Colmic Scrape Xtreme Next Adventure 35g Feeder rod
PAY AROUND
£77.99
Italian brand Colmic has been around the UK match scene for many years, with products such as Colmic Jolly pole floats..
Its nickelled Nuclear 501 pattern is the forerunner to many commercial carp hook designs, and it’s fair to say that Colmic poles – and rods, for that matter – have proved very popular.
It’s always going to be tricky for a European company to gain a really strong foothold, though – think Trabucco and Tubertini.
However, at this year’s Big One show Colmic revealed several very impressive new poles, seatboxes and rods for commercial fisheries.
One of the outstanding new rod concepts at the show was Colmic’s three-rod 9ft 25g, 10ft 35g and 11ft 45g Scrape Feeder Xtreme Next Adventure series. All three of the two-piece blanks have a typical fast parabolic action, marrying a forgiving tip section to a mid-section with plenty of backbone, allowing fish to be played quickly to the net without the risk of hook-pulls or snapped lines.
Colmic has built its three Adventure rods with a taper unique to each in respect of casting distance and feeder weight. The shorter the rod, the faster the taper – the longer the rod, the stronger its lever, which translates into casting power and ability to bring fish quickly to the net. All three models are said to be ideal for use with cage, pellet, Method and block-end feeders, as well as straight lead tactics.
The model on live test duty, the mid-range 10ft 35g rod, should be well suited to most short to mid-distance feeder work on a normal commercial fishery.
The proving ground for the theory was Decoy’s fish-packed Lou’s lake, a horseshoe-shaped water that responds particularly well to far-bank feeder tactics. Accurate casts of around 35m are needed to get the best from it.
Starting the session using a lightweight 15g flatbed Method feeder, the sporty Italian blank cast straight as a die time after time, and despite early reservations about its short and rather delicate looking quivertip carrier section, the silver-etched black blank really did produce an impressively fast parabolic action. Carp from 2lb-5lb were beaten in double-quick time.
The rod comes with three push-in fibreglass quivertips of 1/2oz, 1oz and 1.5oz, and the featherweight blank features two double-leg lined guides on its butt section, with another five single-leg lined guides perfectly placed along its carrier section to emphasise the fast taper action.
Suited to mainlines up to 8lb and hooklengths down to around 0.12mm, it’s lots of fun to use, mainly because it’s nigh impossible to lock up.
As an all-round commercial feeder rod it not only looks different from the norm, but it performs in a refreshingly different way from your average bog-standard commercial feeder rod… grazie Colmic!
VERDICT
Don’t let its name or dual colour scheme put you off – Colmic’s Scrape Xtreme Next Adventure 35g Feeder rod is quite something! Perfect for short to medium casting ranges, the blank lands substantially big fish in double-quick time, even on light gear.
If you visit a commercial fishery where the fish’s mouths are a bit messy and prone to hook-pulls, you should definitely have a look at this rod soon.
Preston Innovations Carbonactive Mini 11ft 6ins Method rod
PAY AROUND
£169.99
This super rod from Preston Innovations is designed for medium to long-range feeder fishing.
The two-piece carbon blank has power aplenty to launch a fully loaded Method feeder upwards of 60m.
But it’s not all brawn – the blank still has enough softness to absorb powerful lunges from big fish, doing away with hook-pulls at the net.
The rod comes with two fast-taper quivertips that give instant bite registration, and super-positive line pick-up speed even at extreme distances.
Middy Baggin’ Machine Synaptic Duo rod
TECH SPEC
Two tops: Waggler and Feeder
Features: F-Lined Guides, hook retainer, two spare quivertips, Synaptic carbon design, ergonomic reel seat.
Casting weights: 2g to 25g Wagglers; 10g to 45g Feeders.
PAY AROUND
£109.99
This Middy Baggin’ Machine Synaptic float and feeder Duo is ideal for anglers on a budget who want a single rod to cover a multitude of different methods.
It has two separate top sections and comes with two push-in quivertips to make up a 10ft feeder rod that’s perfect for parrot cage commercial fishery pegs. With the feeder top, the rod is capable of fishing Method feeders up to 45g as well as cage and blockend feeders and straight leads. It has a soft progressive fish playing action, but with loads of power down the blank, and will handle reel lines up to 10lb with hooklinks up to 6lb. There’s also plenty of power to land double-figure carp, and the rod feels nicely balanced and responsive.
During a live test at the impressively stocked Lou’s Lake at Cambridgeshire’s Decoy Lakes, the rods mettle was well tested with plenty of F1s, as well as the odd larger carp. It cast a fully loaded Method feeder with impressive accuracy up to 30m with ease. The Synaptic blank is made from carbon and glass, which produces a very lightweight, fun-to-use tool, with an almost anti-locking action. Hook pulls are kept to the absolute minimum.
With the waggler top fitted, the rod is still 10ft in length, and will cast floats between 2g and 25g, making it ideal for up-in-the-water pellet waggler tactics. It can handle reellines up to 8lb and hooklinks up to 5lb.
The waggler section has a little more stiffness through its mid-section than the feeder top, but it still retains plenty of cushioning forgiveness, and is more than capable of absorbing last-minute lunges from even the largest of fish at the net, without risking hook pulls.
VERDICT
The Middy Synaptic Duo would make the perfect tool for the summer pleasure angler. Designed for use mainly on commercial carp fisheries, the rod is easy to transport and equally at home fishing a Method feeder or a pellet waggler.
Drennan Acolyte Feeder Plus 12ft rod
PAY AROUND
£189
Tackle giant Drennan has recently added two new models to its top-end Acolyte Feeder series. The latest 10ft and 12ft Plus rods are said to be the most powerful within the family, which includes 10ft, 11ft and 12ft Ultras with lighter actions, as well as an existing 11ft Plus rod.
The 12ft Plus model I tested is constructed using the same super-slim, two-section high modulus carbon blank featured on all Acolyte Feeders. But on this rod its mid to top section areas have been substantially beefed-up, to provide the blank with a higher weight loading point.
