Korum Trilogy Triple-Top Rod Review
Nobody in these topsy-turvy times should have been too surprised that one of the warmest weeks of the year fell slap-bang in the middle of September.
The poor old fish, having finished their nuptials, saw water temperatures on the rise once again – all very bizarre!
We now appear to be getting all four seasons in one month, and the recent hot and sunny spell has seen the fish, especially the carp, all back up on the surface.
All of which leads me nicely to this week’s live test. What better to tackle anything the weather throws at us, good or bad, than Korum’s recently released Trilogy rod? Handily, the company’s first-ever triple top fishing tool covers most specimen fishing situations.
Not that multi-purpose rods are anything new – your Auntie Maud’s old Grattan catalogue used to sell them – but they were truly hideous things, claimed to suit fly, match, pike and boat fishing but rubbish at all of these.
The new Trilogy is an altogether different kettle of fish, with a steely butt section and three interchangeable tops. These are rated to 1.75lb and 2.2lb test curves, and there’s also a Power Quiver option. The carbon weave construction adds strength where it counts, and a slimline cork handle with compact reel seat is all very stylish.
The medium-fast casting action will cope with all styles of specimen feeder fishing and legering situations.
The new Trilogy rod has three interchangeable tops
I’d originally planned to run the rule over Korum’s Trilogy on the Trent, using it for chub on the float and barbel on the tip.
To be honest, there isn’t anything particularly new about multi-purpose rods for river use. Plenty of twin-tops offer quiver and Avon options, but the Trilogy offers the angler a lot more versatility than that.
So, with the sun shining, my mission was to try three very different tactics in one day. First I’d target carp on floaters. Then it would be bream, tench and anything else that came along using a Method Feeder. Finally I’d switch to pellets and a pop-up in a PVA bag rig to see if I could snare a proper unit.
My destination for this marathon was Oxfordshire’s magnificent Clattercote Reservoir just outside Banbury, home to a truckload of bad-tempered and hard-fighting carp, shedloads of bream, and some really big tench.
Once in the car park, I quickly loaded my kit on to the barrow and headed to the shallow water at the top end of the reservoir – even shallower than I’d expected - and kicked off my session.
TACTIC No1 - Floater fishing
AS I suspected, there were plenty of decent-sized fish cruising the upper layers. So my opening gambit of fishing a hair-rigged mixer hookbait on a size 12 hook, attached to a 5ft-long length of clear 10lb mono hooklength and a 20g controller float, looked nailed on for a quick result.
The Trilogy’s 1.75lb top section is ideal for floater fishing
I’d chosen the Trilogy’s lighter 1.75lb top section for my floater tactics, as its slightly tippy casting and lightish test curve are ideal for what is basically heavy float work – you could also use this section to run a top-and-bottom Avon float down a river.
At 20g, the controller float was well within Korum’s suggested casting capabilities, maxing out at 5oz (141g). To me, that’s a tad optimistic and I wouldn’t want to load the 1.75lb tip with more than 3oz (85g). It does, though, have plenty of whip and would be ideal for heavy float and light lead tactics.
TACTIC No2 - switch to the METHOD
THE Power Quiver tip does exactly what its name suggests. It has a 1.5lb test curve and is finished off with an integral 19ins solid glass quivertip that I’d rate to around a 3oz-4oz test curve, making it ideal for pretty much any feeder situation.
The use of a glass quiver is a clever move by Korum, as tips like these have a smoother curvature than carbon, with superb bite detection whether you’re on a lake or a river. I chose a 45g distance flatbed Method and a much lighter 20g flatbed for the live test, and happily the rod handled both with equal ease.
The power quiver tip is a great tool for method fishing
The blank’s fast casting action makes this a very good two-piece tip rod that will handle a variety of angling situations. I can also vouch for its distance casting capability, as it will propel a feeder or lead up to 80 yards with very little effort.
TACTIC no3 - Mid-range PVA BAG
NOW it was time to step things up a gear to the 2.25lb test curve top section. I decided to fish this with a solid PVA bag full of micro pellets, a 2.5oz bag lead, and 12mm pop-up hookbait on a hair rig.
The heavier top section does dampen down the rod’s perky, fast action and it’s not really a distance-casting top.
But it does allow the use of heavier reel lines and terminal tackle when big fish are the quarry.
For me, the rod is ideal for mid-range PVA bag and straight lead tactics up to around 75 yards out. I found the blank’s slow, almost lazy progressive action quite interesting, and concluded it would be an ideal rod for targeting big bream or tench in snaggy/weedy swims where hook-pulls often occur. The action has a dampening feel with plenty of pulling clout.
The 2.25lb test curve tip is for proper carp fishing with heavier lines and leads
What’s the final verdict?
Korum’s Triple Top is one of a kind!
THIS rod can’t be easily rated against its nearest rival, as to the best of my knowledge there isn’t one. So have the guys at Korum truly cracked the three-rods-in-one conundrum? Well, what we have here is a really clever rod that is nicely finished, looks the part and clearly has many uses in the specimen angling arena.
What’s more, it comes at a price that makes it possibleto own a pair of Trilogies for less than what you’d pay for one traditional feeder rod.
So given the trend towards multiple rod set-ups, maybe you should push the boat out and buy three!
Price: £99.99
Push the boat out and buy three, you won’t regret it!
Garbolino 9ft Synergy Picker Rod Review
Short rods have become all the rage in recent years.
A large proportion of today’s commercial lakes have the main features at between 15m and 30m range, and a 9ft tool is ample for reaching that kind of distance with ease.
The main benefit of such a short rod becomes evident when you’re playing fish. Get your quarry under the rod tip and the shorter the rod is, the more likely you are to sweep the net under the fish at the first time of asking.
With demand for rods of this length growing, it’s little surprise that ever more manufacturers are ploughing time and money into making new models that fit the bill.
Garbolino has certainly picked up on this modern trend, and its new 9ft Synergy Picker is aimed primarily at those anglers who do a lot of short range feeder and bomb work.
Priced at just under £70, it falls into the category where it will be many angler’s first serious rod. It’s going to be their pride and joy, and they’re going to expect it to perform, feel and look a lot better than the budget starter kit they purchased when just starting out. I can pretty much guarantee that they won’t feel short-changed with this little cracker!
The 9ft Synergy Picker is aimed primarily at those anglers who do a lot of short range feeder and bomb work.
Short range delight
Manor Farm Leisure in Evesham is one of my favourite fisheries, and with short-range work often the name of the game there, it seemed the ideal testing ground for the rod.
A light bomb was threaded on to the 6lb mainline and lobbed 20m out on Ash Pool. The true casting ability of a rod like this doesn’t really come into the equation when fishing at such short range. The true power of the rod would only really be tested if and when the fish played ball.
Thankfully, that didn’t take long, with a big F1 soon snaffling up the 8mm pellet hookbait, sending the reel clutch screaming into life.
It was instantly noticeable that the rod had a good progressive action, and every time the fish lunged in anger, it was absorbed.
That is an important quality when fishing at short range because your whole set-up comes under pressure the split second the hook is set.
