'Spodding is back'
If you like the Spomb, then you’re going to love this new creation from our pals at Fox…
The spod. It’s a device which dates right back to the early 80’s and although there have been many of inventive designs over the years, it wasn’t until the February of 2010 when a split, teardrop-shaped design hit the market called ‘The Spomb’. It cast better than a regular spod. It retrieved better too. And it didn’t release any ‘spod spill’ either. Within 12-months it had rewritten the sales history books and it actually changed an angling term: you now didn’t ‘spod’, you ‘Spombed’. On paper it was the pinnacle of spod (sorry, ‘Spomb’) design. Or so we thought…
Two-years ago, the development guys at Fox – the chaps who have brought you such inventive products like the Zig-Alignas, the Flatliner Bedchair and the Rapide Bag Loader – thought otherwise. Following this extensive research and development programme, plus countless hours of field-testing, we can now confirm two things. One: Fox have something which appears to be an improvement on the Spomb. And two: thanks to it being called the ‘Impact Spod’, the term ‘spodding’ is now back!
We’re guessing you’ve already said to yourself: ‘that looks like a Spomb’ – and you’d be right. Sold under licence from Spomb® Fishing Limited (yep, the makers of the ‘Spomb’) it’s a product that has been developed under the terms of the aforementioned licence agreement and with this version from Fox, it looks like the Essex-based behemoths have just rewritten the ‘pinnacle of ‘Spomb’ design’ rulebook!
The Impact Spod boasts a number of unique features that sets it apart from any other bait delivery device currently on the market. Just like the Spomb, the Impact encases all the bait within a chamber meaning there’s no spod-spill, and thanks to its unique ‘scoop’ body shape, it allows for rapid, single-handed loading. It also not only enables you to fill the device very quickly, it also allows for highly efficient loading, resulting in a ‘one scoop’ operation that fills the entire inner compartment!
This has two major benefits – both of which CARPology experienced first hand during our on-the-bank test with Fox’s Group Media Manager, Lewis Porter. Firstly, this ‘complete fill’ enables you to put your bait out extremely quickly, but secondly, and maybe more importantly is this additional fill allows for an even weight distribution, which when combined with the aerodynamically tuned design means it’s very stable in flight. Now trust us here: if you thought the Spomb cast well, then the Impact is literally going to blow your mind. In essence it’s your fast-track route to being able to fish the same super-long distances that Tom Maker or Mark Bartlett fish!
Another benefit of the scoop design is that it enables a tapered bait release should you wish to create a wider spread of free offerings, as opposed to tightly grouped patches, and this feature can be particularly handy when fishing a boilie-only approach or ‘big hit’ fishing with multiple rods on one large baited area.
So what else has Fox done with the Impact Spod? In addition to making it more buoyant than the Spomb (great news should you crack-off), the spring mechanism is encapsulated to prevent bait from being able to interfere with it. Add in all anti-rust stainless steel components and a moulded-in size 7 swivel for attaching to your main line and you truly do have a new pinnacle of spod design. Seriously Fox, how the hell do you keep doing this?!
“GIMME”: Medium, £10.99; Large, £12.99; foxint.com
There are two sizes of the Impact Spod: Medium, which will hold 35 x 15mm boilies, and the Large will house 62 x 15mmers.
SPEC SHEET
Medium Impact Spod
Unloaded weight: 37g/1.30oz
Loaded with boilies
Max. capacity of 15mm boilies: 35. Weight: 108g/3.80oz
Max. capacity of 18mm boilies: 20. Weight: 100g/3.5oz
Large Impact Spod
Unloaded weight: 51g/1.80oz
Loaded with boilies
Max. capacity of 15mm boilies: 62. Weight: 177g/6.25oz
Max. capacity of 18mm boilies: 38. Weight: 172g/6oz