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.
Middy 5G Pellet Waggler rod test
I’LL START this review with a confession. Pellet waggler fishing isn’t something that I used to devote much time to, but over the past few months of balmy summer weather I realised I’d been missing out big-time on what is clearly one of the most exhilarating of all tactics.
The anticipation builds the moment the float plops into the water, and that excitement is often followed by an aggressive bite moments later.
Next thing you know, the clutch on your reel is going into overdrive and the rod arches over as a disgruntled carp or F1 does its best to shed the hook.
Clearly, the rod you are using can make all the difference between winning most of these battles or coming back empty-handed.
When the new 11ft Middy 5g Pellet Waggler rod was put into my hands I instantly pencilled in a session at a venue I know would respond well to this high-octane tactic – Manor Farm Leisure in Worcestershire.
I knew what I wanted from this rod, but would it come up trumps? There was only one way to find out…
The rod arches over as a disgruntled carp or F1 does its best to shed the hook.
LAUNCHING INTO ACTION
With the rod rigged up and a couple of pints of 8mm pellets on my side tray I was all set to try and extract a few massive F1s – they run to over 5lb – from Ash Pool.
They love to linger shallow out in the middle but they’ve been caught countless times and can be moody. With a small 3g pellet waggler on the line I went for a 30m chuck and it landed exactly where I had planned it to. It was then a case of feeding a few pellets every chuck, casting over the top and, if there was no response within 10 seconds, repeating the sequence.
As it happens, to begin with the fish were slow to respond to the trickle of freebies falling through the water column, but I wasn’t complaining too much as it gave me the chance to get to grips with the rod’s casting capabilities.
Accuracy was not an issue, as I could plant my small waggler on the button without breaking sweat. There was clearly a lot more fuel in the tank, and had I wanted to chuck a beefier float there was ample power in reserve to do so.
Accuracy was not an issue, as I could plant my small waggler on the button without breaking sweat
The weight of the rod barely registered in my hand, which gained it more brownie points because a light rod is essential for such an energetic tactic where you are casting so often.
Eventually the constant rain of pellets drew a response, with fish swirling at every pinch of bait that landed. The float duly dipped and it was time for the rod to earn its battle colours.
THE PERFECT ACTION
The fish surged off the moment it realised it had slipped up. The softly-set clutch got to work and the rod took on a healthy bend.
A good pellet waggler rod needs to be soft enough to absorb sudden lunges yet have enough grunt to let you take control. With the first fish safely in the net I felt confident it had both qualities in abundance.
A few bigger F1s fought even more ferociously later in the day and the rod handled them faultlessly.
A few bigger F1s fought even more ferociously later in the day
Had I hooked a double-figure carp, I feel sure that a small yet significant design feature of the rod would have helped me land it. The woven carbon area next to the handle prevents the rod bending too much during particularly intense fights in the heat of summer, but I’d be equally happy using it on the deck in the colder months, when bites are hard-won and every fish counts. Its soft action would, I’m sure, keep losses to a minimum. Today the Middy 5G Pellet Waggler had put me in the driving seat, allowing me to cast accurately and then extract anything that took the bait with relative ease.
Safe to say this rod looks the part
Rod cosmetics never caught anybody any more fish, but there is something of the tackle tart in us all – and if the aesthetics catch your attention in a shop there’s a much better chance you’ll part with your hard-earned cash!
Safe to say this rod looks the part. Starting at the reel seat, it seems a little unusual as it’s slimmer than the rest of the handle, but put your hand over the top of the reel and it all clicks into place to make holding the rod a pleasure.
Graphics are neatly etched into the blank, the eyes are appropriately sized and spaced throughout, and little extras such as a hook keeper add to its overall appeal.
Give this beauty a place in your holdall and you’ll have a tool that will never let you down when the bites are coming thick and fast!
A productive rod test!
Price: £99.99
Guru 11ft N-Gauge Pellet Waggler rod review
THERE are so many pellet waggler rods around nowadays that choosing the right one for this popular summertime tactic can be quite taxing.
Their quality and performance, and indeed their price, varies enormously across the various manufacturers.
Kicking off with a brand that has a good track record, then, makes sound sense, and few can rival Guru in this respect.
The company has many excellent products, most of which (including this rod) are aimed at catching big weights of big fish. In this heady atmosphere you want a rod that won’t let you down!