The 3lb fish was soon beaten and I hadn’t felt under-gunned. In fact, there was definitely more in reserve should I have needed to pull back aggressively during a more intense encounter with a bigger fish.
Those anglers who prefer to fish further out are well catered for within the range because the Synergy Picker is also available in 10ft or 11ft versions.
It was instantly noticeable that the rod had a good progressive action, and every time the fish lunged in anger, it was absorbed.
All-round promise
Most 9ft rods are developed exclusively with carp and F1s in mind, but the team at Garbolino has tried to make this rod more of an all-rounder.
Three tips have been included – 0.5oz glass, and 0.75oz and 1oz carbon – to provide different levels of bite detection. Stick the lightest of the lot on and the subtle nudges from skimmers and other silvers won’t go undetected.
Three tips have been included
During the test I used the 1oz version. If you’ve ever fished the bomb and pellet at this time of year, you’ll know that you don’t need much sensitivity to spot the rip-roaring bites and a heavier tip helps to set the hook firmly in such situations.
In my eyes, this rod would be equally at home bagging hard-fighting F1s every chuck as it would be on mixed waters where a chunky skimmer could show up one cast and a double-figure carp the next. There’s finesse in its playing action, but it also has a decent amount of backbone in the slimline blank to make sure you are in charge of each fight.
It’s overall appearance is admirable too, with the mixed cork and EVA handle and graphics on the blank helping it to really look the part.
There’s also a few little add-ons that provide convenience, such as the hook keeper ring and a guide on the blank to remind you of what size feeders are appropriate for use with the rod.
The hook keeper ring is a nice add-on
If you’re new to the sport and have come to the conclusion that fishing is likely to become a lifelong obsession as opposed to a post-lockdown fling, this rod will certainly provide that step up in quality you’re after.
RRP: £69.99
This rod will certainly provide that step up in quality you’re after.
Daiwa Powermesh B2 2.25lb test curve rod & Daiwa Emcast 25A reel on test!
THE year was 1974 and I remember it like it was yesterday – Mud’s Tiger Feet had been at No1 for weeks and I’d just met my future wife at school, although I didn’t know it then. Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, and those pesky Germans had won the World Cup for the second time (and two more to come, but I didn’t know that either).
More importantly, my dad had landed a new job with Yorkshire TV, had moved up to Huddersfield and was spending his spare time barbel fishing on the River Swale.
School holidays couldn’t arrive quickly enough. We simply didn’t have barbel nosing around in the Rivers Evenlode or Windrush close to my Oxfordshire home. To this angling-mad lad, catching one became a teenage obsession.
Well, the big moment finally arrived on the banks of the Swale at Skipton. That fish fell to a cube of Bacon Grill (Dad’s favourite). There it lay in the net, seven pounds of statuesque bronze magnificence!
These days, Dad’s living in Italy, chasing carassio and carp, while I live close to the Trent where barbel grow to immense proportions. Ranks of green and camo-clad anglers line its banks looking like soldiers going into battle, as well they might, because the fighting qualities of a natural-born Bertie are more than a match for the stoutest tackle and strongest nerves.
All this brings me to the subject of this week’s Live Test, the latest incarnation of Daiwa’s two-sectioned 12ft Powermesh B2 barbel rod, available in 2.25lb and 2.75lb test curves.
Daiwa had also kindly sent in its new gunmetal grey Emcast 25A reel, which I really liked the look of the moment I saw it.
I don’t know anywhere better to test rough-and-tumble barbel gear than the Trent’s boisterous Gunthorpe Weir. It’s a heaving, boiling, foam-flecked torrent of water whose deafening roar blots out every other sound.
The Trent’s Gunthorpe Weir is the perfect testing ground
An extraordinarily exhilarating angling experience it may be, but boy is it tough on tackle! It’s a boulder strewn snag-pit, and even with Arnie-grade end gear you’re never going to land everything you hook.
I filled the stunning-looking Emcast reel with 15lb Daiwa Sensor line, which you could use to haul a tractor out of a ditch. It was probably a bit overgunned for use with the lighter 2.25lb Powermesh B2 rod that I had chosen to use, mainly because it’s likely to be the one most anglers will prefer.
The Emcast Reel looks simply stunning
I didn’t need to cast anything weightier than a 2oz lead and a PVA bag. The rod has a 150g (5oz) recommended maximum casting weight, but if I were using anything approaching that or casting over 75 yards I would opt for the 2.75lb Powermesh B2.
With a small bag of pellets and meat, and three hair-rigged cubes of porky goodness, it wasn’t long before I had my first bite, and it took even less time for the fish to get itself set firmly into a snag. Fish one, Mark nil.
A simple set-up for barbel
Twenty minutes later the rod top nodded, then the line went slack with a massive drop-back bite. As I wound down to the fish it took off at an astonishing rate of knots, straight across the white water. Happily the Powermesh had enough backbone mid-section to pile on the pressure, despite its fairly soft through action – I’d describe it as forgiving but firm.
Eventually the fish came up in the foam, but the 11lb hooklength had somehow wrapped itself around a loose bit of floating branch. Two attempts to net the whole lot in one go failed dismally, and a desperate third go at scooping up what looked to be a 10-pounder ended in failure. Fish two, Mark nil. Not the rod’s fault, nor the reel’s. Bad angling? You be the judge, but like I said, this isn’t a swim for the faint-hearted.
The Powermesh rod is forgiving but firm
The sun rose, the temperature soared, and I wondered if my chance had gone. Nope, the rod buckled over and it was game on... alas, the line fell slack again just as quickly, and it really was all over. Fish three, Mark nil.
The day wasn’t a complete wash-out, as a decent chub put another bend in the Powermesh, although nothing compared to the brute force of a wild barbel.
This faultless two-piece rod is mellow yet gnarly and growly and would suit nearly all UK rivers. The new Daiwa Emcast reel is just fab – it has an impeccable line lay, and enough winding power to cope with the heaviest of feeders and leads.
A brilliant combination
I really enjoyed its tough and robust feel, which is just as well for a reel likely to get chucked around a riverbank and needing to cope with hauling in double-figure fish. It even comes with a spare spool, so next time I go out with this dream rod-and-reel team I hope to get my three-point win with those barbel.
Price: Rod £126, Emcast reel from £74.99
Free Spirit Hi-S 8ft Feeder rod review
This flagship 8ft rod is ideal when casts of 20m-25m are called for. Like all short rods it’s relatively easy to compress, making it super-accurate even at those tricky shorter ranges.
The Free Spirit Hi-S 8ft Feeder rod is a classy product
In fishing terms, this means you shouldn’t be afraid to cast it properly overhead as you would a normal length feeder rod.
As a top-end model it’s furnished with high quality anti-frap guides, has a cut-away Fuji reel seat that’s said to give the rod more feel, and is supplied with two unique Free Spirit hollow carbon quivers of 0.5oz and 0.75oz.
Supplied with two unique Free Spirit hollow carbon quivers of 0.5oz and 0.75oz.
