With innovation comes a need for explanation: Gripz and Stonze

As I write this piece, I am mindful of a saturated market that pushes a narrative that I personally don’t agree with. If we sit here accepting promoted trends, are we not in danger of never moving forward and, therefore, accept that we can’t improve on what we have? In writing this copy I can understand that some may take the view of; here we go again, more product placement, and I can understand such a mindset! What I would say is that I am in a catch 22 situation. How do you highlight products without appearing contrived? What I can promise you is that I 100% believe in the following paragraphs and they are based on my ‘fight’ to explain, not some flag waving exercise to sell!

Innovation is defined as a new method, idea or product and when it comes to product development within Pallatrax that is what I set as my first goal. I don’t want to replicate, I want to innovate with products that push boundaries, go against the grain and disrupt trends. I want to do this for several reasons, especially to improve on the ‘old’, to help us to catch more fish alongside being environmentally sustainable. With my fishery ownership hat on, and my moral obligation in a world challenged by environmental bad practices, I don’t want products or practices that may harm but ones that are a positive.

Pallatrax’s corner stone, excuse the pun, is my Stonze natural fishing weights range, which I have to admit has, sadly, faced an uphill battle to be accepted with an industry focused on lead weights and method feeders. I say “sadly” as I see them to be a huge, and proven advantage, over the man-made, and it has frustrated me that sometimes it seems like pushing water uphill to get the truth out there! Stonze have their own identity as a unique angling tactical approach with benefits that more and more anglers, thankfully, are now realising.

They are not to be confused with a lead or method feeder, those two products sit on their own and do a job. But what if there is a natural product that has its own characteristics whilst also being able to be used as both a weight and a feeder? Surely, if that exists, that has to be a better option, especially if it is non-toxic and better value for money – which is what the handmade Stonze are! Other benefits include the fact you can flavour a Stonze with a water-based flavour for extra attraction, they settle on silt and are truly genuine natural colours. Whilst some have tried to gimmick the Stonze they should really see that the modern lead is actually the gimmick, covered in coloured plastic that resemble nothing in nature whilst also missing the point that fish sense alien objects within their environment and can, therefore, become suspicious of them. Getting rid of the largest piece of your terminal tackle and swapping for Stonze has so many advantages including helping you to catch more fish – it really does make common sense once you have made that leap of faith and embraced.

Gripz – It really is the whole point!

With my quest to invent, do we really have to accept that there are only two hook designs for us to use? When I say that, historically we have had only barbed and barbless, which then have hundreds of hook patterns within these two hook designs. Alongside Stonze, I am genuinely proud of introducing what is a third hook design, an award-winning hook design that has huge benefits over both barbed and barbless – Gripz. A massive statement, but when you look at the facts to support and then use Gripz it has already revolutionised the way thousands of anglers view hook design both at home and abroad.

The Gripz grooves are the key to the hooks’ unique performance. These tiny grooves hold firm during the fight with no slippage and then are easily, and safely, removed once the pressure is off. This alleviates mouth damage concerns alongside giving the angler so much more confidence that they won’t lose the fish.  Gripz also have a cutting point, which is incredibly sharp whilst also exceptionally durable, one angler contacted me recently from Canada telling me had ‘retired’ a Gripz hook after landing 27 hard fighting carp!

No angler, including myself, likes to lose fish so if you can up your odds of landing a fish safely with Gripz then it becomes a no brainer. For me, as a fishery owner, knowing that my anglers have a better performing hook design that lessens slippage, and the resulting damage is negligible are two huge positives. I now have the vast majority of the most popular hook patterns, from Carp to Predators, available and soon we will see the launch of the Gripz match range. Exciting times ahead and more patterns in development, Gripz have firmly cemented themselves within the hook market.

There will never be anything from Pallatrax other than drawing my fellow anglers to the conclusions I have made from the evidence and pursuit to innovate. As mentioned, if we don’t question and take the assumed narrative as gospel then we won’t improve and I do believe that if we keep on doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, well it is said it is the first sign of madness!

Last, but not least, what is fantastic to see is more and more fisheries appreciating these products as they have been truly designed to also be fishery management tools alongside beneficial for anglers. I love assisting fisheries in such a fashion and these two ranges, Gripz hooks and Stonze weights, sit nicely alongside my bait ranges that especially focus on healthy weight gains of fish, whilst catering from the increasing concerns over water quality.

I would like to wish you all the best for 2023, I hope you stay safe and smash those personal bests whilst enjoying the incredible benefits that angling offers.