A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a company called PCI who offered to send me a sample of their products to help with my coaching activities in return for a link from this blog. Most of their products seemed aimed toward the carp fishing market and so I replied expressing my interest but explaining that I would be unlikely to be able to field test the products until the spring.
The result was a phone call from a lady named Becky Bailey who seemed very knowledgeable, pointing out that they had a product called Solu-Ties that may be of use on my pike fishing courses. I found the fact that she had obviously done her research and read this blog very impressive and most unusual in the angling trade, this is a company to watch!
I was further impressed when she offered to send some products to the Davies Angling Show the next week, by means of a friend who was exhibiting there, so that I would have the Solu-Ties ready for my pike handling courses the following week. So on Saturday a group of us attended the show where I collected a huge parcel from Alan of Kent Particles from PCI. This was too large to carry round the show so I left it with Bill and Virginia Rushmer on the Anglers Mail stand.
This also contained some of their bait buckets which I will review at a later date.
The Solu-Ties are like the plastic cable ties that you can buy in any DIY shop that when pulled tight around something lock in that position acting as a clamp but they are made of PVA which of course dissolves in water.
My favourite dead baits for pike are sardines but their soft flesh makes them difficult to keep on the hooks when casting and even when used frozen they tend to fly off during all but the most gentle cast. This product should keep the hook in the root of the tail in place and although I will still use the baits frozen they may enable me to dispense with barbed hooks altogether.
I’ll report further after the Pike Handling Courses.
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