Longer than standard push-in quivers, these are far less prone to movement post-cast, and they give the blank a highly distinctive fish-playing action.
I’ll make no bones about it, like other models in Free Spirit’s award-winning Hi-S range this is a classy and well-bred rod.
It has plenty of feel when playing a fish, and a casting potential that belies its modest 8ft length. It also packs more than enough backbone to dissuade a big carp from getting underneath your platform.
Price: £269
Free Spirit CTX 8ft Short Range Feeder Rod Review
As its name suggests, the CTX 8ft Feeder comes into its own when accuracy of cast is more important than chucking great distances, making it the perfect rod for snake lakes, small commercial ponds, canals and most short-chuck venues.
It’s equally useful for straight lead tactics just beyond the pole line, or as an alternative to the pole itself when high winds make other options impossible.
The unique action powers up the blank from tip to butt, and an anti-locking fighting curve allows light terminal gear to be used for big fish.
The two-piece blank is of quality carbon, with a Bi-Axis weave. Features include Fuji High Stand Off match guides, original Fuji VSS17 lock-down reel seat and a cork handle with EVA thumb grip. It comes with 1oz and 2oz carbon quivers and another glass tip of 0.75oz.
It comes with 1oz and 2oz carbon quivers and another glass tip of 0.75oz
A great all-round rod, and I wouldn’t hesitate to have one in my holdall. If you like your rods with a bit of action, you’ll love the CTX, and it’s ideal for hooklengths down to 0.10mm and small hooks.
Price: £114.99
The CTX is the perfect rod for snake lakes
Preston Carbonactive Distance Master rod review
ANYONE whose fishing trips don’t always go exactly to plan can relate to this week’s live test. And that means all of you!
Traditional match fishing lore dictates that in the chilly waters of winter we should cut right down on how much bait we use. And okay, I confess that my sixth cast in 20 minutes using a big Method feeder full of micros might have been over the top.
The truth is, I was struggling. There’d been a frost that morning, an easterly wind was howling across the water, and I didn’t really know much about the Big Lake at Bain Valley Fisheries in Lincolnshire, where I’d pitched up to put Preston’s turbo-charged 13ft 2ins Distance Master rod through its paces.
I clocked the chap two pegs away who’d turned up about an hour earlier. Perched on a tatty old fishing chair, he looked friendly enough, so I gave him that ‘who knows?’ shrug of the shoulders familiar to all anglers who haven’t got a clue what to do next.
Talk about being taken down a notch or two. Without even looking at me he muttered: “Thee can put it in, but thee can’t take it out,” alluding to the fact that I might have been a bit gung-ho with the bait.
Feeders ahoy!
I was determined to put on a show for my critic, and I figured that a mesmerising long-distance cast would surely impress. Standing up on my seatbox footplate, I adjusted the line drop to halfway down the blank and made sure I caught his eye while unleashing a monster cast.
A lightning-fast swoosh of the rod followed, using every inch of its extra-long handle. It was casting perfection, proper textbook stuff, or so I thought.
The ‘crack’ of snapping line was audible in the next county as my 45g Method feeder flew straight up through the ozone layer. After what seemed an eternity, the old boy broke the silence. “Thee’s loosefeeding feeders now then as well?”
In my eagerness to impress, I hadn’t noticed the coil of line that had worked itself around the back of the spool! Cue the arrival of photographer Lloyd, who asked my tormentor if he’d caught anything.
“No, but it’s entertaining just sitting here watching your pal,” he replied.
Casting perfection
When you need to find a fish, staring at the water can sometimes be your salvation, and sure enough, I saw one show way out in the lake.
I didn’t wish the niggly neighbour good luck as I hurriedly bundled everything back into the car, and two minutes later I was round the other side of the lake. I already had full confidence in the Preston Distance Master’s casting capabilities… it was my own that needed sorting out. Changing from a Method feeder to a 60g straight lead and a hefty 12lb shockleader, I reckoned popped-up bread discs fished as 18ins-high zig rigs would surely do the business.
The slightly thicker knot between mainline and shocker whizzed through the rod’s oversized guides as the steely mid-section kicked in, fairly sizzling the lead out well past 100 yards.
For such a supreme casting tool, the rod felt remarkably responsive and tactile, and the crisp tip section generated very little in the way of recoil or post-cast bounce. I was mightily impressed. Barely had the reel line tightened against the 2oz quiver I’d chosen to use when its eye-catching fluoro-orange tip dropped back. It was a typical bite on popped-up bread from a winter carp.
Because I was using a suspended hookbait, rather than snatching the rod from its rest, I wound down cautiously until I made contact with the fish which, feeling the pressure, bolted in a bid for freedom.
Perfect build
At moments like that you realise why all the best 13ft-plus Distance Master Feeder rods are made with short carrier sections. It enables the top section to respond with just enough cushioning to make hook-pulls highly unlikely, even from carp and bream hooked at the longest of ranges.
And there was no danger of such a thing happening with this pretty hefty carp, which I was able to lead towards my waiting net with the absolute minimum of fuss.
The Distance Master comes with 2oz, 3oz and 4oz carbon quivertips, all boasting large diameter rings, and a couple of inches of reinforcing around the top of the carrier section joint point to a rod that’s been designed by top anglers who really know what they are doing.
Make no mistake, this is a ‘keeper’ of a rod that will become a firm favourite the first time you use it. And, compared to many of its ilk, it offers superb value for money.
Price: £245.99,
www.anglingdirect.co.uk
Daiwa N'zon S Method Feeder rod test
I’M a sociable enough bloke, but like everyone I enjoy my own company now and again. So, what better way to spend some outdoor ‘me time’ than fishing a small river for chub?
When I go match fishing, I typically arrive at my peg loaded down like a pack mule, but today I was travelling light, carrying nothing more than a rigged-up quivertip rod, a landing net and a small shoulder bag holding all my little terminal tackle items.
It was a typical winter’s morning, with a clear blue sky and frosted grass that crunched underfoot as I made my way to test Daiwa’s new 11ft N’zon S Method Feeder rod.
Looking downstream from the footbridge, the River Nene wound its way across the surrounding fields, and even in the half light of dawn, it didn’t take me too long to spot a few areas that looked good for a bite or two.
Watercraft is all about reading the flow, with its creases, ebbs and glides, and learning how to spot fish-holding features. Undercut banks, floating rafts of vegetation, and overhanging trees are all likely to hold a chub or three.
As I trudged along I couldn’t help but remember my old man’s advice. “Stay quiet, stay low, but don’t stay too long, boy,” he would say.
The chub is an enigmatic species. Sometimes its greed overrides caution, and I have on more than one occasion caught the same fish twice in a day. That said, the majority of the time they can be incredibly wary and easily spooked.
All-round performer
When it comes to trying to find the perfect small-river chub rod, I’ve tried the lot over the years – expensive hand-built-models, off-the-peg big-name brands, even cut-down float rods – all the while seeking that perfect action that blends a soft, cushioned tip with a steely but forgiving mid-section that morphs into something with enough poke to halt a snag-seeking chub in its tracks.
