Solar Tackle
Advanced Carbon Composite
BowLoc Landing Net

Those of you that have been carp fishing for many years, will no doubt have heard of the original BowLoc landing net that Martin Locke put out to the angling public over two decades ago. The original BowLoc landing net quickly became a "must have" item for the ultra cult carp angler back in the day as it bought a lot of new developments to the landing net market that existing products did not have. Two decades ago, before the original BowLoc, anglers had the choice of using a glass or carbon composite handle, plastic or aluminium spreader block and the final choice of either 42" or 52" arms. When the original BowLoc hit the shops, anglers then had a completely different option entirely. The original BowLoc bought to the table a quick release spreader block mechanism, removable short handle so anglers didn't have to wave around 6 foot of handle when moving the fish from the water to the unhooking mat, as well as manufacturing the handle and arms from carbon fibre which made netting fish easier for the angler to do so on his own rather than relying on a colleague to net the fish for them. The original BowLoc did not come cheap over 20 years ago and had a RRP of around £120, which when compared to £30 for a run of the mill landing net combination, was an extremely expensive option. Given the high price tag, the original BowLoc sold in droves and those lucky enough to have had one, were very reluctant to get rid of them and they became much sought after items with people offering amounts in excess of the original selling price to get hold of one.

When it was announced that Solar Tackle were going to be bringing a new version of this iconic landing net to the shops, the internet forums and bankside grapevine went into overdrive with anglers wanting to know more about how Solar were going to reinvent the carp landing net again. UKMA were lucky enough to have been out on the bank with Martin Locke and when asked about the new BowLoc, Martin was very forthcoming with information about the design and how the new spreader block mechanism was going to work, and it got us thinking from the description alone that it was going to be something special indeed. 18 months or so after this bankside chat with Martin Locke, one of the new Solar BowLoc landing nets landed at the UKMA office, and as one of the UKMA team still owns (and uses) an original BowLoc landing net, it was deemed that a comparison of how the new incarnation compares to the original.

Read on to find out how the two landing nets compare.

The design of the original BowLoc landing net was truly ground-breaking back in the day, and was soon copied by other manufacturers to almost identical specifications other than the name on the product. I have looked at the other manufacturers versions and as far as I am concerned, none of them matched the original BowLoc. The original BowLoc landing net was of a two piece design - a 6 foot long main pole with a shorter 8" section that fitted over the end of the main handle. The shorter piece screwed into the quick release spreader block to create a stubby handle that meant the main handle could be removed from the head in a second rather than having to unscrew the block from the main pole. Many anglers thought that this feature was a must have, and was part of the original success of the BowLoc. The new BowLoc does the same but in a totally different way. On the end of the 6 foot handle is a spigot fitting which has a spring loaded collar and a locating lug fitted to the spigot. The spigot locates into the spreader block via a guide hole and track in which the locating lug moves around a milled section within the spreader block to lock into place. The spring loaded collar on the handle ensures that the handle cannot come away from the spreader block unless the angler wants it to. To lock the handle into the spreader block it is a simple task of locating the lug into the groove, push the handle into the block and twist to lock into place. When the spreader block and handle are fitted together, there is no movement at all in the handle or fitting.

The original BowLoc had a quick release spreader block system to keep the arms of the landing net tensioned perfectly. The new BowLoc also has a quick release mechanism which is even quicker and easier to use than the original! The original BowLoc spreader block used an elongated "T" style lever to keep the arms apart and tensioned which could be released by slightly opening the arms and pressed down to collapse the net in one motion. The new BowLoc has a spreader block mechanism that I have not seen in angling circles (or any other) before. The round spreader block houses a spring loaded button system that when the arms are opened out, a button pops out of the spreader block which shows that the internal mechanism has locked the arms into place. To close the arms down, it is a simple motion of opening the arms slightly and pressing the button down to release the locking mechanism. This mechanism sounds easy to use, and it actually is child’s play to use. Martin Locke told us during our session on the bank that the mechanism had been tested thoroughly during the design stages and had not had one fail after repeated use. Anglers that are familiar with Solar Tackle will know that Martin will not put something to market unless he is 100% happy with it, and after looking and trying the mechanism out, we cannot see how it will fail or even have the notion that it would let the angler down when at the crunch time of netting a fish.

