Recent content by Mike

More than a few of you will remember the innovative Screaming Reels TV series of the mid 1990’s presented by Nick Fisher, in fact the series is still shown on satellite channels now. I worked with Nick on a couple of the series episodes as well as on his radio show Dirty Tackle and recognised...

For those of you who frequent social media and forums, John Mason will be a familiarity to you. His fishing reports and exploits around the whole coast of Cardigan Bay are well known. With a lifetime of experience fishing the local area, who better to put all of that knowledge into creating a...

For many anglers beach shelters are an essential piece of kit, a place to keep your gear out of the wind and the rain. They provide a safe haven for the weary, battered sea angler to tinker with rigs and bait up away from the elements. There are tackle shops brimming to the sides with beach...

As someone often accused of being obsessed with species hunting, I was intrigued to see this new fish identification book (Identification Guide to the Inshore Fish of the British Isles) written by Dr Peter Henderson, a director of Pisces Conservation Ltd, also a Senior Research Associate of the...

The humble rod rest is often something that’s overlooked by anglers as something that is unimportant and quite secondary to their main rod, reel and other ancillary bits. The fact is being able to set up a good, stable, working platform for the time you fish is essential for a more productive...

For the past few years quiver tip or “tippy” rods have become more fashionable in boat fishing. I’ve purchased a number of quiver tip type rods for boat fishing and I enjoy using them, when applicable. Shakespeare are the latest brand to join the tippy revolution with the Shakespeare Agility...

Whilst angling has inspired many hundreds of literary gems it has to be acknowledged that classic books relating to sea angling are scarce. This seems strange as the sea and shoreline is surely as dramatic and inspiring as any freshwater location. There are numerous how to fish type books of...

The Penn Clash reel series were introduced to journalists and magazine editors from around the world by Penn at a special and highly successful three-day event in Costa Rica during December of 2015. With hard fighting roosterfish, jack crevalle, rock snappers, and of course marlin to be caught...

Martin McGowan, the brains behind the original ultra-popular Bait Weaver bait elastic dispenser, and based in the fishing heaven that is County Kerry in Ireland, has come up with an improved version under his new company INOVA, called the Inova Bait Binder. First thing you’ll notice about the...

There are literally scores of different braids for sea and freshwater fishing on the market and picking one that offers just that little bit more in performance in all situations is not easy. Here, the Tackle Talk testers take a look at Spiderwire Stealth Smooth, a medium-priced braid to find...

A recent introduction to the famous Penn stable is the Penn Slammer 3 fixed spool reel range. A tough, no-nonsense series of reels that have proved a best seller both worldwide, and in the UK. But what makes the Penn Slammer tick and where does it stand amongst the many other fixed spools on the...

It’s all in the name when it comes to the Penn Spinfisher V1 7500LC fixed spool reel. This is a reel designed to achieve absolute maximum range utilising an ultra-modern spool design but with the mechanical features that make it one of the toughest reels available. The reel is constructed with...

The Penn Conflict 5000 Long Cast reel falls into the ultra-competitive light surf and estuary fishing market. It has to have something different about it then to get it noticed, so what features make it stand out from a host of other reels available in this category? The stand out feature for...

As a bit of a technology geek, I’m always looking at how to bring technology into my fishing. Some anglers hate it, I love it! Smart watches however, I have a bit of a love hate relationship with. I love a proper watch and all the smart watches out there I have used just haven’t cut the mustard...

The Penn 525Mag series reels have been around for over a decade and sold in scores of thousands. There have been several upgrades and model options throughout the years, but the latest, the 525Mag4, has pooled all that experience to produce a reel that is not just tough and strong in the...