This not only aids its casting potential, enabling feeders and leads to be propelled greater distances, it also allows heavier weights up to 60g (2oz) to be used.
Drennan claims casts up to 60m are easily achievable, with even greater distances possible if you have good technique and, having live-tested the model on a large open water venue, I wouldn’t argue.
Other notable features are its stand-off SiC lined guides that help to keep the line well away from the blank, enabling the reel line to move quickly and smoothly through its guides, again to help distance. To that you can add a high-quality original Fuji screw down reel seat, full length 23ins-plus cork handle, and three push-in carbon quivertips, which have been selected to blend in with the rod’s parabolic fish-playing action.
So when, where and how would you use this rod? It’s certainly well suited for large expanses of open water – including rivers – and for all species of big fish.
The blank’s extra backbone provides plenty of casting clout which makes it ideal for all types of feeder and straight-lead tactics, just as I experienced at Lincolnshire’s big-fish mecca Bain Valley at Tattershall Thorpe.
The fishery’s windswept and open Halifax Lake holds some very big carp, which are noted for their fighting qualities. During the warmer months when the water is coloured, these can be caught on a pole in the margins, but once the colour starts to fade away, so do the fish. And like so many big waters in clear conditions, fish tend to shoal up towards the middle of the lake, a good 70m from the bank, more than a decent cast for any type of feeder rod, let alone one with such a slim profile as the Acolyte Plus.
Bread is the key bait, as it is on so many carp lakes in the cold. But Bain Valley is deep, so the punched disks need popping-up some three feet off the bottom to find the fish.
The longer hooklength adds yet another degree of difficulty to the cast. However, a decent sized bomb soon sorted this problem out. I did feel, though, that using an ounce-and-a-half of lead at around 65m-plus, the blank was on the upper limit of its capacities. To be fair, it was a very long chuck, and the Acolyte’s tip recovery post-cast, and its responsiveness, were never found to be wanting.
The rod’s push-in quivertips are faultlessly matched to its carrier section, with the 2.5oz, 3oz, and 4oz carbon quivers ideally suited for Method feeders and all hair-rig tactics.
Once a fish is hooked the blank’s action is surprisingly robust, and enables you to pull very hard without it ever feeling as though it might fold when under pressure – perfect for all big fish, not just carp.
The 12ft length enables a quick contact to be made with fish hooked at distance, and nothing that I caught while live testing, ever felt like it could dominate proceedings, which again for such a light and slim rod is very impressive.
I wouldn’t use it with small hooks and light lines, as I feel it had a little too much stiffness toward the end of the carrier section for gossamer gear, but as it wasn’t designed for that anyway, it’s hardly a criticism. I am, though, surprised that Drennan hadn’t moved the butt guide further down the blank, even if it meant losing a guide further up (think carp rod) as this may have added even more casting prowess.
VERDICT
Another sure-fire winner from Drennan. The Acolyte Plus feeder would be every bit at home on Boddington Reservoir as on the banks of the Severn or Trent. Thanks to its same-length design, and top ‘n’ tail retaining bands it is easily transported ready made-up, and is sure to be popular with long-range feeder fishing fans.
Mark Sawyer
Preston Innovations Competition Pro 12ft Medium Feeder rod
PAY AROUND
Preston innovations Competition Pro 12ft Medium Feeder
RRP: £109.99 (but shop around)
PXR Pro 4000 reel
RRP: £104.99 (but shop around)
Not quite as cheap as chips, but more versatile than a Swiss army penknife, is this tasty pair from the Preston stable.
The three-piece 12ft Competition Pro feeder is as much at home dishing it out on rivers as it is battering them down at your local commercial carp venue. The all-carbon blank is nicely put together, and features an old-school full-length 25in cork handle with screw-down reel seat and EVA thumb grip.
Its seamless, flat spot-free progressive action is ideal when targeting big bream, carp, barbel, tench and, of course, chub. The lightweight blank has just about enough softness at its tip to make reel lines of 4lb-8lb with hooklengths down to 0.12mm diameter feasible and, like all good feeder rods, this one has a very high loading point.
This means that when a feeder is attached, the rod only bends from its tip, enabling its backbone to kick in and propel the feeder forward, rather than just lobbing it up and out, as happens when the weight loading area is too far towards the mid-section.
Other features on this Preston rod, which the manufacturers suggest will cast feeders up to 60 metres, are eight low-profile large diameter lined guides. The six equivalent guides on the two spare quivertips also have enlarged diameters, so if you’re off to Ireland, where heavy shockleaders are often used to cushion long casts and protect against zebra mussels, you shouldn’t suffer the annoyance of having the knots catching in the eyes.
The perfect foil for this rod would be its matching Preston branded reel, the award-winning 4000-sized PXR Pro. This model is ideal for winching in heavy feeders and is packed with features including a lightweight aluminium body, quick-release push button spool (plus one spare), precision front drag system, robust stainless steel hollow bail-arm and hard chrome-plated line roller.
Most importantly it runs smoothly and tirelessly on six stainless steel bearings and generates a 4.9:1 gear ratio.
Live testing tackle in winter can be tricky. With the bigger rivers out of sorts, but fed up with bagging commercial carp, where else could I take the Preston pair to prove their mettle? The light-bulb moment eventually came and we were off to Northamptonshire’s River Ise. A stealthy approach using a small cage feeder packed with liquidised bread, and flake on the hook, would hopefully prove successful. The set-up was simple. The reel was loaded with 5lb mainline straight through to a running feeder, stopped with No.8 shot 12in from a size 10 hook. First cast saw the tip tremble, and then it trembled again before pulling round in a classic chub bite. A spirited fight saw a fair sized fish lunging for the nearside reeds, but the 12ft Competition Pro Feeder had a bit too much backbone for any of that old malarkey, and quickly thwarted my quarry’s escape plans.
Through pouring rain, covered in mud, bread and fish slime, both the Preston items performed faultlessly and they get a huge thumbs-up from me.
