TECH SPEC

Rated to a size 20 elastic. Diamond Satin slide-easy paint on 6th and 7th section. Compatible with all current UK Daiwa poles.
Weight: 447g
Spares: Comes with two Power top-2 kits with side puller fittings

PAY AROUND

£699

Priced at £699, the new 9m Daiwa Multi Margin will have some match anglers shaking their heads in disbelief.

And, judging by the comments about this pole I have read on fishing websites, it is already being dismissed (by those yet to use it) as suitable only for Daiwa groupies with fat wallets.

Remember, though, that all seven sections will fit on to any one of Daiwa’s premier models – Air, Airity, Tournament Pro X, Whisker and Connoisseur – and that these time-served poles share the same mandrel as the Multi Margin.

Before anyone else has a moan about overly expensive fishing equipment, it’s worth noting that Daiwa is based in Scotland and manufactures nearly all its carbon poles and rods on tartan turf. They are more Irn-Bru than chow mein or spaghetti bolognese.

I have spoken to Daiwa about the construction of this pole, and while I won’t bore you to death with technicalities, suffice to say that it’s made with a unique mix of carbons and resins to provide an altogether different type of fish-playing action to a normal long pole.

So, if you own any Daiwa pole from its elite stable and are unlucky enough to break a fourth to seventh section (top kits are identical), the Multi can be used as a stop-gap, if not a permanent replacement.

What exactly is the Multi supposed to be used for then, I hear you ask? To find out I took it, complete with its three top kits fitted with elastics from 12 to 20, to the Woodpecker Pool on the day-ticket Oakfield fishery near Aylesbury.

As soon as you put this pole together its quality shines through. Weighing only 447g, no other margin pole comes close in terms of lightness or crispness at the tip, while its typical steely Daiwa stiffness just oozes class.

Its fish-playing action kicks in when anything over a couple of pounds is hooked. Despite its rigid feel, quick tip recovery speed and handling qualities, the degree of elasticity and shock-absorption is astonishing! You have more than enough power to stop the largest of fish dead in its tracks with no worries about the pole snapping.

Even with the lighter elastics bottomed out, it took on everything thrown at it without so much as a creak of protest. It is fabulously well designed, something you almost take for granted with Daiwa these days.

I have no doubt some of the world’s most renowned anglers, such as William Raison and Steve Ringer, have had a capable hand in its development – but is it worth the money?

For me, yes it is. This is a pole unlike anything else on the market and it’s a joy to use, even with the heaviest of elastics. Remember that sections are interchangeable with those of other top-flight Daiwa poles and you might just decide to splash out.

VERDICT

Few would argue that Daiwa has cornered the market in top-end flagship poles, and the residual value of this high-performance model should always remain strong. Daiwa confirms that spares are guaranteed for at least five years, even if the Multi is discontinued. This proves how much the company has invested in this pole.

Mark Sawyer