Customer Feedback
All the feedback seen here is genuine feedback from our customers, and some from our tackle testers. No cash stuffed envelopes have been exchanged....!!
"Being a fairly recent convert from Coarse to Sea angling I soon discovered how frustrating Off-The-Ground casting can be using clipped up baits to gain those vital extra yards. No matter which type of bait clips I used, the hooks would come adrift the moment the line went slack as the rig was laid out prior to casting. I came across a combined grip lead and bait retention tube called the DVice on another website and posted a question on the Go Fishing forum to ask if anyone has used them. I was contacted by Rob from The DVice Tackle Company Ltd who very kindly posted me two DVices to try out and give my impressions on the forum.
They arrived well packaged and took only a couple of minutes to assemble them both. All that was required was to fit the grip wires to the Gemini style nose-cone and screw the nose-cone to the base of the lead. The grip wires looked a little short for my liking as I normally need to use 6oz Breakaway impact leads to hold bottom on most of the South Wales marks that I visit but with all of the weight concentrated in the nose of the DVice it stood a better chance of holding than most. Fully assembled they measure approximately seven inches long with the tube measuring about five inches long. I fished them from a local breakwater using a two hook "Bomber" rig with the hooklengths extending six inches past the nose-cone as was recommended, the lower snood carrying a 2/0 hook baited with a three inch section of Bluey and the upper one carrying a size 1 baited with worm tipped off with a slither of squid.The baits were loaded into the tube in order to their proximity to the lead i.e closest to the lead first. Fancy casting was out of the question on such a popular venue so a simple overhead thump was all that was required. Hooked up to my 16' Greys Triplex and Penn 850 I gave it the "heave-ho" and sent it skywards. With a slight wind coming from over my right shoulder it punched through the air like an arrow and kept going....and going without wobbling or deviating from it's path to finally land at around 150 yards. Wow!!
I allowed it to settle before setting the tip and was impressed how well it held in the clean ground considering I was fishing across an incoming spring tide. The slight reservation I had about the length of the gripwires was unfounded. After a biteless 20 minutes I wound in and was surprised to see how quickly the lead planed to the surface and created less drag than a standard lead on the retrieve. I was expecting the lead to act like a Drogue and be slow to retrieve as the water passed through the tube and out through the "x" shaped base but in reality it was the total opposite. Brilliant!! The baits were in tact and in good condition considering the distance they had cast and the time spent in a strong cross tide. They were re-baited and sent skywards again to the same effect proving my first cast was not a well timed fluke. By the close of play I outcaught my Brother in law and fishing buddy 2 to 1 with doggies making up the bulk of the catch as is usually the case at this time of year I'm told (early April).
The DVices second outing was to a local beach to have a go at OTG. Baiting up as I did on my previous outing, I laid the rig out on the beach and set up ready to give it some "beans" but before casting allowed the leader to go slack to see what happened to the hooklengths. Yes!! they stayed inside the clear tube without a hint of trying to fall out. Curiosity satisfied I sent it out to a similar distance which again impressed me as I was now facing an onshore breeze. In summary,the DVice did everything I hoped it would and more. It casts well,grips well,retrieves well and presents a bait in a condition that I had not achieved before. The bait ejected on every cast but perhaps most important of all it allowed me to give my Brother in law a good thrashing on both outings which in my opinion makes it priceless !!
The DVice is available in 130,150 and 200g and prices start at £3.50. Their website address is www.DVice.co.uk Finally a very big "Thank-you" to Rob at The DVice tackle Co for not only reading my post but for sending me a couple to try out. Also thanks to Paul F for suggesting I write my first review. Something that was made much easier by having a good product to try out. Thanks guys. PS I have no financial or business interests with The DVice Tackle Co Ltd. It's a good product-end of story"
Charlie Nash - South Wales ("Krusty Krab" on http://www.gofishing.co.uk)
Click HERE for a very techincal review from a dedicated Welsh angler
"I received my Dvices yesterday and took them fishing last night. I set one rod up with a conventional pennell and lug/squid cocktail clipped to an impact lead. On the other rod I used a long snood pennell and a Dvice with the same bait but with a lot more of the bait left flapping.
In total I had 33 Whiting and 3 Codling. Of these, 20 Whiting and ALL 3 Codling came to the Dvice rig. Casting was easily on a par with the clipped down rig. It was much quicker and easier to use the Dvice, just bait up and drop the bait in the canister and cast away. I believe the improved catch rate over the other rig was down to the longer flowing snood and better presented bait afforded by the Dvice.
In summary, this is probably the most significant new item of kit I have seen for many years, and I fly, spin and bait fish all over the world.
My final point, are their plans for a lighter model that I can use on my 2-4oz Bass Rods for long range light tackle work with sandeel baits in the spring?
Please feel free to use any of the above in testimonials if that would help. Beach fishermen, particularly those seeking better quality specimen fish, must make the Dvice a key part of their armoury.
