Matrix Quad Pole Rollers
With their four legs splayed out, these Matrix Quad Rollers are all but impossible to topple. Add to that roller ends which can be turned inwards, to stop the pole being blown off the ends, and you have two of the best hassle-free pole rollers on the market.
Avid Carp Bait & Bits Boxes
These excellent boxes come in four sizes and have a multitude of uses. The large and XL versions have removable inners, making them ideal for glugging, flavouring or drying baits.
The smaller containers are ideal for lead storage, althoough their sealed waterproof lids make them perfect for your bankside tea, coffee or sugar too. They fit perfectly inside Avid’s latest Tuned Luggage system.
NGT Drop Shot Kits
Just in from NGT are these two Drop Shotting Kits.
Ideal for the novice lure angler, you have a choice of four 5cm or 7cm lures in various colours, 5g or 7g weights, and two pre-tied ready rigs on 8lb line to a size 4 barbed hook (or 10lb line to size 2 barbed hook).
Both options come on handy foam winders.
Woodgrain Tackle floats
These beautiful floats are meticulously crafted by Chris Snaydon of Woodgrain Tackle, using natural materials such as bulrushes and quills. Whipping thread decorates each tip section, while a photo-luminous vinyl makes them glow in the dark once charged with an LED light. Much more than just collectors’ items, the full range covers virtually any floatfishing situation.
Info: Go to www.facebook.com/groups/woodgraintackle for more information and pricing.
The Knot Tying Bible, Colin Jarman
Every angler should have one of these. This brilliant little book is a practical reference to tying more than 60 of the most commonly used knots, bends and hitches.
Full of clear step-by-step illustrations, each knot is organised by its physical properties rather than its technical name, making it quick and easy to find the best knots for the job at hand: www.fireflybooks.com
Daiwa Tournament Pre-Tied Drop-Shot Rigs
Daiwa’s Tournament pre-tied Drop-shot Rigs offer the lure angler an excellent and convenient ‘quick fix’. The Fine Finesse versions feature fine wire hooks and are ideal for smaller lures in a fixed position.
The WOS (Wide Offset Dropshot) rigs use an innovative knot and whipping arrangement to create a system that allows the hook to be moved without damaging the line.
Both types are tied to 120cm of quality monofilament, in hook sizes 2 to 3/0 and on 0.20mm to 0.35mm lines.
WOS Rigs £3.99
Fine Finesse Rigs £2.99
E-S-P Zig & Floater Mono
This clear, semi-buoyant mono is ideal as a hooklink material for all zig rig and floater fishing situations. Featuring a fine diameter to knot strength ratio, it is tough and durable, with just the right amount of stretch to make it perfect for combining with smaller hooks. It has superb knot tying qualities, with optimum strengths achievable when using carefully tied five-turn Grinner or Palomar knots.
Available on 100m spools in 8lb (0.23mm), 10lb (0.26mm) and 12lb (0.28mm).
Price: £4.95
E-S-P Mini Butt Grips
Designed to fit carp rod butts with shrink tube, cork or Duplon handles, these new E-S-P Mini Butt Grips come in small, medium and large sizes. They have machined stainless steel screw fittings with Rubberoid cups made from specially formulated polymers that give optimal fit, grip and release. In use they are neat, tidy and very unobtrusive, yet they provide a vice-like grip to prevent rod movement, and release quickly and easily when a rod is picked up.
Price: £3.45
E-S-P Tungsten Loaded Coated Braid 20lb+ Soft
Tried and tested by big-carp legend Terry Hearn, this matt camo coated braided hooklink material has a tungsten coating that helps to pin it to the lakebed. It’s easily stripped and, impressively, it can be straightened out without the need for steaming. The super-strong Dyneema core has achievable knot strength of over 30lb.
The Soft version is perfect for subtle presentations using small boilies, plastics, nuts and balanced or buoyant baits. There is also a Semi-stiff version that is rigid enough to push the hookbait away from the lead, ideal for use with hinged stiff rigs. Both types come in muted camo Weedy Green, Camo Brown and Choddy Silt colours, supplied on 10m spools that fit most tackle boxes.
