The bit you should read.
This fishing blog details my angling adventures around the UK (although depending where I am in the country I also sea fish from both Boat and Shore, Carp, Pike and Fly fish). I will be giving a summary of 3 values considered by most anglers as well as the additional Disabled Access rating. Since being diagnosed with CIDP and regaining my motor function Disabled angling and Disabled access is now something I always consider when visiting venues. They will all be rated on a scale of 1* to 5*;
1. Fishability *****
2. Accessability *****
3. Value for Money *****
4. Disabled Access *****
I think these 4 points are the key issues which are readily identifiable with all anglers. Feel free to take a look and add your own comments along the way!
Tuesday 21 January 2014
Tackle Store Review – Tackle UK, Yeovil
With the New Year now come and gone I was determined to find
a local tackle shop, so that when the weather finally decides to sort it’s act
out, I would have a great store ready to supply my with my fishing fix! After a
quick Google search I found that my closest store was a mere 18 minutes away in
the form of Tackle UK (formly Yeovil Tackle Centre) and I was very keen to
check it out. Driving to the location I noticed that parking for the store may
be difficult at times, but on this occasion there was one space very nearby (I later found out that there is a sizeable car park behind the premises). So
after a nifty bit of parking (thanks Rach) I arrived at the store not knowing
what to expect, thankfully Tackle UK did not disappoint.
Walking into the store, I could see there is a range of
branded rod bags hung from the walls and ceiling guiding you around to the
left, this was followed by a large glass cabinet absolutely full to the top
with reels of all shapes and sizes. Immediately you see racks of feeder and
match rods, with head lamps on a stand to the right and Fox Carp equipment on
the far wall. On closer inspection of the rods, I found it included the entire
range of Drennan match rods, as well as a host of others. Worth knowing if
you’re after a quality bit of kit.
Underneath the rods there is a vast amount
of luggage, including, bait freeze bags and various shapes and sized carry
alls. To the right of the Fox equipment on the back wall, the carp gear
stretches the entire length of the wall and on to the rear wall, where it then
merges with the large amount of coarse fishing equipment. Confusingly, the rods
on show opposite this wall of carp gear are mainly boat and beach caster rods,
including the brightly coloured continental rods. Looking up and hanging from the ceiling there
is more luggage and a large quantity of landing nets. Every spare surface of
this store is covered with fishing equipment, which means you could spend ages
looking around, hunting out a bargain.
The rear wall of carp equipment merges with coarse fishing
equipment, which fills the majority of the shop. Hanging on pegs from the walls
are split shots, reel monofilament, hi-tech hooklength line, an enormous
selection of hooks (including all the main brands) and various other essentials.
These included but were not limited to; pre-tied rigs, olivettes, small and
large tackle boxes and pole elastics (both solid and hollow). Again, worth
remembering if you’re after a range of different types. This then makes way for
a good selection of pole floats which are in specific holders at the far end of
the rear wall.
Diagonally opposite these was a selection of poles. The rod
rack was laden with flagships poles, all with prices tags well over £1000. The
poles facing the window were more in the average anglers price bracket ranging
from £399 - £999. I think Tackle UK may stock the full MAP TKS range, I certainly
saw the 201 through to the 601 (You get what you pay for with these fantastic
bits of kits).
The right hand wall and opposite partition displayed all
manner of different baits, with maggots, casters and worm on sale behind a
glass counter and groundbaits, particles and canned meats adjacent. I did
notice that below this was a very impressive selection of groundbaits, were
bait boxes full of different weighted Gemini Sea fishing leads. These were
quickly followed by an enormous quantity of freshwater fishing weights in any
size you could think of.
Near the counter the mass of bait continued, with buckets
offering many different types of feed as well as high oil, and low oil pellets.
There were also great selection of waggler and stick floats on a tiered
polystyrene lazy susan, it wouldn’t be hard to burn a hole in your wallet in
this store. I also noticed a few boxes of flies on the counter. With Sutton
Bingham reservoir nearby it was no wonder that the store aimed to please all fishing
disciplines. Having only recently moved to the area I asked the shop assistant
for some advice on local venues. After a quick discussion where we talked about
3 of the venues I had already heard of (Viaduct, Todber and Mangerton), he provided
me with a fishing directory for South West England. For £3.99 I now have an
enormous list of venues and stores to visit within the South West region, what
a result!
With heavy storms forecast for the next few days, there was
no need for me to buy any tackle or baits. With its close proximity in mind, I
am very pleased to be so close to a store with such a comprehensive array of
coarse fishing tackle, all of which is more than competitively priced. I will
undoubtedly be visiting here again, and on a very frequent basis.
As a rating I would say ****
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5 comments:
Fishing!!
Thanks Guy! Once i've been and fished the Viaduct maybe you could come and visit. We'll catch some lumps together!
Awesome. Worked great! Thanks for sharing !
Bank fishing rod holders
Cheers for the review, just ordered from these guys. I did have to double take your 4 star rating as I read it as a filtered profanity :D
Hi Lucas, thanks for the comment. It was almost 5*. Very close, it's a great shop with lots to buy!
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