I’ve been after a rod pod for some time, but I wanted value for money, lightweight and good looks all in the same product which, with the amount of tackle on the market, could prove difficult to find. Personally, I’ve always been quite keen on the ‘X’ type pods, so why did I buy this? I own a few bits of PROLOGIC kit such as a rod holdall and the excellent MAX 4 POLAR ZONE BOOTS, so I am already aware that some of their items are very good quality. I wanted a ‘recognised’ brand because although you can purchase new rod pods on internet auction sites or in tackle shops quite cheaply, I know, like thousands of other carpers, that a good solid base for my rods is important, and the cheap stuff just doesn’t provide it!
Walking around my local store, I spotted this particular pod amongst all the others and decided to take a closer look; the inset picture of a bag (included) is what first caught my eye. I didn’t want to buy a pod then have to pay out more money for a bag or hard case as I’m on a budget just like you. The information given on the box didn’t answer all my questions, but the pictures on the front seemed to indicate it would fulfil my needs. Made of aluminium, its lightweight (4kg) and fairly robust. Supplied with a good quality zipped nylon bag which has ample pockets for further bits and pieces, it is easy to keep tidy in the shed or on the bank. Inside the bag, all compartments are zipped, and the buzz bar space has loads of angler friendly Velcro straps to keep everything secure. The internal pockets are made of a mesh type material to allow easy drying if wet. The main body of the rod pod breaks down far enough to be put inside the bag, but there are also straps on the outside to store it if necessary.
Putting the thing together is fairly easy if you have any idea of how the pod is supposed to work; unfortunately for a beginner, it did not come with instructions, so some experimentation may be required. (It is easy enough even if you have never seen one before!) All extending parts are secured with plastic ‘flip locks’ which are simple to operate with cold, wet hands and hold things firmly in position. The buzz bars (supplied) are affixed to the main body using two uprights which again lock into place. The pod extends from 720mm all the way to a maximum usable 1200mm which should cover most rods. The legs move between 270mm to 460mm to allow stable use on uneven bank sides. I did find that the plastic fittings looked a little rough around the edges, but all worked as expected. The buzzbars are advertised on the website as ‘extending’ but unless I’ve missed something, they don’t. To be fair to PROLOGIC, there is plenty of space between threads to allow 3 rods to be used with ease. The threads are fitted with ‘micro adjusters’ so that alarms, butt rests, swingers and whatever else you fit will all line up perfectly to cut resistance to an absolute minimum when a hungry fish takes the bait.
When I had it fully set up, it was very sturdy and didn’t move or shift as some pods do. All the ‘flip locks’ were rock solid and it sat perfectly level with all the adjustments I could ever need to make sure it stayed there. Where does it fit within angling circles? Considering that you can pay hundreds of pounds for a super-duper stainless steel multi adjusting sex panther rod pod, this will not suit the image conscious ‘tackle tart’; it will however, be just the thing that thousands of competent carp anglers, beginners and experienced alike will want in their armoury.
Priced at £59.99 from most good tackle stockists, it’s a great all round solid rod pod that will do the job for years if looked after; another winner from PROLOGIC.
Check out the website at www.prologicfishing.com or your local shop.
Clint Walker, August 2009
Pod and bag complete