VERDICT
If there were such a thing as a ‘one-rod does it all’ feeder model, Preston’s Competition Pro Medium Feeder would comfortable pass the test. Every bit as much at home on a commercial carp fishery as it would be bream-bashing on an Irish lough or fishing a big river for barbel, it’s a great all-rounder. As for Preston’s PXR Pro reel, you don’t have to spend long using one to see why the angling public voted it the best reel in its class last year.
Browning Sphere 10ft Bomb rod
TECH SPEC
Length: 3m (9ft 10ins)
Sections: 2
Max recommended casting weight: 50g
Spare quivertips: 0.5oz, 0.75oz, 1oz, 1.5oz.
Weight: 133g
PAY AROUND
£249.95
Those who regularly read my tackle review pages will be aware that I have been raving about Browning's top-of-the-range Sphere Feeder rods since first clapping eyes on them a year ago.
I adored them at first sight, and was bowled over by their lively, springy and steely feel and seamless non-locking parabolic curves. Live-testing them has proved to be nothing short of stupendous. They have casting power to burn, with recoil-less rigidity matched with a high weight loading area that will propel a feeder or lead a very long distance, even in the hands of a 'standard' distance casting angler like myself.
But - and here's the best bit - somehow the technical boffins at Browning have been able to produce blanks which blend all of that sizzle-factor with an almost imperceptible finesse which only comes into play when you hook a fish. Clever eh?
Faults are hard to find, other than the weight of their price tags, but they are right up there among the best.
Plaudits aside, there was one model left in the Sphere range that I had been waiting patiently to live-test, until the leaves started falling from the trees.
In the comfort of Browning's showroom, this rod felt ideal as a cold-water commercial-fishery tool, ideal for targeting F1s using light lines and small hooks, as well as being able to cope with the odd bigger fish. So as I tackled up on Decoy's unit-packed Beastie Lake, I was hoping for a live test encounter which would live up to my ambitious expectations.
I wasn't disappointed. The first thing you notice is that the blank has a long butt section at 5ft 2ins and a short a (3ft 4ins) carrier section, although when one of its four 23ins glass quivertips are fitted the two sections become equal length, making it easy to carry around as a ready-made.
Browning rates the rod as optimised at around 30m casting distance, which for me was under-gunning its true potential somewhat. My chosen peg was opposite an island end with a paddle type aerator as an added feature. My guess would have been it was around at least a 50m chuck, well above the rod¹s rating, and made even more difficult by the somewhat less than streamlined shape of the 20g pellet feeder I had tied on.
Not a problem! I even had to feather the line a little to avoid an overcast, and once clipped the rod hit the distance every time without fail. All very impressive, but not as impressive as what went on over the course of the next few hours. It¹s called Beastie Lake for a very good reason. Barbel, carp and F1s all grow fat healthy in this fabulous lake, and the Sphere handled them all with consummate ease, even when I had a dabble down the margin.
The resident barbel know every root-end and snag, but the rod pulled them away quickly and cleanly without a creak of complaint. I purposely over-loaded the stress-factor by pulling directly from above in an attempt to make the blank rotate, which in turn makes the guides twist out of alignment but they stayed die-straight throughout the ordeal.
I went through the card with this rod - maggot feeders with small hooks and 0.10mm hooklengths, pellet feeders with heavier lines and hair-rigs, straight lead and pellets - it was faultless. It would happily cope with main lines or braids from 4lb to 8lb and will cast up to 30g weights easily enough. Plus, you can use it with light lines and small hooks as its soft action is very forgiving, so hook pulls are kept to a minimum.
The four push-in glass quivertips are rated 0.5oz, 0.75oz, 1oz and 1.5oz which helps to provide it with sensitivity and durability.
Although it carries a bomb rod tag, the Browning Sphere model shouldn¹t be thought of as an old-school whispish wand designed for winkling out silvers from flooded rivers or canals. It¹s a very modern model with the casting backbone and parabolic fish playing action required for nearly all standard commercial fishery feeder and lead work.
The pencil slim blank has a superb transmission and steely feel, perfectly matched with the forgiving softness that is a hallmark of the Sphere range. If you¹re into the commercial fishery scene then you owe it to yourself to have a closer look.
Daiwa Airity Match and Feeder rods
PAY AROUND
£375-£450
Daiwa has used its tried and trusted Tournament blanks to create this new nine-model Airity series. The extra performance of the latest X45 carbon material is said to offer improved torque and power conversion.
The Airity hybrid 10ft/11ft is every bit as much at home casting a pellet waggler as it is a Method feeder, and will be of great interest to commercial matchman. Look out for an exclusive live test here soon.
Tri-Cast 11ft Trilogy Feeder rod
TECH SPEC
8ft version
Casting weight: Up to 20g
Line rating: 2lb-6lb
10ft version
Casting weight: Up to 25g
Line rating: 2lb-6lb
11ft version
Casting weight: Up to 30g
Line rating: 2lb-8lb
PAY AROUND
8ft £145.99
10ft £182.99
11ft £196.99
Who remembers (and probably laments the passing of) Carbotec Fast Play Feeder rods? They were so good that they retain their old face value, or even more for the right model.
This new Trilogy Commercial Feeder shares more than a few of its traits. The two-piece blank is probably a bit lighter and slimmer, and doesn’t have quite the same degree of casting clout, but it still has an extraordinary amount of fish-playing elasticity. There’s not a sign of flat spotting, nor does the rod form anything other than a perfect hoop when put under strain. The more you pressure it, the better it gets.
The casting action has a fair bit of hidden backbone spliced into it, and the 11ft model on test threw a 40g flatbed Method feeder more than 40m with little more than a swish.
The rod comes complete with light, medium and heavy push-in carbon quivertips that do nothing to mar its seamless flat-free fighting curve – very commendable of Tri-Cast.
But why on Earth they didn’t add an inch of blaze-coloured paint to the end of each quiver defeats me. Irritating, but that small detail wouldn’t stop me buying one.