I began to think that the perfect small-river chub rod was little more than a wishful thought but then, out of nowhere, like a genie from a lamp, up popped the rod I was using today.
Now, don’t let the name fool you, because it’s a small-river masterpiece. The pencil-slim carbon blank has a lovely through action, with not the merest hint of a flat spot, but despite its dainty demeanour it’s certainly pokey enough to turn the head of any plump chub.
Its weight casting rating is bang-on at around 50g (2oz), which means it will handle most sizes of feeders, but most importantly for me it will handle the small-bodied 20g and 30g wire cage models I use when feeding liquidised bread alongside breadflake hookbaits.
Having walked the river and fed a few areas, I figured that my best chance of a fish or two would definitely come from a spot near the far bank where a back-channel met the main flow, forming an area of flat water on the surface – it absolutely screamed ‘chub!’
Action stations!
It wasn’t the easiest of casts, with little room for error, but the N’zon propelled my cast straight and true, and with a satisfying ‘plop’ the feeder hit the mark. The line tightened against the stream, and the quivertip set into a perfect curve.
Not 10 minutes had passed before a familiar ‘tap, tap’ on the tip indicated there was a fish in residence. The rod whacked round as if the hookbait had been engulfed by a barbel and not the modestly-sized chub that splashed its way into the net 30 seconds later.
It’s safe to say that it wasn’t my biggest chevin, and it was followed by two more of a similar size. No doubt yet another ribbing in the Angling Times office would ensue. But you know what? I didn’t care. I’d had a lovely morning wandering along the river and was more than content with my lot.
As I strode back along the bank towards the car, the rod was so light in my hand that I barely noticed I was carrying it – yet another big plus-point of this magical little wand.
Take it from me, if you want a rod that will handle all you can throw at it on commercial fisheries, and double-up as a superb little river-roving tool for chub and silverfish in winter, this two-piece jewel from the Daiwa stable will put a spring in your step.
Price: £95, www.tackleuk.co.uk
Preston 10ft Supera SL feeder rod review
NOT all rods are designed to launch a bait over the horizon – and Preston Innovations’ two new Supera SL Feeder rods are the fishing equivalent of middle-distance runners.
Both the 10ft and 11ft versions deliver those shorter casts when bream, roach and skimmers are the target.
A soft, seamless through action prevents hook pulls that can lose you a match, yet the rods double up as the perfect winter commercial fishery tools for F1s and carp on maggot feeder and straight lead tactics.
That much I’d already been told through reading the blurb, but to confirm these claims I treated myself to a day’s live testing of the 10-footer on Decoy Lakes Fishery near Peterborough.
The famed Beastie Lake plays host to plenty of skimmers and roach, while its gravel bottom is paved, not with gold but with F1s, barbel, and a truckload of fit and fat carp. However, like many fisheries that get bashed by matches all weekend, Monday is go-slow day for the inhabitants.
I plonked myself on a peg renowned for its head of skimmers – the fact that it had also delivered 100lb of carp the day before meant I felt confident of getting a few pulls, while also getting a feel of the very rod Lee Kerry used to win the Feeder Masters final last year. I tried to ignore the weather – it was cold enough for icicles to form on a polar bear’s bum.
There are a couple of commercial fishery tactics you can rely on in the cold – a straight lead set-up with corn, or a small blockend carp feeder with maggots. Both have their moments, but the maggot feeder seems the better bet for silvers when you’re faced with cold and slightly coloured water.
Given these conditions, most matchmen favour lightweight feeder or bomb rods – normal carp or Method feeder rods don’t have enough finesse to be teamed with light hooklengths and small hooks. What you really need is a rod with a softer action – enter the Supera SL.
My session was progressing very slowly, so I began to fine down my end tackle to a point where I might reach critical mass if a decent-sized carp rocked up.
As I was pondering this, round went the 0.75oz tip, not to the delicate inquiry of a roach or skimmer but the full-frontal assault of something far meatier.
It was clear to me at this point that the rod had undergone some serious field-trialling from the talented Preston match team – the blank’s seamless action was peerless. Not only did it deal brilliantly with the little chaps, but the carp squad too. Neither overgunned and pokey, nor sloppy and soppy, it performed like an A-list celeb.
Classy Sea Guide rings are perfectly placed along its two-sectioned high modulus carbon body, while a reduced length cork and EVA handle make it manageable to cast and set up. It comes with three graded quivers of 0.5oz, 0.75oz and 1oz.
Summing up, the Supera SL is an ideal all-round winter commercial lead rod with plenty of flexibility. In its 10ft incarnation with the lightest 0.5oz quivertip fitted it’s a proper little charmer, ideal for snake lakes (naturally), small pools and ponds, in fact anywhere that demands light lines, small hooks and short casts.
Mark’s verdict
IT’S true that many matchmen use the same feeder rod both summer and winter, but these are the same people you’ll hear bawling out expletives when they lose a fish at the netting stage.
Take it from me, this isn’t going to happen when you fish with a Supera SL, and you’ll be so much more popular with the angler at the next peg. Who needs splashy dramatics from your near neighbours when there’s coin to be won?
Price: £159.99 (but shop around)
Guru 11ft Aventus Feeder rod review
FEW rods on the market can boast the pedigree of the quartet that make up the Guru Aventus Feeder range.
They were designed by Guru’s expert match team, and no stone has been left unturned in terms of quality and innovation.
That, though, is only half the story. The rods are manufactured and dressed in the UK by Daiwa, using the finest carbons and the best possible fittings, and they are engineered to a premium grade that pushes carbon specifications to their limit.
A unique double layering of multi-directional carbon fibres gives the blanks unparalleled linear strength, so they retain their tubular cross-section when the rod is compressed on the cast.
Add in a super-fast tip recovery speed, pleasing crispness and a lightweight feel, and the end result is accurate, precise casting, coupled with impressive power on the strike. In truth, the Aventus range covers all styles of feeder-flinging, whether that’s a delicate approach with thin lines and small hooks or chucking a payload to the horizon.
Three graded push-in quivertips come with each model, giving you plenty of flexibility as conditions dictate. The rod on live test duty, the two-piece 11ft Aventus Feeder, suits the better part of all your commercial feeder and straight lead tactics.
Despite its modest length you only have to have a cast or two to appreciate what it is capable of doing. Using a mini 30g Guru Hybrid feeder and giving the rod a hefty whack using 8lb mainline, the feeder hit the clip hard at 17.5 wraps (75 yards), with plenty still left in the casting locker should I have needed it.
The action of this Aventus reminded me a lot of the original and still much sought-after Carbotec Feeder. Both feel as though a ribbon of elastic has been threaded through the blank, so forgiving is it when playing a big fish.
The Aventus, however, benefits from cutting edge tech and is dressed with seriously good fittings, including oversized Fuji Alconite K-Guides. These are seemingly bulletproof, and will prevent most snarl-ups and tangles. All are ideally positioned to achieve perfect casting compression and playing action.
The Grade A cork handle is considerably longer than you’re expect on an 11ft rod and the added leverage, so I’m told, makes for longer and more accurate casts.
