[Andy Marquis]

Well we had the Shimano team over today to showcase their 2011 range, first stop in the UK, they will be soemwhere on the mainland on Monday.

Interesting chat with them. Not sure they knew what their range was and didn't know much about the new methods we are now employing (HRF / LRF etc).

Dave Lewis was also there, no offence to the bloke but I think he must be a bait fishermen when he told me that soft plastic fishing was just spinning with a soft plastic. Er, no, it's not, but he's not the type to argue with.

The good news however is that know it or not, they have some nice rods out next year, I ordered one of their cheap HRF ones to try out when they come out in November. The Vengeance SV215BMH which is 7ft and 10-50g. I would say that 10-50 seemed way over the top for what it felt like in the hand. Retail is £30 or so, I will be paying £25 less 25% special offer one day only thing. We will see how it feels when I get it to use proper. Certainly the right price range to get more people into it I told them. You can't come out with £150 SP rods and expect a big take up in the UK immediately.

They couldn't tell me what it was like with lighter leads as they have never used them and only got their hands on them a week ago...

They also had some more pricey (£120-150 range) rods in the HRF sort of weight range but I can't for the life of me remember the name of them. Same sort of colours with a white section on the butt above the handle. Can't see them in the 2011 catalogue.

I also showed them my rod (oo err!!) the Shimano salty shot to be met with "where did you get that, they aren't available here". Well I know that, I had to get it from japan. They hadn't used them before but they are a nice rod, then there was, "what's that lure on the end, not seen that before". "No you haven't, it's homemade", "oh, ok..." :-D Mwa ha ha... :wink:

Oh, and i ordered a Stradic 2500FC while it was 25% off day. Got to wait for that to come in stock as well though. they wanted me to buyt the Rareium but then told me it was made in malaysia not japan so wasn't as good. Whoops!! maybe i won't have that then...

 

[Andy Marquis]

Oh, I just found it in the catalogue... The more pricey one is the Yasei range. Dropshot, vertical jigging, "zander pleasure" etc rods. The one I tried I think was the Aori which comes in 7-13, 9-15 and 11-21g from 7 to 9ft, they really do look like nice rods, they are marketing them as squid and cuttlefish rods(???eh??). they said they didn't think the drop shot would be used as it wasn't a method fished in the UK. Erm... "I think it is actually, I do it myself". "oh. OK".

So all in all, nice range of rods, but the staff need training on the rods! They knew the reels OK though.

 

[Gary A]

Nice one Andy, sounds like you put them straight about whats actually going on. Maybe they'll brush up on their knowledge before they hit the Uk. Just as well you didn't tell them about eging and sepia fishing, they'd think you were turning Japanese. :rofl:

 

[Retired]

Nice one Andy.

Its a shame Shimano UK aren't as clued up as Shimano in Europe. I know a French rep well, and he showed me their new SP range last time I saw him in Nantes. Totally up to speed.

At the end of the day its the tackle dealers that will lose out, as we punters can buy over the 'net.

BTW the people that distribute Shimano were also distributing VMC and Storm last time I checked (but these things have a habit of changing). Don't get me started on how many great jig heads Storm produce that aren't imported by the UK distributor. Shame really.

 

[Andy Marquis]

The tackle rep was OK, he seemed to know a bit and was let down by the fact he had not seen the rods til a week before this "presentation". They need to come on forums like this to see what "cutting edge" is in the UK. they are a step or 2 behind but it is nice to see some suitable rods coming into the marketplace.

 

[Mike Kennard]

It sounds like a familiar story. A lot of the reps have made a name for themselves in one form of fishing and unless they recite the catalogue are pretty clueless as to the realities of other branches of the sport. Not sure I would last long in my job if I only knew 20% of what I needed.....

 

[Andy Marquis]

Not wrong their Mike. In my industry (Fiduciary) knowing 20% is a waste of space and the legal consequences are not to be thought about.

 

[Andy Mason]

I chuckled through that one Andy. Great story. It is really becoming apparent that so many distributors really have no idea whats round the corner for them. We see this stuff now and yes some of it is old stuff re-worked that the yanks, japanese or europeans have been doing for a while, it's just now we have the technology to do it better and cheaper. I can't understand why none of them have their ear to the ground (so to speak). It's a bit ludicrous really and as you've all said before, wouldn't last 5 mins in any other job.

 

[Andy Marquis]

BTW the people that distribute Shimano were also distributing VMC and Storm last time I checked (but these things have a habit of changing). Don't get me started on how many great jig heads Storm produce that aren't imported by the UK distributor. Shame really.

The catalogue they gave me says they are the distributors for:

Rapala
Blue Fox
Williamson
Storm
Trigger X
Suffix and
plano

Be nice to see some of that range of lures show up as well. No idea about shimano lures, they didn't bring any and there aren't any at all in the Uk 2011 Shimano catalogue. Shame.

 

[Vidar Thomassen]

The catalogue they gave me says they are the distributors for:

Rapala
Blue Fox
Williamson
Storm
Trigger X
Suffix and
plano

Be nice to see some of that range of lures show up as well. No idea about shimano lures, they didn't bring any and there aren't any at all in the Uk 2011 Shimano catalogue. Shame.

The Rapala WMC Corporation, which also includes Storm have very recently acquired Dynamite Baits (the UK’s leading carp & coarse bait manufacturer) in a £5.5 million deal, and Shimano will apparently not be their UK distributor in future.

 

[Alex Jordan]

Interesting news Vidar - great little write up Andy!

 

[Alan Behenna]

Andy,

can I update this a little, now that the info on the more than a dozen variations of the new "Vengeance" series with prices are up.

These budget' priced rods look like they would be well worth checking out as they become available........."Cheap as Chips".

http://www.shimanoshop.co.uk/store/shimano-vengeance-spinning

 

[Andy Marquis]

I did a review on the one I ordered somewhere, might have been in a catch report. I wasn't impressed, very soft throughout, but for the money...