x double-legged Fox Slik rod rings, spaced for distance casting, plus an …

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2017 UPDATE!!! Unfortunately Korum discontinued their 42 inch Latex Mesh triangular nets some years ago (despite still selling their excellent Latex Mesh spoon nets and – new in 2018 – Snapper Folding Latex Pike Spoon), but as it is still the best pike fishing landing net I’ve ever used, I kept the review online in the hope that it spreads the word about the many benefits of Latex mesh for pike in particular. I regularly receive emails from frustrated anglers who are looking for a similar pike net with latex mesh. In fact, with the amount of contact I receive on the subject, I think Korum are missing out on some serious business.  The problem is, they never marketed it as a pike net, so not many pikers were aware it existed!  As much as I like using Korum tackle – I think they sell some well made, innovative gear – I have been secretly hoping that a competitor will fill the gap Korum left when they stopped making their triangular nets with Latex Mesh. Angling friends, I’m pleased to say that day has arrived!… Firstly, I was emailed by a chap called Ray who had become so frustrated by …

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I spotted this gizmo on a banner advert on the PAC website and one look was all I needed to know I had to try one out.  Wobbling for pike is great fun and on the right day very productive, but it can also be frustrating due to the number of lost and destroyed baits from simply casting and retrieving.  I’ve experimented with different methods of attaching baits to make them stay on longer but the best I’ve ever come up with involved threading a wire loop in through the mouth, out through the gill flap, straight through the flank and then back through the gills on out through the mouth.  It worked but it was as long-winded, fiddly and time consuming as it sounds to rig up!  So when I saw the concept of the Peak Pike Wobbler Rig, it seemed so intuitive that I couldn’t help but think the old cliché, “Why didn’t I think of that?”! The wobbler rig comes complete with everything needed for a snag-proof, effective method of wobbling deadbaits.  The only thing you need to add is a treble hook on a stinger wire, to your own requirements. The rig comprises a couple of …

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An informative talk-through video showing the key features of the Cyprinus XLR8 lightweight carp fishing bivvy: Do you have any tackle items you’d like me to review? If so, please get in touch with details.

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An informative talk-through video showing the key features of the Cyprinus bivvy overwrap, the Breathable Winter Skin for the Cyprimax carp fishing bivvy: Do you have any tackle items you’d like me to review? If so, please get in touch with details.

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An informative talk-through video showing the key features of the Cyprinus Cyprimax breathable carp fishing bivvy: Do you have any tackle items you’d like me to review? If so, please get in touch with details.

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