Fishing Tackle Reviews

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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I’m writing this post as a showing of gratitude to Fox customer services.  It’s easy to criticise companies when they get it wrong, so I think when good service is received it’s worth praising. I had a major issue with a set of Fox Stalker digital scales (until the faults, I’d been very impressed with their quality and operation) which I’d bought back in January 2009.  They were technically out of their warranty period but these were not cheap scales and they had suffered what appeared to be a complete mechanical failure which rendered them useless.  Due to the nature of the fault I was requested to post the scales back to Fox for further investigation, last week.  Yesterday morning, I received a parcel in the post which contained a brand-new set of Stalker scales!  There were no quibbles whatsoever and I am very pleased with this outcome and the quality of customer service I received.  I think this offers peace of mind when looking for other big-ticket items in the future. UPDATE Although I couldn’t fault Fox’s customer service, unfortunately I can fault the Stalker scales. The replacement set lasted me a couple of seasons and then failed with the very same fault! …

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I’ve been lucky enough to receive a couple of products from outdoor gear manufacturer Sealskinz, to try out for fishing.  I have owned their products before, which use a unique waterproof membrane to offer the wearer excellent resilience to the elements.  My Sealskinz gloves have been used for everything from raft racing to caving and I’ve always been highly impressed by their function and performance. I wear Sealskinz socks whenever I fish and they even keep my feet warm & dry inside my very leaky waders. My foot can be completely surrounded by water, but remain dry and comfortable enough to fish on!  The new products I was trying out for fishing were a winter Beanie Hat and a pair of Country Socks, both incorporating Sealskinz’ patented waterproof, breathable membrane. Sealskinz Waterproof Country Socks On first inspection, the country socks seemed a little on the thin side, but once I put them on I realised the benefits of their knee-height merino wool construction.  They are surprisingly warm!  They also feature an over-sized woolly cuff and are seamless all the way up to reduce blister-causing pressure points.  At the end of a Winter session my feet are usually a damp mess, …

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As I write this entry, Derbyshire – along with much of the UK – is in the midst of snowy weather so severe that even the most ardent Toyota Prius driver must be wishing they’d bought a “gas guzzling” 4×4 instead! I would be surprised if many anglers are venturing out at the moment because this kind of prolonged cold period can turn most fish completely off the feed. Get ready once it warms up though (after the cold snow melt water has flushed out of the system) and you could be in for some action with very hungry fish! Without expecting anything like this weather approaching us, I managed to time it right and fished just a few days before the snow fell. I’d been lucky enough to receive a couple of products from outdoor gear manufacturer Sealskinz, to try out for fishing. I have owned their products before, which use a unique waterproof membrane to offer the wearer excellent resilience to the elements. My Sealskinz gloves have been used for everything from raft racing to caving and I’ve always been highly impressed by their function. The new products I was trying out for fishing were a winter Beanie …

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Firstly, I have to say it was great to just get a few days out on the bank at last!  For me, 4 full days fishing out of 14 is quite rare (if only it wasn’t!), and I managed to actually relax into the fishing; not so-much-so that I wasn’t thinking about what I could do to improve my chances (which, incidentally, I mainly concluded was very little!), but enough to actually enjoy just being there. So, on to what I actually did…  I had two days fishing for perch on the rivers before they closed which – I suppose due to a combination of the size prospects at this time of year, the fact that most of my winter fishing revolves around toothier predators and also because perch are one of my favourite species – has become a bit of a tradition for me over the last few years. So far an unsuccesful tradition, but this year had to be different. For starters, last season I baited up a swim to return to later only to find upon my return that another angler had taken that peg (which there is nothing wrong with, it was only through satisfying my …

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King of the Pond Terminal Tackle Range Reviewed by Andrew Kennedy I’ve recently been sent a new range of terminal tackle to review from a company called “King of the Pond”.  The company claims to focus on providing quality and value-for-money in its products, and based on the ones I’ve seen so far, I cannot dispute those claims in the slightest!  On the whole, the rig components are thoughtfully designed and of a very high quality.  I have briefly described and reviewed them individually, below… Swivels All of the King Of the Pond swivels are of exceptional quality. They are all extremely well finished off, with no visible joints or seams and no sharp edges. The swivels are also very smooth-spinning and very strong. There are four different styles of swivel available in the range; Rolling Barrel Swivels (£1.65 for 50), Quick-Change Link Swivels (£1.99 for 10), Quick-Change Helicopter/Chod Swivels (£1.99 for 10) – all of which are available in size 8, feature a matt anti-glare finish, have a breaking strain of 65lb and are compatible with their range of lead clips & buffer beads – and Micro Swivels (£1.25 for 20). The rolling swivels are the perfect all-round swivel …

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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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