VERDICT
I can’t wait to try the shorter 10ft version of this Tri-Cast rod.
I have a feeling it just might be the ultimate snake lake, small pond F1 and big-fish lead rod.
Meanwhile the 11ft model on test casts straight and well, is light in the hand, and has what seems to be a limitless supply of progressive fish-playing clout – it’s pretty special.
Mark Sawyer
Maver 12ft Barbel Twin Top rod
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PAY AROUND
£89.99
Looking for something other than an out-and-out casting tool at the right price?
This 12ft two-piece twin-top Maver rod could be right up your street.
The 1.5lb test curve blank offers a progressive action and, when fitted with its quivertip carrier section, tightens up towards the mid-section area, providing plenty of punch where you need it most.
With the Avon top in situ the rod becomes much softer, although the backbone of the pokey butt section is still there. It’s more than useful when used with big top and bottom floats, and copes admirably with touch-legering and freelining tactics.
The graphite hooded reel seat is rock-solid, just what you need when retrieving heavy feeders and leads.
Other notable features include quality double-leg SiC lined guides throughout, two unrated carbon quivertips, and a keeper ring.
VERDICT
This quality piece of kit with a modest price tag is nicely suited to all-round feeder/straight lead tactics on larger rivers such the Severn and Trent.
Its Avon-style top section is just about soft enough for floatfishing, too.
Fox Royale Specialist Barbel rod
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PAY AROUND
£72
This 2.25lb test curve model in the four-rod Fox Royale Specialist Barbel range is a true powerhouse, perfect for when you need to cast large bolt-rigged feeders, big PVA bags or heavy leads to hold bottom in strong flows. It’s more than capable of taming the biggest fish.
Another plus point comes to light when you’re fishing in flood or high water conditions. More often than not debris will gather around the line, jamming in the guides when you reel in.
However, the large and evenly-spaced SLIK guides used on the Royale Specialist blank go some way to stop this happening.
The rod’s white tip is highly visible in low light levels when you’ve got it set high and pointing skywards.
VERDICT
An out-and-out specialist barbel basher, the commanding 2.25lb Fox Royale is the rod to reach for when faced with heavy flows and weighty leads.
The powerful progressive action is more than capable of stopping the largest fish, but the blank retains enough feel to make catching them a pleasurable experience.
Free Spirit 11ft Barbel Tamer rod
PAY AROUND
£104.99 (1.5lb tc), £119.99 (2lb tc)
This is one of the best small-river barbel rods ever made. The two-piece 11ft blank is very light, and its shorter length makes it easy to manoeuvre in awkward, overgrown swims.
The Free Sprit brand has been synonymous with top-of-the-range carp rods for years. But the company produces classy barbel rods too, and its latest Barbel Tamer, in 1.5lb and 2lb test curves, offers outstanding quality at a very reasonable price.
The high modulus 30 and 40 tonne carbon X-wrapped blanks have a very low resin content, and being twin-tipped, they offer either a traditional Avon-style top or one with a 2.5oz push-in carbon quivertip.
A full-length cork handle, original Fuji DPS 16 reel seat and Free Spirit S-Lite guides all contribute to the rod’s natty looks.
VERDICT
Ideal for straight lead set-ups, freelining and smaller weighted feeders up to 3oz, the blank is wonderfully crisp and generates a seamless, almost through type of fish-playing action on smaller waters.
Middy Nano-Core XZ65 World Elite 10ft Feeder rod
TECH SPEC
- Three special blank graded carbon push-in quivertips of 0.5oz, 1oz and 1.5oz test curves ensure a flat spot-free action, and make the rod suitable for a multitude of feeder applications.
- The rod comes with an original Middy aluminium hooded reel seat ideal for most reel sizes.
- The super-slim 20ins full cork handle makes the rod comfy to hold even when it’s under stress.
PAY AROUND
£209.99
Middy produces some mighty impressive commercial fishery rods these days – everything from short snake lake models to horizon-hitting beasts.
What’s more, there’s something to suit everyone’s pocket.
At the very pinnacle of Middy’s feeder rod range sits the new 10ft Nano-Core XZ65 World Elite, yours for a jaw-dropping £293.99. But panic not, as it can be found at a more realistic price if you shop around.
That said, it’s still a lot to lay out by anyone’s standards, so what exactly would you be shelling out for?
Well, for starters you get an ultra-slim (just 11mm at the butt section), ridiculously light, two-sectioned carbon fibre blank, the result of the very latest Nano-Core technology. This translates into a rod with lightning-fast reflexes, immense strength and flexibility.
The blank has undergone a unique high-pressure vacuum curing process that forces out any tiny air bubbles, ensuring a consistent performance and a flawless finish.
Other luxury touches include three push-in carbon quivertips rated at 0.5oz, 1oz and 1.5oz, seven ceramic-lined double and single SiC Ultra-Flow guides, and a thin full cork handle furnished with a screw-down reel seat.
Middys claims the rod will cast bombs and feeders up to 50g with mainlines up to 12lb and hooklengths up to 8lb.
So far that’s pretty much standard manufacturers’ marketing speak for a commercial feeder rod of this ilk. But in my humble opinion top-end or flagship models should always have that bit extra, the ‘wow factor’ if you will...
You’re already paying for the classy furnishings, fittings and carbon technology, but without that noticeable edge to the rod’s performance all that counts for nowt – and that applies to all tackle brands, not just Middy.
And so to the live test. A favourite water of mine is the peaceful day-ticket Stretton Lakes, just off the A1 north of Peterborough. The fish here are of an average size, and respond to most open-water tactics – ideal helpmates for tackle testing.
Assembling the rod, you cannot help but be impressed by its pencil-slimness – in fact I found the full cork handle a tad too skinny for my own assortment of butt rests, and would suggest that any prospective buyer should look for a small U-bend abbreviated rear rest of the sort favoured by carp anglers.
