Fox lay down the gauntlet with the new Stratos 7000e Reel !!!

Here's one to look out for this season if you're after some new reels!

This is without a doubt, the first serious contender to take on Shimano's stronghold on the 'baitrunner type' reel market . . . . granted you've already got a few decent makes around that have been established for some time now, such as, Daiwa and Okuma to name but two . . . .

This little package though, is one that they'll all find hard to beat !

So what have you got straight out of the box ?????

This . . . .

It's an impressive little package. . . . . . . and that's just reading the spec' on the outside of the box !

It boasts no less than 8 Ball Bearings plus a Roller Bearing, a balanced rotor with a twist reducing line roller, it is incredibly smoooooth and has a fantastic, flat as a pancake line lay which can be ' profiled ' by swapping around the spool shims, but that's for the serious casting boys . . . . realistically speaking, you wouldn't need to bother 'cos its good enough as it is out of the box . . .


Not only that but it looks good too which ain't a bad thing . . . . all black with nice, easy on the eyeballs graphics.


Now then, let's not beat around the bush . . . . this reel is aimed at taking a slice of shimano's market, it's aimed straight at the 6000 and 8000 RE standard baitrunner, so what do you get with the 7000e that you don't with a Shimano??

Firstly the spare spool as pictured above, which incidentally, both spools are both fitted with spool reducers so when you're fishing lighter lines, say 6 and 8lb, you dont have to fill it from top to bottom with hundreds of yards of line, you pop a reducer on and. . . . . . . . hey presto, it goes from 518 yards of 6lb to 335 yards ! Saves you a few quid on spooling up eh !

Plus, the other gem people don't realise is that if you're going to fish braid . . . . . . . . yes, just think how much that will save you on filling up !!!

Then there's the spare handle, well, it's more of a choice of handles. For anyone who still can't get their heads around a double handle (makes it even smoother again, you don't know what you're missing!) fox have included a single handle and a double handle, and not only that but a cheeky little tool to tighten the handle up nice and tight, no more sore fingers in winter !

so already, an impressive list of ' extras ' over and above what you get with a bog standard shimano . . . . .


You also get this . . . . .

a rather fetching little bag to pop your new reel back into if you don't leave it set up on the rod . . . . .

and you get these . . . . . . . . .


now then, on first look this might not look much, but there is a hidden gem !

Firstly you have a full Fox Warranty and Warranty card which you send off to register your reel (s), and then you have some instructions - very easy to follow, very concise and very practical.

Hidden within the pages though, is the gem - why nobody else does this is beyond me but, Fox have actually done a little diagram of how to spool your reels up with line PROPERLY !!!

Now i'm sure there is much debate on how people think this should be done but the Fox method is how i've been telling people to do it for years ! and it's RIGHT ! It will give you the least amount of twist when spooling and you'll get far better performance out of your gear if it's all been set up proper in the first place, so full marks to Mr. Fox!

Ahhhhh but how much is all this going to cost me you ask???

Well, this is the easy on the wallet bit !

The 7000e, which incidentally is your barbel/ lighter carp/ big feeder rod size reel goes out at only £49.99 - clearly this is going to give the boys at shimano a headache !

The larger 10,000 size reel is the one for the long range carp and pike anglers and will better suit rods with a test curve of 2.5lbs +. With line capacity at 304 yards of 15lb without the reducer on the spool, all but the biggest waters will be suited to this reels capabilities. The 10,000 sells at £54.99 so still, even against the shimano 6000 RE special edition, you're getting a lot more reel for your money . . . . . .

Without a doubt, if this is your price range for reels, you want to seriously consider giving these reels a good look. . . . . .

Links below to bigger pictures and the Fox Micro website with some more technical specification for the tech' heads out there !


Fox Stratos micro website

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New Big Fish Weighing Tripod ! Another new product from the Trafford stable !

Hot new item just in for the big fish boys !

Jumpy scales and struggling has just been eradicated by the new Big Fish Tripod from the boys at Trafford A.S !

Never one to miss a trick, we have noticed the poor choice on the market for big fish weighing. What choice is there out there??? . . . . . . Erm, at the last count we think there's 1 !

And that one's limited . . . . . fixed length for a start, at around 4' 6" and about £15.00 dearer than ours, hmmmm need we say more !!!




Our new tripod stands at around 5 foot and has extending legs, letting it open up to approx ' 7 foot 6, making sure that even with a large sized weigh sling on, the sling is well off the floor.

The legs lock via nylon locking screws so they only require finger tightening to get a secure lock on the legs, they don't become a nightmare in the winter when everything's freezing up and, they don't damage the tripod legs . . . . .

Pictured below are the solid turned points at the bottom of the tripod legs, these can be dug into the ground for extra stability when weighing your (hopefully) new P.B !!





The top block on the tripod is the bit where the stability comes in, the whole setup is machined out of aluminium and stainless steel, no cheap and chearfull plastic bits on this pod . . . . . this also houses the hanging hook for the scales to go on (pictured below).

The pod should take almost any large popular dial scales, reubens, nash etc that have a rounded or pointed top to them.









The pod weigh pod will really come into it's own for people wanting to accurately weigh big fish when they're fishing alone as you can support the fish on the pod while you get your camera gear etc ready, no need to be in and out of the water/sack while you're trying to organise yourself .

Lads fishing abroad will also appreciate the usefulness of the pod when weighing large carp and cats .



All the leg components are the same specification as our now ' nearly famous ' TBR2 Barbel tripod, so no worries about strength or stability as the parts are all of the same standard - made for us by a British manufacturer ( yes a rarity these days! ) and come with a full 12 months guarantee, as you'd expect . . . . .


So . . . if you're in the market for a weighing tripod . . . . . come and check it out, they're just into stock now, and match, carp or specimen anglers will all find it an invaluable aid to getting a proper, accurate weight every time - there is no better way to weigh . . . . . . . . sorry . . . . couldn't resist . . . . . . . and . . .

at the super dooper - cheaper than the others on the market price - of only £44.99, you can also save yourself a few quid on the 'brand name ' products that are around, and at this price, is it really worth butchering an old sea tripod and making do ??? . . . . . . . . .

links to larger pictures are here if you want to see any of the components closer up, you can always save them and blow them up in windows picture viewer . . . . . .

or simply follow this link that takes you directly to the shops website page that features the tripod . . . . . .

Trafford Weighing Tripod - Click Here . . .

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