The Tackle and Gun trade show at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry is a trade-only event where the top manufacturers and distributors from the UK and Europe gather annually to show of their newest and brightest products for release over the next twelve months. The public are usually kept out of the loop at such events but fortunately for you the Incompleat Angler managed to sneak in through a hole in the ceiling to give you all an inside tip on the hottest new tackle for 2016. I’ve chosen a few of my own personal picks for your perusal…
The River Nympher is an intriguing line and one that I look forward to playing with
Leeda/Wychwood had a stand big enough to solve the housing crisis but rather than load it to the rafters they used the space to showcase a smaller number of innovative products throughout their brands and ranges. Alongside their updated luggage and nets the new range of Wychwood Game fly lines stood out, in particular the River Nympher. Designed around the needs of the modern river angler, this line is far more slim than the equivalent weight line and incredibly soft. Capable of delivering dries and nymphs with pinpoint accuracy, the River Nympher looks set to continue the trend for thinner fly lines and more delicate presentations.
The spruced up River & Stream reel is super sexy!
Also on the Wychwood stand was a reel that may look familiar to regular readers of this funny little blog. The Wychwood River & Stream fly reel which I had reviewed previously has been given a face lift for 2016 in what some may regard as a less ostentatious gunmetal grey colour. The team at Wychwood assure me that the design of the reel has been left alone which means that this is still the lightest machined aluminium large arbour reel in the market – it just looks a little more AirWolf and a little less Bullseye…
Super realistic, great action, ultra soft plastic and awesome colours – what’s not to like about the Balt?
The guys from Ecogear had plenty of space to show off their full range of soft plastics, leaving yours truly like a kid in a sweet shop – just a sweet shop where you’re not allowed to buy anything. . . This was the first time I had ever seen their newest range of lures – Balt – and they look awesome! On the market for a few months now, the Balt has been catching big fish all over the world. The large flat paddle tail of the shad creates plenty of vibration and the rapid roll of the body shimmers through the water. The 88mm version looks just the ticket for some canal zander fishing over the winter, They’ll be finding a space in my lure box for sure!
There’s a whole range of Gamakatsu Micro Game hooks and for UK finesse fishing they look perfect
The big news at European giant Spro is that they now distribute the full range of Gamakatsu hooks in the UK. From sz28 spade ends for the coarse angler through to giant 14/0 shark hooks Gamakatsu has a global reputation for producing some of the finest quality hooks on the market. The Micro Game hooks caught my eye – scaled down versions of popular patterns for finesse fishing. The fine wire is of a high carbon steel content and is tougher than you might imagine.
A newcomer in the Mobile Stick stable – the Mini Crank is ideal for light – medium lure anglers who value portability
There’s also a new addition to their range of Mobile 6 – section rods (I love the Mobile Stick Micro Game 80M – check the review here), the Drop Shot/Mini Crank. A 7′ 3-20g casting tool, the Mini Crank has far more guts and power than my Micro Game and will be perfect for throwing hard baits, while retaining enough tip sensitivity for fishing drop-shot or even soft plastics with heads. It’s a pokey tool, I’m not sure it would be at its best at the lower end of its casting weight but from 10-20g this rod will continue to tell you what’s going on at the sharp end throughout your retrieve. Best of all with the Mini Crank is that it packs down to just 38cm, so it’s easilly stowed in the car, backpack or any other place where the Missus won’t find it…
The Spro BBZ-1 Rat – the pike are going to smash these things all over Europe!
The final product from my selection is another one from Spro, something the likes of which I haven’t quite seen before! The Spro BBZ1 Rat is a super realistic hard plastic surface lure which won its category at the prestigious iCast awards show. A two piece jointed lure with a long articulated tail, the BBZ1 Rat can be popped, v-waked on a straight retrieve or fished walk the dog like a jerk bait – it’s a fantastically versatile bait! Available in 13cm, 10cm and 8.3cm this top water lure is a future classic and sure to be one of the hits of next summer – I can’t wait to try these out on all manner of waters and I’ll do so safe in the knowledge that the super sharp Gamakatsu hooks won’t let me down.
So there we have it, a little glimpse in to what will be going on over the next twelve months! I don’t know about you but I think I need to start saving some cash now in time for spring….
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