Regards
Peter Finnis , Eastbourne"
"Product test…D-Vice…
As someone who fishes matches on the infamous south coast match circuit it's part of the game to investigate things that may prove useful and on occasion give one the edge….the D-Vice was such an item.
The first test was to find out what they cast like ..opportunity presented itself when I needed to pop down the local beach to bed new lines in on some reels….two casts with the D-Vice and I find myself asking what is going on…distance wise it is not far behind a plain lead (was not expecting that ) and also flew straight and true…already the mind starts to conjure possible uses.
Mid July and it's show time for the D-Vice…word has
reached our ears of tope at Selsey…several rigs are specifically fashioned
for use with a D-Vice ..flowing trace..9inches of wire..a proper hook and
sides of fresh mackerel
No tope were caught on this occasion but I thought the D-Vice performed spot
on…have not been able to fish a side of mackerel at those distances before.
The chap I was fishing with (a rather well known match angler ) who was not
using a D-Vice had several problems despite his best efforts.He was having
to hit it harder to get the same distance…baits were suffering helicopter
syndrome…and when wound in the bait was up the snood….no such problems
for me using the D-Vice (ps.he also had 2 crack offs ).We put our lack of
success down to conditions not being ideal.
Friday August 3rd…Word again reaches my ears that tope
are once again showing in the area…..the chap I had previously fished
with at Selsey rang me on the Friday evening saying he had just landed/weighed
and returned a tope around the 45lb mark.
Saturday august 4th…following that news I was up at 3.30am and off to
Shoreham to acquire fresh mackerel at first light….job done and 9pm in
the evening saw me unloading the motor for another crack at a tope, this time
at a recommended peg in Bracklesham bay…tackle and tactics were the same
as before..rigs a la D-Vice and sides of fresh mackerel.Low tide was at 10pm…I
was set up and fishing by 9.30…10.30 and I have just started to move
back as the tide starts to flood…3rd chuck and I'm standing there wandering
if it's going to happen….is that tip starting to bend…yes it is…yes
it is…right over….line starts peeling off the slosh….we're
in…good 10 minute scrap then followed in shallow water…the result
was a tope that weighed 41lb 8oz…..no further runs that evening.
I have only used the D-Vices with sides of mackerel so far but can see endless possibilities…the limits being the imagination of the angler."
Steve B, Hove, East Sussex - Captor of the biggest DVice
aided shore caught fish to date, 41lb 8oz Tope.
Click Here for Review from Mike Thrussel Jr, Editor of WorldSeaFishing.com
"I was wondering if there is any word on the diffrent
weight Dvices? I was hoping to get a few for the autumn storms. I used the
160 on holiday
in Torquay, and outfished my mates at every venue by fishing live sandeel
at range. The odd times I didn't get a bite I was reeling in the sandeel alive
and kicking after a 150ish yard cast and 15 mins out. Sometimes I was getting
hit on the retrieve.
The Dvice has also massively simplified my rigs as I no longer need all the
distance components all set up before I go fishing, I can go with rigs set
up with silicone lined crimps and just add my snoods, either single hook,
pennel, or wishbone and I'm ready to go!So thanks for the Dvice."
Geoffrey Jubb, Sunderland
"You will be pleased to know that I managed to catch
a 7lb thornback ray at Orford island today on a whole squid using a DVice.
Dunc will be emailing the photos to you. This is the first thorny that I've
had from the beach in nearly 25 years of fishing. It is definately the best
way that I have found of putting a large bait a long way out. We had a good
tail wind today and I reckon that the DVice with the squid inside was landing
between 130 and 150 yards out. I will definately keep using them."
Neil Cocks - Essex
"Rob 'n Bob
What can I say? Brilliant product. Quite simply, one of the most innovative additions to the sea angler's arsenal of weaponry.Although I have not used it an enormous amount, the times I have used it, it has always released on every cast with no problems. Not once have I retrieved to find bait still in place. It has allowed soft baits - crab, prawn and rag to be cast significant distances that would normally have been impossible. This is especially true when casting into the teeth of a high wind.
The only 'problem' (if you can call it that) I have encountered is the huge splash on impact. This isn't too bad when there is a lot of movement in the sea but is certainly noticeable in extremely calm seas. I suppose it doesn't cause any disturbance to fish but it does make other anglers look at you as if you've just chucked a brick in. ;-)
I'm looking forward to more trips and experimenting more with this product.
Well done again.
Vic Fisher - East Sussex"
"We did use the Dvices and were very pleased with the
results, it's just unfortunate that there wasn't much about other than small
codling and doggies of which we caught loads. We were fishing Orford island
(The Crouch) over a spring tide with loads of weed about and anyone who has
fished Orford will know what a pain that can be. With the tide at it's strongest,
line ends up festooned with weed just like the wife's washing line, but the
Dvices held bottom very well in conditions that would have caused problems
for grip leads.
