Fishing tackle of all sorts is introduced every year at Tackle & Guns (T&G), the main UK trade show for the tackle industry. For FF&FT I go to T&G hoping to get a preview of tackle for next season and to get an idea of where the tackle industry is going in general.

This year, it seemed to me, tackle companies at T&G were in two camps, bulls and bears. Both share a common aim, to come though difficult times as healthy viable companies. But just how they intend to achieve that goal is very different.

Bears see a difficult market so they reduce their stock levels, and if they invest in new product at all it is for the low-cost end of the market. Bulls also know retail customers have less cash to spend so they too balance their stock levels with cautious projected sales, but while bears are just being cautious, bulls aim to build their market share – so they invest in innovation and new products. I can think of a couple of examples of that bullish tendency in UK manufacturers – Hardy Greys and Leeda spring to mind.

Hardy Greys has a long list of new and refreshed product. The headline grabber this year has to be rods made from its new Sintrix composite. (They look and feel great – now let me play with one ... pullleeez!)

What I saw at T&G says Hardy Greys aims to compete hard in the US market: lighter, tougher saltwater rods, stunning new saltwater reels, very competitive prices. Sage, Loomis, Orvis and the other top US tackle brands should be paying close attention – actually, I know they’re paying attention. But Hardy Greys showed much more than Sintrix rods, and exotic reels. Its whole stand bristled with new and revised tackle – I am positively itching to get my hands on that 10ft 2-weight or that rod with the extra section tucked away in the butt – and those are conventional carbon rods.

Then we arrived on the Leeda stand to find a ‘murder’ of tackle dealers huddled around a display cabinet holding one reel – one white prototype saltwater reel. Leeda has quietly renewed the Wychwood brand and others over the past few years and are continuing to build Wychwood with some little tackle gems aimed at a surprisingly wide group of fly fishers, from the reservoir boat anger (traditional home of Wychwood) to saltwater anglers.

Tackle trends I saw emerging or continuing:
• Long light-line rods.
• More switch rods.
• Kayaks (no they are not canoes).
• Carbon composites based around nano-reinforced resin.
• Cassette reels.
• Innovative fishing luggage.

Suggestions for your tackle trends?