Guru’s new 11ft N-Gauge Pellet Waggler (and its companion 10ft version) promises a balanced action, plenty of power and accurate casting. It’s also comfy to hold, and because pellet waggler fishing involves constant casting and feeding that’s very important.
A balanced action and plenty of power
“But why can’t I just use my normal float rod?” I hear you ask. Well, standard three-piece float rods are designed to catch silverfish using light floats, fine lines and small hooks. Pellet waggler rods are built to chuck an altogether heavier payload – this week’s live test candidate has a recommended maximum casting weight of 15g, which covers just about any size of float you will ever need, while its progressive action handles bigger fish.
Two equal-length sections mean the rod can be carried on to the bank all rigged-up and ready to go.
Two equal-length sections
So, if you fancy having a go at pellet waggler fishing but don’t want to invest too much of your hard-earned on a rod that only really comes out when the sun shines, Guru’s N-Gauge 11-footer will be your ideal fair-weather companion, and I’ll tell you why.
A lot of rod for your cash
First up, if you shop around you’ll find this rod for just under £100, but its impressive array of furnishings belie its price tag. The handle is part cork, part Duplon, offering a firm but comfortable grip, and it’s dressed in super lightweight single-leg reversed guides, strategically positioned along the quality blank to maximise casting and fish-playing performance while minimising the risk of tangles or frap-ups.
Part Duplon handle
All good on paper, but how would it actually perform? To find out I visited a new venue for me, the day-ticket Whetstone Gorse fishery just outside Leicester.
Enter the spacious car park, and on the left is a pretty oval-shaped lake with a large mature central island covered in trees and shrubs.
It was only a few paces from the car to the lake. I could see plenty of carp slowly cruising the upper layers, although most were close to the island cover, and there were a few proper lumps in their turnout.
By the time I’d carried my kit the few yards to the chosen swim the sun had gone in, it was all grey and misty and it had started to spit with rain. Ten minutes later the heavens opened – not exactly ideal pellet waggler weather!
The fish I’d spied moments ago had vanished from view, but when the rain eased, they were back again, and that’s how the day progressed.
They wouldn’t come to the constant feeding pattern normally so successful with this method. Instead they hugged the far bank, and every now and again I’d see a flash as a carp swirled at a falling pellet.
Pinpoint casting accuracy was essential, and the really tippy action of this Guru rod proved ideal for whipping out a smaller lighter float. Every now and again I’d get it spot-on, the float would land silently and the plop of the pellet hookbait right on the carp’s nose would be too much to resist. Basically, this was dobbing with a waggler.
‘just right’ in so many ways
I’ve handled enough rods of this ilk to know that the Guru offering has plenty of oomph in reserve, should I have needed to cast a heavier float further than I did. In practice, of course, pellet waggler rods need only cast as far as a catty can fire an 8mm or 11m pellet.
A fallen tree in my swim at the by now even wetter Whetstone Gorse gave me the chance to test the rod’s stopping power to the max, which happened every time I hooked a fish, and I landed them all bar one – enough to convince me that the 11ft Guru Pellet Waggler is very much a Goldilocks rod… ‘just right’ in so many ways.
Price: £104.99 (but shop around to get it even cheaper)
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
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
Fishing Rod Review: Tri-Cast Excellence 8ft Power Wand
Tri-Cast’s rod-building reputation is built upon two core values – power and strength.
So when the Lancashire company’s new 8ft Excellence Wand dropped on to the Angling Times tackle desk, more than a few eyebrows were raised.
The word ‘wand’ conjures up images of flicking a little maggot feeder down the edge of a river to catch a quality roach or a big perch – not, as Tri-Cast bills its new arrival, a rod for banging out hefty carp and F1s from a modern UK commercial fishery.
Could the Excellence lay claim to both finesse and power without compromising both? I’m happy to report that a thorough going over at the remarkable Decoy Lakes fishery, near Peterborough, confirmed that appearances can be highly deceptive.
Before getting on to the fishing, though, let’s look at the history of the Excellence Wand and how it came to be. The initial idea was for Tri-Cast to work with multiple Matchman of the Year Andy Bennett to create a short, light bomb rod for winter fishing when the fish don’t pull that hard. It ticked all the boxes, and at that point both parties thought beyond the January and February chill.
Could the Excellence deal with high summer, when fish go like the clappers?
