Paul Garner

There is luggage and then there is exceptionally good luggage, and that’s exactly where I place every product in the Sphere range.

Modern day match anglers carry everything, and I’m no exception as every match, festival or venue brings along different challenges, and that means taking every rod, reel and bait so you can adapt and compete to the top of your ability. The Sphere Large Multipocket Bag is big with a huge main compartment that swallows up everything along with three wide zipped outer pockets giving easy access and more capacity for additional kit. Made from top quality specialist PVC material and the best fittings available you can forget about broken zips and wear on weak points as attention to detail has been looked at, addressed and fixed meaning there will be no early retirement here, just years and years of reliable service!

The wipe clean, tough carbon effect material will have heads turning and its dimensions mean it sits on a barrow perfectly. Along with its capacity it comes with a load of additional innovative features such as carry handle on the side which makes lifting onto a barrow effortless and the plastic base runners, which eliminates wear, and carry handles mean that it can be pushed/pulled and positioned in a vehicle easily. Reinforced corners, wipe clean inner and padded, adjustable shoulder strap are additional top quality features.

If you are an angler that demands the best, then look no further.

Also available in an 85 litre compact size.

Andy Blay

I’ve been using the Black Viper Compact 845, which is slightly smaller than the Compact 855 for around a year now and can confidently say it’s a top class all-round feeder reel. I have to admit though; I was a bit concerned recently if it was up to its next challenge, barbel on the mighty river Wye, especially when I arrived to find it raging through after loads of overnight rain, however it performed perfectly and helped me land a number of specimens to over 9lb.   

It has loads of features, the most notable being the long-cast spool that takes an amazing 200m of 0.20mm line and retrieves an incredible 99cm per turn! The spool also features two line clips which are totally reliable and allow the line to be removed easily if required when fishing clipped up. Weighing just 420g this reel is compact but oozes features such as 8 ball bearings, a gear ratio of 4.6:1, and something I love, a line guard that eliminates line slipping behind the spool. The reel has a silky smooth clutch which is easily and finely adjusted due to the large surface front drag switch. The line lay is perfect, all down to the Wormshaft Oscillation System ensuring pin-point accurate casting every time and the stainless steel Easy Grip Handle, Large Line Roller with Anti-twist System and Thick Bail Arm create a incredibly balanced reel that feels simply perfect. 

An ultra modern feeder reel that will no doubt continue to perform for many years to come.  

Tim Bruce

Line capacity clearly shown on spool.

Unique line guard stops line catching on the back of the spool.

The perfect reel for modern feeder fishing for big, powerful fish.

A quality tripod is an essential for holding your roosts steady, especially when there is the chance of a strong crosswind. Whilst they might not be the lightest, I really like these all metal Browning Tripods. You will be hard pushed to find a stronger support out there, and they have proven to be extremely tough. 

All three legs offer infinite adjustment, up to a little over three feet (1 metre) in height, making it easy to cope with uneven banks, as well as being able to get your roosts up high and out of the way of bankside vegetation. The central column is also height-adjustable, giving even more lift when required. 

The thumb screws are very chunky and easy to use, even in the cold. The screw thread will accept all roosts and rod rest heads, making it very versatile too. A really useful piece of kit. 

Pat Cuddy

Ever since I first picked up a Sphere rod I have to admit that it felt and responded better than any other rod I have ever used. The latest addition to my armoury is the Sphere 13’ Match rod and it doesn’t disappoint as it, like all the other rods in the Sphere range built using the finest fittings and the slimmest, lightest, high-modulus carbon blank available. 

The first thing I noticed when using this rod for the first time was just how light it was, just 149g and the slim blank made casting effortless. It was perfection in my hands but little did I know the best was jet to come, as when the float dipped and the first fish was hooked I could feel everything right into my hands, something I have never experienced before and all down to the unique ergonomic weight reducing handle. I just didn’t want the fight to end but inevitably it did, I just had to cast back out and catch more! 

Fitted with Fuji reel seat, special ultra low friction SIC guides, the lightest and best available, and boosting a medium through action this rod is just a joy to use, and as marketed, they are ‘out of this world’.

This is the ultimate all-round match rod; perfectly at home trotting a stick float down the river as it is casting a waggler on a big stillwater to delicate fishing down the edge.

Available in both 13’ and 14’ these are just part of the vast Sphere rods that you just have to get your hands on.

Colin Sheppard

This stainless steel model has a thermoformed plastic coating to make it more impact resistant and give it a longer life expectancy.

The weight at the end of the cage gives great stability, it casts easily and with accuracy, thanks to its aerodynamic shape.

Filling the feeder is very easy to do. Put one finger behind the weight and use another to compress the feed. This makes it faster to load than many other feeders.

The cage quickly releases the bait thanks to the wide mesh. When retrieving the weight is positioned backwards creating minimal resistance in the water.

Available in a wide range of weights from 30 grams to 70 grams, covering medium to long range feeder fishing.

The colour blends in well with the lake bed, ideal when carp, tench and bream are the target species.

I use a simple rig that is tangle-free and very reliable. 

The feeder sits against two float stops above the hooklength swivel. I can adjust the length of the hooklength depending upon the mood of fish fish. 

My favourite groundbait mix with this feeder when targeting bream is equal amounts of Champion’s Method Formula Fish and Champions Choice Big Bream. 

Good fishing!

Creating a neat, no fuss connection between your elastic and rig can significantly cut down on tangles. Dacron Connectors have become increasingly popular for this job, particularly with the modern trend to use hollow elastics, which are thicker than traditional solid elastics. Not all connectors are created equally though, and I find these brightly coloured Dacron connectors just the job, especially with my regular Stretch 7 hollow and Cenex Microbore elastics. Not only are the beads soft enough to pull easily over the chunky knot that you get when tying hollow elastics, but they butt-up nicely against my Xitan PTFE bushes. 

The Dacron loop is just the right size to make attaching your rig easily. All in all, this is a very well thought-out product that does the intended job perfectly. 

Jim Hall

Fishing for carp in commercial waters is becoming more and more popular and popular, and the carp often better at avoiding being caught. 

Fishing up in the water and dobbing are often very successful tactics in the warmer months of the year when the carp spend a good deal of their time near the surface. Fishing in the near and far margins can also mean presenting a bait in very shallow water. Normal dark coloured top kits can easily be seen from below the water surface and can scare the fish off in these situations, leading to some frustrating fishing.

This is why Browning have developed the new Skyline kit, which has a light colour that does not stand out against the light-coloured sky. In fact, in most light conditions, the Skyline kit is almost invisible from below. With no dark outline moving about above them the fish are much more confident and will settle better on your line.

Using a top kit of a different colour might only sound like a small change, but on hard-fished venues this can make a very noticeable difference to your results. 

The one-piece Skyline Kit features:

Depth markers for precise float positioning.

The unique duo bush system 3.9mm / 4.5m, that enables a wider range of elastics to be used through one kit.

A reinforced area for the installation of a puller system.

Length: 1.85m

Weight: 45g

Check them out at your local Browning pole Retailer.

Martin Siwon

There are times when I need to mix groundbait or dampen down micro pellets in small quantities and using a large solid groundbait bowl just isn’t suitable. This is where these groundbait bowls come into their own. Available in small (15cm) and medium (20cm) sizes, they squash down, taking up virtually no room in my carryall. 

The material is wipe clean, making them easy to wash out, and yet they are rigid enough to make mixing groundbait very easy. I like the carry handles, which make them much easier to carry. I also use them to scoop some water when mixing larger amounts of groundbait. 

A very useful piece of kit that won’t break the bank.