The 360 Revolution! Joe Carass checks out the latest seatbox development from Preston Innovations – The OnBox 360!I’m going to be honest: I didn’t know what to make of the OnBox 360 when I first saw it. I mean, surely a match angler has to sit on a proper seatbox, right? But then I started to think about it. There are loads of matches that I’ve been on where this box would have made my day more pleasurable. I can think of no end of ‘one rod’ matches where, to be honest, sitting on a normal box for five hours is something of a chore.
Joe Carass takes a close look at a new family of hooks that is already gaining favour with many top anglers on the match circuit… Even though I’m very young (well, compared to editor Dave Harrell) my angling career stretches over more than 18 years, and the original Preston PR range of hooks seems to have been available for as long as I can remember! There were many cult hooks among that range and I’ve had loads of success using several of the various patterns available. They were hugely popular but, as with all things, technologies move on and hooks can be produced nowadays that are even better than when the original range was first produced. So, having used so many of the old PR range I couldn’t wait to see what the lads at Preston had come up with in their new range. It comprises five hook patterns, which is quite a small range, but it complements the existing PR competition range of barbed hooks and the PR eyed range perfectly.
Matt Godfrey takes Preston Innovations’ brand-new Response Carp 16m pole to the bank to tame some surface-lurking monsters!
Last month I had a phone call from Preston Innovations brand manager Scott Geens. Immediately after picking the phone up, I could sense excitement in his voice. “I’ve got something here that you might like, and I’d love you boys to get out on the bank for an exclusive with it. ”
My ears instantaneously pricked up.
It wasn’t until the first week of September that the cat was finally let out of the bag. Joe Carass reviews the hottest pole on the 2016 block – Preston Innovations’ Response M90!The Preston Innovations Response M90 pole is one of the worst best-kept secrets in modern match fishing. Look carefully at any of the Preston consultants’ Twitter or Facebook feeds and there is likely to be a rather nice looking black and silver pole section lurking in there somewhere!We knew it was coming a long time ago but details and specifics were sketchy. It was clear that Preston was trying to get these as fully tested by the consultants as possible, while also being as tight lipped as MI5.
Joe Carass explains why two rods from Preston Innovations have stood the test of time!I remember sorting my kit out for my first-ever trip to White Acres. Filled with excitement, I had asked for advice on the tackle I would need and top of the list was a Preston Innovations Mini 11ft Float rod. Being the keenster that I am, I made sure I bought the rod ready for my first trip to ‘pellet-waggler heaven’, as it was at the time. Needless to say, my first trip there was something of a disaster.
Pole ranges from Sensas have received more than a warm welcome over the last couple of seasons and editor Alex Bones was recently handed a new 445 Carp’X Power to review. Here goes…The 445 is one of the poles from the new Series 5 range, which is centred around using a slightly larger section diameter than Series 4 models such as the popular 774 model. This diameter difference actually increases stiffness and offers better balance, so although the pole is a little heavier it’s remarkably stiff and manageable. But that’s not the best bit… it’s the strength of this mid-priced tool that should be recognised.
We’re in an era when good-quality seatboxes are arriving at our offices every few weeks, so just how good is the new Sensas 700? Joe Carass checked one over to find out… For the past few years Sensas has been trying to make a name for itself in the seatbox market, and several models have been brought out since the company’s first designs. Now, though, I think that a product of a quality synonymous with the Sensas name has finally hit the tackle shops. The 700 box really is the perfect example of what the modern match angler is looking for in a seatbox. It has a modular design so that trays can be added for extra storage, along with a slide-out rig section where anglers can house hundreds of rigs or various other bits and bobs.
This month Joe Carass takes the new mid-priced pole offerings from Sensas out for a little jaunt!Over the years I have used and owned poles from just about all the different manufacturers out there but, I must admit, I have never owned a Sensas model. I have held most of them throughout my time, though, and have always been impressed with what I have seen. My esteemed editor, Alex Bones, and I went tackle testing a few months ago and he put the top-of-the-range Power Match 874 through its paces. It was a lovely bit of kit that is perfect for the UK angler.
