Daiwa Whisker DF Carp Rods
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£175-£185
These latest Daiwa Whisker DF (Danny Fairbrass) signature carp rods enjoy the same extensive development and design criteria used in the construction of the higher-priced Daiwa Infinity and Longbow DF models.
But far from being the poor relations, the silk matte-finished blanks appear to be custom-built.
Specifications in common with the rest of the DF family include 50mm butt guides and spacings, dependable DPS reel seats and super-slim shrink tube flared handles.
These rods are as handsome as anything you’ll find on the bank, and their performance is what you’d expect after extensive field-testing by some of the country’s best known carpers.
The fact that these rods are manufactured by Daiwa here in the UK (albeit it Scotland) has also had quite a substantial bearing on their development. Making on-going adjustments to their casting potential, fish-playing action and furnishings benefits from a hands-on approach that wouldn’t be possible with rods made in the Far East.
I am not knocking rods made abroad – many of the best blanks on the market have sailed here in container ships – but there can be no denying that making tweaks to blanks and their fitments is very difficult when you have to go back and forth across the world.
So what do the McWhiskers hold in store for the potential customer?
To find that out it’s best to go out and catch as many fish on as many different methods as possible, and where better that Northamptonshire’s day-ticket Boddington Reservoir? Although very much a match venue, it now holds more than its fair share of twenties and is well on the way to becoming a top runs water.
My chosen weapons for the test were three 12ft, 3lb test curve models – the most popular choice, as it permits a diversity of methods and tactics. All three rods were matched-up with Daiwa’s latest Crosscast BR 5000LD reels loaded with 12lb mono, and whie I don’t tend to choose freespools for my own fishing, I must stress how impressive these reels are. They purr like a panther when a fish strips line from them – but more of that later.
What these 3lb Whisker DF rods offer the angler with a very big tick is casting potential. Their fast-taper action loads casting weight high up the top section, giving them plenty of tip speed. Add in a marked lack of post-cast recoil and have a blank that needs to be fully compressed if you’re to get the best from it.
Distance-casting is still largely in the hands of the angler. Any stiff rod will help you add on a few yards, but your casting action needs to be sound, practised and, above all, confident. The fish-playing action I would describe as ‘aggressively progressive’ and well suited to upper doubles rather than scamps. That isn’t a criticism, as these rods are aimed at the already skilled carper rather than the novice.
They are ideal for bag and stick work, but big Method feeders can be propelled ridiculous distances with them too. They would be equally at home on the banks of big French carp waters as they were in the concrete and rock-strewn surroundings of Boddington Reservoir.
30Plus Kodex Carp CX Rods
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£99.99
Recently released, these Kodex Carp CX rods from 30Plus are built using pencil-thin high modulus carbon blanks and are finished with the type of fittings that you would normally expect to find only on rods well over the £100 mark.
These include 50mm butt guides, shrink butt grips, F-Grip reel seats and an anti-frap tip guide to help prevent snap-offs when going long on the cast.
The cosmetics are subtle and understated, giving the look of a custom build, and you certainly won’t have much to grumble about if you’re sat behind three of these beauties.
It would have been nice if 30Plus had included line-clips on the rods, but if you do like using these you can simply attach one of the numerous universal versions available.
So how did they perform? The 2.75lb test curve model will comfortably cast leads of 2.5oz-3oz over 70 yards. But if you are expecting to be fishing at longer range using heavier leads or PVA bags, then the 3lb test curve model would suit you better.
A 3.5lb Spod model is also available. For more information visit www.specimen30plus.com
Drennan Acolyte 11ft Carp Waggler Rod
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£149.99
Drennan International first applied the Acolyte name just over a year ago to its 13ft and 14ft Acolyte Ultra match rods. So popular were these that it was inevitable more in the same vein would follow, and sure enough, the Oxford-based company has just extended the range with 11ft and 12ft Acolyte Carp Waggler rods.
These are built with the same high modulus carbon fibre cloth which gives them an exquisite lightness and balance. You get blink-of-an-eye tip speed and a progressive fish-playing action that never locks up. The rods bend, then bend a bit more, and continue in that vein no matter how much pressure you apply, or what angle you care to apply it from.