There’s a gap in the market for a short tip rod that can let you chuck a bomb on top of your long pole line or down the margins when the wind makes fishing the pole impossible... and that’s what got Tri-Cast and Andy interested.
A few tests in search of big summer carp soon proved that the rod could indeed take a hammering and give as good as it gets. At this point the Excellence began to be marketed as the perfect short rod for all seasons.
So, on to Decoy and the Horseshoe Lake’s big carp and F1s. With unseasonal gales to contend with, this looked set to be the ultimate test! Clearly the rod is extremely light in the hand, as a wand should be. The two pieces weigh just 108g and are rated to a 5lb line and a 30g casting weight. You’re not going to throw miles with the Excellence, but that’s not what it was built to do.
Supplied as standard are three carbon push-in quivertips in matt black, as opposed to having a coloured end. I prefer the latter, but thinking about it, a carp bite is savage so you’re not going to be striking at little knocks.
Plopping a 15g Method feeder tight up to the far-bank reeds was easy enough, and despite a stormy cross wind the Excellence had sufficient backbone in the cast to direct the feeder just where I wanted it to go.
Too soft a casting action and you’d not be in control, but that’s not going to happen with this rod. In fact, I’d say a good cast could be achieved if you were to fish a 30g feeder and put plenty of welly into getting it on to the spot.
A bite wasn’t long in coming, and immediately the rod hooped round almost all the way to the handle. That did set an alarm bell ringing. It’s a lovely action to behold, but how the hell would I guide a fish away from all those lily pads dotted around the lake?
The moment of truth came 30 seconds later, when the carp decided enough was enough and ploughed off to inspect the pads. Winding down, I pulled and pulled hard, and the fish stopped stone dead.
It might not look it at first glance, but there’s an acre of power in the bottom half of the rod, and that was even more evident at netting time. The 6lb mirror was bundled in with the minimum of effort.
Several more chunky F1s followed before it was time for a look in the edge.
A bait tub of micro pellets had been chucked in, and the boils and waving tails weren’t far behind. First drop in and the rod ripped round to the bite of a 3lb barbel before the first of a trio of big carp followed suit.
At such short range, a savage bite can bust you if the rod is too stiff, but owing to the beautifully soft action of the Excellence, there’s never any danger.
That, to my mind, makes it the ideal rod for edge fishing or chucking on your pole line – exactly what Tri-Cast built the Excellence for!
Our verdict: I’d happily use this rod on the river in winter with light hooklinks, such is its finesse, but the Excellence is built for carp and it puts a lot of its rivals to shame. There’s silk and steel in equal measure right throughout the 8ft of carbon, and if you invest in one, I’d say sit back and enjoy your fishing with this rod because it really is head and shoulders above anything else out there.
Price: £179.99
Preston Innovations 11ft Monster Pellet Waggler Review
BUY NOW for £94.99 at Chapmans Angling
Preston Innovations has recently introduced four rods aimed at anglers who fish commercials. The Monster range includes two Carp Feeders, a Method Feeder and a Pellet Waggler model.
All are packed with key features such as unique low-profile reel seats that bring the reel closer to the hand, making the rods easier to fish with. To these you can add EVA butt and thumb grips for added casting support, and low-profile lined guides that greatly reduce tangles and the likelihood of snap-offs on the cast.
Two equal-length high modulus carbon sections make the rods a doddle to carry to your peg ready made-up. All this adds up to innovative, well-built rods with plenty of key features, utilising the latest technology. Despite this they are priced sensibly enough not to cause the missus to throw a hissy fit when the Barclaycard bill hits the hall carpet.
Not that these rods are merely cosmetically pleasing – Preston has refined their performance, which results in a slightly beefier backbone than before. You get more casting clout and extra pulling power through mid-sections to show the biggest of fish who’s boss.
So, with the summer sun in full water- warming mode, and carp cruising about all over the surface everywhere I’ve visited, it was high time I took a much closer look at the new Monster Pellet Waggler.
This 11ft rod, the name of which says it all, has had plenty of input from world-renowned anglers Tommy Pickering and Des Shipp. Together they probably know more about how a fishing rod needs to perform than the rest of us put together.
My live test venue was Steve Gregory’s Horseshoe Lake, on the day-ticket Rushfield complex near Lincoln. Its heavyweight carp are suckers for their pellets, and always willing to feed close to the surface – ideal candidates for pellet waggler tactics.
