Anyfish Anywhere Six&Bait- A review from a real angler

Today we have a few words of wisdom from our resident all-rounder, Andrew Evans. Having used rod’s from all of the big name manufacturers over the years, Andrew gives us his thought’s on this modestly priced rod from the Anyfish Anywhere stable……

Anyfish Anywhere Six&Bait

Due to an unfortunate accident involving a garage door and the tip of one of my trusted old Penn Copperhead rods I unexpectedly found myself looking for a new beachcaster. I was unsure what to get but ideally the new rod would be something I could happily pair up with my other Copperhead which somehow had managed to survive my clumsiness!

Given the characteristics of the Copperhead this gave me a starting point which was- 14’ multiplier rod capable of comfortably casting 5oz or 6oz sinkers plus reasonable sized baits. Price wasn’t a huge issue but experience has taught me that my casting is not as fantastic as it used to be and over powerful tournament style rods and me do not get on as I just cannot compress the damn things properly. Despite knowing this it did not stop me from accepting a friends kind offer of borrowing a couple of very sexy but powerful rods to try. They certainly looked the part and could have seriously boosted my beach credibility but sadly I just could not match the rods capabilities. Gentle casts were OK but you do not spend £400+ on a rod to lob 80 yards and once I tried putting in a bit more power things did not feel as good. My casting style is not perfect and every time I tried to put more in the rod took over and overpowered me. Instead of the lead hitting the horizon cast I was dreaming of what I encountered was that ‘hitting a wall’ feeling mid cast which sapped the power and saw casting distances less than those I can easily achieve with the old Penn rod. This was enough to tell me that despite my heart loving the look and kudos of the ‘dream’ rods I just couldn’t use them properly and to obtain improved fishing performance I would be better off looking elsewhere.

Now where did I go from here? It was then I realised that all the time there had been a rod quietly sat in the rack which whilst not grabbing the headlines could potentially be just the rod to fit the bill. This rod in question was the 14’ Anyfish Anywhere six&bait multiplier. With a price tag of just over £200 it looked to be good value compared to the twice as expensive models I had struggled to use but could such a reasonably priced rod cut the mustard? It certainly felt the part being neither too still or too soft. When bent in the showroom the tip took on a very pleasing curve with a very nice action. Pushing the butt against the floor gave a couple of inches of flex before it started to lock so it should be possible to load without it biting back. The rod is attractively finished with Fuji BNOG guides tastefully whipped in black with blue tipping The handle has black cross wrap shrink, an adjustable reel seat and rubber button. The graphics add to the looks and make the Six&Bait an attractive rod.

The Anyfish Anywhere Six&Bait

Could the Six&Bait be the rod? Things were certainly looking promising but the only real test would come on the beach when I could see if it fitted the bill.

The chance to test it came when I heard that a few smoothhounds had started to show off the shore. Being two equal sections the rod easily fitted into the Golf, once I had folded the back seat, and after a short drive I was soon setting up on a pebble bank. The mark offers the chance of a hound or two over high tide but it requires a fair cast to clear the rocks and get your crab bait out to where the hounds feed. The reel seat took a Penn 525MAG no problem and held it securely in the ‘low’ position which I prefer.

Anyfish Anywhere Six&Bait reel seat

To start I clipped on a plain 5oz lead and went for a gentle fishing pendulum. This was fine and just felt right being smooth, controlled and saw the lead fly straight and at a nice trajectory. Next cast I put in a bit more power with the final punch pull and rather than the overpowering ‘brick wall’ the Six&Bait came round smooth and controlled and once again the lead went straight but the line level was noticeably lower when the lead hit the surface than on the previous cast. Next it was on with a baited trace and once again no drama as the bait landed in what looked to be the right sort of area.

The tip sits well in the tide…

Once in the rest the tip took on a pleasant bend as the tide pulled against the nylon and it wasn’t long before a slight pull and gentle lift of the tip signalled the familiar but not particularly welcome attentions of a dogfish. Winding down and lifting the tip bent over against the typical twisting resistance of a doggie but the mid and butt sections held firm allowing me to keep the fish clear of the cobbles and bring it to the shore. Next cast the tide flow had picked up but the tip still sat nicely until it was pulled over as a hound made off with the bait. The rod transmitted the pulls and lunges as I played the fish and although only about 7lb it gave a good account of itself with the rod making the fight a very pleasant fishing experience. A couple more hounds followed in quick succession and were landed without issue and with the rod just doing its job and taking it in its stride.

As the tide turned the wind also increased and swung so that it was now blowing straight in off the sea. To try and counteract this I moved up to a 6oz sinker slowed the cast slightly and aimed lower. Given the rods name a 6oz impact lead and a whole peeler shouldn’t be a problem and indeed it wasn’t. The heavier sinker cut through the wind and got the bait safely out to the take zone. Sadly, the turn of tide also heralded a change in fortune and the hounds had gone to be replaced by dogfish. The Six&Bait coped fine with the increased ebb tide run and rougher conditions and the dog bites showed up well but the fascination of feeding £1 a cast peeler crabs to doggies soon wore thin and I packed up to drive home pondering on Anyfish Anywhere’s entry level rod.

In conclusion was I impressed, yes. Is there now a Six&bait in my rod holdall, definitely! Would I recommend it, yes. If like me you are an average caster with a half tidy OTG or fishing pendulum cast then the Six&Bait is a rod you can bend and get to work for you allowing you to comfortably hit your maximum casting range. The fitting’ are also excellent with a secure adjustable winch fitting and Fuji guides as standard.

Quality Fuji guides feature throughout

However, if you can cast an honest 250m+ then you may push the Six&bait to its limit.

But be true to yourself, as if your casting prowess is that of a mere mortal, then the Six&Bait will work with you rather than against you and could ultimately help you put several yards on your cast and more fish on the beach.

With 13’, 14’ and 15’ models available in either multiplier or fixed spool builds there are models to suit most anglers and if medium to large species such as cod, bass, hounds and rays are what you like to target the Six&Bait will suit you well.