We don’t often talk about the specialized tackle that is used to target toothy critters of both the fresh and salt-water varieties but we
Tbyo Koeki offers well constructed high quality products
recently found a company with some amazing products. Tbyo Koeki Co. out of Japan, is one of those who are making inroads by producing high quality products aimed at the needs of those anglers who relish catching these swimming mouths full of needles.
They produce tackle in test pound ratings that range from around 30 all the way up to 300 and then some. They feature a variety of materials including nylon coated wire leaders, heavy fluorocarbon leaders and solid titanium leaders, all with double-lock snaps and ball bearing swivels in a dizzying array of lengths to match your needs.
The Salt Water Test
We had a friend do a salt water test for us. We needed an expert to take the equipment through its paces in the ocean. After taking this out on a seven-day trip, in which he was fishing for everything from Tuna to Kings and in-between, he came back very pleased with the performance of this gear. During his trip, he didn’t see a single failure in the construction of the leaders either where the snaps are attached or where the swivels are attached on the other end.
Through repeated strikes and fights, the wire held its shape as did the other components in all the test pound classes and tying to the leaders, according to him, was a breeze. To top it off, getting back took some real horse-trading.
The Workshop Test
With that information, we decided to give the destruction of these items a go utilizing some unusual methods. First up, the saw that comes standard on most Leatherman type tools.
Hey, when you’re dealing with titanium that is designed to stand up to rows of sharp teeth, why not? We put the leaders in a vice, got out the stop watch, and went to work! Yes, we were able to, with a great deal of effort and more time than we had anticipated, cut through the material. But that was focused pressure on one specific spot on the material. Would a fish be able to do that? I don’t think so, at least not to the degree we were!
After that I figured why not get out the heavy artillery in the form of wire cutters and see how they would stand up to that kind of abuse. Once again, I was able to achieve my objective of destroying the material but only with a lot more effort than I expected.
The bottom line is that the Tbyo Koeki terminal tackle is everything that it is advertised to be and then some. I do know that this will be my tackle of choice for pike, musky or any other water wolves. If you like fishing for these types of fish, or, if you do any salt-water fishing for fish with big nasty teeth, this equipment will not fail you.
See ya’ on the water …