Prestons Protype X300 14.5m pole review

While back I tested one of the original Protype poles from Preston Innovations and was highly impressed with it.

So when the new X300 arrived I was keen to see how much better this upgraded version would be.

At a penny under £750 it will never break the bank of the most prudent of anglers and has all the trimmings of a pole double that price tag in terms of top kits and features.

The X300 has been designed for the pleasure or match angler who never gets the butt sections of their pole out of the bag, hence the 14.5m length that’ll reach the far bank of snake lakes or islands on most commercials fisheries or handle up in the water scenarios in the summer.

On its website Preston is keen to stress the strength and response of the X300, but how does it measure up in reality?

The only way to find out was to give it a thorough going over, and the F1-packed Swallow Lake at Westwood Lakes, near Boston, was the venue of choice. The plan was to fish shallow at the full 14.5m to test rigidity and response on the strike, then have a crack at the margins to see how the pole handled ‘proper’ carp!

First impressions of the X300 are a reassuring solidity to each section. They’re very strong, with no give, but when slotted together the overall weight is surprisingly low for such a powerful pole. Before fishing I gave the pole a waggle at the full length, and while there’s a little wobble at the top end, it’s nothing to get stressed about.

Kicking off with banded pellet, it was easy enough to slap the rig or lift and drop one-handed while feeding with a catapult. First bite, and an F1 dragged the elastic out of the top kit, hooping the pole over. It didn’t get very far, though.

The power soon kicked in and fish number one was in the net. Two dozen more followed in quick succession, most of which produced a bite that needed striking at. Just a lift of the knee would set the hook. Try that with a pole that’s unbalanced and the whole thing would just wave up and down with no chance of hooking the fish.

Fortunately, the X300 has plenty of balance and enough stiff ‘spine’ to crisply lift the rig into a fish, but there’s also enough give in each section to let fish power off without any danger of a hook-pull. Slowly but surely I was enjoying fishing with the X300!

With enough fish in the bag at long range, I moved back to 6m and carried on bagging shallow. At this length the pole was even better and super-fast on the strike, a real carp cruncher whether up in the water or using meat or corn on this short line. To be frank, many anglers opt to fish as close in as they can for speed and comfort, and the X300 is just as perfect on a ‘top kit and two’ line as it is at the full 14.5m.

I’d love to say I caught a raft of units down the edge, but those F1s wouldn’t let them! 

The peg was solid with them at 5m down the edge but, with reeds and sedges to contend with, the pole made short work of gently encouraging hooked fish into open water. So, with shallow, short and the margin boxes ticked, how about the spares package?

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It’s pretty damn good for the price, with a pre-bushed Match top-2 inside the pole and four of Preston’s Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits fitted with 3.7mm internal PTFE bushes and boasting the Roller Pulla system in the side puller slots for total control over hooked fish. There’s also a same-length Kupping Kit with two Kups and adaptors, all in a Protype X300 holdall.

Yes, the X300 is a bit of a belter and a true all-rounder for fans of commercial carp fisheries.

Is it better than the original Protypes? Good god, it knocks them into a cocked hat! 

If you’ve got £750 to spend on a new pole and do a lot of heavyweight carp fishing throughout the year, forget about shopping around – go get the Protype!

Package details:

• 14.5m Protype X300 pole with a Match kit fitted inside

• 4 x Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits featuring 3.7mm internal PTFE bushes

• Kupping Kit with Kups and adaptors

• Protype X300 pole holdall

• Price: £749.99


Preston Innovations protype x400 16m pole review

Preston Innovations’ superb new ProType poles are priced to suit all pockets. 

All four models have enough section wall and linear strength for energetic carp-bagging, yet retain enough rigidity and lightness of touch to be used for silvers as well.  

 PRESTON INNOVATIONS PROTYPE X400

The new 16m flagship ProType X400 pole, at a penny under £1,000, comes with four of Preston’s proven Roller Pulla top kits and is clearly aimed at the serious club or open match angler. 

As it falls into the all-rounder class, I thought that a live test requiring some subtlety was called for, and Northamptonshire’s picture postcard day-ticket Stanwick Lakes sprang to mind. 