If there’s a tiny shadow on the horizon, it’s the price. At a penny under 400 quid it certainly isn’t cheap, but as with all things, you get what you pay for. The 11ft Guru Aventus Feeder really is as good as it gets.
Price: £399.99
Verdict
GURU’S Aventus rods have been around for a while now, and I have heard many comments about them – good, bad and indifferent. However, as a tackle editor I try to keep an open mind, taking any rod as I find it, rather than basing my judgement on its price or reputation.
The casting power of the 11ft Feeder belies its fabulous cushioned fish-playing action, miraculously married to a steely mid-section that adds to its big-fish credentials.
For me the handle was a little long for an 11ft rod, but I can see why Guru went down that road – for a little ’un it packs one hell of a cast!
GURU AVENTUS 11FT FEEDER TECH SPEC
Length: 11ft l Sections: Two
Recommended line: 3lb-10lb
Casting weight: 70g
Tips: Three – 1oz, 2oz and 3oz
Other rods in the Aventus range:
10ft Guru Aventus Feeder
12ft Guru Aventus Distance Feeder
13ft Guru Aventus Distance Feeder
Greys Toreon Tactical Quivertip 11ft 10ins rod live test
Wth daylight hours reduced in winter, many anglers, myself included, much prefer to fish short sessions rather than spend days on end sat in a bivvy and carting mountains of tackle around.
It’s much more enjoyable to grab a rod, a net, a small rucksack and a couple of loaves of bread and wander the banks of your local river searching out a chub or two. The Greys Toreon Tactical Quivertip is the perfect tool for this. It's as versatile as a Swiss Army knife.
There are four lengths available in the range – 10ft 6in, 11ft 10in, 12ft 6in and 13ft – to cater for the needs of every stillwater and river coarse angler. They're just as much at home dishing it out on running water as they are bagging up at your local commercial or lobbing out a feeder on a large natural venue.
For this live test I’d chosen the 11ft 10in version, as at this length it’s a great
all-rounder. It’s just about short enough to creep into tight overgrown river swims, although if this is what you're primarily going to be using a rod for then the 10ft 6in model would be recommended.
This is also long enough to chuck a feeder to islands and open swims on commercials. Unlike most feeder rods, which come with two or three push-in tips, the Toreon Tactical Quivertip comes with five, ranging from 0.75oz to 3oz.
The rod also features a detachable butt grip which not only makes it more compact for storage, but also gives you two handle length options. There are nine lightweight gunsmoke SiC line guides on the rod and six equivalent guides on the five quivertips.
To test the rod I headed off to the tiny River Ise in Northamptonshire. This is a tributary of the River Nene and requires a stealthy approach at the best of times to avoid spooking the resident chub.
The fact that the water was fairly low and clear meant I’d have to be extra stealthy. Tactics were kept simple. My reel was loaded with 5lb mainline on to which I threaded a running link leger stopped by a buffer bead over a small swivel.
A piece of breadflake was pinched around a size 10 hook and cast into a deep pool between two shallow stretches of river. I'd baited the mouth of the pool and a couple of other spots along the far-bank reeds with a couple of small balls of mashed bread.
The first few spots didn’t produce a single knock, but a cast towards an overhanging tree saw the tip tremble before it pulled around in a classic chub bite.The fish was quickly steered away from the branches and, after a couple of jagged lunges, a small chub, was drawn over the landing net.
The next two casts produced a couple more chub of a similar size.
THE VERDICT
At almost £140 there are certainly plenty of cheaper rods on the market. But when you look at what you get for your money I think this rod is worth every penny. If you do a spot of river fishing, as well as the odd session on a commercial carp water, and enjoy feeder fishing for bream, it will cover the lot. And the range of five tips supplied with it really do make it suitable to a wide range of duties.
James Furness, Editor, Improve Your Coarse Fishing
TECH SPEC
Length: 11ft 10in
Pieces: Two
Tips: 0.75oz, 1oz, 1.5oz, 2oz, 3oz
Handle: Full cork
Reel seat: Screw lock
Guide type: SiC
Hook keeper: Yes
Drennan Acolyte 9ft feeder fishing rod
When it comes to rods, Drennan’s classy Acolyte family is right up there with the best.
The latest additions to the clan are these two delectable 9ft Feeder models that come in both Ultra (light-actioned) and the stepped-up Plus versions.
The pencil-thin, high-modulus carbon blanks come with three graded push-in quivertips, with all the furnishings and finishes you’ve come to expect to find on top-end Drennan rods.
Both versions are ideal for short-range straight lead and feeder work on natural and commercial fisheries.
TECH SPEC
•Best matched with reel lines from 4lb to 8lb (1.8kg to 3.6kg)
•Two-piece construction folds into a rod sleeve in seconds
•Neoprene rod socks also included
•Supplied with 1.5oz, 2oz and 2.5oz push-in carbon tips
•Extra tips also available
PAY AROUND
£169.99
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Free Spirit Hi S Carp Feeder fishing rod
If fishing rods came with a pedigree, Free Spirit’s new Hi S Match rods would be pinnacles of the tackle trade aristocracy.
The company’s equally well-connected Hi S Carp rods have long been considered be the best that money can buy.
Free Spirit entered the match, pleasure, and specialist arena around three years ago with its mid-priced CTX range. But it was surely only a matter of time before match rods with the same top-spec build and quality carbon as the Hi S Carp rods entered the fray.
The comprehensive 16-rod Match range first saw the light at last year’s The Big One show, where those that saw them – me included – were wowed by their modern looks, quality fittings and almost frightening transmission of ‘feel’ through the blanks.
All are constructed from ultra-low-resin 40t carbon with woven butt sections. This makes them extremely light to hold, yet extremely strong.
The unique ‘Perdurable’ finish does away with paint or lacquer– it’s just the carbon, which is made to be ultra-resistant to damage and helps the rods to retain their showroom looks.
Hi S Carp Feeder rods (the 11ft version of which was on live test duty) are all fitted with high-end Kigan Z guides along the blanks themselves, while the quivertips bear anti-frap MZ rings that reduce the chances of the reel line or shockleader catching in them and causing a crack-off.
Something else that makes these rods that little bit different is their unique hollow quivertips. These eliminate any flat spots, since there is no abrupt transition from solid tip through to hollow blank – instead you get a seamless, progressive action.
To that lot you can add Fuji skeletal-style reel seats with a cut-away forward finger area, giving added feel and control when playing fish. Carp rod-style abbreviated handles allow easy directional changes when playing a hard-fighting fish close to the net, and ‘fold-friendly’ guide spacing allows you to break down a rod with reel and rig in situ.
Add all that up and you have to agree that Hi S Carp Feeder rods are a bit special.
Not only do they look classily different, they also feel and behave differently in the hand.
This was instantly apparent on the live test. The two-piece 11ft Carp Feeder rod is so slim in the butt section just above the handle – just 150mm in circumference – that it doesn’t look capable of casting a small float, never mind a feeder. How wrong can you be!
Not only will it chuck 3oz (85g) feeders with some ease, but it will propel them an awfully long way, certainly far enough to cope with most commercial venues.