These super slim two-piece blanks weigh in at just 128g (11ft) and 135g (12ft). Both rods feature crisply sharp line pick-up and cast a reasonable distance – although I certainly wouldn’t class either of them as out-and-out pellet waggler chuckers. Rather than being one-trip ponies they are quite versatile, with super-flexible top sections suited to propelling smaller wagglers to their mark.
Fans of big waggler tactics should note that Drennan claims the 12ft Acolyte Carp waggler is capable of handling 20g loaded floats with reel lines of up to 7lb, which puts it right up there in the power pellet waggler bracket. But not having had the chance to use the rod I can’t confirm this.
I did take the 11ft version to the carp-crammed Lakeside fishery near Towcester for a workout, however, and boy, is this a good rod! It’s the epitome of what a commercial carp waggler rod should be all about. It casts wagglers from around 2AAA up to 10g-plus with unerring accuracy, and its jaw-dropping parabolic action allows you to play the fishas hard as you want, without ever feeling you might pull the hook or break the line. It absorbs every lunge of a hooked fish quite effortlessly, right up to the point where it’s ready to net.
During the live test my confidence in the rod grew to the extent that I even started locking up the reel and allowing the blank to take all the strain. To my amazement, most of the carp just popped up to the surface and waved a fin in surrender, much the same as bream and skimmers do.
Its ridiculous lightness – the rod tips the scales at just 4.5oz – makes constant casting and feeding with a catapult a painless operation. If I were to be realty pedantic I would shave a couple of inches off the handle to make the rod more manoeuvrable in tight corners, but other than that the Drennan Acolyte 11ft Carp Waggler is without fault.
TF Gear Delta NT Rods
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£109.99 a pair
The attractive ‘buy one, get one free’ offer on these excellent carp rods means you can pick them up from a squeak over £50 apiece.
But, far from being entry-level fodder that’ll merely do the job until you can afford something better, I reckon even experienced anglers will be happy to fish with these professional, high modulus carbon blanks.
The slimline, fast-taper, 12ft, two-piece rods have a lovely, crisp feel about them and cast well to around 70 yards with reel lines of between 10lb and 15lb.
There are six versions to choose from. Opt for 2.75lb, 3lb, 3.25lb or 3.5lb (50mm butt ring) test curve variants. There are dedicated Spod and a purpose-built Marker model to complete the set.
Prices range from £109.99 to £129.99 for two rods, depending on test curve.
The lighter 2.75lb and 3lb options are tailor-made for typical, compact carp venues where you need to cast leads up to 3oz with small PVA bags or stringers.
Distance demons or anglers launching heavier PVA loads should go for the stronger 3.25lb or 3.5lb options.
The minimal cosmetic satin grey blanks are dressed with sturdy silicone guides and secure DPS screw-lock reel fitting. At just 15mm, the end of the shrink-wrap butt section is ultra-slim.
Strangely, this slim diameter proved my only gripe with the rod. It’s so thin that it sometimes seems hard to grip securely when you’re going for the big cast.
I chose to fish the 2.75lb test curve model (£109.99 for two) and teamed my two test rods with TF Gear’s 10 ball bearing Speedrunner 8000 (RRP £49.99) Freespool reels loaded with 12lb mono.
The rod has a lovely progressive action that’s perfect for the kind of mid double/low 20lb fish that many runs waters and small pits are full of these days though, in open water swims, it will happily land far bigger specimens on any venue.
I fished a 2.5oz Method feeder at a comfortable 60 yards but could have gone further if I’d pushed it. The rod coped beautifully with carp to low doubles, but had plenty of power in reserve for bigger fish.
Shimano Alivio DX Carp Rods
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£49.99
There's a saying that you only ever get what you pay for, and 99 per cent of the time this is true, especially when we’re talking fishing equipment.
But every now and again something crops up that goes against that old adage by offering true value for money, matched by a performance to write home about.
The focus of my enthusiasm this week is Shimano’s excellent and affordable Alivio DX carp rods which, at a penny under £50, are an unashamed steal.