Coot Lake is home to some seriously big bin lids, as well as some cracking tench. The fish sit well out into the lake, making it quite a difficult venue to tackle with a pole. Setting the hook in deep water requires something more aggressive than the regular quick lift, so you need to balance your elastic accordingly. 

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Starting the session by shipping out a weighty potful of chopped worms and casters to 14.5m was the first test of strength the new ProType X400 faced, and it passed that well enough. 

A good pole should ship out feed without bouncing around wildly, and as the process also transfers a fair amount of upward force to your hands, the finish needs to be just right. A big tick here for the X400’s Easy Ship finish.

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At 14.5m it’s pleasingly stiff with a decent enough tip speed, and still very fishable at its full 16m length. I was impressed with the reinforced butt sections which are unlikely to let you down, even if you’re given to the odd ham-fisted cloud-piercing strike. 

As the float’s blaze tip disappeared from view, the moment of truth arrived. No crack-bang disaster here, but a huge bream – the X400 had clearly passed all the tasks I had set it.  

Summing up, I’d say that this pole represents very good value for money. 

It’s certainly durable enough to be used for commercial hauling and big fish and, as I proved, it’s also a good all-rounder with a sensible price tag.

Price: £999.99 (but shop around)

PRESTON INNOVATIONS PROTYPE X100

AT 13m, the entry-level X100 is ideal for the newcomer to pole fishing, and will serve equally well as an upgrade from a margin pole where extra length may be required. 

Super-strong, with a very acceptable level of rigidity, key features of this workmanlike pole are shared with all other ProType poles and include section alignment arrows, Easy Ship finish, reinforced butt sections, pre-bushed top kits, Roller Pulla side system and holdall with tubes. 

Price: £429.99

Package

ProType X100 13m pole with Match kit included Two Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits featuring 3.7mm internal bush

PRESTON INNOVATIONS PROTYPE X200    

The perfect all-round 13m pole, the X200 is suited to a variety of venues and styles of fishing, thanks to its enhanced rigidity and wall strength. 

It’s the perfect step up from a margin pole, and will suit those who never need to go out beyond 13m. 

As with all the ProType X poles, the X200 benefits from section alignment arrows, Easy Ship finish, reinforced butt sections, pre-bushed top kits, Roller Pulla side system and a dedicated holdall with tubes.

Price: £549.99

PACKAGE

ProType X200 13m pole (Match kit included) Three Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits featuring 3.7mm internal bush Kupping kit with kups

PRESTON INNOVATIONS PROTYPE X300  

The ProType X300 pole offers a fantastic spares package of four Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits and a Kupping Kit. 

At its full 14.5m it is extremely strong yet responsive, making it the perfect all-round pole for the angler who requires no more than 14.5m of carbon – a perfect upgrade from a 13m or margin pole. 

The ProType X300 benefits from all the key features of the poles already mentioned.

Price: £749.99

PACKAGE: Protype X300 14.5m pole (Match top-3 kit included) Four Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits featuring 3.7mm internal bush Kupping Kit with Kups.

PRESTON INNOVATIONS PROTYPE X400 

THIS top-of-the-range ProType X400 pole (reviewed in full on these pages) is extremely rigid, even at its full 16m length. 

Designed as true all-rounder, thanks to its added strength and rigidity, the X400 comes with a fantastic spares package, making it an obvious choice for the serious match angler. 

All key features are shared with the other members of the ProType X family.

Price: £999.99

PACKAGE: ProType X400 16m pole (Match top-3 kit included) Four Roller Pulla Power top-2 kits featuring 3.7mm internal bush Kupping Kit with Kups.

16m Preston Innovations Response XS50 Review

The new Preston Innovations Response XS50 16m pole falls into a price category where things start to get serious – writes Tony Grigorjevs.

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Anglers in the market for a pole priced between £1,000 and £1,500 expect something that ticks all the boxes. It’s generally expected that there will be shortcomings in cheaper poles but this is the price bracket where the full kit and caboodle is expected.

A generous spares package, bags of strength and a responsive action are just a few of the essential qualities required.