My set-up was simple enough – nothing more complex than a 6lb reel line matched to a 6g pellet waggler float, 0.17mm hooklength and size 16 hook with a 6mm banded pellet.
The rod will cast floats up to around 15g, but there’s not quite enough whip in the tip for it to cope with anything much less than about 4g.
Firing in little more than half a dozen 6mm pellets every 20 seconds or so, it wasn’t long before dark shapes hove into view as soon as the feed hit the water. However, as often happens on a well-fished venue, as soon as the float splashed down, the fish disappeared.
The trick is to feed twice, immediately before and after casting. But you will also need to feather the line, so that the float lands with a gentle kiss rather than a sloppy smacker on the water’s surface. Get it right and bites will be savage. But you need to get your hooked carp out of the feeding zone as quickly and quietly as possible.
To do this you need the reel’s clutch set quite tight, but not locked up. Then, with the rod tip kept as low as possible to the water, lean into the fish. Without changing the rod’s position, pull and wind at the same time until your quarry is within netting range.
Once you’ve done this a couple of times, playing even the largest carp becomes pretty straightforward, provided you have full confidence in your kit. And this is where a rod with the performance of the Monster Pellet Waggler really earns its corn. Its progressive action will cope with all the lunges and head-shakes of a big carp with enough muscle through the middle to lower section areas to keep you in charge at all times.
Even when the blank is under full parabolic compression its non-locking action provides enough of a safety buffer for you to dish it out without hook-pulls or snapped lines.
The blank was able to deal equally well with other species. Plenty of smaller F1s and ide joined the party, and although they don’t have the fighting qualities of big carp they are still welcome weight-builders in a match. With some other pellet waggler models these smaller fish tend to come off at the net when the rod is held in a vertical position. But I can happily report that such irksome events don’t occur with the Preston rod.
Mark's verdict:
Preston Innovations’ new 11ft Monster Pellet Waggler rod is the ‘one size fits all’ answer to all commercial pellet waggler scenarios.
This to be fair, covers everything except perhaps long-distance work with heavy floats on open water venues such as Boddington Reservoir.
The progressive action is about as good as it gets in its price bracket, and it seems to have the happy knack of kicking in at just the right moment, giving the extra oomph needed to play big fish. Despite this steely side, the blank is light enough to be held for long spells without discomfort, an immense help when you are catapulting out feed little and often.
BUY NOW for £94.99 from Chapmans Angling
Korum 13ft carp float rod
Tech spec
- Weight: 325g
- Line Rating: 8lb - 15lb
- Eight ceramic line guides
- Full cork handles
- Heavy parabolic action
- Matt black finish
Now here’s something a little bit different from Korum, a new range of Carp Float rods in 12ft and 13ft lengths.
With 1.5lb and 1.75lb test curves, what’s so unusual about that, you may ask? Well, they are intended to put the fun and pleasure back into carp fishing, by enabling anglers to use stealthy float tactics rather than today’s more usual straight lead or Method feeder approaches.
The K-Flex carbon blanks have a powerful parabolic action that kicks in steadily as pressure is applied, and both rods will handle big carp with aplomb. Other key features include matt black livery, full cork handles, and rugged nylon reel seats with black metal hoods. You also get eight light, double-legged ceramic-lined guides.
The downside is that such a powerful progressive action reduces casting capabilities a tad, so if you’re harbouring notions of using one to plonk a 4AA waggler 30 yards out, forget it. They will indeed reach such distances, and more besides, but only when partnered with heavier floats from 20g upwards.
That’s not a negative in my book, as I reckon their longer lengths and superb action make these ideal stalking rods – the extra reach can be used to delicately present a baited hook close to marginal reeds or snags.
I can already hear mutterings that most stalking rods are short 7ft to 9ft affairs for dropping leads and PVA bags into holes in weed. But find a reed-fringed lake, get your chest waders on and put a few free offerings into likely looking spots. Chances are you’ll find a few fish feeding, and now you can silently drop a bait right on top of their noses, with instant and explosive results.
The reed-fringed waters of Willowbrook Lake in Northants play host to plenty of decent-sized fish that like to roam around the margins looking for spilled feed. So on a quiet Monday morning, armed with little more than a landing net and a boxful of corn, I wandered around the fishery with the 13ft Korum Carp Float rod.
