ON OUR RADAR New gear hitting the shops

Mark Sawyer reveals Preston’s new tackle

ONE constant in the angling world is Preston Innovations’ quest to produce innovative tackle that help us all put a few more fish into our nets.

On a typical wet and windy May day I was invited to cast an eye over the latest array of exciting new kit. Top of the popularity stakes for commercial fishery anglers will be the improved Banjo Feeders and great-looking Precision Pellet Wagglers – just two of the new ‘must have’ Preston items among this week’s showcase of the company’s latest new gear.

ICS BANJO XR FEEDERS WHAT THEY SAY: These are the next step in the evolution of the Dura Banjo feeder, and the perfect choice for carp, skimmers and F1s when you want to protect your feed in flight. With Preston’s ‘Interchange System’ the Banjo XR Feeder allows the angler to change feeder sizes and weights without breaking down the entire rig. WHAT WE SAY: When it comes to casting long distances into tight spaces, the new and improved Banjo XR Feeder has no equal!

Sizes and weights are as follows: Small (20g, 30g, 45g), Medium (20g, 30g, 45g, 60g) and Large (30g, 45g, 60g).

Price: Banjo XR Feeder £2.99, Banjo XR Mould £3.79

PRECISION PELLET WAGGLERS

WHAT THEY SAY: True to their name, these new Precision Pellet Wagglers fly straight to the target, making the smaller sizes perfect for ‘mugging’ those wary carp.

They also sit up as soon as they hit the water, alleviating the diving that is a common problem when fishing shallow.

The floats feature a 10mm diameter balsa body and an extremely bright and visible tip. The key to their effectiveness is their loading right up against the float body, which stops any wobble during the cast.

WHAT WE SAY: These balsa Precision Wagglers look and work like a dream. We did worry that the base-fitted weight on a central cane peg would quickly work loose and fall off, but no, it doesn’t. Having used the smaller 2g and 3g sizes to ‘mug’ a few fish we can happily report that they’re rock-solid at all times.

The larger, heavier floats will cast an impressively long way and, just as Preston claims, they don’t dive deep and will stand up immediately.

It’s worth noting that unlike many floats of this type, these wagglers require no extra shotting around them – a couple of float stops either side of the base swivel are all you’ll need.

In sizes 2g, 3g, 4g, 5g and 6g. Price: £2.75

REFLO FLOAT MAX LINE WHAT THEY SAY: This neutrally buoyant reel line suits all floatfishing applications.

It has a low diameter relative to its breaking strain, with incredibly good knot strength and high abrasion-resistance.

WHAT WE SAY: Smooth and supple Float Max makes for effortless casting, even with light floats. Its neutral buoyancy means that on stillwaters it shouldn’t sink and pull your float off-line, while on running water it should lift quickly and cleanly from the surface. Diameters from 0.16mm to 0.28mm Price: £5.99

KKH-B MAG STORE BAYONET AND BANDED HAIR RIGS WHAT THEY SAY: These latest Mag Store hooklength rigs are made from quality materials and precision-tied.

The KKH-B pattern hooks will deal with the largest of fish, while the pellet band and bayonet hair rigs are ideal for pellet, wafter and boilie baits.

WHAT WE SAY: Easy to use and perfect for battling even double-figure carp, these rigs are made using super-strong Reflo hooklengths from 0.19mm up to 0.24mm – perfect for the big girls.

In packets of 10, with hook sizes from 16 up to 10.

Price: £3.75