Supreme Ali Rod Pod – XS9000 Big Pit Carp Runner – Bite Alarm – Orellana Carp – Camo Line
The NGT Supreme Ali Rod Pod does what you need it to do: hold your rods. It is reasonably sturdy, and supports 13’ rods without a problem. It is sufficiently adjustable to cope with a variety of situations, but needs longer bank sticks for a “surf fishing” position. The buzzer bars are completely adjustable, which could be useful, but I found this to make setting up the pod a little more time consuming as you have to try and get everything lined up before tightening down the knobs. I did not time how long it took to assemble, but it was significantly longer then a Fox X-Pod.
This pod is compact and light weight, making transport easy. The quality of the pod is OK, some of the machining seems rough and not always quite on target. I am not sure how this would affect years of extended use, but during my testing this was not a problem. In summary it is a pod that can be adapted to many situations, from fishing under the rod tip to long range, but due to set up time I feel it would be best for longer sessions.
Pros:
Highly adjustable
Sturdy
Lightweight
Cons:
Quality could be better
Long set up time
I have been fishing for a long time and I must admit that I was a bit skeptical of the XS9000 Big Pit Carp Runner as the price was just too low for it to be a good product. I was pleasantly surprised. The drag system is smooth, the line lay is very even, and casting is everything you would expect from a big pit reel. I have caught some good fish on it and never had a problem. The XS9000 Big Pit Carp Runner also comes with an extra spool that is nice to have, and an aluminum spool with a stronger line clip is available for a very low price.
The construction of this reel is a composite material that is lightweight and fairly rigid, making retrieve of a large fish feel solid. There is one major shortcoming however: there is no guard to keep the line from getting under the spool. This means any time there is loose line and you try and retrieve it, it winds itself under the spool making it necessary to remove the spool and unwind the line. If you have the free spool drag on its lightest setting and get a run it can result in a backlash that can put you in an awkward situation. In summary this is a very good reel for the price, and while it may not be a Shimano Big Baitrunner LC, it performs at a level of much higher priced reels.
Pros:
Good line lay
Excellent casting
Smooth drag
Excellent price
Cons:
No spool line guard
The NGT bite alarm is a basic alarm with tone and volume controls and 3 LEDs, one latching, one run indicator, and a night light. There is no sensitivity control, but during testing it was extremely windy and these alarms did not have a problem with false bites. The nightlight LED is very bright, and can be seen from quite a distance. The alarm feels solid and does not have that cheap feel to it that some budget alarms have.
Pros:
Good price
Bright LEDs
Solid performance
Cons:
At the price it has no cons that I found
The NGT Orellana Carp rod is a reasonably priced rod that is well suited to a newer angler looking to get a rod that can cast larger weight farther. It is 13ft with a 3.5lb test curve. It has a very forgiving action that is very easy to play fish with, even under the rod tip, something that you might not think of a 3.5lb rod doing well. It has shrink tube around the reel seat that is a nice touch. I found the weight of the rod to be on the heavy side, and the recovery to be sluggish, but not really any worse than other rods in this price range. Over all it is a good rod for someone looking to get a more powerful rod that still has a user-friendly action and a reasonable price tag.
Pros:
Forgiving action
13ft and 3.5lb test curve
Economical
Cons:
Heavy
Sluggish
Camo Line is a camouflage line that is really very “normal”. It does its job, but really does not standout in anyway.
Pros:
It will land fish
Cons:
There is better line out there for a little more money
These NGT products and more are available from Big Carp Tackle.