20 May 2009


Irish Team Spring 2009


Irish International Team Chew Valley 2009 with Lee Smith from Flextec

19 May 2009

Brenig Rainbow


Greg White (Flextec Emeral Islanders) with a 9lb 12oz Llyn Brenig Rainbow caught with a Flextec XRD 44 ten foot fly rod, during the Anglian Water Fulling Mill International Welsh Heat.


Flextec Emerald Islanders


Flextec Emeral Islanders,
Greg White, Barry Fox, Arden Pollock,
Sam Magowan, Steve Ellis, Aidan Rose


18 May 2009

Flextec Emerald Islanders Photos

We've just received in some photos from Greg White and a few of the other guys over at the "Flextec Emerald Islanders" team that use the Flexted CRX Rods. Below are a few shots from the Chew Valley Competition held back on 25th April this year, as well as an old one from 2008 at Lough Conn.




Arden Pollock (Ireland) and member of Flextec Emerald Islanders with Trophies for Heaviest fish & Top Irish Rod at the 2009 Spring International on Chew Valley. He's shown here with a Flextec CRX88 10ft 6in 6/7 Rod



Arden Pollock with the 2008 Brown Bowl (Top Rod) in the 2008 Spring International on Lough Melvin. Seen here with a Flextec CRX88 10ft 7/8 Rod



Greg White (PRO) and member of Flextec Emerald Islanders with a 12lbs+ Chew Valley Brownie, caught on a Flextec CRX88 10ft 6/7 Rod

17 May 2009

Who Dares Wins




Woke up early yesterday morning and after picking up a fishing buddy we both set off to the Gloucester canal to fish the eagerly awaited Zandermania 2009. The sun was out when we arrived but it certainly never remained that way. The wind soon turned to gale force and for once was nothing to do with a prawn vindaloo. The huge turnout of anglers were burnt, battered and soaked on what turned out to be an incredibly hard days fishing. My heart wasn't in it from the start and I spent most of the 1st two hours chatting to fellow competitors and putting names to faces. Reading the signals sent to my rod tip was impossible as the high winds did their best to rip my expensive gear from my hands but eventually I settled into routine and focused my concentration on the job in hand. After spending a couple of hours fishing soft shads with no success I broke from my normal attack and attached a crankbait to my line. Normally fishing a crankbait is a recipe for disaster due to the snaggy bottom but I had modernised my lure so that I had a fighting chance and was rewarded almost immediately with a sharp rap on the line. I played the fish carefully knowing that a lost fish at this stage could leave me with the unwanted tag of "Billy Blanker" and after a couple of minutes a 4lb zander lay in my arms, was quickly weighed and photographed and returned to the murky depths back to its home of discarded shopping trolleys and and car wrecks. Inner city fishing certainly has its attractions. My car partner, Michael, then landed a small fish of 2lb 5oz and it made his day as most anglers seemed to be blanking. I then fished as hard as I could but was rewarded with absolutely nothing until with half an hour to go I made my way back to the wharf. I'd been keeping my eye on the sun, waiting for it to start sinking down to the west. I settled in next to a young lad who was completely drenched and my heart went out to him as I did my best Mr Crabtree impression and explained that sometimes shadows can become fish attracting features. I dropped a small shad into the shadow directly in front of me to demonstrate and was instantly rewarded with a 10oz perch. Unfortunately they don't count in a zander match and I returned the small stripey as the heavens opened emptying a deluge of rain upon the already battered congregation. Full time and I made my way to the results area and handed in my weigh card. A few fish had been caught against all the odds and I stood among a dripping mob of anglers waiting to see who had won the generous prizes. In 4th place.........me. I was genuinely shocked as I collected the prize of a Spro rod and even more shocked at the huge cheer that went up. The "bonus" perch had done it as I had tied with another angler and the tie-breaker had tipped the scales. I nearly didn't put the fish on my card thinking it would be no good. Well done to everybody who had taken part especially the few lads for the junior event, thanks also to Gary for organising another Zandermania. I got back into the car glowing partly to the wind burn and partly with the shock. Happy Days

16 May 2009

Some Comments from the IT Crowd

Hi everyone, I'd like to take some time to say hello to everyone and tell you a bit about who I am and what I do here at Tackle Discounts. If you're familiar with the Channel 4 programme show The IT Crowd that might give you a hint of what I do around here. I'm no fisherman by any means but I'm learning quickly what a WF6 line and a ATMF #7 Rod are.