The arms of the new BowLoc are manufactured using a high quality carbon composite material to give strength as well as keeping the landing net light. The original BowLoc had arms made from a similar material which at the time was ground-breaking, but as carbon technologies have progressed greatly over the past two decades, the new arms are both slimmer and lighter than the originals, without losing any of the rigidity. The net mesh itself has changed from the ultra cult black of the past to a carpy green colour. The new mesh is very soft and will not harm the carp once it is in the net. The holes in the mesh are large enough to move the net through the water easily with minimal water drag. The original BowLoc had a split ring fitted to the mesh that slipped into a clip located on the handle wto keep the mesh out of harms way when on the bank as well as to stop the mesh from catching on any marginal snags or debris. The new BowLoc does not have a split ring but has a velcro tab which can be slipped between the clip and the landing net handle itself to keep the mesh out of harms way. The velcro tab also doubles up when packing the net away to keep the net rolled up tightly. The clip fitted to the original and the new BowLoc handles that the mesh slips into, are both made from high quality sprung stainless steel and will last a lifetime.

Unfortunately, during a house move, my original BowLoc handle got damaged with some deep scratches to the carbon that I felt might weaken the handle, so I had the handle professionally wrapped along the complete length by one of the pole repair companies. This rewrap of a single layer of carbon fibre gave the original handle a revamp and made it as good as new. During the comparison of the old and new BowLoc handles, I took this into the equation and after 20 years of using it before the revamp, I recalled from memory how the handle performed before the wrap was added. This is why the original handle looks different in the pictures to how it did when originally purchased.

The actual main handles of the two landing nets are very similar in that they are both one piece, made from the best carbon fibre available at the time, and are very slim. The original handle was literally one piece of hollow carbon fibre which had the mesh clip fitted approximately 12" from the end of the handle. The new handle is also one piece of carbon fibre which has a checkerboard weave effect running along the entire length of the handle. Fitted approximately 12" from the base of the handle a short piece of japanese shrink tube has been fitted to enable optimum grip of the net when netting a fish in all weather conditions. Another piece of japanese shrink tube has also been fitted between the stainless spigot connection to the spreader block and the mesh clip which allows for easy assembly and disassembly of the handle from the spreader block. At the bottom end of the handle, a tidy laser engraved stainless steel button has been fitted which has the iconic Solar logo of Martin Locke holding one of his conquests from the past.

The new BowLoc is supplied with two seperate carry bags which velcro together to make one package - a 6' 4" long thin bag for the handle and a shorter wider bag to store the net away safely. Both of the bags are made from a heavy duty water resistant material that should not rip if caught on brambles nor rot after exposure to the elements.

To accompany the new BowLoc, Solar have also released a Net Float. The Solar Net Float has an elasticated collar at each end of it which slides over the end of the new BowLoc handle easily and the elasticated collar sits between the spring loaded stainless collar of the handle and the spreader block itself which locks it in place when the spreader block is fitted to the handle. Even with the float in place, the handle can be removed from the spreader block easily when required, and the net float removed and placed in the anglers luggage safely.

Final Thoughts

The main thing that I looked at when comparing the two landing nets is was the new incarnation better than the original. Well in my totally honest opinion, Martin Locke and Solar Tackle have done the impossible and completely improved on the original in every way possible. The new spreader block mechanism is so simple and easy to operate even for the most Neanderthal minded angler who might struggle with new ways of doing things. The same can be said for the way that the handle fits to the spreader block and even after at least 100 quick successions of assembly and disassembly, showed no sign of becoming loose or the spring collar sticking. The balance of the handle and net head itself, is almost perfect and is easily moved around one handed even for a person that has problems moving a landing net around one handed. I have used many nets over the years but none of them have made me change my mind about the original BowLoc and after a few sessions I have reverted back to my old Solar landing net. Now that I have taken possession of the new BowLoc, I cannot see me wanting to go back to the BowLoc of old however hard I try to think of a reason to do so! As with everything that Solar Tackle release, there are no gimmicks and everything has been designed to do a specific job, and to do that job perfectly as well as designed to last a lifetime.

Have Solar reinvented the landing net like they did with the original? I think that they have and I hope that Martin has got the patents for the spreader block mechanism and the way the handle locks into it, as I can see competitors taking a close look at this and trying to release their own versions of it.

Overall the new Solar BowLoc landing net is not cheap in any way, and unfortunately the price reflects this with a RRP of around £220 for the 42" version, and £230 for the 50" version. The BowLoc Net Float has a RRP of £8.99. As with anything in angling, if you want something that will last you a lifetime, you have to pay for it, and if the new BowLoc lasts me for half as long as the original, it works out as exceptional value for money.

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