'This trend is likely to continue, if not gain momentum, so I would advise anyone wanting to buy quality tackle to buy it now, not put it off till next year.'
Looking around the showroom, my eye was caught next by the Nitrium II carp rods. Now I have used carp rods for sea fishing since they were first introduced since there are many places around the coast where the tide is light enough to get away with much smaller leads than you would use on a beachcaster. With lighter tackle comes much greater sport from each of the fish that you catch, which is what attracted me to them in the first place.
Now the Nitrium II rods are an entry level, carbon fibre carp rod carrying a price tag of £49.99. However what makes them ideal for sea fishing is the fact that the blanks are slightly more powerful than many other rods, coming in at 2.75, 3 and 3.25 lbs test curve. This gives them a bit of extra poke for casting and playing any unexpectedly heavy fish that turn up, like a surprise bull huss or thornback along the way.
Now Masterline Walker does a nice range of fixed spool reels - the picture below shows just some of the models available - but they also make Nitrium baitrunner reels, which are a perfect match to the rods. Another range of reels - the Nexium baitrunners - also gives you a bit more choice but I have to say that I like the Nitrium reels. I had already bought three of them, in different sizes, before I visited the showroom and I am very pleased with the way that they have performed. (I have got one for estuary work and matched two bigger ones to light beachcasters.) Look out for the tackle review that I will be putting on Tackle Zone in the near future.
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