13 products turning 20 in 2019

For some of us, the last 20 years have flashed past in the blink of an eye. For others, the carp kit used in the final year of the 20th century will seem unfamiliar and antiquated. But whether you lived on the bank in the 1990s, or were yet to be born, there is no denying that some tackle items that launched in 1999 continue to have an impact on the gear you use today. Some still seem revolutionary and fresh, others have had to evolve with age to keep up with new rivals. Welcome to 10 classic items turning 20 in 2019…

1. ESP Original Leadcore and Stiff Rig Bristle Filament

When Oxford-based Drennan decided to launch a dedicated carp brand in the late 90s they didn’t muck around. Dave Ellyatt marshalled the talents of Adam Penning and Terry Hearn, and the initial range made an instant impact. Twenty years on, the super-heavy, beautifully coloured leadcore remains unchanged, as does the Stiff Rig Bristle Filament which truly brought a new dimension to Chods and Hinged Stiff Rigs.

2. Solar Dissolving Foam

Often wrongly described as PVA, these starch-based nuggets were first brought to carp anglers by Solar. Useful in so many situations, these little white pellets definitely fall under the ‘why didn’t I think of that’ banner that applies to so many great innovations. The only thing that’s changed is you no longer use them to stuff in the top of a Gardner Pocket Rocket to prevent bait spill.

3. Daiwa Emblem 5500T

It wasn’t long ago that if you wanted a proper carp reel you had two choices: Daiwa or Shimano. In 1999, the Emblem 5500T didn’t expand the choice of manufacturers but it made a proper, bulletproof big-pit reel affordable for the masses. And the masses responded by buying them in droves. There are plenty of original Emblem 5500Ts in use today, but the range has also moved with the times and is now branded the 5000T and wears a matt-black frock.

4. Shimano Big Baitrunner

Making an even bigger splash in the reel market, the Shimano Big Baitrunner was massive in 1999. Literally. Built like a Soviet tank, these monsters were the aspirational reel of the era. Big names like Paisley, Laney and Chilly rocked the iconic LC (Long Cast) version, while Lee Jackson famously opted for the smaller, less popular Medium version. They were heavy, but held more line than the Maxima factory and were the first reels to marry the Baitrunner and big-pit concepts. The name lives on (in a smaller package) to this day.

5. Korda Funnel Web System

Korda were beginning to flex their muscles in 1999 and showing signs of the tackle empire that would develop in the 21st century. Key to that success was the Funnel Web System, which has now almost become the generic term for any PVA stocking system. Back then it was revolutionary and made fishing with PVA bags the go-to tactic of 1999. When Nick Helleur used the Funnel Web bags for his devastating Dynamite Stick tactic the phrase ‘stick mix’ was born.

6. Nash Titan All Season Viper

By 1999, the Nash Titan brand was already well established, but its position as the premium mass-market shelter of the age was solidified with the launch of the All Season Viper. Boasting that instantly recognisable Titan shape, the Viper variant still looks thoroughly modern today. The evolved Titan is still a bestseller today, but plenty of its key features can be traced back to this period of design.

7. Solar Pozi-Loc system

Martin Locke’s eye for engineering detail was already well-known by 1999, but the Pozi-Loc system was another gamechanger. Allowing anglers to align their alarms and backrests effortlessly, the Pozi-Loc heads instantly wiped out the heartbreak of slightly skew-whiff buzzers. The system has recently been incorporated into the carbon-and-steel beauty that is the P1 range, meaning we’ve had 20 years of not relying on washers to get our alarms dead straight.

8. Century NG carp rods

To this day, few anglers can bend carbon like Frank Warwick, and at the end of the 1990s his fearless style was already world renowned. Century snapped him up as their head consultant and used his input to design the NG range of rods. Built in England without compromise, they instantly became an object of desire for many carpers. The NG range was completely redesigned and relaunched in 2016, but the legacy endures.

9. Revamped Delkims

If you went to a fishing show two decades ago, like the massive Angling 99 at the NEC, you might have seen the angular design of the original Delkim bite alarm make way for something smoother and sleeker. You would then have quite a considerable wait to buy them, as they didn’t hit the shelves for over a year, but the shape of things to come for the next 20 years and counting was out there.

10. BCAC

Not tackle, but arguably one of the biggest shifts in the way we angle for carp took place in 1999. The British Carp Angling Championship, supported by The Carp Society, came into being. It was big news and even Terry Hearn entered - and predictably won - a heat at Linear. A young Mark Bartlett, who has won two of the last three competitions with Kev Hewitt, also won an eliminator.

11. Solar Globetrotter rod pod

If you were serious about rod pods in the 1990s, then you looked to Solar to kit you out. The Sod Pod was already a classic by 1999 when the much bigger Globetrotter was unveiled. Designed for use with three or more rods in classic ‘Euro’ style, the Globetrotters also found favour on the domestic scene, particularly with the ‘stubby’ leg kits. A new P1 version with carbon detailing is now available but the looks and principles remain the same as they did back in 1999.

12. Fox Euro Dome

With the pramhood revolution yet to happen, if you wanted a bivvy in 1999 Fox had something new to lure you away from the ubiquitous Cypry Dome or Hutchy Apotheosis. Looking like a proper fishing bivvy, the Euro Dome was a big hit. It slipped out of public affections when Armadillo-inspired shelters took over, but Fox relaunched the classic design a couple of years ago and still have a Euro Dome in their range.

13. Ready-rolled Essential Shellfish B5 boilies

Home boilie-making was still big business in the late 1990s. Pages of magazines were littered with recipes and bait-making advice. Nowadays, the vast majority of carpers buy their boilies fully formed in convenient bags. In 1999, a classic flavour that endures to this day became available for the first time as a ‘ready-made’. Mike Willmott’s Shellfish B5 boilies continue to have a loyal following today.