Why Choose Middy Fishing Tackle? A Guide for Anglers

Middy Fishing Tackle is an independent British tackle manufacturer that produces rods, poles, keepnets and general coarse angling gear, and it positions itself on three claims: independent UK manufacturing, "affordable excellence" through direct manufacturing, and personal service from fellow anglers. It is worth considering if you want a British-made alternative to the large multinational tackle brands and you fish coarse disciplines where rods, poles, top kits and keepnets matter most. It is less obviously the right first stop if you need a very wide one-brand catalogue across every specialist discipline, or if you only buy on the basis of try-before-you-buy in a physical shop.

What Middy actually is

Middy describes itself as a fully independent tackle manufacturer, "unlike many brands today," and says it caters for anglers of all disciplines. The brand states it has been around a long time and continues to innovate, aiming to produce "some of the finest angling equipment on the market at an affordable price."

The site's own category list shows where the range is concentrated:

• Bundle deals and special offers
• Poles, pole rollers
• Fishing rods, top kits and spares
• Trolleys
• Reels, line and accessories
• Keepnets and landing nets
• Landing net handles
• Brollies
• Luggage
• Clothing

That mix is a coarse-angling kit list rather than a generalist catalogue — pole fishing, feeder and bomb work, netting and bankside comfort.

The three reasons Middy gives for choosing it

Independent British manufacturing

Because Middy remains fully independent, it says it can focus on "creating quality fishing equipment that performs on the bank" rather than answering to outside owners. For a buyer, the practical value is that design decisions are made by the brand itself, and the range stays coherent instead of being assembled from whatever a parent company already sells.

Affordable excellence

Middy's argument is that premium tackle "shouldn't break the bank," and that its direct manufacturing approach lets it offer professional-grade equipment at prices that don't empty your tackle fund. The published prices on the site are consistent with a mid-market position rather than a budget or premium one:

Two things stand out. First, the combo price (£59.99) is barely above the rod alone (£34.99) plus a reel, which is the kind of bundle logic that makes the special offers section worth checking before buying components separately. Second, top kits at £55–£79.99 sit in the range where pole anglers usually compare carefully, so that is a line to price against alternatives rather than assume.

Personal service

Middy says that when you contact them you "speak to fellow anglers who understand your needs," and calls this personal approach its differentiator. That matters most for spares and top kit compatibility questions, where a generic call centre is least useful.

Where Middy fits compared with other brands

Use the same dimensions to judge it against whatever else you are considering:

• Ownership and manufacturing: Middy is fully independent and British. Many competing brands are owned by larger groups; if country of manufacture and independence matter to you, that is a real difference, but check the specific product rather than assuming every item is UK-made.
• Price band: Published Middy prices run from a few pounds for small accessories to around £110 for a suit, with rods in the £35 region and top kits in the £55–£80 region. Compare like-for-like within those bands.
• Range depth: Strong in poles, top kits, rods, keepnets, landing nets, luggage and clothing. If your fishing is outside coarse angling, the catalogue is less likely to cover it.
• Buying route: The site advertises free UK delivery, so delivery cost is not a differentiator within the UK. There is no evidence in the site material of physical retail or demo days, so if you want to handle a pole or rod before buying, factor that in.

A concrete way to decide

If you are, for example, a coarse angler who needs a feeder rod, a landing net handle and a keepnet in one order, the Middy route is straightforward: check the bundle deals and special offers first, since the rod-and-reel combo shows the brand prices bundles below the sum of parts. Then confirm top kit and spare compatibility against your existing pole before ordering, because that is where an independent manufacturer's spares list is either an advantage or a dead end.

If instead you want one brand for sea, fly and coarse, or you need to compare several brands side by side in a shop, Middy is unlikely to be your only stop.

Practical points before you buy

• Check the spares and top kits section if you already own a Middy pole — this is where an independent manufacturer's continued parts supply matters most.
• Compare bundle versus component prices. The published combo at £59.99 against a £34.99 rod shows bundles can undercut buying separately.
• Confirm delivery terms for your location; the site states free UK delivery, which does not automatically extend elsewhere.
• Use the contact route for fit questions. Middy's stated selling point is speaking to anglers, so ask about compatibility and discipline suitability directly rather than guessing from product names.

Middy also promotes an association with Woodland Lakes Fishery in the north of England, a night fishing venue with kingfisher, specimen and catfish lakes, bookable through the fishery's own site. That is a venue partnership rather than a product claim, but it indicates the brand's focus on the UK coarse and specimen scene.