You would imagine for that small amount of cash you’d be getting a budget composite material with a casting and fish-playing action more wobbly than jelly on a plate – but not a bit of it.
What you actually get for your bullseye is a very hard-wearing Shimano XT30 Geo Fibre carbon rod, tastefully dressed with high-gloss black whippings over the demure non-flash gunmetal grey blank. Double-legged Shimano Hardlite lined guides are fitted throughout, starting with a 40mm butt ring, and the Alivio DX has the dependable Shimano DPS screw-down reel seat that will take just about any size of Baitrunner or big pit reel.
Add to that subtle but stylish white graphics and you are looking at a rod that wouldn’t look out of place at carp venues of the utmost cultishness!
The 12ft, 2.75lb test curve model on live test duty will not be to everyone’s liking, as 3lb-plus tc carp rods are still very much in vogue this season. It should be noted, though, that the full Alivio range includes 12ft models with 3lb and 3.5lb test curves, as well as a 5.5lb tc Spod rod. These – shock horror! – will set you back all of another tenner.
The Alivio DX is pitched by Shimano as a short to medium-range rod, and that’s a reasonable enough description of the 2.75lb tc rod. It will handle close-range and margin work, and during the live test it comfortably chucked leads of up to 3oz 50-60 yards. But go beyond that, or use heavier leads, and you are going to struggle – this blank is a bit soft for chucking to the horizon.
But what you lose in casting clout is more than made up for by this rod’s softly cushioned progressive fish-playing action.
Under pressure it simply bends, so that anything weighing much more than 5lb will put a decent curve in the rod. It really should have ‘fun to use’ stamped on it somewhere, so enjoyable is catching fish on it. And at small runs waters such as the brilliant Fields End Fishery near March, in Cambs, where the live was conducted it was fully at home.
Use it with Method feeders, PVA sticks, solid and mesh bags, or straight leads and even floater tactics at a push. As long as you don’t overload this bargain rod it will be just fine.
30Plus Kodex Specimen SF Rod
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RRP £75, shop-around price £49.99
This all-round Kodex Specimen SF rod from the 30Plus stable is one of six recent launches. The full series comprises a Twin-Tip DF Barbel rod complete with three tip options, an awesomely powerful two-piece 9ft, 2.75 lb test curve SF Stalky rated to 18lb line, two Kodex Carp CX rods with test curves of 2.75lb and 3lb, and a matching 3.5lb Spod rod.
All three Kodex rods feature top-end furnishings such as 50mm butt guides and Anti-Frap tip rings, and with price tags way under £100 they are sure to appeal to the novice carp angler.
But for the moment the live test will be focusing on just the new Kodex Specimen SF.
This 11ft 8ins two-piece graphite blank is pleasingly finished in an understated matt black with matching black satin double (butt only) and single-leg SiC lined guides, nicely complemented by high-gloss black whippings.
Adding to its good looks and practicality, the rod has a slim 65cm all-cork handle fitted with a screw-down style Gunsmoke reel seat, and a hook-retaining keeper ring. Tiny demure graphics and a metal 30Plus motif butt cap give the Kodex Specimen SF the look of a hand-built customised rod.
So far so good, but how does the blank perform? Does it live up to the maker’s claim of being an all-round specimen rod? With a test curve of between 1.75lb and 2.25lb things get slightly confusing, especially when the rod carries a line rating of 15lb. I’d say a line that heavy would be pushing things a bit far.
That said, there’s no denying that 30Plus has got this Kodex blank’s progressive through action spot-on. It manages to combine finesse with just enough backbone to be used with swimfeeders and straight leads of up to a couple of ounces, big floats and surface controllers. That, I suppose, does justify its all-rounder tag.
As it’s high summer, and all the big carp are basking lazily on the water’s surface, it seemed that a couple of hours’ floater fishing with the Kodex SF was called for. The fish-packed day-ticket Kingsland Reservoir, just outside Peterborough, always deals a nap hand of surface fish so, armed with little more than a bucket of mixers and a few controller floats, off I went.
First up – casting – and a variety of surface floats weighing up to 15g were ridiculously easy for the rod, which could have easily thrown double that weight. It also performed well enough when freelining with just the bait, line and hook.
