The ‘Roach Pole’ as a baiting tool has been in use on certain venues for many years. Those fishing margin friendly waters in particular being aware of their benefits. Using one on Toll Pits in 2004 gave Paul from AI the idea of launching one to the market and after struggling to find a supplier who could provide the quality required at a reasonable price the 8m pole became part of the launch range. In testing the pole performed admirably but when we let it loose on the general public several were returned with broken tip sections. We quickly realised anglers were unfamiliar with the concept of floating the pole out on the surface with many using it like a fishing rod and lifting dead weights with it. Anyway we quickly reinforced the top 2 sections and have subsequently only had returned those that have been properly abused – normally trodden on! Over fit to keep the price, weight and size down it packs down small enough to keep permanently in the holdall until required. The spoon and Spoonriser float compliment the system perfectly. Remember the pole gets heavy with a full spoon and as such extra buoyancy is required, beyond that of a standard net float. The baiting pole will continue to give those anglers that want to stay in front of the crowd a real edge in 2008. Make sure you are the first to reap the benefits on your venue.
Weedrakes have been used for years in various forms and guises, garden forks, sets of trebles etc but in recent years those in the know had developed various one offs that were being used in lakes up and down the country. We initially trialled the rakes of a similar design to those which were being used and whilst finding it very effective at what it did, it did have various limitations. After a period of testing and trial and error the initial range of Angling Intelligence rakes was born. The anchor shaped rake one was along the original design of the rakes already in use. It proved effective at clearing channels in weed, especially where heavy weed was present. It didn’t however clear sparse areas of weed or was it particularly efficient at clearing out large areas. The tap design was therefore developed. This proved more effective at clearing sparse weed or large areas. It also turned the bottom over, especially in silt or light gravel. It casts a dream and as 2007 progressed it has proved to be an excellent all rounder. It makes a superb replacement for a lead on a marker rod as long as there is no or very little weed present. Weedrake 3 has proved to be the best selling of the 3 rakes. It was designed for clearing light areas of weed and clearing spots of debris and/or turning over the bottom. As such it is heavier and longer than the other two rakes, being designed to keep low to the bottom. The advanced levels of presentation now possible for those in the know that have thought how to apply their use has given them a massive edge. Remember though, Rake 3 this is not suitable for casting into heavy weed. It weighs in at 5.5 ounces and will lock up in a heavy weed bed! Clear it with 1 or 2 and clean it with 3. As simple as that!
The Weigh Sling was developed by Paul and Steve back in 2005 whilst they were developing some ideas for another company. The basis of the idea came from Paul whilst he was fishing Toll Pits. Not wishing to keep the fish out the water for any extended period he was resting them in the edge between weighing and photography only for the weigh sling to fill with water and be almost impossible to remove from the lake. It was also noticed the baffles never covered the zip properly. Paul also had the pleasure to admire Lesters being weighed at Toll. Her tail sticking out the end and risking getting caught up in the zip! Not good. Steve was also unwilling to use the rigid frame sling due to its length; so the current sling was born. A huge 50 inches in length and ample depth. A collapsible centre pole to make it easy to pack away. Easy flow mesh both sides, with a nylon base to protect the fish from the bottom during release and baffles over the zips. We even moved the badges out of the way to ensure no unnecessary stitching was apparent where the fish would be resting. Many have asked us why we put the black weigh cords on. Well this is to accommodate the many digital scales you see these days. The small hooks on these struggling with larger webbed handles. If you have a good old set of Reubens you may wish to take these off - a simple process.
We are delighted with the end result. This is one of the 'big fish' products of 2007. For those of you that think 50 inches is just too big for those 20's a smaller version will be with you shortly (October). Ideal for carp up to around 30 as well as barbel, tench, bream and any other smaller coarse fish for that matter.