Twitching lily stems revealed something moving down below, so I scattered a few grains of corn over the area and lowered in a small straight waggler shotted with three No8s spread down the line. Instantly my double corn hookbait was snaffled, and in a torrent of spray and boils the fish bolted off, leaving a wake worthy of any torpedo.
This is the moment when any carp rod worth its salt steps up to the mark. Tightening down on the reel’s clutch and holding the rod on the horizontal plane, I applied side strain that slowly but surely brought the fish to a halt.
The rod’s heavy parabolic action had more than done its job in tiring the carp, yet at the net it had enough flexibility in the tip to absorb my quarry’s last-minute lunges without risk of a hook-pull or a parting of the line.
Price | 13ft £44.99 | 12ft £42.99 |
Angling Times verdict
What a great rod from Korum this is! It’s loads of fun to use, with exactly the right blend of fish-playing power and finesse, and perfect for margin fishing when really big fish are on the cards. Its two-piece build means it can be easily carried to the bank ready made up, and is therefore ideal for a short evening stalking session with a float in the margins.
Mark Sawyer
Greys Prodigy Apex carp rod
TECH SPEC
Toreon Nano Composite construction
2K-1K high modulus woven carbonfibre blank
Crisp progressive action
Carbon Armour blank finish
Fuji DPS-18 reel seat
Full Japanese shrink wrap handle
The Prodigy Apex is the latest addition to Greys’ best-selling Prodigy range of rods, which over the years have gained a well-earned reputation for incredible performance at an affordable price.
The Apex rods start at £169.99 RRP for the 10ft 3lb model, going up to £200 for the 12ft and 13ft 3.5lb rods. These prices put the rods into the mid-range bracket where you expect that little bit extra for your money as opposed to entry-level rods in the £50-£100 price range.
Greys had sent the 12ft 3.25lb model for us to take out and nowadays this test curve would be classed as a good all-rounder. If you’re only planning on investing in one set of carp rods these will cover most jobs. Although they may be a little overgunned for fishing close in, they’ll still do the job, but they can easily chuck a large lead or PVA bag a decent distance that a rod with a lighter test curve would struggle to match.
We made the short journey to Northamptonshire’s Willowbrook Lake and straight away found a few carp making the most of the early spring sunshine in a shallow bay at the top of the lake. A clump of reeds knocking no more than a couple of rodlengths to the right of the swim revealed fish location after throwing in a handful of corn and broken boilies a rig was flicked towards the spot and the rod placed on the ground.
A few minutes later, the tip hooped round and I was bent into a carp. The rod’s smooth, progressive action easily cushioned the powerful lunges of the fish as it did its best to find sanctuary in the reeds. Ultimately the carp was no match for the power and control of the rod and it was soon sat in the net. The Prodigy Apex has benefitted from the use of Toreon Nano composite material technology. This not only makes the blank incredibly slim and lightweight but also gives it increased strength and finesse. The rod action has been specifically designed to get the best out of modern, powerful, overhead casting styles and the Toreon technology promotes a super-fast tip recovery speed. This gives the rod a crisp and responsive feel normally associated with ultra-high end carp rods.
The sublime woven carbon finish is 2K on the butt and 1K on the tip and features a durable Carbon Armour blank finish. Other features include a Fuji DPS-18 reel seat, stealth black anodised collars, a slim, shrink-wrapped handle and balanced stainless butt cap. If you’re looking at making the step up from entry-level blanks, then the Prodigy Apex rods are worth serious consideration.
THE VERDICT
Not only do they perform great but aesthetically they look the part too. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had a price tag of over £200, so for £179.99 they are excellent value. Having used the 3.25lb model I can confirm that it is a real jack of all trades and will handle everything from catching carp close in beneath overhanging trees, to blasting out rigs to 100 metres.
PAY AROUND
£159.99
James Furness
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
Avid Curvex range
PAY AROUND
10ft, 3lb test curve £139.99
All others in the range £149.99
Big-carp brand Avid continues to come up with very innovative products, and these four new Curvex rods are bang on the mark, offering the modern carp angler something completely different from the norm.
Teaming an almost ‘old school’ through action with modern materials, these rods – coming in three lengths and four test curves – offer an intense fish-playing experience that allows the angler to feel every shake of the head.
The non-locking action doesn’t sit that well with casting to the horizon – but when you hook a big fish you can battle it with total confidence.