The sections are not quite equal in length when the carrier section has a quivertip in place, so you need to be extra careful when you’re putting it away ready made-up, even though the classy Middy padded carry bag is more than long enough for the job.
I was not wholly convinced by its suggested 50g maximum casting weight. For me, the top end of the carrier section has a little too much play, and while there is no denying its impressive post-cast recovery speed, this rod is clearly not of the ‘give it a whack’ breed – face it, if you miscast and take out the top section that’s a very expensive mistake to make.
And there end my criticisms. The fact is, the performance of the 10ft World Elite will have you purring with satisfaction. It has a wondrous amount of torque and feel, with a handling aptitude right up there with the very best.
The immaculate gunmetal grey blank has a phenomenal pick-up speed, and its responsiveness to any size of hooked fish actually takes a bit of getting used to. It’s a bit like stepping straight out of your old family saloon and into a works rally car, but once you adapt to the change it’s all systems go – only you won’t have to strap yourself in!
VERDICT
A genuine high-performance rod for the commercial fishery connoisseur, this top-end Middy model will handle most weights of flatbed feeders and straight leads up to 40g (1.5oz). It is equally at home using a maggot feeder with light lines and small hooks for F1s as it would be targeting much bigger fish with bread discs in winter.
Mark Sawyer
Korum 11ft Quiver rod
TECH SPEC
• Line rating: 4-10lb.
• Two piece construction.
• High quality cork handle.
• Screw reel fitting.
• Ideal for feeder work or straight lead.
• Supplied with two quivertips: 1oz & 2oz.
PAY AROUND
£49.99
The rod has a full cork handle and two equal-length sections with a line rating of 4-10lb. There's plenty of power to comfortably launch 2oz feeders when you're targeting fish over the pound mark.
The 1oz and 2oz carbon quivertips are well-matched to the rod with the stiff 2oz tip first choice for using with a Method. The lighter tip would be great on rivers.
If you're the sort of angler who likes to divide his bankside time between rivers, natural lakes, large canals and commercial pools, wouldn’t it be great to have one rod to suit them all?
This super-versatile tool has two equal-length sections and comes with two spare 1oz and 2oz push-in carbon quivers. It really does have a multitude of uses and will turn its full cork handle to anything, from maggot feeder and straight lead fishing on rivers for chub and barbel through to open-ender tench and bream tactics. It’ll also chuck a Method feeder for commercial carp.
Having spent a few hours using the test sample from Korum, I can report that it won’t necessarily lend itself particularly well to finesse feeder tactics using tiny hooks and gossamer hooklengths. So if you’re after a net of roach and skimmers, it sadly won’t fit the bill. However, it is very impressive with fish from 1lb upwards, which is probably why it carries a manufacturer’s line rating of 4lb-10lb, which seems about right to me.
Although this is a rod with multi-venue possibilities, time was somewhat against me for my live-test day so I chose a water containing all sorts of fish, in all sorts of sizes. The picture-postcard day-ticket Stretton Lakes near the A1 in Rutland fitted the bill.
I started the session using a 28g pellet feeder with a banded pellet hookbait, cast tight to an island. This soon caught me a string of stockie carp of 2lb-3lb, which all put a healthy and progressive fish-playing bend in the rod.
Its action is geared towards hard and fast playing power, as opposed to a fancy and forgiving one. But whatever it loses in guile is certainly more than made up for in its casting performance. For an 11ft model it has plenty of poke, can withstand a proper whack, and will easily launch at least 2oz of lead.
The carbon quivertips both work perfectly with the rod, with no sign of flat-spotting or making the blank feel top heavy. I have long been an advocate of using stiff carbon tips for all my Method feeder work and the 2oz tip worked a treat when I switched to a 30g flatbed Method cast towards the far-bank reeds.
Unfortunately for me – and the live test – it was one of those days when the carp were really ‘on the munch’, and despite several hookbait changes the greedy stockies devoured all that was thrown
at them. While emptying it, or as photographer Lloyd Rogers so eloquently put it, ‘hook a duck time’, I pondered as to why it’s never like this in matches…
It also struck me that the Korum rod would be very much at home on snag- strewn small rivers, where the stocks of chub and barbel succumb to straight lead, bread/cheese and meat tactics.
VERDICT
What a great little all-rounder of a rod this is, and it comes with a very reasonable price tag! Ideal for a multitude of legering tactics, it really is every angler’s flexible friend.
Mark Sawyer
Browning Sphere Feeder M 3.90m rod
PAY AROUND
£249.95-£399.95
Browning’s new Sphere rods are aptly described by the European tackle giant as being ‘from a different world’.
Made from the very highest quality carbons, every aspect of their design is engineered to produce a finished product that is as near perfect as it can be.
The Sphere blanks are said to be the slimmest and lightest high-modulus carbon rods available, and features include superb ultra-low-friction ‘skeleton’ SiC guides throughout, plus an ergonomic, weight-reducing handle which transmits more ‘feel’ through to the angler.
Between them the seven Sphere Feeder models cover every possible aspect of feeder fishing, from lightweight two-piece silverfish models through to 4.2m (13ft) firm-actioned rods capable of handling heavy leads in raging torrents.
Browning claims the rods will add yards to your cast, yet remain responsive enough to safely play soft-mouthed fish like skimmers and withstand the thumping head-shakes of really big bream without fear of hook-pulls.
That is quite some claim. I have seen and used many really good bream rods in my time, but nothing has ever been absolutely perfect – until now, that is!
From the moment I first handled these rods in Browning’s German factory I knew they were a bit special. The first clue to their excellence came during a conversation I had with Bob Nudd at this year’s Big One show. Bob excitedly handed me one, proclaiming: “This is the best feeder rod I have ever seen.” Praise indeed from a five-time World Champ with a lifetime of match and festival wins.
Recent sellout match attendances at open-water bream venues such as Peterborough’s Ferry Meadows had brought me a spate of ‘which rod?’ emails. These, along with questions from anglers on the bank asking about distance feeder rods, were all the excuse I needed to ask Browning to send in a Sphere for review.