You’ve saved up a few quid and are looking for a flagship pole. Naturally you want to make sure you spend your money wisely, so let’s have a look at what Sensas has to offer. Alex Bones fills up the Power Match 874 with gasoline, ready for a test drive…Once famed for little more than brilliant groundbait mixes, Sensas has made some giant leaps forward in recent years, most notably with the introduction of poles. Just as the timeless Lake 3000, Gros Gardons, and Magic mixes found favour with anglers across the globe, so too have the beautifully produced poles.
Sensas is making big inroads into the commercial-fishery bait market and its brand-new range of soft pellets caught the eye of Joe Carass at a recent trade show – he just had to take a closer look. A nglers who fish commercial venues are spoilt for choice! Not only have they got hundreds of venues around the country to fish, they also have hundreds of baits with which to target the fish! There are many brands on the bait market these days and it’s often difficult to gain an edge over other competitors. Sensas has looked at this problem, and it would have been very easy for the company to re-badge some bulk-bought pellets and sell them on. It didn’t want to do this, however, and set out to design a range of soft pellets that would appeal to every angler who visits commercial venues… and that’s where the new commercial-fishery range of soft hooker pellets comes in.
A quality combo! Check out the latest rod-and-reel combo from Shakespeare!There was a time, many years ago, when a Shakespeare rod was the very object of my dreams! I remember as a young 11-year-old walking by the tackle shop on my way to school and looking longingly at the purple blank on the Shakespeare Quo 12ft feeder rod. Of course, the rod was way out of my price range and no matter how hard I saved my pocket money I could never quite get there. That all changed, though, when one Christmas my dad bought me the very rod I had dreamed of, and it is a rod I still own to this day! Every angler in my town used Shakespeare gear and it was the stuff to be seen using. However, it has now been a long time since I have fished with a rod from Shakespeare, so when editor Alex Bones gave me the new Agility 12ft Feeder rod and matching 40FD reel I couldn’t wait to see what they were like.
The Perfect Reel?Joe Carass gives the Shimano Aero Spin reel the once-over… that’s right, a spinning reel for match fishing!You may recall I had the chance to use and review the Shimano Aero Match last year. It is a superb reel and fantastic for all-round match fishing – particularly float fishing. When I was asked to have a look at the Aero Spin I was excited but reluctant to change from the Match. However, two of the Spin models were already in the post and I couldn’t wait to see how they differed from the original.
Alex Bones has a glance at Shimano’s latest marvels – the AR-C Aero CI4+ reels. The first thing that’ll strike you if you get the chance to pick up one of these magnificent pieces of engineering is the weight… or lack of it, more to the point!It’s like an Aero Match that’s been on a leafy-lettuce crash diet. However, the remarkable part is that the CI4+ material that’s used is 250 per cent stronger than Shimano’s already impressive CI4 material, while also being 20 per cent lighter than its XT-7 graphite! While that may all sound like a bunch of letters and numbers there is some real science behind what Shimano has managed to achieve, which, among other benefits, makes it completely impervious to water (even saltwater) and rust. Deriving from the company’s Japanese spinning roots, this is a super high-performance reel designed to rival almost anything out there for float or feeder applications.
Long-reputable tackle giant Shimano has cranked up the torque yet again in the reel department for 2016, with the release of the show-stopping Stradic FK – a flagship match reel with a new no-back-wind concept!The eternal question that is often asked within tackle development is how much better can fishing tackle get? Shimano has always been respected for making quality reels, and year after year new technology is applied to produce something more advanced than ever before. Gracing the shelves of Shimano’s showroom on our recent visit was the brand-new Stradic FK, assured to tickle the taste buds of the country’s tackle aficionados!A new gear concept, known as Hagane Gear, has been applied to this reel, which provides maximum strength and efficiency throughout the tool. On the outside, the aluminium body creates the perfect protection case, within which Shimano’s X-Ship System and shielded A-RB bearings are held. Engineering expertise has been applied to enhance the fish-playing performance this reel offers.