Firstly, some of you may have phoned up and heard a guy speaking with a funny accent on the other end, that would probably be me. I'm originally from Chicago and spent my first 25yrs living out that way. My mothers side of the family (norway & sweden for the other) though is from up north in Kilwinning and Longtown so it was only a matter of time before one of us in the family returned to the British Isles. I spent my first year over in Europe traveling to about 20 countries before settling in London where I currently live now at the end of the M4(yes, it's quite a commute out to Swindon).

I first met Andrew when I was working for the company that supplies the eCommerce solution for the eBay side of the business, and now the new website as well. Andrew was always in need of some help getting the technical side of things running smoothly and I was always the one he turned to. I remember one time he tried to get me to leave and come work from him. He enticed me with free tea and biscuits, free bus pass and a cuddle. Little did I know, 6 months later I would be working for him. I have yet to see the free bus pass!

So that's a bit about my history before Tackle Discounts. As I mentioned, I'm basically the IT Guy around here. So if there's anything on the website you feel could be improved on comment here or email me directly at steve AT tacklediscounts.co.uk

Were still working out the kinks to the site so please bear with us and just let us know if something just isn't right. We're more than happy to fix something that's gone wrong, we almost surely didn't mean for it do be that way.

You'll be noticing that a lot of new products from many different brands are getting added to the site. We have available the entire line of stock from many suppliers like TF Gear, Greys, Chub, Fladen, Ron Thompson, Okuma, Tiburon, Scierra, Savage Gear, ProLogic, DD Bait, Imax, and E-thrust. Many of which aren't even on our site yet. So if you know of a product from one of these brands let us know. We'll be more than happy to get it for you. If there are any brands out there you don't see us with let us know and we'll see if we can get it for you. We're here to supply the products you're looking for.

Maybe next time will be an update on my first UK Fishing outing....it's in the plans

Until next time!

15 May 2009

Happy Birthday



I had the great pleasure of being woken by an overexcited 7 year old in the early hours of this morning. Presents were opened and wrapping paper covered the floor as Harry eagerly looked for the Action Man replacements, HM Armed Forces. I was a little disappointed as there was not a fishing lure in sight. Getting up early did have one advantage though and I spent 2 hours preparing for my assault on Zandermania tomorrow. http://zander-mania.co.uk/default.aspx . There are some great photos of the fish caught last year on the site but don't look for one of me as I blanked. Harry however managed a small pike to further shame me. He looks suitably scared while looking at last years winner Kev Taylor and his 14lb 15oz leviathan. With the preparation sorted, hopefully I'll have the lure in the water longer. The competition has been organised by a good friend, Gary, but there's no favouritism as he still won't divulge his best spots to me. The last fish-in that I attended, with LAS members,I was lucky enough to walk away with the top prize thanks to a 17lb 14oz pike. Lets hope that the luck hasn't deserted me. Harry will not be attending mainly due to the weather and I don't fancy following him into the canal after a strong gust of wind. He may wear a life jacket but swallowing any water from the Gloucester canal could possibly have long term genetic complications. He's been practising with me though and managed to land his 1st zander last week. Anyway, wish me luck as I possibly need it.

13 May 2009

Harry and Paul


Who? Harry and Paul? Well we're not the comedy duo of Enfield and Whitehouse, although seeing us fishing at times has great comedy value. My name is Paul and Harry is my 6 year old son and we are both avid anglers. Although I write a regular article in "Lure Angler" magazine and I run the Cotswold chapter of the Lure Anglers Society we are no different to any other father and son who love their fishing and together we fish all over the country in search of adventures, laughs and the fish of a lifetime. I've known Andrew, who is the boss of TackleDiscounts, for the best part of 20 years so when he "made me an offer I couldn't refuse" and asked me to write on the TackleDiscounts blog I just had to say yes. Any other answer and I feared waking up to a horses head on the pillow........or rather a cod head. So now that Harry and myself have joined the family, here we are in the public domain. Harry is the young, good looking one and I'm.................not. My one saving grace was that I have always been the one who catches the big fish but "times, they are a changing" and the young upstart has started catching a few specimens of his own as you can see.
So it's hello from me and it's hello from him. We both hope that you enjoy our adventures as much as we enjoy the fishing and just maybe you'll be encouraged to join the family.