Even so, these two-piece rods have more than enough grunt for all but the largest of open waters.
It’s simply a matter of matching their 10ft, 12ft and 13ft lengths and 2.75lb, 3lb 3.25lb and 3.5lb test curves to your needs.
You can use them with smaller hooks, lighter hooklengths and thinner diameter reel lines without having to worry about hook pulls or painful partings of the way when your quarry makes a last-minute bolt for freedom.
There’s no doubt that finesse pays when the water cools and clears, and for that reason alone the Avid Curvex will appeal to anyone waking up to frost on their bivvy and grass crunching underfoot.
The ‘bend, and then bend some more’ action will also prove useful when big fish need to be played through weedbeds, or reeled in with washing lines of loose weed in tow.
Despite its best efforts you’ll be able to keep a big fish moving in the right direction without fear of breakage.
Other key features include original Fuji reel seats with Japanese shrink-wrapped handles, lightweight SiC guides throughout, anti-frap tip guides to prevent crack-offs, and 50mm enlarged butt guides on the 12ft and 13ft models.
All in all, these rods have the X Factor! It’s ‘four yesses’ from us!
Nash KNX Carp Rod 3.5lb Test Curve
TECH SPEC
Test curves: Available in 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.5lb test curves. A 4.5lb Spod/Marker dual concept rod is also available
Handles: Full EVA Duplon handles on KNX carp rods, abbreviated shrink grips on KNX Spod/Marker rod
Guides: Exclusive Flexor guides for reduced blank distortion and greater power transmission, 50mm butt rings on 3lb, 3.5lb and 4.5lb Spod/Marker models
PAY AROUND
12ft 2.75lb £76.99
12ft 3lb £87.99
12ft 3.5lb £98.99
Spod and Marker 12ft 4.5lb £87.99
When carp rods look this good you’d expect two things of them – great performance and a hefty price tag. In the case of the KNX models, Nash has well and truly delivered one of these.
First let’s deal with the all-important looks. The completely non-reflective matt black blanks with matching gloss black decals may at first glance seem a tad dull, but they certainly give the rod an expensive classy look, guaranteed to draw admiring glances wherever you set them up.
When it comes to tasteful fittings and fancy furnishings, these KNX’s are of designer boutique standard. Their modern EVA and Duplon handles offer an easy, comfortable grip for casting and playing fish, and are finished with a laser-etched butt cap, complete with isotope slot.
A sultry black soft-touch rubber reel seat raises comfort to a whole new level – thanks to its clever skeletal design your thumb and forefinger can come into contact with the blank, giving improved ‘feel’ transmission from fish on the end.
Moving up the blank, you’ll find a line clip, then a 50mm butt guide on the 3lb and 3.5lb rods, followed by five more ideally-placed Flexor guides that reduce stress distortion during casting and give a seamless performance when playing a fish. Spigot alignment markings ensure the rod is always set up with the guides lined up straight. So this rod really does seems to be a class act, but what about its performance and price?
Price-wise it’s got to be a steal at £98.99 for the 3.5lb version on live test duty, £87.99 for the 3lb rod, and just £76.99 for the 2.75lb baby of the bunch.
With limited time available, the live test was geared towards what the 12ft, 3.5lb test curve blank is capable of.
I can happily report that it was more than capable of casting 3oz leads teamed with solid PVA bags and mesh sticks. Admittedly it isn’t an out-and-out casting tool, so if you’re thinking ‘unbridled power’ you may be slightly disappointed. The carbon composite blank doesn’t generate uite enough energy from its butt section, and loads the casting weight a little bit further down the tip than a horizon-buster of a rod.
That said, and for the money, Nash KNX rods are perfect for small to medium-sized carp waters where casts of up to 75 yards using solid PVA bag and mesh sticks are needed.
The progressive action makes it far less prone to hook-pulls than the ‘broom handle’ 3.5lb rods of yesteryear, which had no fish-playing action and scant feel. The KNX will handle fish from low doubles upwards, and make it a joy to catch them.
Completing the KNX collection is a Spod/Marker rod with a powerful 4.5lb test curve – so you can have a matching set if you feel like pushing the boat out.
VERDICT
Nash KNX carp rods offer the highest spec available in their modest price bracket. With on-trend looks and custom-built qualities, these multi-talented tools are ideal for venues – and carp – of all sizes.