Without doubt, though, this rod’s crowning glory is its fish-playing action. It has a flawless fighting curve, with plenty of feel and just the right amount of backbone. Best of all, it helped to make an afternoon’s surface fishing a hugely enjoyable experience.
JRC Contact Rods
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£34.99
If you’re looking for a set of rods for under £100, then these JRC Contacts offer incredible value for money.
With decent rings, a compact reel seat and silky finish, they look like rods more than twice their price.
JRC has been on the carping scene for years and knows how to eke out the most performance from a budget product, and these rods are no exception.
We tested the 2.75lb test curve version and found it great for playing fish, with enough backbone to cast adequate distances. If PVA bags and longer chucks are your thing, then the beefier 3lb version is probably a wiser choice.
All in all, you would really struggle to find anything better for this money and they would be an ideal first set of carp rods.
Shakespeare Agility 12ft Specimen Rod
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£49.99
Every angler who experiences big fish, whether on river, lake or commercial pool, should have a rod like this in their armoury. And with a full recommended retail price of just £49.99, most anglers should be able to afford this one.
The 12ft, two-piece, Shakespeare Agility Specimen rod has a 2lb test curve and an easy progressive action. It’s ideally suitable for use with reel lines of between 6lb and 12lb – but it’s far from a one-trick pony.
Adaptability is the name of the game with this rod that’ll happily fish standard carp bolt rigs and PVA bags or belt out big Method feeders on specimen or commercial lakes where the fish have grown big and outgun many standard rod and reel combos.
It’ll also deliver large feeders or straight leads for chub and barbel on the rivers, fish floaters on a controller for surface-cruising carp or launch specialist feeders for specimen tench and bream on gravel pits.
The Avon-style action is fabulous for playing fish, but means this is a blank that struggles to cast a maximum 3oz load beyond 60 yards.
I teamed my test rod with Shakespeare’s Agility 60FS freespool reel (RRP £59.99) loaded with 10lb mono and headed for a local lake full of carp averaging from 6lb to upper doubles and ended up fishing three different methods with the same rod.
Starting out fishing PVA bags with a 2oz lead at 45 yards, on a bite alarm I enjoyed brisk action with ridiculously hard-fighting common carp. This rod delivers power aplenty, but does it smoothly.
When sport died due to disturbance in the shallow water I swapped to a controller float and dog biscuit to add another two good fish.
Finally, an hour’s stalking in the margins with freelined lobworms earned me a long, lean old warhorse of a mirror carp.
Daiwa Black Widow Carp 2.75lb
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£64.99
Not that many years ago nearly all top-end Daiwa rods were aimed exclusively at match anglers. Thankfully, that kind of pigeonholing no longer exists, and he company has made impressive inroads into the massive carp rod market.
A prime reason for the success of the operation is that Daiwa uses its own highly skilled and mainly Japanese technicians and CAD designers to create rods, which are then assembled at the massive Scottish manufacturing plant in Wishaw. Daiwa is one of the very few tackle companies with the knowledge and resources to design and build carbon products from start to finish.
That knowledge is the partly the result of some serious input from the likes of big-carp deity Danny Fairbrass and his Korda team. The end product is unfailingly impressive, and clearly seen in the casting power, fish playing actions and furnishings that accompany the latest top-end Daiwa Basia DF (Danny Fairbrass) Carp Signature models. But what of the other Daiwa carp rods? Is there the same attention to detail?
Happily, yes. All that Japanese creativity and UK angler know-how has been put to very good use on even the most affordable models, including the entry-level Black Widow Carp on test this week.
This collection in 2.75lb, 3lb and 3.25lb test curves also includes a new 4.5lb Spod model. Between them they offer a good choice of casting distances and fish-playing actions, but all have been constructed around the same fast taper mandrel as used on many top-end Daiwa rods.
The Black Widow may not have quite the same expensive steely carbon feel, or super quick tip recovery speed as its more illustrious stable mates, but it is well capable of throwing a 2oz-3oz lead a very respectable distance. That’s especially true of the 3.25lb model.
