Gear of the Year 2024
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I had a bit of a think about this end of the year Gear of the Year post, and to make it more relevant I reckon that I should only give “prizes” to fishing related gear that I haven’t listed before. As I am writing this I haven’t yet decided upon the exact categories or winners, but I am guessing that the prizes will mostly go to fishing tackle which is on the more recent/newer side of the scale. You can very easily go back through some older Gear of the Year blog posts below if that is any help, but for my Gear of the Year 2024 let’s talk about stuff I haven’t given any virtual prizes to before. Here goes then:
Lure rod of the Year 2024: Favorite Black Swan 852H 8'5'' 16-56g
I have had more than enough time with this utterly ridiculous Favorite Black Swan 852H 8'5'' 16-56g lure rod to fully understand how good it is (review here). If I had brought a lure rod like this to market I think I’d have rated it say 10-50g though, not because it can’t go over 50g, rather it’s what the figures 16-56g imply for a rod that’s way more. This Favorite Black Swan 852H 8'5'' 16-56g lure rod is THE most versatile fishing rod I have ever used for bass lure fishing, and I feel entirely confident to now say that it’s THE best lure fishing rod I have ever used. There, I said it, and at £289.99 it’s quite frankly a joke. Double the price and we’d still be talking about a serious value for money lure rod which can very effectively fish literally any lure I might currently chuck for bass. Huge respect to the hugely talented Ivan at Favorite for designing a rod like this.
Value for money Lure rod of the Year 2024: Favorite X1.1 902MH 9' 12-36g
Review here. This Favorite X1.1 902MH 9' 12-36g lure rod is £89.99 and it’s a proper lure fishing rod. Serious respect.
Spinning reel of the Year 2024: Shimano Vanquish C5000XG
I will write a review of this Shimano Vanquish C5000XG spinning reel at some point, but for the time being I am sure you can guess what it’s like to fish with. Perfection? Got to be pretty close. I’m not going to thrash it in the surf like I will quite happily with my Penn Slammer IV 2500 or 3500, but for most other types of bass lure fishing this Shimano Vanquish C5000XG is absolutely sublime. It’s ridiculously good on that Favorite Black Swan 852H 8'5'' 16-56g lure rod for example. Never even the merest hint of any line management issues, I love the handle, smoothness personified, and to me this thing is so bloody light I almost can’t see the point of going for a smaller Vanquish.
Value for money Spinning reel of the Year 2024: Shimano Stradic C5000XG
Review here. Yep, I accept that around £220 is not exactly “budget”, but this Shimano Stradic C5000XG is a fantastic spinning reel which should last you for years if you look after it. Typically Shimano and I mean that as a big complement.
Braid of the Year 2024: Samson '36 Strong
Review here. For sure you can find a slightly thinner or smoother 8-strand braid, but I absolutely love this Samson '36 Strong braid because it gives me so much confidence. I love the white colour, it casts great, it takes the FG knot really well, it’s very tough, and if it’s good enough for Grant of Samson fishing tackle and the fishing he does around the world, then it’s good enough for me and what I’m doing with it. As per my review here, I am fishing with the 0.20mm/15lb version of this Samson ‘36 Braid, indeed it’s been on that Shimano Vanquish C5000XG spinning reel from above and to me it’s such a good combination.
Fluorocarbon leader of the Year 2024: Sufix Advance
Review here. I have loved Sufix lines for many years now, and I seriously like this Sufix Advance fluorocarbon leader which I have been fishing with for much of this year. When you have to grab your leader to pull your best bass of the year up and onto some rocks and everything works great, it doesn’t half give you a bit of confidence in a product.
Bits and pieces of the Year 2024 no.1: BKK Fast Snap-41 lure clip
Take your regular and very good HTO Lure Link lure clip then make a few simple modifications which I think make for a slightly improved product. We are talking about marginal stuff here because I am more than happy to use the HTO Lure Link lure clip for all my bass fishing, but I am loving this BKK Fast Snap-41 lure clip. Not easy to find in the UK, but a little birdy tells me that sometime soon they will be readily available. If I haven’t bought the lot that it is!