The rod’s progressive action is equally admirable – the hollow quivertip gives it a seamless curvature, and it has enough power in its locker to cope with everything from F1s on light gear, through to big girls on heavy Method tactics.
The cut-away reel seat allows you to feel every movement of a hooked fish, and while the abbreviated handle may not be to everyone’s taste, it balances perfectly with the blank and is just the ticket for winding up a cast or piling on the pressure when it’s needed.
Mark Sawyer
PAY AROUND
£280 (abbreviated handle)
£300 (full cork handle)
Maver Diamond Feeder fishing rod review
SHORT feeder rods are still very much in vogue on commercial fisheries and the 10ft 6ins version of the new Maver Diamond Feeder rods are no exception.
BUY NOW from £179.99 from Chapmans Angling
Super-accurate on the cast, they can be tucked down the side of a platform out of the wind, and are that bit easier all round to handle when elbow room is at a premium.
Provided you’re not faced with a seriously long chuck, rods like this will cast far enough to put you on the fish on most commercials. And, needless to say, they are ideal for Method tactics in the margins where really big fish are about.
Maver’s latest Diamond Feeder 10ft 6ins rod, in two sections, is the perfect length for most commercial feeder and straight lead tactics.
It’s one of four in the range, all boasting high-modulus carbon, cork handle with EVA casting and thumb grips, low-profile lined ceramic guides and the ever-handy folding keeper ring. You also get three graded carbon quivertips.
Unlike a number of other shorter rods that I have tested, Maver’s 10ft 6ins Diamond Feeder has the casting clout to propel a 30g flatbed Method feeder a decent distance with a fair degree of accuracy. I proved this during a live test at Decoy’s mixed-stock Horseshoe Lake… and before any of you familiar with this venue clamour that this lake hasn’t got a long cast on it, I also spent some time casting different weights and distances on the much larger Beastie Lake.
My findings weren’t all that different from Maver’s recommendations, but in my opinion the blank’s limits are being pushed with anything over 60g (2oz) chucked 60 yards.
To be honest, that’s more than enough power and distance for most day-ticket fisheries. A huge plus point is the rod’s non-locking, progressive action with no flat spots.
As you can see from the picture, it tightens up really quickly from a third of the way down the top section, putting you in command when a fish is at the net.
Despite this the rod is not overly stiff, and you’d need to be really clumsy to suffer many hook-pulls. As Dame Shirley Bassey sang, ‘Diamonds are forever’…and sure enough, this rod’s a keeper!
THE VERDICT
The delightful jet black Diamond Feeder gets a huge thumbs-up from me. It’s everything you could wish for. It’ll cast a fair distance when you need to, it’s super-accurate at short range, and it can be used with a wide choice of weights for tactical flexibility. At just 181g it’s very light, and its progressive action combines controlled pulling power with enough softness to make it suitable for reel lines from 4lb to 8lb, with hooklengths down to 0.12mm.
Mark Sawyer
Sensas Black Arrow feeder rods
The Full Range
Black Arrow 800 Feeder
11ft medium – £179.99
12ft medium – £189.99
13ft medium – £199.99
13ft medium/heavy – £209.99
14ft heavy – £229.99
14ft super heavy – £249.99
Black Arrow 500 Feeder
9ft medium – £129.99
10ft medium – £139.99
11ft medium – £149.99
12ft medium – £159.99
13ft medium – £169.99
Black Arrow 300 Feeder
9ft medium – £59.99
10ft medium – £69.99
11ft medium – £79.99
12ft medium – £89.99
Feeder fishing has seen a massive upsurge in popularity, and nowadays the well-prepared match angler has a rod in his holdall that suits every eventuality.
Much of the fervour associated with all things feeder fishing is down to our friends from the Netherlands, who have made the tactic an art form.
Little wonder, then, that one of the largest Continental tackle and bait companies, Sensas, has brought out what looks to be the most comprehensive range of feeder rods yet under the name Black Arrow.
There are 15 rods in all, in three price bands – the 800, 500 and 300 series. The rods are built from Nano-Flex carbon and all blanks are furnished with quality ceramic-lined guides and supplied with three push-in quivertips, graded to suit the various test curves.
Sensas has achieved the perfect combination of power for casting with softness at the fish-playing stage, and running the gamut of slender 9ft light feeder models through to hefty 14ft super rods for long-range chucks on big lakes and rivers, there’s something for everyone.
Shakespeare Agility Continental Feeder rod
TECH SPEC
Slim carbon blank
Enlarged Zirconium guides
Ergonomically-designed reel seat
Rubber butt cap
Satin matt finish
Maximum mainline rating - 12lb
Recommended maximum casting weight - 5oz
Mono and braid-friendly guides
Shakespeare Agility Continental Feeder rod. This range of continental feeder rods bearing the famous Shakespeare mark is aimed squarely at fans of big, open-water venue fishing.
Designed and constructed to cope with the heaviest of feeders, the fastest of flows and the longest of casts, the rods come in 12ft, 13ft and 14ft lengths and are well-suited to the pursuit of big bream from expansive, deep venues. So why would these rods be of any interest at all to the UK match angler, I hear you ask?
Well I’ll tell you. It was brought to my attention that the 14ft Agility Continental in particular has furtively become one of the most sought-after long-chuck big feeder rods on the market. And not just for targeting stillwater bream either; it’s also rumoured to be very much ‘at home’ on big rivers such as the Severn and Trent. A quick call to Shakespeare revealed my source’s information to be well-founded; the company are currently completely out of stock of the 14ft model, due to an apparent surge in interest. However, the Alnwick-based firm did have the other two lengths in stock, and could get one sent out for live testing purpose immediately.
Although I would have liked to get my mitts on the 14ft model, I wasn’t overly disappointed at it not being available, as I wouldn’t be casting huge distances into really deep water, or using ultra-long hooklengths. A 14ft feeder rod is a highly-specialised tool, and on the rare occasion I have used them - which has been mainly in Holland - they have always felt a little bit alien, so I was more than happy with the 13ft model which I was sure would prove just as good as the slightly longer version.
Two days later the rod dropped on to my desk, and I couldn’t wait to get a look at it. A quick in-office inspection revealed a pleasing matt satin-finished three-piece high-modulus carbon blank. It has been designed with an ‘old-school’ fast-tapering casting action, with more than enough poke through its middle and butt sections to make distance casting a doddle.
Plus, it’s also got a high weight loading point, which kicks in around halfway down the carrier section, meaning it shouldn’t feel wobbly or unbalanced when a heavy feeder is attached to it. Other key features included three carbon push-in quivertips and a superb set of enlarged-diameter Zirconium Oxide guides, ideal for use with all braided and mono mainlines, and certainly wide enough to allow the safe snag-free passage of shockleader knots.
With the river closed season now upon us, I was slightly limited with regards to venue choice, especially as the bream stocks in most of the large acreage open-water venues such as Ferry Meadows are still only just waking up from their winter slumber. However, I knew that the Northants day-ticket lake Rysons was normally good for a few early spring slabs, and as it’s a fair chuck out to the middle of the lake where the fish normally reside, it would prove a fair casting test for the rod.