Price: £8.95 per spool
Drennan Slimline 2-Rod Hard Case
This latest Rod Hard Case is a practical and efficient means of carrying up to two ready made-up rods. The Short (160cm) version is ideal for standard three-piece rods and 10ft two-piece rods, while the Long (196cm) case takes most two-piece rods up to 12ft long.
Like all new Drennan luggage it is made from tough, semi-rigid EVA which gives extra protection to valuable rods. It features a padded central divider and additional internal pockets for quivertips and spool storage.
Usefully, you can also attach two Slimline 2-Rod Hard Cases to the outside of the 4-6 Full Zip Rod Holdall as well as the 6-8 Tube Rod Holdall. The Slimline 2 comes with two sets of neoprene rod-retaining straps.
Price: Short £36.95, Long £39.95
Drennan AS5 pole floats
The versatile AS5 Pencil, latest in the Alan Scotthorne Signature range of pole floats, offering little resistance to shy-biting fish.
The AS5 can be used with practically any hookbait as its slim profile cuts through the water cleanly on the strike. A top-grade balsa body is protected by an acrylic shell.
The carbon stem is bonded into the body, while a 1.5mm hollow Glow Tip is reinforced with a fibreglass spigot. The blackened stainless steel spring eye is double wound to avoid line becoming trapped or pinched. In eight sizes from 0.1g up to 1g.
Drennan Non-Slip Specialist Crook Rest
This Specialist Crook Rest is made from a non-slip rubberised material and one side is higher than the other, which helps to hold the rod securely in place against strong currents and winds.
This style lends itself well to Method feeder tactics, as the rod-tip can be pulled around without being displaced. Always strike up and away from the raised side.
Smooth contours and an extra-deep slot stop the line being trapped, and for touch legering the line runs freely through it. In black or green.
Drennan Specialist Wing rest
The traditional wing rod rest head is an angling classic, secure and trouble-free. This new
screw-in Drennan version, made from a non-slip polymer material, has smooth contours and an extra-deep slots that greatly
reduces the likelihood of the line getting accidentally trapped. The free-flow slot makes this rest ideal for touch legering or use with butt fitted indicators. In black or green.
Preston Innovations Absolute Station Black Edition seatbox
The flagship of the 2016 seatbox range, the Absolute Black Edition is the ultimate box in terms of storage space, functionality, practicality and strength.
The sturdy construction and modular configuration have gained many admirers and it is already the box of choice for top anglers including Des Shipp, and Lee Kerry.
With a lower, more squat profile than many boxes, the Black Edition looks impressive and when you sit on one, it doesn’t take long to work out that you’ve invested in something very special.
It’s built around an aluminium frame with 30mm legs (two packing internal threads for accessories), each with ergonomic handwheels. As well as Prestons’ new Captive internal system on the telescopic legs and large flexible mudfeet, there’s a removable covered footplate that can be locked in any position you wish, with Triple Start handwheels for ease of assembly. There’s also a water-resistant seat cover to keep things clean and tidy.
The upper section of the box has a deep side drawer, winder tray with winders and a concealed front drawer on top of three hooklength boxes. Under the box mainframe on runners is a module that comes as standard with two winder trays, supplied with 26cm and 18cm pole winders plus a lid and handle.
Maver UFO X6 Seatbox
After the great success of last year’s four-legged S4 UFO box, Maver got their thinking caps on to produce more boxes in the range but at a price within range of most pleasure, club and open match anglers. The result has been the UFO X6.
Made from the same aircraft-grade aluminium as the S4, the new UFO is surprisingly light (it weighs just 13.5kg when empty) for a box carrying so much storage. The key difference you’ll notice immediately is that the X6 has six, rather than four, legs, making it rock-solid.
Available in Green or the very popular Mango colour, the X6 is missing the bells and whistles of the S4, namely the side tray, bump bar, and umbrella and keepnet arms, but it’s still a highly impressive system that can be added to from the vast range of Maver accessories.
Boasting a free flow industrial-strength sliding cassette beneath the box and fully adjustable mudfeet, the seating position can be set precisely on all terrains thanks to the fully height-adjustable frame and the four round 30mm anodised telescopic legs and two round 30mm anodised accessory legs.
Maver’s state-of-the-art clip system gives you access to the box from both front and back, as well as helping to prevent accidental damage.
