Spomb Midi

Right then, let's talk about the Spomb, because if you've spent any time on a carp lake in the last few years you'll have seen one of these bright little rockets flying out and popping open on the water. The Midi is the smaller version of the original Large Spomb, and Spomb say it's designed to be cast on normal fishing rods with a lower test curve than a full-blown spod rod.

The whole point of a Spomb is that it's sealed. You push the button, open it up, fill the cargo area with bait and snap it shut at the nose. Nothing comes out on the cast. It's only when it hits the water that it pops open and drops the lot in one go. Spomb call the problem it solves 'spod spill', which is the sprinkling of bait you get from open spods as they fly through the air, and anyone who's watched a trail of hemp spray across the swim on a big cast will know exactly what they mean.

That sealed design has a couple of knock-on benefits. First, accuracy. Because the bait doesn't start leaving until it lands, you build a much tighter spot than with an open spod, which is brilliant when you're fishing to a small clear patch, a gravel spot in the weed, or the edge of a bar. Second, it'll take baits you'd struggle with in an open spod. Spomb say you can load pellets, boilies, hemp, groundbait balls, corn, dog biscuits, maggots, meat, bread and particles, and there's no need to mix them up first.

Spomb list the Midi at 42g empty and about 130g loaded with corn, and they recommend a 4 to 5lb test curve rod with a 15 to 45lb tapered leader. That's lighter than a lot of dedicated spod rods, which is the appeal for anglers who want to top up little and often without lugging a third heavy rod about.

There are a few things worth knowing before you buy. Spomb's own FAQ says it doesn't have to land nose-first with a heavy load, but with light baits like bread or mixers it opens better if you let it go in nose-first. There's a red button that can be turned round for a stronger latch, which they suggest for strong wind, rain in your face, really hot weather, or the sort of massive casts the world's longest casters do. For a normal British day, the standard setting is the one to use, especially if you like to feather it down.

Wet bait is fine too, according to Spomb, as long as you fill the cargo area behind the button section. Liquid won't stop it opening, and on the retrieve the water washes it out and cleans it. That steady retrieve is quite a sight, too: the open Spomb aquaplanes back across the surface with very little resistance, so you're not winding in a bucket.

Who's it for, then? Anglers who want a tight spot, those fishing small baits that would fly out of an open spod, and anyone who likes to feed little and often through a session on a lighter rod. Who's it less suited to? If you're putting kilos of bait out in one go, the Midi holds less per cast than the Large Spomb or a big open spod, and loading via the button is a touch slower than a one-scoop design like the Fox Impact Spod.

As always, check your fishery rules before you go. Some venues restrict spodding, limit how much bait goes in, or have rules about baiting at night, and it's not worth falling out with the bailiff over.

A quick tip that works with any spod: clip up to your marker first, put a mark on your line, and keep the line tight as the Spomb hits the clip so it drops straight down. Fill it the same way each time and you'll put bait on exactly the same patch cast after cast. In the rest of this review we'll go through the spec, who it suits, how it stacks up against an open scoop spod, and the questions anglers ask before buying.