My set-up involved using a 10lb fluorocarbon shockleader, tied to a 0.10mm braided mainline, with a 40g distance cage feeder at the business end of things. The first task was to lay the table, so I made a dozen quick casts to the lake centre using a big cage feeder loaded with pellets, groundbait and dead red maggots. The blank hardly flexed during the loosefeeding process, with the mainline hitting the clip easily on every cast and the shockleader fairly sizzling through the rod’s enlarged guides. The blank’s casting action is best described as clean and crisp, but if I were to be hyper-critical I’d say it’s maybe a little on the heavy side. However, with minimal recoil, I knew it would be no bother at all to achieve extreme casting ranges.
An hour later the rod’s tip trembled, followed by the unmistakable steady pull-round as a big slab picked up the treble maggot hookbait. Two minutes and two big head shakes later we parted company when the hook pulled out. Unfortunately, this scenario unfolded three more times before a change to a larger hook and a longer hooklength remedied the problem. Quite simply, the blank’s power can be a little overwhelming when used with smaller hooks, but when coupled with wide gape hooks from a size 14 and upwards, the problem pales into the background.
To summarise, the rod has superb distance-casting credentials and is available at a snip of the price of most distance feeder models. As well as being an awesome tool for tackling large stillwaters at home and abroad, it would make an excellent rod for targeting all fish species on our larger domestic rivers.
THE VERDICT
This 13ft Agility Continental has power with a capital P to burn. Originally designed for the European feeder angler, the rod is ideal for big open-water UK venues, and is also sure to find favour with many river anglers, especially where hefty feeders up to 5oz and strong lines up to 12lb are needed. Price wise, for a long-range heavy feeder rod, it’s the best by some margin of those currently available on the market.
PAY AROUND
£74.99
Mark Sawyer
Korum's new range of feeder fishing rods
Pleasure and big-fish brand Korum has launched a range of three-piece feeder rods that are sure to be a huge hit. The eight-strong collection features models ranging from 11ft to 13ft, and covers all short, medium or long-casting ranges. The rods are perfect for all types of feeder fishing on both rivers and stillwaters and have maximum casting weights running from 45g to 180g.
11ft Feeder 45g
Ideal for lakes where feeders need to be cast accurately at short or medium distances. A versatile rod with a line rating of 4lb-8lb, it is supplied with three 2.65mm colour-coded quivertips: orange (light), yellow (medium) and red (heavy).
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 45g
Described by Korum as a ‘fantastic all-rounder’ with plenty of backbone, it has
a 4lb-8lb line rating, and comes with three 2.65mm colour-coded quivertips (light, medium and heavy).
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 60g
A rod with more power for casting larger feeders and making longer casts. It has
a 6lb-8lb line rating and comes with three 2.65mm colour-coded quivertips (light, medium and heavy).
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 90g
This rod is for large feeders and long casts, but it retains enough tip sensitivity for silverfish work. Ideal for medium-paced rivers, it has a 6lb-10lb line rating and comes with a trio of 3.3mm colour-coded light, medium and heavy quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£44.99
12ft Feeder 120g
The most powerful 12ft model in the series. A good option for fast water, but with a sensitive tip action that allows plenty of options. It has a line rating of 6lb-8lb and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£44.99
13ft Feeder 120g
As with the two other 13ft models in the range, this rod has a slightly more powerful tip for improved casting distance and accuracy. It has a line rating of 6lb-10lb, and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£49.99
13ft Feeder 150g
More power and a faster casting action make this rod ideal for when long casts and heavy feeders are the order of the day. Great for large, open stillwaters and fast-paced rivers. Carries a line rating of 6lb- 10lb and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded (light, medium and heavy) quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£54.99
13ft Feeder 180g
With a casting weight of 180g, this powerful rod will comfortably launch feeders beyond 100m. Boasting large-diameter guides, it can also be safely used with shockleaders. It has a line rating of 6lb-10lb, and comes with three 3.2mm colour-coded (light, medium and heavy) quivertips.
PAY AROUND
£54.99
Greys Toreon Tactical Float and Feeder rods
Greys has an impressive track record for iconic fishing rods – names such as Prodigy, Platinum and Air Curve are all instantly recognisable to big-fish anglers who demand the best.
So when news broke of a new rod range aimed at the serious coarse angler I just had to get my hands on a couple. The full Toreon Tactical family features four quivertip rods at 10ft 6ins, 11ft 10ins, 12ft 6ins and 13ft.All come with five graded carbon push-in quivertips. There are also five float rods in lengths of 10ft 6ins, 11ft 6ins, 12ft 8ins, 13ft and 15ft. Combine these with the quivertip rods and you have a rod arsenal able to tackle every imaginable venue, from tiny ponds to raging rivers.
Built from high modulus, lightweight Toreon nano-carbon, all rods are amazingly strong and responsive, and furnished throughout with quality lightweight gunsmoke SiC guides. Detachable cork butt grips allow for compact storage and variable handle lengths. These will be a blessing on the longer rods, giving more casting clout to those who like to whack it out a bit. The two rods on test, an 11ft 10ins quiver and an 11ft 6ins float model, should between them cover most ‘middle of the road’ situations and deal with everything from big commercial carp to shy-biting silvers. This in itself is quite unusual in an era when most modern coarse rods are built to do a specific job.
I would suggest, though, that if (after reading this review) you are interested in owning a Greys Toreon Tactical rod, you take a closer look at the full range before making your choice with so many rod lengths and recommended line strengths there will be something perfect for every fishery you may visit during the course of a season. Bearing that in mind, I took the test rods to a mixed fishery, the superbly well attended and blissfully peaceful day-ticket Wold Farm in Northamptonshire (www.woldfarmfisheries.co.uk). When the float dips or the tip goes round on Wood Lake you can never be too sure what’s having a nibble on the other end – it’s a kind of aquatic Bingo.
Starting on a 3AAA insert peacock waggler with a lightish 0.11mm hooklength and size 18 hook baited with double maggot, the 11ft 6ins two-sectioned rod soon put a few roach and half-decent skimmers into the netThe blank is crisp and responsive, with the backbone to cast big floats (including pellet wagglers up to 15g) without a hitch. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch anything hefty enough to test its anti-locking action, but for silvers alone it’s just about light enough to put a bend in the tip. The 11ft 10ins Toreon Tactical quiver rod was tested rather better as a run of pastie-sized carp took a liking to my bread disc hookbaits. The feisty little fellows showed plenty of spirit, but the blank’s flat spot-free action shrugged off their struggles and they were soon peering through the mesh of my keepnet.
It’s more than capable of handling medium-sized Method feeders, but although Greys rates its maximum casting weight at 185g (6oz-plus) that’s a tad optimistic in my opinion. I particularly liked the five blaze-coloured carbon quivertips which add to the rod’s versatility and help prove its worth as an all-rounder.