Hard Lure of the Year 2024: no winner
I don’t fish with hard lures as much as I used to and annoyingly my standout hard lure for 2024 is one that I can’t talk about yet. Apologies for that, but I am bloody loving these things and I will tell you all about them when the time is right. I am finding the little IMA Chappy 80 and HTO Kamikaze 125 surface lures very interesting indeed, but I haven’t had quite enough meaningful fishing time with them yet.
Soft plastic lure of the year 2024: no winner
Because I am not going with items I have gone for before I can’t think of a soft plastic which is new to me and which I can’t be without. Yet I might add. I have got more plans for lures such as the Megabass Sleeper Craw, Z-Man Prawn StarZ, and other creature baits and rigging methods in 2025, but I can’t be awarding prizes to stuff I haven’t “cracked” yet. I still fish mostly with the Savage Gear Gravity Sticks, Savage Gear Slender Scoop Shad and the Savage Gear Sandeel V2 Weedless in the two different sizes, but they have all won this before so I can’t give them a prize. I am growing in confidence with the excellent HTO Slim Snax 6.5", but I haven’t fished with them quite enough to make them a winner here.
Bits and pieces of the Year 2024 no.2: Overboard Explorer Waterproof Backpack 45L
Damn near perfect for how I need a waterproof rucksack to work for my fishing which always combines with photography. I have walked so many miles with this Overboard Explorer Waterproof Backpack 45L now, and perhaps the most important thing to me is how effectively I can access my gear from it. At the time of writing this rucksack is still a whopping 30% off at Amazon.
Bits and pieces of the Year 2024 no. 3: Toit Fishing 7 inch scissors
Bloody brilliant. Review here. Damn these Toit Fishing 7 inch scissors are good.
Wading boots of the Year 2024: Patagonia Forra
Not cheap, but these Patagonia Forra wading boots are so lightweight and comfortable to wear. So far, so good with them as well which isn’t the case with too many wading boots and the fishing we do. Make me choose and at this point I’m still going with the outstanding Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots (review here), but let’s see where I am at with these Patagonia Forra wading boots further down the road.
Waterproof jacket of the Year 2024: Savage Gear WP Performance Jacket
Review here. This Savage Gear WP Performance Jacket is seriously good, and until the lad I fished with in Guernsey alerted me to this waterproof jacket I had no idea it existed. Thank you!
Fishing clothing of the Year 2024: Anglers Only Performance Fishing Shirts
See this blog post here. Loving these Anglers Only Performance Fishing Shirts, they are fantastic value for money and they are designed by UK anglers for UK anglers. Brilliant.
Waders of the Year 2024: no winner
I so wanted to be able to award this category to a sub-£200 pair of breathable waders, but both the Greys Tital and Kinetic X5 waders which I did an initial impressions post on - check here - have failed on me. You need to know that there is every chance they will not fail on you, because both of them have gone in the neoprene sock in a way that is not going to happen for a lot of anglers. Bear in mind that although I have lost a lot of weight I am still fairly heavy, and I also walk a hell of a long way in my waders. I wear them a lot. The neoprene socks on both waders are not technically leaking as such, but over a lot of time with both pairs of waders I now get slightly wet feet - I call it “neoprene compression”. The soles of both pairs of socks on both waders are (really stupidly) made from thinner neoprene than the rest of the socks, and over time I believe the bottoms have literally “compressed” to the point that water starts to slowly seep through the neoprene. I don’t even know if this is actually possible, but something’s going on. So frustrating because both pairs of waders are otherwise SO good, and if Greys and Kinetic sort the neoprene socks out they are onto a couple of winners. As I said though, there is every chance what has happened to me will not happen to you, and for under £200, both pairs of waders could still be worth a go. If and when the companies do something about the thinner socks I will let you know.
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