With that in mind, the 16m Response XS50 needs to impress from the off, and it’s fair to say it did just that when I was lucky enough to get my hands on it.

On opening the bag I didn’t know where to start, there was that much carbon staring back at me! The package includes four Roller Pulla top-2 kits, two Roller Pulla F1 kits and a Match top-2 inside the pole. 

There’s also a cupping kit with cups and three mini extensions that can be used when fishing short or long. As well as giving you that little bit of extra reach, they also provide protection to the ends of the main sections.

Curborough Fishery in Staffordshire was my venue of choice, and the hard-fighting carp in Oak Lake were sure to test the other features.

Shipping out to 16m, the finish was impressive. There was no struggle or stuttered shipping and it was easy to get smoothly out to the full distance.

Although it was perfectly fishable for periods at 16m, it was when I dropped back to 14.5m that I felt I could hold this pole for hours on end without feeling the strain.

Once the float dipped, the 13H elastic zipped to my right – it was inevitable the lily pads in that zone would be an attractive proposition to any hooked carp!

The old M50 pole, which the XS50 replaces, was criticised in part for lacking the required muscle power, and there’s no doubt Preston’s designers have taken this feedback seriously.

There was no indication it couldn’t handle the strain and I had no hesitation in piling on the necessary pressure to win each battle. A quick inspection of the sections instantly told me the walls were solidly built, with little give when I squeezed the end of each one.

As with every Preston pole there were plenty of little extras that win additional brownie points with purchasers.

Each top kit comes pre-bushed and with a Side Pulla already installed. The sections have aligners which enable you keep the spine of the pole lined up, enhancing performance in the process.

Preston Innovations prides itself on creating top-class tackle at an affordable price, and the company has certainly stuck to that mantra. If you are buying a pole between £1,000 and £1,500 you’ll struggle to find anything else that will measure up to the Response XS50.

TONY’S VERDICT

As with every item of tackle I sample from Prestons I had high expectations, and the Response XS50 definitely met them. It’s strong, comes with a fantastic package and ships like a dream. 

There’ll also be no issue with hitting quick bites as it is responsive, even when fished long. You’ll have worked hard to up for a new pole and you can be assured that you’ll have no complaints if you make this your new pride and joy.

Price: £1499.99 | Expect to pay: £1,300-£1,400

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Preston Innovations Edge Monster margin pole review

There’s an old saying - ‘you get what you pay for’.

If you buy something on a budget then you shouldn’t expect it to perform as well as more expensive kit. But every now and again an item comes along that makes a mockery of this phrase. The latest pole from Preston Innovations being one such creation.

The 8.5m Edge Monster Margin has been designed to hook and land big fish at short range with ease. It’s much more than just a heavy handed power tool, though. Strength is certainly one of its many attributes and if any carp in your local fishery takes the hookbait when this pole is in use then it is likely to be on the end of a losing battle. 

The walls of each section ooze muscle power and no matter how much force you exert when trying to get the upper hand against your quarry, you can rest assured you aren’t going to suffer breakages, even when using the thickest elastics.

Hook a fish close to a snag and you’re going to need quick reactions to prevent it from delving into the maze of sunken branches. In order to do that you need a pole that slides through your hands in a quick and fluid manner. The gloss finish on the butt section and mini extension does exactly that and the transition into the rest of the sections is smooth. Put simply, you can ship the Edge Monster Margin back in a flash, rain or shine!

More often than not the weight of a margin pole is compromised to gain the necessary strength but that isn’t the case here. This is a lightweight tool that could be held in one hand for long periods with minimal effort, even when using it at its full 8.5m length.

While the name suggests it is built for bagging enormous mirrors and commons from the margins, it is also a brilliant piece of kit for those taking their first novice steps into pole fishing.

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Dropped sections and other slightly clumsy accidents are commonplace when you’re new to the game but the pole won’t splinter or snap as a result of these mishaps. 

All of the sections are interchangeable with Preston’s Protype range of poles making this ideal for spares if you own one.

