JM Gillies remains one of the biggest importers of fly fishing accessories in the country - now it has Redington fly rods.

These are the first Redington rods to be released since Sage assumed ownership of the company. CPS stands for Core Performance Series and if the first offering is anything to go by, we can look forward to some fabulous rods at great prices in the future. Redington was purchased by Sage to tackle the influx of cheap Asian-built rods in an effort to compete in the broad market place, while not compromising quality.

The CPS rods feel very similar to the Sage XP rods - a line of easy-casting, light-tipped fast-actioned rods that are considered crisp all rounders. This is not surprising when you consider their pedigree. The range covers 3 weights through to 12 weights, with the only omission in the series being an 11 weight. The more popular rod sizes, especially for saltwater fly fishers, come in a range of lengths - 9', 9'6" and 10'.

In a positive break from tradition the rods are fitted with Fuji SiC stripping guides and hard chrome snakes. Real quality anodised reel seats on the saltwater models and wood insert reel seats on the freshwater models with fine quality cork grips make for a very attractive package. To finish it all off, they come with a cloth bag and a tube. A further sign of these travelling times, all models are four piece, which can be fitted into most travel bags and even carried on a plane.

The rods cast very well with the rated line weight and have been an instant hit with many saltwater fly fishers. There have been several samples of the 8 and the 9 weight doing the rounds on the east coast and they have impressed many with their performance - particularly when price is taken into consideration. The quality of the fittings is one thing, but being capable of handling big flies, difficult winds and tough fish is what these rods are about. Their performance is up there with the very best fly rods, but the price isn't. Check out the Saltwater CD reels as well.

For further information, check out www.redington.com

CORTLAND'S TOOTHY CRITTER WIRE

Wire bite tippets are a prerequisite for a good deal of fly fishing right around the country, from barracouta and sharks in southern waters through to all sorts of things with cutting teeth in the tropics. For those who haven't grown up with things with teeth, knowing how to connect wire to leaders has always been a problem. Single strand wire has been first choice for many decades, with a small barrel swivel used as a connector, but this is all changing. There are several knottable wires on the market and this offering from Cortland is the latest.

It's been thoroughly tested in our waters for a couple of years now and well-travelled fly fisher, Peter Morse, has used it in all sorts of far-flung places on all sorts of things with teeth and gives it the full five star rating.

"I've used the 24 kg on some big Spaniards and nothing comes as close to having a gob full of cutting teeth like mackerel do. Thus far we haven't lost a single fish on it."

He considers it much easier to use than single strand wire and it comes on a great little dispenser as well.

Most knots you'd use in monofilament works with Toothy Critter wire. Its 49 strand, which means it is very supple, and has a plastic coating so it knots well with monofilament. Morse recommends joining it to the tippet with a triple turn surgeon's knot or a double uni-knot, then tie the fly on with a Lefty's loop knot - simple as that. It is available in breaking strains ranging 5-60 kg.

INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING DVD - PRESENTED BY PETER MORSE

The firsts steps into any form of fishing can be baffling for a beginner, especially when they haven't come up through the fishing ranks. Fly fishing can be particularly difficult, with its seemingly complex knots, rigs, flies and casting methods.

This DVD is a successful attempt to explain the basics of fly fishing and Peter Morse goes about this in a logical sequence. The great benefit of DVDs, however, is their capacity to be set up in chapters.

Peter Pakula, someone with a long history of teaching people to fish, put this program together and each sequence is very well thought through and laid out.

"Our plan was to produce a DVD for those neglected people of the fly fishing world - the beginners - who are confused by the sport and consequently stay away from it," said Pakula.

The DVD takes newcomers through the process of assembling the tackle, including an outstanding basic knot-tying segment. The casting section is brief, but there are enough pointers in there to get someone going, we're shown all sorts of fresh and saltwater flies and also how to fish them - some great underwater footage of flies in action as well, no wonder Woolly Buggers are so popular with fish and anglers.

We're shown how to strike fish, how to fight fish in practice and also on a couple of fish. This is a really fine production aimed at beginners but even more experienced anglers will learn something from this DVD.