I have now given this rod rest several runs and I can honestly say I am delighted by its performance. As already mentioned in the opening post the greatest advantage is no longer am I craning my neck to look at the rod tip, to have the rods on a lower plane is much more comfortable and makes it far easier to pick up on even the smallest take.

Because it folds down it is easy to carry and because it is aluminium it is really light. With the shape, or the configuration of a tripod, it is easy to hang the extras in position, a baited trace or a towel. It is only when the rods are used in the higher position with the rod's butt resting in the cups, I then need to be safe and suspend a bucket of water underneath to act as an anchor. However, this works to my advantage being able to wash my hands, thaw frozen bait, rinse breakout sinkers and hold the catch.

When watching videos of the European sea angling match and tournament scene, I couldn't work out why everyone uses tripod rod rests. Well now not only can I understand but I fully support the idea. This won't ever replace the sand pump idea for when fishing close to the surf on a sandy beach, but it sure as hell replaces the standard vertical rod rest that can be a sod to get into Hawke's Bay's stony beaches.

I would recommend the tripod to any serious angler, you need only use it once to find the advantages of which there are many. By the way, they work extremely well if fishing from rocks. Each leg is individually adjustable for length so there is no reason whatsoever why the rods cannot be set at any required angle.