ADEC Marine Angling Lifejackets

For the last few years I have used a flotation aid for my boat fishing, even in winter, but recently I have begun to realise the folly in this. A flotation aid may help you in summer if you go overboard whilst baiting up in shorts and a tee shirt, but in winter, with heavy boots and thermal clothes…..not a chance!

What I really should have been using is a good quality lifejacket and I must admit, until now I have been put off (foolishly) by the price. Most major fishing tackle manufactures have a quality lifejacket within their range but these all seem to retail at about £ 100 to £ 120.

Recently it came to my attention that a lifejacket manufacturer had started to produce, and sell direct to the public, quality lifejackets at half the cost of those generally sold by specialist fishing companies. Previously these were in fluorescent yellow or orange but with anglers in mind ADEC Marine Ltd now produce jackets aimed specifically at anglers and now encase the main body of the jacket (which is still brightly coloured for obvious reasons) with a green Velcro fastened cover.

The jacket I chose was the automatic/CO2 inflation jacket which, as previously stated, has a heavy-duty green camouflage cover incorporating a 150 Newton inflatable bladder. The bladder itself is completely independent from the outer cover and, of course, is in no way compromised should the cover itself be damaged or snagged on the hooks of a lure, etc. The jacket, as well as having automatic CO2 inflation, also has an oral top-up tube, SOLAS grade retro reflective tape fitted and an attached whistle.

Also available is a manually activated CO2 jacket, which simply requires the inflation toggle to be pulled to inflate it.

Available too is a hydrostatically activated automatic jacket which is becoming more popular with boat anglers. However this may not be the ideal jacket for those who generally coarse fish as this needs to be immersed in 600mm of water prior to the automatic inflation kicking in.

I have used the jacket now for several trips and I am amazed how comfortable it is. After a few minutes you actually forget you are wearing it and as I have been doing a lot of lure fishing recently I find it much less restricting than the flotation aid I previously used.

But a lifejacket, and one as light as this, is not just a must for boat fishermen. When fishing treacherous rivers like the lower Severn in winter, where floods have left slippery silt deposits on the sloping banks some kind of protection is a must. A few of my friends actually take a rope and tie themselves to nearby trees (I kid you not). A lifejacket as light and as well designed as this one would provide a much more sensible option – especially for the roving angler.

In summary I can honestly say this is an excellent piece of kit and, for the quality of the product, it sells at a remarkably low price – no doubt due to it being available direct from the manufacturers.

Boat fishermen, those who bait up using boat’s, or people who fish in treacherous conditions such as flooded rivers, could do worse than put this jacket at the top of their Christmas present list. Okay, you can purchase a buoyancy aid for much less but what price would you put on your life?………think about it!

The jackets are immediately available from stock.

All prices are inclusive of VAT and available from ADEC MarineLtd

Tel : 020 8686 9717 or

Email : sales@adecmarine.co.uk