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.
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. Continue reading “Daiwa Catalogue 2010 – Daiwa Reels [part 1]”
Although Molix is not a brand all too familiar here in the UK it is one I am familiar with. You can’t help but notice their first-class lures if you pick up a European fishing magazine like ‘Loup & Bar’ in France or ‘PescaMar’ in Spain. The French especially are Sea Bass fanatics and they’ve certainly been bitten by the ‘cooler’ side of sea angling – including the tackle. There’s an obsession for quality lures but they’re not entirely reliant on Japanese brands, with a keen eye for European brands. Molix are one of those brands. I’m not sure why the tiny English channel proves to be such an obstacle in the United Kingdom – I for one look forward to the influx of quality European fishing tackle, especially the lures. 
One of the highlights of the T&G show was the Pure Fishing stand featuring such giants as ABU Garcia, Berkley, Mitchell, Shakespeare, JRC and Penn – the list goes on – all featured a number of great products for 2010. Of particular interest to me, was that Penn had added two new ranges of top-end fixed-spool spinning reels, both suited to sea or any heavy duty angling. Announcing the imminent arrival of the new Conquer and the range we’ll look at now, the impressive Torque!
One of the most attractive stands at the show, and as ever filled with quality products was that of Snowbee. 2009 has proved to be the best year yet for Snowbee’s 25 years in business. The success is reported to be due to ranging quality, innovative products that are sensibly priced and supported by great service and supply.