A Sunday afternoon trip out on the bus to The Avenue Retail Park on Newport Road in Cardiff. The retail park is halfway between Newport and the centre of Cardiff and a 30-minute ride on the number 30 bus out of Newport bus station. Convenient to get to and with the tides not right for fishing it’s a good excuse to go out and grab some impulse buys.
The Avenue retail park has both Angling Direct and Go Outdoors within a 2-minute walk of each other so a great place to go shopping for fishing tackle. Angling Direct opened in early March.
Angling Direct was not as big as I thought it would be but is a great shopping experience. A good range of tackle and baits, well laid out and in bright surroundings. Prices are reasonable, not much cheaper than a regular tackle shop in Newport but the layout and space made it an enjoyable browse. Lots of baits on offer, including frozen baits and fresh baits. Frozen baits are no cheaper than buying frozen fish such as razor clams and sardines from supermarkets or the fish market in Cardiff. Fresh bait is available with fresh maggots, and worms and for sea fishing, they have fresh ragworms. The cost is £10 for 0.5lb and £20 for 1lb.
With many local fishing tackle shops usually being quite cramped and dark it was great to walk around a shop with lots of lights, clear organisation and space to turn around without worrying about knocking over stock.
Just around the corner is Go Outdoors. They have a reasonably well-stocked fishing section though it is quite small. It’s a good time to go as they have some big discounts as they clear stocks for refurbishment when the store closes soon.
Make sure you buy the discount card for £5.00, without it, you will be paying over the odds for the tackle but with it, you can get some pretty impressive deals during the closure sale.
Rods and reels in particular have deep discounting particularly if you look out for reconditioned items. As a camping and outdoor shop, there were other items ideal for the angler. Lots of great quality camping chairs, camping gas and stoves. There is also a reasonable tent selection.
Overall a great couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon, it’s great having two quality fishing tackle shops so close together. With summer coming it’s a place to head to for your fishing camping trips.