This they duly did, and I received a 3.90m (12ft) three-piece Feeder M that I was assured would be ideal for long casting to big bream in open water.
Now, let’s clear one thing up, these rods are eye-wateringly expensive, with prices from £249.99 right up to £399.99, so you would expect them to be more than reasonable. However, they do come with four matching push-in tips which offer the ultimate in bite detection.
Settling into permanent peg 127 on Ferry Meadows’ Overton Lake, it was time to get some bait in. Clipped up at a modest 60 turns on the 4000-sized reel, the rod delivered a fully loaded 30g feeder bang on to the spot every time. Even a niggling headwind did nothing to affect accuracy or distance.
After 20 minutes of constant casting to get some feed out, I unclipped the reel, tied on a heavier feeder and unleashed the beast – ‘awesome’ is the only the word that does this rod justice.
The power kicked in through the middle section, the carrier was virtually recoil-less, and 90 turns later the feeder was back in my hand. Now I wouldn’t claim to be the best caster around, probably only just better than average. But never before had I chucked a feeder so far with so little effort.
But would this rod prove too stiff to play a big bream on? We’ve all been there – up pops the feeder, the bream starts shaking its head, and the rod doesn’t cushion the weight of the feeder being tossed around, so out comes the hook.
It’s the saddest sight in match fishing, staring at an empty landing net head with a big swirl behind it.
Suffice to say, this rod handled the situation with consummate ease – every fish was brought to the net early, apparently increasing the likelihood of a hook-pull, but everything stuck fast.
I could go on and on about the virtues of this rod, but I’ll leave you with this thought… don’t buy any other distance feeder rod until you have seen a Sphere.
VERDICT
Without doubt these Spheres are the best rods Browning has ever produced. Casting with breathtaking performance and accuracy, they have unequalled fish-playing powers, and are aesthetically unlike any others. If the rest of the Sphere Feeder series is anywhere near as good as this 12ft medium test model than Browning has created something out of this world.
Mark Sawyer
Matrix Method Master 11ft Feeder rod
TECH SPEC
In this range, there is a choice of 9ft, 10ft, or 11ft, all with casting weights of 20gms to 50gms.
• High modulus carbon blank.
• Semi-parabolic fish-playing action.
• Designed for up to 25m.
• Casting weight: 20gms - 50gms.
• Ideal for fishing the method on the pole line of on snake type lakes.
• Short handle for easy manouvering when casting and playing fish.
• Lightweight, strong double and single leg guides positioned for easy made-up transportation.
• Cork/EVA handle with soft-touch screw down hood reel seat.
• EVA transport holder block holds all sections parallel for easy made-up transport.
• Ideal for all method feeder\pellet feeder fishing.
• Rods break down into two equal lengths.
• Supplied with two (3/4oz, 1oz) interchangeable tips.
• Line rating 4lb - 8lb.
PAY AROUND
9ft £59.99, 10ft £64.99, 11ft £69.99
Matrix has added three new Method Master feeder rods to its range designed to tackle commercial fisheries.
In 9ft, 10ft or 11ft lengths, all three blanks will cast Method feeders weighing between 20g and 50g (0.7oz and 1.7oz), which will cover nine out of 10 pools you’re likely to find yourself pegged on.
At a time when quality short feeder rods can set you back a considerable chunk of wedgeit’s quite refreshing to find that these superbly appointed rods can be had at under £70 a chuck.
So, what’s the catch – if indeed there is one? To find out, and hopefully make a decent catch of my own, I settled into a peg fringed with Norfolk reed on the day-ticket Kingsland Reservoir, just outside Peterborough, equipped with the 11ft version of the Matrix Method Master.
The fish in this deep lake – mainly carp – show a definite taste for baits presented on the Method, especially close in to the margins. This tactic obviously doesn’t test a rod’s casting attributes, but it does put its fish-playing mettle under the spotlight.
Before you even wet a line, one of the first things you will notice when putting together the two equal-length sections of this 11ft blank is its fast taper from butt to tip.
This gives it a high weight loading area toward the tip end of the carrier section and enables the rod to hold pretty much rock-steady before casting.
There’s none of that bouncing around of the feeder that can be such a pain in the butt section – yours!
This lack of movement improves the rod’s distance casting and accuracy, and after half-an-hour of trying out different weights of feeder I can happily report that it will handle 30g flatbed models with very little effort. That said, I felt that the manufacturer’s recommended maximum casting weight of 50g would be overstretching the rod.
No matter, the plus points way outstrip this small negative. The blank is a composite of carbon, glass and resins which together produce a rod lacking in flat spots, and with enough backbone and grunt to tame the odd Barney Rubble.
This rod is immensely enjoyable to use. Bend it like Beckham and it will put fish in the net time and time again.
Indeed, if you’re into your commercial match fishing, it should help you score a good few points over the opposition.
VERDICT
The new Matrix Method Master casts accurately and sufficiently far to cope with the majority of commercial fisheries. The equal length two-piece blank has lots of feel and transmission, and its controlled progressive bend will cope with fish big and small.
This very affordable rod can be used with reel lines between 3lb and 8lb, and is destined to become a firm favourite with all club match anglers on a budget.
Mark Sawyer
Browning Commercial King 8ft F1 Wand
TECH SPEC
Length: 8’/2.45m
Sections: 2 + 3 Tips
Casting weight: 2 – 4 lbs
Travel length: 1.27m
Weight: 150g
PAY AROUND
£59.99 both models
If you feeder fish snake lakes that don’t require massive casts then this wicked little rod should have your name on it. And here’s why…
Browning has further improved and refined its Commercial King Rod range to include these two gossamer 8ft Carp and F1 Wands, both of which eradicate hook-pulls while having the capability to land any big bonus fish.
The pencil-slim, through-actioned blanks bend all the way from their tips through to their cork handles. The F1 model, on live test duty, has the more forgiving action and is rated at around 20 per cent softer than the slightly beefier Carp Wand.
