Bob-Co Sensas Nanoflex 855 Power Match 16m & 14.5m poles

Every so often an item of fishing kit passes across our tackle desk that represents outstanding value for money, with a massive saving on recommended retail. 

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That was certainly the case when I got wind of the Sensas 855 Power Match pole designed exclusively for tackle shop Bob-Co. There’s a choice between a 16m or 14.5m out-and-out power pole at way below half the normal asking price. A 16m pole for £599... now that surely demanded further investigation!

Bob-Co asked for a power pole armed only with pulla power kits, something you won’t find in any other pole package in the current or older Sensas ranges. The French giant duly obliged, and the end result is a top-flight long pole at a jaw-droppingly low price.

Whether you go for the 16m or 14.5m package, you get the same list of goodies. The main pole comes with a Pulla kit inside plus four spares, a rigid cupping kit and pole cups, all stashed away in a Sensas pole holdall. 

The kits are rated to No18-No20 elastic and feature a reinforced side puller slot. Another bonus of the 885 is that it is totally compatible with other Nanoflex poles in the Sensas range.

The test

Leighton’s Pool at the recently redeveloped Yoke Hill Fishery near Oundle, Northants, is a typical mixed fishery – 16m wide and stocked with more than a dozen species. 

It’s just the job for an on-the-bank test and the plan was to fish the pole at its full length to the far bank, then come shorter for a bit of shallow fishing. These approaches would ask different questions of it.

Potting in a little groundbait and corn at 16m, there was little bounce in the pole as it snaked out to its full length. I can’t lie and say the pole was arrow-straight at 16m because there is some droop, but certainly not enough to make fishing with the 855 a chore.

First drop resulted in a bite and a crisp response on the strike. You need to put a bit of effort into the lift, but nothing Herculean, and with a small carp dispatched into the net I was soon back out and nobbling another. 

The average stamp was around 1lb, and good fun they were too on a light elastic that allowed the fish to power off and put a real bend in the pole. I could now feel the power of the pole – it’s got a very solid feel to it, with no creaking or crazy bending that leaves you feeling the least bit out of control. 

Now, it’s often said of long poles that they lose a bit in terms of balance and response when you go out to 16m, but take a section or two off and they become a different beast. 

I gave that theory a crack to fish at 14.5m on the deck and 13m with a shallow rig, and found it indeed to be the case. 

Any droop and bounce vanishes, and reaction time on the strike is vastly improved.

The shallow rig produced plenty of F1s around the 1lb 8oz mark, and these can be real fast-biters. The Yoke Hill fish are no different, but the speed of the 885 on the strike is reassuringly quick – and it’s rigid enough to keep lifting, dropping and slapping the rig without busting a gut.

Eventually, something bigger found the banded 6mm pellet and tore off for a tour of the peg. Steering the fish away from snags was easy and, like all good power poles, the 885 lets you really pull and transfer the effort you’re putting in through the pole to be in total command. A 5lb carp was soon in the bag. Super stuff!

Not only is the pole great to fish with, but it’s robust into the bargain. 

I can be a little ‘enthusiastic’ with a pole, and the 885 was also thrown around a fair bit. Not a mark was left on it, and it went back into the bag looking as though it had never been used.

Verdict:

If you want a long pole for carp fishing then get hold of one these as soon as you can, as I doubt they’ll be in stock for too long! 

Strong, robust, balanced and responsive, the 885 does everything that you want from a pole for carp fishing. While it may not be the best at full length, for fishing back from the 13m length little will beat it for the price.

How to buy:

To get your hands on these incredible pole deals, visit the Bob-Co website at www.bobcotackle.co.uk, give them a call on 01132 499943 or pop in and see them at their Leeds superstore.