If all that isn’t enough then the price is going to seal the deal. A pole that is strong, lightweight, has a brilliant finish and is packed with built-in features for less than £150. Wow!

Preston Innovations has a reputation for raising the bar when it comes to new launches and the company has continued that trend with the Edge Monster Margin.

Verdict: I’ve become used to tackle companies bosses waxing lyrical about their latest tackle and on some occasions the reality doesn’t match the hype. The team at Preston Innovations told me pre-test that the Edge Monster Margin would be strong, lightweight and easy to ship. It’s fair to say there was no exaggeration. It ticks every box and gets a big thumbs up from me.

Preston Innovations 16m Response XS carp pole

This new Response XS Carp pole from Preston Innovations, like its predecessor, is aimed squarely at the commercial match angler.

Get your hands on all the latest rods, poles, reels and accessories at this year’s Big One Show

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Durable and hard-wearing, it’s a tool for bagging big weights and taming powerful carp, while at the same time retaining exceptional balance and responsiveness.

Because it’s built around the same mandrel as all the other poles in the range, all sections are fully interchangeable. This makes it the ideal second pole for existing Response owners. 

An attractive feature of the new XS Carp are nine (yes, NINE) spare 2.4m top kits, including a Kupping Kit. All are pre-fitted with genuine internal PTFE bushes, and supplied with Preston Roller Pulla bushes. These all but eliminate elastic damage and significantly improve the pole’s fish-playing performance.

FItted with the reinforced half-extension that comes as standard, the pole measures a true 16m. 

To that little lot you can add three Bi-Conical mini extensions that fit from the fifth section upward, section alignment arrows, and an Easy Ship finish that ensures your fishing will not be compromised whatever the British weather may throw at you.   

Taking a closer look at the new XS Carp pole, it’s noticeably heavier than its stablemates. Indeed, it’s made from same high modulus Torayca Japanese carbon fibre as all other top-end Response poles, but as you might expect of an out-and-out power carp pole, the cut of the cloth makes for awesome section wall strength, while re-designed section joints are as tough as old boots.

Built like a tank it may be, but it certainly doesn’t handle like one – it’s as nimble as sports car, with a fair turn of pace thanks to its superb Easy Slide finish. 

I discovered that and much more about the pole while testing it on a very windy afternoon at Decoy’s Beastie Lake.

At this time of year, most of the lake’s heavyweight occupants can be found loitering around the margins, and as they have a proper fondness for corn and micros several lines can be fed – waving tails and muddied water betray their ponderous presence. 

The fact that this pole comes with three Bi-Conical extensions makes it ideal for margin work. They not only provide that bit of extra reach, but they give you something to really hang on to when a big fish is hooked. 

On the day, perverse as only carp can be, they didn’t seem overly keen on feeding close in, so it was a case of going long, starting at 13m. The pole’s extra bit of weight actually helps when it’s blowing a hooley, as it offers some semblance of steadiness without the angler having to constantly lean against the wind. 

Anway, fishing at this longer length it wasn’t long before the first Beastie bruiser arrived and elastic streamed from the tip. I leant hard into the fish just to see how much pulling power the new XS Carp can generate, and I can tell you, it was impressive. 

As you can see from the image, I was fishing from a peg on the strip at Beastie. This can be a real pain when you’re using a long pole, as it needs to be broken down several times when shipping back so as not to interfere with the peg behind you. However, the live test proved how easy the pole is to unship under pressure – new ones don’t always want to come apart until they are worn in a bit, but the toughened joints of the XS Carp are not only bullet-proof, but they glide together and come apart with a reassuring swish. 

My only slight gripe about Preston’s latest carp clatterer is that it’s definitely better at 13m than at 14.5m, and obviously it follows that it’s better at 14.5m than it is at the full 16m. That said, it’s very usable at its longer lengths, and there’s no denying its serious stopping power, superb section wall and joint strength, and a spares package as good as you’ll find anywhere.

Verdict: If you're an out-and-out commercial match angler looking for a strong pole that will last you a long time, Preston’s latest Response XS Carp pole could well be for you. The spares package is quite outstanding, as are its tough build and bagging performance.  

Price: £1,499.99