I favour short rods with actions like this because they can transmit every flick and flutter from fighting fish of all sizes, yet effortlessly cushion the most fragile hooklengths and tiny hooks.
They allow an angler to present really light rigs to finesse bites from shy-biting winter F1s and skimmers that have seen it all before, and they more than justify the asking price for use on hard winter commercials, where you might be fishing for just half-a-dozen bites in a match. Their reduced length allows you to easily tuck them out of harm’s way down the side of a platform, well out of the wind.
The F1 Wand is built to fish with reel lines of 2lb-5lb, while the Carp model can handle slightly heavier mono from 3lb-8lb, with appropriate hooklengths, but I wouldn’t go much below 0.10mm even with the F1 version.
I paired my test rod with a 4lb mainline that blended sweetly with the two-piece, 8ft blank. Three fine glass quivertips of 0.5oz, 1oz and 1.5oz come with each rod. These will register delicate bites while still managing to accurately throw feeders and bombs of up to 2oz. Reduced length rods are reckoned to give much greater accuracy over long ones when making the short-range casts required on many commercials these days. They’re also definitely easier to use in tight swims hemmed in by vegetation.
I took the test rod to the prolific Greensands snake lakes fishery near Sandy, in Bedfordshire, to fish a small 15g flatbed feeder loaded with dampened 2mm pellets and fine fishmeal goundbait with a 6mm hair-rigged banded pellet and size 16 hook.
The first thing you notice is how light the Browning Commercial King F1 Wand feels. The next is how easy it is to cast overhead, plopping the feeder accurately hard up against the far bank, or features such as islands or aerators, at distances from just beyond pole range to around 30 yards. On many day-ticket venuesbeing as little as 12ins off target makes all the difference between a good day and an average one.
No worries – it’s my bet that with this pint-sized belter sitting on your rod rest, you’ll be bang on the money every chuck.
VERDICT
This super pair of 8ft Wands from the Browning stable are ideal for commercial snake lakes and small pools. The F1 model, in particular, would be hard to better for this kind of fishing. It would make an exceptional winter maggot, feeder and small-hook F1 tool.
Mark Sawyer
Shakespeare Sigma 10ft Commercial Feeder Rod
The Shakespeare Sigma Commercial rod range features two-piece carbon blanks with powerful, but progressive, actions. These rods are designed to allow for accurate casting and making the playing of hard-fighting fish easier and faster.
THE RANGE
Sigma Commercial 11ft Float
Sigma Commercial 10ft Float
Sigma Commercial 11ft Feeder
Sigma Commercial 10ft Feeder
PAY AROUND
£39.99
Every match or pleasure angler who catches big fish on commercial pools should have a rod like this in their holdall.
Carrying a full recommended retail price of just £39.99 (although you’ll find it even cheaper if you shop around a bit), it’s eminently affordable.
With two equal-length sections, the 10ft rod is easy to carry ready rigged for action. Its composite carbon and glass construction generates a fast casting action, and it plays fish firmly yet forgivingly.
I was soon to experience its qualities at close range as I ran the rule over this Shakespeare 10ft Feeder, part of the famous firm’s new four-rod Sigma Commercial range.
The kind of venue I would choose for a feeder/lead rod of this type is a small to medium-sized commercial pool of between 20 and 40 pegs, with required casting distances of 15m-40m. The open-water strip lakes at fish-filled Decoy Lakes near Peterborough fit the bill perfectly, and so armed with some timely advice from Angling Times deputy editor Kevin Wilmot, I aimed for a peg at the top end of Oak Lake.
A few exploratory casts down the lake with different weights of feeder confirmed the casting credentials of the new Sigma, which are amazing for such a short rod. The fast tapering blank has a high weight loading point, matched with impressive poke from its butt section, and will cast feeders and straight leads of up to 40g more than 35 metres. This is more than enough for most commercials.
My casting target on the day was actually little more than 25m, enough to position a 15g flatbed Method feeder tight up against the only feature in the lake, a paddle-type aerator. Pinpoint accuracy was needed, and the sparky little Sigma didn’t disappoint.
The blank is recommended for use with reel lines up to 8lb – quite heavy, in other words – and hooklengths from 0.12mm upwards.
The rod’s most outstanding asset, though, has to be its splendid progressive action. Far from being wetter than a haddock’s bathing costume, it manages to blend a soft tip with a fast-tapering mid-section, which makes the playing of big fish quick and easy, never stiff or overpowering.
My first fish of the day proved the point when the quivertip (two graded carbon tips of 1.5oz and 2oz are supplied) slammed round hard as a big kipper made off with my double corn hookbait. The rod did its job nicely, absorbing every lunge and run all the way to the net.
This is normally when most big fishtend to come off the hook, but not this time! The blank kept the fish under close arrest without any worries that it was about to slip the handcuffs and escape.
VERDICT
A very impressive rod from Shakespeare, and impossible to fault, given such a low asking price. It casts well, has a super power-playing progressive action, and could turn its cork handle to conquer most feeder and straight lead commercial fishery situations.
Mark Sawyer
Preston Innovations Carbonactive Mini Plus 11ft 6ins Method Feeder rod
PAY AROUND
£169.99
Preston Innovations has given its best- selling Carbonactive Mini-Plus rods a significant makeover and added this two-piece 11ft 6ins Method feeder tool to the range. Right from the start Mini-Plus rods were a hit with commercial match anglers, as the reduced-length blanks, with their trademark forgiving yet powerful action, were ideal for getting carp to the net very quickly.
Despite significant changes, all the new Preston Mini-Plus rods retain their non-locking action and trademark ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ feel. However, they do appear to have been built around slightly faster tapering blanks. This, far from being a negative quality, gives them more casting speed at the tip when they are wound up, always a useful quality when going for extra distance.
Cosmetics and furnishings on the new rods have been upgraded too. The whippings on the glossy jet-black blanks now boast classy red trimmings, and depending on the model you get either single or double-legged low profile ceramic-lined guides.
