We spotted a hugely insightful post on the official Okuma Blog with regards to the forthcoming release of the excellent Andros 511 reel we recently sighted at the Tackle & Guns Trade Show. This post has confirmed some of findings we highlighted in our recent preview and released a lot more.
Okuma have confirmed that the Andros is a brand new Read the rest of this entry »
As I'm writing this I'm checking the date on my watch... It's far enough away from April 1st for me to continue.
Yes, you read the title correctly. Savage Gear have added a Puffin colour scheme to their range of giant Cutbait Herring soft lures. The over-sized lure immediately attracted my attention when I visited the excellent Svendsen Sport stand at the recent Tackle & Guns Show at Stoneleigh Park. I have to say I initially thought it was a gimmick and a topic of conversation Read the rest of this entry »
Ryobi, the well-regarded tackle giant that sadly disappeared from UK shores in 1998 is set to return once more with the Masterline Walker group (who also house Cortland, Yo-Zuri and Rovex to name a few).
The reason Ryobi retreated was to concentrate on manufacturing high quality fishing tackle for the Japanese market. The good news for us in the UK is that Ryobi will be bringing some of that tackle back with them. We're fans of at least one of their reels - the awesome Ryobi Metaroyal Safari, or to give it its very Asian, full title - the Ryobi Metaroyal 5000 Fishing Safari - so we contacted Masterline who have confirmed that these reels will indeed be available here in the UK.
We've been lucky enough to handle these reels in Australia, Asia and parts of Europe and they are tough. Do a quick trawl of online fishing forums and you'll find some very good remarks about the Metaroyal Safari. This is a heavy-duty spinning reel more traditional suited to tropical styles like deepwater jigging and popping but we're sure it will find its place over here. It features a suitable power gear Read the rest of this entry »
I'm lucky enough to find myself in Greece this September - the best time of year for fish and fishing in this beautiful part of the world. The travel rod remains split down in my suitcase but I've already seen a few hungry looking palegics whilst snorkeling, along with a lone sea bass sat over a bed of eel grass waiting his moment to strike at an injured baitfish. Needless to say I can't wait to get the lure box out.
In the meantime, in between my duties as honourable partner to the ever fish-tolerent Estelle, I console myself by reading a local fishing magazine to get the flavour. I say 'read' lightly as the text may as well be invisible to me - but the pictures are good! The magazine Read the rest of this entry »
A copy of Daiwa's UK 2010 fishing tackle catalogue arrived this morning, much to my delight. For the benefit of those who haven't received one yet I thought I'd walk you through it - starting with 2010 reels.
In terms of reel technology there doesn't appear to be an awful lot of new development for 2010. That's not to say that Daiwa have rested on their laurels this year, but it just appears that they have concentrated on applying their superb, existing technologies further down the range. In summary, there aren't any new developments 
at the top of the tree, but with the likes of Zaion, Real Four, DIGIGEAR and the QD drag already in the lineup, we're already spoilt. A good example of existing technology filtering down through the range this year is the addition of the excellent High Impact Line Clip (HIP Clip) to smaller fixed spools and away from the exclusivity of the bigger carp reels. For those that don't know, this ingenious line clip on the spool features a braid and mono friendly collar behind the clip so it can be used safely as a distance control without the fear of damaging line. It finds its way from the top-flight BASIAIR onto the replacement for the ever popular TD-R Match & Feeder reels - the new TD-X range. This new addition should go down a storm. Read the rest of this entry »
