All images and text reproduced with the kind permission of the Anglers Mail.
We are delighted to update our blog with the first review of the TBR2 Barbel Rest by a national magazine, tested by the Anglers Mails very own Ian Welch, who as many of you will already know is a well respected and accomplished angler.
The 2nd of January review is reproduced below in full . . . . . . . . . .
TOP TRIPOD
FOR most of my barbel fishing I like to keep my rod tips
close to the water to ensure effective line management,
but there are times when my pinned down, backleads,
leadcore and leaders slack line approach goes out the
window. It’s all very well keeping terminal tackle pinned
down and out of the way, but on big rivers and in heavy
water trying to be too subtle can backfire on you and you
have to adapt in order to succeed.
Despite the temptation to chuck baits into slacks in such
circumstances you will find that is not generally where the
fish are!
When the going gets tough barbel fishing shifts from
being a game of delicate deception to one of hanging on in
there and keeping your bait in the current long enough for
the fish to find it.
There’s no point whatsoever in hanging your line across
the current for it to be constantly dragged out of position.
it’s time to get those rod tips up to minimise the friction of
the water on the line - and the more line you can keep out of
the main push the more effectively you can fish.
Long, extending bank sticks have always been my first
step, moving up to storm poles at the front with short rests
and butt grips at the rear in more extreme conditions but on
awkward banks and in tricky swims they are a real pain.
They are not the lightest bits of kit to carry across several
fields either. Mates on the Severn and Trent had taken to
using beachcasting rests and although effective they were
unwieldy and awkward. What was needed was for someone
to take the best design features of the shore rests and adapt
them to the needs of river anglers.
Enter the team at Trafford Angling Supplies and one of
the best bits of kit adaptation I’ve seen in ages.
Weighing in at a little over a kilo with a closed length of
a metre this is no sea fishing monstrosity but a neat tripod
system which fits into the side pocket of any holdall or
quiver. It’s designed to hold a couple of rods on any terrain
and I couldn’t wait to use it in anger and several planned
barbel and carp trips to a swollen River Thames provided
the ideal first opportunity.
The main body of the tripod features sturdy 18 mm
telescopic aluminium legs which extend to some 6 ft and
are easily secured at the required height by finger-friendly
nylon thumbscrews. The lock is solid and gives a totally
stable platform at any height. The legs themselves are
finished in solid, turned aluminium points so you can dig
them into the bank to increase stability but when you are
on rocks or gravel it’s a simple case of splaying then
adjusting the legs individually to create the correct
level.
Having got the platform stable it’s an easy job to
fit the top bar to the block at the top of the legs and
I was impressed by the moulding which ensured the
bar could not twist once fitted, no danger at all of
wonky rod tips here! The bar is locked with a collar,
heads have standard 3/8 in. threads and accept all
rod rest heads and bite alarms. I fitted mine with a
couple of Micron EOS alarms for overnighters and a
pivoting front rest for daytime work but any decent
front rod rests will do the job.
Rod butts are supported in cups fitted to a lower
bar. The lower bar locks into a moulded plastic block
which is adjustable for height so can be positioned
anywhere along the length of the leg to suit the
conditions - rod butts 3 ft off the deck, no problem!
The block also acts as a ‘leg tidy’, the legs pushing
into it for storage when packing away. As with the
upper bar the lower is secured with a locking collar
and is unable to twist, giving brilliant stability at
the lower end too. The cups are deep enough to
hold the butts securely during the most violent
of takes and feature drainage holes for those days
when it just won’t stop raining.
Although step by step assembly instructions with
clear photographs are provided, it really is a doddle
and I had it up and fishing in less than a minute
without having to refer to the paperwork.
And once set up it never really has to be
dismantled, between sessions I simply loosen the
locking collars, turn the butt and top rests through
90 degrees and lock them in place alongside the
legs giving a perfect streamlined fit in my quiver.
For those days when conditions change or when
you don’t need to get all of your line up it can be
transferred from a rod high set up with tips 15 ft
in the air to a ‘standard’ style pod with tips almost
horizontal in seconds.
To date I’ve used it in grassy and concrete swims
on the Thames and on a rocky River Severn gully
in challenging flows but I’ve also pressed it into
use on much smaller venues when I’ve needed to.
I’ve experienced a few severe gusts, torrential rain,
a couple of lightning-fast takes and my only real
complaint was that it was not available in a single
rod version for my smaller river work – then I read
the paperwork properly and discovered a single rod
conversion kit is indeed available!
British made, with all parts replaceable from stock
and with a 12 month guarantee this is one bit of kit
no serious river angler can afford to be without.
click here to go to the TBR2 Barbel Rest