For all-round fishing fun, though, the 2.75lb Black WIdow takes some beating. Its progressive fish-playing action kicks in to form a seamless fighting curve with lots of feel and transmission. A particularly good cushioning effect spreads evenly through the rod’s top section, helping it to eliminate hook-pulls when dealing with big fish under the tip.
Good looks abound on the slim two-piece matt black blank, furnished with six correctly spaced ultra-low-friction aluminium guides that will cope equally well with braid and mono. Other features include low profile, soft touch casting grips on the end of the abbreviated handle and below the reel seat, and a retro-style hooded graphite reel seat that fits larger reel sizes.
Nash Tackle Dwarf 10ft 3lb Rod
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£49.99
The Dwarf range of rods offers a revolutionary compact and affordable approach to carp fishing.
The clever retractable butt section reduces their overall length when packed down, making fishing on-the-go easier than ever before.
The 10ft, 3lb test curve model lends itself to a variety of venues from park lakes to the local canal or even a busy commercial.
The shorter length is not only ideal for creeping around under marginal trees and flicking rigs under snags, but it also offers incredible accuracy when casting to island margins or small gaps in the reeds.
So if you’re going away this summer and need to stash some serious carp in your luggage, check out the compact Dwarf rods.
Sonik SKS 12ft Black Carp Rods
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£69.99
It isn’t very often that you can second guess the fate of a rod even before you have had the opportunity to wet a line with it. But in the case of the latest 12ft SKS Black carp rods from Sonik the writing was on the wall from the moment I removed them from their bags.
These new rods are available in three different test curves of 2.75lb, 3lb (as tested) and 3.2.5lb and I was to test the 3lb version.
Without putting to finer point on it, as long as they didn’t burst into flames when attaching a reel, or melt upon contact with water, I knew that the live test would be a mere formality.
Why is that? Well, simply because these rods deliver perfectly the type of appearance that every modern day-ticket carper would want. They simply ooze with an array of aesthetics that marries ultra-cool respect with incomparable value for money.
The push-over jointed two piece blanks are finished with a sleek but durable matt black, with six classy double-legged black-lined SiC guides. These include a 50mm butt ring on both the 3lb and 3.5lb test-curve models, as well as an anti-frap tip guide. The rod’s super slim abbreviated handle has a black laser etched butt cap, with 14cm of Japanese shrink wrap fitted neatly above that.
Moving up the handle there a special Sonic DPS reel seat with matching black hood and collar, and just above that a line-friendly side mounted custom Sonik line clip. Yes, all in all and from any angle you care to look at it, the Sonik SKS Black is a good looking tool with a custom built designer specification but at a high street price.
Despite all this, I obviously needed to have a wave about over water with the two 3lb test curve models that Sonik had sent in for review. So on a beautifully sunny early spring afternoon I set about extracting a fish or two using an array of methods, from number one lake at Makins Fishery in Warwickshire, a very popular day-ticket carp water that contains fish in excess of 30lb.
With the fish showing themselves near the surface, a zig rig with an 8ft hooklength was the first method to be used. The SKS rod cast the 1.5oz bomb with ease, and the blank’s forgiving tip was ideal for this type of method. The other rod was set up with a 2oz lead, and small solid PVA filled with pellets. Although it handled this well enough, the softness of the progressive actioned blank revealed itself with a little post cast wobble, which will cut down its casting potential slightly. However, it would still be more than useful with a 3oz lead and single-bait set-up at up to 75 yards.
My personal recommendation would be to go for the slightly more back-boned 3.25lb model, if you want casts of 100yd or do a lot of bag, stick, or method feeder fishing.
Avid MSX 3.25lb Carp Rod
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£199.99 (but shop around)
I’ve long been a fan of Avid’s DSK distance-casting carp rods, so I jumped at the chance to live test a pair of the company’s 3.25lb test curve MSX 12-footers.
These rods are just that bit more middle of the road, a little less specialised in their performance and handling than their DSK stablemates, and therefore more versatile and angler-friendly.
That does not mean that they lack power or backbone. Some all-purpose rods would have a job chucking a 3oz lead and solid PVA bag the length of a snooker table, but these two-piece carp catchers go the full distance and then some.