If you’re just getting serious about your carping, and are looking for a set of good rods that won’t break the bank, I would take a long serious look at these.
Avid Traction carp rods
PAY AROUND
£79.99
Since their introduction a little over nine months ago, Avid’s Traction Carp rods have become the benchmark by which all sub-£100 models are judged.
Built from Reactive carbon fibre wrapped in a matt-finished 3K weave, each 12ft blank offers a unique take on the traditional parabolic action beloved of carpers. A slow build-up of power cushions the runs and lunges of hard-fighting fish, offering greater control when it really matters.
It’s just the sort of action needed for a modern day big-carp rod that multi-tasks.
The original Traction models carried test curves of 3lb, 3.25lb and 3.5lb, covering everything from solid PVA bag and stick work to middle to long-range Method feeder and straight lead work.
I more than proved the point when live testing a pair of the 3lb models last November at a cold and rather uninviting-looking Boddington Reservoir where a whack of 90-plus yards with a 3oz pellet-laden Method feeder was needed to reach its denizens.
You might think that most of the general heavy-duty casting work would be taken care of by the 3lb, 3.25lb and 3.5lb models. Avid’s development team could indeed have been forgiven for lying back on their super-comfy Benchmark bedchairs and feeling a bit smug.
But not a bit of it – enter the new 2.25lb and 2.75lb test curve blanks. Both rods boast the same Reactive carbon and 3K weave as the originals, but they have a slightly softer parabolic action suiting them to smaller waters, more modest casting distances and surface and zig rig tactics.
To test these attributes, what was needed was a medium-sized lake with a healthy stock of big, snippy fish that could be tempted on a wide range of tactics.
Northamptonshire’s day-ticket Willowbrook Lake, jam-packed with handsome fish to almost 30lb, fits the bill. It’s a superb daylight venue, especially if you’re after wetting the unhooking mat without waiting all day for a run.
First up was the new Traction 2.75lb rod, rigged with a 1.5oz inline Avid lead and solid PVA bag full of micro pellets.
The blank took little persuasion to launch its payload to the centre of the lake, close to a man-made floating island. It could easily have been burdened with a heavier lead and tasked with a far longer cast.
The slightly softer 2.25lb model was kitted out with a zig rig and 2oz lead, cast close to one of the numerous lily beds. It handled the weight easily enough, but it’s definitely not a rod with lots of clout. For all zig, surface and margin work, though, it’s ideal.
I didn’t have to wait long for the alarm to sound, as what felt like a decent fish ploughed straight through two weedbeds before I even had a chance to pick up the rod and tighten down the clutch.
Summer carp in shallow water can be tricky enough to cope with on their own, without having half a hundredweight of weed festooned along the line like so much washing. With the 2.75lb blank, it seemed all would be lost.
But deep in the belly of the blank was a core of steely strength with enough pulling power to drag the beast from its lair. The fish, having gone underneath the weed and out the other side, was still snarky about being hooked, but eventually both carp and weed came safely over the net cord.
What more can you say, other than that these rods are fabulous? I also managed two on zig rigs on the lighter model, and would happily add both to my holdall.
VERDICT
Two more sure-fire winners from the Avid stable. The addition of lighter 2.25lb and 2.75lb test curve rods further enhances the comprehensive Traction Carp range. Ideal for smaller waters, but still more than capable of handling very big fish, the heavier rod is perfect for small bags, Method feeders and zigs.
Its lighter compatriot would make an awesome shallow water zig, surface and margin tool.
Daiwa Mission DF Carp rods
PAY AROUND
£125.00
The new Mission DF (Danny Fairbrass signature) models perform well above their price tag. With fittings and furnishings implemented to Danny’s specifications, they feature slime shrink tube handles, 50mm butt guides and a low-glare finish, and are available in 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.5lb test curves.
E-S-P Terry Hearn Distance rod
PAY AROUND
£249.99
As the water starts to lose its colour, carp seek the solace of deeper water or hidden features.
This is when you need a rod that will hit the horizon, and E-S-P’s latest Terry Hearn Distance rod does just that.
The 3.5lb test curve, two-piece 12ft 6ins carbon blank boasts top-end single legged SiC guides throughout – including a 50mm butt guide – a full-length slim EVA handle and a Fuji DPS reel seat with flared collar. In the right hands it will cast accurately over 100 metres
TF Gear Banshee carp rod
PAY AROUND
£59.99
TF Gear’s latest 10ft Banshee carp rod is said to be able to catch carp from just about any type of venue.