The cork and EVA handle is fitted with a soft-touch reel seat which is not only pleasingly comfy to hold, but clamps the reel stem close to the blank. This is handy if, like, me you have short fingers. To round off the technicalities there’s a fold-down keeper ring, always nice to see.
So how did the Carbonactive Mini-Plus actually perform? After all, the two-piece 11ft 6ins blank is an unusual length for a Method feeder rod, which would more commonly be found in standard 12ft and power 13ft versions. Yes, even shorter method feeder rods are available, but these are really designed for fishing down the edge, not for distance casting.
A rare creature our test rod may be, but with the help of match aces Des Shipp and Tommy Pickering Prestons has come up with something that’s absolutely spot-on for commercials with islands and features at the 30m-60m mark.
That point was brought home to me when live-testing the model at Suffolk’s day-ticket Hinderclay fishery. Like so many others, this complex has centre islands on a couple of its lakes, and accurate 40m chucks to these are essential from the relevant pegs.
The Mini-Plus will cast a small 30g fully loaded feeder with little effort on the angler’s part, and I would suggest that at a push it could propel a large 45g Method feeder a fair distance. That said, don’t buy it if you are just looking for an out-and-out power casting tool, which it isn’t.
The blank has enough backbone to keep a straight cast, even if you need to lean into the cast in the teeth of a strong headwind, and the lack of tip recoil and bounce helps as you approach the casting distance limit.
I am fast becoming a fan of the longer-than-normal quivertips Preston is using these days on its feeder models, blending as they do into the blanks with no flat spots. The Mini-Plus comes with a glass tip rated at 2oz and a 2.5oz carbon tip. In truth, because bites are usually bold wrap-rounds as the fish hook themselves against the weight of the feeder, I reckon an even heavier 3oz tip would be useful, and contribute to longer casts.
That said, the softer glass tip does make the rod a little more flexible, should you want to use it for open-end feeder work for bream. Thanks to the blank’s forgiving action, it is well suited to this tactic.
Preston Innovations Classic Series 11ft-13ft Feeder
PAY AROUND
£139.99
If you had to choose just one feeder rod to handle all legering situations, it’s my guess many would go for an 11-13ft configuration.
This versatile combination blank was, I believe, originally launched by Daiwa and made available in both medium and heavy versions, green or red whipping denoting the rod’s specification.
Since that time similar rods have been produced many times over, and not just by Daiwa – just about every tackle company includes an 11-13ft feeder as a ‘must have’ rod in their range.
The very latest to hit the market has just been introduced by Preston Innovations as part of its new three-model Carbonactive Classic Feeder series.
These versatile rods are intended for the seasoned angling journeyman and – dare I say it? – are almost old-school. Classic retro traits include fast tapering high-gloss jet black carbon blanks with matching 25ins extra-long push-in glass quivertips, full-length cork and EVA handle and, most importantly, a seamlessly soft, progressive action free frpm flat spots.
My original plan was to take the Preston Classic to a medium-sized mixed stock fishery and run it through its paces with open-end and Method feeders of varying weights, fished at different distances, using a variety of baits. This strategy would in turn hopefully attract fish of many species, proving the rod’s worth as an all-rounder.
That was until almost every sheet of water, from lake to puddle, froze absolutely solid. Obviously the rivers would still be a Plan B option, but the tea-stained raging torrent that passed for the idyllic meandering Thames around Oxford looked about as inviting as a cold bath in January.
And so to Plan C. What you need when everywhere else is iced up is an inland ocean, a vast sprawling open expanse of water that the wind ruffles enough to prevent the ice from forming.
There was a very good reason that the car park at Boddington Reservoir was devoid of angler’s cars for the first time in its history. It was so bloody cold that you’d have to jump start a reindeer. I’d also heard on the grapevine that bites here right now were rarer than a Ringer snap-off.
Still, needs must, and after setting the kit up in the early 70s, with freezing cold hands I threaded the line through the rod’s sturdy double legged ceramic lined guides. Rigs would need to be simple affairs, as open-end feeders were hardly likely to bring much action my way. Relying on small but heavy Method feeders and straight lead set-ups, I began the test.
With the rod set in its full ‘three section plus handle’ 13ft mode, Preston claims it is capable of casting Method feeders and is equally suited to heavy work in fast-flowing waters. I reckon it is more than capable of doing both reasonably well, but despite the fast-tapering blank it’s definitely not a long-range Method feeder tool. It’s all a little bit loose and languid for full-throttle distance work.
It is, however, ideal at its full length for all deep-water bream and skimmer fishing. With the dolly butt section – which houses a single guide and fits above the handle – removed, the blank takes on an altogether different feel and casting action.
At the 11ft length (11ft 2ins to be precise) it will easily cast weighty Method feeders and has a lot more casting aggression. The fast taper kicks in when the blank is fully compressed, and will propel any type of feeder a surprisingly long way for an 11ft rod. It certainly isn’t poker-stiff, so it’s still capable of coping with soft mouthed fish.
I also rather fancy this would make a super river rod, perfect for hooklengths down to 0.12mm, smaller hooks and any species of fish. This very much keeps it in the mould of the classic 11ft-13ft design.
Svendsen Desperado
PAY AROUND
£49.99
This beefy rod has loads of firepower down the blank to beat the biggest river species throughout four seasons of fishing.
The rod has an official line rating of between 4lb and 8lb, but it will fish heavier lines if required in winter floodwater/snaggy swim conditions.
The butt section is massively stiff to provide casting backbone and the ability to deliver larger-than-normal feeders though it is a bit thick at the butt end.
The three heavy glass quivertips aren’t officially rated but are estimated at around 2.5oz, 3oz and 4oz. This makes this rod great for throwing loads up to 3.5oz and waiting for big drop-back bites. It is not a rod capable of showing up shy silverfish taps, rattles and knocks.
A good choice if you want a ‘power’ rated rod on a limited budget in these hard times!