Fishing Tackle Essentials

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:48:30 +0000

The right fishing tackle is essential if you want to catch fish. Here at John Norris we’re all experienced anglers, and know what sort of fishing tackle you should be looking at.

Here’s what you need to think about.

1. Fishing rod
Your fishing rod is probably the most important item of fishing tackle, and so you’ll want to get it right. Whether you’re fishing in a lake, or river, or looking for a budget, or premium fishing rod, you’ll want to make sure that you get it right first time.

2. Fishing line
Your fishing line needs to be capable of holding the fish that you’ll be catching so you should always purchase a high quality line from a leading brand.

3. Fishing reel
Your fishing reel doesn’t have to be the most expensive, the most advanced or the lightest, but it does have to work well. If your fishing reel isn’t as good as it used to be, or you’re setting up a different rod, why not buy a new reel too?

4. Fishing flies
The rest of your fishing tackle is useless without the right fishing flies. You’ll want to make sure that you have the right sort of flies for the fish you’re catching, where you’re fishing and the time of year. Why not have a go at fly tying too?

5. Brands
You might already have some fishing brands in mind. Here at John Norris we stock the leading brands, including Hardy, Greys, Sage, Abu Garcia, Daiwa, Loop, Scott Mackenzie, Shakespeare fishing rods and reels, Cortland, Rio and Scientific Anglers Lines, and clothing from Barbour, Snowbee, Simms and more.

6. Fishing clothing
Staying warm and dry is important, as you’ll be outside for a long time. If your jacket isn’t waterproof, or your hands always get cold, perhaps now is the time to buy some better fishing clothing.

7. Fishing boots
You’ll need to make sure that you don’t slip on the wet banks, so having the right footwear is important. You might go for wellington boots, fishing boots, or waders.

8. Fishing box
Keeping the small items of your fishing safe and well organised in a fishing box is recommended, so that you don’t lose things, and so that you always know where they are when you need them.

9. Fishing bag
A fishing bag helps to keep your fishing tackle together, so that you’re not hunting round the house for things, or worse, likely to forget something important when you go fishing.

10. Value for money
No matter what items of fishing tackle you need, you’ll want to get the right product at the right price. No matter whether you’re new to fishing and looking at a budget fishing reel, or an experienced angler looking for the latest high end fishing rod, you’ll want to know that you’re getting value for money. Here at John Norris, we’ve got many years experience, and fantastic products, and the knowledge to help you to buy the fishing tackle you need.

Find out more by browsing our fishing tackle section, or by calling us on 01768 864211 today.

Fishing Reels

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:19:58 +0000

Fishing reels have been used in England since about 1650, but if our seventeenth century forefathers could see what technological innovation has become available to us 21st century inhabitants, they’d scream ‘witchcraft!’ (or go day-glo green with pure envy). As we know, fishing reels employ a spool mounted on an axel to deploy and retrieve the fishing line; but there, many similarities end. A seventeenth century angler would have little knowledge of high-tech drag mechanisms, which apply variable pressure to the revolving spool to slow it down (contemporary drag technology always slips the forces below the line’s snapping point whilst placing maximum ‘drag’ on the fish, tiring it to the point where it almost begs to be grilled or pan-fried).

The Lamson Litespeed Reel could easily earn the title of the daddy of fishing reels, even though it’s firmly in the mid-price range (currently available from John Norris at between £250 and £375, depending on model). It’s a top quality reel, with a drag system completely sealed to the elements (including saltwater) and absolutely zero maintenance. There is virtually no start-up torque to the drag, and you can change from right to left hand retrieve by simply unscrewing the cap, flipping the clutch, and re-screwing the drag cap. The Litespeed is machined from barstock aluminium in the US, and for a large arbor fishing reel it’s amazingly light with no compromise to its strength.

Moving on to a veritable Rolls Royce amongst fishing reels, however, you might find yourself swooning before the stunning Abel Super Series QC Reels and Spools. ‘QC’ stands for ‘Quick Change’ and literally years of development have gone into the making of this range. All fishing reels are ‘ported’ or ventilated using a rounded oblong aperture, a design which preserves total rigidity and maximum strength. The brilliant simplicity informing the ‘Quick Change’ design means that anglers can change spools whilst fishing – almost whilst brushing their teeth. All you need to do is ease up on the drag, turn the knob on the spindle – and the spool is loose! Anyone used to fishing in areas where fish are found at different depths, necessitating different lines with different presentations, will find this feature irresistible. This fishing reel series has integral ‘outgoing’ and ‘retrieve’ clicks, radically new to Abel. The series also has the typical wide range of drag settings for Abel products, along with the low start-up inertia Abel aficionados will be familiar with. Simply brilliant stuff!

Fly Fishing and Shooting Articles from John Norris » Fishing Reels

Fishing Tackle Essentials

Fishing Reels