In test curves of 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.5lb, the blanks are built from quality carbon fibre and furnished with premium grade silicone-lined guides and screw-down custom DPS 18 reel fittings.
The fish-playing action is progressive, and these rods look as if they are built to take a lot of stick.
Free Spirit Surface Creeper 'E' 11ft rod
TECH SPEC
- Perdurable blank finish
- 40T carbon weave
- Free Spirit machine-cut aluminium reel seat ion-plated with a blue-grey finish and with a milled isotope slot available as a build option - please enquire
- S-Lite 3-leg rings
- Fuji DPS reel fitting
- Full EVA handle
- Ring sizes (mm): 30 to 8
- Custom build options
- S-Lite tip ring designed to minimise the chance of tangles (and crack-offs) on the cast.
- The Fuji DPS 18 reel seat is light, ergonomic and totally secure – reel seats don’t get much better than this.
- The test rod came with a full EVA handle, but there are cork and shrink tube options available as well.
PAY AROUND
£109.99
Disappointing summer fishing weather is as British an institution as mother-in-law jokes – and has about as much grounding in fact.
More typically, the sun will put his hat on – and that’s when big carp show an interest in floating baits.
Surface fishing can be thrilling yet frustrating as every single bait (except the one with your hook in it) slips silently under the surface, seemingly drawn inexorably downwards by an unseen magnet.
Tricky and nerve-tingling, fishing with floating baits is stalking at its most primeval level – man pitting his wits against crafty fish that have seen it all before. It can drive you half mad. “Why won’t they take my bait?” you ask a passing moorhen as you strike far too late at yet another half-chance.
But when it all goes right, as it did when I live-tested the two-piece 11ft Free Spirit Surface Creeper ‘E’ on Mitre Pool at Bishops Bowl fishery in Warwickshire, all the earlier frustrations are quickly forgotten.
This specialist floater tool has a soft, sensitive tip suited to small controllers and light nylon hooklengths. It is also more than handy for margin stalking and freelining.
The classy chequered 40 tonne Perdurable (non-scratch) all-carbon blank is typical of the aspirational Free Spirit brand. With understated white graphics on the butt section, a Fuji DPS 18 reel seat and braid-friendly S-Lite guides throughout (starting with a 30mm butt guide), the rod on test had a full EVA handle, although full cork or full shrink tube options are available for a small additional charge.
In action, the Surface Creeper ‘E’ takes the biscuit – as indeed do the carp it snares. No, it doesn’t have the casting clout to belt out a weighty controller 100 yards, but it wasn’t built to do so. However, it will cast smaller floats up to 20g well over 50 yards with ease, making it an ideal choice for medium-sized lakes and pits. Its tippy action will flick out a freelined mixer a fair old way, as long as you’re using light reel line.
The live test went well, and the rod’s L plates were off in no time at all.
Feeding some freebies, then hiding away behind some reeds, gave the carp confidence, and soon one made the error of slurping down a mixer with a hook attached. Quick as you like the Surface Creeper took on its full fighting curve, best described as all-through but with steel running through the mid-section. This gives the soft-tipped blank enough poke to deal with hefty lumps without it feeling overgunned.
Soon a scale-perfectmid-double mirror was laid on the unhooking mat… don’t you just love it when a plan comes together!
VERDICT
What a month for live testing fishing rods it’s been! First came Browning’s awesome new 12ft Sphere Feeder, the ultimate bream rod. Then it was the 11ft Free Spirit, perfect for surface fishing with its soft, forgiving tip that allows it to be used for freelining mixers or controller work. It’s ideal for all but the very largest open-water venues.
Mark Sawyer
Shimano Tribal Velocity rod
PAY AROUND
Full range from £139.99 to £159.99, currently retailing from £64.99 to £79.99
Shimano’s latest offer is one to turn your head. These 12ft, 2.75lb test curve Tribal Velocity rods, which used to retail at up to £149.99, are now just £69.99, or £199.99 for a set of three.
For that you get ultra-slim blanks and Japanese shrink-wrap handles, double-leg guides and anti-wrap tip guides. There’s also a built-in line clip and a ‘rod pod stopper’ to secure the rods on your rests.
A compact Shimano reel seat completes the package.