In terms of storage, there are two sliding front drawers with partitions, a winder tray for pole rigs and a built-in deep base unit to cater for metalware and other bigger bulky tackle items. To this you can then add extra S4 units for more trays or perhaps a cross drawer, depending on your preference.
The pole seat is anti-memory in two colours with a pole safety strap to help when fishing long in windy conditions.
Matrix Super 36 Seatbox
In a short space of time, Matrix, the match angling arm of Fox International, has built up an impressive portfolio of boxes, including last year’s hugely popular Silver edition of the Super Box. For 2016, two new models will spearhead the New Year, topped by the deluxe Super 36.
Built around a similar lightweight aluminium mainframe, with the same gunmetal finish and tough high-impact back panel as used in the original Matrix Superbox 1, the new 36 retains the same proven Matrix clip system and interchangeable drawer units. These can be added both above and below the mainframe, thus allowing the height of the box, to be tailored to suit your individual needs.
The real innovation, though, comes in the form of the box’s six wide-diameter 36mm legs which have been constructed with 25mm telescopic inners. These give the 36 an impressive rock-solid stability on any type of terrain.
Sliding underneath the chassis is a no-nonsense chunky non-slip footplate, and all fittings are of the new snag-free variety. However, it’s what’s in the mainframe that will be of most interest.
Starting at the top, the 36 features a padded pole seat complete with retaining strap and a padded carry strap, plus a built-in spirit level.
Underneath this is the upper storage module consisting of a deep cross drawer, while below the frame is a 90mm deep unit for big tackle items.
Daiwa Tournament X 250 Seatbox
The Tournament X 250, Daiwa’s new box for 2016, has seen input from top match anglers William Raison and Steve Ringer. They bring the angling public a set-up that’s just as mouth-watering as the eagerly-awaited Tournament 500 was last year – but at a cheaper price.
It’s built around Daiwa’s rock solid ‘X’ bridge support system and aluminium frame, There’s no skimping on trays and drawers to carry all that you need. Every part of the detachable top and bottom modules features the clever OTC (one touch clip) system as standard to allow for ease of access and interchanging to suit your requirements.
In the top module you’ll find a single cross drawer with a shallow winder tray above, and 30 pole winders in two sizes are supplied with the box to get you up and running. This all sits below a comfortable pole seat with retaining strap and an adjustable padded carry strap.
Sliding on a rail beneath is the lower ‘cassette’ module that packs a deep central drawer unit measuring 22cm x 26cm x 4.5cm with side spaces for larger accessories. You’ll also find a trio of 20mm modular trays with an internal depth of 17mm, plus the base layer and lid.
There’s a super strong, non-slip sliding footplate that retracts underneath the box body. The six 25mm telescopic legs feature large mudfeet and compact handwheels with Daiwa’s no mark function.
You can also take your pick of colours, as the box is available in blue-and-black or red-and-black.
Tronix Rockfish HTO Ultrabraid
THIS four-strand braid is highly resistant to abrasion, ideal for fishing by man-made structures. Its zero stretch factor and super-thin breaking strain to diameter ratio mean that you will feel every knock.
Price: £10 per 100m spool
Korda Chod Safe rig storage
The rig box design team at Korda have certainly been busy. This new Chod Safe will safely hold all your chod hooklinks.
There’s a section for carrying up to three leadcore leaders (or similar) and in total it will hold up to 28 rigs.
A unique pop-out handle allows you to steam hooklinks into a perfect curve, and it doubles as a compartment to hold the pins. It takes both short and long rigs.
Price: £18.99
Scratching the Surface by Paul Garner
‘Scratching the Surface’ brings to life the eventful career to date of top big-fish angler and writer Dr Paul Garner.
The 320 pages and 43 chapters cover the last 30 years of Paul’s specimen fishing which has seen him land some of the most sought-after fish in the UK. From his early days of pond-dipping, to becoming a teen carp addict, and later adventures spent both at home and abroad in search of monsters in both fresh and saltwater, the book is far more than just a compendium of angling tales – it also covers Paul’s academic studies of freshwater fisheries and a career in the fishing tackle industry.
All books can be supplied signed and dedicated with the text of your choice.
Price: £30 www.drpaulgarner.co.uk
