Product Review

Bloke Rod SLP 9'9 10 WT
Bloke rod   Are you man enough to handle a bloke?     It has finally happened; I have fallen for a Bloke!       Don’t worry folks, my passion for the opposite sex is still intact. The bloke I am talking about is a Bloke Rod designed and built in the UK by Mick Bell. I first heard about these rods after joining the Pike Fly Fishing Association last year. Chatting with Glenn Drennan, the PFFA secretary for Northern Ireland, I happened to mention th...

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Abu Rocket Lures
Rocket Lure Range Abu Garcia Rocket Jerk Lure 46g 108mm Suspending After the success of the Rocket minnow range, and to compliment this successful lure, Abu Garcia have released the full Rocket selection. These include the Rocket Jerk, the Rocket Popper, the Rocket River and the Rocket Lipless.      The Rocket series has been built to out-perform the existing wobblers, with a weight transfer design that allows amazing and accurate casting. All lures have additional internal r...

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Penn Fathom 4/0
Penn Fathom 4/0 Penn Fathom Levelwind Boat Fishing Reel Full Metal Body Powerful Clutch Unfortunately I am not able to put the Penn Fathom through its paces in tropical climes, bending into GT’s and Bronze Whalers, but I can still test its metal in the deep fast waters of the North Channel, Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland. The fish here aren’t exactly huge, unless of course you run into a tug of war with one of our Common Skate!   However, anchored in 500 feet of water with ...

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Abu Rocket Jerk-Baits
Abu Garcia Rocket Jerk Bait Abu Rocket Jerk 11cm 46 gram Pike Jerkbait Plug Lure Assorted Colours First impressions are that these jerk-baits are well constructed with extremely sharp, quality treble hooks attached. There are ten great looking colours in the range, some matt but most are “blingy” and metallic in appearance. They all come in one weight category of 46g and at a length of 11cms.   With no information as to how they are constructed internally, apart from the o...

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Penn Powerstix Pro 12-20lb Class
Penn Powerstix Pro 12-20 class When I chose this four-piece boat rod from the extensive range available in the Penn catalogue, my assumption was that being in the 12-20 lb class it would be ideally suited to target Pollack over off-shore reefs. However, once the rod arrived, it was immediately apparent why it bears the name “Powerstix”.     I was hoping for a rod that gave Pollack a chance to show off their incredible fighting ability, but I am afraid this particular mo...

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Penn Affinity 7000 Series
Penn Affinity 7000 LC Series Penn Affinity LC 8000 Spinning Reel-30lb/330yds - Black The Penn Affinity reels are produced in two sizes, the 7000 model with line capacity of 295 yards of 30lb B/S and the larger 8000 version that has a capacity of 330 yards of 30lb B/S. I opted for the 7000 version back in January of this year, and once they arrived, couldn’t wait to put them through they’re paces.   Affinity drag system keeping this Carp away from the island snags My first o...

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Penn Sargus Spinning Reel
Penn Sargus Penn Sargus 7000 Reel Including Spare Spool - 450yds, 15 lb The Sargus is a superb, tough yet light weight spinning reel from Penn. It features five stainless steel bearings and a rotor bearing for silky smooth operation, plus a corrosion resistant aluminium alloy body. The front drag knob is sealed to prevent water or sand intrusion, with fine adjustment for that perfect drag setting.   Other key features include Penn’s techno-balanced rotor, a non-twist line roller ...

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Shakespeare Agility 12ft Barbel Rod
This is just a quick blog from the week-end. Took the two Shakespeare Agility Barbel rods out again, looking for a “lunker” perch to put a bend in one or both of them. I thought the weather had improved from the recent bout of snow and easterly winds. The snow has gone, thank goodness, but the biting easterlies remain persistent. The breeze would cut you in two, but thankfully, the brolly gave some amount of respite.     This time, I teamed the rods with an old pair of C...

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Shakespeare Mach 2 XT
Mach 2 XT, 12ft two piece   I fancied the look of the Shakespeare XT Specimen rod the last time I picked it up at the Pure Fishing trade show down in Dublin. Its 2lb test curve lends itself well as a very versatile rod that looks like it may be able to cover a wide range of angling needs, especially to an angler such as myself who regularly jumps across the angling disciplines and species.   It is described as a powerful blank that takes over from the Barbel version when heavier li...

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Shakespeare Agility Barbel Specimen Rod
Winter Perching with the  Shakespeare Agility Barbel Rod - Black, 12 Ft Unlike some coarse fish in UK and Irish waters, Perch will continue to feed through the bitter winter months, albeit a little slower than the spring-summer season.  They are therefore, a viable target species if you are willing to brave the “cut you in two” easterlies and icy rain! Don’t worry about the cold though; the sight of a specimen Perch safely in the landing net will warm the hands of ...

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