THE VERDICT
If you’re a journeyman coarse angler looking for a ‘one rod does it all’ bank side companion, then one – or perhaps two – from the new Toreon Tactical range are more than likely to be sliding into your rod holdall soon. Quality and performance are virtually guaranteed from Greys, one of the UK’s longest-surviving tackle companies with a fine history of producing hard-wearing, long-lasting and thoroughly satisfying fishing rods.
Mark Sawyer
PAY AROUND
£99.99 - £129.99
Browning Commercial King Tickler fishing rods
These tiny wands are called Ticklers – did Ken Dodd invent them so his Diddy Men could go fishing?
Well, oddly enough, no. These pint-sized single-sectioned Carp and F1 models are the latest additions to Browning’s popular Commercial King range. There’s nothing new about short or indeed single-sectioned rods, and few would argue against their having a place in the modern commercial match angler’s rod holdall. That is just where you can tuck your Tickler after a match, and very easily at that.
Simply remove the quivertip, place the hook into its retainer and reel up any slack line. Then it’s just a matter of folding the reel handle flat before sliding the rod into its slim, protective tube. There are no bands, sleeves or broken tips to worry about – the rod can be taken down and put up again quite literally in seconds.
For live test purposes I carried both versions to my peg at Monkhall Fisheries in Shropshire, ready made-up inside a standard rod bag containing five tubes plus a few mini pole extensions (and if you’re wondering about the blue colour of the water, it’s from a fish-safe dye used to keep weed growth to a minimum). Just to have them so close to hand and ready to use without the need to transport yet another rod holdall to the peg further endeared these rods of restricted growth to me. Yes, obviously they have their limitations, but for ease of transportation and convenience they tick my box.
The pair consists of a surprisingly substantial Carp Tickler model with a 50g (1.7oz) maximum casting weight, suitable for reel lines up to 8lb, and the lighter F1 rod with a casting weight of 35g (1.5oz) for reel lines up to 6lb breaking strain. The Carp Tickler has enough clout in its progressive fish-playing action to cope with specimens of 10lb-plus, while its lighter F1 counterpart shares the action while remaining just about light enough to handle small hooks and fragile hooklengths without risking hook-pulls or breakages.
During the live test, I fished for carp in deep water with the Carp Tickler set up with a 0.75oz straight lead and hair-rigged bread discs. I rigged the F1 rod with a 20g Drennan Carp feeder, size 18 hook and double maggot for fishing in shallower water up against an island.
During the session the wind got up from nowhere and, within seconds, wickedly cold snow flurries were driving across the lake. It really was ‘batten down the hatches’ stuff, but my fishing didn’t suffer at all, as the shortness of the rods had allowed me to tuck the rod-tips right into the bank. I hit every bite, and even when I had the brolly up I could still see the quivertips. As a bonus, I found I could net fish without having to negotiate the canopy of my brolly.
THE VERDICT
Well, I must admit to being completely sold on these new Browning Ticklers. I really liked the concept – packing away and setting up rods has never been easier or more lacking in fuss and drama. Being able to stick them inside my pole holdall was another big plus point. I found the Carp Tickler a little on the heavy side, and although I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for summer Method feeder margin work I would probably furnish myself with a pair of the F1 Ticklers for winter commercial fishing, preferring their softer cushioning action.
PAY AROUND
£79.95
Daiwa relaunches its Powermesh Specialist fishing rods
Daiwa has reintroduced its famous Powermesh rods which, back in the day, had a reputation among carp anglers for being cutting edge.
The latest seven-strong collection includes a dedicated 2.75lb test curve barbel rod for float and feeder use. The float rods come in 13ft, 14ft and 15ft lengths and are well suited to heavy waggler and deep-water slider work using reel lines from 3lb-10lb. A crisp action makes them ideal for long-trotting with Avons and big stick floats on fast-flowing rivers for chub and barbel.
The three feeder models (11ft 6ins, 12ft 6ins and 13ft 6ins) all come with quivertips of 1.5oz, 2oz and 3oz test curves, and would seem to be as much at home with open-end feeders for summer tench as they would be tempting winter river chub using maggot and bread feeders.
With casting weights of up to 50g, 70g and 90g, respectively, each rod is built to take lots of stick, reflected in the use of high-grade carbon cloth with a 1k carbon weave along the butt sections for added resilience.
As you’d expect from Daiwa, the classy non-flash matt-black blanks are of the finest quality, with full cork handles, original Fuji DPS reel seats, stainless steel guides with lightweight LS ceramic rings, and hard-wearing aluminium butt caps. All these work together to give the rods a pleasing custom-built aesthetic look.
PAY AROUND
£107.99 to £125.99
Preston Competition Pro Super Light 9ft Feeder rod
PAY AROUND
£89.99
There was a time when a ‘short’ rod was classed as 11ft maximum.
Nowadays a host of models in the 8ft, 9ft and 10ft class are available, including the Super Light 9ft Feeder from Preston Innovations. This is billed as a close-range tool for small feeders and bombs, and casts up to 30m.
It’s the baby of the Competition Pro range of feeder rods, which stretches right up to a heavy 13ft version. The Competition Pro is a definitely a series of all-round rods rather than out-and-out commercial tools, and although I could have taken it to a reservoir or a big lake and targeted small fish, it wouldn’t have been too much of a test. Instead it was thrown in at the deep end at Decoy Lakes’ ever-reliable Six Islands pool, which holds lots of carp in the 4lb-10lb bracket.
First, a note on the length. I absolutely love using a 9ft rod. Don’t get me wrong, it’s limited in terms of casting distance but for anything up to 35m or so it makes feeder fishing so effortless, especially with the hookbait tucked inside the frame of a Method or pellet version. A traditional open-end feeder with a long tail isn’t as aerodynamic, so a longer rod is needed to cast it properly.
With a 9ft rod, fish pop up under your feet for netting, as they do on a short F1-type top kit on a pole.
I clipped my line up for a short 16m chuck to the middle of the bowl at the car park end of the lake, where there is a sunken island. Believe it or not it’s quite difficult to discipline yourself to apply such a short cast – or it would be with a longer rod.
My 30g inline Preston Method couldn’t have been in the water much longer than 30 seconds when the 1oz tip I’d fitted pulled firmly round. A 5lb mirror carp was the culprit, and it was beaten in double-quick time. I quickly realised how much backbone and power this rod has, right through its faultless action. With several hooked carp I could feel the line grating through some submerged roots or vegetation on the bar, and I really had to give the fish some stick, standing up sometimes, to get them over it without breaking the hooklength.
Then I took the clip off and gave it a few good casts up the long sides of the lakes. This was surprisingly easy, helped by the large rod rings towards the base of the blank. I reckon you could punch a Method feeder 45m or 50m if you really went for it.
My final trick was at much, much closer range. I’d been throwing a few handfuls of pellets in the margins and a gentle underarm lob sent the feeder down there.
The rod was almost wrenched from my hands as I caught barbel and several more carp, including a double-figure common, which all made off towards a snaggy corner with an aerator. Despite a few hairy moments the Super Light Feeder took everything thrown at it, and smaller, softer rods like this mean fewer hook pulls too.