Solar Tackle P1 Worldwide Pod

With its 30th anniversary around the corner, we’re giving Solar Tackle a standing ovation for never, ever, compromising on its founding principles. Starting off creating monkey climbers and needle bars in 1987 right here in the UK, the brand later expanded into stainless steel buzzer bars which were closely followed by matching banksticks. Fast-forward almost thirty years and the Kent-based brand is still one of the world’s most trusted when it comes to British-made quality mixed with functionality and invention.

In the late 90s they brought us the Pozi-Lock mechanism – an entirely new way of tightening and aligning your buzzer bars, sticks, rod rests and buzzers. It did away with thumbscrews and ‘O’ rubbers and in return gave you perfectly aligned buzzer heads and butt rests. The early 00’s yielded another first: mixing the hard and harshness of British-made stainless steel with the lightness and matt finish of carbon fibre. It looked divine and sure enough was soon copied by many.

And then we arrive at 2016 and the launch of their truly biblical P1 collection. Designed from a blank sheet of paper upwards, every item in the P1 range has been meticulously handcrafted to the same exacting standard that we’ve come to expect from Solar over the three decades. CAD designed, precision-engineered, made from the best stainless steel and finished with carbon fibre trims.

The first drop of the collection – bars and sticks – hit tackle stores two months ago and predictable it’s been a huge hit. But now there’s even bigger news, as this month their world-renowned Worldwide Pod has now been uprated and upgraded to the P1 umbrella.

Sporting the same unique ‘5 Spoke Diamond Grip Adjustment’ collars and the subtle carbon detailing as the rest of the range, the P1 Worldwide Pod also boasts all the carefully engineered features that has made this pod one of the most sought after ever made. Take the unique Ratchet System for example. This micro leg adjustment enables secure and independent adjustment of each leg angle, meaning you can switch from using the pod in a UK standard ‘parallel-to-the-water’ position right through to hiking the front legs up and dropping the back ones down so you’re fishing true European style in literally seconds.

The extendable main bar glides to whatever length you require, there’s an integrated Pod Anchor bracket so the pod can be secured to the bank, and the fixed, drop-in, anti-twist, goal-post uprights aren’t just stupidly brilliant and quick to set-up but they offer the ultimate when it comes to rigidity.

Assembled, it’s the world’s most all-conquering rod pod. From Redmire Pool to Burghfield, Lake Raduta to Lake Bled, the Worldwide Pod will fit and adapt to any lake and angling situation you find yourself in. But better still, thanks to its compact design, it packs down into a small, padded carry case for easy transportation/storage.

The already market-leading rod pod just got P1-pimped and the result really does make the Worldwide the ultimate rod pod. “GIMME”: £299.99; solartackle.co.uk

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What's inside

The Worldwide Pod is available in two styles: Standard and Low Profile. Both come supplied with a carry case, 4 x 9” extendable legs, centre bar, but the Standard comes with two Long Uprights (for your buzzer bars to sit on), whilst the Low Profile has one Long Upright and one Short Upright to give it that ‘low profile’ appearance.

Solar Titanium Indicator

The Godfathers of buzzer bars, banksticks and rod pods reverted back to their indicator roots with this offering. The Titanium is a cleverly engineered system that gives this indicator the ability to be used in three separate guises. It can be used under tension for tight lines, as a swing-arm indicator and for use with slack lines without having the indicator head laying in the mud. It’s one of, if not the most comprehensive indicator system ever thought up and it’s made in the UK (“always has been, always will be”). Out now and retails for £29.99