The Dvices were easy to use and made baiting up and casting with bigger baits
much easier, especially at night. Although initially they felt ungainly to
cast, once we got used to them they cast very well. We had a couple of early
casts spoiled by the bait coming out in flight, this was due to inexperience,
and we soon discovered we were not loading the Dvices firmly enough. Once
we got the hang of it all went OK and I don't think we had any baits fail
to come out once in the water, no matter how big they were or how firmly we
loaded them in.
Unfortunately we did lose a couple of Dvices, one to a crack off and the other
to a snag and one developed a crack in the plastic tube which, although still
usable, is bound to fail soon. We could have done with varying the weight
to suit conditions, but I believe there are moves afoot to produce Devices
in a selection of weights which should address this problem.
To summarise, if the fish are about I think using one of these must increase
your chances by getting a much bigger baits out there intact and allowing
the use of rigs that give better bait presentation. Also of note is the ease
of use and the ability to hold bottom in extreme conditions.
All in all, this is a nifty piece of kit, well worth the money and we were
well pleased with it.
Regards
Art Vine & co"
"Went fishing with a couple of mates between Aberdyfi & Tywyn this evening and with no surf to speak of (= no fish by & large), I took the time to try these D-vice gizmos out.I have never before found something that combines easy long casting with 100% intact bait (I knew that because nothing was feeding so I could retrieve everything back for a look!).Just to get this into perspective, I was fishing 6ft running legers of 20lb Amnesia with ~10 beads, to 1/0 hooks baited with soft crab and mussel (no elastic), with as a tip a single 3-4 inch ragworm head-hooked just once or alternatively a thin strip of AMMO frozen razor.Because nothing was about to eat them, I was reeling in every 40 minutes or so and able to inspect how the baits had fared. The ragworms were not only intact, but still wriggling! This is after casts exceeding 100m.
I am very impressed indeed. This is far superior to any bait-clip system I have used FOR LONG-RANGE - that is where the advantage exists. It's not far off casting a plain lead out in terms of easy distance even with an overhead thump-type cast.Had one cast (my first) where the D-vice failed to eject its contents: I was aiming at just inside a sandbank beginning 100m out, but the thing whizzed out much further than expected, and went plop into the foamy surf breaking over the bank - very shallow in other words given that no surf was to be seen anywhere else. So if you are only fishing water six inches deep it won't work LOL! The other casts all worked perfectly well.The lads eventually had an insize turbot apiece close-in within minutes of each other - a small group of them must have passed along very close to the shore - so I switched to seeing if I could pick up a straggler, to no avail, but found the D-vice to be an effective swimfeeder full of finely-chopped mackerel at the same time. So they have their uses close-in as well.Now I can't wait to deploy them in "fishy" conditions
Great invention, and after today's tests, I would recommend it highly for anyone wanting to fish soft or delicate baits, especially at range and especially where presentation is critical, which is particularly the case in daylight on shallow beaches where sight plays a big role in fish feeding patterns.A recommendation I would make is to make an additional one, with the same weight of lead but squatter in shape, so that a wider tube may be fitted. This would have applications with monster-size cod baits etc. Something to think about IMO."
John Mason - Wales
"I would also like to just harp on about the Dvice. It is brilliant. I was able at distance, 100 yards plus to present a long flowing, approx 4ft, snood, with half hooked lug and flowing squid pieces, effortlessly and quickly. There was no mucking about trying to ensure the snood was properly clipped down with cold wet hands, just shove it down the DVice and fire it out. "
Henry Wodehouse - Wiltshire
"I took the opportunity to fish a local mark on the River Colne with Peeler and whole Calamari on Saturday night, more to test out OneCodBobs DVice than for any other reason.....particularly as the spot I fished tends to be a mark that only does well later in the Bass season. The fishing was as I expected...CRAP (no fish and tons of crabs), but the DVice I was impressed with! I have for years now buggered about trying to find a way to get a whole squid out there on a running ledger with a long trace (6 ft plus) and keep the bait intact without any tangles...until I used the DVice on Saturday I had never found a 100% effective method. It cast baits which poked 2 inches out of the top on an 8 ft running ledger all night, with no hang ups, tangles or ejection failures whatsoever. It also coped with the shallow nature of the mark and I had no ejection failures even though at the early part of the tide, I was fishing in only three feet of water. Brilliant Bob, a fantastic piece of kit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My only gripe with the DVice was weight (and I know Bob is already working on this). With my 150 grm casting rods (the heaviest I ever use) it was a bit much at 160 grms although nothing unmanageable. Put a squid in it and my little rods (and my little hands) found it a strain; not that throwing whole squid out is ever easy! A four ounce version would probably be about right for whole squid (the squid itself will make up the weight to the casting optimum) and will be a lot less stressful on the rods and my back - but until there is a four ounce version I will most definately be using this one. "
Blackdog - Sea-fishing.org