Fox Stratos 10,000 reel

Well, we copped a look at a potential gem today during a visit by our Fox area rep', Steve Bailey. . . . . . . . .

Out of his box of tricks he produced no less than ........ a big pit ........
(i'll refrain from using the word 'baitrunner')
FREESPOOL Reel ! but we all know what a 'freespool' is . . .

So back to the reel in question...

On the face of it, it's got to be said, it looks tidy. very tidy.
The spool shaft has that slow oscilation that lays the line very closely and very evenly, in short it was as flat as a pancake - looked perfect.

It has a chunky feel that i like, it actually feels like they've put summat inside it instead of that hollow feel you get with some reels...... no soul some of them.
It doesn't look particularly 'flash', yet it just screams quality at you, and it's got some rather tasty features let me tell ya . . . . .

Shall we start with, ahem - no fewer than 16 BALL BEARINGS ! 16 for gods sake! where oh where do they put them eh? Oh sorry, i forgot the extra roller bearing, so thats 17 all in all!
Then there's the bail that locks in the 'down' position. Think on, it's only a small thing but most bails lock to stop them snapping shut during the cast in the 'up' position...... personally, i'm not a fan of this anyway, gets in my way - i like this downward thinking, very clever.

The spool is push-button, but, the drags on the front too........ hmmmm tricky, how did they do that you ask? Now think again, how many reels can you think of with a front disc drag, that have a push button spool too? Yep, same as me, none!
Aren't all push button spooled reels rear drag you ask? Erm, no, not this one.....

Very clever Mr.Fox.......leaves the back of the reel the space to stick, what should be stuck there, the FREESPOOL adjuster.(which is just as finely adjustable as the front clutch)

Also, the FREESPOOL lever folds FLAT when the lever kicks back into the gears, remember Daiwa doing that on their Freespools? Then they changed it to be 'in with the in crowd' Why oh why did they change it . . . . . . Well, Mr.Fox in his infinite wisdom, has gone back to the common sense way, and good on him. Why would you need the lever to be stuck out the back of the reel anyway? Surely it's better tucked away when not in use...... but i digress . . . . . .

So what else has it got? MASSIVE line capacity, bigger than that other well known one,(10,000xt) A very clever spool arbour for 'shallowing up' the massive capacity spools.
Did i mention a free spare spool? Or that to buy a spare spool (alloy) will only cost you £14.99 ! Cheap as chips i tells ya ...... Compared with......well, you know ;-)

Now then...... does it have any 'bad' points????? untill Darren said it, in his words not mine, its heavy...... i thought..... compared with what? a Shimano big pit baitrunner? nah........... not when you consider it's stuffed with 17 bearings!

I think it feels 'chunky' in a good way, solid even, all the usuall features and more..... plenty more, i've forgotten a load since seeing it, so i'll leave you with this pic' to have a look at........ enjoy, 'cos i will when i get my hands on one....

Wembley Carp Conference

As reported by Danny Hale, Rigmeister General of Trafford A.S

Nothing but good reports have been flooding in about the Carp & Coarse Show, 02.04.2006 which was attended by Trafford members, Danny Pete and Darren.

Many well known faces of the carp world were on hand for demo's on baits and rigs and talks on specialised subjects such as short session carping, and inside the carp's mind.

Record breaking stars such as Terry Hearn, Nick Helleur, Ian Poole, Mark Hutchinson Damian Clarke, Lee Jackson, Rob Maylin, Simon Crowe and many more were all on hand to answer any questions the public had.



Picture 1, one of the busiest stands of the day! The Free Spirit stand gets some much deserved attention.






There were many excellent stalls from the likes of Korda, Delkim, Sticky Baits, Trakker, Richworth, B.C.U.K, Gardner, Dynamite and of course Free Spirit.
Actually, full marks had to go to the Free spirit and Gardner stands which were second to none and well worth a visit for the impressive content they had.
There were many demo's of the new gear coming out soon like the new Korda backleads and the new Delkim buzzers.(available late April/early May)

So there's a nice little taster of what's to come for the 2006 season, and i can tell you, you won't be dissapointed!





Picture 2, Jamie Masson giving Pete and darren a run through of the new products from B.C.U.K

Cheeky Little Tips Pt 1

While i'm sitting around, waiting for Danny to bring me in some photo's of the Carp Conference i thought i might as well take the time to put a little tip or two together so here's one . . . . .

Going back to summer a few years ago, after getting my first half decent digital camera - it struck me that as i was sat there enjoying the sun, i'd realised like a lightbulb pinging over my head, the most obvious downfall of a digital camera.

After being used to years and years of carrying around an SLR camera (single lens reflex-35mm) i'd also got used to having my array of filters with me for these exact conditions - sunny no cloud, very bright - to take the 'glare' off the water for better clarity, and it also takes the 'shine' off the sky so for example, so the clouds appear very defined.

Gawping through the digital camera lens, the scene looked exactly as i expected it to be, way too bright !

In a flash of inspiration, the sunglasses came off my head and i held it over the lens of the camera, Bingo ! Sussed ! All became clear, no reflection on the water and clear skies just like that ! No great big bag of lenses, and as the sunglasses are always in my rucksack, no worries about forgetting them.

I rattled off a few shots and they came out just as well as if i had my SLR and a bag of effects lenses. I also figured out how to do a self portrait in the same mode by tying the glasses to the camera with the lanyard !

The pic below is from last summer on the Ribble and i think the clarity of the picture speaks for itself . . . . . . . So there ya go . . . . how to cheapskate around camera filters !