They just do it in a politer, less aggressive manner than the DSKs, and you don’t need a master’s degree in mechanics to make the blank fully compress before it belts out a cast that would not look out of place on a windswept winter cod beach.
As for the finish of the MSX rods, the lads at Avid have pushed out the boat, with nothing short of full custom hand-built assembly and finish. The build starts with a modern 50mm butt guide, followed up the chequered carbon matt-finished blank by a perfectly spaced row of quality lined ceramic rings.
These are held in position by high-gloss black silk whippings, and end in an Anti-Frap tip ring that helps to prevent casting tangles when using heavy or fluorocarbon reel lines. The full Duplon handle carries a retro-style metal hooded screw-down reel seat, tastefully fronted by silver ringed Duplon thumb grips. At the other end of the handle, the etched black MSX insignia contrasts with a discreet white tag name and test curve marking. Understated these rods may be, but buy a pair and you’ll hang on to them more tightly than Gollum does his ‘Precious’.
It’s not all about eye candy, though. Rods in this price bracket also need be able to fulfil their functions as top-end fishing tools, and these do it it with room to spare. Billed by the manufacturers as all-rounders, equally at home with solid PVA bags as with straight leads and big Method feeders, they will handle 4oz-plus weights with no suspicion of feeling overloaded.
The tapered blank of an MSX has a super-fast tip recovery speed, and enough steel in its soul to load a casting weight high up on its top section, enabling the blank to power through a hefty cast with no hint of bounce.
A beautifully progressive action kicks in when the rod is put under pressure, even when battling big fish at close range, and there’s enough grunt left in its locker to cope with locking down and powering up to haul a feisty carp away from potential snags.
Nash Dwarf 9ft 3.5lb and 10ft 4.5lb Carp Rods
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£49.99
Nash has added beefy 9ft 3.5lb and 10ft 4.5lb test curve blanks to its affordable Dwarf rod series, designed to bring a compact dimension to carp fishing.
Ideal for heavyweight leads, big Method feeders and spodding work, retractable butt sections reduce overall length, making them easy and quick to pack away.
TF Gear Project X Carp Rods
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£79.99 for two rods
Buy one of these new, big-value carp rods and you get a second one free. It’s supermarket mentality but it makes sound financial sense.
There are seven different, two-piece, 12ft rods in the Project X range and they’re all priced between £79.99 and £89.99 for a pair.
Choose from 2.5lb, 2.75lb, 3lb, 3.25lb or 3.5lb test curves, and there’s also a matching spod rod and a marker rod.
Over the last five years, sub-£50 carp rods have become incredibly good value but there are still some absolute dogs out there that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
I’ve fished with a lot of these entry-level rods and I couldn’t have asked much more from the 2.5lb test curve Project X rods I chose to fish with.
The two rods cost a total of £79.99 through mail order specialists Total Fishing Gear and I matched them with 50-size TF Gear Airlite Free Spool reels costing £29.99 apiece.
For a total financial outlay of just £140, I don’t think any carper –of whatever ability – can quibble with the quality and value for money that this twin rod/reel deal offers.
If this is the maximum amount of cash you have to spend, you’ll struggle to better it and still walk away with kit that actually works.
The matching rod/reel combos certainly look the part. That shouldn’t be important, but it is, and you won’t be the subject of sniggers of derision from your fellow anglers.
The slimline, matt black, carbon blanks have minimal graphics and are dressed with good, strong, three-leg lined guides and simple but sturdy screw winch reel seat fittings.
This rod suits my style of fishing down to the ground. It isn’t a poker-stiff casting machine incapable of bending with the kind of mid-double/low-twenty size fish I normally catch on day-ticket runs waters.
Instead, it will happily deliver a 3oz lead and a small PVA bag over the 30-70 yard ranges I typically fish at, while still bending sweetly from tip into the top of the butt section under load.
I caught some cracking, scale-perfect commons to 14lb during testing and warmed to the rod’s pleasing action.
The rod feels easily capable of landing 30lb fish on 15lb reel lines, while still remaining mellow enough to give sport with smaller ‘bread and butter’ fish.